Sven comes from a small Varangian tribe. His lands currently suffer from a demonic presence, left there as a direct result of the death of the Frost Giant Jarl pre-Ragnarok. After learning the basics of druidism from his mentor, Sven left the harsh and bitter wilderness he hails from, vowing to come back and eliminate the threat at all costs.

But now, a new threat has arisen:

    DM of Gaia:  The night before you reach the very edge of the Marshes,
 you have the following dream.
    DM of Gaia:  You are standing at the base of an immense ash tree.
       Nikolai:  //so like
    DM of Gaia:  Even the smallest of its roots dwarf you, its trunk is
 dozens of feet across and reaches into the sky, and its crown is hidden
 by the clouds.
       Nikolai:  //actually I'm gonna make a priv chat
    DM of Gaia:  Its lower branches, those that you can see, reach far,
 creating a massive green canopy.
          root:  // invite again?
    DM of Gaia:  You feel the same discomfort you've been feeling for the
 past week.
    DM of Gaia:  As you look closely, you see... that the roots of the
 tree are shrinking back, retreating from the stone and earth upon which
 they sit.
          Sven:  shrinking back into the tree?
    DM of Gaia:  Yes
    DM of Gaia:  The roots, as well as the trunk, are apparently...
 smoldering, tiny sparks of flame consuming them slowly like embers of a
 dying fire
    DM of Gaia:  You look up, and see that the leaves appear grey-brown,
 diseased and frostbitten, and are shriveling
          Sven:  do I know this tree?
    DM of Gaia:  You look out into the distance - you notice now that the
 tree (and you) stands on a colossal, solitary mountain peak - and see
 the following, in various directions
    DM of Gaia:  //yes hold on that was the knowledge check, will specify
 results after description finishes
    DM of Gaia:  You see... the edge of a forest, where it meets a wide
 open steppe
    DM of Gaia:  There is a massive field of fire, half a mile across or
 more
    DM of Gaia:  The flames reach hundreds of feet into the sky, and are
 shot through with massive discharges of lightning
    DM of Gaia:  The vast firestorm churns and writhes; there are
 currents in it, and you can make out vague shapes moving within
    DM of Gaia:  In another direction, you see another forest
    DM of Gaia:  At first it seems calm, but you realize soon that it is
 sinking; sinking into a vast swamp in its center
    DM of Gaia:  In a third direction, you see a great city standing on
 the bank of a river
    DM of Gaia:  You find yourself able to see into the earth, beneath
 it, and see... something vast and dark and shapeless, slimy and
 repulsive, slowly reaching upwards
    DM of Gaia:  And in the fourth direction, you see a realm of eternal
 ice, the sun shining from a cloudless sky, and all across the flat icy
 landscape, movement... dark shadows moving across the ice
    DM of Gaia:  A great crack shatters the ice, and it begins to rise,
 as if the ice is being pushed up by something
    DM of Gaia:  Meanwhile, the great tree next to you continues to
 smolder and rot.
    DM of Gaia:  The dream ends.
    DM of Gaia:  So
          Sven:  hmm.
    DM of Gaia:  You do indeed not only know this tree, but recognize it,
 having seen it firsthand
    DM of Gaia:  It is Yggdrasil, the World Tree.
          Sven:  do I recognize the four places?
    DM of Gaia:  Now then
    DM of Gaia:  You recognize... the second and third
    DM of Gaia:  It is the Pripet Marshes and Kiev, respectively
          Sven:  say, pripet marshes and kiev and varangian lands and
 such
          Sven:  ok
    DM of Gaia:  The first place, you think that might be the southern
 edge of the forest south of Kiev, where Siran and the goblin tribes live
          Sven:  and that forest isn't the one outside of novogorod or
 something?
          Sven:  rather, that
    DM of Gaia:  But you're not sure
    DM of Gaia:  Ok
          Sven:  and Frosty the Snowland wasn't Jotunheim or my homeland
 or anything?
    DM of Gaia:  It was not your homeland and you've never been to
 Jotunheim, so it might be that...