ending notes

Upon conclusion of Cult Part III, or, "Loss Of Innocents", the party experiences a series of energy rays, originating from the mountain to the south of Merzna.  These rays are regional effects of a Death Tyrant, the elemental that the Tears of Morana follow.

This elemental has been buried under this mountain for millennia.  How it arrived is a mystery, as is how it awakens -- because it seems to be completely arbitrary.  These awakenings are tied with other peculiar happenings such as the arrival of strange creatures, like Purple Worms and dragons.  Perhaps they are due to the forces of wild magic and chaos, the world may never know.  What is known is that the arrival of the elemental brings with it certain strange phenomena, notably the rising of undead.

The Tears of Morana formed when a few travelers fell under the elemental's spell but resisted being turned undead.  Instead, they were in awe of its power, and believed that it was sent by the goddess Morana to spread death across the land.  And so the cult was formed, to capture hapless victims and turn them either into undead or into the still-living, power-imbued cultists.  In recent months, adventurers have been able to beat back the cult to an extent, but as long as the elemental lives, so does the undead army.

However, there is another factor at play.

Uknalaq was a soldier in an ancient kingdom, long-forgotten in Haertian history.  After being left for dead in a battle, he managed to drag himself to a nearby woodland tribe, who nursed him back to health.  From there, he began plotting to exact revenge.  The tribe taught him some limited magic, but being very intellectually gifted, Uknalaq eventually surpassed even what the elders could teach him, and after bringing a sizable garrison under his thrall, he overthrew the king that had left him to die in the field.

His thirst for power did not stop there.  He sought to take over the whole of the continent.  But, just as Uknalaq was setting out to begin his conquest, the elemental awoke.  Uknalaq's kingdom was located nearby present-day Merzna, and was therefore right nearby the elemental's lair within the mountain.  It decimated his forces and nearly killed the wizard, but Uknalaq managed to escape.  Instead of rebuilding his army, he was inspired by its powers to dedicate himself to magic once more.  Clearly he had not reached the pinnacle of his magical potential, if there were such powerful creatures out there.

And so, Uknalaq turned to necromancy, eventually surpassing even the elemental in his raw power.  Once he felt he was ready, he approached the mountain, alone, and ventured into the elemental's lair.  After an epic arcane battle that brought powerful storms and shook the earth beneath them, the wizard emerged victorious, not only having subdued the elemental -- but also brought it under his control.  Finally, the greatest ancient power the continent had seen was his to command.

Ever since then, the elemental has been under Uknalaq's control, and the reason it awakens in times of chaos is because the wizard sees an opportunity to strike, to attempt to take over the continent once more.  Uknalaq himself learned the secrets of lichdom, and that is how he has survived all of these years.  He also created his signature weapon, a life-drinking dagger, sometime during this period.  The Blade of Uknalaq gathered stories of its own, but most of them were lost to time as well.

But then suddenly... Uknalaq apparently disappeared.  In reality, he discovered a way to transfer his consciousness into gemstones, hoping that by shedding his physical form, he would be able to beat its quasi-human limitations just as easily as he had beaten mortality.  In his new state, he lives within the elemental's mountain, commanding it.  It has not awakened since before the rise of the Sarr Empire, but with a new set of chaotic happenings comes a new attempted conquest... and thus, we arrive at the events of the campaign, the Tears of Morana, and the Gheroy Adventurers' Guild pushing back the undead horde.

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So what does this all mean?  Well, it means that following this PBP, there are at minimum two quests left:  One to take down the elemental, and the second to find the Riteknife (or, the Blade of Uknalaq) and to potentially kill Uknalaq himself once and for all.  I (DJ) will be taking the lead on writing up both of those quests, and I'll get started once this PBP is completed.

Additionally, it means that we've got a big baddie in town:  Uknalaq.  And, the final quests deal with ancient forces of great power, so if anybody wanted to somehow tie in other things such as the Infestation or anything divine, it is also a possibility.  Because Uknalaq is a lich, speaking to Koshchei about how to defeat him may be an angle we want to explore.