Helheim is a land of shadows, windswept moors and silent mountains. Here lies Gnipahålan, the Stone Cave, where the dead pass through on their way to Hel. The Hanged Kings, ancient Vanir who have hanged themselves to learn the secrets of Death, rule the land from their thrones in Helhalla. Helheim is inhabited by Vanir, a race of tall and innately magical beings who are able to trick mortals with their glamour. The Vanir of Helheim have sequestered themselves from the Vanir of Vanheim and have not been part of the great war with the giants. For ages they have been guiding the dead on their way to Hel in service of a dead god. Now a new God is arising and the old ways are changing. The Valkyries, guides of the dead, have become messengers of death and sacred warriors of the new God. Valkyries, the female Vanir of Helheim, are able to fly, a gift from the dead god they once served. Lesser beings are not held in high regard and their blood is sacrificed to sate the Awakening God. Unlike their cousins in Vanheim, the Vanir of Helheim are not shipwrights and sailors.

"[Helheim] sprung from old Norse myth. The Poetic Edda and some later tales, combined with general conceptions of Iron Age Scandinavia, are the main sources. Vanir, Aesir and Giants are ancient antagonists in these myths. The Aesir, being perceived as gods, have been made pretenders in Dominions. Not that Vanir weren't, but they seem less so than the Aesir in most instances. As with most nations of supernatural origin, it seems fitting that their magic fades with each passing age as humans become more and more numerous." -Illwinter

Helheim is an alternate version of Vanir, with a focus on Death magic over Blood. Helheim is an elf nation that can Skele-spam. Definitely not as aggressively overpowered as its parent nation but possesses a wider diversity in magic with its mastery of Death.

Magic Access	Alt. Access	Unit Summary	Core Abilities	Buildings
4 (Rare 5) 3 (Rare 4) 3 2 1 2	Summons 423 243 432 432 (req. 43)	Flying Elf Vikings Strong Thugs No cheap mages Flying Vanhere sacreds	Stealthy Flying Glamour Skilled Rider True Sight	Standard Forts

Capitol Gems: 141

Cold limit +1
Death limit +1
Magic limit +1

Prefers Cold Scale + 1

Blood Sacrifice: Priests can sacrifice a blood slave at a temple to help extend the dominion.

The roster is composed largely of elves, long-lived and glamoured units with high defense skill. The majority of Helheim's armies are therefore invisible on the map to most other players.

: Stealthy (65), Glamour

See Magic Access. These guides supplement the summaries at the top.

Summon Dwarf of the Four Directions gives dwarves which seem are useful to EA Vanheim's path access. If all four enter the game, the world is plunged into Perpetual Storm and all battles will have Darkness. To get a 43 to do the summoning, a 1 Svartalf needs to gain three Air levels, (tricky), and one Earth level.

A 1 Svartalf (1 in 5) is the only recruitable source of Fire. It can make a Skull of Fire but will still need a level of empowerment.

43 can Summon Dwarf of the Four Directions with a 1 in 4 chance of 2 and Master Smith.

A Vanjarl has 2 but still needs two levels of empowerment to reach the key 4.

No native access. 43 can Summon Dwarf of the Four Directions with a 1 in 4 chance of 2 and Master Smith.

3 can Summon Spectre for a 7 in 16 chance of at least 1.

3 Svartalf (1 in 5) is the best bet for climbing Earth. A 1 Svartalf (1 in 5) has potential to make a Staff of Elemental Mastery but getting it high enough in Air is difficult. None of the Svartalf's other potential crosspaths are all that useful.

No native access. 31 can cast Hidden in Sand and Hidden Wasteland for at least 1.

3 can Summon Spectre for a 7 in 16 chance of at least 1.

4 Hangadrott (1 in 4) makes climbing Death simple.

EA Helheim can forge The Copper Arm and The Silver Arms to hold extra Death boosters.

No native access. 43 can Summon Dwarf of the Four Directions with a 1 in 4 chance of 2 and Master Smith.

23 can Summon Gnome for 2.

3 Hangadrott (1 in 4) starts pretty high but with only the one accessible Glamour booster, Gossamer Veil, a level of empowerment is still necessary. With two Glamour level increases, a 1 can forge a Mirage Crystal, but, again, there's only the one booster.

No native access. #####

How to win as the nation. Feel free to use the following sections, or delete them, or change them.

Different expansion options.

Early game options.

Mid game options.

Late game options.

What are the nation's weaknesses?

Add links to guides or other overviews for this nation here.

Nations
Early Ages	Arcoscephale • Ermor • Ulm • Pyrène, • Marverni • Sauromatia • T'ien Ch'i • Machaka • Mictlan • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Agartha • Tir na n'Og • Fomoria • Vanheim • Helheim • Niefelheim • Muspelheim • Rus • Kailasa • Lanka • Yomi • Hinnom • Ur • Berytos • Xibalba • Mekone • Ubar • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Pelagia • Oceania • Therodos
Middle Ages	Arcoscephale • Ermor • Sceleria • Pythium • Man • Eriu • Ulm • Pyrène • Marignon • Mictlan • T'ien Ch'i • Machaka • Agartha • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Asphodel • Vanheim • Jotunheim • Nidavangr • Vanarus • Bandar Log • Shinuyama • Ashdod • Uruk • Nazca • Xibalba • Phlegra • Phaeacia • Ind • Na'ba • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Pelagia • Oceania • Ys
Late Ages	Arcoscephale • Pythium • Lemuria • Man • Ulm • Marignon • Mictlan • T'ien Ch'i • Jomon • Agartha • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Midgård • Utgård • Bogarus • Patala • Gath • Ragha • Xibalba • Phlegra • Vaettiheim • Feminie • Piconye • Andramania • Pyrène • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Erytheia