Mythlands: THE HEIST

Character Profiles: The Heist Part One (16-20)

Gretel - Like many old fairy tales that were later repurposed, the tale of Hansel and Gretel may have had it's origins centuries before it's 'official' rendering in Grimm's Fairy Tales. There is some speculation that due to it's themes (hunger, child abandonment and cannibalism) the tale originates from medieval times, specifically the time of The Great Famine (1315-1317 and it's aftermath 1318-1322). In 1812 the Grimm Brothers published the most famous version in theie book Grimm's Fairy Tales - originally known as Children's and Household Tales (Kinder- und Hausmärchen)

In the Mythlands, like so many other 'child' characters, Gretel is now grown up. As most Mythlands characters have had their ages frozen, except most (but not all) children, it's presumed she is physically around 21-24 now. Needing a job and free to travel, Gretel ended up in Myth Vegas where she works as a cocktail waitress/barmaid at the Lucky Cactus Casino, serving customers drinks in the Rainbow Room bar and occasionally other areas.

It isn't known if Gretel and her brother keep in touch but he is not thought to be living in Myth Vegas. Gretel has a small part early in the story.

Vali - In Norse mythology Vali is either a son of Odin or a son of Loki. The version appearing in the Mythlands is Loki's son, who operates as a loyal right hand for his father. 

In the early 13th century the Icelandic poet, author and politician Snorri Sturluson wrote his Prose Edda. The Edda (divided into three books) is said to be a compilation of many older sagas and oral legends and poems from Norse mythology, which Sturluson set out in a comprehensive form. It's also been speculated that he might have added his own details to certain storylines.

The Gylfaginning was the first book of about 20,000 words and Vali is mentioned in Chapter 50. Possibly Sturluson translated a mention of Vali, son of Odin, to create the son of Loki version. The translation was found in the Völuspá  , generally regarded as the first and greatest of the Eddas - that work may have dated from the 10th century.

Vali plays a major part in the early parts of The Heist, arranging details of Loki's masterplan and later facilitating a tete a tete between Loki and the Glass Cat. He is an immortal god of Asgard with thousands of years of battle experience, super strength and durability. If he possesses magical abilities like his father, he has so far not demonstrated them.

Grogsmyr - An original character created for this story, Grogsmyr is a troll and a hireling bought to Myth Vegas by Vali. Considering himself superior to his fellow troll, Styrr by dint of coming from 'the big city,' Grogsmyr is one of 47 residents of the village of Hruntingsdal in the Asgardian sphere of the Godlands. He remains working for Loki for quite some time before vanishing from the story - either he has returned home with his promised payment of pelts or has been deployed elsewhere by his masters. Grogsmyr possesses the IQ of a village idiot - he considers himself mentally superior to his fellow troll Styrr and is probably right.

Styrr - An original character created by Joyce Holt and used with her permission. Styrr is a cave troll brought out of the Asgardian hinterlands by Vali. He has been ordered to retrieve a giant golden apple of Asgard and mistakes The Golden Goose for the apple, leading to hilarity and severe trauma for the Goose, who encounters him on multiple occasions.

Styrr makes his fellow troll Grogsmyr look like a genius - he has difficulty understanding and remembering simple instructions and can't think without saying his thoughts out loud. He is driven by a constant need to eat and is fearful and respectful of gods. When Styrr is captured by super powered anthropomorphic cat superheroes and brought before the Convention of Cats, he becomes cowed by the notion that cats are descended from Egyptian gods. Styrr's capture and vow to serve The Glass 'kitty' as a faithful minion, leads to the alliance between The Glass Cat and Loki.

Styrr remains with the forces of chaos until their mission to Narnia.

The Golden Goose - The Goose is a male version of the famous character from Grimm's Fairy Tales (1812). He is relatively unique, having only discovered one doppler of himself in the Mythlands - a Japanese female version who committed suicide after decades of being hunted for her golden eggs.

GG too has been hunted over the decades and while he is open and pleasant, he is somewhat distrustful of strangers and has learned to defend himself. Sometime after arriving in the Mythlands at it's presumed beginning in the mortal year of 1946, the Golden Goose met and became best friends with The Hare, often involving himself in many of Hare's whacky get rich quick schemes.

Plagued by 'damned egg hunters' the Goose spent part of the 1960's off grid living in an isolated cottage which he had surrounded by booby traps. During this time the Goose made himself an explosives/detonations expert - his golden wings are so flexible and dexterous that he can carry and fire shotguns and other weaponry and type with his wings - a skill he later expanded into being an expert hacker.

By the present day the Goose decided living among friends would be his best protection and so accepted the job of Events Manager at the Lucky Cactus. On his first official night in charge of The Skylight Rooms he was attacked by Styrr the troll - a series of encounters ended with him being plunged into a trauma induced coma and then being kidnapped to use as leverage against The Hare - eventually freed, he was now embroiled in the events of The Heist and has played a major part.

The Golden Goose is a whiskey drinker and a fan of Bushmills, which he claims relaxes him.

Strengths and abilities - Although lamenting the fact he can't fly, the Goose is more durable than the average creature due to his size (Similar to a swan) and golden covering which is like organic soft metal, but feathery to the touch. His dexterous wings allow him to do most of the things humans or creatures with fingers and a thumb can do. He is a crack shot, self taught demolitions expert and hacker with an outgoing if somewhat sardonic personality. He is able to produce one tennis ball sized golden egg a day but laments the fact that even producing around 30 in a month barely covers the cost of his rent. Despite this, egg hunters continue to plague him, believing his eggs are worth a lot more than actual market value.

He is confident, capable of charm and a line of snappy patter, fiercely loyal to friends and possesses high but not genius intelligence.

The Goose falls into the category of 'talking animal' rather than an anthropomorphic upright, like The Hare. As such he rarely wears clothing but has been known to don brightly coloured Hawaiian shirts when on holiday. He often carried belongings in a shoulder bag.