#i didnt realize that most people were assuming failure equals death or w/e i was literally like 'man they wanted to stop ludinus.

[sparring-spirals]

It’s about the

We deserve a soft ending my love

We’re good people and we’ve suffered enough

I mean what a fucking end it would be huh

But also I don’t want them to die so close to their goal so I 100% get your point

They didn’t research in all-nighters and worked so hard for it to End Like That.

(context)

Well, what I've learned from this ask is that I apparently have an unspoken, maybe unearned confidence that Matt wasn't going to put any of the prior PC-now-NPC's into a significant amount of danger? Or not the same level of danger as the PC's. Like- they're all hanging out trying to prevent the world ending, so there's a kind of inherent level of danger there. But there are ways to handle that that don't involve, like, rolling con saves and attack throws and stealth and death saving throws for each of them for the whole thing. (As cool as that COULD be).

(Also: Failure by no means equates to death! In most cases it probably wont! Im almost certain that, worst case, if the world ends here it will do so in a way that neccessitates folks go save it.)

That said! I could be wrong. So. Exploring that option. Hmm.

Prefacing everything else with a: I DEFINITELY WOULD NOT LIKE THE EMPIRE KIDS OR KEYLETH OR ANY OTHER PAST PC'S TO DIE. Well.

(bear with me, this gets a little off topic)

I think there's a kind of love that comes from a PC turning into an NPC, specifically after a whole campaign has concluded, with a happy epilogue. You're right- they deserve a happy ending, a soft epilogue. And the funny thing is- they got one! Technically! They got their flashforwards and the cast painting lovely pictures, and they did their whole. World ending and we saved it and most importantly saved ourselves and each other and augh okay no getting distracted with c2 campaign ending feels.

But technically, they got one, they finished their stories and did their growth and got their soft conclusions. Beau returns to Yasha after hard days and Caleb grows green beans and shares fond stories with Essek when he drops by, and dinners with Veth and Yeza and his tower with all of the Mighty Nein. They got it! They are currently in it.

Matt has now, risen them back as NPC's, and that's both very different and its own form of love, too. Their story ended, but this way, we get this reminder that the characters didn't. My favorite aspect of the epilogues was that they all left room for the characters to keep going. Keep growing, keep fucking up- irrevocably changed by the journey, new paths opened up, better for it. But not crystallized. Their story, the campaign, ended, but they didn't.

and so having them as NPC's is kind of the epitome of that, right? In the same way that my idle headcanon about Beau going with Fjord and Jester and Kingsley on trips under the guise of Cobalt Soul work, serving as first mate, could potentially mean everyone getting snapped up by some fuck all huge sea leviathan. Its nice to think of these characters going on and doing things in the background, things they want to do, and are free to do, even if the things make me go "God DAMMIT what are you doing here i thought you guys were SAFE AT HOME where i wouldnt need to WORRY ABOUT YOU ANYMORE".

You're right- it would be a fucking shame, so close to the end, after all that work and all those all-nighters. But there's something vaguely comforting about knowing that Beau and Caleb chose to do this, that they've had years now, of being happier and free and content and choosing to chase down these assholes and stop them from hurting others and ruin their plans. And that if things go sour- they chose it, they were happier for it, they knew what they were getting into and, backing each other up, walked into it with their eyes open.

But yeah, they better not fucking die.