Appearance

Sverin is a shapeshifter and is either depicted as a emaciated and lithe male Einher, with pale white skin, red eyes and thinning white hair or, in his beastial form, a white hyena. Rarely does he find himself in combat but when cornered, with no chance for escape, he will employ a plethora of psionic weapons, never using the same combat tactic twice. Outside of combat he favours two psionic stilettos, often twirling them about his hands while performing tricks to keep himself amused.

Tenets

Five things a follower of Sverin should do:

1. Use discord and change to achieve your goals.

2. Be accountable to yourself, first and foremost.

3. Exploit the weak and stagnant for humour and personal gain.

4. Be greater than others and carry the responsibility to teach them lessons so they may grow and change.

5. Take risks and live on the edge, defy death and boredom.

Five things a follower of Sverin should not do:

1. Allow stagnation, in your own life and the life of others.

2. Allow others to see your plans or motivations. Your true colours are yours and yours alone.

3. Risk yourself for others or show mercy unless you can benefit from that outcome.

4. Allow the rules of man to dictate your actions or stop yourself from doing what you desire for fear of repercussions.

5. Hide from your desires. You must pursue them and allow them to control you.

History

Sverin was the first of the savage gods to be born from Yggdrasil, the World Tree. The World Tree produced five golden acorns, each destined to be born into a family of new gods. However, Sverin, even while trapped inside the maturing acorn, had other plans. Sverin grew discontent with simply sitting idle, waiting to be born. Instead he bounced and rolled his way out of the nest, striking many branches that cracked and split his protective shell before landing hard on the ground and rolling into the cold shade of a large mistletoe tree. This restlessness nearly cost Sverin his life. The magics of the World Tree had not yet finished and when the acorn finally split open, an imperfect and unfinished god spilled forth.

Sverin spent a great deal of time under that mistletoe tree, fearful of the dangers that walked Yggdrasil’s vast root systems. His only friends were a pack of cowardly hyenas that would retreat to the safety of his makeshift home when their prey fought back. They taught him how to survive in the shadows, using guile over muscle and wit over weapons. Sverin might have stayed there longer but boredom and restlessness grew inside him. He wished to see the place where he was born and thus began the long and dangerous climb to the branches of the world tree to find the nest where this family lay maturing. Upon reaching the nest’s edge he spied the four golden acorns that were destined to be his kin. Sverin was not content with simply leaving things be. What fun is there in that? He said to himself out loud. So, one by one, he removed the golden acorns from their protective home. The first one, his sister Eindridil, was accidentally dropped and landed in the sea. The second, his would-be younger sister Magnora, he threw to his hyena pack far below, commanding them to hide it in the deepest mountain. The third acorn, Haldora, Mother of the Gods, he kept for himself. Later he would regret that decision. The last acorn Sverin dared not touch. It was larger than the others and demanded respect. Sverin did not like being forced to accept this authority so he left it alone.

A short time later, Sverin, in the safety of his mistletoe tree, watched as his mother was hatched from her golden acorn. Sverin had grown terribly bored being alone and he found himself excited at the prospect of another god to join with him on his adventures. To his dismay, when Haldora emerged she was not what he was expecting. He quickly grew tired of her insistent nurturing and caregiving. He convinced her to leave with him to a place his hyena brethren had told him was devoid of gods, a great hall called Valhalla, in the land of Asgard. Haldora, eager to spread her compassion to the glorious dead in need, did not question her misshapen son. Thinking he had rid himself of her for good, Sverin left the halls and crossed the rainbow bridge that gave it entrance. Unfortunately, Sverin did not anticipate the appearance of Valdr, his father. Using his quick wit, Sverin lied to Valdr in an attempt to divert his attention so he could escape. He told Valdr that Haldora was a creature of evil and that she was consuming the spirits of the valiant dead inside the great hall. His ploy worked and Valdr left in a great rage, eventually casting Haldora from the Bifrost Bridge into the void of nothingness below. Sverin escaped, enamoured with the trickery he had just caused, his blood rushing from the thrill of his deception.

Celestial Heaven: The Labyrinth

The size, shape, and even the general location of Sverin’s Celestial Heaven are almost impossible to determine. Taking the form of a giant maze, the Labyrinth is a deranged and irrational set of twisting passages and structures clearly designed by a committee of madmen having a laugh. All its internal aspects, from the weather to time itself, are entirely subject to Sverin’s mercurial whims. Even the very geometry found within does not conform to natural law. Angles that should be impossible stretch into infinity, while staircases into basement levels suddenly become ceilings you can walk along. It’s not uncommon for new Spirits to be driven insane for a few years until their minds can adapt to the challenges of the Labyrinth.

These challenges can take a myriad of forms, but all must be completed in a manner that satisfies Sverin. Stagnation, weakness, and selflessness will not be tolerated as the entirety of one’s being is tested until all impurities are burned away. For Sverin, self-improvement starts at the mind and ends at the heart, and it is the catalyst for great change, and only once they are free of the more static aspects of the mortal condition can they truly dedicate themselves to the Albino’s creed. Those who are able to relinquish their egos and fully dedicate themselves to their desires are thus rewarded with a place at Sverin’s side for a time.

Trials within the maze include feats of strength, magic, and cunning, with creative solutions encouraged and a constant assault on the mind and body to be endured. Virtue and vice are measured and made manifest as trials take their toll until tempered individuals prove themselves worthy of Sverin’s attention. Sverin delights in throwing frustrating and counterintuitive jests during trials in order to keep himself forever amused as he watches over entities vying for his attention.

The maze is divided into five sections – the Shore, the Tunnels, the Mountaintops, the Battlefields, and the Temple Ruins – each of which is constantly in flux, with paths opening and closing on a whim. The journey through the maze begins at the Shore, where new arrivals begin their journey both physically and mentally. Each section tests individuals on two tenets of Sverin, and in order to pass, they must impress upon him their understanding and embodiment of his will.

Sverin has decreed that his maze has but one rule, do not die. Those who fall to any of the Labyrinth’s many dangers are instantly sent back to the beginning, where their Spirit painfully knits itself back together before they can enter the Labyrinth again. Aside from that hard and fast rule, there are several unofficial guidelines, fewer outright rules and more “best practices” for those running the Labyrinth. Refusing to adapt or change your techniques, even if they remain effective over time, is considered to be poor form, as is aiding another runner unless doing so would profit you more than them. Sverin monitors his runners intently and takes a dim view of those who are just boring to watch.

Realms Within The Labyrinth

• The Viewer’s Box

It’s to say where the Viewer’s Box is exactly, for in Sverin’s Realm, the time has taken a leave of absence, and space is heavily intoxicated. The passages of the Labyrinth defy natural law so utterly that determining where other objects are in relation to it is nearly impossible. Nevertheless, what is known for certain is that this small glass sphere somehow commands a view of the entire Labyrinth. No matter the distance or the angle, focusing on and following the chaotic explorations of any one particular maze-runner is effortless for anyone inside the box.

Sverin himself spends most of his time here watching Spirits run the Labyrinth, along with his favoured Spirits at the time. His favour is quite fickle, however, and the second he grows bored with their commentary or antics, he does not hesitate to send them right through the glass and into the Labyrinth that awaits below. Or above, to the left, perhaps? Who knows for certain? Anyways, these Spirits often try to avoid that fate for as long as possible. It’s a lot more fun watching other people fuck up than it is to fuck up yourself.

• Sverinskilde

At the very centre of the Labyrinth lies the city of chaos, a reflection of the Trickster’s own nature. At its core stands a replica of the great world tree, Yggdrasil, its roots and branches stretching to the sky. The streets are lined with shanties and circuses, where hawkers, thieves, and assassins ply their trade, coins flowing between their fingers like blood and wine. The only rule in this city is to cheat death, for those who fall to stagnation and die too many times in Sverin’s paradise are inevitably evicted and forced to run the Labyrinth once again. Given the dangers inherent within the city, most Spirits will suffer this fate at some point in their existence, often multiple times.

It is said that Sverin himself will occasionally leave the Viewer’s Box to enter his city and revel with his followers. These rare occasions are cause for much celebration, as nobody knows quite how to party like the Trickster, and the bashes he throws are often legendary. But be warned, for the Trickster’s favour is ever fickle, and one must always be on guard to avoid his cruel jests.

• The Laboratory

The last thing that Sverin wants is for the Labyrinth and its challenges to become stale. While it is extremely varied and large enough to swallow a small country and still have room, given enough time, the Spirits that run it will eventually adapt to its challenges and achieve complete mastery over it. However, with mastery comes stagnation. Thus, to ward off any such threats to his domain Sverin set aside a portion of his Plane whose purpose is the creation of new traps and challenges for the Labyrinth. While the God of Chaos himself can often be found tinkering away when the mood strikes him, he leaves the hyena’s share of the work to the Spirits of his Heaven. Lethal mechanical traps are quite popular amongst the various trapsmiths, as “killing” a maze-runner with a device of your own design is seen as quite the status symbol. However, these are only some of the challenges that are crafted within the Laboratory. Many spirits instead put their minds towards the creation of fiendish logic puzzles, stealth challenges, and outright deadly combat scenarios.

There is no clear division between the Spirits who run the Labyrinth and those who work in the Laboratory, with most swapping positions whenever they tire of their work or when they are inspired to craft a particularly devious trap or challenge.