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xp_logsPaige explains what is at stake and why she is back on Earth.
It was not a group you'd normally expect to be gathered in one of the mansion's dens. But the most unusual of all was the near seven foot woman clad in gleaming armor. Save for Illyana, they had all known her as Paige Guthrie, who sacrificed her humanity in order to save several students during the battle against the Dark Phoenix. But Paige was no longer entirely the woman they remembered, as years with her Valkyrie sisters had changed her. Without the threat of the Disir, it seemed likely that she would not have come without purpose.
"Before the Valkyrie were shepherds, the Warriors you know now, they were the mead maidens of Bor Burison, ruler of Asgard. The only rule was they were to be untouched. Virgins. No lovers, no children," she began, reciting from many stories told late at night around a fire.
Her mouth twisted into a wry sort of smile. "You can imagine how well that went. Sigurd, Bor's greatest warrior, encouraged him to lead a hunting expedition, leaving Sigurd and his closest companions to mind the Great Hall. They held an extravagant party, food and wine, mostly wine, and it turned debaucherous, seducing Valkyrie maidens in sexual conquest."
"Like a parent coming home early from the weekend away, Bor returned before the celebrating had commenced. Sigurd had been clever and placed scouts to warn him and his men, who got away cleanly, but there was no such safety for the Valkyrie.
They were separated into two groups; those who had not broken their vows, but had stood by and allowed his rule to be broken, and the ones he now considered sullied. For the first group, they would be what you now know as the Valkyrie. Keepers and transporters of warrior souls, so that they may experience the grief and pain of death for all eternity. But to the second it was."
Paige paused, allowing herself a small sigh, eyes closed. "It was terrible. They were to be symbols of Bor's rule, and what happened to those who crossed him. The Disir."
Amanda's eyebrows shot up. "The Disir?" she asked, then blushed a little as all eyes turned on her, including Pa... No, Valkyrie - she couldn't think of this imposing Asgardian as Paige, the country girl
so desperate to excel, her roomie at one time. "They're kind of an Asgardian ghost story," she continued. "Except, being Asgard, it's real. The Disir have this eternal hunger for Asgardian God flesh, but since they're not strong enough to actually overpower an Asgardian God, they're doomed to go hungry. Pretty harsh punishment for a night of partying, but that's Bor for you. Kind of a misogynist. But why are they suddenly an issue? From what I've read, they usually hang around the gates of Hel's realm, don't they? Since that's where the warriors who die in battle wind up and get the eternal life package go?"
Paige nodded, a gentle dip of her chin. "Why is anything ever an issue in Asgard?" she asked, then in unison with several of the group, "Loki. He has made use of Norn Stones to transport the Disir to Midgard. Since there is only one Asgardian god here, though a half god, no longer heir, their voracious hunger has become sharpened like a blade, a deadly focus. We have never forgotten our sisters, and so I have been sent to request aid; in saving Thor Odinson from certain death and in the release of the cursed."
The name 'Loki' made Molly's eyebrows narrow. She totally should've known. "So what can we do to help?" she asked Paige. Molly hadn't really interacted much with her, if at all, until the night she saved them, so she only really knew the Paige in Asgard. Course...that was awhile ago in Asgard years.
"If it involves punching Loki until he turns purple....I'm all for that," Molly added.
"Not quite that simple, though, if it happens. I would not argue," Paige replied with a small smile, her gaze lingering a moment before returning to the group. "The Disir must be defeated and then bound to one who has been to Asgard, but can travel within Midgard. As you can expect, there are not many of you, and fewer still who would do so and then plead for the return of their souls. From Hel."
Doug quirked an eyebrow minutely. What he really wanted was to curse for several minutes about Xorn, Loki, the 'don't talk about it or the world will blow up' clause, and the vagaries of the universe in general. But all he could spare was the slightest twist of his mouth that Marie-Ange and Amanda might pick up on. "I'm guessing that set is pretty much just the people in this room?" he asked, somewhat rhetorically. Their ties to Asgard were why they were all there, after all.
"Not all of us." Amanda indicated Illyana with a tilt of her head. "Any reason for that?"
"Yes," Paige answered, suddenly a strange split between herself and the Valkyrie, pausing a purposeful moment before she flicked her attention to the group as a whole once more, a contrast now in the bemused twist to her mouth. "I've sensed a few more of you, but. It's a big mansion, and this is a tiny room. Some of your colleagues have already been informed of the situation."
Ty followed along attentively. His eyebrows got higher with each new bit of the story. He was pretty sure he looked like a startled owl at this point.
"Okay, so we're going to grab the Disir before they take down Thor, drag them back to Hel and ask for their release from the curse. With Loki watching what we're up to." Amanda scrubbed her hand through her hair. "One more question, tho' - who are you going to bind them to? It'll have to be someone up for a lot of life draining."
Molly, who had been silent for a bit, straightened her outfit, then stepped forward.
"So if I'm one of the...y'know travel people...I volunteer?" she said, holding up a hand. Hero stuff, right? If it meant saving people she was up for that.
"Life draining is like...would I be like old? Like....40? Or 60 or...like....that one dude from the Indiana Jones movie?" Cause if she had time left then she could totally like...knit or something. And if she didn't...well that happened.
"Wait, what?" Ty sputtered.
"I don't know why everyone is crazy," Illyana broke in matter-of-factly, after a long pause of thought, "but I don't volunteer. This sounds dangerous, and I have never been to almost any other dimensions but this one, and I don't feel qualified to plead for anyone's soul. I didn't even really pass English this year so I know I can't write a persuasive essay even in five paragraphs."
Valkyrie smiled, absently giving Molly's shoulder a fond squeeze. "I appreciate the sentiment but. We have it covered."
It was not a group you'd normally expect to be gathered in one of the mansion's dens. But the most unusual of all was the near seven foot woman clad in gleaming armor. Save for Illyana, they had all known her as Paige Guthrie, who sacrificed her humanity in order to save several students during the battle against the Dark Phoenix. But Paige was no longer entirely the woman they remembered, as years with her Valkyrie sisters had changed her. Without the threat of the Disir, it seemed likely that she would not have come without purpose.
"Before the Valkyrie were shepherds, the Warriors you know now, they were the mead maidens of Bor Burison, ruler of Asgard. The only rule was they were to be untouched. Virgins. No lovers, no children," she began, reciting from many stories told late at night around a fire.
Her mouth twisted into a wry sort of smile. "You can imagine how well that went. Sigurd, Bor's greatest warrior, encouraged him to lead a hunting expedition, leaving Sigurd and his closest companions to mind the Great Hall. They held an extravagant party, food and wine, mostly wine, and it turned debaucherous, seducing Valkyrie maidens in sexual conquest."
"Like a parent coming home early from the weekend away, Bor returned before the celebrating had commenced. Sigurd had been clever and placed scouts to warn him and his men, who got away cleanly, but there was no such safety for the Valkyrie.
They were separated into two groups; those who had not broken their vows, but had stood by and allowed his rule to be broken, and the ones he now considered sullied. For the first group, they would be what you now know as the Valkyrie. Keepers and transporters of warrior souls, so that they may experience the grief and pain of death for all eternity. But to the second it was."
Paige paused, allowing herself a small sigh, eyes closed. "It was terrible. They were to be symbols of Bor's rule, and what happened to those who crossed him. The Disir."
Amanda's eyebrows shot up. "The Disir?" she asked, then blushed a little as all eyes turned on her, including Pa... No, Valkyrie - she couldn't think of this imposing Asgardian as Paige, the country girl
so desperate to excel, her roomie at one time. "They're kind of an Asgardian ghost story," she continued. "Except, being Asgard, it's real. The Disir have this eternal hunger for Asgardian God flesh, but since they're not strong enough to actually overpower an Asgardian God, they're doomed to go hungry. Pretty harsh punishment for a night of partying, but that's Bor for you. Kind of a misogynist. But why are they suddenly an issue? From what I've read, they usually hang around the gates of Hel's realm, don't they? Since that's where the warriors who die in battle wind up and get the eternal life package go?"
Paige nodded, a gentle dip of her chin. "Why is anything ever an issue in Asgard?" she asked, then in unison with several of the group, "Loki. He has made use of Norn Stones to transport the Disir to Midgard. Since there is only one Asgardian god here, though a half god, no longer heir, their voracious hunger has become sharpened like a blade, a deadly focus. We have never forgotten our sisters, and so I have been sent to request aid; in saving Thor Odinson from certain death and in the release of the cursed."
The name 'Loki' made Molly's eyebrows narrow. She totally should've known. "So what can we do to help?" she asked Paige. Molly hadn't really interacted much with her, if at all, until the night she saved them, so she only really knew the Paige in Asgard. Course...that was awhile ago in Asgard years.
"If it involves punching Loki until he turns purple....I'm all for that," Molly added.
"Not quite that simple, though, if it happens. I would not argue," Paige replied with a small smile, her gaze lingering a moment before returning to the group. "The Disir must be defeated and then bound to one who has been to Asgard, but can travel within Midgard. As you can expect, there are not many of you, and fewer still who would do so and then plead for the return of their souls. From Hel."
Doug quirked an eyebrow minutely. What he really wanted was to curse for several minutes about Xorn, Loki, the 'don't talk about it or the world will blow up' clause, and the vagaries of the universe in general. But all he could spare was the slightest twist of his mouth that Marie-Ange and Amanda might pick up on. "I'm guessing that set is pretty much just the people in this room?" he asked, somewhat rhetorically. Their ties to Asgard were why they were all there, after all.
"Not all of us." Amanda indicated Illyana with a tilt of her head. "Any reason for that?"
"Yes," Paige answered, suddenly a strange split between herself and the Valkyrie, pausing a purposeful moment before she flicked her attention to the group as a whole once more, a contrast now in the bemused twist to her mouth. "I've sensed a few more of you, but. It's a big mansion, and this is a tiny room. Some of your colleagues have already been informed of the situation."
Ty followed along attentively. His eyebrows got higher with each new bit of the story. He was pretty sure he looked like a startled owl at this point.
"Okay, so we're going to grab the Disir before they take down Thor, drag them back to Hel and ask for their release from the curse. With Loki watching what we're up to." Amanda scrubbed her hand through her hair. "One more question, tho' - who are you going to bind them to? It'll have to be someone up for a lot of life draining."
Molly, who had been silent for a bit, straightened her outfit, then stepped forward.
"So if I'm one of the...y'know travel people...I volunteer?" she said, holding up a hand. Hero stuff, right? If it meant saving people she was up for that.
"Life draining is like...would I be like old? Like....40? Or 60 or...like....that one dude from the Indiana Jones movie?" Cause if she had time left then she could totally like...knit or something. And if she didn't...well that happened.
"Wait, what?" Ty sputtered.
"I don't know why everyone is crazy," Illyana broke in matter-of-factly, after a long pause of thought, "but I don't volunteer. This sounds dangerous, and I have never been to almost any other dimensions but this one, and I don't feel qualified to plead for anyone's soul. I didn't even really pass English this year so I know I can't write a persuasive essay even in five paragraphs."
Valkyrie smiled, absently giving Molly's shoulder a fond squeeze. "I appreciate the sentiment but. We have it covered."
