WSS Summary: World 8, Dear Father Time - Session 1

Present Party: Steve and Aria

World Setting: Typical D&D medieval fantasy world with various Greek elements, seen mostly in temples. The gods in this world are part of the Greek pantheon.

The party arrived in the next world, and they found themselves in what they have now come to recognize as a medieval city, but with a few major exceptions. Quite a ways off in front of them was a huge, white, European-style castle with golden ornaments and accents. About twenty feet to their right was a marble white temple, with big columns and inside, they could see a statue of a naked woman sitting on a seashell.

Steve and Aria also quickly realized that Claudia and Emori weren't with them.

This wasn't an uncommon occurrence though, so they pushed forward and decided to visit the temple. Before they leave for worlds, the System often presents the party with a role. It helps them "blend in" with the locals so the world doesn't implode on itself. Their role was that of historians from another continent. They entered the temple and found the head priest, Lyre, a half-drow, who pointed them in the direction of the local library.

On the way, they met up with The Moderator, who pulled them very urgently into an alley. They gave them two silver rings, imbued with magical powers.

"This place is dangerous for you," they said, in their ever-tired and stressed voice. "The pantheon here recently had a 'shake-up' if you will. Ever since, there are several gods who walk on the planet among mortal men. They'll take one look at you and know that you're different. And then they'll kill you."

"I assume that's what the rings are for," Steve replied.

Mod nodded. "Exactly. So take them, and be careful."

"How do they know?" Aria inquired. "Do transmigrators have like... a weird smell or something?"

Mod sighed, "Not a smell, a look. And some beings are able to recognize that. These gods can, so it's not safe for you. It's the same way that other, retired transmigrators can recognize you."

Mod left as quickly as they came after that, muttering about fixing bugs, and the party continued to the library.

Once there, the first thing of note was the map on the far left wall (pictured above, made by me, using Inkarnate.) With the help of Erasmus, the kobold librarian, they learned about the event that changed up the pantheon: The Darkening.

The Darkening happened on the continent of Eushora about 200 years ago. It was caused by a cult who worshiped a primordial goddess of night called "Nyx." They released her, and brought eternal night for 11 years to the whole continent. When that happened, several people and even several gods were "blipped" into a demiplane of darkness. A group of heroes rose up and fought the cult, and then eventually Nyx herself. They received a picture of the group in question:

- A changeling man, holding a flaming sickle (Ike)

- A changeling girl, holding two daggers (Phoebe, Ike's daughter)

- A pink aasimar man with dark hair and white wings, holding a quarterstaff (Conah Dullane, Alexi's husband)

- A drow woman with silver dragon wings (Alexi Dullane, Conah's wife and Lyre's half-sister)

- A human man with dark hair and pale skin, holding a violin (Echo, Lyre's husband)

- A half-elven man in leather armor, holding a glaive (Xanword Fallone, currently dead)

- A water genasi man clutching a holy symbol in one hand and a mace in the other (Kaz, currently dead)

- The man they'd just met: Lyre, the head priest of the Aphrodite temple (Echo's husband and Alexi's older half-brother)

Erasmus told them that if they wanted to know more, most of the former living heroes (who were now either gods or immortals) were pretty open to talking about it. The only one who wasn't was Ike.

They spoke again, a bit more thoroughly, to Lyre. They asked what could have been so powerful as to have brought on an eternal night, and Lyre claimed that the combination of three "godly artifacts" and Nyx herself was all it took. Nyx was the most powerful of the primordial gods because she was first. Since she was defeated, Lyre's husband Echo actually took on the mantle of Night and is considered to be the New Primordial of Night. Lyre also told them about Hekate: the key to defeating Nyx. Nobody quite knew what Hekate was, because she wasn't a primordial or a goddess or anything like that. It was rumored that she was as old as, if not older than Nyx. Their party had her on their side. Lyre also confessed that she reincarnates every few decades, and that his old party - but specifically Ike - was responsible for her. One of Ike's children, Hadrion, could sense when she'd been reincarnated and where.

Steve and Aria now had the thought that they really should speak to Ike which, as Erasmus told them and Lyre enforced, probably wouldn't go well for them. They asked if there was a way, and Lyre told them that Ike's house is basically an orphanage; he takes in orphaned children all the time.

That idea led them to Sinner's Den, helped along by Lyre and his husband Echo, where Lyre said there were many orphaned children. They managed to pick up a very sick elven boy, about four years old, by the name of Alaion. He went willingly with them, hoping that he could get good enough medicine for his illness from Ike.

From there, Echo said that he couldn't get them to Blackpool for reasons he refused to elaborate on, but that he could get them to Norbury. Their friend Conah lived there, he'd answer any questions they had, and he could get them to Blackpool.

They met Conah, who had, since his death at the old age of 100, become Eros. As such, his appearance had changed. He had dark skin, black hair, and bright red eyes. They also met his wife Alexi - or "Lex" as she preferred - and their daughter Ava, who were both immortal. Conah claimed that their son, Callan, lived with them too, but he was out at the moment.

Steve and Aria asked him a couple questions about The Darkening, but he gave them most of the same answers. He did, however, give them more information about Hekate. She appears always as an egg, and hatches as a black dragon. Then, she turns into a little girl and ages as a human from then forward.

Conah waved a hand over his eyes, showing off red scales around them for a moment, before waving the hand back to cover the scales again. With a grin, he informed them, "In our pantheon, on our continent - I don't know what it's like where you're from - but here, dragons and gods are one in the same."

~~~~~

Credit to @ijaymendell inspiring this awesome campaign!

Additionally, thank you to my friend @bandcat5313 - the original homebrewer and DM for the world of Eushora. This setting and some NPCs were inspired by hers.