====== A Night to Remember ======
===== Initial Brief =====
In honour of the anniversary of the (official) end of the revolution,
the Council of Acryn have arranged for a number of street parties
throughout the city. Like every year, a substantial proportion of the
Citiy's budget has been assigned to providing food, alcohol, and
entertainment to 2 or 3 of the "Official" parties, the largest of
which will be held in Old Street.

===== PCs =====
  * [[user:beornwulf:pc:christoff_rayner|Christoff Rayner]]
  * [[user:matthewa:pc:henry_haldrad|Henry Haldrad]]
  * [[user:vickyh:pc:vincent_barma|Vincent Barma]]
  * [[user:chaosdeathfish:pc:eric_luckner|Eric Luckner]]
  * Samantha
===== Debrief =====
The streetparty starts well enough, with some mingling and some petty theft. However, part way through something happens, the street takes on a dulled almost shadowy appearance and a colossal groaning can be heard across the city. In the distance a large, indistinct figure can be seen moving along the skyline. The wayfinders present can immediately tell that the entirety of the city has been somehow dropped into flux, all that anyone else knows is that something bad is happening. As flux entities of various kinds start appearing in the street the crowd starts to panic and it is only the combined efforts of the City Watch and the player party that prevent things turning into a massacre.

Having managed to get the bulk of the civilians who had been enjoying the street party to a local Watch barracks, the party start to get their first few reports of what is happening to the city. Captain Fredrick Holland of the City Watch is quick to take charge, and starts organising the barracks into the nerve centre for the city’s protection, sending messengers to the roof, receiving reports, and beginning to prepare a strategy. He is quick to take the party up on their offer to help, sending them to a theatre a few streets away in order recover some of the richer residents of the city who are ensconced there.

Having managed to retrieve a couple of wagons loaded with nobles and merchants (many of whom owe their lives to Vincent’s skill with a needle and thread) the party head off again, this time to a collapsed temple of the Warrior. It quickly becomes apparent that the temple has been destroyed by whatever the colossal figure is which was seen on the skyline earlier. When it returns one priest of the Warrior charges it, getting immediately crushed, their limp body coming to rest near the party. The rest of the priests, and the party, resolve the better part of valour and flee.

With the most immediately at risk sections of Acryn dealt with, everyone locks themselves within the barracks and attempts to understand what is happening. Eric and Samantha confirm that the Wayfinder’s guild has made several attempts to return the city to consensus but to no avail, whatever caused the city to descend into flux is ongoing and keeps undoing the Wayfinder’s attempts. Reports have come in from Watch barracks across the city: almost everywhere is the same, every street is crawling with creatures which are unusual even for the flux, no-one is safe, but at least the worst of the effects seem to be restricted to the streets. However, there are two reports which garner special interest. A survivor from a patrol venturing through the docks has come back with disturbing news, an entire block has been transformed! The streets have cracked and magma bubbles up between them. Trees have sprouted and blood runs freely from sutured wounds in their bark. The colossal creature seems to be drawn to the area, never venturing terribly far from the area. Ghostly figures can be seen wandering the streets. Another report is delivered by a member of the Wayfinder’s guild, they have established the epicentre of the effect, and it matches the descriptions provided by the docklands survivor.

With this new information the party prepare to venture into the epicentre, looking for any information which might allow whatever has been done to be undone. After making their way through crab-infested sewers, passing through the after-images of mages involved in some great rite, and fighting their way through the Gods of Acryn as seen by foreign nations, the party find themselves in an area which has almost completely lost its cohesion. The Wayfinders recognise this as being similar to the effects using shatter realities fetters within the flux but even more pronounced (Triple Flux), simply existing within this space is taxing, especially so for the Wayfinders. Having forced their way through the wall of force surrounding the area, the party come face to face with a sword wielding stranger encased in arcane light. Without any hesitation the stranger starts to scream at the party to get out, that they aren’t wanted, before forcing the after-images the party saw before to fight them using various arcane powers. Eventually the party overcome him, the light fades, and the sword of the stranger shatters. A soft light emerges from the pieces and travels away, even as the last breath of life slips from the stranger, his life unnaturally ended.

The party find themselves alone in a featureless void. With no better ideas Eric attempts to shatter realities fetters, collapsing in pain as he witnesses the sheer breadth of potential and his own insignificance. From somewhere beyond the space they are in, two great masses travel towards the party, nothing can be seen but two eyes easily taller than a person, but the party can still sense the colossal size of the newcomers. Speaking in turn, the newcomers talk of their pride in what “you” have achieved, that “they” are coming, and that this space must be restored. The party are then told that their own memories can be used to rebuild this space and that they simply need to concentrate. As the party focus on the way the city, and specifically the missing block of the docks, used to be they find space around them shimmering. Faint outlines form and slowly the docks start to appear around them, even as the great eyes seem to move away. As the world finally forms around the party the wayfinders realise that the city has returned to consensus.

When morning finally comes, it is apparent that substantial parts of the city have been damaged with many of its residents now homeless. The worst hit parts of the city are of course the poorest districts, with the Merchant and Noble districts having better security and higher quality buildings. Thankfully both Eric and Vincent have put their efforts into ensuring that problems are kept to a minimum and provide a focal point for the city’s relief efforts, with Vincent and his congregation providing shelter and medical aid while Eric provides food for distribution. Thanks to their prompt actions no citizens died following the events of the night, although unfortunately the final death toll is still in the hundreds.

Once things have settled down both Eric and Vincent make reports to the Council and Wayfinder’s guild. Eric also manages to arrange an interview with Chiara Walker. The city gives its thanks to the party for their heroic actions and each is awarded with the Star of Valour, a military award not used since the fall of the monarchy. They are also provided with a monetary reward of 150 Acra.

For the few weeks following the incident the dreams of most the party (with the exception of Christoff Rayner) are filled with fragmented images of the Dragons Valknut and Triskelion, while Christoff’s are filled with a violent and terrible Tender who nonetheless inspires loyalty and devotion.

After the adventure Samantha starts to receive Flowers and Love letters delivered to her door by an anonymous admirer.

Henry Haldran starts to receive an unusually high number of visitors to his door, trying to persuade him to see the light and devote his life to a (real) god.

While initially struggling to get things done as a result of his association with the destruction of a village under Acryn's protection, the knowledge of what he has done means that Eric Luckner is once again well received in society.

Vincent's role in the salvation of the city seems to be particularly well known among the common man.

After investigations into the events of that night are complete (nearly three weeks later) some information is provided to the heroes of the city. Whatever was done to cause the events of the night was definitely achieved via magic, although neither set of colleges can identify the exact rites used to achieve the effect. It has also been established that the sword was a potent artefact of some kind, and there is some evidence suggesting that it may well have been the Dragon Slayer. A final curious phenomenon has been observed around the epicentre: a number of mana crystals have been found over the past few weeks. Further observation has demonstrated that these are continuing to form in the area and similar observations have been made in the remains of the forest corrupted by Tuireann, it is suggested that this might be a sign of Draconic influence.

**Star of Valour** - Characters can treat this as if they have Council Contacts, although this might be lost if they are ever caught doing anything which would be embarrassing or inconvenient for the City.

**Poison of the Flux Tender** - Christoff Raynor has been poisoned by a flux creature with the visage of a perverted and twisted Tender. The poison effects begin at Strong. Any encounter in which you are in the presence of a priest of the Tender will reduce the level by 1 for the duration of the encounter. Any adventure where you travel for more than 4 encounters with a priest of the Tender will result in the effect reducing by 1 level permanently. Any adventure in which you commit an act of depravity will result in the effect increasing by 1 level permanently.
  * Mild: You feel a strong connection to the Tender’s more violent side, and desire others to see this side of them.
  * Strong: You feel a strong connection to the Tender’s more violent side, and desire to convince others to follow this example.
  * Extreme: You feel a strong connection to the Tender’s more violent side, and desire to exemplify this example.
  * Deadly: You feel a strong connection to the Tender’s more violent side, and will react violently to those who disagree with your interpretation of the Tender.


{{tag>"a night to remember" adventure Triskelion Valknut "Christoff Rayner" "Henry Haldrad" "Vincent Barma" "Eric Luckner" "Dragon Slayer" "Star of Valour" "Fredrick Holland"}}