NCsoft's sci-fi MMO Tabula Rasa finally reaches its planned shut-down date today.
But the development team at NCSoft Austin seems to be taking the opportunity to create something almost unheard of in video game story: a final, absolute ending to the narrative in which the good guys ultimately die.
According to an in-character message posted on the game's official site, the world of Tabula Rasa (which apparently dropped its Richard Garriott's prefix in the wake of the designer's departure following his return from outer space), will become overrun by an unstoppable tide of alien enemies, with humanity's only response being mutually assured destruction.
To All AFS Personnel;
Special Intelligence units throughout AFS territory have been monitoring an escalation of Bane assaults and communications in the recent weeks. Some of the communications have been intercepted and decoded, and we have reason to believe that the Bane are planning a massive, multi-front assault sometime in the coming days. The most disturbing transmission appears to have originated from the center of Bane controlled space, and it appears that the Neph are getting directly involved in the upcoming Bane offensive.
We know that the Neph are an offshoot of the Eloh race, and they sided with the Thrax in their campaign against the rest of the universe. The Neph seek to subjugate and control the races of the universe, and as we know from Machina and the Forean infection, they don't require that we are willing.
The Neph are extremely powerful and dangerous; they are not only aggressive like the Thrax, they are also shrewd and cunning commanders. Our intelligence sources tell us that the Neph are no longer fully organic beings, having completely fused themselves with a form of bio-metallic technology unlike anything we have ever seen. Like the Eloh, they are all proficient in a form of Logos powers, and have assimilated technologies to amplify these powers significantly.
From this intercepted transmission, we also know that they now have full use of wormhole technology. For a long time, this technological disadvantage forced the Bane to transport their troops through space, but now we may have to face wave after wave of Bane troops without rest or respite. We also know that the Neph will be on the battlefield to lead and rally the Bane troops against us on Arieki and Foreas with the sole purpose of complete and absolute genocide. Any Neph that is seen on the battlefield must be eliminated, and quickly, before they can transport a large enough Bane force to overrun us.
We request that all military personnel begin fortifying defenses at every AFS base in preparation for a massive Bane assault. If enemy troop movements are as large as we fear, and the Neph are truly prepared to lead all out war against us, this may be our last stand. Penumbra has been informed of the situation and is standing by on the use of their last resort weapon. We can not afford to be complacent or uncertain, but if it is truly our destiny to be destroyed, we are taking them all with us.
Good luck and godspeed
AFS High Command
