Valhalla

Connections

• Ada is convinced this is all some sort of computer sim, but until she can find a way out, she's playing to win
• Artemis tried to open a wormhole to Valhalla, but got lost in the vacuum of space; now she's trying to fulfill her destiny during the tournament
• This place, and the tournament, is claimed by Asuri to be her territory
• Barraza knows this place is another threat to overcome through violence and will
• Bödvar felt he'd never be defeated in battle and thus be admitted into Valhalla, so he broke down the doors and let himself in; Valhalla is everything he hoped 
• Brynn was raised here, and brought several strange heroes (like Asuri, Teros, and Yumiko)
• Caspian has not slowed his larcenous ways, even here
• To Cassidy, this place is just like any other frontier boomtown in need of her rough brand of Justice
• This place is Cross' ultimate loophole in his deal with the demons
• When Diana was lost between worlds, a Valkyrie found her and led her here; she seethes that such monsters as Mordex and Azoth are allowed here
• Ember walked from the Fangwild with the first warriors in Asgard among the mighty trees that would become the rafters of Valhalla; she knows there are paths to and from Valhalla from the collapsing Fangwild
• No one has been in Valhalla longer than Gnash, some say he was hunting these heavenly forests before Odin and company arrived
• Hattori's demon blood drove her to wander the Twilight Realm until she discovered Valhalla
• Here, Isaiah still loves to fight, but he has also finally found time for slackline and guitar
• Jhala takes the glamour of Valhalla in stride
• Here, some say Jiro is hiding from death, but Wu Shang says he's hiding behind the grand tapestry in the Great Hall as part of the yearly hide-and-seek tournament with Kaya and Caspian
• At a younger age, Kaya rejoiced in exploring this strange world with her best friend (Brynn)
• Koji's began "cutting his path to Valhalla" as he slaughtered a demon and his guards
• Here, Lin Fei hasn't yet told Wu Shang that she was the little girl from back in the day, but she's helped him and other legends refine some of their signature moves
• Here, Lucien continues to scheme for gold and power
• Mirage is at home here amongst the strange collection of characters
• When he arrived here, Mordex was horrified and delighted to discover his true form; this place forms strange alliances, including Mordex with Thatch and Azoth
• Nix's hunt for 11 missing gods (Queen Nai) led her here; this place is home to all sorts of metaphysical rulebreakers and rogue souls, so Nix saw an opportunity here to turn a nice profit closing a few cosmological cold cases like Bodvar, Cross, maybe even Orion
• During the Battle of Ixanocala, a Valkyrie offered Queen Nai a place here, which she accepted; here, Queen Nai is a consummate warrior and has grown to love the place
• Orion joined the feast halls of Valhalla soon after golden armor was made for him
• No one here feels a greater thirst for victory in the tournament than Sir Roland
• Since arriving here, Scarlet has been obsessed with the wondrous technology of the gods and is constantly devising new weapons and challenges to add to the tournament
• Here, Sentinel was restored to the simple strength of his younger days; he's turned his attention to injustice he finds here
• Here, Teros is indifferent to the rules or intent of the Grand Tournament; nightly visit to the mead hall is heralded by throngs of fleeing Valhallans
• Out of sheer bloody-mindlessness, Thatch aids in Vraxx's schemes to conquer Valhalla; he sneaks out at night to dig holes, knowing the gods must have buried treasure somewhere
• Val was surprised to find that Valhalla was a thing, but now she is a work solving it
• Here, Vraxx's naked ambition and remitting scheming is reassuringly constant
• Wu Shang still seeks Enlightenment here; he wandered the Astral plane until a Valkyrie led him here; he follows the Way while here, and is delighted to find he can fight without killing
• Here, Xull knows he should always lead; challenged Scarlet for leadership of the Valhallan Ladies Book Club
• Zariel entered the tournament here on Paladium's orders to take the measure of Odin’s ragtag army of the afterlife 

Context

The word "Valhalla" comes from the Old Norse Valhöll, meaning "hall of the fallen." In Norse mythology, it is truly a warrior's paradise. They have the finest food and mead, are waited on by the Valkyries, and any wounds they sustain in battles or fights are healed by the next day. Like in the Brawlhalla universe, the Odin of Norse mythology wanted only the finest warriors to be selected to reside in Valhalla, mainly to help him when Ragnarok happens (especially against the wolf Fenrir). I suspect this could be the primary criteria for choosing who lives in Valhalla, as opposed to Freya's plains of Folkvangr.

The legendary warriors who live in Valhalla are called einherjar (ayne-HAIR-yar), meaning "those who fight alone." This would be the term assigned to the legends we know and love in Brawlhalla. They don't really fight alone, though, so some believe the word comes from an older root that means "those who belong to an army." Odin is fated to fight Fenrir at Ragnarok, along with his army of einherjar. Unfortunately, the myths say they are doomed to fail in their battle. Hopefully, that's not the case in the Brawlhalla universe (then again, there are Queen Nai's beliefs about Asgard falling...).