17th June 2020 - Beneath Holly Springs National Park, Mississippi, United States

“Odin made sacrifice of himself, and hung for nine nights from a swinging branch of Yggdrasil the World Tree

and with a spear wound that put him close to death, only then were the runes revealed to him” - Hávamál the Codex Regius circa 1270 A.D

Thor left the remainder of the tale unfinished, there was no point in telling of how he waited a time in thought, before finally descending to Middgard.

How he had carefully made his way into the forest of Cernunnos, or when the runic enchantments of the ward tree had flared to life, as he cast his all into his thunder and lightning, he saw that the tree had been struck, yet had not been destroyed, it did not matter, he had fulfilled the terms of his geas and obligation.

He had run then, and sought to flee the wood, though it shamed him to run from a fight, but Cernunnos was a mighty being almost of the same metaphysical power as the all-father, but it was not so easy and simple to judge such things.

Gods gained their power from their followers reverence and prayer and veneration, and while there were many who paid homage to the victory-father by word or by deed, he did not proselytize or attempt to gain followers, yet people had been revering nature and the wild things within it, since time immemorial, and Cernounous gained a portion of that reverence with some shared among other deity's of nature as well.

Often what counted the most was the application of power. Age, knowledge wisdom, experience and skill played a big part, not the disparity between two opponents. A weak yet cunning and wily warrior could best even a titan, or so the bards tell it, most of the time they kick your arse up between your ears.

Thor had gambled on the fact they even though Cernunnos, was stronger and much much older than he, his powers did not suit a confrontational exchange, and in any metaphysical brawl, he could gain the upper hand enough to escape, and so he had proven, his powers over the affinity's of lightning, thunder, air and water were an even match for those of Cernunnos who held dominion of life, earth and water. So while escaping grasping plants and trees, wild beasts and powerful earth spirits, he took to the air and made his escape, or at least tried to.

No what brought Thor low, was his perspective, He wasn't the smartest, or most cunning, he was straightforward in his thinking and his actions, but what he cherished the most was courage, bravery and valor and honor whereas Cernunnos, cared little for those things, he served the forests and its beasts what did they care of honor and that most mortal of sins, pride, or even the concept of a ‘fair-fight’.

So Cernunnos had simply called for aid, and with Flidas harassing him from the sky with her bow, and Lugh the long spear boxing him in, not forgetting the ‘The Horned One’ waiting patiently below, it wasn’t even a fight. He was beaten and subdued, and next woke in his earthen cell, bound and gagged.

Now after explaining his reasons, he awaited the judgment of his captor.

Cernunnos, had stood still and unmoving throughout, carefully considering and weighing the Norse god’s words. Though he was considered a part of the forest he was once a man, he was in fact once a king, but that was a long long time ago. Still he understood that men and gods could speak with honeyed words, convincing and with guile. It was why he was entrusted with the power he held, for how could he protect the land if he did not understand the other beings of this realm. He had detected no falsehood from Thor, but neither did he trust him, for while there had been long peace between their pantheons, there was no love lost either.

It was clear that this god had been but a tool of a greater hidden hand. Cernunnos cared little for the machinations of gods or man, he protected the forest and served the world spirit, that was who he was now, but he respected the fates, they too served a higher power like he did, and so if they were shaping events, he would be cautious. Perhaps he should consult the Mórrígan?… no he decided he sought no involvement in this affair, and even a simple question could change balances, and balances had already been turned on their heads once today, magic flooding the world, even now he could feel it, throughout the lands the trees and plants birds and beasts were being changed by the mana. He doubted the little norse god was even aware of the changes occurring, Cernunnos was not himself omniscient, but he had a form of it wherever his lands lay, and by his connection with the world spirit.

Cernunnos understood that through his connection to Gaia that return of magic was of little concern to her though, she had seen entire eons come and go, cataclysms that shook the world and cleaned it of the living had occurred before, from fire brought down from the sky to floods that drowned the earth, always the forests had survived from little more than scattered seed, so he was unconcerned about the mana which seemd only a minor notable event.

There was still one piece of the puzzle yet to solve though, and nagged at him that the thunder god had not mentioned it.

“What of thine mortal?” Cernunnos spoke into the silence.

Thor cocked he head to the side, an unconscious movement as if a hound hearing an unfamiliar sound.

“What mortal?” he asked.

“A mortal man doth made unwitting entrusion to my wodde, he bears thy name, an ‘Eirík, Thor Ston’ tis he naught a warryour or fraymaker of thine?”

“I swear upon the all-father I know of no such warrior of mine, within Middgard?” Thor declared. “It may be he has kinship, with those descendant of the Aesir, though millions like him must walk the land as well, How do you know of him?”

“A Dremyn Walke.” Cernunnos intoned.

Thor sucked in air through his teeth in surprise, “You dream walked him?” thats dangerous! You could have killed him.

There were complex rules concerning the actions of gods in the mortal realms, even the most powerful deities could not simply point at a mortal and strike him down, They could act in accordance with another mortals will, they could defend themselves or bloodkin, they could command a beast to slay a mortal, but outright personally use their power to directly influence or kill someone, no it was not possible, not without the most severe and dire consequences; Of course as with any complex rules, there were also loopholes. Give someone a glass of poisoned wine, then invite them to drink, or grant them the power of flight, and omit the fact it only lasts a few minutes.

But killing a mortal even in the dream world, was not a loophole, even if by accident it was perilous action to both.

Given such a risk, Thor suspected there must be more to the horned ones decision to dream walk, than the interrogation of an intruder.

Cernunnos snarled with a feral sharp toothed growl, and lunged at Thors snapping his teeth a bare few inches from his turned cheek and eyed his throat. One of the curved horns that framed his face, had its sharpened point nick Thors cheek, and a few droplets of blood trickled slowly down his face.

“I wol be kyllyng him anyway, what else afore reavers who come aviking?” he said in a hoarse guttural growl, solid in its unwavering conviction.

Thor grimaced, but said nothing. He understood that threat was aimed as his actions as well as this mortals.

The Norsemen, were capable traders, builders and crafter’s but their hearts and saga’s were filled with battle, and in ages past they had gone a Viking or raiding the coasts of Ireland, England and Wales even traveling as far as the new world.

Raid was putting what happened in the brightest possible light, if you call killing everyone except good slave stock, and carrying off anything that wasn't nailed down, and burning the rest.

Unfortunately the people who had suffered the most at the hands of his people, where the druids and the peaceful peoples who lived within the lands of the Tuatha Dé Danann, those who had built the great circles at Stonehenge, studied the movement of heavens and revered the forests and the land.

They soon lost their innocence though fending off attack after attack, and they slowly learned how to war against the invaders, then they learned how to war amongst themselves. It was why Thor had left Midgard and not been back for more than a thousand years, and why the Tuatha Dé Danann and Aesir had gone to war in his absence.

And of all the Celtic gods, Cernunnos had suffered the most, he was helpless to do anything but watch his people be killed or corrupted, soon enough between the Norsemen and the Romans and Churches and witch burnings that followed after, his original people had been changed and their all the druids had been killed and wiped out. The great wisdom of Stonehenge now only a tombstone.

He did not know who this mortal was, but he couldn't imagine one of the Norse descendants being treated kindly, not in this forest, or any other lands claimed by the horned one.

Cernunnos stepped back, turning away breathing deep breaths to calm himself, Thor remained silent giving the old one time.

“It was in tyme past, captured reavers were impaled to a tree as sacrifice, warning to others of thy kind, and to feed mine wodde”

“Thy mortal entruder, who bears yore namyn hasth offerede such sacrifice, nay worse the foreyst hath accepted” Cernunnos stated calmly.

Thor blinked, not understanding at all, what the hell was going on?

“So kill him and be done with it, he offered sacrifice, you accept. You can go bless his family's cabbages later or something, No problem right?”

The Horned One started back at Thor, and wondered again if he was being manipulated, either this was the best actor and liar he had ever met or he was truly ignorant in events. He decided on the latter.

“What tryee think you has thou mortal chosen? Can thou guess.” Sighing he gestured a hand wave at Thor, and all the vines holding him down writhed in response releasing him and drawing out of him. “Come, and see with thine owne eyes.”

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17th June 2020 - Holly Springs National Park, Mississippi, United States

"If lightning is the anger of the gods, then the gods are concerned mostly about trees." - Lao Tzu 老子 Circa 400 - 301 BC

"It looks dead to me.” Thor observed looking up at the body hanging from one of the blackened branches, clearly visible in the brightening morning sky.

One could take his meaning as the Tree, looked dead, or the mortal impaled upon it. The tree was blackened and burned, fully a half of its branches on one side of the tree was missing leaves, and was charred, pieces of it flaking off in the wind, and upon one of the thicker burnt tree limbs hung a figure with 4 or 5 feet of tree branch sticking out of his chest. The figure had been burned, parts of his face looked melted, and bloodstains covered the trouser of one leg.

The entire tree was still humming with energy, and thick cloud seemed to coalesce among the trees top, and and an occasional arc of lightning would, buzz up or down one of the blackened limbs, or rumble of thunder vibrate the leaves remaining, the remnants of his attack still clung to the tree.

When one such arc of electricity traveled along the branch the mortal was on, his eyes flew open and a deep breath could be heard being taken. Thor stepped back in surprise his hand reflexively reaching for his hammer.

Cernunnos, had not shifted, he stood as always as unmoving as an oak. Though Thor could swear for a second he thought he saw amusement on his face.

“He yet lives, the tree doth sustain him, and heal his woundes, and he doth offer his harts blood to sustain the tree agayns the lightnings and thundyr.”

“How did it happen?”

“When the worlde changed and mana hadsth again come to the lande, the mortals flying machines ceased to be.” He escaped the craft afore the fires claimed it, rescuing one other, she I sensed bloodkin with, and could act to save her. He, a Norseman. I left him to the fates.”

Thor remained silent, not daring to offend further.

“I coulde nay save more, euen anone hath I the choice, wrapped rownde in metal I coulde nay reach them, it is not within mine skyll” he said softly, gazing off in the distance where a column of black smoke reached up into the sky.

Thor, finally began to sense the dilemma, that the mortal posed to Cernunnos. He could not easily directly affect the mortal, still protected as he was by the remains of Thors strike, he could if he wanted to strike out at the tree holding him, and separate them, but Cernunnos would not likely harm any tree, yet alone one of his sacred ward trees, even so it would be like cutting off your hand because you had a hangnail, possible but not a great idea.

Cernunnos remained staring off in the distance for a long few minutes lost in thought, before finally turning to Thor.

“I call upone thee an thine Aesir, to aide in this, will thou hear?”

Explaining, quickly the horned one asked, Thor to remove his lightning and thunder from the tree,so that he would be able to aid and heal it, at which point the mortal could be removed.

Thor bowed low in agreement, "A debt is owed, it will be met. I fear I will be of little aid though, remember the fates warning, I can have no direct involvement with this mortal.”

Cernunnos grunted in acknowledgment, as he stepped up to the unburnt half of the trunk and placed both hands upon it, a gentle green glow shone from them and sunk into the tree a surge of growth and life moving visibly up the trunk, Thor acting in concert, summoned Mjölnir, aiming it at the tree began to move it in a slow wide circle, murmuring words of summoning under his breath, as slowly the lighting arc’d now to the hammer, and a spiral of rumbling cloud was drawn from the tree top.

When they were done, the tree stood a few feet taller, and a couple of inches wider, life thrummed throughout it and the blacked charred bark had fallen away to reveal a hard silvery ashen color, in contrast to the brown and green of the other, yellow linden blossoms bloomed from the tree on one half, while blue and silver little linden flowers bloomed on the other.

Cernunnos shook his head in astonishment, he couldn't fathom what these changes were or meant, all he knew was the tree was hale, and whole again.

It moved now slowly bending its entire trunk to one side the branch holding the mortal flexed as it lowered slowly placing the mortal on the ground, and then the limb piercing his breast, slowly withdrew an inch at a time, until it was out leaving no gaping hole behind, but newly grown pink bare flesh, the mortal continued to breath eye closed and unconscious, a heartbeat beneath his chest.

Thor, turned curiously to Cernunnos.

“Horned One, I still do not understand, why couldnt you simply ask the other mortal to remove him from the tree, the lightning would have eventually faded away.”

Cernunnos now looked a little chagrined, “Twas a mattre o’ she can nay hear mine own speake clerely, so I must sende her away, to learn the voice of the worlde, she will need a garde afor protection.”

Thor nodded, of course this was why he spoke in all the thee’s and thou’s, Thor understood Old English, and Norse and the old Germanic and Slavic languages, gods got their knowledge of speech from their direct worshipers and followers, and the more of them, the better he spoke or understood a native tongue.

Can’t be that many people saying prayers to Cernunnos, and if they did what chance did they have of saying it in modern English? Gods took their very form, culture and speech from their followers, some more than others, there have been beings who had changed drastically through the ages, as the myths and stories of them had changed.

Thor had long been absent from Middgard and his power on this realm was greatly diminished from the past, though he had felt it grow a little in recent years, his innate knowledge from this told him it had something to do with the ‘M.C.U’ and perhaps some holy tome of knowledge called ‘Reddit’, he lacked the context to understand fully, and shook his head. Mortals are weird and confusing even at the best of times.

“Wait what… what do you mean she needs a guard.” Thor blurted, having finally caught the end of Cernunnos’s words.

“Indeed, she hath need of protection, and so you will safeguard her, for three turyning of the seyson, until such thyme she can protect herself, and to thine mortal a dett is owed for mine studente’s life, an sobeit will be granted a garde an protector until Lughnasadh”

Which Thor, reckoned was about three weeks away.