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Anniversary Game 7/Anonymous Game 9: From Embers, A Flame


Elbereth

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7 minutes ago, Araris Valerian said:

I'd volunteer to IM for you, except I'm conflicted because you are one of my favorite GMs. And an original rules LG is going to be pretty hard to resist.

Thanks man :P To be honest, I'm also requesting a specific IM if possible because there's one particular skillset I absolutely need my IM to have for my OG LG. So this may not actually be an issue. 

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2 minutes ago, Kasimir said:

Thanks man :P To be honest, I'm also requesting a specific IM if possible because there's one particular skillset I absolutely need my IM to have for my OG LG. So this may not actually be an issue. 

Seconding Araris with the caveat of me never actually playing one of your games :P I missed your most recent MR because of my summer vacation, but the ruleset looked really cool, and I remember reading one of yours in the AoGC thread and thinking it looked awesome. So I'm definitely looking forward to any/all future Kas games.

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12 minutes ago, Kasimir said:

Thanks man :P To be honest, I'm also requesting a specific IM if possible because there's one particular skillset I absolutely need my IM to have for my OG LG. So this may not actually be an issue. 

Is this the LG I offered to co-GM with you? If so, I will take the fall and not play it so that others may play.

and so that I don’t absolutely break it. :P

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Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehhehehe...

 

 

Faleast opened his eyes.

 

He hadn’t really… expected to be able to do that this time. He’d died before. He’d died the first time the kandra – AraRaash – had stabbed him with that… spike. And then… here. He looked around at the terrain – like a room, but made of sinking mist. The… Cognitive Realm? Rusts, what had happened?

“Faleast? You’re… still here?”

He turned. AraRaash, or some form of him, stood over him. Faleast realized he was lying on the ground, and started standing up, feeling an ache where his heart once was. No, where something else once was.

A spike lay, discarded on the ground, visible in both realms. Technically it was two spikes wound together. The Blessing of Identity. The lifeblood of them both.

“You ejected the spike, and didn’t have another powerful enough to sustain your identity,” Faleast found himself saying. “Meanwhile I was still chained to it… and I tried to break that chain to get back to you…”

“Did it work?” AraRaash asked. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

Faleast thought. “Pyria… Reginald… the People’s Republic of Elendel. But wasn’t that…”

 

“IT WAS NOT AS NOT AS LONG AGO AS YOU THINK,” a voice resounded.

The Shadow and Kandra turned, then quickly averted their eyes. A man was walking through the wall, glowing brighter than any sun. An image was burned on what functioned as Faleast’s retinas. A tall, tan-skinned man, with ornate clothing numerous ornaments on his body, some light and some dark. AraRaash fell to his knees; Faleast followed suit.

“Harmony,” Faleast breathed.

The man – the Shard – smiled. “YOU MIGHT SAY THAT,” he said. “IN TRUTH, I DO NOT FEEL VERY HARMONIZED. AT LEAST IT STILL FEELS THAT WAY. BUT YOUSEEM TO HOLD THE DUALITY I HAVE BEEN SEEKING FOR SO LONG.”

“How long has it been? I hardly even recognize you,” AraRaash said. Of course he would recognize Harmony. Rusts, he probably knew him when he was Sazed.

“MERE MINUTES. OR THOUSANDS OF YEARS; IT DEPENDS WHAT YOU MEAN, I SUPPOSE. IN ANY CASE, I CAN FILL YOU IN. YOU WERE DISCOVERED, AND ATTEMPTED TO ESCAPE, BUT WERE FORCED TO DROP THIS CURIOUS ARTIFACT," he said, knudging the spike with his foot. It sent a jolt down Faleast's spine. "I SUSPECT YOU WOULD BOTH PERISH IN YOUR OWN WAYS WITHOUT IT; I SHOULD KNOW. SO I… INTERVENED.”

“HONESTLY… I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER THE TERM HARMONY IS ACCURATE. RUIN AND PRESERVATION ARE STABILITY AND DECAY, BUT IS NOT CULTIVATION GROWTH? I WOULD THINK PRESERVATION AND CULTIVATION WOULD BE JUST AS HARMONIUS, AND RUIN AND CULTIVATION PERHAPS EVEN MORE SO.”

Faleast found himself nodding. How did one refuse a Shard? But AraRaash’s eyes suddenly shot up. “Oh God Beyond… you’re not Harmony, aren’t you?”

 

“GODS BEYOND,” the… being corrected. “I BELIEVE THERE ARE THREE. BUT YES, I AM NOT THE MAN KNOWN AS SAZED, NOR THE MIXTURE OF PRESERVATION AND RUIN. I AM NOT EVEN SURE IF HARMONY CAN BE THAT MIXTURE ANYMORE, NOT WITH WHAT I KNOW. BUT I DIGRESS. NO, I AMSOMETHING ELSE. A LAMENTATION FOR THE WORLD.”

“… Why are you here?” the two whispered, almost together.

“BECAUSE I NEED PEOPLE LIKE YOU. I AM A COMBINATION OF TWO SHARDS; I HAVE SIMILAR DIFFICULTIES IN ACTING ALONE. BUT YOUYOU SHARE MUCH OF ME. THE COMPASSION OF FALEAST, THE RUTHLESSNESS OF ARARAASH. MERCY AND AMBITION. AND YET, YOU MANAGE TO WORK TOGETHER TOWARD A COMMON GOAL. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I… LACK, TO SOME DEGREE.”

“I HAVE A VISION. ONE WHERE THE WORLD IS FREE, THE HATRED AND PAIN SWEPT UNDER A BLOODY RUG. AND SO, I NEED SOMEONE TO HELP MAKE THAT FUTURE. A HARBINGER. OR HARBINGERS. I CAN USE MY ABILITIES TO DIRECT YOU, GET YOU PLACES THAT YOU NORMALLY COULD NOT ACCESS, AND OUT OF PLACES YOU COULD NORMALLY NOT SURVIVE. YOU CAN BUILD YOUR OWN SKILLS AND GATHER INVESTED ARTS, AND I WILL PROVIDE THE BASE INVESTITURE FOR YOU TO FUEL IT.

“MORE IMPORTANTLY, I CAN CONNECT YOU TWO TOGETHER WITH THAT SPIKE OF YOURS, AND CREATE A BOND STRONGER THAN ANY METAL. YOU WILL NEVER LOSE EACH OTHER, OR LOSE YOURSELVES. AND I CAN RETURN WHAT LITTLE MEMORIES YOU HAVE LOST IN THE MINUTES YOU WERE DISCONNECTED.”

“And… in return, what do we do for you?” said Faleast.

The being – Lamentation – smiled. “IN RETRUN, I TAKE MOST OF THE MEMORIES OF THIS ENCOUNTER. AND GUIDE YOU TO WHERE I NEED YOU TO GO. YOU WILL ACT AS YOU FEEL, MERCIFUL OR AMBITIOUS. IN SHORT… I WILL PLACE YOU IN A POSITION WHERE EVERY ACTION EITHER OF YOU TAKE WILL SERVE ME.”

AraRaash snarled. “I will not be a puppet for you, Shard or not.”

“YOU WILL NOT. I HAVE BEEN WATCHING YOU TWO FOR A LONG TIME, AND CREATED THIS PLAN TO BEST PRESERVE YOUR FREE WILL. SUFFICE IT TO SAY, I AM ABLE TO PREDICT WHAT ACTIONS YOU WILL TAKE, GIVEN WHAT SITUATION YOU ARE PLACED IN. THOSE ACTIONS ARE STILL YOUR OWN. IF I HAVE NOWHERE TO PLACE YOU, YOU ARE FREE TO DO AS YOU PLEASE.”

“And you swear this? I… am unfamiliar with Shards,” Faleast said. Some part of him realized he and AraRaash were still on their knees, giving veneration to Harmony. Perhaps that was for the best; this Shard seemed much more… dangerous than Harmony. But he was also asking to be their… God.

“I SWEAR, I HAVE NOT BEEN UNTRUTHFUL TO YOU. IT WILL BE AS I HAVE SAID. SHARDS CAN BE DISHONEST, BUT THEY CANNOT BREAK A SWORN OATH. ARARAASH KNOWS THIS.” And the kandra nodded in agreement. “BUT IF YOU WISH TO BREAK THE AGREEMENT AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE… I CAN RELEASE THE BOND, IF YOU AGREE TO FOREFIT YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF MY PLANS.”

Faleast turned to AraRaash. “So… what do you think? I already had my second chance. I didn’t think I would get a third. May as well make the most of it,” Faleast said. “If you’re alright with it, so am I.”

 

The kandra gave a chilling smile. “It sure seems like a nobler goal than playing the PRE and the Loyalists against each other . Maybe we can actually make some progress in this cosmere. Let’s do it.”

The Shard gave a small chuckle. “THEN THE DEAL IS DONE. YOU WILL NOW BE THE HARBINGERS OF LAMENTATION. YOU WILL WEEP FOR WHAT MUST BE DONEBUT LIKE MYSELF, YOU WILL DO IT ALL THE SAME. YOU HAVE MUCH TO LEARN, AND THERE IS SOMEONE ELSE I PREDICT MAY BE SENSITIVE TO MY CAUSE...”

“How do you mean?” asked Faleast, the corners of his vision starting to fade. The reConnecting must already be happening. They were losing this… vision.

Lamentation laughed – a full, true laugh.

“WHO SAID THAT WE WERE STOPPING AT THE COSMERE?”

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19 minutes ago, StrikerEZ said:

Is this the LG I offered to co-GM with you? If so, I will take the fall and not play it so that others may play.

and so that I don’t absolutely break it. :P

Oh, no, it's a different one, don't worry :P I'm already contacting the people I need to make this a wonderful experience for my players, true to the spirit of OG SE :ph34r: Fun is guaranteed* for all! I also firmly believe even one of your noted prowess can't break an OG game, but you're welcome to prove me wrong :P 

30 minutes ago, Matrim's Dice said:

Seconding Araris with the caveat of me never actually playing one of your games :P I missed your most recent MR because of my summer vacation, but the ruleset looked really cool, and I remember reading one of yours in the AoGC thread and thinking it looked awesome. So I'm definitely looking forward to any/all future Kas games.

Thanks, Cage-Shuffle-Squat Bro :P My bro Wyrm's got really fun games and I hope to continue his legacy sometime too.

*Your prospective GM accepts no responsibility for resulting trauma, paranoia, or a lasting distrust of spikes that may or may not result from playing such a game. Refunds not granted. Play at your own risk.

Edited by Kasimir
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25 minutes ago, Kasimir said:

Oh, no, it's a different one, don't worry :P I'm already contacting the people I need to make this a wonderful experience for my players, true to the spirit of OG SE :ph34r: Fun is guaranteed* for all!

Oh that sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe try to run it during the summer? Please? :P

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AFTERMATH: DIE NACHT DER APOKALYPSE

He was alive.

Tenth of the Dusk had not expected this. He was breathing heavily, as the adrenaline flooded out of him slowly, leaving him staring over the broken body of the enemy, and Enoras. Enoras, surprisingly peaceful in death. "You saved me," he breathed aloud. Understanding, suffusing his mind gently like the moonlight drawn through clouds on a still night. "Why?"

But there was no answer. There would never be an answer again.

Kaikoa lay, still on the ground, and Tenth's heart shattered all over again, like the chapel glass. He walked over to her - each step feeling like a leaden eternity. He remembered the first Kaikoa. He scooped her up, setting down his machete. She was so light in his cupped hands. Lighter than his heart, or his memories. 

There was a sound. A raw, animal sound, like heartbreak. Screaming through the chapel. Tenth realised he was on his knees, that it had come from him, that he was weeping and he could not seem to stop. He cradled his Aviar in his hands, but Kaikoa was still and Kaikoa was silent, and Kaikoa was gone, and it did not feel like victory at all, only sorrow so grievously purchased.

A bright feather fluttered to the ground.

"It hurts everytime, doesn't it?" said a man, from behind him.

He had the advantage on Tenth. How he had crept up on Tenth, Tenth did not know, except of course he did. He had been distracted. Tenth felt tired, slow, and his fingers grasped for the hilt of his machete and but then it skittered out of his grasp.

The man hunkering down beside him was Alethi, and his single eye reminded Tenth of the waves lapping on the shores of little Sori on a bright day.

"I've buried both of mine now," he continued. "I've never had another. It hurts like the day I lost them, sometimes." He sighed. "Sometimes, we carry oceans of pain within us. But I think you might know a thing or two about that. Are you going to bury her?"

On Patji. Where it had all begun. But Tenth could not bring himself to say it. Talking...was difficult. And it only hurt when he breathed.

"Why?" Tenth managed, at last.

Kaddar pressed his lips together in a thin line. "Because I know what it is to lose a friend," he said, at last. "And I loved both of them, as much as light and air. Their names were Nirn and Hulin, and in another life, I buried them on a world now lost to Ruin."

Beyond them, the fragments of Odium gleamed ominously, pulsing with raw hatred. 

"Have you come..." Tenth grimaced. "For that?"

Kaddar shook his head. "Of course not," he said. "Only a fool gives himself to God's own divine Hatred, even diminished. What to do about Odium is another issue entirely. As, I think, is the question of what to do with you." He was regarding Tenth now, as though Tenth was some particularly interesting sentiment. "Why did you not give it up?"

"Ran out of time," Tenth said. That, and everyone seemed to not have wanted to take up Valor. He supposed he understood why. Even diminished, Valor was the glory of battle, the warm rush of courage in his veins, the bright singing clarion call to pick himself up, and to struggle on. He wanted none of it. (Battle was an Aviar lying cold and still in his hands and nothing, nothing would ever bring her back.) 

"Give me the Shard," Kaddar said. 

"What do you plan to do with it?" Tenth asked, warily.

"Hide it," Kaddar said. "Hide it someplace no one will ever look. I'd destroy the Shard for good, if I could. But it is a much harder task to get rid of a Shard of Adonalsium than you and yours seem to think."

The words struck Tenth like a punch to the gut. "Then...this. All of this. Was for nothing?"

Kaddar shook his head. "They were a threat. And your actions, and those of everyone on this world have ensured that Odium and the others will cease to be a threat for a time." He smiled, and there was a weary knowledge in his expression. "The world, or a single life, is never saved for all time. One day, the village will no longer be destroyed by koloss. One day. One day. We can but hope. Salvation is always ever temporary. It must always be fought for, and earned. And you have won it, on this day."

Tenth stared at his quarry. He'd spent a long time trying to track down Kaddar. And in the end, the Alethi had come to him.

He did not want Valor. He did not want the power of gods within him, no matter how diminished it was. He had not wanted Ambition, either. He did not feel particularly hungry any longer. Only tired. Only broken.

"Take it," Tenth said, and he reached out and took Kaddar's outstretched hand. Valor left him, at once, warmth blazing in Tenth's hand, the last of the call to battle, warm, stark courage in his blood, and then fading away as the Shard passed to the next vessel. 

Kaddar let out a long breath. "Good," he said, at last. "You did well."

"I did not," Tenth said, grimly. "What now?"

Kaddar raised an eyebrow. "The choice is yours, of course," he said, as though it should have been fairly obvious. "You can bring me in to the Ghostbloods, though I think you'll find that they no longer have a price on my head. Or, you can help a friend of mine look for someone. I could use a bounty hunter of your skills and reputation."

"Who?"

"An Alethi Ghostblood, by the name of Khas. I think you might know him."

Tenth did. Khas had taught him a few tricks with the sword, for all he favoured the spear. It had, however, been seven long years, and Tenth had eclipsed Khas. The student had become greater than the teacher, now. (He remembered gripping a bloody sword and standing over King Naladar. But that was another life, and he had been young, cocky, and unblooded then.)

"Gone missing, then?"

"Oh, no. That's the friend," said Kaddar. "Khas wants you to find someone. Someone who has been lost for a very long time."

Tenth thought about it. Then he thought about it some more.

He wanted only to grieve for Kaikoa. But something, perhaps the last of Valor, perhaps the last of the stubborn strength that had him crawling out of the pit trap with a broken leg and fleeing Patji, something gave him the strength to keep his voice even as he asked, "Who?"

Kaddar smiled, engimatic. "Have you heard of King Wurum of Alethkar, First of His Name, Protector of the Realm, and the Herald of the Storms?"

Tenth looked at him. "Can't say I have," he said, flatly.

(A darkeyes stumbling in the street. Five knives in the back, one from one he had thought a friend. A dying whisper cruelly twisted. A killer of kings, wincing as he pulled the arrow from a Grandbow out of cracked Shardplate, stormlight leaking. Lives upon lives.)

"Well then," said Kaddar. "You have your work cut out for you."

Edited by Kasimir
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al opened his eyes to what was a beaaauutiful sunrise - "mighty fine mornin' this. an mighty silent 'pared ta the onesh before. my frends lay dead it sheems, and they indeed were frends. shure i like to work alone, but theresh nothin wrong with buildin'... you know.. human shtuff with fellas around you. when yar moshtly immortal, theres leel things, they become important. were all in this together ya know? gods and mortals, and were gonna be in this together for a looooong time, so we gotta undershtand each other. an even if he hafta kill em, we do it with a smile knowin we be meetin them in the next life, in which they maybe smilin upon our dead body. important thing is, we will meet again. my frends lay dead an i do not weep, cosh i know ill meet them again in another life. my aspects lay dead, but yet, i do not weep as i know can recreate them, an recreate them in the name an memories of my friends."

al considered what he just said. "huh, rezarach reaalllly crept up in those wordsh huh. poor llenhdal, she was suffered so much in her little time, i wished she had been shpared. time to go, got ashpects to reinvesht"

with a sigh, he got up. "well i really dont need my ashpects, jusht doin this to remember them. all i need ish right here." he glanced to his side at the half-full bottle. he went to pick it up, but thought better "guess ill do it right this time around? for once, not do something when im half outta my mind? i owe to them... i guesh" he sighed dropping the bottle and started walking in the direction of the sunrise.

he'd walked for a while when he stopped and realised "HEY- NO NO, you shall not influensh me rezarach! i need to reinvesht you as sooon as possible! ha! can you imagine me? wise al? nonono thas not happenin. what the heck of a stupid idea is "don't drink"??? im goin back an gettin that bottle an pushin ya to that deepest recess of ma mind. when yar safely reinveshted, ill take a loooong chug without ya yellin 'bad al bad al bad al' in ma mind" 


I'm not gonna speak of a single negative thing here. Y'all have already done plenty of those, and I'm sure everyone's read them and try to be better from now on. I'm gonna speak about my experience with the game (and no, that does not include the "incident" because I said I'm not speaking a single negative thing).

I had a blast. Probably the most fun I've had in a game since I joined here. I usually take games seriously, and lean on the analysisizing when I play. I just wanted to have fun this time. So, I chose what would I believed would be the most fun of all the characters to play. But what really helped me was landing Autonomy. Now I could play a fun character, AND not actually care about solving the game. And I saw Quinn had problems with anonymity, but I think I loved the anonymity part of it, as I don't think I would have ever played like this on my main account. Even writing the above bit of RP felt weird :P. I did try to mask my identity as much as possible (you can only do so much because timezones -.-), so if anyone other than Illwei and Kas figured it out (without their help, as I know they published it in the Roshar doc -.-), y'all are perceptive. So yeah, I had fun. Despite what happened, I sorta tried to laugh it off in the thread and tried not to make a big deal out of it. From the mercy's secret ability thing (hehe, proud of that one, it was funny to see the roshar doc go paranoid over it :P), to trying to get off Odium kills for the elims, I loved being chaotic. And I was completely oblivious to stuff happening outside in the dead doc, and so when I learnt it from Kas in D6, I felt sad that others weren't actually having fun or enjoying this and wanted this game done with :/. 

Also happy about the pass :P It means that y'all enjoyed Al as much as I enjoyed playing him, so I'm glad :) 

@STINK, you're an awesome dude, and I enjoyed our totally chill PMs in LG72. @A Joe in the Bush, I loved your character! Konion was hilarious and should be appreciated more, they've been underrated. xD

And yeah, me and @Kasimir broke the one-on-one PM record, which currently stands at 1,277 messages.*fistbumps Kas* 

And please don't take this as boasting or showing off that I've had fun, I felt lots of negative stuff has been said about the game, and I just wanted to share my positive experience.

I..may...have developed a taste... for chaos... so maybe.. expect this... in the future? :P Right, I've got to actually go read the last 4 pages or so, and see if I have something to respond. 

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15 hours ago, Elbereth said:

Kas/Burnt/Hael knew each other, several people called Joe correctly, and Araris was fairly obvious from the moment he said he didn't want PMs.

Who and how??? What are my tells? How do i play this game? Where are my parents?

5 minutes ago, TJ Shade said:

, I loved your character! Konion was hilarious and should be appreciated more, they've been underrated. xD

Thanks! I may or may not bring them back

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9 hours ago, Ashbringer said:

Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehhehehe...

 

 

Faleast opened his eyes.

 

He hadn’t really… expected to be able to do that this time. He’d died before. He’d died the first time the kandra – AraRaash – had stabbed him with that… spike. And then… here. He looked around at the terrain – like a room, but made of sinking mist. The… Cognitive Realm? Rusts, what had happened?

“Faleast? You’re… still here?”

He turned. AraRaash, or some form of him, stood over him. Faleast realized he was lying on the ground, and started standing up, feeling an ache where his heart once was. No, where something else once was.

A spike lay, discarded on the ground, visible in both realms. Technically it was two spikes wound together. The Blessing of Identity. The lifeblood of them both.

“You ejected the spike, and didn’t have another powerful enough to sustain your identity,” Faleast found himself saying. “Meanwhile I was still chained to it… and I tried to break that chain to get back to you…”

“Did it work?” AraRaash asked. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

Faleast thought. “Pyria… Reginald… the People’s Republic of Elendel. But wasn’t that…”

 

“IT WAS NOT AS NOT AS LONG AGO AS YOU THINK,” a voice resounded.

The Shadow and Kandra turned, then quickly averted their eyes. A man was walking through the wall, glowing brighter than any sun. An image was burned on what functioned as Faleast’s retinas. A tall, tan-skinned man, with ornate clothing numerous ornaments on his body, some light and some dark. AraRaash fell to his knees; Faleast followed suit.

“Harmony,” Faleast breathed.

The man – the Shard – smiled. “YOU MIGHT SAY THAT,” he said. “IN TRUTH, I DO NOT FEEL VERY HARMONIZED. AT LEAST IT STILL FEELS THAT WAY. BUT YOUSEEM TO HOLD THE DUALITY I HAVE BEEN SEEKING FOR SO LONG.”

“How long has it been? I hardly even recognize you,” AraRaash said. Of course he would recognize Harmony. Rusts, he probably knew him when he was Sazed.

“MERE MINUTES. OR THOUSANDS OF YEARS; IT DEPENDS WHAT YOU MEAN, I SUPPOSE. IN ANY CASE, I CAN FILL YOU IN. YOU WERE DISCOVERED, AND ATTEMPTED TO ESCAPE, BUT WERE FORCED TO DROP THIS CURIOUS ARTIFACT," he said, knudging the spike with his foot. It sent a jolt down Faleast's spine. "I SUSPECT YOU WOULD BOTH PERISH IN YOUR OWN WAYS WITHOUT IT; I SHOULD KNOW. SO I… INTERVENED.”

“HONESTLY… I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER THE TERM HARMONY IS ACCURATE. RUIN AND PRESERVATION ARE STABILITY AND DECAY, BUT IS NOT CULTIVATION GROWTH? I WOULD THINK PRESERVATION AND CULTIVATION WOULD BE JUST AS HARMONIUS, AND RUIN AND CULTIVATION PERHAPS EVEN MORE SO.”

Faleast found himself nodding. How did one refuse a Shard? But AraRaash’s eyes suddenly shot up. “Oh God Beyond… you’re not Harmony, aren’t you?”

 

“GODS BEYOND,” the… being corrected. “I BELIEVE THERE ARE THREE. BUT YES, I AM NOT THE MAN KNOWN AS SAZED, NOR THE MIXTURE OF PRESERVATION AND RUIN. I AM NOT EVEN SURE IF HARMONY CAN BE THAT MIXTURE ANYMORE, NOT WITH WHAT I KNOW. BUT I DIGRESS. NO, I AMSOMETHING ELSE. A LAMENTATION FOR THE WORLD.”

“… Why are you here?” the two whispered, almost together.

“BECAUSE I NEED PEOPLE LIKE YOU. I AM A COMBINATION OF TWO SHARDS; I HAVE SIMILAR DIFFICULTIES IN ACTING ALONE. BUT YOUYOU SHARE MUCH OF ME. THE COMPASSION OF FALEAST, THE RUTHLESSNESS OF ARARAASH. MERCY AND AMBITION. AND YET, YOU MANAGE TO WORK TOGETHER TOWARD A COMMON GOAL. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I… LACK, TO SOME DEGREE.”

“I HAVE A VISION. ONE WHERE THE WORLD IS FREE, THE HATRED AND PAIN SWEPT UNDER A BLOODY RUG. AND SO, I NEED SOMEONE TO HELP MAKE THAT FUTURE. A HARBINGER. OR HARBINGERS. I CAN USE MY ABILITIES TO DIRECT YOU, GET YOU PLACES THAT YOU NORMALLY COULD NOT ACCESS, AND OUT OF PLACES YOU COULD NORMALLY NOT SURVIVE. YOU CAN BUILD YOUR OWN SKILLS AND GATHER INVESTED ARTS, AND I WILL PROVIDE THE BASE INVESTITURE FOR YOU TO FUEL IT.

“MORE IMPORTANTLY, I CAN CONNECT YOU TWO TOGETHER WITH THAT SPIKE OF YOURS, AND CREATE A BOND STRONGER THAN ANY METAL. YOU WILL NEVER LOSE EACH OTHER, OR LOSE YOURSELVES. AND I CAN RETURN WHAT LITTLE MEMORIES YOU HAVE LOST IN THE MINUTES YOU WERE DISCONNECTED.”

“And… in return, what do we do for you?” said Faleast.

The being – Lamentation – smiled. “IN RETRUN, I TAKE MOST OF THE MEMORIES OF THIS ENCOUNTER. AND GUIDE YOU TO WHERE I NEED YOU TO GO. YOU WILL ACT AS YOU FEEL, MERCIFUL OR AMBITIOUS. IN SHORT… I WILL PLACE YOU IN A POSITION WHERE EVERY ACTION EITHER OF YOU TAKE WILL SERVE ME.”

AraRaash snarled. “I will not be a puppet for you, Shard or not.”

“YOU WILL NOT. I HAVE BEEN WATCHING YOU TWO FOR A LONG TIME, AND CREATED THIS PLAN TO BEST PRESERVE YOUR FREE WILL. SUFFICE IT TO SAY, I AM ABLE TO PREDICT WHAT ACTIONS YOU WILL TAKE, GIVEN WHAT SITUATION YOU ARE PLACED IN. THOSE ACTIONS ARE STILL YOUR OWN. IF I HAVE NOWHERE TO PLACE YOU, YOU ARE FREE TO DO AS YOU PLEASE.”

“And you swear this? I… am unfamiliar with Shards,” Faleast said. Some part of him realized he and AraRaash were still on their knees, giving veneration to Harmony. Perhaps that was for the best; this Shard seemed much more… dangerous than Harmony. But he was also asking to be their… God.

“I SWEAR, I HAVE NOT BEEN UNTRUTHFUL TO YOU. IT WILL BE AS I HAVE SAID. SHARDS CAN BE DISHONEST, BUT THEY CANNOT BREAK A SWORN OATH. ARARAASH KNOWS THIS.” And the kandra nodded in agreement. “BUT IF YOU WISH TO BREAK THE AGREEMENT AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE… I CAN RELEASE THE BOND, IF YOU AGREE TO FOREFIT YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF MY PLANS.”

Faleast turned to AraRaash. “So… what do you think? I already had my second chance. I didn’t think I would get a third. May as well make the most of it,” Faleast said. “If you’re alright with it, so am I.”

 

The kandra gave a chilling smile. “It sure seems like a nobler goal than playing the PRE and the Loyalists against each other . Maybe we can actually make some progress in this cosmere. Let’s do it.”

The Shard gave a small chuckle. “THEN THE DEAL IS DONE. YOU WILL NOW BE THE HARBINGERS OF LAMENTATION. YOU WILL WEEP FOR WHAT MUST BE DONEBUT LIKE MYSELF, YOU WILL DO IT ALL THE SAME. YOU HAVE MUCH TO LEARN, AND THERE IS SOMEONE ELSE I PREDICT MAY BE SENSITIVE TO MY CAUSE...”

“How do you mean?” asked Faleast, the corners of his vision starting to fade. The reConnecting must already be happening. They were losing this… vision.

Lamentation laughed – a full, true laugh.

“WHO SAID THAT WE WERE STOPPING AT THE COSMERE?”

Might I ask who exactly is the other person uh... sensitive to your cause?

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3 hours ago, TJ Shade said:

I..may...have developed a taste... for chaos... so maybe.. expect this... in the future? :P Right, I've got to actually go read the last 4 pages or so, and see if I have something to respond. 

The true horror of the AG: the number of players it sent down the path of raw chaos. Once you start down the path of chaos, forever will it dominate your destiny...

I heard a sound...as though a bloodthirsty voice and a voice of starlight had cried out in fear and were abruptly silenced :ph34r:

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I ʜᴏᴘᴇ I ᴡɪʟʟ ɢᴏ ᴛᴏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʟɪᴇs ʙᴇʏᴏɴᴅ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ...

Flash.

He was floating in the air. Empty space, a blackness, encompassed him.

Flash.

“You will be destroyed?”

Yᴇs.

Flash.

"Stormfather?”

Silence.

Flash.

He curled up into a ball and cried...


A Few Moments Later 

Brockett didn't know how long he stayed there. Time was meaningless for him, but that didn't mean it wasn't there.

Roshar was gone.

The Stormfather... was gone.

"Honor is dead." he whispered. "The last fragment of Honor, gone."

"And I killed him."

He shivered. Flashes of the moment of collapse flew through his mind, an unstoppable reply of that horrible, beautiful moment. He had truly been Ruin, then. Now, in the after, he was Brockett. Just Brockett. He had felt the Shard truly merge with his soul, them becoming one. That terrified him. So Brockett forced Ruin's power into a corner. Wound it up in his spiritweb, locked it with a Cognitive key, and dissolved it into nothing. Never again would he touch the power. Not fully. He would always be a Shard, but he couldn't be Ruin.

Eventually he stood. But... stood where?

The Spiritual Realm was strange, he discovered. 

Brockett floated, a piece of Adonalsium numbed completely. He turned off all feeling of anything, running away from that doomed planetary remains. He floated for seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries- until he was as far off into the Nothing as a being could get.

It then happened almost sneakily. Brockett felt something inside him, and after having hidden away all feeling he nearly didn't recognise the sensation. A warmth. It felt good, reminding Brockett of better days. He nearly smiled.

Light grew from... somewhere. Whether it was from him or from something else, he didn't know, but the Spiritual Realm was strange. And then... a voice.

Yᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅ ᴡᴇʟʟ, Aᴀʀᴇɴ.

Arren. Brockett hadn't heard that in a very, very long time. His first name. He hated it, but from this voice it was somehow alright.

"Stormfather?" Brockett asked. But as soon as he spoke it, he knew the answer. This voice was far greater than the Stormfather's was.

Nᴏ, ᴄʜɪʟᴅ. Bᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪs ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴅᴇᴍɴɪɴɢ. Yᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅ ᴡᴇʟʟ.

"Did I?" Brockett asked. "The Stormfather is dead. Honor is dead."

Hᴏɴᴏʀ ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ ᴀs ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀs ʜᴇ ʟɪᴠᴇs ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛs ᴏғ ᴍᴇɴ. A sᴛʀᴏɴɢ ᴍᴀɴᴛʀᴀ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴛʀᴜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀs ᴡᴇʟʟ.

Brockett blinked. "Say that again." He whispered.

Hᴏɴᴏʀ ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ sᴏ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀs ʜᴇ ʟɪᴠᴇs ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛs ᴏғ ᴍᴇɴ. Aɴ ʏᴏᴜ, Aʀʀᴇɴ, ʜᴏʟᴅ Hᴏɴᴏʀ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ.

"I hold Ruin in my heart." Brockett said. "But I locked it away. To not break anything else."

Yᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴɴᴏᴛ ᴅᴇɴʏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ. Hɪᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ Sʜᴀʀᴅ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ɪᴛ ᴡᴏʀsᴇ. Yᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ, Aʀʀᴇɴ. Iᴛ ᴅᴏᴇs ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴜsᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴘᴜʀᴇ ᴅᴇsᴛʀᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ ᴜsᴇ ɪᴛ ᴀs sᴜᴄʜ.

Arren found himself nodding. He let Ruin emerge, reluctantly allowing the power to reconnect with him. "Thank you."

Oғ ᴄᴏᴜʀsᴇ.

But Arren had one more question. "If I may ask... who are you?"

If the light could smile, Arren felt it do so. Is ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʀᴜʟʏ ᴀ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ ᴀɴsᴡᴇʀᴇᴅ?

The light grew, and Arren found that he could not see. His mind went blank, but he felt peace.


Iᴛ ɪs ʟɪᴋᴇʟʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ɪs ɴᴏᴡʜᴇʀᴇ. Bᴜᴛ sᴏ ʙᴇ ɪᴛ.

Flash.

The power of destruction burst forth, a black animal of smoke surging from his form and sinking into the ground.

Flash.

Silence.


Arren opened his eyes. He was back where it started. Roshar. Or, rather, the space Roshar once had inhabited. But he had just drifted for what had felt like, been like, an eternity. That he knew. The voice returned to him. Had it all... not occured? Had it been a fragment of his mind?

Or had the piece of Adonalsium inside of him... Connected with Arren in a way that lacked reason even to divinity?

Whatever the case was, Arren felt better. Honor is not dead, he thought.

The Father is Merciful. Arren turned his eyes and mind and soul inward, to Ado's fragment. He looked out into the cosmere, knowing that the rest of his existence would be unlike what he could ever dream. He knew that while painful, destroying Roshar had brought peace to Autonomy and likely everything that had ever inhabited the universe. He knew the Stormfather would affirm his choice. He knew Honor was alive, he knew the Stormfather was happy.

"The Father is Merciful."

Sir Arren Brockett launched himself into the cosmere with Ruin's power, content with what had happened. And for the first time in as long as he could ever remember, happy.

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Captain Merros had had a really, really bad week.

She had been called in every single day to arrest someone or investigate some sort of murder or another. That wasn't even counting the trip to first of the sun where a giant dragon had gotten several of her PD members killed.

She set her stuff down in her office and let out a deep sigh. At least that string of murders had finally been solved. Just another day in the never ending-

What was that?

Her wall hadn't looked like that before, had it? Was she seeing things?

Merros dismissed it. It had been a long week, she was just probably delusional from all that stress. She began to work on filing that report, but stoped again. She could have sworn that something was... moving?

Suddenly the wall rippled, the colors changing to reveal a large, green-blue dragon with forked horns.

"It's awfully easy to trick the Silverlight PD" she hissed, and then bit Merros's head off.

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Okay I do have somethings to respond to, basically agreeing with Quinn's post here. Maybe there were aggressive players before and hence Wilson is used to strong language when something frowned upon is observed. Maybe there was a time when such players needed harsh words to show what they're doing is wrong. Almost half of the players in the list joined after Wilson played her previous game. I might be making some assumptions here. If so, I apologize. But these are good players who just got caught up in the moment of the game, and such harsh words were not necessary, especially on their first infraction, and they could have been made understood in a milder tone. Saying stuff like "I'm not giving this player a role again" is a bit too much, in my opinion. I would never have thought Ventyl as Dingo, because all my previous experiences playing with him were good. 

On 1/25/2021 at 10:09 PM, Ashbringer said:

Turns out Taupe had accidentally outed me to Autonomy.

I'm assuming this means Invention? I didn't have contact with any elims other than you and Swan :P 

On 1/25/2021 at 10:30 PM, Araris Valerian said:

So my two greatest mistakes were poisoning Axolotl (who I tunneled on for several cycles without telling anyone), and then poisoning Gorilla. I hit Gorilla for 3 reasons; I thought they were Claincy and it would be funny, I was miffed that they asked me to roleclaim, and I thought it might give me some leverage if people tried to vote me out. I felt bad about this pretty quickly after it happened, and probably wouldn’t do it again, especially when the whole blackmail thing came out of the bag.

 I had submitted the action to kill you the turn I had both Odium and Autonomy. Realising it would have taken out Axl and Gorilla.. interesting. Not sure, but I think Gorilla had completed his wincon by then. I keep thinking how the game would have developed had I not claimed to Mouse and he managed to talk about doing... odonomous things :P

21 hours ago, Elbereth said:
  • Autonomy should be able to roleblock during the day, probably. Everyone else can

No, not probably. Definitely :P I don't get this partiality against Autonomy's roleblock! I was happy I could roleblock Flamingo's UP and they say I can't -.- :P 

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3 minutes ago, TJ Shade said:

I keep thinking how the game would have developed had I not claimed to Mouse and he managed to talk about doing... odonomous things :P

I can tell you there's a high chance I'd have just camped on Roshar, prayed for rain, and then had an ethical crisis on whether it was really okay to take down half the game with me, and then sighed and quietly did nothing for the rest of the game :P 

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16 minutes ago, TJ Shade said:

"I'm not giving this player a role again"

No wait but like in half seriousness wilson if you don't wanna ever give me a power role again like I am A-okay with that because roles that affect other people seriously stress me out so :P

I also like having the freedom of being vanilla and doing whatever not worrying that I'm losing town a good role.

Hey! plus since you outright said that, I now have no fear of being NKd in one of your games because the Elims will know I'm not a powerful role! ;)

Edited by Illwei
I know, for all my complaining of being vanilla these past games smh past illwei doesn't mean it
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1 minute ago, Kasimir said:

I can tell you there's a high chance I'd have just camped on Roshar, prayed for rain, and then had an ethical crisis on whether it was really okay to take down half the game with me, and then sighed and quietly did nothing for the rest of the game :P 

How did that work out in the beginning of the game? You would have tried, failed miserably and get pulled in again. :P 

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1 minute ago, TJ Shade said:

How did that work out in the beginning of the game? You would have tried, failed miserably and get pulled in again. :P 

I was planning to play this game low-key, rather than partly engaging revenge mode for STINK. You, Invention, and Illwei more or less got me involved :P Next time, I'm ignoring your PMs when I want a quiet game >>

Edit: If it wasn't for arguing in-thread with you, I wouldn't have legged it to Shadesmar - as it was, I was seriously considering just camping on Roshar and lurking with RP :P 

Edited by Kasimir
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Congratulations to the Children of Adonalsium for breaking the elim win streak! This was a great game despite the disasters that popped up along the way. Congratulations again to those who won non-Sanderson passes. I look forward to another anniversary game.

As always, if anyone would like to try their hand at running a game, please get ahold of Wilson, Devotary of Spontaneity, Elbereth, Araris Valerian, or myself, or post in the GM Signups & Discussion ThreadNot only will we get you added to the list, but we'd also be more than willing to help out in any way we can. 

You can also ask questions and get some hints and feedback from everyone in our Art of Game Creation thread. With all the games that we've run so far, we have plenty of experienced GMs that can help you refine any game you're thinking about. If you would rather keep some detail secret, or are self-conscious about posting in thread (there's really no need to be; while we do slaughter each other, we are very polite about it), then I'm sure one of our fantastic committee members (Amanuensis, STINK, Sart, Fifth Scholar, Straw, Haelbarde, and Young Bard) would be more than willing to help you out in private.

Thanks again to everyone that played, and we look forward to killing seeing you in future games! :ph34r:

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