ToUD and/or Metaplot

[cure]

If Azalin is no longer trying to escape our little Demiplane of Dread, is he not trying to break his chains within the dread demiplane? And if so, to what precise end?

Surely not to go and finish off Strahd. He would deem that to be a distraction put in his skull by the Dark Powers (à la Kas for Vecna). In truth he has little need and less desire to wander the lands of the Mists. The chain that he wishes to break is his specific curse, that which proscribes him from learning new and greater magic.

Could the ToUD and/or the Metaplot be the breaking of the specific curses of the Dark Lords? Each remains locked away in his/her cell, but they are no longer enfeebled. Strahd at last has a genuine chance at his lost love. Mordenheim and Jacquelin too. Vlad can at last command a conquering army, albeit from a distance and on the condition that the target can't effectively fight back (weak and divided Borca). Sodo can maintain his form. Godfrey can be rid of his family. Dominic can find love or at least no longer cause revulsion.

I doubt that this is a new suggestion, rather much suddenly made sense to me. The breaking of the specific curses would be unnoticed by many, yet it would launch at least one war and would greatly embolden the darklords generally. The war and the emboldening would be part and parcel of the ToUD. The Metaplot would be Azalin's search for the means of the breaking of the specific curses, presumably by delivering some great metaphysical blow to the Dark Powers or by somehow rewriting the metaphysical structure of the Dread Realm. And here the loosely bound Vistani/demon spawns, the males among them foretold by the Vistani as destroyers, would serve, in some way that escapes me, as the tools.

Thoughts?

[Lucius]

I think that the idea you presented may very well be what Azalin is planning: To use the powers of the many Dukkars to release the darklords from their curses. So he would be able to increase his magical power and restore Irik´s life.

Surely without their curses the other darklords would engage in conflicts starting a war (Falkovnia, Borca, Invidis, etc.). Other darklords would just try to acchieve their obsession, and this wouls spread even more chaos (and here I remember Azalin´s comments in GAz 1 related to Tara Kolyana - If I were him I would keep her in my control only to prevent Strahd [now free from his curse] from finding her.

But even with all the catastrophic events that woiuld follow Azalin´s plan, I don´t think it would be the cause of the TOUD. I think it would be one more event that will culminate in the TOUD, but of all the events bringing the I don´t think this will be a major one. We still have maaany years in the timeline to greater and darkest things to happens.

This is just my point of view.

[Steve Miller]

Azalin is resuming his quest for the perfect waffle recipe.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

IMO, Azalin's quest is no longer to escape the demiplane. He wants to rule it.

[yergerjo]

Further Darklord Torture:

Give them the power to escape their curse, by continuing the pattern of repeats (Tatyana, Vlad invades, etc) but not interfering with the DL's actions or devices and when the DL's fail in their obsession, show them how it is all their own fault (ie. Vlads tactics suck, Strahd nearly has Tatyana but his people .catch on and save her or destroy her, Azalin tries to learn/create a new spell (Inadvertent Permanent Blindness, or accidentally incinerates ALL his spell books....)