Iduna's Story

Once upon a time, there was a Norse goddess named Iduna. She lived happily in the land of Asgard, among the immortals of Valhalla. She kept herself busy tending the trees in the grove, keeping all the immortals hale and hearty with the Golden Apples of Youth. But one day, Loki the Trickster took her from the peaceful grove and gave her to the Frost Giant Thrym. Holding her captive to be his wife, she fought ceaselessly, determined to never be wed to the evil giant. After her rescue by Thor, she returned to the grove, but couldn't erase from her memories the beautiful sights of the lands of the mortals.

One day upon awakening, with a stirring in her breast, she arose swiftly from her bed with determination. With a new resolve, she quickly packed her few belongings, and set forth to the new realms that awaited her. Her green eyes sparkled in delight as she pondered all the wondrous things that awaited her.

The Rainbow Bridge in Asgard.

Iduna crossed the Biforth Bridge, the rainbow of light blinding her. Looking back once last time at Asgard, her foot slipped off the path, and she plummeted quickly through the mists that separated her world from that of the mortals. As the swirling clouds surrounded her descending form, panic overcame her and consciousness slipped away.

A blinding, searing heat pressing down on her greeted her as she awoke. Shielding her eyes against the glare, Iduna looked around cautiously. Endless sand in all directions surrounded her. Waves of searing heat quickly evaporated the precious fluid in her body. Her mouth dried suddenly as she realized there were no places of shade in which she could escape the brutal sun. Standing up, she set out walking. Her feet shod in scant sandals sank into the scorching hot, coarse grains of sand. After many days of measureless sand dunes, her eyes caught a faint flash of light far upon the horizon. Her weary limbs renewed their struggle against the elements as hope gave her new energy. As she drew closer, a city began to form from what was once a glimmer.

A representation of the City of Tyr. (Excerpt from a Luis Royo painting)

Finally the city gates loomed before her. Peasants drawing carts of unrecognizable wares passed to and fro the entrance. Yellow-robed officials of some sort stopped them as they entered, speaking a language that was harsh and guttural. Iduna observed small bits of ceramic passing from the hands of the peasants fortunate enough to be able to afford passage into the city. Calling upon her powers, Iduna was able to read the scrawled writing on the wooden doors, she determined the city was named Athas. Watching all with great interest, Iduna settled herself down unobtrusively some distance from the portal. After a while, the conversations of those passing began to take a comprehensive form in her mind. As darkness descended on the land, Iduna prepared to enter the city. Circling the high stone walls that surrounded the buildings, she moved far away from the yellow-robed ones. Finding a suitable spot where a large sand dune concealed her, her form grew transparent. As she felt her density decrease, she stepped away from the sand dune, and once again approached the city gates. Leaving no footprints, or stirring of breath to mark her passage, she slipped past the guards and entered.

Iduna quickly learned the ways of the Athasians. She learned to flee when the evil Templars, in their bright yellow robes approached. She learned to steal what food she needed, and where to find shelter from the shadows of the night. Friends were few and hard to come by in this land where every day was a struggle to survive. One day a Tyrian guard named Yanix befriended her, and taught her to fight offensively, how to act instead of react.

The Guard Yanix befriends Iduna and instructs her in combat.

But for the most part, Iduna kept to herself, content to watch life flow around her. She didn't want anyone to get close enough to learn that she was really one of the Asa folk, a Norse deity. This self-imposed loneliness chafed at the naturally friendly goddess, and she began to watch others around her with increasing interest. Iduna noticed that once in a while, a few individuals passing on the busy streets of Caravan Way would draw their hand over the lower half of their face in a strange gesture, almost as if they were miming a veil across their face. Not long after she observed this action, something unusual would happen in the city. Perhaps a merchant who had long supplied the Templars with goods would return from a journey to find his warehouse a smoking ruin, or a ragged band of orphans would find a hidden cache of food and ceramic bits. Drawing a correlation between the observed gestures and the anarchy in the city, Iduna determined to learn more of the subversive rebellion. Determined to find out more about this elusive group, Iduna found a strategic spot in the bustling Caravan Way, and made her way there every day, relaxing to the sounds of the cool, bubbling fountain as she surveyed the passing crowds.

Through weeks of careful watching and listening, her patient vigilance was rewarded as she spied a man performing the veil gesture. Rising quickly to her feet, she shadowed him through the warren of crowded streets in Caravan Way. He followed the twists and turns and led them to a more deserted section of Shadow Square, and then disappeared from view. Chagrined, Iduna then posted herself at the last spot she saw him, and prepared herself for another long vigil.

Finally one day he approached her, and began to speak with her. He could see that she was made of the "right stone" and so introduced himself as Chazaq. After speaking together a little while, he asked her if she would like to meet some friends of his. Sensing his honest intentions, Iduna readily agreed; her heart pumping with anticipation.

He led her through the winding streets, to a place where the hectic clamor of city life did not reach. An abandoned bathhouse on the outskirts of town, the place looked as if no one had been there in decades. The decrepit looking door was surprisingly solid as Chazaq rapped out an intricate series of knocks against it. The door swung open, and they entered. Spider webs brushed against her head and shoulders as she followed Chazaq deeper into the darkness, her eyes still trying to adjust in the gloom from the brightness outside. He led her down a flight of broken steps, and at the bottom, pushed open yet another door. As they emerged into well kept, lighted chambers, an old man with white hair approached them. Matthias led Iduna and Chazaq into his office, where they sat. As they spoke at length, Matthias' eyes probed Iduna's. She could feel the intense blue eyes delving into the depths of her soul. Seemingly satisfied by what he found there, he asked Iduna to join the order of the Veiled Alliance.. In order to prove her loyalty she had to complete a mission for him. Iduna readily accepted, and when she finished the perilous task,took the vows sacred to the Veiled Alliance. She devoted her life to the restoration of Athas to its former Green Age, and to stop the defiling of the land by the Templars. Iduna fast became one of the Veiled Alliance's most loyal members, disrupting the works of the evil High Templar Xel at every chance she got. She lived with Matthias and his people, happy to have some direction in her life.

Not long after, she made the acquaintance of a merchant named Gellan Kel'kan, who would come to Athas in search of people to work for him. Iduna enjoyed the missions Gellan sent her on, and soon became active in the restoration of balance in the land of Athas.

The restoration of Balance in Athas.

It was during these missions that a silent but efficient group caught her eye. They walked as quietly as the wind, and conducted themselves with honor. Never ones to cause trouble, and therefore unwanted attention to themselves by the Templar Council, nevertheless they did not run from conflicts, and were skilled fighters. Iduna watched as on many occasions these monks defended themselves and the citizens of Athas from the actions of the evil mercenaries, the Mercs.

During her stay in Athas, Iduna had seen many such groups start, grow, and then mysteriously vanish, much as the dunes of sand that surrounded the city. But this group of monks seemed to grow and prosper. Although Iduna loved the Veiled Alliance, the absolute secrecy that she must maintain left her feeling lonely. Finally, one day during a mission for House Kel'kan, Iduna approached one of the black haired monks. After speaking with Mantis Khan, she asked to learn more of this group, and learned that they were part of many that called themselves members of the Temple of the Four Winds. Mantis taught her much of their ways of living and their philosophies. She admired what they stood for, and sought them out whenever she was able. Eventually Mantis brought her to meet the Master of the East Wind, Ka Manthra, and the Master of the South Wind, Tsunami.

Tsunami, KaManthra~, Iduna and Mantis Khan -- Temple of the Four Winds 1997

After weeks of traveling together, they asked her if she was interested in joining their ranks as an initiate monk. Iduna, feeling highly honored, accepted. In time she grew to love the monks, and they became a family to her that the goddess had never had before. Time passed, and Iduna rose through the ranks in the temple, fulfilling the responsibilities given to her by KaManthra.

Temple of the Four Winds gains Guild Recognition in Athas. 1997

As time passed however, some of the monks went their separate ways, and new generations of monks came to be taught the secrets of the Winds. Mantis and Tsunami heard a calling to a land called Britannia and left to teach the Ways of the Winds to the people there. Iduna became an important person in Ka Manthra's life, and as they worked together to keep the Temple strong, another, more personal bond grew between them. Then came a new wave of monks within the Temple. These monks, many of them from the land of NeverWinter, came to stay in Athas for a short time before moving on to pass the teachings of the Temple to other lands. After a time, yet another wave of members joined the ranks. These monks did not trust in the Master of the East Wind as had monks before them. Doubt and mistrust came to live within the Temple's walls.

Ka Manthra and Iduna had worked hard for many months teaching the new initiates, and left together to take a brief, well deserved respite from the rigors of Temple life. When they returned, they found that seeds of distrust had been sown amongst even the most devout of the monks. One monk in particular, named Djuna, often questioned the decisions of the Masters, and openly voiced discontent against the Temple's sacred charter. Arguing, unheard of before within the Temple, soon echoed through the halls. Whispers of treachery and deceit were heard in many ears, and soon the monks were divided among themselves. Iduna soon came to the conclusion that Djuna was at the core of the problems, but was unable to communicate her beliefs to the others. Seeking an end to the disputes, Iduna asked for the help of Corum Blackwolf, her beloved brother, in the hopes of reuniting the monks. Corum asked that the members vote among themselves, as to whether they wanted Iduna or Djuna to stay in the Temple. The new monks voted for Djuna.

Betrayed and hurt, Iduna left the Temple, swearing never to return. Within a matter of weeks, Djuna led the members in a revolt against Ka Manthra, and obtained permission from the Templar Council to have him removed from his sacred sanctuary. Nursing themselves from the wounds inflicted on them by their brothers, Iduna and Ka Manthra summoned the winds one last time, to take them from the lands of Athas.

Swept up in a maelstrom that echoed their raging hearts, the tornadic winds carried them to a many new places, where they hunted and traveled, discovering many dangers and perils along the way. Finally the winds carried them to a new land named The Realm. Journeying together, they found it hard to trust those that they met in their wanderings. Finally though, they came upon a family who called themselves SpellReevers, who seemed to follow similar philosophies as Ka Manthra and Iduna. Still hurting from the betrayal, they rested and healed themselves with the love that was apparent within the family. Vowing not to let themselves be hurt again by those they held dear, Iduna and Ka Manthra journeyed with the SpellReevers, but would never allow anyone to become as close to them as the monks once were.

Iduna spends her days with Ka Manthra now. Her longing to see new mortal realms is fulfilled as she and Ka travel the aether, stopping whenever they see something of interest. Their love for each other grows stronger as days pass, and never again will she feel as lonely as she did in her days in Asgard. They plan to visit their brothers in the other lands one day soon, and hope that they find them living well and happy in their lives. Perhaps one day that shall come to pass, but that will be another chapter in Iduna's life. In the meantime,

They lived happily ever after.