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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RangerWickett" data-source="post: 1338876" data-attributes="member: 63">So, here's the full situation.The city of Eastgate (also known as Ori tal-Obuil) is the easternmost holding of the Ragesian Empire, which has been in shambles because its Emperor died.  In truth, the Emperor was simply abducted (he's immortal), but while he was gone, all the second-in-commands started grabbing for power.  So, an Elvish ally of the Empire was trying to claim Eastgate from another person who wanted to grab power, but now the real Emperor has returned to power, and word is spreading.  Elf guy has been laying siege to the city for a few weeks, and he is bitter about losing his chance for power, but he will try to make peace.So, the Elves contact the Eastgaters and say that they'll send a few of their people to the festival as a sign of good-will, to deliver good news.  The Parade of Dreams winds through the ruined city, and during the parade people seem unusually happy, as if they sense something wonderful is going to happen.  The Festival was originally a ritual to call back the Spring, but it has since turned into a Christmas-like festivity.  Each family in the city puts one dream each into an urn and hides the urn in one of a dozen sacred caves, and during the parade, priests go into these caves and collect a handful at random.  Then, when the parade reaches its end at the top of the local sacred mountain, seven urns are selected and are broken open, and then the city tries to fulfill those dreams which are not too greedy.  The belief is that all the dreams are heard by God, but fear that your fellow man will hear your dreams keeps most people from putting truly outlandish stuff.  It's considered bad luck if none of the urns contain a dream for Spring to come.Problem is, the incarnation of Desire, a child of the Mother of Dreams (long story), has placed several weak incarnations into urns, in hopes that the collective psionic energy from the festival will awaken them.  Desire's own powers are rather strong, so it will direct things to go its way, but a lot of villager desires will come true too.  Particularly the ones that are unspoken.Now, there's other build-up that I won't include here, because it would require even more delving into the campaign's plot, but suffice it to say, the party will have an inkling that something bad is going to happen.  The following is what I think will happen, but of course PC interference always messes with overly-planned adventures.The lord of Eastgate, Alzrius jel-Gressa, will lead the parade, and meet the Elvish emmissaries at the top of the mountain, praising them for their kindness in letting the people of Eastgate perform their holy day.  The lord of the Elvish army will respond by saying that he has good news, that hostilities will now come to an end because the rightful Emperor is back in power.  There are some scattered cheers, because people are still wary of the Elves, but Lord Alzrius offers to let the Elves provide an urn to the collection, so that perhaps some of their dreams too may come true.Then the priests select the first urn, and break it open.  It contains:* A wish to heal a child's sick mother.* A dream for a chance to fly.* A new suit of armor for the mother's husband to fight the Elves.* Death to the Elves.There's some nervous laughter, and the writer of that last one says that it's alright if they don't answer his dream now.  The second urn is chosen, and opened, and its dreams read:* A child's dream for his pet rooster to be able to talk to Mommy and Daddy too.* A mother's dream that the Elf that killed her husband will have his head chopped off and placed on a pike.* A teenaged boy's dream for eternal love and a song to sing to his lover.There's a bit more worry that perhaps they've offended the Elves, but the Elvish lord waves it off without concern.  Then, the third urn is chosen.  It is a greenish black stone with veins of colors hard to name, carved in a shape that may once have had a face, but looks worn with age.  When the priests shatter it on the ground to release its contents, a voice croaks outward through the crowd, saying, "Dreams of Guilt For Killing One's Family."  People are confused, and then a handful of people scream.  As they scream, their sobs full of immeasurable self-loathing, a form begins to coalesce over the shattered urn.People begin to panic, but then a tall figure robed in many different shades of blue sweeps out of the crowd to the fallen urns, raising two of them into the air.  The figure's face is veiled, and no part of its skin can be seen, as if it might not even have a true body.  A voice, pleasant and offering, enters the minds of everyone in the audience.These things all things desire,More than joy or song or fire,Dreams of sin, and hate, and steel,All these now do I make real.The cloaked man shatters the fourth urn.  Everyone who hears him, someone knows it is true, and the panic strengtens.  Some surge toward Desire, in hopes of having their wishes fulfilled, while others flee desperately, afraid of what they might secretly yearn for.  Desire breaks the fifth urn, and continues.Strength to fight and kill an Elf,more calls to prayer,the world falls upon itself,and end my long despair.A claustrophic man in the crowd screams as suddenly the earth swallows him into a rift (also catching many around him), and all across the crowd, people with even the slightest suicidal leanings feel an urge to end their lives now, suddenly.  Those close to the Elvish delegates feel a great desire to attack the Elves.Desire's song follows to the sixth urn.A face to call forth jealous awe,to kill my cheating wife and brother,mercy from the sword of law,and sleep upon my sleepless mother.People begin to turn on each other, many others suddenly pass out where they stand, and now nearly the whole crowd is consumed by foreign desires.  The seventh urn I plan to leave for my players to come up with, because I want to turn their wishes against them.Now, during this whole madness, the party will hopefully be able to figure out what's going on (they've run into a few other incarnations before -- Indomitability, Deception, Aggression, Balance, Impersonation, Agony, and Time), and do something to stop it.  After the initial madness spreads, Desire will start shattering other urns that contain lesser incarnations.  And I've got a few twists too.</blockquote>

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