"Your voice is broken. That is a fact, not an insult. Get over it. You're a man with a hook pretending his hand is 'just fine'. You are mute and lacking the capability to speak makes you less capable. You can sign? Rowan can sign and speak. And Theo and Mara. Me soon enough. You can't. So you only have to talk to the few people in the world who have made the effort to learn your language, and to Hell with everyone else? Is that why you would refuse a cure? Don't want to have to talk to the rabble?
Your voice is broken. Signing is not 'just as good' by any stretch of the imagination. You are cut off from most of the world. That could be fixed.
When did I say let's ditch you? I said I would take my chances on my own. Just me. And that was for your mockery that I hadn't been aware of. Just had to get the last word, didn't you? I was trying to extend an olive branch. Finding a way we could work together at least.
If you want to take care of Lowls, and you respect my skills as I respect yours, we can work together. Insult me again and we will..." Dervak takes a breath and looks to Mara.
"We will keep on having this conversation."
Rowan takes a step between Ellery and Dervak.
”We know very little about each other, because we know very little about ourselves. Don’t forget that. We stood together to defeat the Tatterman, Nemeria, other enemies whose names escape me, as well as your personal daemon. That last one took a mighty toll on most of us, and you were strangely unsympathetic about it. Should we have left you to fight your daemon on your own? I don’t think that would’ve gone so well; you could barely lift your sword in your weakened state.
As for Ellery and his voice, we may need to unravel that mystery, but Dervak, it isn’t your mystery to unravel. I’m not one for threats, but don’t force me to choose between you two. Now, we should all get some air, or a drink, or both.”
"Unsympathetic? I was trying to stop you from drinking yourself to death! The only way I knew how. But yes, I am grateful for what you did. I said so at the time and I say it again."
"But sure, let's go get some air."
Ellery makes a rude gesture and then stalks off. No one ever sees him again. Skywin orders a complete search of the boat and turns up nothing. She suggests he swam ashore at some point during the night.
1st lvl (5): Ant Haul, Cure Light Wounds, Liberating Command, Remove Fear, open slot
2nd lvl (4): Barkskin x2, Calm Emotions, open slot
3rd lvl (3): Heroism x3
4th lvl (2): Threefold Aspect, Fear
Mara was disappointed by Ellery's sudden departure, but she felt that the remaining group needed to re-focus their efforts on their mission. She suggested to the other's, "Shall we find out today what the Dreamlands have in store?"
Theophilus and the White Rabbit enjoy a morning game of cards. There seems to be a third set dealt also.
Mara joins Theo, "Can you teach me how to play?"
But, of course, my dear Mara.
The gentleman gets up to pull out a chair for her. He then deals her in also.
Wanna watch him. He cheats.
The White Rabbit grins.
The party wiles away their time until evening. Theo leads chanting the incantation while everyone passes around the ivory staircase feeling each of its steps. With each passing the staircase feels a bit heavier and looks a bit larger. After almost an hour of this Theo drops the staircase on the ground and the ritual is completed. The stairs, now large enough to support your weight, descends into the floor through a shimmering portal.
You find yourself in a vast and nearly featureless desert under a blistering sun. The heat shimmers in the distance, creating an air of unsettling illusion when looking toward the horizon. The only structure is a partially ruined carvanserai.
The stone building is the same pale tan color as the sun bleached desert that extends to the horizon in every direction. A single, wide entrance, large enough to admit laden mounts, pierces the north wall of the structure and opens into a central courtyard. The northeast corner of the building is wholly collapsed. Drifts of sand and tufts of weeds indicate that the building is long abandoned.
The courtyard contains several stalls for animals as well as two low stone posts bearing empty circular bins. Across from the wide passageway stand two small doors flanking a long dry trough.
Theophilus speaks the words of several spells.
Mara took in the desolate setting. "I was expecting a lively traveler's stop, given Lowls' notes. I wonder what happened?"
She cast several spells to bolster herself and her companions, and then looked around for signs of activity.
"I don't know the rules of this world. Why would people stop dreaming of a place?"
Dervak looks for any signs of recent travelers.
If he finds none, he moves to the door to the northwest wing, listens at the door and checks for traps, then asks Theo (or Frederick, rather) to open it.
The door opens with a loud creak. Inside to the left is a water basin, now dry and empty. The inside glows with a soft luminescence and the air is cool and pleasant as opposed to the sweltering heat outside. Down a hallway on the northern side is an open doorway obstructed by a hanging curtain but is extremely frayed and tattered.
To the south more dry basins held aloft by carvings of sleepwalkers sit in the middle of this long wide hallway. To the south another curtain obscures a doorway. Not a soul is in sight.
Axe in hand, Mara advanced down the hallway and listened before the hanging curtain.
As Mara approaches, the curtain crumbles. The walls of this room are lined with shelves, and a long wooden table stretches through the room’s center. Although it obviously was once a shop, only dust and a few piles of rags remain on display. Perusing one of the nearly empty shelves is a gaunt man with sunken cheeks. The man's robes trail off at the edges into smoke. He sees you and straightens, "Welcome! Did you have a good journey? Are you looking for supplies?"
Mara and Theo identify the man as an animate dream. When a powerfully imaginative sleeper has a particularly vivid dream parts of the dream can splinter off and take a life of their own. They must feed on minds to sustain themselves. Theo in addition knows that their touch puts powerful nightmarish visions in a person's mind. He also knows they are incorporeal.
Mara whispered a warning to to her friends, "I think something may have gone wrong with the ritual. The man is an animate dream; it feeds of people's minds!"
She tried to engage the figure in conversation, but was ready to back off if he approached. "Our journey was pleasant enough. Where are all the other dreamers? This place seems deserted."
Theophilus, of course, has Frederick open any doors, curtains and icy sodas as the group explores.
Theophilus sees the apparition, tilts his head, scratches his chin and raises his eyebrows.
Here kitty kitty. Where are you fuzz face! Oh, hello. Nice place you have here.
Theophilus signs his knowledge of it.
He paces around the shop while looking the party over, "Please come in! There haven't been many customer lately. Or caravans! I wish they would come by I need to restock."
Mara asked the strange man, "Did a fellow by the name of Haserton Lowls come here a while back? I think he was looking for the Mad Prophet."
He floats around pawing at some rags ineffectually and says, "Oh why don't you ask that self proclaimed Yellow King? He's always wanting to jabber."
Theophilus bows at the gentleman, grandly tipping his hat.
Oh, a yellow king! How fortunate for us! Where might his high-ass be?
Dervak paces back and forth.
"We're new to this area," Mara explained. "Can you tell me where we could find him?" She wasn't sure that the 'King' was someone who would be safe to approach, but it seemed a good idea to know more about him.
He throws up his hands exasperated and says, "I don't know! I'm not his minder. If you're not going to buy something or at least help me clean this place up then please stop pestering me."
Theo bows again.
My man, Frederick, would be happy to clean this place up.
He claps his incorporeal hands and says, "Well get to it!"
Frederick moves to clean the place at the dream-shopkeep's instruction. The only items of any value in the room are six enormous emeralds. He motions to one of the gems, "For your trouble."
"Let's have Frederick collect the gems and then we'll be on our way... check out the rest of this place."
Dervak is not going close to the creepy smoke-man. He does not draw his sword, but is quite aware that he is now really unarmed when he doesn't have a weapon in his hands... no more bite attack.
Theophilus smiles as widely as his dofting of his hat.
We are so very grateful for your kindness, generosity and verbal parley! Perhaps, we shall visit upon our return. Do you play cards?
Theo instructs Frederick to collect one gem.
After Frederick collected the gem, Mara told the man, "We're going to see if we can find anyone else who knows about the travelers, and the Yellow King. It's been good to talk to you."
As she walked south down the long hallway, she remarked, "I don't suppose we will be able to bring the gem back to the waking world. It's only value is what we can exchange it for in the Dreamlands."
At the end of the hallway, she approached the curtain, half-expecting it to crumble the way the previous one did.
The figure waves his hand dismissively to the party's parting words.
Theo idly detects magic on the gem and sees the truth. It's a gem of seeing.
Mara hears low whispering past the heavy and frayed curtain.
The White Rabbit walks along peering through the Gem at everything.
"Well, if we find that we need more gems in the Dreamlands, like as offerings to this Mad Poet, then perhaps that, uh, man... perhaps he will trade something else for the other gems."
Dervak stops as Mara hears something. "What is it?"
Mara replied, "I hear whispering beyond the curtain!"
She figured that it was likely that whoever or whatever was in the chamber though the curtain had heard the group approaching. She called out, "Hello? We're looking for other travelers!" Then she stepped aside and motioned for Dervak to come forward.
The whispers continue unabated and no one responds to Mara's call. Neither Mara nor anyone else can make out a single word as it seems to be many whispered conversations at once. No other noise can be heard from the room.
Dervak nods, moves the curtain aside, and walks into the room.
"Hello?"
Theophilus directs Frederick to open the curtain.
I always wanted to see the Wizard behind the curtain!
This room has three elegant wooden tables and stools of varying sizes, all lacquered in a rich black. A few plates and a pitcher are stacked on a sideboard, covered in dust. Empty.
When Dervak enters ghostly forms appear throughout the dining hall: a wealthy night hag with elaborately coiffed hair makes imperious demands to human servants; three surly, turbaned humanoids confer over a detailed image of the moon; and a group of hooded ghouls examine a human head made of terracotta. Their voices echo in an overlapping, unintelligible cacophony.
Dervak and Theo (and White Rabbit) know that the whispers are infectious and treacherous.
"I've got this!"
Dervak rages, uses Barroom Brawler to pick up Soulblade, and casts Enlarge Person.
Looking through the door, Mara saw the ghostly figures who, as far as she could tell, didn't seem to be paying attention to their arrival. "Theo, are they real or just figments? Would the gem help to tell the difference?", she asked, as she stepped back beside him, drawing the sarenrite wand at the same time.
Dervak's face flushes, his chest heaves, and his muscles swell with power. It could be the dream-world, but there is a faint silver aura around him. His voice is not distorted, and he does not seem lost in blood-rage. Rather, he seems fully present and in control, only more. Greater. Bolder. This is his Destiny.
White Rabbit who is currently using the gem of seeing notes that the figures are a manifestation of the haunt.
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Recognizing something doesn’t feel right, Rowan enters boar style and rushes partway down the hall to look for the caster.
Theophilus informs the group what the White Rabbit sees.
Theo enters the room drawing a Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds. He attempts to find the source to tap it.