With everyone else heading into the little alcove, Hannah padded after them, poking her head through the curtain before padding in and sidling to one of the corners. She didn't immediately notice anything odd until Grimes pointed it out.
"Oh, curious," she commented, "Though to be fair, who's to say what is real in a dreamscape anyway."
Thraag moves to stand at the curtain and peek in. He stays in the hall to keep watch in case this is some kind of trap.
Reine nearly jumped out of her skin when Lachen and the "detective" person followed her through the curtain. And then so did Hannah.
So much for her "I'll go in, be prepared to come in fighting if things go sideways" pantomime.
"Not sure what we're looking for, really," Reine said, turning back to the being before her. "I'm not from around here, so forgive me if it's rude to ask, but did you know your robes are smoking?"
[dice=perception]1d20+11
Reine nearly jumped out of her skin when Lachen and the "detective" person followed her through the curtain. And then so did Hannah.
So much for her "I'll go in, be prepared to come in fighting if things go sideways" pantomime.
"Not sure what we're looking for, really," Reine said, turning back to the being before her. "I'm not from around here, so forgive me if it's rude to ask, but did you know your robes are smoking?"
The shopkeep started to move away from the group when Grimes entered the room, then clockwise around the wall away from Reine as Hannah came in behind him. "Hmm?" He looked down and shook his head, shrugging. "Things are so strange here." He gestured at Reine and Grimes and Hannah. "Such as yourselves! Tell me, how did such a... diverse group come to be in this unfortunately now remote and desolate place? We haven't had visitors in so long!"
The smoking shopkeeper continued slowly circuiting clockwise around the wall, slowly getting closer to Grimes. "And how do you all find yourselves in such a... remote location?"
"Pardon... Where are my manners... Detective Inspector Lawrence Grimes, of Scotland Yard. How do you do?" Grimes touches the brim of his hat. He is a bit wary of this 'shopkeeper', but tries to resist the urge to back down.
"A crime was committed, and following the case I ended up in these strange lands. And the uh... road just led me here. The others..." a vague wave of hand towards the ones who are also in the room. "Have a similar story. But different."
"I'm sorry to say I think I failed to catch your name, sir. Or the name of this establishment."
Hannah frowned, still wary of this otherworldly shopkeep. "Dreamlands are like that, I guess," she shrugged to the strange being. Watching it close on the investigator she frowned, "You probably don't want him to touch you, Sir Grimes."
An animate dream can find satisfaction and sustenance by passing one of its ghostly limbs through a mortal’s body—the act infusing the mortal with negative energy that sates the animate dream’s unnatural hunger. But by forcing a creature into a state of sleep, terror, or both, the animate dream can gain a much more satisfying meal, feeding on the emotions released in such states. It uses its spell-like abilities to this end, for each creature it harms with its nightmares, drives temporarily insane with confusion or fear, or outright slays with phantasmal killer provides the monster with more nourishment. An animate dream forced to go for a long period of time without feeding does not starve to death, but does grow increasingly feral and violent in nature.
The average animate dream is slightly stronger than your group [CR 8/12 HD], can see in the dark [darkvision], can drain life/mental energy with a mere touch [incorporeal negative energy touch attack], is resistant to mortal magic [SR], and is impossible to hit [incorporeal]. This one seems quite urbane and sophisticated, though, so Hannah suspects it may not be an average specimen [advanced template].
Hannah shares most of this with the group.
The man- now identified as an animate dream- frowns at Hannah but doesn't seem to register exactly what she said. "I'm sorry. Did you say you were looking for anything specific?" Almost as though it could not understand the words she had said, or perhaps had heard something entirely different.
Thraag looks down the two hallways and listens as he waits to see if more creatures of Dreamland roam these halls.
As far as Thraag could tell, the caravanserai was empty.
"I'm sorry. Did you say you were looking for anything specific?"
"A person."
Grimes is not sure what Hannah means with her warning, but there is something certainly odd with this fellow - and he plans to keep out of arms reach.
"Haserton Lowls. The fourth. A count. Have you seen a man by that name hereabouts?"