[b][i]I notice that neither are YOU. It would be terribly inconvenient to discover that you, too, are succumbing to the weakness of hesitation. Particularly after insisting on so much meddling editorial input upon my masterful final work, to assuage the concerns that you and The Scribe shared about so-called loopholes. You hound me and taunt me about my inability to sway your heartless associates… hhhh… hhhggghh… and yet I wonder if you, too, are planning to disappoint me, the way that I have been a disappointment to you. For the record, oh insufferable Autumn Oracle, I have not been idle. My scripts are nearly complete, with your revisions incorporated. Writing has gone much more smoothly, now that the students of Hope have shared the secret of The Scribe’s incredible caffeine potions! And in case your fellow Mystics remain unwilling to assist us, I have been investigating other options for powering our Narrative alongside The Artificer... But whatever the puzzling source of her unusual abilities, even after I leant my own thaumatech to augment and investigate her designs, that power does not seem to be able to replace the thaum signatures of Azophi, Lethe, Kallinikos, and the Unmaker… Indeed, though there are notable similarities to their powers visible in the armor and clothing that The Artificer creates, it is not analogous to theirs. So we can draw on those untested abilities if we absolutely must, but I cannot predict what the outcome will be… Our time is short, and growing ever shorter. I barely have the power to maintain the costuming gifts in my Halloweave Temple beyond one midnight more. You and your association with the Unmaker – the Goddess of Autumn, the Goddess of Fall – may ultimately prove to be one of our only advantages. To rehearse your Role, you need merely to channel her, as you have for so many years… So why have you been shutting out your prophecies? Don’t tell me that you have suddenly become alarmed by the Gods. When an aspect of the Goddess of Autumn is summoned for our Narrative, she will be far less imposing than usual, far more human than you have ever encountered her – so why the hesitation? I do hope that you haven’t had a sudden attack of piety–[/b][/i]

Hardly. … The revelations in [b][item]The Book of A.U.T.U.M.N.[/item][/b] were clarifying but unsurprising. “Project data is provided within for the final application of Anticipatory Ulterior Tactics for Unlawful Maneuver Neutralization…” “Supplemental thaumatech is needed to provide Project S.U.M.M.E.R. with time to quell the masses. For the sake of preventing excessive use of force, analytical tracking of all non-members will be used with predictive models to isolate key individuals before they can commit illegal acts of treason against A.G.A.I.N.” “Our work is for the betterment of all, and a proactive approach to pacifying dissenters before they can incite rebellion will benefit everyone in the end…” And so on. So many words to state the obvious: She was their spymaster. And their assassin. Her project seems to have focused on using prediction to find specific people and kill them before they could incite riots and revolts… Even spying on all of you, apparently. No wonder her legacy left behind prophecies that echo the Remnant founders' words and hint at our future fates. Prophecies that… I admit it. I haven’t been seeking them out. Or… letting them seek ME out. … I have been an atheist for a long time, Narrator. I’ve known in my heart that none of you were really divine. But. As vindicating as it was to learn that our “Gods” were only human, I… wasn’t prepared for their… humanity. … I’ve spent so much time with them as an abstract notion, or a concrete inconvenience. Possessed by them. Listening to them. Letting their sentences speak through me, so I could collect the snippets and sort through the scraps, finding things that could help people. So it’s been… harder. Than expected. Learning the details of all their messy flawed individuality. The things that made them people. Because. I actually… care about people.

[b][i]… Everything IS easier, isn’t it, when there is some… distance. … I suppose I can begin to dissect this inconvenient plot twist by confirming your conclusions about The Unmaker. Or we could call her former self Autumn, if you prefer. Her true name was unmade along with the rest of reality. She was the last of the Peacekeepers to join their ranks – but she was the most distant and terrifying of all of them, even then. The spider at the center of an endlessly-woven web. Eyes always watching. Ears always listening. Hands always ready on the threads, to strike a precise killing blow that none could predict… She always kept herself at a cold, judgmental distance, even from the rest of A.G.A.I.N. Little wonder that she was avoided by nearly everyone, save from the Peacekeepers… hhh… and Althea, naturally. For we all felt that –[/b][/i]

Wait. Althea – as in, the founder of Hope University? What does she have to do with this? Speak plainly. [i]No monologues.[/i]

[b][i]Oh, am I truly the one who gets to deliver this delicious twist of heartbreak? Did your prophetic ramblings never give you the slightest little hint? Poor sweet students of Hope; I suppose it’s only fair that they be disappointed in their heroes like all the rest of you. I regret only that, with the stakes as high as they are, I won’t get to relish the reveal. Yes, Althea – your “Lost Goddess of Wisdom” – was the Unmaker’s closest companion outside of the Peacekeepers. The Unmaker even had some insipid little diminutive nickname for her. Those two were as inseparable as they were unapproachable… After all, it was Althea’s Project W.I.S.D.O.M. that selected the members of A.G.A.I.N. “Worldwide Intelligence Selection by Discerning Objective Metrics” – and she was discerning indeed. She projected a kindly façade of helpful, bustling, loving leadership… But we all knew there was a ruthless, calculating, vicious intelligence snarling beneath her soft exterior. And woe be to any who fell afoul of her. Naturally, her prestigious project gave Althea quite the level of insight and oversight over our organization… and that awareness made her a terrifying pair with the spymaster assassin who so frequently graced her side –[/b][/i]

HOW is this intended to help, Narrator.

[b][i]Argh, again with the unceasing interruptions! I was nearly at the crux of my argument! Hhh… Hhhhn… It’s the hint of the Unmaker’s humanity that haunts you, is it not? That keeps you unwilling to transform and commit yourself fully to our dress rehearsal? So I am merely demonstrating that, from her choice of companions to her choice of actions, Autumn was barely human, even at the time. And what she later became is something that neither of us wish to meet. … Get your script pages ready, Autumn Oracle – our dress rehearsal is next week. I cannot keep my hold on this mortal coil much longer. And if I have still failed to convince the rest of the Mystics before that point, then you and I will need to figure out a backup plan… Or let The Unmaker end the world again.[/b][/i] -- [b][url=https://tatteredworld.com/forum_subcategories/86/forum_topics/17549?page=4#reply-325177][Continue to Next Event Post][/url][/b]

Oh my… [b][u]New Event Page Quests![/u][/b] The [b][url=https://tatteredworld.com/events/28]Event Page[/url][/b] has updated, with a new [u]Daily Quest from Princess Celariel![/u]! Complete it daily to get 5 Gems and event points until the next update on [u]November 4th[/u]! [b][u]Last Day for Halloweave Shop![/u][/b] Although our Event is continuing, today is the final date to purchase items from the Mystic of Story’s [b][url=https://tatteredworld.com/npcs/159]Halloweave Temple[/url][/b] and the [b][url=https://tatteredworld.com/npcs/69/exchange]Bank of Hope’s Halloweave Exchange[/url][/b]! Both of them close tomorrow, [u]November 1st at 12:00PM (noon) CHT[/u], so be sure to do all of your final purchases and exchanges before then! It’s also your last chance to do Seeba’s quests in the [b][url=https://tatteredworld.com/events/28?npc_id=68]Abandoned Arcade Event[/url][/b] page tab, to purchase [item]Gummy Bats[/item] from the Hope shopkeepers, and to earn Pumpkin Pails through battling. [b][u]Final Notes[/u][/b] Happy Halloweave! We’ll see you for next week’s Event update on [u]November 4th[/u] - otherwise known as the Dress Rehearsal…

Happy Halloweave everyone!

Show of hands, who is [b]not[/b] surprised to hear that Althea was involved in project shenanigans? *raises hand* Maybe it's because I've only been around here for little more than a year and didn't have much in the way of preconceived notions of her, but I fail to see what the big surprise is supposed to be. Given what we've learned about Spring, Summer and Winter this isn't exactly a plot twist any more, just a continuation of the pattern. Of course, I am not entirely disregarding the possibility that the Narrator has misinterpreted her character, and that she actually was a kind and good leader - but with a horrifyingly poor choice of girlfriend. The Good Girls want Bad Boys trope, except instead of a bad boy it's a murderous spy lady that could unmake us all if we don't get our shirts together.