[ WP ] Magic is discovered and it 's channeled with music . Modern nations dissolve and new countries rise in their place divided by the preferred music . In the frozen north lie the Metal kingdoms . Far to the south are the countries of Soul etc .

`` Old Gods'', Part One: 
 
 In the early years, no one knew exactly *how* the music and the magic meshed together; it's just that they did. The internet exploded with stories about apparitions -- or manifestations -- of gods, demons, and things that were once the creations of incredible movie studio special effects teams, becoming very real... and often with disastrous consequences. 
 
 In those early days, I thought it was utter bullshit -- until I came face-to-face with Thor. 
 
... 
 
 `` Duuuude! I have to show you this video!'' Today, we were chilling at his apartment listening to the latest Finsterforst album, while Darren surfed YouTube on a rumor that `` some weird shit'' happened at Viking metal concert somewhere in Norway ( Back when it was still referred to as,'Norway' ). 
 
 I discovered my buddy Darren was a folk metal devotee when I first met him five years ago. While he sat in front of his laptop, I walked around his place, and checked out the walls: Gig posters, tour posters, autographed CD's, and printed pictures of him giving the horned-fingers salute with various long-haired, black-t-shirt-wearing men ( and a few women ) from folk metal bands, only a few of which I could identify by sight. Almost every available space was covered by some sort of concert or music memorabilia. 
 
 Me, I was a mild metal and old school rock fan. After seeing Darren's apartment walls, to say he was a serious folk metal fan was a gross understatement. 
 
 `` What's the video supposed to be about?'' I sauntered over to Darren as he scanned the list of YouTube videos, searching for the `` weird shit'' one. 
 
 `` I heard from some guy in the Metal Music forum I moderate that some incredible special effects happened at an Ice Hammer concert.'' He looked up at me briefly. 
 
 Ice Hammer. Darren's latest infatuation from somewhere in the Norway/Sweden/Iceland area, which was eventually renamed `` The Metal Kingdoms''. It would still be years before an active, functioning government was set up, once the warfare in the Metal Kingdoms ended -- but as of this story, in that part of the world, the fighting was just about to start. 
 
 `` So?'' I sat down next to him, to get a better look at the laptop screen. He went back to scanning the list of videos. 
 
 `` So, the thing is, Ice Hammer is a small band. They could n't afford major, movie-studio-like visual effects. Rumor has it they actually summoned a god.'' 
 
 `` Bullshit.'' 
 
 `` Could be. But then, with all the stuff coming out of San Francisco and L.A., maybe it is n't?'' He clicked on a possible candidate of the `` weird shit'' variety, to see if it was the video he wanted. 
 
 He was right about San Francisco and L.A. There were stories, pictures, and video that were hard to write off as `` tricks'' and `` fiction''. S.F. was practically rainbow-colored day and night, as new-generation hippies flocked there in what the news called, `` A New Summer of Love''. L.A., on the other hand, was its polar opposite: The gangs and their brand of rap/hip-hop turned that city into a bullet-riddled war zone. It would be another few years before the last remains of the U.S. Government gave its last gasp, and declared it a No Man's Land -- much to no one's surprise. 
 
 `` Here! I found it!'' He was practically orgasmic as he brought up the video of the Ice Hammer concert that happened a few days ago. It was a crappy cell phone recording, like so many YouTube concert videos: Most likely taken by a fan, near the stage in a club, as they were being jostled and pushed by other, more rabid fans and *their* cell phones, recording the concert as well. The video had shaky picture and bad sound of a band of long-haired, black-clad men, singing in a language I did n't understand, with atonal guitars and double-kickpedal drums going full-speed. 
 
 I watched this for about a minute. I was very underwhelmed. 
 
 `` How much longer is this going to take?'' I asked Darren. I started to get the itch to leave. 
 
 `` It should be coming up any second n --'' He stopped as the atonal guitar and foreign-language screaming were interrupted by a burst of white light, and a thunderous **BOOM! ** that briefly whited out the screen. People screamed as the lights went out, and yelled pronunciations in what I can only guess were Norwegian. 
 
 The shaky cell phone stabilized for a few seconds, showing the club lit again by an ethereal white light. One band member onstage was slowly coming to his knees holding his left hand over his forehead, while a severe amount of blood was leaking from between his fingers. 
 
 Next to him was, as far as I could tell, Gandalf. 
 
 He was an older, sixty-ish looking man in a gray robe, with long, grey hair. On each shoulder was a huge black bird, that looked around with sharp, jerky movements; one gave an indignant'squawk!' as'Gandalf' took a step forward, bringing himself to the edge of the stage. 
 
 He stood where the lead singer ( screamer? ) was standing just a few seconds before. In his left hand was a grey staff, looking like gnarled old wood. He faced the audience, his long grey beard mildly shaking as he said something. The cell phone's audio cut out at this point, so I could not tell what he was saying. 
 
 The band member staggered to his feet, as Gandalf suddenly disappeared. It was here, that the video stopped. 
 
 `` What the hell was that?'' I asked as Darren slow-mo-ed the video to the point where Gandalf appeared. 
 
 `` Dude, I think that was Odin.'' 
 
 `` Is Odin the name of the guy with the bloody forehead?'' 
 
 `` No! I mean, *the god* Odin.'' He paused the video, and pointed at the screen. `` See! The two birds are the ravens Hugin and Muninn, and notice how the light bounces off of only one eye? The other one is gone, like in the Norse sagas!'' Darren put down his laptop, and practically sprang out of his seat. `` San Francisco, L.A., this happening in Norway -- the magic is real, dude.'' He paced back and forth. `` It's real, and it will reshape the planet. You have to believe, man.'' 
 
 `` I'll need more solid proof than a video, man.'' Darren knew I was an atheist, then. 
 
 I would eventually get my proof a few nights later, and in person. 
 

