OOC:
OK, guys - I'm working on the summary (finally). I think I'm finished with the Wick and the Journey to the Mines, but I've got to go back and pick over some of the info. The finished result isn't going to be very long, and it's difficult to boil down so many subtle interactions into a few paragraphs. When I get a few more minutes I'll finish up with the Mines and then post and e-mail.
I would like to say that reading back through those early posts has been very rewarding (I actually did more skimming and spot reading, but it was still worthwhile). One of the things I noticed is that early on everyone did a great job of posting thoughts for their characters, which went a long way toward fleshing out the characters and hinting at motivations and backgrounds and gave a huge amount of flavor to the game. That missing piece may be part of the loss of interest happening lately, and it would be cool to see you guys 'get back in touch' with your characters and remember some of why they're doing this in the first place. In particular, the motif for character motivation seems to have been that each was isolated or cut off from others for compelling reasons, but that each wished to be a part of something larger, to feel again a sense of belonging and community. Yes, even Deasaigh is driven by this motivation!
You may notice that some of the events in the summary are a little different (or expanded) from the events posted - I took a little license here, mainly because my story arc has had to change somewhat to accomodate characters and their ongoing development, and to accomodate choices you guys have made in the game that I did not predict accurately enough to account for. I hope you don't mind these minor alterations of history - there aren't many, and most involve tying character backgrounds more fully into the story.
I'm attempting to bring a couple of other players - Todd and Leif - into the mix, and making every effort to insure that they play characters with the same general philosophies and motivations as the rest of the party has developed. If they cannot generate characters that will work well with the rest of the group while still providing enjoyment for themselves, I'll 'unask' them.
I KNOW SOME OF YOU HAVE HISTORY WITH ONE OR BOTH OF THESE GENTLEMEN. IF THERE ARE ANY OBJECTIONS OR IF YOU FORSEE ANY FRICTION HERE THAT WILL LESSEN YOUR ENJOYMENT, PLEASE SPEAK NOW SO I CAN ADDRESS THESE ISSUES AND TRY TO RESOLVE THEM! IF YOU'RE UNCOMFORTABLE POSTING WHERE OTHERS CAN SEE YOUR OBJECTIONS, E-MAIL ME OR PHONE AND I'LL KEEP YOUR FEELINGS PRIVATE. I AM COMMITTED TO THE GAME/PLAYERS WHO'VE BEEN WITH ME FROM THE START, AND HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF SACRIFICING THE CURRENT COOPERATIVE SPIRIT JUST TO BRING IN MORE PLAYERS!