Intermission: Of the Gods’ Games

Tempus - the god of war, crossed his arm and frowned. Something was amiss. He could feel it, each and every battlefield on the land created by the gods. Each warrior fighting with their mightiest bravado and strength, the clash of metal against metal, the smell of putrid blood, enough to even rouse Tempus from his usual standing position.

Tempus had always been fair and neutral on his subjects. Every self-proclaimed hero who worshiped him had the same chance of getting a blessing from Tempus as a leprosy-stricken beggar in the corner of a street. He had never shown any favor towards any creature down below, so that each battle should be decided by might or by mind.

But something was clearly amiss. Tempus gazed down on the wide tapestry on the ebony table with an unreadable expression blanketed over his well-toned face. There were clearly many unusual individuals among the ordinary creatures that he and his fellow gods had created. Usually, when a creature no longer lives, its soul will travel through the Astral Sea until every memory and proof of its existence was wiped clean. Then, the soul will be returned into the Cycle, to be casted upon another vessel and it will then become another creature in the world, with a blank canvas. Most of the time, the soul will also be ripped up and mended with other soul's pieces to ensure that no memory was to be left. Yet, there were warriors among armies that had fragmented pieces of souls with ancient memories left behind. It gave the afflicted warriors an unfair advantage on both skills, strength and experience on the battlefield, some even were awakened to unobtainable, taboo knowledge about the gods, went mad and sought destruction to the plane of existence. This must have been a deliberate change made by a god.

Tempus casted his cold gaze on the red-haired goddess, her beauty was unmatched, her slightly toned skin even struck a chord inside Tempus every time he looked at her. 

"Sune… Is this your handiwork?"

"Hmmm? Whatever… are… you…talking…about?" Sune, the goddess of love and beauty smiled seductively. Her long and lush eyelashes slightly moved, her pink tongue moistened her red lips.

"You know what I'm talking about. There are memories of old left behind in these creatures. Is Lathander allowing this?"

"Mmm… You know that…I am…unwilling to…go against my friend's will… right, Tempus?" She kept her smile, but Tempus saw a hint of mischievousness in the corner of her full lips.

Tempus didn't answer. He frowned and looked over at a slender figure cladded in white gowns, both her arms extended over the tapestry on the ebony table, and a colorful stream of light constantly moved from the land below into her hands and back. 

As if his gaze had physically alerted the figure, she opened her eyes and met with Tempus'. Lathander, the goddess of birth and renewal, an important god among the gods. One of the most worshiped goddesses in the land below. She was a kind hearted god, casting blessings wherever was needed, to those of good hearts or to those of evil but still aligned with the intention of the cycle. She was the keeper of the Cycle, the watcher, the warden. And yet, she allowed this unfair blessing, or better yet, curse, to spread among the land below?

"It was a trade, lord Tempus. Might not be a fair trade, but an interesting one, nonetheless." 

"Is that so?"

"Yes. The… leftover memories fragment… had unexpected changes to the creature. And therefore, the Cycle is also affected, for better or for worse. But… interesting nonetheless."

"Hmmm… What did you get from Sune?"

"My own champion."

"Haven't you got an army of devout worshipers?"

"One champion who… was not from the Cycle."

"Isn't that bad? Bringing an outsider into our game?"

"But interesting, nonetheless, lord Tempus. Now… join me will you?"

"Hmm…" 

"HEYYYYY!!!! My favorite bard just died!" 

A loud and energetic voice boomed through the astral plane that the gods were on. A petite, boyish figure threw both her hands up into the air and dramatically cried. Next to her, a stout and muscular figure with white long beard chuckled. Tymora and Gond, the goddess of good fortune and adventure and the god of craft were looking at the tapestry on the ebony table.

Tymora threw out slaps onto Gond's shoulder and cried:

"You lied to me! You said that the legendary sword you gave her would help her through hell! But she died! Not fairrrr!"

"Ho ho ho… Whenever did I say she will survive the literal hell she was put through? I said that the sword will help the lass. In fact… she survived 3 seconds longer than I expected her to, well chosen, Tymora."

"Wahhh! Myrkul! Gond is bullying me!"

The gloomy and tall figure on the edge of the ebony table casted his gaze over on the cutesy goddess. Myrkul - the god of death, stopped reading his grimoire. He smiled - totally not fit his character at all - and said

"All odds were against your hero, Tymora. How could a mortal brave through 9 levels of hell alone?"

"But… But!"

Tymora looked at Myrkul and Gond, both smiling sympathetically to her. She pouted and stormed off to the center of the plane. She took a deep breath - unnecessary as she hadn't had the need for breathing many millennia ago, and loudly announced:

"I"M BORED!! I'M PLAYING ANOTHER GAME!!"

All of the gods and goddesses looked at the petite goddess standing at the edge of the ebony table. She stopped for a second, as if waiting to create a suspended effect. 

"I'M GOING DOWN THERE! DON'T LOOK FOR ME! I WILL RETURN WHENEVER I WANT TO!!"

Lathander looked at Tymora and slightly shook her head. Her curly, long and brilliantly white hair moved, if a mortal could describe her hair, he would call it a stream of everlight. 

"Are you going to destroy our game, Tymora?"

"NO! I'M EXPERIENCING IT FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE!"

"Hmmm… Fine… with…me." Sune smiled.

"Little one! Don't you dare mess with my chosen one!" Gond, the god of craft yelled from across the plane. He waved his hammer around in an angry manner.

"OF COURSE!!"

"Then… I have no objection. Don't ruin the game for us, Tymora." Tempus scoffed, "But… feel free to make things more interesting."

"I'M INTENDING TO!! WELL THEN! I'M OFF! BYE BYE SUNE, LATHANDER!! BYE BYE GUYS!!"

That said, Tymora leapt up into the air and fell straight to the tapestry on the ebony table, leaving a ripple throughout it. 

The gods immediately continued what they were doing, disinterested with what just happened. To them, it was just part of the game. No more, no less.

And another day passed in the land below. A land created by the gods. A table top game just to entertain the all powerful entities above all. And it looked like some drastic change would soon come to it. 

For better or for worse.

But…

It would be interesting, nonetheless.

***