Finale

[Telas]

I was spent last night at the end of the session, so I didn't get to the speech I wanted to.

As the Lord of Slaughter fell, the Couatl came out of her trance, and the two shimmering vortices collapsed.  She opened her eyes and spoke to each of your minds.  

"Congratulations, heroes.  You have achieved victory, and won back your world.  Your names and actions will be remembered in prayer and song for ages.  For this was your fight, for your world.  The High Table and their agents may have guided your steps, but the decisions and actions were yours alone.  And that is how things will be, from now until the Reaper's Final Harvest, should you wish it.  

When the Cube is complete, the days of the Gods and Demon Lords walking the Urth will pass, although their faithful may seek their power and guidance still.  But this is now your time, earned by your own labor and your own sacrifice.  Make of it what you will.  

Of sacrifice, you already know much.  May you accept mine."  

And with that, she collapsed into the Positive Tile.  The shimmering walls holding back the forces of the Dark One collapsed as well, and as legions of Shepherds, Undead, and Demons raced towards you, the Nameless Elf completed the Cube.  With but a thought, the walls between the planes were strengthened, and the Dark One was cut off from the Plane Prime.  Shepherds and Undead collapsed into a jumble of decaying corpses, while Demons blinked right out of existence.  

And when the Nameless Elf looked down at the Cube, it too was gone.

Welcome to the next evolution, and thank each of you for playing in my campaign.  

[Jake Tejchma]

Sincere thanks for asking me to join.  As we left the last game, Flynn said I was welcome at his table anytime, and would extend an invite in the near future.  That was really appreciated, and I'll take him up on it at some point in the future.

I'm not so sure that I would have ever played a tabletop RPG, simply because I hadn't before, and my time was consumed elsewhere.  The experience you and the party provided showed me another side of the whole that is gaming.  I learned quite a bit (about gaming, social interaction or lack thereof, and about myself); it was a positive experience for me, certainly.  I hope that I was, honestly, an addition to the table, and made the end of this campaign a better experience for everyone else, than it would have been without me.

That being said, I will certainly do a few things differently next time.  At the top of that list: I'll learn the mechanics of the game better from the outset and create my character accordingly (rather than having an idea and sticking to it), and I'll let people be people (regardless of my emotions and my desire to be that Type A I inherently am).  Hopefully that second part didn't become a distraction with Alex at the table, and including my personal interactions with you.

Let me know when a delivered meal might be in order, I make some mean casserole-style dishes that can be frozen and reheated when your time with the Baby allows.

Thanks again, it was an experience I'll remember in perpetuity.

Jake

[Jake Tejchma]

And with that, if anyone has any questions, let me know.

That includes you, Alex... and your Wall of Bones.  ;)

[Alex Johnson]

I feel like I'm being singled out....  I don't recall any rough moments at the table with you.  I always had fun with your role playing.  You brought a good sense of humor and more "in character" choices than we usually make.  I'm generally more attuned to the mechanics of my character than the description and hindrances I gave him, to which I'm perpetually disappointed since I think I come up with interesting characters...I just don't remember to play them that way.  So did we have any tooth-grinding moments I didn't pick up on, Jake?  BTW, my first character in Kurt's game also was mechanics-naive and played-to-plan instead of what worked best.  I don't fault anyone from making bad choices.  I try to point out what is most helpful for the group as a whole, but I hope everyone understands that's all I do.  The choice still belongs to you, ultimately.  And like Flynn, you are welcome to game at my table anytime, too.  I just don't have a game at my table and I think my table will be moving rather far away soon....

It was a genuine pleasure gaming with all of you.  Especially glad Kurt invited you to play, Jake.

Alex

...as Kaeden, priest of the Radiance (positive energy magic, lousy fighter, but charismatic and tough)

...as Klendathu, the wild man (nature magic, pet bugs, and an underplayed dementia)

...as Thoth, the bone/curse necromancer (negative energy magic, no offensive abilities, but super-optimized skills)

[Jake Tejchma]

My issues weren't, and aren't, a big deal.  If you care to continue the conversation, we can do so in private, but I don't think there's anything you or I will gain from it.  Gaming at a table was new to me, and it had some nuances that took me some time and required some adjustment on my behalf.

I'd hate for this to overshadow the great game that Kurt ran, and the wonderful experience you all provided me in my first tabletop experience.

Cheers,

Jake

[Keith Sealy]

I don't have much to add.  I generally agree with most of the comments everyone else has made.  There were perhaps small details, both in my own character building and in the overall game/setting, I might have changed.   But, the balance was heavily on the side of a great game.  I had a great time and I hope to do it again with this group.

See everyone next week for my one shot. 

Keith

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From: Alex Johnson <comp...@gmail.com>
To: after-the...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sat, May 7, 2011 4:12:08 PM
Subject: Re: [After the Darkness] Finale