Arrival
Anna looked around. Where-ever she was, this definitely wasn't Toril anymore, not with the way the mana felt. Thinking back to the previous few minutes, she tried to work out how she got here, but it didn't make any sense. One moment she was on the streets of Waterdeep, evading an angry mage, the next she was here. Taking stock of her surroundings, she was on a paved road in farmland, and based on the position of the sun in the sky, it was late morning.
"Well, this is better than Waterdeep sure, but where am I?" She pondered.
Her train of thought got broken by a literal tear in reality opening in front of her. Holding her hands up to shield her face as air rushed toward the tear, a woman clad in black armour with grey-black hair stepped out, and the tear sealed itself shut. Lowering her hands, she locked her gaze with the woman, and her red irises unnerved her, though she wasn't sure why.
"You." The woman said in a language she didn't recognise, but she understood the words nonetheless. "How did you get here?"
Anna looked at the woman, and felt uneasy. She looked almost... too real, if such a thing was even possible. Every pore on her porcelain skin was crystal clear, every strand of hair crisp. "I... what are you?"
"Answer my question first." She replied frostily.
"I don't know." Anna said plainly. "One moment I was in Waterdeep, now I'm here."
"Call me Vordea." Vordea answered. "Waterdeep, can't say I've heard of that place before, but I don't exactly get out much. Too busy with my universe. Let's do something about that horrible language you're speaking first."
Vordea snapped her fingers, and Anna felt a wall of words flood into her mind. Holding a hand to her forehead, she felt dizzy for several seconds.
"What did you do?" Anna asked, but then covered her mouth in shock. What language was that?
"Just a little gift." Vordea said, waving her hand dismissively. "That was Karandi. You also know Gilnan. I can read the intent of your words. My lovely mortals would never be able to do that. Now let's do something about that skirt, you'll get arrested at best if someone sees you like that."
Vordea snapped her fingers again and Anna's skirt which could be charitably described as revealing grew in length until it covered her knees. Anna looked down in shock, and then back up at Vordea.
"T-that wasn't magic. What was that?" Anna's voice quivered. What was this monster she had encountered?
"Oh nothing special don't worry your blue haired head about it. Might want to do something about that, incidentally. Or don't. Just some advice. Do have fun here on Karand." Vordea said with a smile, deflecting the question with practised ease.
"Wait where am I? Where's Karand?" Anna shouted, but Vordea was gone.
Deciding to take stock of her surroundings, she noticed her umbrella was leaned against a stone wall, as if it had been placed with care. Spotting a shining piece of a metal next to the tip, she practically dove for it. Her knife! It made it over too. Noticing her now modified skirt had pockets, she quickly and quietly shoved it in one, just in case anyone was watching.
Before she could dwell for too long on where she was, she felt a sudden chill as she watched the colours of the sky suddenly invert for a brief moment. Standing a scant few feet away from her was a woman who was definitely not there a minute ago.
"You are new." She stated with all the warmth of a frozen ocean. "Where did you come from?"
"I-" Anna paused. This was different than Vordea. She wasn't too real. She was barely even real. More like a negative space in reality that happened to be human shaped. Blacker than black hair, eyes that were perfectly black voids. The only colour came from her grey robes and corpse like pallor of her skin. "What are you?"
"I am Eigengrau. I am the Goddess of Death..." Eigengrau stated. "and Time."
"Death? Like Jergal?" Anna ventured. Okay maybe this was something she could work with.
Eigengrau stared at Anna. The seconds dragged out to what felt like an eternity.
"No. Not like Jergal." Eigengrau stated with finality. "I am the concept of death. I am not its manager. I am not its bookkeeper. I am death, given form."