Aesir: The Living Avatars

Three harpies roosted upon the tallest crag in Midgard. "What of the Aesiri's new Hird, sister?" Verdandi, who could see every place in Midgard, was always interested in the Aesir beasts and their Aesiri magikers' plots. Skuld, who could see what the world would be, picked at the innards of an errant unlucky crow at her feet, reading,

"Six threads from one -oh! I cannot see their ends! They are Fiannai absconding with the blood of avatars... They are Vanir kith awkakening the sleeping Jotunn... They are Drengr slayers of death itself... They are reavers of the Republic's greatest Firecasters burning away the world..."

"Enough," Verdandi croaked, looking to her other sister for something sensible, "What made them?"

"Darkness found them long ago," Urd whispered, for she could see the world as it was, and was stacking stones into tiny Henges in an arc around her talons, "like all mortals who seek the glory of Asgard. They have been divided by cross purposes, and united by the bonds of woe."

Skuld interrputed, shouting, yanking the crow innards into a macabre netting between her fingers, "Ruins plundered! A tower climbs to the sky! Spirits outwitted! Great jarls cast down! Wars! No, sisters, they... they cast their Animus."

"Impossible," breathed Verdandi, seeing at last the root of this calamity in the distance, "They weave the Web of Wyrd!"

Aesir: The Living Avatars is a tabletop roleplaying game that wondered- what if you blended the lore of the "Avatar: the Last Airbender" and "Avatar: the Legend of Korra" animes with European mythologies and cultures circa the Iron Age? What if you then told such stories with the Forged in the Dark system?

Here, instead of martial arts, characters harness elemental magiks to draw runes from their native lands, and players draw cards from decks of normal playing cards. Inhabitants of this world fend off invasions from the ever-expanding Fire Republic,  pay tribute to the enigmatic Aesir beasts and the spirits of Asgard, trade at sea with the great flotilla of nomadic Air Runecasters, hunt or flee from chimeric animals, and escape to new lands when one of the four colossal, terrifying, elemental avatars crests the horizon. 

To accomplish all this, you and your friends will begin by building a HENGE. 

1. The H is your Hird, your party, chosen from one of six story paths, either one of four that delve into the setting's lore or one of two open-ended, sandbox paths. Will you be Fiannai seeking to tame the four avatars, servants of the Vanir working to bring back the giant Jotunn, or something else? As your legend grows, so will your fleet of ships and loyal retainers.
2. The E is your collection of four Essences and with each, their attendant truths. Each Hird will dictate the Essences you explore, but the truths will flavor your world into something uniquely yours. Is the spirit world of Asgard ruled by capricious gods with mortal foibles, a chaotic maelstrom of frivolous sprites, or a celestial hierarchy of the most powerful warriors of the past?  Were the Jotunn defeated in righteous purpose or deceived by lesser beings? You will decide. Further, the Essences will flavor the members of your Hird with Bonds to guide you backstories along the lines of those chosen truths.
3. The N, G, and final E are the three components of your individual characters: Your Nid, the ignominious corruption you struggle with; your Genus, your inner drive and purpose; and your Eolas, your starting training and experiences. Players assemble their HENGE, then shape and grow each component as the story advances.

The game's setup will provide further prompts and tables to help the Game Master  (GM) flesh out the each set of four Episodes, shaped using the "Forged in the Dark" structure. Essences point to Factions (over 30 in all), which describe NPC's, Monsters, artifakts, rituals, and ongoing struggles. Four Episodes make a Book, and 3 Books make the Series all told.  Broaden your experience with optional tools like tactical grid combat, a hexcrawl system for exploring your world, and naval combat. Altogether, the GM is provided with just enough framework to guide a flowing narrative that evokes exactly the sorts of stories that your players said they wanted.

You can find more players, give feedback, and talk about the game on the community Discord server HERE!