Cog of time

Description

This cog is fractured into moments, each sealed from the next by the will of time. Travel between them is only possible by stepping backward or forward through time itself. The terrain is made of jagged purple stone and fine white sand like the grains within an hourglass, shifting in form as the timeline changes. When a traveler shifts to another point in time, the rock walls and cliffs shift as well, reshaping the lair and revealing new paths.   In some moments, glowing blue lava flood the lair, making time travel even more perilous.   At all time, a glowing river of blue lava winds through parts of the lair. Approaching it triggers flashes of past deeds and possible futures, forcing travelers to confront moments both familiar and strange.  

Ivory Tower

In a moment, an ivory tower stands at the cog’s center, where Nozdromu, dragon-god of time, keeps watch over eternity.   The walls of the tower's first floor are lined with mirrors that do not show the present. Instead, they reflect travelers as they were decades ago, or as they might appear centuries hence.  

Features

Hazard

Temporal Echoes. While moving through the cog, travelers may see fleeting versions of themselves—echoes of what they might have been had they made different choices.   Time Dilations. Time fluctuates. Short rests taken within this area take 1 hour.   Timelessness. Beasts, Humanoids, and Plants age only 1 year for every 10 years that pass.  

History

The Cog of Time was shaped to serve as Nozdromu’s lair and a vault for moments he deems worth preserving. Every stone and grain of sand is locked in a cycle only he can break.  

Creatures & Denizens

Powerful & Mighty

Nozdormu

This realm is home to Nozdormu, the mighty lord of time, who sits atop a gleaming ivory tower, vigilant and watchful over the flow of time in the heavens and the multiverse. His duty is to ensure the tides of time remain unbroken.