The warriors of the Training Grounds valiantly defended the outpost from the creatures from the frozen realms of Helheim, where they eventually learned the Völva of the Hoarfrost was behind the assault. Twisted by the corruption spreading beneath Yggdrasil.

But when the moment came to strike her down, the warriors chose mercy instead. They discovered that the Völva had not been driven by cruelty, but by grief left unchecked.

Long before their arrival, the warrior she loved had died a dishonorable death. His mistakes and recklessness denying him the fate she believed he deserved. When Hel came to claim him, the Völva begged for him to be allowed to carry steel and stand beside his brothers.

Hel refused. Her grief became desperation. Her cries echoed through the realms and deep into the roots of the Worldtree, where something ancient heard her.

Nidhogg. The Gnawer of Roots.

It did not come to her as a monster. It came as relief… A promise to numb the pain she could no longer bear. But that relief carried corruption with it, twisting her grief and spreading its influence through Niflheim.

By sparing the Völva rather than destroying her, the warriors broke Nidhogg’s hold and gave her the chance to face the grief she had tried to escape.

She would eventually reveal the name Beowinna and stand alongside the Training Grounds.

But their victory revealed something far greater: The corruption was not contained to Helheim. Something was moving through the roots of Yggdrasil.

And Chapter I was only the beginning.