The Dawn City, the Cradle of Faith and Creation. The oldest city in Exandria and the center of all faith in the world. It is here the gods saved the world from the Betrayer Gods. Many incredible battles have been fought here. Twenty years ago, Vox Machina stopped the Lich God Vecna here. They battled him atop his undead titan and sealed him behind the divine gate. Of course, I wasn’t looking at the city right now. Not yet. 

 

The chamber I found myself in was a beautiful white marble room with blue drapes. The teleportation circle was raised above the floor on a silver platform. A monk in blue robes stood in front of me. 

 

“Good evening, Mr. Lewis. I am Expositor Tarkin, and I will be your guide during your visit to Vasselheim.” 

 

“I am surprised you were expecting me, but I figured I would be assigned a chaperon,” I said, crossing my arms. Seems I wasn’t going to be allowed free reign of the city. 

 

“We were told of your arrival. It is not often a nascent demigod is called to Vasselheim, but it has happened before. The Apotheon was one such being. There are also records of a redeemed fiend named Naviask, who acts as a patron for those who heal the blighted lands of Xhorhas,” the monk spoke of two beings I was familiar with. 

 

The Apotheon was a champion of three different deities during the calamity. He recieved a portion of each of their powers, which elevated him to demigod status. His story and what happened to him is the focal point for the adventure module Call of the Netherdeep. I didn’t read much of that since I wanted to be a player in that game, not the GM. 

 

Naviask is someone I am more familiar with. Once a Balor of the abyss during the Calamity, he was focused on the destruction of the Feywild. He attacked them constantly but was ultimately captured by the Summer Court. Queen Titania decided to punish him by magically transforming him into a fey being. He was forced to have the desire to heal all scarred lands. I am unsure if he is happy with his transformation or if the demon rests within him, waiting to be unleashed. As immoral as that kind of mind control might be, it happened to a general for the demon lords. I don’t feel that conflicted about it. 

 

“That is kinda of a surprise, but it's nice to know there is a procedure for this. Where are we going first?” I had no idea how to gain the attention of all the different religious leaders of Vasselheim, so I might as well let him take the lead for now. 

 

“We can start with getting you your lodgings. Now that you have arrived, we can send word and have the meeting scheduled within the week. Other than that, you are allowed to explore the city at your leisure as long as you inform me,” Tarkin led me out of the building. 

 

It should still be in the fall season, but Vasselheim was a colder environment, so you could mistake it for winter right now. The city was built around a mountain called the Heaven’s Stair. Massive walls divided the town into several rings. In each of them, districts were identified by the gods that represented them. There was the Silver Talon’s Reach, dedicated to Bahamut. The Braving Grounds, representing Kord. The Quadroads represents society and Erathis. The Abundant Terrace is home to farmlands and greeneries and is devoted to Melora. Celebrating death and the Raven Queen, the Duskmeadow is home to the many catacombs and graveyards of the city. 

 

There are a few other smaller buildings that other gods represent. The Cobalt Vault and the Slayer’s Take are in the Quadroads. Both organizations favor Ioun, the Knowing Mistress. Sarenrae has the Temple of Renewal in the Braving Grounds. There were other temples to the rest of the gods, but I was unsure where they might be located. 

 

There was one last landmark that signified the city. The dead body of the Elemental Titan of Earth stood in the city's northern section at the base of Heaven’s Stairs. In his attempt to take over the world, Vecna marched the titan to siege the oldest city. He was confronted by the many holy warriors of Vasselheim and stopped by the heroes Vox Machina. 

 

It had one hand reaching up, still resting there after Vecna raised it in an attempt to destroy Vox Machina. On its hunched back was the dead city of Thaar Amphala atop it. The town once existed in the Shadowfell and served as Vecna’s home until the lich plane shifted the city onto the dead Titan’s back. Now, almost twenty years later, it still stands there. A monument to the Lich God’s failure and the triumph of the Dawn City. A reminder that Vasselheim is the oldest city in Exandria for a reason. 

 

“Admiring our great city, Mr. Lewis?” The monk asked. The pride he must feel for his home made him seem a little arrogant, but it wasn’t without truth. 

 

“Vasselheim has stood as a beacon of civilization for millennia. It is as much a symbol of the strength of mortals as it is of the god's protection. I have a great deal of respect for it and the people that call it home.” I spoke the truth. Visiting this place was on my bucket list, and I am happy it seems to live up to the hype. 

 

“Where would you like to visit first, then?” 

 

Oh boy. What first? “How about the Slayer’s Take. I want to see what contracts they might have.” 

 

We walked a short distance around the Quadroads. The Slayer’s take was a small guild hall home to many adventurers. People could come to the guild with contracts for rare monsters and animals that needed to die. Their secret leader Osysa, a gynosphinx that lives in the caves below the hall, uses her magic to scry on their targets and the people who make contracts. This ensures the Take isn’t hunting peaceful or innocent beings. 

 

A monk and a shapeshifter walk into a bar. It sounded like a bad joke, but we were met with a dozen or more stares upon entering the hall. Rogues, scoundrels, clerics, warlocks, fighters, and paladins looked at us. All manner of fighters, casters, and skilled mercenaries who hunt monsters like the ones I turn into all the time. This place is theoretically filled with the people best suited to killing me. No pressure. 

 

A Halfing man from behind the bar spoke out first. “Always good to have a monk from the Soul in our establishment. Come on over, and we can see what you need.” 

 

“Mr. Cyndrial, it is nice to meet you. I am Expositor Tarkir, and this is Edsom Lewis. He has arrived here in Vasselheim on behalf of the Cobalt Soul. He wants to inquire about membership with the Slayer’s Take,” 

 

The Expositor was somewhat correct. If I wanted to take any of the contracts they had on offer, I would need to be a member of the Take. Depending on what they had available, I might actually consider it. 

 

“That can be arranged. Lewis, was it? The Soul might be vouching for you, but we still need to test your skills and experience,” Cyndrial said. 

 

“You said I had a week or so before the meeting right, Expositor? Think I might have time for whatever test they are offering?” I asked. 

 

“Yes. I will leave him in your care for the moment, Mr. Cyndrial. When you are ready to leave, I will be at the door,” Tarkir said, leaving me with the Halfling. 

 

The rest of the room had returned to their own personal businesses, but a few people still secretly kept an eye on me. Tarkir led me around the bar and told me the responsibilities of membership with the Slayer’s Take. Mostly the rules were about how it was my job to handle any fuck ups, and as long as I didn’t mess up a contract too severely, I wouldn’t be punished. The Take receives their cut of the contract upfront, so there would usually be no payment until the job was done. Once I took a contract, I was expected to complete it in a timely fashion. Other than that, membership was simple. 

 

“Alright, here is what we got,” Tarkin gestured to a wall of papers. 

 

Most of the contracts were for animals or monsters on the continent Issylra. Funny to think about, but I wasn’t on Wildemount anymore. I was on the other side of the world, in fact. There were some contracts for more significant threats all over the world. I even recognized a few targets. Gelidon, The Nightmare in Ivory. Karkethzerethzerus the Sable Despoiler. Ichabarr, Lord of the Herd of the Damned. There was even a request for information on a monster called the Son of Quackthulu, whatever that was. 

 

The remainder comprised dozens of other minor contracts for trolls, giants, sea monsters, fiends, undead, and more. I found one for a creature that I didn’t recognize. I knew most, if not all, of the monsters found in DND, so this might be a Pathfinder creature. 

 

“What is a Bebilith?” I asked Tarkin. 

 

“Those are giant spider demon things. They are not often found on the material plane but are excellent hunters. Don’t underestimate that one. It might look like a big spider, but it's got the intelligence of a war veteran with a cannibalistic hunger. Normally, we would need to spend some time and send you on a quest to verify your skills, but with the Soul backing you up, we can make this your entry quest.” 

 

Makes sense. Vox Machina had to join the Slayer’s Take after kill stealing a contracted hydra. They split up and hunted down a Rakshasa and a white dragon called Rimefang for their tests. Nice of them to at least let me pick which monster I want to hunt. The Rakshasa became a returning threat for Vox Machina, and it was rude of the Take to make Vox Machina track it. 

 

Rakshasa were devils that had immunity to spells of 5th level and lower. It is a compelling ability, and if it wasn’t for the fact they are also the most vengence-crazy beings in all the realms, I would kill one. Seriously, if someone kills a Rakshas, they will devout the rest of your life to kill you. Maybe even your descendants. They are that vindictive. 

 

With that taken care of, I grab Tarkin and look for an excellent place to sleep. I had a good amount of gold on me and wanted to spend a night in luxury. I also had to sort through a bunch of new souls in the soul dream. Time to see what happens when I kill an undead.