Days pass. For a time I cannot count, I stumble the Wood alone. I know not where I run; 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 only the inn — the same inn we left, all those days ago. My heart sinks as I understand. For though I have escaped the clutches of the Wood, I have failed to pass through its heart.
I rest only briefly at the inn. I am weary, but it does not do to linger here, between the worlds of the living and the dead. When I finally set upon the road, I do not look back, though the voices of the dead follow me from the trees.
They will always follow me.
To the traveller who survived:
Describe your character’s life after your failed attempt to pass through the Wood. Think:
Where do they go?
How have their experiences in 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! Although you didn’t make it through the Elder Wood, you can make another attempt — with new characters — any time.
Though your 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! Perhaps next time you’ll make it to the Heart of the Wood — although, knowing its secrets, perhaps it’s best that you never do…
Until then, walk freely in the realm of the living, mourn your dead, and remember: ELDER changes considerably with every play-through. We hope you’ll take the time to plunder more of its mysteries in future!
The ELDER team