No, your death won’t be to an empty audience – but it won’t be the performance you’re expecting, either! Valeria, Kosmas, Chrysa, Gallus, Quintina – warriors of the Colosseum, one and all – now’s our chance, c’mon! All our friends from the Stage are here to back us up, and Princess Celariel has her forces ready to defend against the Snarls while we’re taking this on, so let’s give this moment everything we’ve got! Narrator… After last week’s disastrous dress rehearsal, we didn't know what to do. It all felt… hollow. Like all our efforts had been useless, you know? Chrysa was slow to recover, and your S.T.O.R.Y. bubble was as impenetrable as you’d promised. We Mystics had done our best for so long, and… for what? All of you Gods and your deadly legacies, looming so large… and us just struggling mortals, so small and so distant in your regard. The ones who have to keep facing the fallout of all your decisions. Staring up at our own onrushing destruction, knowing what was coming but not what actions to take to stop it. To save ourselves. To save each other… But then Gallus came marching up, and slung his arms around us, and told us to stop hurling ourselves against your shielded stage. He brought us back to his place, and flung his doors open wide to us all - haha, you would not have BELIEVED the feast he managed to throw together! And Quintina sat everyone down together, and showed us the projects that she’d been working on for you, Narrator – how you’d instructed her to pull power out of the Colosseum itself, but then you couldn’t recognize or wield it. And Pythia shared all her transcripts of Chrysa’s prophecies, as many prophecies as she could bring… And we all talked and talked, trying to choose whose mandates we should believe, you know? Should we trust our Gods’ final warning, garbled and confusing as it was, suspicious as their motives might have been? Or should we trust your calculated finale, with all the information you’d given us, weighed against all your deadly dismissal? Was our fate really already set in stone? What did the prophecies mean, by “Unite the Unmade” and “Ye must face the worst if ye wish to see the best?” A warning about something that we couldn't yet understand – “a message more vital than any other,” as they put it? Or just an urgent gambit to help Specter rip apart the world and restore all the Peacekeepers to life, so they could resume their reign of terror? And you, Narrator… Scribe hadn’t prematurely ended your transformation, so you couldn’t be fully seeking to harm us, but you were so clearly leaving things out of your Narrative! The Graveyard Kith who attacked you during our last conversation couldn't or wouldn't speak to me afterwards… But it was clear they desperately wanted something from you, something you had no plans to give them, something that you never bothered to hint at or mention… So what else had you chosen to conceal, to try to sway the story in your favor? Should we try to intervene and stop the script of your Narrative? How could we even do it if we wanted to? You were right – we’d signed over the Peacekeeper’s thaum signatures to you. And without them, we Mystics had no hope of transforming again… But then… As we shared what our experiences had been over the past few weeks, laughing over desserts and crying into cups and holding space for each other through the anger and grief and fear… picking apart everything that you’d told us and hadn’t told us, weighing the words of this crushing new prophecy, comparing notes with each other… We realized that there was another question. A question we hadn’t ever asked. A question that [i]you[/i] taught us to ask, Narrator, without even knowing… What story did WE want to tell? And for me…! I don’t know the motives underlying your stories about the Golden Age, for you and your brethren… But I don’t need to. Because I know what lies at the heart of our stories in the Golden Colosseum – in our myths that guide us, that surround us with tales of love and protection and devotion and collaboration… Our myths, which tell us that people can always, always, [i]always change![/i] You have shown us your own story, your own moments of panicked realization, your own desire to rescue the world by creating something completely new from the depths of the apocalypse… And you did, Narrator. You created the Shadow Stage, and all of the Thespians who live there! You created something beautiful, that will survive you and surpass you… But “ye are not the only one who sought to save.” Are you? Chrysa’s prophecy spoke of other desperate final moments, of other transformations… The Peacekeepers did horrible things, and I can carry that sorrow with me as I honor the countless people that they harmed. But so, too, I can recognize the seeds that they planted in these ashes, and celebrate what grew from them. Their Colosseum. OUR Colosseum! An entire Remnant built on transformation, on restoration, on people who work hard for each other, who show up for each other, who laugh and grieve and argue and adore each other! “LIVES LIVED WITH LOVE DESPITE, DESPITE!” It must have been so painful for you… I’m sorry. After your whole life of chasing what the Peacekeepers and A.G.A.I.N. had, I can’t imagine how it must have hurt to realize that they’d gotten what you wanted most in the afterlife, too. It makes sense that you’d be bitter and angry, you know? But what you wanted most is the key that we needed. You’ve showed it to us over and over, in your own attempts to shape the Narrative that will outlive you. Whoever Azophi, Lethe, Kallinikos, and Autumn [i]were[/i] is not as important as what their unmade fragments have become [i]now[/i]. Our Gods are not concrete people, not any more – they are something far beyond, far more powerful. They are built of our myths, built by our community and our culture and our faith - and through that faith, we will all continue to build this community, in war and in peace alike! If there’s a different way through this Bad End, a different perspective, we can find it together! We'll adapt it [i]together![/i] And that’s MY story – [i]and nothing can take that from me![/i] [center][img]https://tatteredweave.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/forum_attachment/attachment/4953/finale-zephyr.jpg[/img][/center] Hahaha! Ahh! I’M BACK!

[b][i]What! How have you transformed?! That’s not possible! You gave me Lethe’s thaum signature! What is this – this do-gooder deus ex machina?! STOP APPLAUDING, you insipid fools! This isn't some heroic plot twist, it's a plot [/i]hole![i] NO ONE BUT I CAN USE LETHE’S POWER![/i][/b]

HAH! Weren’t you listening? Zephyr gave you LETHE’S powers, not SPRING’S powers! And I let you use the abilities of Kallinikos… But like I said… THAT’S NOT SUMMER! [center][img]https://tatteredweave.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/forum_attachment/attachment/4952/finale-summer.jpg[/img][/center] Summer is at my side when I swing my axe, when I save a life, when I turn my weary face to the sky after a drawn-out battle! And I know, I KNOW that I’ve done good in Summer’s name! Because I’ve seen what happens when the Snarls run unchecked! I know that each time my blade lands a blow, that means one more person who can sleep at night… One more child who is saved from the monsters’ jaws… One more soldier in my squad who’ll make it home safe… So Kallinikos and the Peacekeepers – yeah, they were people that you knew, Narrator. But they are NOT the Goddess of Spring, the God of Summer, and the God of Winter – not even the Goddess of Autumn! OUR Gods were BORN in the Colosseum! OUR MYTHS FORGED THEM INTO LIFE! The Peacekeepers’ thaumatech may belong to you now… but our Gods remain! The Peacekeepers are gone – BUT OUR GODS ARE EVERYWHERE! After hearing your stories, after losing my transformation, I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to prove that I wasn’t failing my Gods, because… because I was afraid of what would happen if the Gods were failing us... But maybe Gods have to fail in order to grow, just like us mortals! Just like you, too, Narrator, and all the ways you screwed up! SO DON'T BE ASHAMED TO ADMIT THAT YOU GOT THINGS WRONG! Didn’t you hear what Summer said with His fancy words? Our Colosseum was built on the back of all Their mistakes… “wreckage reforged into risen righteousness!” So stop doubling down on your past plans of attack, Narrator! It’s okay to have regrets! You know why? Because it means that AT LEAST YOU TRIED! AT LEAST YOU’RE STILL TRYING! And by the strength of Summer - I’M ALWAYS GONNA KEEP TRYING, TOO! YEAH!!! I don’t need to have a heaven waiting for me to know my purpose on this earth! But in my heart, I still know that it exists – that I’ll see everyone I’ve lost again someday! And in the meantime, they live on in my heart – and in my will TO LIVE! I won’t let you or the Peacekeepers or anyone else shake my doubt in that ever again! And if that means we need to fight our way through the worst before that promised "best" ending is possible – THEN BRING IT ON!

MAN, it‘s good to see you two back in action! Wish I had a catchy quote or two that I could reference like the rest of you, but I gotta be real, during Chrysa’s big prophecy monologue I was really not following all those garbled words, haha. Mostly was just thinking about what to cook into a hearty meal to help her recover after she snapped back to herself. Now, I’m not sure about all this new stuff about the Gods maybe being made of myths, or all this fuss over whether or not they’re the same as the Peacekeepers... But hey, not like I ever knew much about the Gods before, anyway! Abstract or not, people or not, warning us or dooming us or none of the above – eh, doesn’t really change my day-to-day? I’m still just gonna be here like always, keeping my doors open and my arms open for all the folks I love! [center][img]https://tatteredweave.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/forum_attachment/attachment/4949/finale-gallus.jpg[/img][/center] But you, Narrator, I do have a thing or two to say to you – all this justification and desperate action, trying to [i]demand[/i] redemption? Pushing so hard is just gonna keep pushing people away. I mean, trying to steal the Mystics’ powers so you could set up some kinda giant rescue that they weren’t even sure they wanted anymore? Not a good look, dude! You want some sort of absolution in a big sweeping ending, I get it… but man, didn’t anyone ever tell you not to read the reviews? What happened, happened. You did what you did. At the end of the day, either you’re okay with yourself, or you’re not! Folks are gonna gossip either way! So if you’re still gonna help us after all this, don’t do it to try to rewrite your past. Do it ‘cause you want to help us choose our own future! By the way, I’d decided I was a fan of your plan. I’m never gonna shame anyone who wants to skip out on the fighting entirely... Had enough of that pressure growing up, all the guilt trips and the expectations, and I’m never going back to that. But also? Not gonna pretend I have any idea what’s really going on behind the scenes, or act like I know how to prevent this big onrushing wave of bullshit… But, I dunno, man, maybe sometimes there are things we gotta face head-on anyway? Maybe you’re right, and I’m just a minor supporting character with a partial transformation… but I’m gonna keep showing up and [i]supporting[/i] as best I can! What can I say, haha? Even if I can only do things half-assed, I’m half an ass that the world didn’t have on its side before!

Hey, it’s my turn next! And this time, I don’t have a big presentation planned... but it’s because I wanted to listen to what everyone else wanted to say, first. Narrator... I still hate a bunch of the stuff you did! But... until you showed up, I guess I didn’t realize how much facts could [i]lie?[/i] So when I learned what Azophi did, I kept searching and searching for some new objective truths that I could use to make it all make sense... And then Chrysa had her big prophecy, and I felt even more lost... But maybe sometimes... multiple conflicting truths can all exist at the same time, in different bits and pieces that show different perspectives? Maybe everything is a kind of story. As awful and powerful and complicated as you and the Peacekeepers and the rest of A.G.A.I.N. were... maybe you were all made up of a mix of truths and lies. So I’ll keep trying to sort through all the information, as a “seeker of truth” like the prophecy cited! But... I’ll do it because I want to understand ALL the different versions of people’s personal truths, so I can look at the big picture, and make up my own mind! And my own mind says... that MY story is... If a person is too complex to be any one thing, then a God is too big to be any one person. So I think the God of Winter is made of every fact, every pottery piece, every memory, every star, assembled together into a force who helps shepherd our pasts, even the messy ones… even Azophi’s. And He may not condone the things that Azophi did… but it’s important that we found out about them. That we honor the ugly truths behind our history, and make sure that we don’t repeat them! That’s what I think now – but I’ll keep learning! I’ll keep growing! And maybe I’ll change my mind, and then maybe I’ll change it again – and maybe that’s part of Winter, too! [center][img]https://tatteredweave.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/forum_attachment/attachment/4950/finale-kosmas.jpg[/img][/center] Look! It worked! THAT WORKED! Clearly this is confirmation that I need to restructure ALL of my pottery organizational systems, so that every myth is equally ranked with the rest of its cross-referenced varieties... and then I should prepare a full treatise on the perspective of each person who was telling each version of the story, with historical context – Wait, but first... There’s something that’s way more important than all of that! Way more important than talking to YOU, Narrator! Get out of my way! Quintina...! I… I’M SO SORRY! I’m so sorry I haven’t been paying attention, while you’ve been doing so much and going through so much… I never wanted to make you feel worthless, never ever! I want to be like Timaios, and help you feel understood… I want to be like Menodora and make sure that I’m always listening… But Quintina… I also want to be like YOU! You’re super patient! You’re always kind! You’re good at figuring out patterns and you’re incredibly thoughtful and while we were all freaking out, you just made your decision and stuck with it and showed us all that there was more to the story! And whatever happens next, I know that you’re gonna do great, [i]exactly[/i] as you are – because I’m so, so glad that you’re our Armorer! And our Artificer! AND MY SISTER!

O-oh… Sniff… [i]Kosmas…![/i] [center][img]https://tatteredweave.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/forum_attachment/attachment/4947/finale-hug.jpg[/img][/center] I love you so, s-so much... and I owe you an apology, too. I was too harsh, and I let my frustrations lash out... I’ve come to realize that I had a lot of anger bottled up over the years, and it all spilled out in a rush. You didn’t deserve that. For so long, it seemed that the safest course of action was simply to lock those feelings inside, directing them towards myself and all my flaws… all the things that I perceived as flaws. Because pushing all that festering rage inwards was... easier. Easier than admitting how angry I was at the Gods... For all the times that they ignored me when I needed them most... For letting so many people die with their prayers unanswered… For forcing us to face these terrible choices about Specter and the Scourges and the Narrator and even the Goddess of Autumn, all by ourselves...! But now, I suspect that they weren’t ignoring me at all. I’ve never been able to transform, but as a result, I taught myself skills that have kept so many people safe… skills that let me inspire a new message of faith to the people who needed it most, in their darkest hours! I shouldn’t have had to go through any of the painful things that I did. I didn’t deserve any of it! And it didn’t make me stronger… but it did make me into someone who will always seek to protect others from experiencing that pain themselves. No matter what. Because I’m here now, flaws and all. And my Gods are here with me, flaws and all! Lending Their power so that I can draw it from the earth and water and air of the Colosseum itself, so that I can show all the ways that They have traveled so far beyond Their shadowed mortal pasts! And perhaps that means that there’s yet more that I can do. Perhaps I can continue to draw from my anger and my pain in order to help to save our flawed, beautiful world… Perhaps the Gods have had a deeper plan all along, that I just couldn’t understand. If so... I don’t need to understand. I know who They are. I know who I am.

Well said, everyone. Now. If the inspiring monologues are done -- [highlight=#3B1B3F][color=#F183E6]Pythia: HAH! Not a chance! YOU still need to give a sssspeech![/color][/highlight] …Heh. If I must. [center][img]https://tatteredweave.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/forum_attachment/attachment/4948/finale-chrysa.jpg[/img][/center] For the record, I don’t find the Colosseum’s myths or plants or pottery any more holy than I did before. Sometimes people are capable of seemingly-godlike things. And sometimes people are capable of monstrous things. But that doesn’t make them Gods. And it doesn’t make them monsters. It makes them people. Just people. Making choices, every day. And if we thought that our own choices were difficult before, they certainly felt impossible after that rehearsal. Who to believe, with tyrants on high issuing mandates left and right? But however this ends, Narrator… I’m glad that my prophecies led us to this collaboration with you and your Narrative. And I’m glad that my prophecies warned us not to let you enact it. Contradictory though that may seem. Because it matters to have options. Are we all just pawns of long-dead thaumaticians, no matter what we do? Maybe. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t deserve a chance to play the game. I don’t believe that you know better than our Gods, Narrator – and I don’t believe that they know better than you. And I don’t believe that ANY of you know better than us. Mere mortals though we are. After all, you all already had your chances with the world. It’s ours, now. So. What did we decide to do? We contacted our friends across Remnants, and all of us debated, and all of us considered. We weighed all your words, and all their words… “prophecies persuaded to protect,” as it were. And we weighed our own capabilities. All of our Remnants - the Remnants in Hope’s collective. Hope, again. Isn’t that funny. It looks like you’ve already done most of the Narrative work inside that shielded stage of yours. Your play and its associated magic is already underway. Good. I’ll say my final lines, and we can make this quick. [quote] [i]And so Autumn turned Her wrathful gaze not upon the populace, but upon the Specter who haunted them… and caused the dreadful Dearth of companionship to wrest itself from that Specter’s grip, and tear a hungry hole into her soul![/i] [/quote] “With my inimitable will, I cast out the imitators and break the hold!” [quote] [i]And then Autumn turned Her merciful gaze to Her ever-undead Scourges who sought to wreak havoc upon reality once more, and for once, She let Her regrets wash over them and still their suffering![/i] [/quote] “With what remains of my heart, I grace my Scourges with an eternal rest!” [quote] [i]And then Autumn turned Her final gaze upon Herself…[/i] [/quote] And here’s where the concluding lines would go. The last sentences, preventing the Goddess of Autumn from ever rising again. The threat that seems most impossible to conquer. The fate that would require us to "face the worst…" Except. We know Specter and her story. We know the Scourges and what they can do. We know that we don’t want Specter to succeed, and that removing the Scourges as her weapons will damage and delay her. But when it comes to the Goddess of Autumn, the Unmaker… And, by your own account, when it comes to her closest companion, Althea, and the Remnant of Hope that she left behind… We know that there’s plenty more that we [i]don’t[/i] know. You filled in chapters for us, Narrator, but that’s just shown us how many missing pages there still are. Who are these “Unmade” that we’re supposed to unite? Why [i]did[/i] Autumn choose to become the Unmaker and end the world? What [i]was[/i] F.A.L.L., precisely – and what was H.O.P.E.? So we’re leaving this Narrative open-ended, for now. We’re trusting ourselves to learn more, and discover what those final prophecies meant. We’re waiting to see if the Peacekeepers are just trying to trick us into giving them another chance at life in their Golden Age… Or if the Colosseum’s Gods want their own redemption arc. Just like you. By giving us the choice to find our way to something better.

[b][i]You… Hhh… What have you done? What have you DONE! Leaving this Narrative without an ending – how could you?! Don’t you understand? You’ve DOOMED yourselves without me! Now no matter what you try, you won’t ever be able to achieve a true resolution - you’ll be left looping through your own finale again, and again, and – Hhh… Agghh… Ah… My sight… dimming…[/b][/i][i] My hands… trembling….[/i] As if it is all fading away… No… NO! NOT YET! This – this can’t be all that I get! This can’t be how it ends! I can’t go yet, I’m not – I’M NOT READY! I still have so many ideas to write, I still have tales that I’ve never told, I… I still don’t know what they think of me…! Agggh – AAAAA!! I’m not ready – I can’t die yet – I won't be able to-! [quote] [highlight=#4ae2ee][highlight=#206977][color=#e5ede0][i]But as the Narrator cried out, he realized that, ready or not, the story was indeed coming to a close… And even if his finale meant nothing to the world, it could still mean something to him.[/i][/color][/highlight][/highlight] [/quote] What…? Who… [quote] [highlight=#4ae2ee][highlight=#206977][color=#e5ede0][i]The Narrator had written so many words over the course of his long, long life. Like, a pretty enviable number of words? And maybe those words were enough. And maybe they weren't. But they were HIS words. He’d told his story, in his own voice. He’d stood on stage, one last time, with all the audience’s eyes on him.[/i][/color][/highlight][/highlight] [/quote] [size=10]Scribe… [/size] [quote] [highlight=#4ae2ee][highlight=#206977][color=#e5ede0][i]Maybe he’d done enough to save the Remnants. Maybe he’d done enough to be redeemed in at least some of their eyes. Or maybe he hadn’t. Maybe his actions, his attitude, his assumptions, had condemned him as a villain through and through. But that didn’t matter. Because in his final moments, as the power drained from his vessel’s limbs, as the spotlight began to dim and the house lights began to rise… he understood at last. He’d gotten something so much more than a redemption arc. He’d gotten a character arc.[/i][/color][/highlight][/highlight] [/quote] I… All of it, laid out in front of you... My whole life, from the hopeful beginning to the bitter end... It’s been such a long time… with the show always going on. Always dragging me along. Pulling at my strings… Hhhh… hhh… Villain… Savior... Neither… Both… At least… at least… It all made for a good story… didn't it? [quote] [highlight=#4ae2ee][highlight=#206977][color=#e5ede0][i]The players bow…[/i][/color][/highlight][/highlight] [/quote] And break the hold. [quote] [highlight=#4ae2ee][highlight=#206977][color=#e5ede0][i]The music fades...[/i][/color][/highlight][/highlight] [/quote] To eternal rest… [quote] [highlight=#4ae2ee][highlight=#206977][color=#e5ede0][i]The sound of applause, somewhere, perhaps…[/i][/color][/highlight][/highlight] [/quote] Perhaps… Perhaps… [size=10]I only wanted… … … …[/size] [quote] [highlight=#4ae2ee][highlight=#206977][color=#e5ede0][i]And the Narrator was gone. To never awaken.[/i][/color][/highlight][/highlight] [/quote]

… The End. … Is it safe to approach The Scribe’s unconscious body? …Good. She’s sleeping it off now, but she’ll be fine. I know a thing or two about channeling the Gods, and what it takes out of you. We’ll have plenty of food and drink ready for her when she awakens… Ah. A Veilious is rushing through the crowd, waving a coffee mug. Are you her Kith, then? Don’t worry. There’s plenty of room for you to curl up at her side while you wait for her to wake up. She did well. Sigh… It’s going to take time to process this all. We have some advantages that we didn’t have before. We should finally be able to catch up with Specter and outpace her. And we won’t have the previous Scourges rearing their heads at the worst moment. Not to mention all the new information about the Golden Age that we need to sort through… But things are about to get very tough. Does this mean we’re stuck with a Bad End, or can we figure out a path to the [i]Best[/i] End? Can we really confront the Unmaker, if it comes to that? What did the Narrator mean by his conviction that we won’t ever get a “true” resolution? Well. We don’t know. We’ll just have to find out together. And have faith in ourselves. -- [b][url=https://tatteredworld.com/forum_subcategories/6/forum_topics/17622][Continue to Next Event Post][/url][/b]

And with that, [u]The Narrator’s Final Chapter[/u] event has concluded. But OUR story has not… [b][u]Upcoming Events[/u][/b] Next week, we launch the November-December Site Contest, run by [url=/npcs/52][@The Wolf][/url], for a welcome change of pace. Maybe help her let off some tension with a [u]Kith Design Contest[/u]? And of course, every December we have our annual [b]Closet Cleanout + Wish Upon A Star Event[/b]! Miranda’s collections are under control thanks to our previous efforts, but now it seems that [u]Gloryglint[/u] in the Snow Globe is [i]very[/i] eager to rid herself of some… clutter… This year, December 1st is on a weekend, so the Event start will be announced on [u]Friday, November 29th[/u]! Not to mention that I heard a rumor that, after being inspired by the power of all these stories, the Masterpieces of Gallery Trappings have decided to reveal their innermost artistic thoughts! That’s right – next month, the [b]Gallery Trappings Secret Quests[/b] will be released to everyone who has raised the reputation of D.G., Hue, Chiaroscuro, Mabayui, or Abstracta to Devoted (four hearts). Better do some quests in preparation! [b][u]Narrator Event Feedback, Continuity Updates, and Epilogue[/u][/b] After such a life-changing Event, you can expect some continuity updates to the characters of Tattered World – but these take a lot of time for the writing team to prepare, so they won’t happen until sometime in the future. Similarly, you can look forward to eventual behind-the-scenes unused portrait releases and the return of the Event’s quest-only items in a future update. Never fear, they’ll all be announced in a news post when they’re released! In the meantime, let us know what you thought of our Narrator’s Final Chapter Event by posting in the [b][url=https://tatteredworld.com/forum_subcategories/40/forum_topics/17599]Feedback Forum Thread[/url][/b]! Finally, there is something that the Golden Colosseum and the Shadow Stage need to do in order to have closure from everything that they’ve gone through. Something that is very important for both of their cultures… On [u]December 5th[/u], please join us for our Event epilogue… The Narrator's funeral.