nextgen_asgard:

Eir and Astrid led Ellie through the halls of Odin's Hall. The royal treasury lay beyond the Great Hall and always guarded. However, Eir and Astrid grew up in this building and thanks to their resourceful brother Skari, they knew how to get into the Royal Treasury. There were double doors guarded by two guards, but it wasn't the only way into the room. Not when one had a teleporter on hand.

Eir and Astrid led Ellie through the building without being seen and as close to the treasury room as they could get. They described the inside of the room to Ellie as they went so when they arrived they could teleport in and out in almost no time.

"Art we ready?" Eir asked Ellie and Astrid.

nextgen_misc:

Daniel, Zoey, Scotty, Ellie and Rufus had told Thor and Sif about what happened in Hel while Einmyria made sure they ate and rested. The Thunder God's face wore a scowl as the children told the tale and Sif's expression mirrored his. They left the kids with Eimyria and returned to Odin's great hall. A dark cloud loomed on the horizon and Asgard would prepare to face it.

The host of Asgard started preparations for a battle and the sons and daughters of Asgard on Migard would be called back.

nextgen_holiday:

There's a piece of paper and a pen attached to a bulletin board. Across the top is written:

New Year's Resolutions
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Anonymous entries accepted.

princess_mutt:

Muir Island had seen many large Christmas celebrations over the years, but this was one of the biggest. The building was warm in the cold North Scotland weather, and brimming with people.

Loretta Lynn's Christmas album was playing loudly. This was not an attempt to make any Kentucky guests feel extra-welcome, but simply because, as any of his stepgrandpuppies would happily explain, Sean was daft.

Moira happily clutched at Lucas as they came into the front atrium along with Cassidy and Izzy.

thegrimone:

The scars on the back of Douglas's neck and shoulder were still livid. He lay stomach down on the grass with his shirt off, sunning himself fairly strangely for being in human shape.

" 'Tis the appointed time for my going back to the Forest tonight. Mummy shall kill me. Then Da shall kill me strictly for upsetting Mummy."

nextgen_cosmic:

Galactus was a cosmic being who needed to feed on the life forces of planets. Currently he was about to feast on a planet which was also the home of George, a small alien who had been residing on Earth. A small ship docked with Galactus' world ship, the crew intent on stopping Galactus from feeding on the planet.

nextgen_parent:

Lady Sif placed the two new swords for Aridis and Svalin on the table with the other items that were bound for Migard. Four new daggers, one for each, were also placed on the table. A new war hammer for Halbjorn was added along with a pouch containing common spell items. Added to the weapons were new clothes made by Einmyria and also various baked goods.

It was mid-summer and the kids, though they weren't really kids anymore, would receive gifts from their parents. Sif wasn't exactly the most maternal of women, but she did love her children and worried about them as any mother would. Even if she didn't bear some of them.

Now it was time to deliver the gifts.

"Skari!" she called.

nextgen_asgard:

The Great Hall of Odin is awash with people and noise. The fallen heroes have been honored and it was now time to celebrate their victory. It was also time to celebrate the acts of courage and bravery in the heat of battle. Mead flowed freely and the tables were pregnant with food of all kinds.

Stories about the recent battle were exchanged as well as stories of previous battles. Songs passed down through time were sung as well as new ones.

The air was light and merry and it was a festive time in Asgard.

shield_maiden:

Odin's Great Hall was almost silent. The gathered crowd waited for Thor, current ruler of Asgard while Odin slept, to speak. They were gathered to honor their fallen warriors. The battle had cost many lives and it was only fitting and proper those lost lives were honored.

Svalin stood next the throne and next to her father as Princess of Asgard. She was uncomfortable standing in front of so many people and as the princess. She was a warrior born and had a warrior's heart, not some speech maker. Barking out orders or yelling battle cries were more her style and easier to do.

Her father looked at her and nodded once.

She swallowed against the lump in her throat and looked out at the assembled warriors, her people. It was so hard to stand before them and talk about the ones that she had failed. The ones that had died because of her actions and her disregard of her duty. By Odin's beard this was hard. Her hand shook and she nearly dropped the goblet of mead she held.

"When mine father said I wast to speak to all of thee today, I didst not know what I would say. I wast scared to stand before you all and speak for I art much better with sword and shield than with words." Her voice started out a little shaky, but got stronger the more she spoke.

"Today I doth not stand before you as a princess of Asgard nor as a warrior. Today I stand /with/ you as a daughter of Asgard and the words I now speak art from mine heart."

She took a deep breath to steady herself.

"Sons and daughters of Asgard, we art not here to celebrate victory with food and drink. We art not here to sing songs of our prowess in battle. We art /not/ here for us. Today we do not mourn the loss of our sisters and brothers, but today we honor them. We honor their strength, their bravery, their unparalleled courage, and their sacrifice for Asgard.

Mine father hath tried to teach me and mine siblings humility as his father had taught him, but naught hath made me more humble than to see our sisters and brothers standing up in battle against an enemy that outnumbered them. I wast deeply humbled to see them do their duty to Asgard and to pay the ultimate price for the home and people they loved."

Another deep breath to steady herself. Tears clouded her eyes and she blinked them back.

"We feel the painful loss of our fallen brothers and sisters, but we must take comfort in knowing that they art now in Valhalla with the honored slain. They hath been reunited with our brothers and sisters that hath fallen in battle before them. Take heart brothers and sisters, for one day we shall be reunited with them, whether it be in Valhalla to wait until the final days or at the end of times in the final battle when we once again fight side by side with our honored brothers and sisters.

Honor their memory and their sacrifice each day by celebrating and appreciating the life they have given you by giving theirs. We must not let them slip from our memories or our hearts."

She raised the goblet in her hand.

"Raise your drinks and voices to our honored fallen brothers and sisters and keep their memories alive until the end of times."

She looked out at the people before her and then a quick glance over at her father. "To our fallen brothers and sisters. May you rest well in Valhalla until we see all of thee again in the final battle."

Svalin poured a little of the mead on the floor as an offering and then took a long drink of mead.

nextgen_asgard:

An eerie calm fell over Asgard for a few brief moments. The forces of dark were outside of the shield over the city and were still. Inside the Asgardian warriors waited for the moment when the shield would come down and the battle would start. They were warriors, men and women, caught in an endless struggle against the dark forces that were camped outside the walls.

This would be another battle in an almost endless series of battles. Two forces locked in a constant struggle until the day the last battle came and all would be decided. Today was not the day of that last battle, but it was a day of battle.

The warriors inside the shield had taken up their proper places and waited for the shield to come down. The warriors armed with swords, shields, axes and other weapons were on foot and horseback. Beserkers waited to unleash uncontrolled fury upon their enemies. Magic users stood perched upon high battlements waiting to unleash their spells upon the enemy. Archers also lined the battlements, waiting to rain a storm of arrows upon their foes. Valkyries waited to take to the air to strike at their enemies from above. The battle commanders paced the upper battlements looking out at the forces, dark and light, below them.

Everything was still. Man, woman, horse and enemy. Not even a breeze blew.

The shield came down and chaos erupted.

nextgen_asgard:

After hearing about the kidnapping of one of his cousins -- he wasn't sure which.  Obviously one of the older ones, either  Aslief or the twins who were less cousins by blood than by consensus -- the important thing to Douglas was to find Skari and Hjordis as soon as possible and tell them.

"Trouble," he said seriously when he finally got to them.

nextgen_asgard:

Douglas Hrimharisson was visiting his cousins in the city. Skari had sailed him over several days previous.  In that time, they'd somehow managed to exhaust several of their recreational and conversational standards.

And now Douglas stretched in a manner that looked a little odd on his fully-humanoid shape and asked, "So, fair Hjordis, what dost thou want to do?"