The survivor reads:
Days pass. For a time I cannot count, I wander the Wood alone. I know not where I walk, nor towards what destination; all I know are the trees, the endless shadows, and the darkness of my own thoughts.
Then… light. When at last I emerge from the trees, it is into a shimmering, purpled sunrise. It paints the landscape before me like a jewel. I see, with relief, that no Wood stands before me, but freedom — freedom, and a road that will lead me far from this place. It swells with the promise of a new life, new friendships, and new enemies too. For I have escaped the Wood’s clutches: I, and I alone.
I rest only briefly at the forest’s edge. I am weary, but it will not do to linger here, between the worlds of the living and the dead. Soon I set upon the road. I do not look back, though the voices of the dead follow me from among the trees.
They will always follow me.
To the traveller who survived:
Describe your character’s life after their journey through the Wood. Think:
Where do they go?
How has their encounter with the Lord of the Wood changed them?
Do they ever find what they seek?
Provide as much or as little detail as you like; it’s your ending, and it’s up to you!
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————To all who perished:
Commiserations… and yet, congratulations. Though your souls have been claimed, your surviving companion will not be rid of you so easily. If you wish, all of you may haunt the surviving traveller to the end of their days.
Starting with the first perished traveller to the left of the Reader, each perished traveller takes it in turns to describe how they haunt the survivor. Describe what your haunting looks and feels like.
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————Living on in the Wood
The game is over! Congratulations for making it to the end!
Though the perished travellers’ souls have been claimed, their spirits can live on in the very fabric of the Wood. All perished travellers have the option — should they wish — to make their character into an Elder Card, ensuring that their ghost haunts future games of ELDER.
Thank you so much for playing ELDER! Please let us know what you thought below. Otherwise, walk freely in the realm of the living, mourn your dead, and remember: ELDER changes considerably with every play-through, and holds many secrets. We hope you’ll take the time to discover more of them in future…
The ELDER team