Endgame: Discussion

[lifeaftr_mods]

ENDGAME: DISCUSSION

Who: The gods...and you
What: The gods have a discussion with themselves, each other, and all you adventurers
When: May 3rd to May 17th
Where: Primarily Ensō
Warnings: Please mark anything as it comes up!

Keep Me In Your Clouded Mind

So, by now you're probably aware that things have shifted massively in the past few days. The Historian has arrived on LifeAftr's shores to spill a few mountains' worth of beans, and now all of you are stuck having to deal with it. But that doesn't mean that you're going to need to make this discussion alone.

The fate of LifeAftr - and the fate of all of you - is now in your hands. And while all of you decide what you will about how you plan to deal with that, the gods are busy having a long overdue familial argument. Consider this log a catch-all for you to discuss the fate of LifeAftr among yourselves, react to the various revelations, ask the gods questions, or just sit and eat some popcorn while they argue amongst themselves.

Remember - you have until May 10th to come up with any solutions that other player characters can vote on.

So think long and hard about where you want things to end up.

But Now the Stars Have spoken

Of course, you are always free to create your own individual logs and posts as needed. You may also use this log for characters to discuss and react to things with each other and argue amongst themselves; consider it a catch-all for IC endgame discussion.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them over on the Questions header on our Endgame Rundown post! If you come up with a solution that enough player characters agree can be voted upon and that is feasible for endgame, be sure to drop it on the Voting header on our Endgame Rundown post once voting opens!

Endgame Timeline

[ ♆ ] May 3rd: Discussion regarding the fate of LifeAftr begins.
[ ♆ ] May 10th: Voting for endgame begins.
[ ♆ ] May 17th: Voting for endgame ends.
[ ♆ ] May 20th: Preparations for endgame begin, and you deal with the fallout of any decisions.
[ ♆ ] May 31st: Endgame begins and lasts into June.

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( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[thankgods]

[ To them, the Storyteller is always a petulant child. ]

BECAUSE YOU HAVE TRIED OVER AND OVER, AND THE FATE OF THIS WORLD HAS NOT ALTERED EVEN ONCE. THE ENDING IS INEVITABLE. [ The slightest of pauses. ] IT MUST BE INEVITABLE.

[ They don't think of it as being tired, as being weighed down by the endlessly looping history of the world. It is a concept so far removed from their perception that it barely comes into consideration.

But it's there, all the same. That crack in an impassive facade; they want to stop. To end. At last. ]

[story_teller]

It's inevitable because you say it is, you mean. What if - what if we didn't need you?

[They step forward, emboldened by the question.]

What if we could leave you behind? Not prolong you, not prolong anything else, but...but spare the people who want sparing?

[thankgods]

[ Leave it to the Storyteller to come up with something entirely strange. ]

BY SUGGESTING SUCH, YOU PROLONG THE EXISTENCE OF THOSE WHO SHOULD NOT HAVE COME HERE, TO THE RUINS OF THIS NEAR-LIFELESS WORLD.

DO YOU TRULY THINK YOU HAVE SUCH POWER?

[story_teller]

With the support of the people who were brought here?

I think I might. I...think I could, yes.

[thankgods]

The same people you crystalised, in a past iteration?

[The Water at last speaks up, where before this moment they'd been seemingly content to remain silent.]

Do not think that escaped my notice, Mnerim. Those "quartzalcoatl" were your doing in a previous loop. What was it you called them? "Hard-hearted?" Who knew your words could have such power.

Just as you doomed Stori's people to choke on their flowery words for generations.

[story_teller]

I know what I did. I know what I did to them. I can't change that now. I can't...

[The Storyteller's head bows for a moment. The flowers twined around their antlers stir faintly in the breeze.]

I was angry, and I lashed out. The Historian's people called my efforts to preserve the world abominable, and yet they came through to LifeAftr regardless. What say you to your people's hypocrisy, Stori?

[thankgods]

THEY WISHED TO LIVE. AS MORTALS OFTEN DO. SOMETHING I AM SURE YOU UNDERSTAND.

I CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR...DESPERATE MEASURES.

[ Their voice is unwavering, distant.

(But just a little less than before, markedly so. Without worshippers, what is any god but a primordial force? It isn't so easy to separate their actions from their people's.

History still goes on without their people. But they have never forgotten the first.)

So, it's a little bit of a low blow. A crack in that impassive armor. ]

[story_teller]

So, what? They're an acceptable loss to you? They don't matter? They lived - they are no memories! They are generations of followers that worshipped you. That obeyed your will!

[It's a chink in the armor, the tiniest bit of hesitation, but it's enough. It's enough for the Storyteller to pursue it, perhaps recklessly, perhaps inadvisably, but pursue it nonetheless.]

[What do they have to lose?]