View source for Unnecessary Evil: Fall of the Dark Empire of Acrolon

[[Category:Campaigns]]

 {{Breacrumb Unnecessary Evil: Fall of the Dark Empire of Acrolon}}

This was a major adventure within the Unnecessary Evil campaign, presented here to provide more exhaustive detail for posterity.

=Plot Details=

==Off Screen==

Atrius was taken by the Voice of the Wind to the Emperor's Isle, under threat to Atrius' mother. Atrius wasn't sure how the Voice of the Wind discovered his secret regard for his mother, but it did not bode well. There Atrius was placed on a sort of house arrest in his palatial quarters. He was not harmed nor cited for any punishment (though casually rumor spread that he was being punished for disappearing - though he had done so before). Atrius quickly tried to ascertain what was going on at court that his return would be so difficult. By his reckoning, this should appear no more scandalous than the prince departing on one of his usual escapades. At worst, if his father believed that the heroes were truly a threat, then his successful infiltration should be seen as a triumph to be lauded. Atrius re-immersed himself in the court politics:

Intrigue 1: Gharatus, the Chaplain of Excrucius was receiving bribes from several Kingdoms of Vashad through his agents in the distant Acrolonian noble colonial courts, routed up through Constable Mescus. In exchange for these bribes, Gharatus was using his considerable influence in court to keep the Emperor from starting another Dark March across Vashad. This explained why Vashad remained relatively autonomous in lands outside Acrolonian colonies. Complicating Gharatus' situation was the fact that the Cup-Bearer Hurala had stumbled upon this bribery and was blackmailing Gharatus, because such outsider influence in court would be severely punished. Gharatus had been conspiring with one of his agents, Huntmaster Alestrus, to murder the Hurala before the truth came to light. Gharatus was also experiencing great pressure and enmity from Grand Mistress Caexia, who would receive enormous powers during the Dark march. The Voice of the Wind was apparently very aware of this intrigue.

Intrigue 2: In another plot, Gharatus was proving to be a very busy man. With the enormous wealth and resources gained by a career of bribes from the Kingdoms of Vashad, Gharatus is plotting to overthrow Confessor Aestix for his position and title. He had paid considerable sums to create forged and highly incriminating documents in the seal of the Confessor, and was bribing an Usher in the service of Aestix's to plant them at the right time. However, Hesterus was suspicious of Gharatus for being behind unusual inquiries into historical documents from Aestix's office. So Gharatus had also been trying to conspire with his minions about how to implicate Hesterus in the frame job of Aestix. 

Intrigue 3: Gharatus speaking out against war with Vashad was the least of the Grand Mistress Caexia's concerns. The real problem was that Viceroy Torestus was also opposed to the war, because current negotiations with Vashad leaders were pointing toward Torestus being assigned to Vashad as the Emperor's Regent. This would have given Torestus one of the most powerful and comfortable positions in the mortal realms. Sanguinary Kascha supported Torestus because he used his considerable influence in Vashad to import exotic creatures for Kascha's blood orgies. Aiding Caexia, however, was High Chancellor Kelerus, who doubly wanted to stick it to Torestus as well as get Caexia out of court on a Dark March, because his station was substantially diminished when the military was idle.

Intrigue 4: Apparently the reason that Rylia, the Chaplain of Lescivia, had been trying to hard to induct Sarina Porelli into the Silk Sisters was because her father, Lord Porellus, Chancellor of Laws, was getting very close to Emperor Horchus Ivardan inviting Sarina into his bed. There was a long-standing tradition that the Emperor only bedded Succubi and Silk Sisters, so it was generally regarded that Rylia would lose substantial reputation if that tradition was broken on her watch. The Almoner had been marginalized in recent years because of certain whispered campaigns against him by Rylia, so the Almoner had been helping Lord Porellus through his contacts with the High Cofferer, favored among the Chancellors. However, Rylia had repeatedly bedded the Keeper of Seals, and planned to use that influence to damage either Lord Porellus or the Almoner if necessary.

Intrigue 5: Lady Feryan was plotting to kill Lord Feryan, who was brother to Grand Mistress Caexia. Caexia never trusted her sister-in-law and was struggling to find ways to bring her down, though she didn't know of the plot to murder him. Lady Feryan had a considerable stack of conspirators against her husband, as well. She pretended to lust for High Chancellor Kelerus so that he would keep the Grand Mistress off her back somewhat. However, she was actually killing her husband so that she would be free to bed Capellmaster Purius in the open without consequence, for whom she was deeply in lust. One of the Hostarius in their household owed Lady Feryan a life boon for not putting him to death for a transgression of duty, and so was executing the actual murder plot with the time is right.

Atrius was able to discover these plots through agents still loyal to him in court. Through manipulation of these plots he was able to achieve several goals. First, he discovered the plot against him. Apparently his father was not Horchus Ivardan, in two senses. He was actually created through a ritual union of opposed essences: Lily and The Voice of the Wind. This ritual, performed on a child, created a creature called a Null Soul, which was necessary for life-long possession. And that was Atrius' true fate. The body of Horchus Ivardan was also a Null Soul, and was possessed by the spirit of Emperor Kraekus Deneria, the Emperor who allied with Lascivia at the beginning of the Dark Age. He had researched various methods of immortality that would preserve his sensual appetite (unlike most forms of undeath), to enjoy Lascivia's gifts. The Null Soul was that method. Life-long possession was possible without a Null Soul, but occupying a body with a soul caused wear-and-tear on the possessor, such that over generations there would be lasting harm. The Null Soul solved that problem, but they were very hard to find. After extensive research, the Emperor found two entities whose essences could produce a Null Soul. Lily, an Exarch of Anastasia that survived Anastasia's death, and The Voice of the Wind, a powerful Obyrith demon. Ever since, Kraekus had been creating Null Souls and possessing them during a rite of passage so that he would persist forever in a way that he could enjoy being the pawn of the goddess of desire. Atrius was the next vessel, and that is why he was hunted so relentlessly.

Secondly, Atrius discovered that there was a group of conspirators that served Lily (calling themselves Lilians). Upon meeting Lily, anyone with even an ounce of goodness found themselves turning over a new leaf. They worked subtly behind the scenes to make the Empire a better place, usually to little avail. Lily confided in them about the succession of Emperors, because she did not want to see Atrius fall to the will of Kraekus. With the help of the Lilians, and his incredible magical skill, Atrius devised a plot of his own. Knowing that his soul would persist, thanks to the Umbral ritual "Summoning the Wayward Soul" that had been cast, he decided to let the ritual happen. Then, as a ghost, he was able to influence the intrigues of court in such a way that would allow the Heroes of Prophecy to easily confront the Emperor in his body. Without his intervention, the confrontation with the Emperor would have gone very badly, indeed.

==On Screen==

The party arrived at the Emperor's Isle by hijacking an imperial ship, quite easily. They donned illusory disguises and entered the city without difficulty. Thanks to Atrius' efforts, they were noticed first by the conspirators of Lily, and by the Emperor only when it was appropriate. They were approached by a conspirator of Lily and told to meet Lily in the Crystal Tower.

Upon meeting Lily they realized that she was a powerful supernatural being (Exarch of Innocence, once serving Anastasia) of extreme goodness, and understood the profound affect she could have on even the blackest hearts of the Imperial Court, given enough exposure to her presence. She explained the plight of Atrius, and bade the party help her son.

The party then went to the Western Tower of Wizards, to clues that Atrius made easy for them to locate, as to the nature of his predicament. In the tower the party had to deal with an unusual society of animate, intelligent bas relief sculptures. They seemed to be from different eras:

"The Ancients": were the oldest sculptures, and apparently made the rest (or so others claimed). They were weathered, and almost never spoke. They could not be swayed by the party. They had the power to unmake any faction. The party suggested that their next creation be dragons.
"The Stiff Walkers": were the second oldest sculptures. They moved awkwardly, like Egyptian paintings look, and wanted to learn the secret of making from the Ancients. The party did not gain their favor, but they had the power to convince any faction of any single fact.
"The Men": were the middle sculptures. They wanted to win the charioteers back into their fold. They had the power to force any other faction to use their power. The party gained their favor by convincing them that if they made the Ancients user their power to defeat the demons, and told the charioteers that it was the men who did it, they charioteers would rejoin them. So that's what the men did.
"The Charioteers": were the second youngest sculptures. They were once part of the men, but convinced of their superiority because of their mobility, they left the men. They wanted the demons destroyed. They would always obey the ancients and were immune to the powers of any faction except the ancients. They were convinced to rejoin the men when the demons were destroyed and the men credibly claimed credit.
"The Demons": were the youngest sculptures. They were unable to tell the truth about anything, and could make any one faction hate another. The party did not gain their favor.
After dealing with the factions and gaining the favor of a majority of them, the party gained access to the lore of the ritual that Emperor Kraekus had been using to preserve his spirit in Null Soul vessels for centuries. On their way out of the tower they had to defeat a powerful beast called Bloodwind that defended the tower from intruders (the bad guys had learned of their presence, finally).

Equipped with their ritual knowledge, they planned to confront the Emperor and reverse the ritual.

The party confronted the Emperor in the palace and defeated the strongest of demonic guards. At the throne, they did battle with the Voice of the Wind and Ravenheart, but they recognized that Ravenheart was Shilari from the visions in the Blodheim, and thanks to the lore provided by Klytus, they knew that Shilari would be her true name. When they used it, she tried feebly to escape, but was bound to their command. They used the Rod of Urz'Ogg'On on the Voice of the Wind who retreated They used her to bring down the magical defenses of the Emperor, and began to cast the ritual to unsoul him.

That's when the Voice of the Wind showed up with Lily and threatened to kill her if Atrius did not relent. Atrius was torn between letting the party finish the ritual to return to life, and saving Lily. He opted to save Lily. He used the pinnacle of his Null Soul epic destiny to absorb the Voice of the Wind, saving Lily. The party saw this happen, and slew the Emperor.

That is when Lucidus showed up, no longer bound by his ancient oath to protect the line of Emperors. He thanked the party and they made plans to fulfill the prophecy of Linessa at last.

It was revealed by Ravenheart that an enormous army was waiting in the Abyss, and that there was a magical alarm set up to detect when any of the Heroes of Prophecy entered the Abyss, by way of arcane connections collected from the party's blood during the assault on Mercatia. The party decided that they would split up. Ember would enter the Imperial portal with Lucidus as a distraction while Kosh and Torn would travel to the ancient bloodstone portal in Mount  Jundahal , slipping in a back door while the Abyssal army was responding to the first alarm. Lucidus said that they would not last long, but hopefully it would be enough.

Then the Fingersmith appeared, and said that Ember and Lucidus would not be fighting alone. He had been rounding up allies that the Heroes of Prophecy made possible. The Fingersmith had gathered:

Pellex, Lordsmith Makal, and the Goliaths
Suentius and his angelic mercenaries
Xidnak, the great red dragon
The entire Golden Throne conspiracy
The priests of Umbrus armed with Tears of Umbrus
The Istilqa Matar pirates led by Afeef
The Starscale tribe of Kuo-Toa
The Ruby Elves
The Order of One
Impellus tribe of the Godsalt Wastes
The Warbeast
Umbrus and the Fingersmith
Also, Torn lurched over, as if to vomit, and the Oracle's eye gushed out of his head, followed by a swarm of other eyes. Lucidus attempted to strike the Oracle of Dust, but failed miserably. She coldly announced that the Nightmare Beast would be released to fight the Usurpers as well.

Lucidus declared that the Third Godswar was about to begin, and it would end with the death of the Light or the death with Lascivia.

That day there was a lengthy ritual to bind Ravenheart to Torn. The gods also performed rituals to bless Torn and Kosh (explaining some vital missing role powers for party balance since only 2 players would be part of the 4th chapter). Lucidus granted Inner Strength of the Distant Sun (surge for healing). Warbeast granted the Gift of Feral Might (enemies have 40% hp). Pellex offered Perfect Synchronicity (gain combat advantage against 1 target until end of next turn). Suentius offered Quid Pro Quo (enemies deal 40% damage) and Weighing the Options (immobilization area burst 2). Umbrus offered Always In Motion (shift all allies 3).

The next day was the funeral for Atrius, atop the Hill of Crowns in the East Garden. Lucidus, the god of emperors, eulogized: "Let this be the eternal resting place for the Last Emperor of Acrolon. This redeemer of kings as returned honor to a line long scarred by the ravages of frailty and weakness. Now, at the end of their long reign, the Emperors of Acrolon, from the very first, can rest easy knowing that their legacy was saved by the greatest among them, their last and wayward son." Lily leaned over the casket and whispered a few words just for Atrius. The Heroes said some words of remembrance, and then he was buried.

Lucidus then announced the beginning of the reign of the White Queen in the year 1852, putting Lily in power.

Ember gave the Fear's End shield to Torn, he ripped open a Strange Door to Mount Jundahal. Accompanied by the bound Ravenheart, they went through.