Hel of a Trip

 This week we kicked off with a visit to a set of sims steeped in nordic tradition. Due to some very last minute changes in the itinerary we went to a whole different set of interesting spots, some of which rezzed for us, and some not so much. For many, just getting to the sim was a struggle but we battled through valiantly, using the Welcome region on Ignis as a stepping stone, plus improvised LMs, IMs, teleports, swearing, and sheer determination.

The gorgeous Dragon Towers, maybe we will get to visit another time.

There was a big and very last minute change to the itinerary; instead of visiting the land of the Dragon Towers as planned we went to see the Viking equivalent of hell... thankfully the people planning on joining the tour had gathered at the clubhouse so it was easy to contact everyone who got lost or stuck and get them back with our tour guides, Nadir rae and Max Well, who also built this wonderful place

Max Well: First PART — The Gates of Hel,  Gnipahellir and Garm: Journey Through the Nine Worlds of Yggdrasil. The light flickers gently. The ground beneath your feet seems alive, pulsing with slow rhythms, like an ancient heart. Around you rises a colossal trunk, so vast that its summit is lost in the heavens. You are at the foot of Yggdrasil, the World Tree.

We are an international bunch and it was so nice to have Spanish and French pepper our chat, as we navigated the netherworld.

Cherry Manga: Salut Max, salut tout le monde

nadir rae: Bonsoir à vous tous... bienvenue

Tina Bey: buenas noches ...mucha respiracion jejeje

Max Well: désolé pour ton arrivée

Thirza Ember: bonsoir! a little lag...

Tina Bey: esa es universal jajjaa

Magary Vulcano: Oh Tina habla español tambien

Max Well:  Before you lies the very structure of the Norse cosmos: nine worlds, connected by the roots and branches of Yggdrasil. Today, you will not be mere spectators, but walkers between the realms. click on this lantern please for TP

The lantern took us to a region close by called Muspellheim, a place of bones and lava....

add the correct windlight and Boom...

Magary Vulcano: Oh, Volcanes, esto me interesa!

Max Well: At the depths of Hel, before the gates of Niflheim, lies the cave called Gnipahellir. This is the dwelling of Garm, the monstrous hound who guards the entrance to the realm of the dead. Fierce and chained, Garm watches over Niflheim’s gates, preventing souls from escaping and the living from entering without permission.

Magary Vulcano: Fortunately, the dog is on a leash... but he looks at us with a dirty face...

nadir rae [fr→en]: wolves are moody

Max Well: Gjallarbrú, the obligatory passage: Gjallarbrú is the bridge that spans the river Gjöll. According to the Gylfaginning, anyone wishing to enter Helheim, the realm of the dead, must cross it. It is described as a covered bridge supported by golden pillars and guarded by the vigilant giantess Módgud.Max Well: The Ginnungagap, the yawning void, represents the primordial nothingness from which creation emerged. To the north, it filled with ice, frost, and cold from Niflheim; to the south, it was illuminated by sparks and burning masses from Múspellheim, giving birth to the cosmos.

Magary Vulcano[es→en]: This is great!

Some of the tourists were better organized than others, with binoculars and sensible footwear.

Max Well: Helheim - The realm of the dishonorable dead. We now arrive in Helheimr, a region of Niflheimr. This place is cold, dark, and grim. It is the destination of those who died from illness, old age, or dishonor. Denied entry to Valhöll or Fólkvangr, these souls endure a dull and monotonous existence for eternity, far from glory and honor.

Max Well: The world tree Yggdrasil connects the various realms of the Norse universe. Its presence in mythology symbolizes the duality and balance between life and death, honor and disgrace. Exploring Helheim reveals a dark yet essential aspect of Norse cosmology.

Cherry Manga: lagging as hell....but next week I'll have the fiberrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr weeeeee

nadir rae: nous sommes avec la fibre

Max Well: Hel, goddess of death: Hel is the goddess who rules over Helheim. She is the daughter of the god Loki and the giantess Angrboda, and one of the central figures of the Norse afterlife. She is also the sister of two fearsome beings: Fenrir, the giant wolf, and Jörmung and, the Midgard Serpent. Hel determines the fate of the souls who enter her realm. Unlike the honored warriors sent to Valhalla, the inhabitants of Helheim live under her unforgiving gaze. She is often depicted as half decomposed and half living, embodying the boundary between life and death. Her authority makes her one of the most feared and respected figures in Norse mythology.

By this point in the trip, things were beginning to show up a bit more, and almost everyone lost around the grid had been gathered together.

Thirza Ember: safari is hard work

Nara Nook: Normally I suck at navigation but this is a new level of bad for me

Thirza Ember: the textures come slowly but they are beautiful

Tina Bey[es→en]: yes, very beautiful!

nadir rae[fr→en]: you are safe with us, courage!

Max Well: The Kingdoms of Warriors. In Norse mythology, certain places are emblematic, particularly the dwellings of the gods. Odin rules over Valhalla, the paradise of warriors who died heroically in battle. The goddess Freyja, on the other hand, presides over Fólkvangr,  a vast green field or sacred meadow.

 Max Well: Fólkvangr is closely associated with Sessrúmnir, Freyja’s hall, whose name means “hall of many seats.” In some accounts, Sessrúmnir is also described as a ship belonging to the goddess.

nadir rae: what are you serving for diner Max ?

Despite the fact we kept moving very fast around big and complex regions, the lag was gradually subsiding for most of us, including Forest, who had an epiphany, if that' permitted in such a gloriously pagan environment.

Forest Azure: oh! we are IN something!

Sven Ingersoll: I like the wood carvings...  what is the table a map of?

Dings Digital: can we unpack our snacks?

Cherry Manga: raw salmon please

Thirza Ember: the tree chair is great, like game of thrones, Nadir is the queen of this place of course

Cherry Manga: with a pretty crown made of flowers

Vlad Helsing: super

Nara Nook: are we in a boat?

Forest Azure /tries the next step.. getting the sails and oars

Werushed on, teleporting into the heart of the Yggdrasil tree, the green center of the whole set of regions.

Nara Nook: gorgeous here

Thirza Ember: is this Viking heaven maybe?

nadir rae: thank you.  yes, the second heaven

Max Well: oui c'est un des 2 paradis des vikings

Sven Ingersoll: Valhalla?... the halla of val?

nadir rae: oui il existe aussi

Vanessa VanHelsing: j'adore les vikings

Magary Vulcano: realmente bonito este lugar

nadir rae: yes... cet arbre est juste fantastique

Hyacinth Jean: Oh!  They are using my milkyway sky!  <3

Cherry Manga: beautiful EEP

Dorena Bree: you made the sky Hyacinth?.. very nice

Hyacinth.Jean: Thank you!  lol

Max Well[fr→en]: do you want to visit the 2nd paradise of the Vikings?

Cherry Manga: yes Max

Tina Bey: yes

Thirza Ember: will we have to die first? (that is not a deal breaker... it's been a long day!)

Cherry Manga: omg Thirza... not ready yet, sorry :D

Max Well[fr→en]: yes Thirza, we must die first

nadir rae: je suis morte ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Thirza Ember: ok we follow you Max, into lag and anything else

Max Well: pouvez-vous ouvrir la map et chercher la region Asgard ?

We jumped to Asgard

Sven Ingersoll: Valhalla is a majestic hall in Norse mythology, ruled by Odin, where warriors slain in battle (einherjar) feast and prepare for Ragnarök, symbolizing glory and an afterlife for heroes

Thirza Ember: oh the gold thing in the sky is a sort of dragon!

Nara Nook: scary

Arponera Vulcano: woww

Forest Azure: are the gods angry?

Max Well: nous sommes maintenant au Valhalla,  cette region est faite par Nadir Rae

nadir rae: bienvenue chez Odin, t's my job this part

Dings Digital: so much thought and detail in all the builds

Thirza Ember: yes indeed! it tells a fantastic story

Magary.Vulcano: Es realmente bonito, os felicito Max y Nadir

Max Well: la suite est par ici, suivez-moi

nadir rae: allez les escaliers

Dings Digital: I like stairs, in VR

Forest Azure: /me goes on jogging

Thirza Ember: we deserve paradise after all that cardio

Sven Ingersoll: its a good day to die

And there it is, at the end of the day it turns out that Paradise is a golden ballroom, who'da thunk it.

Thirza Ember: this has been a great tour! a rocky start but definitely worth it

Hyacinth Jean: Merci. C'était une belle visite.

nadir rae: de rien le plaisir est pour nous

Max Well: nous vous remercions tous de votre présence et de votre courage

Magary Vulcano: Es precioso, merece la pena visitarlo despacio para no perder ni un detalle, un gran trabajo

Dings Digital: thank you for showing us this great place

Forest Azure: thank you for the tour!

Cherry Manga: Merci Max et Nadir ♥

Dorena Bree: Thank you  This is beautiful

Magary Vulcano: Muchas gracias por este bonito tour, Nadir et Max

Arponera Vulcano: Merci beaucoup pour cette belle tournée, Nadir et Max

nadir rae: thank you

Nara Nook: Thank you the regions are so beautiful. Really enjoyed the tour.

Nadir Rae and Max Well

HG Address ignis-fatuus.no-ip.biz:8002:Helheim   and surrounding regions. Please remember this grid is run on a server that is only online in the afternoons and evenings French time.