Conceptual Balance Series (Mod)

[Wauthan]

I don't know it will help but I guess I could mention a few of the more anonymous asynjas from the myths. Trouble is that little is known about them or if they even survived ragnarok (which seems to have taken place in the Dominions setting).

Brynhild was the leader of the valkyrie. She is featured in the saga of Sigurd Fafnesbane. A pick in death magic and flying seems appropriate.

Eir was the asynja of the healing arts. She tended the wounded at ragnarok and thus is a possible survivor. Should get the healing ability as well as picks that give her access to atleast one healing spell.

Eldsborg was the asynja of the hearth, or lifegiving fire. I know next to nothing about her but giving vanheim access to firemagic is an interesting shift in gameplay.

Frigg as you mentioned had the power of foresight and the stories tell that she knew lore that was hidden even from Odin. She would have known the outcome of Ragnarok and might well have travelled to the vanir for protection.

Freya is perhaps the most famous asynja, being the godess of love (but not fertility since that her brother Freys domain). She wears the brisinggamen (the burning necklace) and is able to change into a falcon. Should have no picks in magic but high awe and most likely the seduction ability, with stealth to be meaningful. The sprite for the unit is not appropriate though, considering Freya was not a warrior in any aspect.

Fjorgyn was the mother of mighty Thor. She was the asynja of fertility until she retired and left the domain to Frey. Since the gods are ageless she fits the anonymous warrior role fairly well. One might guess that she would also want to return to full godhood since her she didn't retire in a very gentle fashion. It seems even gods have politics. She would be a powerful nature pretender if anything.

Gondul (Bearer of the sorcerous staff) is also very likely. She was one of the highest ranking valkyrie and famous for her skill in battlemagic. No starting picks but pathcost 10.

Groa only plays a minor role in one of Thors sagas but is described as a powerful magician, skilled in healing wounds.

Gullveig was a powerful valkyrie and it was her death that sparked the vanir-aesir war. Her name means "The power of gold" and she was known as a extraordinary skilled mage. She could be back with a vengeance now that the gates of the underworld have opened wide.

Hild was another valkyrie, keeper of the domain of neverending war. Her name means "battle" or "struggle".

Nierthys or Nerthus is the elder goddess of fertility, outdating even the aesir. Once the head of the whole pantheon she was replaced by Odin when the old religion shifted into a lot more patriarchial structure. She fits the role as a pretender well and would be accosiated with nature and earth. It's diety I shifted the Asynja into in my own mod.

Ran is the asynja of storms and the ocean. A grim warrior as well as a respected diety. Should get air and water.

Saga was the asynja of storytelling and the storytellers mead. The only daughter of the highest ranking aesir, Odin and Frigg. She was the first who saw the flames of Ragnarok billowing from the home of the elves. Saga means "She who watches".

Skade was not exactly an asynja. She was a jotun who married the aesir Njord. But nevertheless she had her own domains. Hunting and skiing. She is described as a very mighty warrior indeed and it was trough sheer intimidation that she forced the aesir to provide her with a husband.

Skuld was the most important of all the valkyrias, even more so than Brynhild. She was also one of the nornas and had dominion of time not yet passed. Skuld means "Future".

Trud was the daughter of Thor and Sif. Strongest of all the asynjas and even her own father, legendary for his great strength, was pushed to his limits when they wrestled. She must have been quite a handful as a child. Her name means "Strength". A fierce valkyrie who never met her match on the battlefield.

There are of course even more asynjas but these are the ones I felt most appropriate for the role. Illwinter seems to have been thinking along the line of a valkyrie pretender though. Only Ran is accosiated with airmagic though and she was hardly one to use illusions, being a "smite first and ask for prayers later" kind of diety.

[Kristoffer O]

Truper: Odin was a god of the dead. He collects dead warriors from the battle field and has a place for dead warriors to live. He also hanged himself to gain magical knowledge (thus his name hangatyr/hangadrott - the hanged god/king). Apart from being a god of the dead he is a god of wisdom, magic, poetry, berserker fury, war and rulership. He studied Seidhr and forbid the other aesir to practice it as it would make them 'girlish'.

Wautan and others: Norse mythos is quite incoherent. There are three categories of gods. Aesir, vanir and giants. They are rather interchangeable. When a god is evil or wicked he is a giant. When a giantess (skade) marries an aesir she is called a god.

Gullveig is also another name for Angerboda, the hag of the iron wood, mother of monsters (Fenrer etc).

Skuld was one of the norns. I haven't heard any reference to her as a valkyrie, but it is not improbable that she was called valkyrie at times.

The reason the asynja is given air magic is because we have given vanheim air magic and wanted to make her a pretender with the same magic as her nation uses.

The magic of vanheim is actually not appopriate mythologiacally. Vanir were gods of fertility and nature. Frey, Freya and Njord were vanir. The aesir that replaced most of the vanir were less 'primitive' and had roles as gods of war, rulership etc.

[Daynarr]

So, could Asynja get Healing (50) ability and recuperation (to heal herself)? It would give her something special and occasionally useful. It seems to be thematic as well.

The question is, would that made her desirable enough to be selected as pretender.

[Truper]

Recuperation is a good suggestion, since Vanheim has no access to any other recuperating pretender. Vanheim's choices overall are limited, in fact. Many's the time I've lamented that they don't get to choose the Prince of Death or the Fountain of Blood, to name just two.

[Zen]

I have done a change.

Newest Version 1.72

www.techno-mage.com/~zen/conceptp172.zip

Changes:

Asyjna = -2Air, +Stealth, +Glamour, Basecost: 100, +Astral, +Nature, +Recuperation

Arch Mage (Lobster) Basecost: 10, StartDom: 2

[Vynd]

Zen said:

Arch Mage (Lobster) Basecost: 10, StartDom: 2

How about we change the Arch Mage Lobster by getting rid of the stupid human rider guy and just making him the Lobster God! [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Lightning.gif[/img]

Or maybe... The Crawdaddy!

[Cainehill]

Yeh! I mean - how stupid is an archmage who can't figure out, "Hey, if I get off my lobster, I can go up on land"?

And if he's the Lobster God, or even the Crawfish .... He's better eating.