De-Unification Theory

Question: If some (very!) heroic Scion were to save Atarsamain from Whedh, what would be the reaction from the Alihah? From Ruda? Would there be any reward? I imagine the Scion would quickly get many friends. I've read your Alihah story, and I really want my Aesir Scion to go out there and save at least someone from Whedh.

Ambitious, but awesome! Saving someone from Whedh is a very tall order - dangerous, difficult, likely to change you forever - but not completely impossible.

Atarsamain and Nuha have been gone a very long time; they were swallowed by Whedh back in the first Titan war, and therefore haven't really existed except as part of Allah's realm for many centuries. They have no prayer of becoming themselves again (or even of remembering they had selves in the first place) without outside help, which is where your Scion can come in. He or she will have to organize an impressive outing of gods to get this done, but it definitely can be done.

You'll first need to find the right approximate "part" of Whedh to look for them; technically all of Whedh is the same place and it doesn't really have parts, so your Storyteller might rule that you can do this anywhere, but the popular Alihah legend that the throne of Allah is made of the stuff that was once the essence of absorbed gods is a good place to start if you need to look further. I would probably require some pretty hefty Occult, Mystery or other related rolls to try to latch onto the right goddesses - Whedh has swallowed many, many, many people over time, gods included, and it might be hard to find the specific deities you're trying to rescue when they're part of that huge composite. You'll also need a god to use the Wyrd, which is the only power great enough to find and separate the strands of Nuha's and Atarsamain's fates from the mass of Whedh that they are currently part of. Once you've done that, different Storytellers may want to run with different things that have to happen; you may need someone with a lot of Health to reconstruct new bodies for the fallen goddesses, warriors to fight off encroaching ghilan, psychopomps to help everyone escape before Allah (who may or may not be alerted as soon as you start doing this) from thundering down on everyone, or simply enough strength to drag these goddesses who haven't been separated from the realm since time immemorial physically away from it. It will no doubt be dangerous and harrowing - opposing a Titan in his own realm is a ballsy move indeed!

If you succeeded in such a thing, however, you would probably indeed be something of a hero. The Alihah can use every deity they can get, and they would undoubtedly be very glad to see the goddesses back on their side; poor Ruda's mental problems come from overexposure to Whedh and probably won't disappear, but even so he'd probably be overjoyed to be reunited with his family. You'd probably be considered an ally of the Alihah as a whole, and Ruda himself might offer you some reward if he has one - if you're a dude, hey, he's got this daughter you just rescued, so care for a marriage alliance? - or give you a promise of help at some time in the future when you need it.

Of course, there could be pretty potent downsides, too. Going into Whedh is exceptionally dangerous, which is why the Alihah haven't tried to rescue too many of their lost gods themselves - the whole time you're in there it will be trying to absorb you and your relics, and you're like to come out permanently different from when you went in. This is a danger for anyone you bring with you, too, and if one of your allies dies while helping you, you may have to deal with the weighty consequences among his friends, family and pantheon. Atarsamain and Nuha themselves may be slightly odd - even more than Ruda, they've not only been exposed to Whedh but actually wholly eaten by it, and they may not be entirely themselves when they return. Finally, Allah may come down in his wrath as a result of your theft - either head-on at the Alihah, who might or might not be in a position to scramble fast enough to deal with him, or at you or your home pantheon for this affront you've just perpetrated. (Though if that's the case, at least the Alihah will have another reason to like you - thanks for the breather, man!)

Nuha and Atarsamain are but two of the ancient Arab deities that have succumbed to Whedh's all-encompassing hunger. It's equally possible to rescue others, and depending on Storyteller decision, any number of minor, mostly-forgotten Arab gods might be in the great mass of Whedh waiting to be rediscovered. Most gods aren't going to be excited about the idea - that's a horrible hellscape that eats relics and destroys personalities! No one wants to go in there for some minor goddess who died millennia ago! - but a Scion with a silver enough tongue, a strong enough determination and a good enough argument could still make it happen.

Invest in Willpower, Integrity and Stamina, and take good friends. It's dangerous to go alone.