Sagiro's Story Hour: Now That It's Over

[Sagiro]

Greetings!

I thought it might be nice to have a fresh thread, where people could post comments, ask questions, and make observations if/when they go back for re-reads. I can't promise to answer every question, but I'll get to as many as I can.

I imagine there will be some readers who were waiting for me to finish before starting. You can post about your read-through here, though you obviously may run across spoilers.

The best way to read the Story Hour is, as always, using StevenAC's excellent .PDFs.

Sagiro's Collected Story Hour

Thanks for reading, as always!

-Sagiro

 

[Everett]

It seems like a really banal question to start the thread off with after that lovely ending, but... I still have no idea who channeled "what makes dead," or what they channeled.

 

[Sagiro]

It seems like a really banal question to start the thread off with after that lovely ending, but... I still have no idea who channeled "what makes dead," or what they channeled.

Belshikun was "what makes [the Adversary] dead." And Aravis was the channel by which Belshikun was able to bypass the Iron Barrier.

 

[Redwald]

Thank you for the many years of work and for sharing your and your players' story with us, Sagiro.

Your Story Hour was one of a very few things that got me back into gaming.

...though I have now spent many more years following your Story Hour than I spent away from gaming in the first place.

You have constructed a monument, sir, and it honors our little pastime immeasurably.

 

[coyote6]

Did the survivors ever get out of the Underdark?

 

[Quartz]

It would be very interesting to see the character sheets.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Did any of the players come up with epilogues? Or was it left as is?

 

[Sagiro]

To answer recent questions: no, the players did not come up with epilogues. We preferred to leave the game in a bittersweet state of ambiguity. As such, I also cannot tell you if the characters every escaped the Underdark. There's Belshikun's implication that Aravis survives long enough to create the Crosser's Maze and become the God of Knowledge (not necessarily in that order), but I don't think that implies anything definitive about the fate of the others.

I don't know if anyone saved their character sheets after the game ended. If any of my players are reading this, feel free to post them if you have them!

 

[Sagiro]

Thank you for the many years of work and for sharing your and your players' story with us, Sagiro.

Your Story Hour was one of a very few things that got me back into gaming.

...though I have now spent many more years following your Story Hour than I spent away from gaming in the first place.

You have constructed a monument, sir, and it honors our little pastime immeasurably.

Thank you, Redwald. It has been my pleasure to write it, and I'm glad you enjoyed it so much.

 

[Everett]

Come to think of it, I was curious about Kay's words in the tunnel -- that she was with "other yous" that kept dying. There wasn't any time to discuss it, but clearly that could be a whole novel in itself. Is there any more that can be unpacked about that?

Seeing Kay's character sheet, especially, would be fascinating -- to see where her class stats "would" have ended up had she stayed in the game.

 

[Sagiro]

Come to think of it, I was curious about Kay's words in the tunnel -- that she was with "other yous" that kept dying. There wasn't any time to discuss it, but clearly that could be a whole novel in itself. Is there any more that can be unpacked about that?

Nah, that was mostly just flavor text. Kay kept slipping between parallel worlds, parallel Het Branois, joining alternate-realities in which the Company failed at their quest, before the multiverse grew tired of her shenanigans and dumped her into that holding-cell pocket dimension. But that's as much thought as I ever gave it.

Seeing Kay's character sheet, especially, would be fascinating -- to see where her class stats "would" have ended up had she stayed in the game.

I whipped up a very rough-n-ready character sheet for Kay's player to use in the last battle. With everything else I had to prepare, I didn't try to hew too closely to how I thought her character sheet would have naturally evolved. Also, Kay's player hadn't played D&D in many years by that point, and I wanted to keep it relatively simple.

Here's what I gave her:

Kay, 18th level Ranger
Hit Dice: 18d8+90 (179 hp)
Initiative: +12 (+6 Dex, +4 Improved Init, +2 Quick Charm)
Speed: 35’
Armor Class: 33 (+6 dex, +5 deflection, +7 Armor, +5 natural armor)
Attack: +30/+25/+20/+15 w/Flaming Longsword. +30/+25/+20 w/Spelldrain Shortsword
Damage: Longsword: 1d8+10+1d6 fire; Shortsword 1d6+10

Saves: Fort +20, Ref +22, Will+13

Abilities: Str 20, Dex 22, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 16 Cha 12

Leather Armor of Free Movement, +5. (Freedom of Movement always on)
Shield +4, Resist Acid 20
Flaming Longsword +5 (Main hand weapon)
Spelldrain Shortsword +4 (Off-hand weapon) – Strips one spell on a critical (19-20)

Oa Lyanna:
1/day: Yrimpa Whirlwind. 18d6 to all adjacent creatures, 3d6 damage to self. Creatures so struck make a DC 30 Fort Save or are staggered for 1 round (can move or attack but not both, no full attacks)

2/day: Chain Lightning. 20d6 to main target, 10d6 to secondary targets. Reflex Save DC 28.

3/day: Air Shield. As a move action, creates a shield of wind around you or an ally within 30’. Until the start of your next turn, the subject gets a +4 unnamed bonus to AC.

At Will: You and Oa Lyanna fly at will; in this battle, 12 miles underground, you’ll have speed 40’ when you fly, and you have to land on the ground at the end of each round.

 

[Everett]

Ah. Interesting.

It's not something that is really an oversight, because -- nature of storytelling vs. nature of interactive gaming, and Morningstar's player just didn't choose to manifest it, but through the whole Adversary battle -- until she died -- I was waiting for Morningstar to assume the visage of Ell's Shadow again. The fight just seems a little incomplete without it; her initial assumption of it is arguably the most dramatic character-driven moment in the whole campaign (Octesian is arguably the most dramatic battle in the whole campaign), and of all the PCs, she most clearly fills the role of a classical hero. In a novel, the casting of Ell's Shadow against the Adversary would be the moment that everyone's been waiting for the whole time.

 

[RangerWickett]

I'm quite curious how the wordcount of the whole storyhour stacks up against, say, the Wheel of Time series.

 

[Everett]

I'm quite curious how the wordcount of the whole storyhour stacks up against, say, the Wheel of Time series.

Not really the same ballpark.


Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien

The Fellowship of the Ring: 187k
The Two Towers: 155k
The Return of the King: 131k

Total: 473k

Adventures of Abernathy's Company -- about twice that. Though I don't know if StevenAC is including EnWorld commentary in the word count.


Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan

The Eye of the World: 305k
The Great Hunt: 267k
The Dragon Reborn: 251k
The Shadow Rising: 393k
The Fires of Heaven: 354k
Lord of Chaos: 389k
A Crown of Swords: 295k
The Path of Daggers: 226k
Winter's Heart: 238k
Crossroads of Twilight: 271k
Knife of Dreams: 315k

Total: 3M 304k (official count)

With the final book, Wheel of Time passed the 4 million word mark.

 

[StevenAC]

Adventures of Abernathy's Company -- about twice that. Though I don't know if StevenAC is including EnWorld commentary in the word count.

No, the 900,000 words figure is just for the story content. According to Word, the total word count for the Story Hour, including all the text boxes containing the commentary, stands right now at 1,122,054. (That includes the last chapter, which I'm still working on.)

 

[SolitonMan]

No, the 900,000 words figure is just for the story content. According to Word, the total word count for the Story Hour, including all the text boxes containing the commentary, stands right now at 1,122,054. (That includes the last chapter, which I'm still working on.)

And I want to thank you for that! I downloaded the pdfs into my dropbox account maybe two weeks ago or so and started my fourth read through in anticipation of the end of the saga. Today I finished Part One (the first PDF), and I'm going to dig into Part Two in a bit. Thanks Mr AC (may I call you Steven?) for your much appreciated effort in making this story hour so accessible for on the fly access!

And thanks to Sagiro and the entire group of players for so many years of unparalleled entertainment! Your game epitomizes the best of what I look for in a game. Though it's been a while since I've sat down at a table to roll some dice and adopt a bad accent to portray a fantastical personality, I continue to look for the opportunity to participate in an experience that could be even a shadow of the tale you all have crafted. You guys rock!!!

 

[Everett]

No, the 900,000 words figure is just for the story content. According to Word, the total word count for the Story Hour, including all the text boxes containing the commentary, stands right now at 1,122,054. (That includes the last chapter, which I'm still working on.)

Can't wait to see the final chapter arranged in all its glory.

 

[spyscribe]

Just wanted to pop in and give you my humongous congratulations on getting to the end!

 

[Piratecat]

Did any of the players come up with epilogues? Or was it left as is?

I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure that Dranko and Morningstar decided to stay dead and pass on together, hand in hand. Occasionally, Dranko surely gets sick of the afterlife and tries to find some way to haunt a 1st-level adventurer, but that's really more of a hobby.

EDIT: oddly, I just ran across Dranko and Ernie's character sheets. I'll scan them.

 

[Piratecat]

My only regret in that marvelous final fight, other than the sadness of Flicker's vast loneliness: our bound dragon completely went out like a punk. I wish it had an effect on the fight (other than using up an Adversary wish, I suppose!) On the plus side, getting to waggle Meledien's arm at her was immensely satisfying.

If Dranko had to die, this was an excellent place and time to do so.