The Prophet Series - spoiler discussion thread

[Legacy_Baldecaran]

               Greetings. I have recently completed the final chapter of my "Prophet series" and some of you have begun to play through. (The module can be found here: nwvault.ign.com/View.php)

This Forum thread is intended as a place for people to post their thoughts after finishing. I created it because, well... frankly because I'm very curious about what ending players will choose! So if you've finished the series, please post a short note about what you chose at the end, and why. Humor your builder!

Thanks.
-Baldecaran
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Baldecaran, 30 septembre 2011 - 12:02 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Snowdog65]

               I chose to not save the world, and instead let it end, along  with the influence of fate from history.  But it was a close call.

I did it because then the plan would not have been for nothing, the century of sorrow, would not have been for nothing. That and I was chaffing under Fates yoke.

Finally because I looked on the end of fates influence as the great uknown. Even if this world was ended, perhaps it would be reborn again, this time still with free will. Perhaps Lor would step in again.  With fate out of the picture, there are more possibilities. Restoring the balance would just return from the horrors of the Century of Sorrow back under Fates control.

Anyway, this was an absolutely incredible mind blowing  module. My high expectations were exceeded. This is IMO the best NWN module of all time.

BTW did you come up with those guardian statues that attack when your back is turned, or did someone else? They were just like a episode of Dr Who.

Now I need some sleep after playing all weekend...
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_jmlzemaggo]

                    

               (From Prophet III)

You already know of my choice, so I won't say more about it, and let everyone makes his/her/its (this is were I hate english!) very own decision. And his/her/its very own choice...
What surprised me the most is you said your own author's choice would have been the other one. 
When every single word you wrote was leading me towards mine. Not yours. 
Funny, isn't it? 
Who wrote the piece? You... or the Prophet...

Now, I wouldn't limit that beautiful 'Prophet' serie, beautiful is enough, as I know nothing more beautiful than beauty, so, I wouldn't limit that beautiful 'Prophet' serie to his/her/its "final choice" only. As I truly believe the path you wrote for us towards that choice is more important than the choice itself. I still remember every moment of it, every encounter. 
And Prophet has been part of my signature here for a long time, long before that last part III even... Like if everything was already written from the Prologue. 
And I do intend to keep it that way, close to my NWN name.
Maybe I will replay that latest version some day, but I'm kind of scared right now.
You know, it's just like it's kind of scary to bump into someone you fall in love with already before...
And fall for her/him/it again...

Thanks for that gift of yours, Paul the gifted. I'm glad you finished that serie. For you, and also for us.
As it could be frightning to reach your goal... or the graal. 
You're already a man of your words, and those are beautiful. Probably since they are a bit of ours. 
Not only the words. 

Okay, I shut up... 
Love!
jm

**
**
**
Spoiler... kind of...:
I played a paladin here. Don't ask me why, I never do. 
Maybe because the 'Prophet' told me to.
She/He/It was right. 
Damn right... 
               
               

               

                     Modifié par jmlzemaggo, 19 septembre 2011 - 03:48 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Baldecaran]

               Thanks for your comments, and great pic JM!

I'm not sure anymore what choice I would have made. It's different from the perspective of a builder. If I played through not knowing what is going on, my mind probably would have changed several times. I think I would first plan to defy fate because, as snowdog says, I would want to get out from under her yoke. But my anger at the Herezars would offset that a bit - after all, it is they who used me. And the price they were willing to pay, sacrificing the lives of those whom they would never see... I'm not sure I'd want to be a pawn in their plan. But probably at the end, after hearing Kurathan's conjecture about the multiple worlds scenario, maybe then I'd be tempted to do as you both did and let the world end.

The main thing I wanted is for the choice to be difficult. So I'm glad it was a close call! But my guess is that, at least for this version 1.0, most people will defy fate. I think we're just wired for free will.

Regarding the statues, they are indeed inspired by that Dr. Who episode, although I myself had never seen it. A friend was telling me about it and I thought it was just such a cool idea that I wanted to put something like that into NWN. Originally they were meant to vanish when looked at but then I thought freezing stoically was somehow even more creepy.

Thank you both for sharing your thoughts. Finishing this indeed meant a lot so I'm glad you enjoyed it and got out of it what I meant to put in. And you're right JM that the path is the important part, and yes, parts of it did write themselves outside of my control.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Eleinehmm]

               Absolutely great work!  I did expect it to end like this, but again this is logical (I did try both, just to get the Meta Free Choice feeling out of this, if it makes any kind of sense to call it so) ,  and I am yet to find such a good story paired with such a great execution. I think I owe you a beer;)
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Eleinehmm, 19 septembre 2011 - 03:30 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_jmlzemaggo]

               Hey, weren't you not supposed to reveal my choice? '>
That (clickable) image is entirely yours. I only pressed some buttons.
Talking about my choice, it was made very early in your game, and didn't change, only to get stronger along the path. 
Also because of Llarien, my favorite companion ever. I never met anyone like him in NWN.
He will be missed. 
               
               

               

                     Modifié par jmlzemaggo, 19 septembre 2011 - 05:29 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_ishlia]

               Totally agree with jmlzemaggo, the Prophet series is a beauty...
I can't help but chose free will for the second time, probable out of arrogance. After a long struggle this is the first time you can choose the unknown, for the first time you don't know what will come out. Kurathan's words was quite tempting, too, there will be infinity of possibilities, which is a predetermined world lacks. But it's indeed a choice of unspeakable cruelty with too heavy a price... Higher the price, higher the reward.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_galelabriel]

               The final chapter of the Prophet series was released? YAY! Its time to install NWN once again. I wiped everything off the computer awhile ago vowing only to return when your series and Fester's series were completed, then I'm done for good. I'll be starting from the beginning. Want to experience it all over again...

Thank you for this, Baldecaran. Cant wait to get started!
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Snowdog65]

               I didn't blame the Herezars. Were they not, still just Fates pawns as well? I deem the Century of Sorrow as Fates game.  Her attempt to show that in the end, her way would be chosen.  It was difficult more because I didn't want to lie to or disappoint Llarien at the moment of his sacrifice, so I promised him to restore the balance.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Eleinehmm]

               Hm, but if you choose the Free Will there were no Fate, and the Herezars were mistaken. Everything that was, was the product of their own free choices  So they just died for nothing '>
The only time we can speak of Fate is only if we choose Fate. If we choose Fate, however, there has always been Fate, and Herezars are  just as they are. The Fate ending really deconstruct the idea of time, as everything exists as whole, in static, not in dynamics
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Eleinehmm, 19 septembre 2011 - 05:28 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_ishlia]

               more likely they didn't have to die :>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Snowdog65]

               

Eleinehmm wrote...
Hm, but if you choose the Free Will there were no Fate, and the Herezars were mistaken. Everything that was, was the product of their own free choices  So they just died for nothing '>

Nah. As the unmaker, the one who chose to undo Fate, I did not personally experience the re-shuffling of history.  I did not experience the reality where my future self told the truth, where I did not get Lors Sceptre and I did not smash the penteract, starting the Century of Sorry.

I lived the Fate controlled reality where my future self lied to me and all those things did happen.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Baldecaran]

               One way to look at it is that if you chose free will, then fate never existed, so the whole plan of the Herezars was indeed completely unnecessary. In fact, you could say that their plan was not to change the world, but just to find out, once and for all, whether fate exists. And then the answer is she doesn't, and never did... but to find that answer, they caused the entire world to be destroyed. Indeed a pretty high price to pay!

So if you chose free will, then the Herezars must take responsibility for their choices and all the repercussions, including the century of sorrow, manipulating you to be their pawn, and the end of days. By getting their way, they must also get the blame.

And if you choose fate, then it wasn't a choice at all. It was predetermined like everything else. That's actually the easier scenario to make logical sense of, albeit a difficult one to accept.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Eleinehmm]

               

Snowdog65 wrote...

Nah. As the unmaker, the one who chose to undo Fate, I did not personally experience the re-shuffling of history.  I did not experience the reality where my future self told the truth, where I did not get Lors Sceptre and I did not smash the penteract, starting the Century of Sorry.

I lived the Fate controlled reality where my future self lied to me and all those things did happen.

You lived in a Free Will reality where you had chosen to belive your evil twin from some other World '>.

Edit: The author has explained it better than me.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Eleinehmm, 19 septembre 2011 - 08:22 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Baldecaran]

               

Snowdog65 wrote...

I lived the Fate controlled reality where my future self lied to me and all those things did happen.

Good point.

But *was* it a fate-controlled reality? After all, your prophecy about what you would say to yourself did not come true. So at least that prophecy was false; at least those events were not set in stone. As to why the other prophecies came true - that's hard to explain. One possible idea is that they came true because prophets actually manipulate the future. So your visions of the Century of Sorrow (and those of Uther Palandras and others who talked of it) actually made it happen, partially by influencing the actions of those who hear them. Of course, the prophecies are never detailed - you never have a vision of, say, yourself tying your shoes five minutes before it happens (something a playtester called the "shoelace paradox"). Anyway, if some prophecies are false and time is not set in stone, then there is no fate, and so again the Herezars get the blame.

BTW - Just because I made the mod doesn't mean I have the answers. Maybe someone here can suggest a better interpretation of how to make sense of the free will scenario.