[ When the video feed clicks on, Odin appears unenthused, which is saying quite a lot when he typically doesn't look like anything at all. The message is sent to all bracelets after the storm hits, which means the message comes loud and clear to any inside the castle and hazy or disjointed to anyone outside of it. ]

Greetings, Wanderers both new and old. We have spent the duration of your stay seeking answers to what brought you here and what must be done to return you to your worlds intact. While we've made little progress in those specific regards - [ which he again seems rather openly disgruntled about ] - we have made strides in other areas of discovery that may be of interest to you.

Foremost, while we still cannot speak to the magic that is bringing you from your worlds into this one, we can confidently say we have found the means to ensure it is a smooth transition. The connections between your souls and ours remain stable and secure, if inferior to that between you and your home. Some of you may be more keenly aware than others as to the nature of your soul's protection under our ward, but it would behoove us all not to test the boundaries of this tenuous magic.

[ You know, the whole dying and coming back to life thing? Please don't do that again, thx. ]

As for our other recent discoveries, I'll allow Honir to explain what was found during your excursion beyond the kingdom's boundaries.

[ Honir appears in frame looking much more nervous than the calm and steady composure of Odin, but he offers a chipper smile all the same. ]

Yes, hello! Hi! Um - right. So I know many of you weren't very happy about it, but when we left to get ahead of the Army of the Dead, we found something… less than good? Actually very bad, probably. Um.

[ He glances briefly off camera and then back again with a more grim expression. ]

We know now there are things from your worlds coming into this one other than just you. And it's not like they're spilling over or leaking through to be exactly what they are in your world. They are taking on new life of their own, growing from within Yggdrasil Herself. They're different and… I don't know. It's not very good.

[ There's a pause before he adds with a more somber note of sincerity: ]

Gaige, Jim, Dante, and - and Helga too… Thank you. Without you, we wouldn't have found this at all. And…

[ Another pause, but this time Odin steps back in before Honir can say anything as silly as 'I'm sorry.' ]

- and we wouldn't know where to go next, which we do now. There are more signs of this foreign magic spread throughout Yggdrasil, and it will be our charge to find and erase these threats before more harm can be done to this realm - and yours, potentially. We still don't know what effect the leakage of this magic may do the stability of your worlds. It will remain our prime objective to figure out how to send you home and restore some semblance of equilibrium to the World Tree.

[ There's a joke to be made there, on any other day by any other god. Odin allows only a moment to reflect on that thought before adding: ]

In less grim news, however, this does present the notion that there is a means for bringing things from your world into this one intact. We would offer the opportunity to test this theory by allowing you to request one item to be retrieved for you. We will do our best to oblige.

Leave your requests here, along with any questions you may have. Oh, and do avoid contact with the storm to the best of your ability. It is not the sort of cold you may be amenable towards.

[ OOC NOTE: This is the NPC post to give some background to the As Cold As Ice event and to set up the second story arc of Asgard Genesis! Characters may request their gifts from home on this post; all requests are subject to mod approval and must be submitted on this thread by December 31. The intro/mingle log for this event is up over here for you to meet our new characters and explore December's event! Please let us know if you have any questions, and enjoy!

(On a more personal note, I (Faith) have sucked tremendously with my NPC tags over recent months due to various IRL obligations. I'll try my best to keep up with this post but expect slowness. Some of you may receive like a million year old tags from me as well; please feel free to ignore/drop these threads! Thank you for your understanding. ♥) ]