Nyx

And there, all in their order, are the sources and ends of gloomy earth and misty Tartaros and the unfruitful sea and starry heaven, loathsome and dank, which even the gods abhor. It is a great gulf, and if once a man were within the gates, he would not reach the floor until a whole year had reached its end, but cruel blast upon blast would carry him this way and that. And this marvel is awful even to the deathless gods. There stands the awful home of Nyx wrapped in black clouds.”

Nyx is a primordial goddess, the personification of the night and all that its concealment embodies. She was the only goddess Zeus was afraid of, and lived in Tartarus amongst shadows and monsters, far below Hades.

It’s said that those looking to create mischief are appreciative of Nyx, as are thieves and fugitives, for under the cover of darkness is the best time for such treachery. Night is also the time for Deceit, Sleep, Doom, Madness, and Death – the children of Nyx. Lovers enjoy Nyx because night opens up the arms of her child Love. That’s why many budding romances chose to meet when the stars are out.

She had numerous offspring, and was sometimes titled mother of gods and daimones.

5th and 6th Age

Nyx dwelt in Tartarus amongst the most feared and abhorred of Hades‘ subjects. She had great affinity and connection with the world’s supernatural creatures, particularly those most maligned, and as such had both a motherly and terrifying reputation. Hades’ will kept the Hekatoncheires, the guardians and jailers of Tartarus, in place, but it was Nyx who worked with them.

She had various lovers and mothered a great many children over her long life, and raised some of her grandchildren too, in particular the naiad of oblivion, Lethe.

Even Zeus tread lightly around Nyx.

Royal Court

The majority of Nyx’s family and offspring were loyal to the underworld court, which naturally informed her own loyalties.

She was a powerful matriarch, and when she made her rare appearances others stepped lightly and curried favour while they could. Nyx was both feared and respected in court.

However, she was also often absent. She spent much of her time pursuing her own, secretive ends, and was rarely involved in politics, leaving such trivialities to her many children (and grandchildren). The warring of the three brothers little concerned her.

She was formidably loyal to her large family, and often arranged positions for them. Nyx took a great deal of interest in her children’s lives and their happiness, whatever form it took.

Research and Study

Nyx lived mostly beneath the realm of Hades.

Her life’s work took place in secret pocket dimensions dedicated to research, study, and communication with creatures most would condemn as monsters, and she was masterful in the creation, protection, and maintenance of these small realms. Her research posts spanned much of the world; they were hidden at the edges of the Pattern, and were subject to vastly different flows of time to the rest of reality. The human entrances were heavily warded, located in remote and inhospitable spots, and were usually opened with a blend of blood sacrifice and channeling. Entrances for the creatures themselves, in particular those with a high level of sentience, were tailored to those with whom Nyx communed.

In Nyx’s absence, the sites were protected by guardians, each bred by and soul-bound to Nyx herself.

Each location also had a doorway that connected back to Nyx’s abode in Tartarus.

If any of the other gods were aware of her work, it behoved them to keep it to themselves. No one saw within these spaces but those invited, and if that ever happened, it was the rarest occurrence and retained for close blood-kin. The only exception to this rule was her granddaughter Lethe, who was often to be found in Nyx’s shadow, and had rooms attached to the pocket’s nexus, alongside Nyx’s own.

Lake Baikal: Its entrance is located beneath the Shaman Rock on Lake Baikal, Siberia. It was an aquatics based post that comprised of an expansive warren of different rooms, was sumptuously furnished, and had an appearance of deep underground. Time in this vacuole runs very slow. Beyond the antechambers, some rooms featured pools built into the floor, each of indeterminate depth, while others had what appeared to be power-wrought tanks in the walls. In the main these were not enclosures, but creature entrances that connected to any number of deep-water places around the world. One in particular was used by Poseidon’s female water guardian, whom Nyx studied and communicated with. Though this creature “belonged” to Poseidon, and answered to him, Nyx was never interested in what she protected. Indeed, she was never much concerned with the brothers’ little power trinkets at all.

Current incarnation: Nhysa