The summer vacation after graduation was so hot that it left people listless. With nothing in particular to do, Skyl planned to wander around for a while. During last year's Christmas holiday, Stan had brought over an old gentleman named Ao, and Skyl had promised to visit him one day. Now that he had free time, the mood struck him, and he immediately decided to keep that promise.
Ao was the creator god of Realmspace. Realmspace was an independent crystal sphere universe, and the famous stories of the Forgotten Realms all took place within this universe.
Skyl was not familiar with the route to Realmspace. The first time he had visited Ao, it had been Stan Lee who took him there.
"Ao is in New York. He has a house here."
The old man wore beach shorts and large sunglasses, driving a battered Ford pickup as he took Skyl to an old apartment building in Manhattan.
"Ao lives here?" Skyl was surprised by the destination.
The apartment building was quite old. The outer walls were weathered and cracked, and the front door had doorbells corresponding to each apartment on each floor. However, the electronic lock was already broken. It belonged to the kind that opened if you pulled it, truly guarding against gentlemen but not villains. Stan pressed the doorbell and told Ao that he had brought a friend to visit.
The elevator was broken too, so Skyl followed the panting Stan up the stairs.
In this kind of poor apartment building, there was no shortage of people who ignored public hygiene and left traces of urine behind. The summer heat was stifling, and the stairwell was filled with a foul smell. Skyl waved his hand, letting a clean and cool wind pour in from the rooftop and blow away the unpleasant air.
The putty on the walls of the apartment corridor had peeled off in large patches because of moisture. Dust crowded the steps, and several empty Dr Pepper bottles had been left piled in a corner of the stairs.
The environment was rather undignified, but this was roughly the kind of place many New York renters had to endure. Plenty of young people who came to this city to fight for a future lived in small, broken apartments like this.
Ao greeted them on the sixth floor. He wore white home pajamas, and as soon as he met Stan, the two exchanged a warm hug, teased and mocked each other for a few lines, and laughed and cursed with the easy familiarity of old friends.
Although this was only their second meeting, the kindly old man happily patted Skyl on the shoulder and showed no sense of distance.
"Please come in, Wizard Skyl. Your visit brings honor to my humble home."
The "humble home" Ao spoke of was a multi-room apartment decorated in a bright, modern style.
After entering, there was a living room. Usually, Ao ran his world from here.
An old, varnished maple table stood in the center of the living room, surrounded on all four sides by single-person sofas. The table's length was infinite, able to seat an endless number of players. Various tools for Dungeons & Dragons were laid out on the table. A map of Realmspace was spread open, with a sun at the center of the crystal sphere and the planets orbiting around it.
Against the wall stood a row of large display cabinets. On the many shelves inside were numerous small figures and miniatures.
Skyl saw models of the moon goddess Selûne, the dark goddess Shar, the sun god Amaunator, and a whole series of divine powers. This display shelf stored the gods of Realmspace.
Seeing Skyl looking at them with great interest, Ao said, "You can make a model of yourself and place it there, if you wish."
The meaning of those words was that the Overgod Ao permitted Skyl to enter Realmspace as a divine power.
Most of the gods in Realmspace were outsiders. Only after receiving Ao's permission could they extend their divine power into Realmspace.
Although Skyl had now received Ao's permission, it would not be easy to place his own model in that display cabinet. It was like traveling abroad. Even if customs allowed one through, standing firmly in a foreign land still required some effort. At the very least, one needed a foothold.
"Thank you for your generosity, but let us leave that matter for later. I came to join a tabletop roleplaying campaign, though I have not learned much about this activity in detail before."
Ao's face showed delight when he heard this. "Ah, a newcomer. That is no problem at all. You will find that this game offers a great deal of freedom. The key has never been the rules, but what kind of story you want to create. Come, sit down. We can talk slowly."
Stan very rudely took a bottle of Dr Pepper from the refrigerator, then found a glass and some ice and began drinking with great satisfaction. It seemed that he and Ao really were old friends.
"Pour one for my guest too, Lee. Don't keep it all for yourself," Ao casually ordered.
It was the blazing height of summer. Although the central air conditioning inside the apartment was pumping out cold air, having an icy soda to quench one's thirst was still a fine thing.
Skyl sat down in a relaxed manner, holding a glass of soda in his hand as he listened to Ao describe the world of Dungeons & Dragons.
"Imagine that you live in a world watched over by the gods. Everything you see, whether natural or cultural, is closely connected to the divine. The followers of the gods reveal miracles and spread their ideals. A farmer prays to Lathander, the Morninglord, at dawn, hoping to have a peaceful and steady day. When he takes up his sickle to harvest barley, he prays to Chauntea, the Earthmother, wishing for a good harvest. A merchant offers his most devout faith to Waukeen, the goddess of trade, but before he sets out to sea, he will also offer sacrifice to Umberlee, the Queen of the Depths, praying that her temper will be soothed and that she will not stir up a storm to destroy his merchant ship. After death, the souls of those who believe in the gods go to their divine realms, while the souls of the Faithless become part of the living Wall of the Faithless in the City of Judgment, until their souls dissolve and they are finally released.
"This is also a world filled with magic. Powerful mages can travel through the many planes of the universe, draw upon the power of the Weave and turn it into storms that destroy their enemies, or manipulate mortal minds, distort matter and energy, and make cities fly in the sky. All kinds of miracles are happening everywhere at every moment. Ancient ruins lie buried at the edge of the civilized world, and savage creatures move beneath the earth. Beyond the Prime Material Plane, there are many other planes, and in the wildspace between planets, spelljamming ships come and go.
"Faced with a world like this, how would you choose to write your own legend? You could be the son of a blacksmith who sets foot on the path of knighthood, running across the land to restore an exiled princess to her throne. You could devote yourself to discipline and take the name of a paladin, cutting down the wicked and fighting devils hidden among the nobility. You could immerse yourself in the study of the arcane, then one day, in order to uncover the secrets of Netheril's flying cities, resolutely set out on an expedition. Will you go fight a dragon that is terrorizing the region, or will you collude with an evil wizard? Will you follow the arrangements of fate beneath the watchful eyes of the gods, or will you fearlessly oppose divine will and spend your life evading an omnipresent pursuit?
"Infinite possibilities unfold before you. Forge immortal achievements. Compose a magnificent epic. Let your name be sung across the multiverse. Make the devils of the Nine Hells tremble and the demons of the Abyss grow cold with fear. Centuries later, let rural taverns still play your story, inspiring one young person after another to set out on their own journeys. And all of this, everything, returns to the first question."
Ao's voice was deep and songlike, flowing gently as he spoke. His listeners forgot to breathe, forgot to drink, and focused completely on the scenes he described.
The soda in Skyl's hand hissed softly, its bubbles escaping rapidly, while he stared fixedly at Ao.
The Overgod slowly asked, "What is the reason that forces you to take the first step?"
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