Downstream, Day Two

You'd think dreaming in a realm of blinding sun would keep the real thing from waking you. Unfortunately, it doesn't, at least not for me.

But that isn't what you wanted to hear about, was it?

No, so many stories begin with the heroes being summoned to the world, no clue which of the Twelve Holy Weapons they would bear. Temporarily stuck, perhaps, in some circus dimension, and approached by every god and goddess in existence, each offering some unstoppable boon in exchange for the service of the heroes in the mortal world.

The truth is that the gods have... well, godly and supernatural things to do. Their angels, servitors, and other empowered followers usually wear a Mask (yes, capital M Mask) allowing them to feign the appearance and mannerisms of their superior. Usually, these beings have never been mortal, or been beyond for so long they barely remembered it.