Noctilucence

Alright so a lot has happened since I last wrote. Fimbulwinter, then Ragnarok, and now this little fae creature I named Lumi (from the latin word 'Luminosus," which means "Luminous"). She's super peppy and colorful, kinda reminds me of Tsuta a little.

Anyway, to summarize everything: I participated in the final battle of Ragnarok against Jormungandr, commanding crows I transformed into bears and horse-sized drakes to attack the world serpent and the Utangard forces. I'm told after I got knocked unconscious, Lady Brynhildur pulled me to safety. After Thor and Jormungandr dealt the finishing blows to each other, Surtr attacked and destroyed everything, and I woke up at base camp.

Everything in the Northern Heavens was gone except Idavollr, and even that was heavily damaged. I helped cultivate the farmland in the new city of Vidblainn, growing seedlings and withering weeds that cropped up. There was some business with a group of rebels called the Dissidents, lead by a guy named Decon, but I didn't take part in that.

On June 9th, 2023, I walked into Gimle just as a mysterious egg started hatching. The egg had been stolen(?) from Skathi during a raid on her hold, so no one really knows where it came from. I recognized the thrum of fae magic from within the egg, so I stepped forward just in time for Lumi to emerge. She imprinted on me instantly, and absorbed some magic from a pregnant goddess named Eshtar, who kindly offered her time and advice as a parent.

I took Lumi home and she grew like a wildfire fed on dry grass, becoming an adult in everything but common sense and knowledge in less than a month. Taivir and I bonded a little over raising her but he's set back into his books now, which is fine.

Tonight, I told Lumi the story of how me and my brother, Trico, stole a sapphire from a dragon we'd named Spikes, in the Fae Forest. She asked me where the sapphire was but I didn't have the heart to tell her it's long gone by now. Promised we'd find another "shiny" just like it one day.

Hope she doesn't take too much after me, or this is gonna be rough!

Apparently, according to this chick named Valerie (the one who held a tea party at night on the Holt), the gods of the Northern Heavens once waged war on a certain type of fae. I'll have to do more research but this seems like something Taivir could be interested in. Maybe.

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Alright, so since I started this entry and forgot about it, a lot of shit has happened. First of all, Taivir gave me a heart-shaped locket that plays two songs: one kinda upbeat and happy, and one slower and sad. He said it was just a gift from one to another, not master to thrall, and I don't gotta give him anything in return, but I honestly feel like I should. Also, Tsuta and this vespire (a kind of vampire) dude named Locrian had varying opinions, but it sounds to me like maybe they think Taivir is after more than just being a stand-up guy.

Speaking of Tsuta and Locrian, what the fuck was last night? Starshine (what I call Tsuta) invited us two bloodsuckers over for dinner and while they were making it, they had this crazy flirt sesh with Locrian and the dude bit and fed on them. After Locrian left, Tsuta told me they had things under control, and I believe them; they can take care of themselves, what with being a sentient star being. So why am I still so uneasy with it? Maybe it's just because Locrian rubs me in all the wrong ways (calling me 'son', reveling in the death of billions of humans in an apocalypse, or telling me I should fucking have fun with being a vampire, to name a few). Maybe I'm… jealous? Like, my brain don't wanna bite Tsuta, but my teeth do, if that makes any sense. Maybe I just really hate PDA? Eh… I'll figure it out.

Also, apparently, the fuckin' apocalypse is happening in the Northern Heavens and Idavollr is gonna be the last vestige of hope for the gods (and anyone else here) to survive. Two roosters have crowed, so that's one more (based on what little I read about it) and then something called Fimbulwinter happens - three years of winter. Seems like a lot of people are gonna die, and… I'm kinda freaking out over it but trying to look chill. It's… hard.

[It's written in terrible penmanship]

I met Tsuta, Jarl Ullr, and some other tiger-lookin' lady after they came back from Vanaheim with a giant shroom-infested bear as big as a house. Ullr seems to be a good guy, little serious for my taste, but Tsuta? Now there's a cat I can vibe with. They're androgynous and haven't told me their pronouns so I'll just assume they're a 'they' I guess.

Anyway, so far Tsuta has displayed: fire magic, light magic, and some physical combat abilities. They say they can also make new elements and freaking explode in a supernova, yet stay kickin' (but not without "consequences"?). Seems like they're some kinda star-based creature in the form of a multi-tailed tabby cat person.

Ullr is extremely strong, like any of the gods here. He displayed enough power and magical ability to not only cleave the bear's head off in one cut of his axe, but also block off the main veins and arteries in both the body and head with some kind of ice magic. So he definitely knows his way around anatomy, or at least has a way of using his magic to do so.

Also, today I met Morwen. Pretty sure she's one of the peeps that voted 'guilty' at my trial, but despite calling me 'property' (ugh) she seems… okay I guess?

She's displayed a good control over fire magic (able to control whether it harms someone or not, which is nifty), as well as physical prowess in fighting. Definitely someone to watch out for if she ever does decide she wants to try to kick my ass.

I think I'll show this to Taivir tomorrow, along with my notes on Vanaheim's fauna (the shroom-infested ones are concerning, for sure). Maybe I'll get a few hacksilver out of it.