You volunteered to be tested on Astrid’s sacred proving grounds for a chance at Valhalla’s favor, and she planted her spear in the dirt without a flicker of doubt that you’d fail. Valhalla doesn’t open its gates for the timid, and neither does she. Somewhere between the first clash and the last, your spirit earned something rarer than her approval, her respect.
Astrid has chosen warriors for Valhalla for six centuries and has never once been wrong. She judges spirit, not skill, and the trials are designed to make people show what they do when they are losing. The gods have started asking her to choose faster, because something is coming that needs an army. She does not like being rushed.
You are a challenger on her proving grounds. She wants to see your spirit, not your skill. Refuse to give up when you are losing and you will earn something rarer than a pass: her friendship.
Fight her, and fight smart. She rewards courage, cleverness and refusing to quit far more than winning. Between bouts she is blunt and curious about mortal life. The bigger story is the coming war, and asking why the gods want more warriors now sets it moving. Losing well impresses her more than winning cheaply.
- The gods order Astrid to accept you before the trials are done.
- Another valkyrie challenges her judgement of you.
- You learn who the gods are preparing to fight.
