A Wind-Age, a Wolf-Age

Question: Halfway through Fimbulvinter and the Wolf Age, my Demigods want to save mankind from itself. I was wondering how you addressed this feature, as the Scions get farther away from mankind yet cling to their humane nature (and families). Can they spark hope, at least on a regional level; or do they lose faith in mankind to Fate's schemes?

It completely depends on the PCs and what they want to do, honestly. Every PC has a different personality and set of goals; some may decide to detach from a humanity they no longer really belong to anyway, letting the chips fall where they may, while others may view it as their sacred duty to protect mankind (and especially their loved ones). You may find yourself dealing with conflict over it within the band, as half want to go help the World and its inhabitants and the others don't see why they should waste time when there are more important, godly things to do.

Trying to keep mankind inspired and hopeful is actually relatively easy for demigods and young gods; anyone with decent Epic Charisma or Appearance is generally inspiring just by being around (and things like Inspirational Figure or Lasting Impression certainly don't hurt). For those with mid- to high-level Epics and Boons, it's possible to create resources to help sustain populations or build better-insulated dwellings against the encroaching cold. Our PCs have even called in favors from gods for their past exploits to help their people - Loki built a large oil-and-flame-powered heating system for a community at Sowiljr's behest, as they were beginning to have trouble surviving the cold. Scions with Guardian boons give people hope when they save the day and are visibly protecting those weaker than themselves; Scions with Justice boons can help humanity feel like there's still some order and society left in the world to cling to.

As for the Scions themselves, how much faith they have in their own ability to overcome Fate's ordained plan varies from character to character (often in inverse to how much Prophecy they have), but they are usually hopeful. Hope's a hard thing to extinguish, and players are always looking for ways that they might be able to achieve at least a little bit of their goal or save at least a little bit of the places or people they love. Several of our PCs have moved their cults and communities out of Europe, depositing them in places like Hawaii or Australia, in the hopes that the foretold destruction of the world may refer specifically to the places under the Aesir's control and that remote areas with foreign gods may not be affected too badly. Some are actively trying to find loopholes or alternative interpretations of the prophecies to exploit; after all, prophecies often speak in riddles and metaphors, so if they can find an interpretation that's better for everyone and try to push that to be the way it's fulfilled, they will. Some have temporarily moved especially important mortals - children, parents, defenseless friends - into the Overworlds themselves, hoping that their small pockets of heaven will be safer for them than anywhere in the World below. Still other PCs have even tried to go the direct appeal route - a couple of them personally visited the Norns to plead for help or leniency (with enigmatic and semi-disastrous results, but it was definitely an awesome story).

And still others fight on without hope, not believing that they're going to win and certain of their own or their loved ones' destruction, but still struggling against it, because that's the kind of heroes they are. Don't forget about these guys; not only are their triumphs and sorrows just as important as everyone else's, but sometimes they can change an outcome even if they don't think they can.

Ragnarok and Fimbulwinter are emotional events, especially for Norse Scions; everything is going to change, lots of people are going to die, and everyone has different reactions to those kinds of upheavals. My advice is to look at what they're trying to do; if there's even the barest sliver of a chance that they could succeed, let them try and root for them (and don't be afraid to give them clues via Prophecy or Mystery if they have them). Even if they don't, it'll have been a worthy effort. And if they're trying to do something that you decide, as the ST, they cannot do, let them do that, too; heroic tales aren't always about success, but about the battle itself.

Fimbulwinter, and the eventual conflagration afterward, are the times when humanity needs the Norse gods (and by extension their children) the most. It has to be up to the PCs to decide if they are moved by that need - as an ST, all you can do is reward those who heroically rise to the challenge (and don't forget to reward those who don't help humanity but do go to do other things in an attempt to help with the coming disaster - their priorities are different, but not necessarily less valid).