The Revenant: Wulf's Retreat - EPILOGUE

[borka]

There is no better promotion for HnH - great pictures with wonderfull telling - ty Dani

[DaniAngione]

There is no better promotion for HnH - great pictures with wonderfull telling - ty Dani

Thank you, borka

Well... Here it is. One of the last chapters - but probably the biggest one yet.

CHAPTER 19:
OF GODS & MEN

It finally arrived. The day of the End of the World Feast.
The final days of our world, the burning of the last bonfire.



It started as any morning. I had lots to prepare, though. People brought even more food and animals and I had to fill the tables and finish the preparations.
However, when I walked outside, I was met with a very... peculiar sight.



There he was. Solemn, silent, immovable. Wearing beautiful, fine clothes that I've never seen with my own eyes. Standing still for hours, ever watchful before a huge cliff; as if the eyes of the Gods themselves were there on the mountain, taking one last glimpse of their beautiful world... before it all gets engulfed by the long night and a new world is risen from the blood and ashes of the old one...

But here?



Z was here early, helping me prepare - as usual. He's always been a great neighbor and even after he moved away he remained a great friend. I'm glad to have had you in the Retreat, Z! Thank you for everything

Anyway, we tried contacting him for a long time. He didn't react, said anything or even moved. He just standed there...
So Z decided to throw a snowball at him. Nothing happened.

So... we did what anyone would do.



We had some fun!
The King came to check it out and we took a lot of pictures, danced with it, &tc...
Nothing happened.



Z built a snowman and we posed for some pictures - and there he remained.

Our silent sentinel, a godly presence which we couldn't grasp or understand. Was it a test? Was he waiting for us to do something?
Were we meant to do something...? Or maybe were we meant to not do anything - even if we could?

We'll never understand the real purpose of that visit.
What followed struck the hearthland as a thunderclap...

More people arrived, I had to leave for a second and...



It happened.
It truly happened.

The rogue warrior Negão decided to test if he could "Punch" him and... Well, he punched him a bit too much. With an axe.
I run to meet them and find a great comotion on my eastern gate. People cheering, getting inside, one of them carrying the corpse of the godly figure. Negão wearing its unique clothes.



It took me a minute to process everything that was happening.
Had someone just killed a God? In my backyard?

Like a trophy, the body was flinged and thrown, raised up as a sign of victory.
Anxiety took me over, a mix of desperation and utter shock, I didn't know if I should laugh or cry...



At any rate, I didn't think we should've killed him. But it happened... So... Oh well.
As the visitors gathered before my Idol to take the infamous picture that is now known throughout the Hearthlands, I stood away... watching.

So the blood of a God shall flow down the mountains to form a new world, eh?, I figured.

There was no time no need for mourning, though.
Oh, we would mourn... But we would do so as our ancestors and the ones before our ancestors did:
We would drink and we would eat until the end!



More people started to arrive, some notable and very dear people like the Ghost among them.

Others decided to move their hearthfires close to the Retreat, or create new characters with Wilderness Beacons that started to be built outside.



It didn't take long for the news of what happened to spread across the Hearthlands - and over the whole night we had people arriving with the same first question: "I heard Jorb or Loftar was killed, is it true?"
It didn't matter.
It was time. It was time to light the Bonfire!



As people continued to arrive, we started taking seats and preparing for the feast to start.
Hugh was the name of one of the visitors that arrived. Little did I know that... These were also his final hours.



While waiting for more people to arrive, we decided to do some sacrifices for the Gods of the Mountains so they would bless our night and our feast.
And maybe, who knows, forget us for any trial that we might've failed...

In perfect time, Ozzy and some of his crew arrived with bears!



And, of course, it's not a big feast if politics isn't a subject at the table...
People from all over arrived as well, with members of other factions or gangs arriving with their mighty steeds and finely crafted axes and armor.



While waiting for a few more arrivals, the guests were entertained with some activities and jests.
We had a troll - courtesy of Triss and friends - and scared some people with its sudden apperance!

Rawwr!



And not long after that, we finally started eating!
There was a lot of different food, pies, cakes, cheese, sausages... and, of course, Creamy Cocks

Thanks to some talented (or not so much) musicians, the party was also never silent! We've enjoyed everything - from classic game and RPG themes to... well... Stuff that no one could recognize.



Oh, can't forget the drink either! Every table had glasses and tankards, full to the brim with quality beer and wine.
Near the tables, dozens of wine bottles and beer barrels were waiting, eager to give everyone an awesome time.



Even after we started eating, more people were still arriving.
As the number of strong and brave warriors increased, I thought that perhaps it was about time...



Once everyone was finished (or almost finished) with their food and drinks, I've asked the people:
Are you all ready for some sparring?!

And so we followed to battle for glory and blood in my newly created arena...



BLOOD FOR THE ARENA MASTER!
The battles were ferocious, with battleaxes being swung all around. Sitting on the Arena Master throne, I've enjoyed a couple of battles before...

...madness started.
It began with a spirited mandrake root.



But that was just the beginning. It was only a matter of time before other creatures and stuff started to be dropped...



Suddenly we had a lot of stuff on the ground, animals of different kinds being released...
Z appeared out of nowhere, wearing a red dress and dancing with the Godly entity's body on top of his head.



People got naked, people started to do crazy stuff... Duels were still happening in the middle of all this.
Someone starts to take HHP damage in the middle of the arena. It's Hugh.

What's he doing? We then realize that he is repeatedly releasing and capturing a Hedgehog, taking damage each time.



He did it. He actually did it. He suicided...

...with a Hedgehog.
What could we do? Well, grab his dead body and dance, of course!



Minute by minute, the madness of that place increased. Hopped Cone Cows were released and even the sounds were infernal now. The game started to lag.



We would crash the server if we continued that. That place became an infernal torture room - and only those who were there will truly grasp the madness of what I'm saying here.
Yes, we know. You know. What was seen cannot be unseen. We're never going down that cellar anymore...

So we left!



On top of it, lies the Mountain Inn - my newly opened Great Hall. It is a very warm and cozy place to rest after a long trek through the mountains... Nothing like a nice wooden chair among the hides and shields of warriors, a big tankard of mead and great stories to share!



We had a lot of... enlightening conversations in there. For example, we had all realized that deep inside we're all jorb.
Or something like that.



Outside, the party continued with crazy dances around the bonfire.
I suppose everyone was enjoying all the beer and wine we had prepared... Oh, not to mention the hemp. We had free hemp buds and pipes available, too
At some point - which we can't really tell when - the godly entity corpse disappeared... We looked for it, but couldn't find it. Spooky...

The sun was rising again, the party was going on for hours already... So with the dawn of a new day, we went outside to enjoy the cold climate of the Retreat a bit.



Z had prepared materials and hats for snowmen, so we all started to build our own snowmen and have fun with snowballs!
It was very nice and fun.



Obviously, it didn't take long for everyone to forget the snowmen and start a snowball fight. We had forts and would even have rules. But who cares about rules?
We just started raining hell on each other!



As the new day advanced, more people started to leave...
Oddly enough, others were still arriving. The journey to the Retreat is long and different people have different times, so that was understandable. For that reason, I remained there preparing tables for newcomers and we feasted again, over and over, enjoying more good conversations inside the Inn when the cold winds struck.



And then it slowly started to fade... and the feast was over.
Z and I searched around for the corpse one more time, entering each building and looking for any leads to its disappearance but... It was gone.

Another night came down, revealing the beautiful starry sky.
Oh, the stars... Our mighty and shiny sentinels.
You won't change, will you? Once this world is gone and a new world is born - the stars shall remain... unreachable and untouched.
At least we shall forever share the same sky...

After more than 6 hours (IRL), the End of the World Feast was over.
I went to bed, rest was needed... I had no idea of what I'd find in the next morning.



At dawn, I was greeted with a surprise...
It could only be a gift of the Gods.

A finely woven, beautiful and shiny blue cape was there. Silky to my touch - but as strong as the toughest fibers!
And there he was as well... The body. It was there. Was it there all along? Was it brought back? We'll never know...
What we could now get to know was his identity... And it was him.
It was Jorb.

As I left to see the sunrise, a raven came by and landed on my shoulder.
Its ominous caws stopped as it landed, its deep black eyes staring at my own.

I feel it. It's a sign... It's a calling for a new world.



I've changed my clothes, preparing myself for the days to come. Preparing for the ascension...
The raven stayed with me, like a watchful guardian on my shoulder - like Jorb was before the mountain...

I've buried him on a place of honor, on the central square of the Retreat.
Next to his grave I built a reliquary in which his skull and amulet was deposited - for all Hearthlings to be able to visit it and contemplate it.
More details on that specific event can be found HERE.



Later that day, I've met Z and we buried Hugh - the Hedgehog Suicidal.
He was the last grave for my grove graveyard, and I gave him a nice spot next to my farm...
May his spirit rest and find its way into Valhalla. We shall soon join him as this world gets to an end...

Oh yes, we shall.

There's not much left to do, now...
All I can do is prepare myself for the last chapter of my story. Of our story, of our world.

The last journey: to sail into the west.

[Jesus_Smith_Nandez]

NICE

[GamingRAM]

For those who couldn't make it to the party, I made this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPiXydASNNE

[ctopolon3]

what about fight for omen of ruins?

[GamingRAM]

what about fight for omen of ruins?

You can stop by the Alter and challenge it if you'd like. It's open to everyone. (Just remember put your criminal acts on first)

[DougRatmen]

Hey! My name was mentioned!

I feel special!

(I'm the one of the two crazy people who killed the Troll, I'm Ranger Trisss ingame, and the other was Cassy (Who I won't name by forumname for reasons)

Feast was great! Going down in history fo sure!

[ctopolon3]

i cant beat jorb
dead screen

stat screen

[Kaios]

dead screen

oh I was wondering who that body belonged to, those are nice stats idk what the point of the altar is if we aren't supposed to try and replace jorb

[ctopolon3]

ive got 950q skull. jorb after death less 1200. i had to try it. i also wanna know "where is my body now?"