Pathway To Valuk - Wooded Outskirts

The earth was once a prosperous place, at least for the humans of that time. They built great cities and dwellings that stretched so high, they scraped the clouds. But humans can do nothing to stop the wraith of nature, nor the wraith of the Gods. Disasters ravaged the world, hurricanes, earthquakes, landslides, volcanoes, everything. And then, an eerie cold was cast over the world. A winter that lasted from three long years without cease. And then, hell was unleashed.

The Norse Gods battled against the Giants, but nothing could stop the prophecy. Skoll and Hati devoured sun and moon, the world tree collapsed, and Fenris broke free of his chains. The Gods fell, and the worlds were destroyed. The earth sunk into darkness for three long days, until finally rising once again. Life seemed nonexistent, but still it clung on.

Humans were now dead, but their cities still remained. Mostly rubble and shambles now. The earth is cold and desolate, with barely any green life to spare. Trees and scrub bushes are scarce, but still alive, and while the lakes and rivers are mostly frozen, the earth can support life. Of the prey, only the deer, rabbits, mice, wild pig have survived. Among the avian are scattered remains of unidentifiable birds. For the predators, wolves are of the highest survivors, with meager numbers of bears and even tigers showing up now and then. For marine life, massive walrus and seals are still surviving.

Wolves, which were once made larn and evil by Fenris, have returned to their normal selves, after one span of generation. It has been several years since Ragnorak, and they now inhabit the stone dwellings of broken cities, fighting for food and the right to survive. There is no longer a moon to keep them company, nor a sun to warm their days. In fact, day and night no longer exist. The sky simply shifts between a dark sanguine crimson, and total darkness.

The story takes place in the land of Regae, the only place on earth that can sustain life. For the most part, the land is snow covered and empty, spotted with the occasional small stone city, a reminder of what used to be. Forests are slowly reclaiming and cleansing the land again. In the center of Regae, a large mountainous rock juts from the ground, supporting some of the oldest trees in existence. It is known as, Himmal.

When the Earth was destroyed, so was the afterlife. But in a way, both had been reborn. The separation of the two worlds has been severed, and in times they overlap. At the top of Himmal, is the gateway between Earth, and the nearly destroyed Valuk zu Wulve; also known as the Heaven of Wolves. Once a month, when Himmal's top is alit with stars, the portals between Earth and Valuk will open, in which the Valuk Wulves may enter Earth, and the mortal wolves may enter Valuk.

But its not that easy getting in Valuk, for Himmal is guarded by Bar- the Demon Bear, Wakinyan- the Thunder Bird, Cu Sith-The giant green dog, and Bodim-The massive phantom cat. It has become the goal of all wolves to enter Valuk, but death is not a certain entree. For a wolf to enter Valuk, they must first be blessed by a Guardian, the White Stag, or obtain a rune stone. If they do not, then their soul is to be reincarnated back on Earth.

Before Earth was brought back from darkness, Valuk was still being repaired from the damages, but it was completely unstable. The Wulves risked becoming mortals unless another world co-existed besides their own. So the Four Guardians appeared from the beyond and brought Earth back. But it too, was unstable. A Wulve descended from Valuk and onto the sacred Himmal, and asked the Wakinyan to distribute a bag of sacred runes that the Wulve had managed to save before Ragnorak. The runes were enchanted with mystical powers and scattered across the Earth. This would grant the wolves that found the runes a ticket into Valuk. But now the Wulve was stuck on earth, so he created a portal back to Valuk. It was atop Himmal. So the Wulve told the Guardians to protect Himmal and stop wolves from entering Valuk. But every now and then, one slips through.