Into the world of twisting shadows, a path for the withdrawn,
Manipulating from the dark, oh so many pawns.
They say he steals the souls of those that he's leading on,
But no one knows for sure the veiled intentions of old Mr. Gone...
-ancient children's rhyme
Quote:
Warning: Mr. Gone is not an option for casual gamers. You should be very well versed in the rules of Pathfinder and Eternity's End before choosing this character option. Mr. Gone represents "hardcore mode" in that if your PC dies, they cannot be resurrected by any means, regardless of other rules.
It was subtle at first... you'd see his painted face from the corner of your eye, eerily similar to Legion, but distinct with the red and green eyes and a total lack of the symbol of Eternity's End. Sometimes you'd catch the flutter of his jacket as he escaped vision... He'd move quickly out of sight and you'd catch glimpses of him now and again, but eventually it came, the letter in your pocket.
There is something I need to tell you.
Come alone, tell no one.
Room 11
-Mr. Gone.
Room eleven was harder to find, down several corridors that warped and shifted directly in front of one’s eyes, as if made of unstable bits of reality...
Upon reaching room 11, Mr. Gone appeared from behind, seemingly one with the shadows. He was a tall man, thin as well. His appearance gave off an odd supernatural quantity, especially concerning the silent chains that dangled from his garb, seemingly animated, writhing to some absent tune.
So you've come... his voice was airy; audible yet whisper-like.
I am Mr. Gone, traveler. I bring you grave news, a warning if you will, but first I need to be sure...
It's just a small test he says extending his hand for a handshake in a show of non-violence.
It was then that the pain tore through the your back, not just the bite of a blade, but more... the steel was colder, and worse, it seemed to drain spiritual essence right from the core of your being, the experiencing paralyzing and horrible.
In a passing moment your vision became blurred and Mr. Gone stood over you, lying on the floor, not remembering falling at all.
Sorry about that... there's only one sure way to know, but you'll be glad to know the results, even with the cost associated.
This knife is a soul knife, an artifact taken at great cost from the cultists of the outer deities. Many like yourself have died in pursuit of just this blade, simply so that you and others might know the truth.
Notice the glow of the blade as it dances with your essence... it's a dull purple when it should be a vibrant teal similar to an eternity mote...
Your Pattern / Normal Pattern
The change shows the power of the sympathetic connection you have to the end of eternity, and yours, like many others is weaker...
You are not like the others traveler. Unlike them, if you die, there will be no swift reincarnation, no simply awakening to your private chambers... you will suffer oblivion... total non-existence... take a moment with that... lesser men have been driven mad by it...
Why this condition has befallen you, I cannot say for certain... though I'm sure the cultists of the outer deities have something to say about it, they just won't.
...
It doesn't end there though...
There is good news in all of this for you traveler you are not alone. There are others like you and we have bound together in a common cause to find a cure for the condition. I'm still not certain it's possible, but it seems likely given that the condition doesn't affect everyone.
For the sake of their safety and yours, I cannot say who they are and you should tell no one of this secret. Many will seek to use this information against you... especially the curator... I have reason to believe he is somehow behind the mysterious disappearances of our kind. Keep your secret well friend, tell no one or risk yourself, and tread lightly.
You need not join us friend, but even if you don't seek immortality for yourself, would you grant it to others that did? Help us and I will reward you, starting today.
Take this token as a symbol of my friendship and an apology for the invasiveness of the test, I am truly sorry for the pain you experienced, but it was necessary to determine the color of your spiritual make-up energies.
Go then, traveler, and know that we shall meet again... I will contact you when more information becomes available, until then, guard yourself and your secret.
Opting In
Normally characters at Eternity's End have a limited form of immortality, but not everyone does... some people have a weaker spiritual connection to Eternity's End... those characters meet Mr. Gone.
Meeting Mr. Gone is decided at character creation/application and is defaulted to the character does not meet Mr. Gone unless they explicitly state so in private tags as part of their application for auditing. They then have their name added to the list by their auditor and a secret note goes into the private character thread of the character at the very top that is addressed to the player. Once the decision is made it cannot be changed.
Rules for Character Death and Maiming
Characters that have opted-in and meet Mr. Gone will have their character permanently destroyed in the event of character death. These characters cannot be resurrected by any means including miracles, limited wish and GM fiat. Once they are dead, they are dead, end of story. Hero points can still be used to cheat death as outlined in the EE Player's Manual.
All characters are encouraged to keep any cosmetic changes to their character from adventuring to include lost limbs and eyes, scars, unnatural aging, etc. but are not required to. They may also buy off these issues by paying EM to the Enchanter to cast a restorative spell on them as outlined in the EE Player's Manual for an added bit of realism.
Characters who take this option must always gate back to Eternity's End through GM release or use of a spell/scroll and cannot use standard player game release (though they may still use the usual channels for reporting grievances if needed). In the event a party leaves an instance the GM is expected to be merciful and allow GM release of the PC if such can be reasonably afforded, but this is at the discretion of the GM.
Characters who acquire unusual conditions for death (such as being turned to stone or being turned undead) must have them resolved in character (such as with a spell, artifact or other means) by the end of the adventure (GM final release) or the character is destroyed.
Informing the GM
All GMs must be informed during application to an adventure by the player in question with private tags if a character has met Mr. Gone. Players are responsible for privately reminding GMs to add in bonuses for Mr. Gone at any point that XP is awarded that qualifies them for a bonus, this includes all areas of the game such as the story teller, arena, altar, etc.
As outlined by Mr. Gone, it is not wise to advertise the fact that one is mortal at Eternity's End in character. It is prohibited to tell other players that your character has met Mr. Gone OOC. If you wish to tell them you must do so IC first.
A GM that has a particularly deadly adventure planned may warn the Player privately during their application to the game but the player is free to continue regardless, or may decide to leave.
Rewards
If they decide to help Mr. Gone, at any point they complete a randomly appearing Mr. Gone mission they will receive a bonus reward of an EE token as described in the altar that has a CL that scales with PC level. Additional rewards may be added to this list at a later date.
Normal XP rewards are given as the Outer Deities favor those who risk more in the spirit of adventure. The character receives a bonus 20 XP upon reaching any increment of XP ending in 80 (this effectively equates to a +20% bonus of XP just for being entirely mortal), however, it should be noted GMs are encouraged and expected NOT to go lightly or be easy on characters who have met Mr. Gone and not to treat them any differently than any other PC at Eternity's End.
XP
Bonus XP
Bonus Reward
99
N/A
EE Token
180
20
280
20
380
20
480
20
Gone Scroll
580
20
680
20
780
20
880
20
980
20
1080
20
1180
20
1280
20
1380
20
1480
20
1580
20
1680
20
1780
20
1880
20
1980
20
The XP bonus does mean any characters that meet Mr. Gone will go up five levels for every four that their companions do, meaning they will likely out level the people they started adventuring with significantly.
Characters who meet Mr. Gone are not excluded from Arena combat, but engage in such at their own peril. Even working non-lethal conditions for winning into the terms does not guarantee safety as accidental death can still occur from massive damage or bleeding out.
Gone Scroll
Immediately upon reaching 5th level and returning to Eternity's End the player is contacted again by Mr. Gone. This time he offers them a scroll to be added to their inventory. This scroll is claimed privately from the GM awarding level 5 upon completion of the adventure.
May 24th, 2012, 12:59 AM
