People of the Nine Realms

The "gods" of the Nine Realms are not supernatural — they are simply so far beyond mortal scope that no other word fits. The Aesir rule; the Vanir serve as conquered equals; the Jotnar endure as the wild powers the empire could never tame. Below them and between them move einherjar, elves, dwarves, and the mortals of Midgard.

Race	Homeworld	Population	Tech Level	Description
Aesir	Asgard	10 trillion+	1M+ years beyond Earth	Ascended to a "higher plane", Asgard now exists outside the Universe, inaccessible to the Adversary. They consider themselves the rightful rulers of the galaxy, and direct its fate from their remote sanctuary.
Vanir	Vanaheim	1.3 million	n/a	Once conquered and absorbed by the Aesir, the Vanir are a proud people who chafe under their subjugation. They are innately magical, winged humanoids who've been called "angels" by some humans, but their true nature is more complex and alien than any mortal can understand.
Jotnar	Jotunheim	100 million+	n/a	The giants of Jotunheim are the oldest and most stubborn enemies of the Aesir. They are wild, primal beings who embody the raw forces of nature, and have never been fully brought under the branches of Yggdrasil. They are a constant threat to the empire, and their prophesied role in Ragnarök is a source of dread for the Aesir.
Ljósálfar	Alfheim (Tyrol)	~400 billion	10k+ years beyond Earth	The Light Elves of Alfheim are an aloof, beautiful race of nigh-immortals that prize life in all its forms. Left to rule themselves by the Aesir, they have thrived as caretakers of the galaxy's life-bearing worlds, including Earth, a protectorate within their realm.
Svartálfar	Svartalfheim (Solen)	735 billion	400+ years beyond Earth	The Dark Elves of Svartalfheim are militaristic, xenophobic people who have rapidly risen to galactic prominence from the burned-out husk of their homeworld Solen--also the original homeworld of the Light Elves. Their starfleet is the equal of the Tyrolians, but they remain at peace, preferring to conquer unaligned systems to build their power.
Jotnar	Niflheim, Muspelheim, Helheim	10 trillion+	n/a	The Jotnar are a diverse and widespread people, with different clans and factions inhabiting the various realms of Niflheim, Muspelheim, and Helheim. They have long clashed with the Aesir, but never surrendered to them, preferring to live on their devastated worlds rather than hand them over to Odin's control.

The Aesir

The ruling pantheon — the god-tier civilization seated on Asgard.

Name	Description
Odin	The Allfather. Ruler of Asgard, shepherd of Midgard, and the deepest schemer in the Nine Realms.
Thor	Half-giant, all Thunder God. The empire's champion and its bluntest instrument, wielder of the hammer Mjolnir.
Baldr	The radiant and beloved, whose foretold death the whole court labors to prevent.
Tyr	God of war, law, and oaths. He gave a hand to bind the wolf, and would give the other to keep his word.
Heimdall	The watchman of the Bifrost, who neither sleeps nor blinks, and will sound the horn at the end.

The Vanir

The older people of Vanaheim, conquered and absorbed into the empire.

Name	Description
Njord	Lord of seas and trade-winds, warden of Vanaheim, sent to Asgard as a hostage of the great peace.
Freyr	God of growth, prosperity, and rule, granted the radiant realm of Alfheim.
Freyja	Mistress of seidr, war, and desire — the most dangerous mind the Aesir ever took into their house.

The Jotnar

The giants — the wild and primordial powers the empire never conquered.

Name	Description
Loki	Jotunn by blood, Aesir by oath. The empire's cleverest liar and its inevitable undoing.
Laufey	Mother of Loki, a frost-jotunn who married into the Aesir to settle a blood-debt.
Surtr	Lord of Muspelheim, the fire that waits at the end of time.
Skadi	Huntress of Jotunheim who married into Asgard to settle a blood-debt.
Hel	Daughter of Loki, ruler of Helheim and mistress of the dead.