Now quite inseparable, Joshua and Morgan suffered from many attacks by the tenacious Sabbat. Tested by Paradox, Joshua experienced few backlashes only due to stringent control over his use of magick. He took pains to limit himself, using mundane means of defense whenever he could. Making use of ancient enchantment Rotes originally designed for blades, Joshua adapted them for use with modern firearms -- creating extremely effective weapons with which to arm himself and Morgan. Still, it was not enough. Time and again, Joshua's inherent mortal frailty compelled him to call upon vulgar magicks and extensive use of the Blood to sustain himself. He avoided many conflicts altogether to give the mass of Paradox coiled around his soul time to dissipate.

The Blood Bond with Morgan proved to be mutual, something neither of them suspected it would be. They reasoned that it must have been due to Joshua's own potent blood, which bears the stamp of his magickal power. The two of them exchanged rings and vows some months later, in a private and personal handfasting. It merely seemed right to do; since that time, they have been husband and wife. Their path was a rocky one at first, however. Simple misunderstandings and the sometimes overwhelming power of the Bond caused a fair share of disputes, and once nearly brought about their deaths. As the relentless conflicts with the Sabbat wore them down, Morgan talked of keeping her distance from Joshua for the sake of their own survival. For Joshua, it had become too much to handle. Joshua changed that night, but outwardly the transformation was subtle, and has gone largely unnoticed. It occasionally frightens those around him, though - - especially Morgan. Time and experience have allowed them to come to terms with what Joshua has become, compared to what he once was.

   

The resolution of one problem brought new questions with it, though. First among them concerned Joshua's mentor, the Magister Demetrius le Marchant. The sudden interest after being away from the Chantry for over fifty years came as a result of an unexpected awareness, a connection Joshua forged with his previous incarnation -- a Hermetic mage and Marauder called Arminius.  Joshua was determined to return to his old Chantry where he was trained to find out more about Arminius. Joshua knew that his mentor Demetrius was once a member of Arminius' Cabal; clearly, Demetrius knew more than he had said to Joshua. Why had he hidden things that he knew of Joshua's past life?

Joshua explained the properties of Horizon Realms to Morgan as best he could, in preparation for his trip home. Neither he nor Morgan were prepared for the welcome they received, though. After entering through a special "back door" created centuries ago for the use of the resident Hermetic mages, they found a Realm in chaos, A Chantry assimilated by the Technocracy. 

The unforeseen loss was devastating to Joshua, but Morgan stood by him, helping him recover. Turning his consuming grief to the cause of his Word, Vengeance...they took the war back to the enemy. Demetrius' parting curse upon the Technocrats, an unending and wildly violent storm over the Realm powered by elemental spirits, gave Morgan and Joshua the opportunity they needed. The Construct was weak, only a few years old, and was vulnerable to attack despite the technomages' best efforts.
 

Morgan's introduction to the Ascension War began with a search for survivors and prisoners taken from the destroyed Chantry. This led to an assault against the Construct's weakest stronghold, at a university in Germany. Joshua called on what allies he could find, mainly his old friend Benjamin Carlisle -- who survived the bitter end in Seattle -- who was reunited with Joshua years later. The battle in Germany cost them dearly, but Joshua's allies secured the Node and discovered a single surviving prisoner after poring through the Construct's records.  Demetrius was that survivor, and he was being held captive far from his old home. Despite the losses they took in Germany, the discovery that his mentor was still alive steeled Joshua's resolve. Morgan could see that the fury in him would be satisfied only when things had been set right.

Driven to rescue his mentor from the clutches of the Technocracy, Joshua did not rest until they had devised a plan for Demetrius' rescue. Morgan's Sire, Dieter, helped them to find allies -- however unwilling -- among the Garou. Traveling far from Necropolis to the cold forests of Saskatchewan, the unlikely group made their way into the Umbra in search of their target. The Technocrats held the advantage, being in the spirit realm where their science-based magicks could be used more freely...but it proved to be insufficient against a combined force of various supernaturals, the likes of which they had never expected to encounter. With Demetrius rescued, the skin-changers were left to fortify their prize. It's not known whether or not the Technocrats have reclaimed what they lost that night. 

Morgan and Joshua had what they came for. They had rescued Demetrius.
 

Joshua's aged mentor was a broken shell of a man, withered and bereft of his wits from the long imprisonment. Some black-hearted technomage had devised an insidious method for keeping the old Magister prisoner, even at an Awakened Node. The years of captivity had done much damage to Demetrius' mind, and Joshua was loathe to use his magick on his pater, for fear of making things worse. Morgan nursed the ancient mage back to a semblance of health, helping Joshua try to reach his mentor's battered psyche. Days slipped away, then weeks. Demetrius' fugue-state seemed impossible to break. Morgan's persistence and the gift of Malkav allowed them to gradually bring Demetrius out of his catatonia. 

Joshua could see, however, that he could not finish the work his Word demanded of him soon enough. It was clear that he could not offer a recovered Chantry to his mentor, though he would have liked to. Even though he had achieved mastery of Ars Essentiae -- and the Magister Scholae rank, in his own eyes -- Joshua was forced to turn to his still-recovering mentor for aid in the fight. Though Demetrius' rank in the Order of Hermes was higher, he lacked the will to call upon his most potent abilities. Mentor and student formed plans for the battles to come, as proper Tytalans should do. 

Much like his student, Demetrius watched his protégé carefully in the meantime. By the time they had first worked the Art together, he knew Joshua had changed.
 

Morgan believed that Joshua and Demetrius working together was the key to snapping the old wizard fully out of his fugue-state -- to make him feel needed. The elder Tytalan's experience, of course, was very helpful. Certainly he knew more of the enemy's defenses, and more about their disparate allies' legendary strengths.  The plans were laid in place, and new compatriots found for the bold series of attacks to come. They knew, after all, that the Technocrats would be prepared for some kind of attack. They were not ready for the all-out war that broke out against every installation of the now-weakened Construct, though...

Mages, Garou, and Kindred joined forces for the endgame. The battle plan required such circumstances. The well-coordinated assault nearly ended with the first move, however; unexpected help from a wild pack of Marauders nearly destroyed half the assault force. Were it not for Demetrius conjuring a Hermes Portal as an escape route, the backlashes of the Wyld-mages would have killed the lot of them along with the unfortunate Technocratic enemies. 

Joshua led the attack elsewhere, despite the initial setbacks, and gathered his allies for the grand finale...as the assault force traveled to the Horizon Realm, once the earthly installations were taken. With cold, calculating precision, Joshua and his mage allies locked with their enemies in a stalemate of spell and counter spell. They left Morgan and the others to subdue the enemy forces defending the Construct. Much to their dismay and rage, the Garou in the strike force found corrupt Fomori among the defenders. The battle lasted only a matter of minutes, though it seemed to last so much longer. Finally, Joshua snapped when it seemed that Morgan was in mortal danger, and fell upon the enemy's fortified base with all the power his Avatar could muster. Drawing attention away from the field of battle, Joshua turned the tide with his wild abandon. He was rescued in turn from the depths of the Construct when the black dragon inside him would not let him go. 

The Technocrats' own devices were overloaded with Paradox energies. Demetrius led a hasty retreat to the far side of the Horizon Realm through another Hermes Portal. Morgan and their allies, most battered, some dying, looked on as Joshua's personal war against the Technocracy ended in a mushroom cloud of raw, unbridled Forces. Vengeance was served.
 

Joshua and Morgan were promised a place in the new Chantry, but spent their time since the war's end at home, and for the most part at peace. Demetrius offered them but one revelation after all that's happened. They are linked beyond ties of blood; they are twin souls. It was the last thing Joshua expected, but once they were told, it couldn't help but make sense to them.  They have not been allowed to rest on their laurels, however. They knew that with Demetrius' return to the Order, questions would be raised about the Errant Joshua, who they had thought was slain...and the breach of the Code of Hermes his marriage to Morgan represents. Though they have since achieved some resolution to the problem, at least in part, it troubles them still.

Necropolis has not been kind to them either, for that matter. The Sabbat continue to rally their numbers from time to time, attacking anyone who gets too close. With the war back on the home front, Joshua has once again become the lone hunter...patrolling the Gangrel Palatine and the surrounding area for any Sabbat to slay. The Gangrel Clan has also dealt with problems coming from within, most notably the attempt of a clan elder and outsider to destroy a citizen of the Palatinate. 

Despite taking part in battles with the Clan and the scars he bears for it, Joshua still feels somewhat of an outsider with the Gangrel. In some ways he may seem justified, but the essential flaws of his nature remain a great stumbling block. Who knows if he will resolve those faults of mistrust, barriers to the path of personal Ascension as well as better relations with the Gangrel...or if the black dragon, the Avatar that resides within him, will allow him to do so?
 

Joshua still watches over Morgan's Clan, regardless of his own personal views. He also continues to study the Kindred, already more knowledgeable about the ways of Cainites than most any Tradition mage. His inventive magicks run the gamut, from Rotes that can efficiently slay and subdue Kindred, to tracing the power of the Blood and the ties that bind the Kindred around him.  They may have played some small part in the decisions of his House and Order regarding him, as he's shared his secrets with the elders of House Tytalus. Even so, there is far more going on that is cause for great concern. Winter drags on, bringing signs of Gehenna on the horizon. He seems to learn of the signs even as they appear. His only response is the sharpening of his blade, the honing of his combat skills, and the continued perfection of his Art. He awaits what could be the fulfillment of his Destiny with a mixture of fear, anticipation, and defiance. There is still so much that he and Morgan, the Order of Hermes, and even the Sleepers have lost...and all of it cries out for Vengeance.

 

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