resources:adventure:unnatural_urges [Memento Mundi]

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====== Unnatural Urges ======
===== Initial Brief =====

===== PCs =====

===== Debrief =====
The party are hired by the Brotherhood of the Closed Eye for a mission of the utmost secrecy. While Acryn's attention appears entirely focused on the war against the fleeing Serradic forces the party are to infiltrate the Magisterium and bring it down from the inside. To do this the Brotherhood gives them the Unmaker's Toll, a weapon of terrible destructive power. Captain Hopkins tells them how to use it but is vague about the effects. Logan is quick to realise however that use of the bell would almost certainly be suicidal and suspects Captain Hopkins would be all too eager to see him destroyed on the mission.

The party are conveyed to the lands of the Magisterium by one of the great cetacean Navigators of the Southern Isles. There they find a great host of the Altan horselords assembled, preparing an attack against the mageocracy. However, to do this they need the Levistation, the defensive wall that encircles the Magisterium's capital, brought down. They task the party with reaching the Magisterium capital, destroying the source of the Levistation's power and then finding and ending the ritual that has brought death to the unborn.

The party set off but take a slight diversion to the mountain Harlon was pointed to by the primal 'Rose'. Here they find a Dragonborn -Devatra the Dreamer- imprisoned in a pillar of diamond. In return for her freedom from existence she shows them the story of the man who would become the Demiurge. One of the original 27 Primals he became an object of fascination for the dragon Mudra. When he fell in love with another human Mudra became jealous and secretly cursed the other woman, the primal named Dawn. In an attempt to save his love he pledged himself eternally to Mudra, and in return she helped him create the first spell. Unfortunately he underestimated the power of his creation and when he tried to save his love she was destroyed, only her heart remaining. Having lost everything he was twisted by Mudra into Ishvaratar the Creator: the Dragonborn who would become the Demiurge. With this knowledge in hand the party set off, keeping their promise to destroy the Dreamer before they go.

Using a hijacked Magisterium Sky Fortress the party quickly pass over the Levistation ( and its rare breeds of flying shark) and make contact with the rebels in the slave city below the floating Magisterium capital. In the rebel camp they find the annoying old man, who still defies Logan's classification. On the bright-side he gets a chance to chat up Rose, who seems to be taking a shine to him and his willingness to make bets.

The final assault begins and, after cutting down the remaining Magisters' of the mageocracy, the party are able to break the great ritual that envelops the lands of mankind in death. As Harlon closes the Draconic rift that empowers the ritual Vincent calls upon the might of the Tender and guides the countless captured souls of the newborn into himself, tearing them free of the dragon's power. At the heart of the ritual they also find a human heart, seemingly still alive, and surmise that this is the heart of the Primal Dawn: the demiurge's first crime being used to empower his last. Vincent once more draws upon the tender's power and pours life into the heart, beginning the resurrection of the long slumbering primal.

Their presence detected and his greatest mages dead the Demiurge decides that the Magisterium has outlived its usefulness and activates the volcanoes surrounding the city, intending to wipe all out human life within it.

Hurrying, the party race to destroy the Levistation, allowing the Magisterium slaves to escape the cataclysm about to engulf the city. They do so, and as the slaves being to flee the Altan forces rush in to begin the slaughter of the mages. 

As chaos and destruction breaks out all around them the Demiurge once more mocks them and in his arrogance challenges them to face him. 

In great golden head at the summit of Magisterium the party confront the malevolent Wizard-King after battling their way through his layers of ancient wards and diabolic arcane defences. 

They do battle. Ishvaratar the Creator is a sorcerer of immense power and unleashes magics unknown to mortal mages as he attempts to destroy the three humans who have thwarted his dark designs. However, the party comprise the greatest mortal Mage, warrior and priest in existence and they prevail, cutting down the ancient wizard to his disbelief. 

But it is not death they seek. Harlon has learned the power of redemption and with the help of Dawn attempts to break Mudra's hold upon Ishvaratar, even as the dragon herself emerges from the fracture in the sky torn open by her servant.

As Mudra's monstrous form enters the world a battle of wills begins as Harlon fights her for the soul of the Demiurge, while Alastair fights her physical form. However, Mudra is a cosmic force, unstoppable in her fury, and as Vincent flees Alastair stands alone against the horror. As Harlon watches his friend in mortal peril he is forced to chose: to realise his dream of retiring to his own personal paradise or to save his friend. Harlon/Logan learns his final lesson, that real power is to be found in friendship. With a mighty act of will he shatters Mudra's hold upon the Demiurge; and the primal Lucien, the first Mage, is reborn. Redeemed he whispers the knowing of the first spell in Harlon's ear, a spell to draw upon energies untold.

Empowered by the maelstrom of sorcery about him Harlon leaps into battle beside Alastair and as Mudra screams in fury the two friends drive her back. As Harlon conjures great chains forged of reality itself, Alastair sees a way he might defeat Mudra, or at least change her. Stepping free of his body he ignites his soul, gathering in his essence into one act of terrible power. As Harlon, vanishing from the world as he does, unifies the maelstrom that is Alastair with Mudra the warrior surges forth, a tidal wave of green fire that washes over and into the dragon. As he thunders through her ancient will he sees at its heart a knot of endless spite, the part of her being that seethes with jealously and hate for mankind, and he destroys it utterly. In his last moments of awareness he feels once more the perfect calm that came with oneness with the world and as he fades away he feels that Mudra, for the first time, feels this to.

Below, having fled from the arcane showdown to protect his precious cargo of baby souls, Vincenzo gazes in awe as his companions vanish in a titanic display of power. As the column of green fire fades he watches as Mudra withdraws through the rift in reality. As the dragon leaves its maw opens once more, but rather than unleashing destruction it inhales the fires within the erupting volcanoes, extinguishing them, and then vanishes. As the smoke clears a smoking book lands at Vincenzo's feet: The Life and Times of Harlon Quirk.

Relative calm descends. The Altan horde enter the city and liberate the enslaved. Their hatred for the vanquished foe is great but Vincent prevents them slaughtering every Mage they find, pointing out that the Demiurge was the evil that drove them. The fall of an empire will result in a time of great upheaval but the Altan hail Vincent and his fallen friends as heroes. Not everyone is happy however and one evening an avatar of the Mare of Night comes before him, clearly wanting the souls of the Altan that belong to the goddess. Vincent does not hand them over and although the Mare makes no move against him her avatar will always be close behind.

Before Vincenzo leaves -being offered a ride back on a Southern Isles Navigator- he is met by the demiurge reborn; Lucien; and his resurrected love Dawn. The weight of his monstrous crimes lies heavy upon Lucien and Vincenzo can see a terrible regret behind his eyes. However, it is clear that he has learned something from Harlon's example and Alastair's sacrifice and is determined to earn his own redemption. He tells Vincent that he and Dawn will set off to find every Dragonborn and undo what was done to them. Dawn tells Vincenzo of the heroism of his companions and explains that together they may have given Mudra a chance at redemption. She has little to offer Vincent as reward for his help but as she leans in to bow in thanks to him she does whisper to him a 'trick' she knows. He has no idea how it works but feels he could perform it with concentration.

Back in Acryn Vincenzo erects a small memorial to Logan in his church. One evening he is met at his temple by the warrior Rose who asks if she has anything of Logan's she might remember him by. Feeling Logan would probably have wanted it, she hands over his life story to Rose who reverently takes it, flicks to last page and smiles. 

Keen to build morale in a time of war the Council proclaim Alastair a champion of the city (Duke Graves ensuring they overlook the fact he was Arcus Blackthorns right hand man) and an impressive marble statue is erected of him in the square outside the council building in his traditional pose atop a winged lion: a sword in one hand, an unconscious wizard in the other.

Unbeknownst to most death is now different: where once three great horrors consumed the souls of the dead, only two now feed.

====Snackies and Wibble====

==Harlon==
  * Vanishes from from the world having redeemed the first wizard. His life story lives on in the book that contains his tale of becoming a good man.

==Alistair==
  * Burns away his own soul along with Mudra's hatred finally achieving peace.

==Vincent==
  * Filled with countless baby souls. The power of the tender is able to protect them within Vincent but it takes a great deal of power to do so. If Vincent uses another Miracle (not related to manipulating the baby souls) then they will be released to the world.
  * Stalked by the Mare of Night for cheesing it with baby souls owed. Vincent's death count is reduced by 5 seconds and should he bleed out the Mare will undoubtedly claim his soul.
  * Dawn's trick - Though he has no idea how it works, once per adventure, whenever the sun is below the horizon he may concentrate and make it rise as a new day dawns.
  * In return for destroying one of Acryn's most dangerous enemies, and as the only survivor, he's offered ownership of the old Cargan estates around the newly liberated Margush. There's not a great deal there except ruined buildings and swamp, but with the withdrawal of the Serradic forces its a lot of valuable land.
  * The Unmaker's Toll is handed back to the Brotherhood of Closed eye, but an official request comes from the council that it be destroyed as soon as possible.


{{tag>"unnatural urges" adventure}}
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