Time Spiral: A 1st Level Adventure for 5th Edition

In the beginning there was nothing but the Void. This bleak darkness held no light, no life, it was pure nothingness. Then, suddenly and without warning, the elder gods appeared. It is unknown how they were made or where they came from. Perhaps they simply willed themselves into existence. Only the elder gods know, and their minds have long succumbed to the madness that comes with omnipotence. From the elder gods sprang forth a host of divine beings, each with a fragment of their progenitors' powers. These were the beings of law and chaos, the two forces that balance the universe. Together, they began a never-ending dance of harmony and dissonance. When equilibrium was reached, these god-creatures slowly began to build the universe into a place fit for their kind. They summoned a world into being and populated it with all manner of life.

At first, animals were all that existed, but soon the gods grew tired of such dull things. So, they crafted the first of the races, the elves. The elves of old were lithe and beautiful, glimmering lights in the darkness of the void. But the elves were frail compared to the gods, and soon they began to die out. Not wanting to lose their most beloved creations, the gods gifted the elves with a sliver of their own immortality. Now, with lifespans unending, the elves began to grow and learn. They built great cities and mastered magic and technology. Eventually, their power rivaled that of the gods themselves. This caused fear to spread among the divine beings and, in the first act of violence, they smote the elves, striking down their cities and destroying their technologies. Broken and fearful, the few remaining elves retreated to the forests, determined to hide away where the gods could not find them beneath endless canopies of green.

The gods' next creations were the dwarves. Stout and hardy, with a sense of loyalty and honor, surely these creatures would not rise up and challenge the gods? For awhile, things were good, but the dwarves were so enamored by the beauty of the world that they neglected the gods. Feeling shunned, the gods once again lashed out. They cast the dwarves deep beneath the earth, so as to never have to lay eyes on them again. Once more, the gods were alone. The elder gods had long since left, vanishing into the depths of the void to regions unknown. With nothing to occupy their minds and no creations to rule over, the gods turned on one another and a great war befell the cosmos.

The gods of chaos and law collided, both seeking to annihilate the other. Eventually, only two gods remained, Eemus the Lawbringer and Ahmus the Chaoseater. Though they both fought with everything they had, they found themselves at a stalemate. Realizing neither could win, they reached an agreeable compromise: They would create one last race and let them decide who should win. The two gods poured all of their power into one final act of creation. Eemus struggled to control the flow of power, but Ahmus reveled in the chaos it contained. Thus, instead of creating one perfect race, the two gods inadvertently created a litany of them. Creatures of all shapes and sizes, temperaments and aptitudes, sprung into being. Exhausted, the two gods began to unravel, the last fragments of their power beginning to fade. In order to preserve their essence, they scattered themselves across the world, seeking hosts to instill the last vestiges of their divine essence into. These creatures were lifted up above their kind and became the gods worshipped in Arden to this day.

Now it is the year 2185 AC and millennia have passed since the great war ended and the new gods were born. The elves, still fearful of divine eyes, mostly remain within their mighty forests beneath the protection of the trees. The dwarves have acclimated to their underground existence, finding beauty in ore and gems and growing their empires beneath the mountains. Lastly, the imperfect races of men have flourished, grown, and intermingled across the face of the world. Kingdoms have risen and fallen, borders have shifted and changed, and life has continued on. But all is not well in Arden.

Kaanh, the god of destruction, hatched a plan to summon the elder gods back to Arden so they, in their madness and eternal hunger, could devour the world once and for all. His cult of worshippers gathered the Shards of the Divine, physical vessels containing sparks of Eemus and Ahmus' divine power, and used them as beacons to call the elder gods home. As the elder gods descended on Arden and began devouring the world, the archmage Vaxilos used all of his arcane power to send a group of heroes back in time to stop the cult from ever achieving their goals. Now, it is up to them to hunt down the cult's members as well as the Shards of the Divine and stop the apocalyptic end Arden will surely face should they fail.