Heimr and the joined worlds of The Vortex all share the same High Fantasy setting.
Mankind is not the dominant species, having to share the realms with Elves , Fae , Orcs , Trolls and various other creatures. Magic , though mysterious and erratic, is commonplace, as wizards and mages roam the lands. Ancient Gods infuse their worshippers with holy powers and pious saints perform grand rituals to ward themselves from the evils that threaten mortal life. For political intrigue, pestilence, war, brutal violence and outright demonic incursions are frighteningly real.
Technologies such as gunpowder and electricity are unknown, though some alchemists and wizards have used the power of the elements or magical artefacts to power lumbering war machines or arcane machines.
Heimr is connected to the Vortex via a great portal that stands in the middle of Midgard on the highest hill north of Ul-Targash . This Portal was once a great trading portal that once linked the three great states of Heimr. It later collapsed and was stabilized. After stabilization however it was connected to the Vortex instead of to Utgard and Asgard .
The most dominant narrative conflicts in Heimr are:
Asgard VS Utgard Third "neutral" party: Midgard
This large war between the Asgardian kingdom and the Utgard alliance has hold Heimr in thrall for a very long time. The generation upon generation induced hatred between the races is very strong and doesn't seem to go away any time soon. Midgard has been supplying weapons, war machines and rations to both kingdoms for as long as any Midgardian can remember.
Feyfolk VS Shanata Third "neutral" party: Nymph
Shanata are pro "right of might" and actively enforce it. Feyfolk are against this concept and actively oppose it. Nymph want to let nature run its own course and don't want people to influence the beautiful but brutal neutrality of nature itself.
Old religions VS Utgard
During the spiritual revolution, the Utgardian gods most mighty servants descended from the heavens with the message that they should stop their heretical ways of worshipping spirits, ancestors or nothing at all and instead focus their faith on them, the true gods.
Not all orcs , trolls , ogres and tellurians responded to this call with equal enthusiasm and these days wild versions of these races still exist. Churches of Utgard sometimes try to convert these savages, and these savages sometimes raid Utgard , Midgard , Asgard and each other.
Rebels VS Midgard
There are some people that believe that without Midgard keeping the furnaces of war brightly burning, their would be no war. These individuals sometimes band together and form rebel factions bend on the destruction or change of Midgard in order to stop the war (or at least, that is what they say, some suspect they just want power for themselves). Midgard traditionally solves this trough its laws and thus the guard, but sometimes military assault is needed.
Fae VS Elven
Although they are one nation bound together by their common enemy, Utgard , there has always been some traditional strive and competition between the two races of Asgard , the king and queen (one Fae and one Elf) sought to subdue this feeling of a split in their kingdom but they disappeared when their awesome arcane power was called upon to close the rampant magical gate in Midgard. Their daughter was queen for a while, although young a fairly capable queen, before she was forced into marriage with the notorious Thief King.
This resulted in a very short but brutal civil war between the Fae and the Elven. The Fae remained loyal to the Thief King. After the rightful king and queen have returned and the Thief King had vanished, the civil war instantly stopped and Asgard once again concentrated on Utgard . But not all conflict, suspicion or downright hatred between the two races has disappeared.
Tribes VS Environment
Tribes of wild races or wild variations of races have been struggling for as long as anyone can remember against the harsh non-civilized environment of Heimr.
The most common cause of death within Heimr is violence.