This is very overdue in a few ways, but I wanted to shout out some of you awesome people considering that Celendil, and I, are saying farewell to Arelith. I'm not leaving because of any drama or bad experience, it's just the right time as work is getting busy again and am starting graduate school in the evenings. I can't really say whether I'll be back - one thing I've learned over the past year and a half is that this place is at its most rewarding when you're able to invest a lot of time into it, and I'm honestly not sure if I'll ever be back to that point again.
First and foremost I want to thank the community as a whole. Like many others, I've had some of my best gaming experiences here - moments of out of control laughter, pure joy, and even some tears. None of it would be possible without those of you who dedicate their time to keeping this place running - from the admin and DM teams, to the code contributors, and those of you who've written some of the excellent content on these forums that I poured over in my early days. I stepped into Arelith without a single shred of experience with NWN, the Forgotten Realms setting, or the D&D ruleset, and still somehow figured my way through it all with your help.
On that note, I also want to thank my various friends - new and old - on Discord. They answered all of my dumb questions and generally added a lot to the experience with their out-of-character antics. I won't name names, but you all know who you are, and you rock.
Now on to the characters. Sorry for those I'll inevitably leave out - there's just been so many wonderful encounters over the course of a thousand hours plus on Celendil that there's no way to cover everyone.
I must start with Buppi. A character most know of, but one I was fortunate enough to get to spend a whole lot of time with. This little guy is an onion - he has so many fascinating layers to him that countless characters have seen many different sides to him, but few delved as deep into what makes him tick as I did. And all I can say is 'wow'. He's complex, but internally consistent to his own ideals and goals, and those ideals and goals arose organically through his experience growing up on this weird little island. I wanted so badly for he and Celendil to ride off into the sunset together, but I'm afraid she ultimately ended up screwing him up even worse. Sorry fam, that one's on me.
The mentors: Shallan Alvere, Oliver, and Edrahil Lindir. I wish I had started playing here a little earlier to have been able to do more with that particular edition of the Knights of the Road and possibly become a full member. Shallan was one of the first people Celendil encountered off the boat, and was great about involving her in some excellent RP early on. Oliver, though I only actually spoke to him on a scarce few occasions, unknowingly set Celendil down a path that would define her future in a big way. And Edrahil was the first friendly elf she encountered, taking her to Myon for the first time and spent a lot of time showing her around the isle.
The Circle: Lyssa, Chand, Tresmer, Ophelia, and many others. You provided Celendil a home very early on and gave her a place to belong. One of the most inclusive and eagerly helpful groups I've ever run across. Lyssa in particular became a close friend of Celendil's for the majority of her time on the isle - she was always a joyful light in the shadow.
The Commissar Club: Relia, Verity, Vaeri, and others. Relia was one of Celendil's best friends, and ironically the one time Celendil lost her temper at Relia is the moment that most stands out to me in their friendship. Verity was one of the first people she encountered and led a very entertaining goblin fortress trip (a time-honored rite of passage for many a character). And Vaeri was the troublesome cousin who was an an absolute riot to be around.
Eldwyn, Red, and Anden: Three very reliable friends of Celendil's who she had a ton of respect for. I'll never forget the many epic adventures into Hell and Blackfin and all the other places in search of artifacts that always turned out to be hilarious garbage. Celendil was cursed with the worst luck on those, I swear it.
Tialirr: I remember you first getting off the boat and following Celendil on a "book hunt" in the sewers ...and then unexpectedly turning into a cow. That was Tialirr for you. Such a fun character and one I still wish I'd had more time with.
Rhaeg: The legend. I also remember when you were fresh off the boat, and now you're old and half-blind but never stopped causing trouble for a single moment. Definitely a character I will always remember. Celendil really wanted to help you find some peace in your existence - ironically she always felt the most like an actual priestess around you. But true to his character, Rhaeg always stuck to his core values, which is something along the lines of "PAINT THE STREETS RED WITH THE BLOOD OF THE ARISTOCRACY".
Drift: Driiiiift. Not sure if the player is still around, but you got a shout out in Celendil's last conversation with Buppi. Your friendship meant a lot to the both of them.
Sieg: The wisest fiery greatsword wielder there ever was. You cropped up seemingly at random, as was your way, but every single time I ran into you was a memorable experience.
Alenduil: Your antics and all the flowery love letters never failed to make me smile.
Nicodemus: Keep being you. So great having someone stick to a character so long that they can tell all the real stories of the events of bygone eras of Arelith in-game. It was a pleasure learning from you.
Amadeo: You're definitely a robot. Wish I'd had a chance to sit down and pick at your programming a bit more.
Myon Old Guard: Vanion, Mithrim, Sharwyn, Z'ephyr, and plenty of others. Had a lot of fun attending your various events and you were always very generous with gear and crafting.
Myon New Guard: Laynaruil, Myr, Keryvian, Narthor, Yeto, and others. Made me wish I'd had some more time lately to be a bigger part of what you've been building!
The Most Excellent Villains: Vance, Phaerlyn, Cassius, Oturo, and yes, even Roland. At various times you provided some great conflict in Celendil's story, and I appreciate that. Playing the villain is hard, indeed it's something I doubt I'll ever be able to pull off, so kudos to you for doing it so well.
That's it! Thank you all for a wonderful year and a half.
