The Enduring War

The Enduring War is a five-chapter campaign with the Morthagi as the main enemies, with the story of 1000 years ago woven into the present narrative.

Warning: this page contains spoilers!

Note: the names and genders of the characters in this campaign are randomized. The pronouns used below reflect the gender of the characters in the campaign from which the images were taken.

Introduction

The peace of the heroes’ hometown is disrupted by Morthagi.

1000 Years Ago A man stands in a workshop filled with Morthagi parts. He has received a letter: "I am confident the premise is sound. We can endure." He angrily leaves the workshop, turning out the light, and says, "You can't be serious."

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Spoiler The campaign begins with a mysterious Morthagi approaching the party and saying, "Run." Before they can follow, they find themselves in combat with a Spectik and a Sommelier. Before the battle starts, the player chooses a relationship between the warrior and the hunter. Afterwards, the heroes realize they can't simply go back to being commoners and farmers: they feel called to hunt down Morthagi.

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Introduction Events

• Disturbances
• The Sum of Our Parts

Chapter 1

The heroes begin their hunt for Morthagi.

Spoiler The heroes start by clearing out the area around their town, and soon they arrive at the final Morthagi stronghold in the area. It is abandoned, however, and they find the Morthagi surrounding a forge. The party can either stick together and push in or surround the Morthagi, starting the fight hidden and leading to strong flanking attacks. The party doesn't need to defeat all enemies to transition to the next part of the fight, they can open the door of the forge to trigger the next event. Inside, they find an aging blacksmith trying to hold off a Morthagi while the mysterious Morthagi from the beginning of the chapter lays fallen next to her. The player gains control of the blacksmith for the remainder of the battle.

Afterwards, the blacksmith admits that the Deepist tattoos on her face were because she was interested in the Deepist's claims about life extension. She volunteers to keep the mysterious Morthagi and study it.

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Chapter 1 Events

• The Forge
• Unexpected Guests
• More Questions Than Answers

Chapter 2

The heroes are directed to an origin of the Morthagi threat.

1000 Years Ago The woman from 1000 years ago meets up with the man and reasserts her desire to go through with her plan for immortality, and the man repeats how unnatural it is.

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Spoiler One of the heroes meets with the blacksmith during the interval, though they can never really puzzle through how the mysterious Morthagi worked. Eventually, the blacksmith calls the entire party back to her forge to warn them of a wave of Morthagi that are sweeping the countryside. She points them towards where they seem to have all originated from. The hero that met with the blacksmith remarks that that location made good cheese, and the others laugh. She says she's been working on a weapon and will meet them there. After the party leaves the blacksmith, a different mysterious Morthagi approaches her and says that she has the body of its friend. She responds by saying she has many questions for it.

After clearing out the wave of Morthagi, the heroes head to the origin mentioned. There, the blacksmith gives Clockstopper to the heroes, reveals the entrance to a Morthificer’s workshop under the floor, and laments that she is unable to fight Morthagi anymore. Inside, the heroes find the Haberdasher, a construct spewing toxic smoke. They hold their breath and soon defeat it. After defeating the rest of the enemies, they destroy the workshop and emerge from the darkness. The blacksmith urges them to keep up their guard, as this is not the last workshop producing Morthagi, and reminds them that she may not be there to help at all next time. The heroes try the cheese from the village, and confirm that it is indeed good.

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Chapter 2 Events

• ?
• What Lies Beneath
• Fog of War
• Staunched
• Respite
• ?

Chapter 3

The heroes start receiving the messages that surrounding regions are overrun with Morthagi, so once again their services are needed in clearing the land of these mechanical abominations.

1000 Years Ago The woman from 1000 years ago is determined to prove to the man that death can be cheated. The man is more and more angry about her ideas, and thinks that it's better to die than become a machine.

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Spoiler Just after the heroes set out, the blacksmith and the Enduring talk at the forge, and the blacksmith asks to become one of the Enduring.

After the last Morthagi encampment is cleared, a sudden burst of green light emerges behind the faraway mountains right into the open sky. Eventually the heroes figure out that the light came from the blacksmith’s forge, but when they arrive to investigate, a heavy Morthagi assault is up on them again. Successfully disposing of each and every machine, the heroes try to search for the blacksmith but to no avail. So the only option they have now is to head back to a town and have a nice rest.

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Chapter 3 Events

• ?
• That Which Calls
• A Hollow Return
• Without a Trace

Chapter 4

The Morthagi have started to overrun the land again. One of the heroes receives a note on their door leading to a Morthagi workshop.

1000 Years Ago The woman from 1000 years ago successfully transfers herself into a Morthagi body. She offers to make the man a body as well, but he angrily denies that the machine is truly the woman and he storms out of the workshop.

Spoiler After clearing out many of the monsters again, the party heads to the workshop. Two Enduring are there, namely the woman from 1000 years ago and the blacksmith. They explain that Morthagi have the singular purpose of destroying the Enduring and have been ravaging the countryside in an effort to find them and deny them resources. The heroes are led to a device called The Heart that can control some Morthagi soldiers and make them fight to defend the Enduring. However, to use The Heart, a willing soul must fuse with it. The Morthagi are still deeper in the workshop, and their leader, the Grand Matron, must be eliminated to clear the Morthagi out of this workshop. If one of the heroes sacrifices themselves to fuse with The Heart, then three Morthagi Bellhops aid in dealing with the Grand Matron. Afterward, the Enduring settle into this workshop as their new home and the heroes return home victorious.

Chapter 4 Events

• ?
• The Enduring
• The Heart
• Tired Goodbyes

Chapter 5

The Morthagi are launching another invasion. Can the heroes stop the Morthagi once at for all at the source?

1000 Years Ago The man from 1000 years ago resolves that what the woman has become is an abomination and she must not be allowed to convince others to become Enduring. He then programs Morthagi to hunt the Enduring so they can ensure she is stopped if he can't complete the task in his lifetime.

Spoiler

Default Ending - The Morthagi The heroes locate a tunnel leading to the Morthagi’s final stronghold. If a hero sacrificed themselves in Chapter 4, then the first Enduring and two Bellhops arrive soon after them. After they may arrive, the group defeats the Morthagi in a grand hall before arriving at an ominous door. However, the door swings open of its own accord, and the group finally finds where new Morthagi are made: A massive workshop with three Morthagi Cores capable of producing more. After the group destroys the cores, the Morthagi shut down. After the battle, the Enduring decide to stay away from civilization for a few hundred years until the horrors inflicted by the Morthagi are less remembered and the Enduring can try to enter society. The heroes return home having finally stopped the threat to their lands.

Alternate Ending - The Enduring This optional path is only available if no sacrifice was made in Chapter 4. The heroes decide that the Enduring are the source of the problem, and if they are eliminated then the Morthagi will stop attacking. When they arrive at the Enduring's hideout, however, they are met with a a massive Morthagi called War Ender that the Enduring built to defend themselves against just such an assault. The heroes defeat the creation and slay all of the Enduring. When they come back to the surface, they discover that the Morthagi have turned peaceful and are retreating into the Mountains. Our heroes return home having finally stopped the threat to their lands.

Chapter 5 Events

• ?
• Gearing Up
• Stemming the Tide
• Regards
• The Core
• Still and Silent
• Unprepared
• The Weight of a Life
• The Rising Rays of Morning