Codex-Lore-Your Saga

Recaps major story events in your ongoing saga.

## **The Teacher's Lesson**

In the beginning, Loki invited you to the godly tavern known as Aegir’s Hall, where he promised to take you on as his pupil and show you how to become a true god.

Under Loki’s tutelage, you possessed mortals destined to rise up against gods and giants alike. In exchange, Loki asked for the strange stones left in the wake of your rivals' defeats. One by one, the other Norse gods came to recognize you.

Or so it seemed, as Loki had one last lesson to teach. At last, he revealed his true intent: to use the magic of the stones to escape. For Aegir's Hall was no mere tavern, but in fact an illusory prison deep within the Yawning Void. And now, it is your cage.

## **Prologue**

An untold amount of time has passed in the tavern. Loki and the gods are long gone. A strange artifact sits forlorn on the counter. A vestige of Loki's escape? Something... someone... beckons you to pick it up.

Upon examination, the ankh behaves erratically. It vanishes, only to reappear elsewhere. Before you can fully possess it, a horrific beast storms the tavern. Its relentless attack proves to be nigh insurmountable.

But fate – rather, the Fates – pluck you from the abyss and thrust you into a world between worlds. Reborn a "Cosmic Guardian" by the Weavers, you now hope to stop Loki, before he destroys the fabric of existence.

## **Saga 1**

At the behest of the Weavers, you enter the Mirror of Destiny in pursuit of Loki. Instead, you stumble upon the Temple of Atum where a tomb robber clings to life. You possess this mortal, Abraxas, and bring him to safety.

You and Abraxas endure a vicious sandstorm, before a mysterious figure bears you back to a hidden outpost in the desert. There you find kindred souls who recognize your divine nature. They offer you a safe haven.

The leader of the outpost reveals himself to be none other than Horus, the rightful heir to the Egyptian throne. You enter a partnership with him: help Horus recover his foresight, and he will use his power to find Loki.

## **Saga 2**

To recover Horus's power, you intend to recover a Ma'at Stone, like the ones Loki took from you to escape. You believe helping Abraxas defeat Sakhmet, one of Set's most fearsome allies, will trigger its creation.

But to challenge Sakhmet, let alone Set, the god Bes advises you to seek allies. One such ally could be the creator god Ptah, estranged husband of Sakhmet. You may also find more castaways like you in the Dead Expanse.

You climb your way into Sakhmet's roving fortress and defeat the wrathful goddess in combat. As you restore Ma'at, you grant justice to Abraxas. In that moment, the first Ma'at Stone emerges from the ether at last.

## **Saga 3**

With the power of the first Ma'at Stone, Horus shares a vision of the next stone, involving Sobek, betrayer of Osiris and god of the Nile Delta. In the Delta, you find Cyrene, a naiad who intends to bring Sobek down.

To enlist Thoth, Egyptian god of wisdom, you and Cyrene retrieve material to repair his astrolabe from the primoridal god Tanuu. Only then can Thoth help devise a plan to enter Sobek's palace through the cisterns.

Cyrene bravely denounces Sobek for the desolation of the Delta. Together, you defeat him, making it possible for Lower Egypt to return to normal. A second stone, the Balance Stone, manifests, which you give to Horus.

## **Saga 4**

Power restored by the Ma'at Stones, Horus shares a vision of fiery Muspelheim in the Norse realm. The vision speaks of the Twilight of the Gods, also known as Ragnarok, the battle of the gods and the end of all things.

The vision reveals the armies of Hel are on the march. Only the sleeping fire giant Surtur still sleeps in Muspelheim. Before you can explain it all to Horus, Loki and Set attack, kill Horus and steal the stones.

D.M. insists you need two more stones to even hope to wrest the stolen stones from Set. With all four, the Weavers' Mirror of Destiny can reveal Loki's location. You follow the vision to Muspelheim for the next stone.

## **Saga 5**

You return to the Norse Realms, this time finding your way to Muspelheim, the primordial realm of fire. Here, you possess Alvilda, an elf determined to stop Ragnarok almost single-handedly by defeating Surtur.

As king of the fire giants, Surtur is fated to escape Muspelheim and invade Asgard with an army. When Alvilda's scout fails to open the way to Surtur's fortress, you instead traverse the lava fields to reach it.

Alvilda discovers that her scout, her sister Annika, never abandoned her, so defeating Surtur's Eythingmathur yields a Trust Stone. Loki strikes, steals it and releases Surtur, but strangely returns the stone to you.

## **Saga 6**

You journey to the Duat, the Egyptian underworld, to confront Anubis, who is blocking the afterlife of countless mortals. You possess one such mortal, the scribe Djehuty, to face Anubis and generate another Ma'at Stone.

Djehuty passes the trials of the Silent Caverns, but the tests of the afterlife are far from over. In the Hall of Truth, Anubis must weigh his heart against the Feather of Ma'at to be found worthy. Will he do so?

You challenge Anubis and defeat him in battle, yielding the Ma'at Stone you need. While Djehuty will not yet get his chance at an afterlife, you now have enough power to confront Set and retrieve the stones he stole.

## **Saga 7**

With two Ma'at Stones to lend protection, you and the gods of Egypt prepare to take on Set and capture the Ma'at Stones he stole. In the process, you plan to end Set's subjugation of Egypt and restore Ptah to the throne.

Each god plays their part to clear the path to Set. In a great battle, you take on Set in the guise of your favorite mortal. Without allies, Set ultimately falls. You retrieve your stones and bid farewell to friends.

All four Ma'at Stones unveil Loki's secret haven in the Inbetween. You confront and defeat him at last. Loki claims the Weavers have kept the truth from you. Before he can reveal more, another force steals him away.

## **The Hero Stones**

As Ether is the force that creates and sustains all living things, even mortals possess trace amounts of Ether. The destinies of mortals, as prescribed by the Weavers, may lead to the manifestation of Ether in crystalline form.

The trickster Loki knew of this. He called them "Hero Stones", cultivating the victory you felt for finding them. From a vengeful fighter reclaiming her family's honor. A priest who held onto his faith. A greedy dark elf. And the smallest, yet most courageous giant.

All willingly handed over to Loki, who used them to escape his prison deep in Ginnungagap. Now, he roams free, keen to exact his revenge on the gods.

## **Ether**

The primordial lifeforce that radiates in all things. It is through Ether that the material world had been born of chaos, and it is Ether that sustains it. It infuses every aspect of life in both the visible and invisible world, the known and the unknown.

Ether is the purest form of power. The power to create life. The power to see the future. The power to travel across time and space. It makes balance and harmony possible. It is also what makes disorder and chaos possible.

In the wrong hands, Ether has the disastrous potential to turn the physical world into a vast, timeless expanse. To return all existence to nothingness.

## **The Hope Stone**

A stone of great power materializes whenever you overcome a great threat. You know these stones as Hero Stones, but Horus calls them Ma'at Stones. One Ma'at Stone could restore some of Horus's vision.

In Egypt, Ma'at is both a concept and a goddess. She stands for justice and order. Restoring Ma'at sets the world right, the way it should be. Surrendering the Ma'at Stone to Horus should restore his former power.

When Sakhmet struck down his father, Abraxas believed she destroyed Ma'at by failing to protect humanity. Defeating her gives Abraxas justice, as well as the hope that some gods can be trusted after all.

## **The Balance Stone**

While the first Ma'at Stone restored a portion of Horus's foresight, another stone will reveal more. Horus's vision directs you to the Nile Delta, where the god Sobek reigns, and the mortal Cyrene runs for her life.

Sobek has upset the balance of the Nile Delta, draining the waters and endangering plant and animal life. Cyrene has witnessed these horrors herself. Beating Sobek will restore the land and yield the Balance Stone.

Cyrene aids the hippo Mereret and saves the great god Tanuu from the parasites Sobek's negligence stirred up. Thus she began to reset the balance in the Delta well before your defeat of Sobek yields the Balance Stone.

## **The Trust Stone**

After Set snatches the Ma'at Stones, you are defenseless against him. Horus's final vision, however, suggested a journey back to your own realm. In Muspelheim, you will find another mortal, and the hope of another stone.

You join forces with Alvilda, an elf who trusts no one but herself to stop the fire giant Surtur from unleashing Ragnarok. With such determination, any battle against Surtur's champion will likely yield the next stone.

Alvilda discovers that her scout, her sister Annika, never abandoned her, so defeating Surtur's Eythingmathur generates a Trust Stone. Loki strikes, steals it and releases Surtur, but strangely returns the stone to you.

## **The Fate Stone**

To protect yourself for the battle against Set, you need one more stone. What mighty feat could lay the groundwork for another Ma'at Stone? The gods of Egypt point you to their underworld, and the god Anubis.

In the Duat, you encounter Djehuty, a mortal spirit seeking his afterlife. You join him as he seeks his final fate, but Anubis has lapsed in letting mortals pass through to the Field of Reeds. You will have to face him.

You and Djehuty defeat Anubis, but Djehuty learns he will go no further. He will not reach the Field of Reeds while his soul is divorced from his body. When Djehuty learns his fate, you claim the Fate Stone.