Second part of Matthias' storyline, continued from Search for Knowledge.
Triple Threat[]
Matthias Sumner's exploration of the Elysian Manuscript revealed the existence of a relic he called the Manifold. The Freelancer was sent into a Shaper ruin to retrieve it. There, they defeated a trio of Dominion Valkyries, and prevented the Manifold from falling into evil hands. Excitement often smothers good sense, and the thrill of receiving the Manifold quite overwhelmed Matthias. His impulsive tinkering with the relic went awry, and energies from the Manifold enveloped him, dividing him into three identical versions of himself.
Inverse Functions[]
Troubled after being divided by the Manifold, Matthias begged the Freelancer to help him seek answers. Their search led to Arcanist Aruna Kaule, a specialist in the strange effects of Shaper energy.
Aruna realized the Manifold's division of Matthias was unstable, resulting in a slow but certain decay of reality around them. If left to run its course, the decay would destroy all three of the Matthiases.
Convergence[]
The reality decay of the three Matthiases was taking hold. As one catastrophe often follows another, a disagreement prompted Sumner to take the Manifold and leave to pursue his own theories. The Freelancer raced after Sumner, defending him from his own folly and the strange creatures attracted by the Manifold's energies. Lesson learned, Sumner returned to Fort Tarsis.
The trio realized the only way to save themselves was to stabilize the divide, making it permanent. The three of them must make peace with the possibility they will never become one again.
Story continued in Riddles of Raban Maur...