Within the uncounted galaxies of the universe lie an equally innumerable collection of stars
and planets.
This plane of reality is infinitely complex and far too vast to ever be wholly understood.
Yet against every odd, nine worlds have emerged, interconnected across a scale unfathomable
to almost all.
This is the cosmic nimbus Yggrasil, known to many as the World Tree, which links together
a group of distant planets within the same shared destiny.
The World Tree is home to various races and cultures, which for a time existed under the
strength and benevolence of Asgard.
Asgard stood apart from the rest of the Nine Realms as its very nature defied understanding.
It was neither planet nor moon, existing without any rotational axis or even a star around
which it might have revolved.
Instead it most closely resembled a small extrasolar asteroid - although this still
provided no explanation for its unique properties.
It’s flattened surface exhibited a type of gravitational pull similar to a planet’s
centrifugal force, it underwent intervals of day and night, and its surface appeared
immune to erosion or the depletion of its great sea into the cosmos.
Matter, both organic and inorganic, on Asgard was remarkably dense and exhibited many strange
properties.
Whether these were natural adaptations to the realm’s unique physics or byproducts
of Asgard’s creation remains unknown, but elements and compounds existed there that
could not be found anywhere else in the universe.
The most notable of these was a kind of wormhole-sensitive crystal, which, when refined, could be used
to open, stabilize, and ultimately control gateways across Yggdrasil and beyond.
This was known to the Asgardians as the Bifrost and made them masters of everything the Nine
Realms had to offer.
The immense power of the Bifrost had the potential to destroy all of Asgard should it be left
unchecked, necessitating the use of an Observatory through which the Bifrost could be carefully
directed.
This observatory, like all architecture on Asgard, appeared almost naturally formed from
the surrounding earth, culminating in grand spires and towers visible from almost anywhere
in the realm.
Many of these structures were covered in gold polished so bright that they almost seemed
to eminante some great inner light.
At the center of Asgard’s single great city rose a graceful and ornate palace, the home
of the King of Asgard.
Feasts and celebrations of victory were held in these resounding halls, where warriors
and protectors of the realm honored their fallen comrades and matters of state were
decided.
Beneath the palace lay some of the galaxy’s greatest relics, carefully secured and closely
watched so that they might not be used by those of ill will.
This was the work of Odin, perhaps the greatest King of Asgard who scoured the galaxy to acquire
exotic items in an attempt to forestall the long prophesied, apocalyptic Ragnarok.
Among the collection was the Casket of Ancient Winters, capable of plunging an entire world
into an infinite icy wind, the hammer Mjolnir, forged from the heart of a dying star, and
the Tesseract, a containment vessel for one of the galaxy’s six Infinity Stones.
While much of the remainder of the Vault’s supposed treasures were forgeries and fakes,
the Crown of Surtur, together with the Eternal Flame, represented one of the greatest powers
in the universe.
Combined, they could bring about the end of Asgard and for countless millennia Odin had
watched over the flame so that Ragnarok might never occur.
When Hela, Goddess of the Dead and Odin’s first born daughter took command of Asgard
and threatened the Nine Realms with total destruction, Ragnarok was purposely unleashed,
yet not before the Asgardian people had retreated offworld.
The very foundations of Asgard were shattered, destroying the greatest works of a people
that had once been among the greatest peacekeepers in the universe.
However, it has been said that Asgard was not a place, but a people.
While now homeless and nomadic, so long as the Asgardians remain, the promise of Asgard
itself might one day return.
In Atlas, the Templin Institute investigates the most storied places from across alternate
worlds.
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