The golden glow of Yggdrasil fills the void — its branches stretching across realms, shimmering with rivers of light.
In the beginning, there was Yggdrasil — the eternal tree, its roots drinking from the Well of Fate, its crown piercing the stars.
For eons, the Allfather believed its branches touched all that could be.
But Odin's eye saw further.
Beyond the Nine Realms, past the reach of prophecy, the void whispered of other worlds - realms not born of Ymir's bones, nor spun by Norns' threads.
Realms... where other gods ruled, and other powers defied the order of the tree.
Driven by curiosity - and fear - Odin sent his ravens to scout the dark between roots.
Then, envoys followed: heralds of peace, bearing the runes of Asgard, seeking brotherhood among the unknown.
[The visuals twist — a massive tear opens in the void; screams of distorted light consume the envoys. Their forms flicker, then vanish.]
None returned.
The worlds beyond were not children of order... but of hunger.
[Yggdrasil shudders violently — leaves burning in cold flame. Odin stands before the World Tree, watching shadows crawl along its roots.]
So the Allfather gathered his council - the Vanir, the Aesir, the Valkyries, and the seers of old.
And he decreed: "The Nine shall not stand alone. The Tree shall not falter."
He spoke of uniting all realms, known and unknown, under the light of the Aesir - before the darkness could take root.
[Lightning flashes across the cosmos. Thor appears — framed against the storms, Mjölnir in hand. His eyes burn with the reflection of Yggdrasil's glow.]
From the storm he called forth his son - the breaker of giants, the hammer of thunder.
To him he gave a new name: Vanguard of the Worlds.
[Mjölnir strikes - a wave of light spreads outward, igniting runes across the branches of Yggdrasil, each connecting to a realm unseen before.]
And so began the Age of Conquest Beyond the Tree.
An age where even gods would learn... that they were not alone.