The Never Ending Quest Log Actual Play #10: Perilous Power

May 3, 2023 Michael

What does it truly mean to wield power?

If you possessed the innate capacity to break anyone who opposed you under your fist, and nobody could stand against your might, would you use that power responsibly? Would you actually be able to stop such power from warping your sense of morality? Power provides a degree of control over your fate that a lack of it doesn’t, after all.

This was the question that the Hyuen nation of Astore never had to contend with asking itself, until a century ago. In the blackened ruins of The Dragon’s Last Stand, the combined might of the Aeshi, Trelin Urdon and Khisha finally brought the terrifying force of the Hyuen armies to their knees, forcing them to reevaluate their place in the world going forward.

This is how the Paladin Order inevitably came to be formed, guiding Astore towards a more peaceful future. But this evening’s story isn’t about The Paladin Order. It’s about the centuries of darkness and unchecked power that came before it, in the place where it all began.

As today’s chapter opens, we turn our attention towards Alexander Dohtheska, the Urdon artificer that has travelled alongside our party on their journey to the Tomb of the Titan. He sits alone, reading a poem aloud from a bunch of crumpled papers clasped tightly between his aged hands…