The Last in Line

Two eyes from the east

It's the angel or the beast

And the answer lies between the good and bad.

We search for the truth

We could die upon the tooth

But the thrill of just the chase

Is worth the pain.

And we'll know for the first time

If we're evil, or divine

We're the last in line.

The Last in Line is the title of Chapter VIII, the last Chapter, of the Warriors of Destiny event cycle. It, and the Warriors of Destiny scenario itself, concluded the weekend of September 4 through September 7, 2009. The exact date varied by Shard.

Events in this Chapter unfolded rapidly, on multiple fronts. Most but not all of this Chapter was contained in Publish 59.

Distracting Decisions

Through King Pro Tempere Casca, the Shadowlords distract Britannians with promises of treasures to be found in the Tokuno Islands. (See Treasures of Tokuno.) Casca appeared to have the cooperation, or at least the consent, of the Empress of Tokuno. The Shadowlords seemed to hope that the Britannians would be distracted by the Treasures and not notice their seeking an artifact in Britannia. However, this proved to be a mistake, as their hope seems to be that we will be distracted by the Treasures and not notice the Shadowlords seeking for an artifact. This proves to be a mistake, as their search eventually took them to Tokuno. In other words, they "distracted" us right into their path.

Strangers Bearing Gifts

Grey-robed strangers, referred to as "Seers," appeared at Empath Abbey, the Lycaeum, and Serpent's Hold. (These strangers were later revealed to be Crimson Dragons in disguise, offering us assistance for the battle they knew was coming. In between spouting prophecies of doom and the "end of days," the Seers offered Quests that convert Cloaks of Corruption (see Cloak of Corruption) into new items: Cloak Of Death, Cloak Of Life, Cloak Of Power. Cloaks of Command (see Cloak of Command) also became available in Faction strongholds.

Manifestations

Manifestations of the Shadowlords, similar but not identical to the Shadowlords' Ethereal forms that appeared in the "Time-Altered Moonglow" in the Ethereal Void earlier in the event cycle (see Mad Mage, appeared at 3 locations in Tokuno. They were searching for the "Artifact." They gave out a Cloak of Corruption to each of the top 3 damagers, and a Treasure of Tokuno to any character with looting rights.

Dawn of Hope

This part of the "The Last in Line" began in August 2009, and appears to be ongoing as of the time of writing (also in August 2009). Dawn returned, her house having been burned down by Casca's men, presumably because she was a potential threat to his power. The City of Luna was attacked by the Shadowlords, who were looking for some unspecified object (presumably the same thing they were looking for in Tokuno). Dawn and a Platinum Dragon were instrumental in rallying the PCs to defend the city. (On some Shards, other cities were also attacked.) A new item called a Cloak of Silence was made available from Event Moderators.

Armageddon

This part of the Chapter finally revealed the purpose of the Shadowlords: They were seeking to recreate Mondains Gem of Immortality to enhance their power, and destroy Sosaria as they had destroyed many worlds before it.

The climax of the event cycle took place over the weekend of September 4 through September 7, 2009 (the exact dates varied by shard) and featured two separate, semi-related events. In one event, which took place in Felucca, most players fought with Platinum Dragons against the evil Factions, various Shadowlord-related NPCs, and Crimson Dragons. The outcome of this event had an impact on Faction play: Where the evil Factions won, the Shadowlords Faction retained the secret room that was part of the Cloak and Dagger event.

Part two of the climax was more critical. Players fought the Shadowlords directly in a hidden chamber underneath Fire Temple in Trammel. The top damager on each Shadowlord received a shard of the Gem of Immortality, and all who got looting rights received a Doom Artifact.

The title of this Chapter comes from a heavy metal son by the band Dio.