It was Cold.
This should not have been as surprising as it was, but I was truly caught off guard by the cold and snow that encountered me when I went north. This wasn't the first time I had seen snow of course, but something about being this far north changed things. There was a weight to the cold that was absent elsewhere. As had become habit for me I took on the guise of a traveler, going back to being a blond for the time being. It took me quite a long time traveling these lands, passing small towns and villages to eventually find a small passage that led through the boarders between the realms.
Unlike a vast majority of pantheons back on earth, most stories of the Norse were contained within their various sub-dimensions attached to the world tree. While the stories and legends would eventually trickle out it would still be hundreds of years before the full breadth of this pantheon was discovered to the outside world. It was also why I had come here, as due to it s cut off nature I was sure that I wouldn't be found here unless I made myself known.
The passage I took through Yggdrasil eventually deposited me in what am sure was Jotunheim, what with the even more sudden drop in temperature and large figures in the distance. I couldn't even try and leave the land due to the path I took to get here no longer existing. Days I spent traveling on foot through this wasteland, before I eventually came across one of the locals hunting. There was no immediate hostility and it seemed that the Giant was under the impression that I was one of the Aesir, calling me simply god in their tongue. I was brought back to his home and learned his name was Hymir, a brewer for the Giants.
I stayed with him and his wife for a months, and the giant even adopted me after I taught him some recipes to brew. It was a pleasant time of simply hunting and drinking, allowing me to get over my ordeal in the East. At some point more of the various locals came and met me, challenging me to various test for strength and combat, which I had no trouble beating them in.
My peaceful vacation was ended though when during one of the days showing Hymir how to make proper Vodka, an old man appeared calling himself Darraðr and asking for a drink and some stories. I wasn't an idiot though, an old man appearing out of nowhere, calling himself 'spearman' and asking questions made it obvious who this was. At least to me, seeing as Hymir had no problems letting in the old god.
Now most of my travels had been under guise, taking another form and hiding my origins and powers to better blend in. It was an ability I trained since the day I fell capable of hiding my strength from even gods and angels, and yet...
He unnerved me. Never taking his eye off me the entire time he was their, listening to the stories being told and offering his own, he never once let me leave his sight. I
It was at the end of his stay that he made his move, offering a simple game of wits between me and him, the prize being up to the winner. I accepted.
It was a back an forth between the two of us, questions being asked from simple history to advanced science, many were things I knew only due to my having been personally involved since creation itself. I didn't bother lying or holding back to him either, sure that his eye would notice the falsehoods instantly and desiring to see how far his knowledge spread.
The answer, farther than mine.
He won our 'wager' and simply asked to call myself his son, and I knew that I was now personally involved once again in another mythology's affairs.
My time as Tyr among the Aesir wasn't unpleasant by any means, Thor being an absolute Riot to party with and a great partner to spar with, Loki being a surprisingly loyal friend when he wasn't shooting himself in the foot, always happy to exchange barbs or carry out favors if needed. And my new 'father' ended up teaching me various things in what soon became a monthly game between the two of us, exchanging knowledge between ourselves. I learned of the Primordial Runes, and to both of our surprise was actually capable of studying them.
Years flew by as I allowed myself to relax into my new role, as decades passed to simple revelry and challenges. I grew as a warrior amongst them, my combat abilities growing as I fought with Lightning itself, learned from the mouth of Wisdom, and grew wise to the mischief of Deception.
I observed the creations of the various myths once more, from Loki's Children to Thor crossdressing. I became friends with figures such as Baldur and Frigg, and made sure to visit Hel in her realm whenever reasonable. I even made friends with the World Serpent during that little adventure to get a giant brewer from my other adopted father, when Thor attempted to fish the big snake from the sea, bribing him with whales to feed on.
I also adopted a Dog, taking over raising Fenrir and teaching the giant ball of death and destruction to be the best of boys. I could tell that Loki appreciated the effort I went through to care for his kids, genuinely caring for them despite what many though of the trickster god.
The thing that I was most proud of though, that actually made me feel like I was accomplishing something and not simply bound to be fates punching bag? I convinced Odin to not Bind the wolf that would kill him, successfully arguing against the paranoia of the the Wolf Battler. It was something that I had yet to succeed in before, and from the Look in the Norse Sage's remaining eye he himself knew what I was doing.
These pleasant times could not last though, and despite my best efforts Baldur still died to the schemes of my foolish friend. I tried to help him but he had the gall to declare his crime in killing the most loved of the gods after insulting literally all the gods and calling out their faults. His imprisonment still happened and in that time, as he was punished like I was in times before I shared with him my own story, acknowledging that He was simply another Scapegoat like I was, one meant to carry the blame of his pantheon. It was something that brought us together, in our shared suffering.
My time among the Aesir ended when Frigg sacrificed her life to revive her son, leading to the All-father stepping down and passing his Title as King of the Aesir to Vidar in his stead due to his grief and Loki being released. I left the North feeling torn, as I knew that Ragnarök had been avoided, but I was unsure if the cost was worth it. And my arrival was just in time for one of the most Famous Leaders to make History.
AN: The DxD Norse Pantheon is weird, with the lack of many of its notable gods and obvious signs that its apocalypse was adverted somehow. So I made Azzy the reason, taking the place of Tyr as he is not in the cannon story. His interference broke the fate of the pantheon, and with it their purpose. Image Index and Build Info have also been updated.