Vanheim is a land of misty moors and bitter forests inhabited by a tall and innately magical race known as the Vanir. The Vanir are mortal enemies of the giants of Jotunheim and since the beginning of time they have waged a great war upon each other. They are masters of illusions and are able to trick mortals with their glamour. In halls under the mountains of Vanheim live Dwarves, smiths capable of crafting fabulous items. Vanheim is a land of magic and even the horses are enchanted and exceptionally fast. Vanir are skilled shipwrights and navigators and can sail the oceans. Lesser beings are not held in high regard and their blood is sacrificed to sate the Awakening God.

"These are all nations 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. Niefelheim, Jotunheim, and Utgård are part of the history of a single nation through the ages. Vanheim, Helheim and Midgård also share a common ancestry and development. In the middle era Helheim merges with Vanheim and disappears as an independent nation. Only the valkyries remain as reminders of the legacy of Helheim." -Illwinter

If you are considering picking this nation to play, what should you know?

Magic Access	Alt. Access	Unit Summary	Core Abilities	Buildings
3 (Rare 4) 3 (Rare 4) 3 (Rare 4) 2 (Rare 3) 1 (Rare 2) 1 (Rare 2) 2	Hero 32222 2221	Sailing Elf Vikings Strong Thugs No Cheap Mages Berserking Vanhere Sacreds	Stealthy Sailing Glamour	Standard Forts Trace income across oceans

Capitol Gems: 231

Cold 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.

Andvarian Dwarves: Vanheim has recruitable Master Smiths who can forge equipment one level higher than comparable mages, though only for magic paths they have. The smiths are slow to recruit, and not quite as flexible as the other mages of the nation, but they raise Vanheim's effective magic access for the purpose of getting items:

• 4 (rare 5) ← There are only a few Earth items Vanheim can't make
• 2 (rare 3)
• 2 (rare 3)

All of the smiths will at least have 3 in terms of forging, and the crosspaths they can get in conjunction with their smithing skill lets Vanheim make a wide variety of things… just not cheaply.

The nation is made up of mostly Elves, long-lived and glamoured beings with high defense skill. The majority of your armies will be invisible on the strategic maps of other players, making you an ever-elusive threat that can steal land at any moment.

EA Vanheim's mage lineup largely lacks "efficient" spellcasters; all mages aside from the cap-only Dwarven Smith are skilled elves on horses and thus cost a heavy premium.

Image	Unit Name	Special Attributes	Comments
	Van Scout 55 15 1	Stealthy (75) Glamour Mountain Survival Forest Survival	Commentary here.
	Vanherse 235 17 2	1119 Sacred Stealthy (65) Sailing (Max Size 5) Skilled Rider (4) Glamour	Commentary here.
	Vanjarl 440 19 2	211211 Sacred Stealthy (65) Sailing (Max Size 5) Skilled Rider (5) Glamour	Commentary here.
	Fay Horse	Sacred Poison Resistance (10) Disease Resistance (100%) Stealthy (65) Smart Mount (100) Animal Glamour True Sight	Commentary here.
	Dwarven Smith 195 2 4 Capital Only	21100% 10%11 Darkvision (50%) Master Smith (1) Mountain Survival Prophet Shape: Dwarf Elder	Commentary here.
	Vanadrott 595 20 4 Capital Only	22121100% 10%17 Sacred Stealthy (65) Sailing (Max Size 5) Skilled Rider (5) Glamour	Commentary here.

EA Vanheim is heavily focused on air and earth magic, with a side gig in blood, fire and death.

Vanheim has access to the following paths for the purposes of rituals:

Elements

• 1 on Dwarven Smiths
• 4 on Vanadrotts, 7 via Winged Helmet, Bag of Winds and Queen of Elemental Air
• No water magic
• 3 on Dwarven Smiths, 6 via Earth Boots, a Blood Stone (empowerment) and King of Elemental Earth

Sorceries

• No astral magic
• 1 on Dwarven Smiths, 2 via a Skull Staff (Master Smith)
• No nature magic
• 2 on Vanadrotts, as much blood as required via empowering and boosters.

Summon Spell	Unit	Special Attributes	Comments
Sloth of Bears (Conjuration 3) 2 and 6	Great Bear x 15+	Undisciplined Animal Mountain Survival Forest Survival	Commentary here.
Awaken Draugar (Conjuration 4) 2 and 12	Draug x 4	Resist Cold (25) Resist Poison (25) Cold Aura (3) Fear (5) Undead Amphibious Need Not Eat Spirit Sight Shapechanger Below HP (25) (Draug)	Commentary here.
	Draug	Shapechanger above HP (25) (Draug)

• Conjuration 8 43 for 62: Summon Dwarf of the Four Directions
  Summons one of the four Dwarves of the Four Directions, powerful mages who have significant combat, ritual-casting and forging capabilities (432200% and Master Smith 1). Also increases the likelihood of Hurricanes ravaging the world for each dwarf summoned. If all four dwarves are alive at once, the world is plunged into a Perpetual Storm and all battles will have Darkness over them; this is a somewhat-roundabout manner to apply what amounts to two Global Enchantments at once, but the only way to dispel either effect is to kill one of them.

Note that only the Draug Ritual and the Valkyrie Combat Spell are natively available to Vanheim.

Your recruitable thugs are mounted mages that are really hard to hit. They may need not that much extra prot, but shouldn't but that much encumbrance on them as they will be casting spells. The better thing is giving them weapons to stab better (Fire Brand, or Frost Brand for AOE, Flesh Eater for anti thugging). Can make Earth, Blood, and even the hard to make air boosters (some rare Dwarven Smiths can forge Skull of Fire). Even make a Robe of the Magi for late-game magic boosting.

• Dwarven Hammer (Construction 3)
  3 and 15
  A quintessential item for forging. Forge Discount on an item that gives you Forge discount is an economic win.
• Lightweight Scale Mail (Construction 3)
  1 and 4
  Commentary here.
• Weightless Scale Mail (Construction 7)
  1 and 4
  Commentary here.

• Cauldron of the Elven Halls (Construction 5)
  3 and 15
  if your glamoured army does get reported by a scout or contains non-glamoured units, only a fraction will be reported. If you are into mind-game strategies, having a massive army mistaken as a small raiding party grants you a greater level of surprise.

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