resources:adventure:anomalous_materials [Memento Mundi]

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====== Anomalous Materials ======
===== Initial Brief =====

An advertisement has recently appeared in the Adventurer's Guild on behalf of one Doctor Terrence Averos, who seeks a party of adventurers to retrieve a collection of 'sewer crystals' from the Acryn Sewers. Those interested should meet at the 'Averos Emporium of Alternative Medicine and Other Therapies' for more information. A payment of 40R per person is available for the successful retrieval of ten or more crystals, with an undisclosed bonus offered to those willing to take part in some unspecified 'field testing'.

===== PCs =====

  * [[user:seb:pc:batts_marbeq | Batts Marbeq]]
  * [[user:matthewa:pc:bartholomew_banks | Bartholomew Banks]]
  * [[user:joew:pc:dauntless | Dauntless]]
  * [[user:daveh:pc:nobody | Nobody]] (as Susan)
  * [[user:steph:pc:emily_anara | Emily Anara]]

===== Adventure Summary =====

[in progress]

Having received a collection of 'experimental concoctions' to test for extra pay, and instructions to obtain 10 'sewer crystals' - with Batts discovering that they cause memory loss via gastric distress by licking the one sample Dr Averos possesses - the party proceed into Acryn's fluxy sewers. They are promptly ambushed and vomited all over by enormous sludge monstrosity which had swallowed several crystals, causing them to lose their recent memories. When the party come around, they fight many smaller sludges that emerge from the remains and take the swallowed crystals. Emily tries one of Averos' concoctions, and finds it heals her quite nicely. Bartholomew expresses surprise.

The party cut through some rats and a large crocodile, before fishing more crystals from a river of sewage, as more sewer monsters emerge. Batts attempt to pour one of the concoctions into the sewage to see what happens to the monsters, but it explodes on contact with the air upon opening. Bartholomew makes remarks on 'that quack Averos'.

A group of Wayfinders, working on behalf of the Wayfinders' Guild, encounter the party coming the other way. They are in search of a crystalline Anomaly that has been spotted stalking the sewers - it becomes clear that this is the source of the 'sewer crystals'. The situation rapidly disintegrates, since Batts and Emily both ping as Threats to the Consensus to the wayfinders. The party defeat the wayfinders, but bring them around, as some of the party are agreed with their general mission. Emily and Batts are not, and attempt to double-cross the others, but are defeated. When Emily comes around, she runs off, while Batts spends some time inside Dauntless. The party strike a deal with the wayfinders to go to the City Watch to sort out their differences, once they have been led out of the sewers (since Emily is no longer present).

Emily, and soon after the rest of the party and the wayfinders, come to a large chamber, where they see the crystalline anomaly - Latissa, the Malformed - lashing out with crystal shards of itself against the sewer denizens. Nobody steals the anomaly's identity, and so the party are confused at the presence of a second being. The party engage Latissa, despite its requests for them to stay away from it, and after a while it retreats through a tunnel, smashing several pipes on its way. The wayfinders are too weak to follow the party through the hazard. The party subdue Latissa, before bringing it around to a somewhat docile state, and return to Acryn. Along the way, the party realise that they have lost 'Susan', but assume she is with the wayfinders. Emily tries another concoction, which heals her, although her eyes feel a bit weird... (Bartholomew is unimpressed on later examination of her eyes, which seem to be a little loose).

The party visit the Wayfinders' Guild, where they hand over 'both' anomalies. An agreement is reached that the wayfinder party will meet them at the City Watch in a few hours, so in the meantime the party return to the Emporium, for the promised free lunch and showers. They eat with various shop assistants and patrons, however Dr Averos is not present, having been arrested by the Watch over allegations of kidnap and memory wiping. Averos had been experimenting with the liquid exuded from the crystals on willing volunteers, but when they lost their memory of volunteering, one of them brought in the Watch. Nobody sends a replacement for Susan.

After lunch, the party visit the Watch with the wayfinders and settle their differences. They also speak receive a paycheck from Dr Averos to take to a bank to get their pay. However, Bartholomew first wants to go to the sewer to locate the missing 'Susan'. After not finding her there, he prays to the Tender, and ultimately decides that she must have died. In a fit of rage at Batts not taking this seriously, Bartholomew destroys the cheque.

The party return to the surface, no longer able to go to the bank. Screaming citizens run past, shouting about a crystalline monster attacking the market. Latissa has somehow escaped from the Wayfinders' Guild! The party rush to the market, finding it destroyed. Emily and Batts both take further concoctions - Bartholomew stands outside of the blast radius. Batts gets healed slightly, and Emily gets fully healed, before being fully un-healed and requiring medical attention.

The party follow the trail of destruction away from the city. They assist a farmer in subduing his cows, which have escaped from their pen and been spooked by the anomaly. Further out, they encounter a bandit encampment by a lake. Latissa has walked through the lake, poisoning it - the bandits appear to have drunk from the lake and passed out. The bandits awaken to the party's arrival, and are confused at their lost memories - a fight ensues. After the battle, Emily takes the last concoction, which both heals her and strengthens her, to Bartholomew's surprise.

The party finally catch up to Latissa, who is engaged in battle with Guild wayfinders, who have already reached it. Nobody steals Latissa's identity again. The party and the wayfinders subdue Latissa, but there is some disagreement about what should happen next. Ultimately, Emily runs away, and the 'Anomaly' Nobody escorts Latissa into the flux, after discussion with the wayfinders. Unable to follow, Dauntless, Batts, and Bartholomew head home.

===== Debrief =====

===== Consequences =====

{{tag>"anomalous materials" adventure}}
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