The Skógr PyndaVaka, otherwise known as The Incessant Oak, is the most malicious entity ever created by a Valkyrie.
This tree was born from the very first addiction suffered by a Valkyrie.
While traveling Midgard, nothing brought greater joy to Kitla then tickling and toying with the young mortals. No fine meal or excellent painting could compare to the musical wonder of hysterical laughter.
Kitla always had a hard time letting go of her playthings and wound up keeping many of her favorites. She started to build a massive collection and could spend countless days tickling her trophies. The sound of their laughter would only become more and more delicious to Kitla with every round of tickling.
The first child to ever escape from Kitla's tickling was a demi-god named Atreus. He'd suffered through many ticklish nightmares thought up by Kitla, but always managed to get away in the end. Even after spending a full night being tickled, Atreus somehow managed to escape just when Kitla was really starting to enjoy herself...
Being constantly teased with the thought of listening to Atreus' laughter until Ragnarok, Kitla quickly became obsessed with the child. This obsession is what created the entity known as "The Incessant Oak"
Finally catching up with Atreus after a week-long hunt, Kitla cast a spell upon a seed planted beneath the boy's feet. The magic fueled the seed's growth, causing it to instantly erupt from the ground and wrap itself around Atreus' body. The roots grew sporadically, warping and twisting Atreus' body until he was held in a very strained and unflinching pose.
Before it had fully grown, the "Incessant Oak" started its assault on Atreus' feet. The boy started bellowing with laughter, which is exactly what the tree needed to fully grow. It had a special, magical ability to convert laughter into life energy. This energy could be shared between the tree and its captive so they can both live forever.
The magic that created the tree was extremely unstable since it came from Kitla's unstable mind. The tree cannot live for very long without laughter. If its victim stops laughing for even a moment, the tree could wither up and die.
The tree must keep its captive laughing nonstop if it wishes to live longer. Using a combination of its talented branches and the extremely itchy sap it secretes, "The Incessant Oak" will put its victim through a ticklish Hel unlike anything else in all the 9 realms.
It will also prevent its captive from passing out by sparing it some life force. No matter how stressed, tired or hungry Atreus becomes, he will never be able to escape this torture. Once the "Incessant Oak" is fully grown, no force in the universe can destroy it so long as it has access to laughter.
It has been 3 days since Kitla created the first Incessant Oak.
Just like the tree she enchanted, It seems Kitla cannot to live without hearing the sweet sound of Atreus' desperate laughter.
She'll spend the mornings working her fingers across his feet, the afternoons playing with his face, and fall asleep to the soothing melody of his cries for mercy.
I am VERY grateful to Luci for drawing this sketch for me and for helping me with the colouring. Please, I can't recommend his work enough. Give him lots of love!
