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Lorekeeper -> In memory of Falerin (7/29/2019 17:53:51)
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Ladies and gentlemen, players and fellow staff members, companions all in our virtual journey:
It is with great sorrow that I share this announcement with you.
For those unaware, Falerin was the Loremaster for AdventureQuest for many years, writing such great storylines as the Carnax saga, the Devourer Saga and the many stories branching from it, such as Bizarre Flecks, Dracopyre Legacy (Including the Hall of Memories), and many more quests. He was also influential in the creation of the Truphma saga’s lore, an essential part of the creative process of multiple writers, and a creative wellspring that would inspire years upon years of content for the wonderful world of Lore.
Were one to write a shallow eulogy, one could end this announcement by expounding on his commitment to the mindset of turning any liability into an asset. But Falerin had an uncanny ability to sometimes know us better than we knew ourselves — To see in us what we would not, and believe in what we could be, no matter how many setbacks we suffered, or how many steps back we took. So on behalf of the AdventureQuest team, it is my distinct honor to tell you what he really meant to so many of us.
After all, the Loremaster and his grieving family deserve so much more than so trite an enumeration of accomplishments and traits to commemorate his passing. Along with our support in this most trying of times, his memory and loved ones deserve a celebration of his life, and of the impact it had on so many of ours.
A loving father and husband, legendary Game Master, glorious cook and insightful mentor, Falerin was also a friend and teacher to many of us. Even as his heart weighed heavy with sorrow, he was so often able and willing to make us smile and learn. So vast was his creativity that he did not only populate our shared fantasy world and create many of his own, but he ignited that very drive in others. He sparked the imaginations of many and inspired the creation of world after world beyond the boundaries of his own writing; a wonderful and still growing universe of untold pages with his memory at its heart.
He was a sincere believer in the importance of the bonds we share throughout any distance, refusing to treat the virtual world as trivial or immaterial, as any less real than the physical one, when so much true emotion is invested in its enrichment. He explained that such a trivialization would be blind to the power of the imagination and the mind. About his commitment to this endeavor, he once said to a friend: “If I have lived any life fully, then I have lived.”
So as he was such a pivotal part of our Lore and of our many worlds — both of our stories and of the world that is each of our hearts, we can say with the utmost gratitude that Falerin lived. And he lives on in each individual touched by his stories, as well as everyone whom he sincerely believed in, even when we had not yet learned to believe in ourselves.
Putting any remaining professional distance aside, I would like to share that I was one such person. Falerin was the first major influence on my writing, and the man who believed in my potential enough to be validated in seeing me take this position after so many years. Talking to him again after a decade, he was still every bit the same mentor figure who could as easily wax philosophical as he could paternal.
When I joined the team, I chose the title of Lorekeeper in homage to his work and impact. It is with a heavy heart that I now retain the name in memory of it.
Jonathan Swift once said that vision is the ability to see the invisible. Per these words, all too fitting when remembering his ability to see the good and the potential in those he met, Falerin was a visionary. So, as a closing statement, allow me to offer you a vision in honor of the Loremaster’s memory:
Ever onward, ever upward. Let us all live as he knew we could. No matter how rough life gets, no matter how many mistakes any one of us has made by this point, or how many we make in the future — And believe me, I have made my fair share —, Falerin firmly believed that we can realize our potential and make a positive impact. And if we make a habit of following that teaching, then no amount of setbacks will keep us from making this great teacher proud.
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