Written by: Arthur "Aiden" Granger & Kieran/Kyra "Omri" Barry
Recollections of the Blacksmith
So in the scope of things, it was like any other day of traveling: show up to a tavern, find out what's wrong, fix it and move along. This was slightly different, however, as I had stumbled near the Dreaming realm and that is never a normal day around the forge.
The first person I came across was a young adventurer that was waiting for others; they explained how the night before the questing party had kicked things off in the Dreaming. Things sounded bad as everything they had encountered seemed to be off in one form or another. In the Dream realm, this never ends well. Thus began the day of questionable choices and actions. As the tavern came to life, the other adventurers gathered to give their attention to the “Queen of Hearts” who was talking about the games, and the potential rumors of the area.
I started my day with gathering supplies. In the Dreaming, something being around one moment does not mean it will be there the next second. The tavern was surrounded with mushrooms, and with the help of Bogen of Chimeron, we began our work. The next thing we noticed was grass grown taller than our heads! We quickly realized that eating the mushroom in the Dreaming was something to avoid and began chasing after our friends. This was no easy task, however as we were three inches tall and everyone else was not. Fifteen feet may have well been fifteen miles. In time, we caught up to Ryu of Chimeron and after we got her to speak softly (as she was blowing out our little ears with every word), she agreed to help us. Helping Bogen to his Duck Familiar and myself to her friend Girving the dragon who were normal relative size, we were off to find a cure for our disposition.
In transit, we happened upon JB of Neden and Griffen of Chimeron, who had fallen to similar fates and also taken to their own mini mounts. It was at this moment we happened upon a chicken, a small stream, and other critters requiring aid. To the regular sized adventurer this would be child's play. For us, it took a little longer, given our state. From here we found ourselves at the table of the Queen. She invited us to her tea party which upon drinking the tea we were returned to our proper size.
Returning to the main group, Ryu had been working with the others to attempt to repair damage of wayward fairytales. Peter Pan, the caterpillar, you get the picture. With the help of Omri and others, we began solving riddles to save Girving as he had now shrunk to the size of us. It was at this moment that Peter Pan jumped into the group, asking for aid. I found this strange because he had just left with a small militia composed of Chreathorn, Chimeron and Riverhawk members. Pan had returned alone and wanted us to follow him. Feeling suspicious, I let Ryu know I was going to investigate this as it was strange. Into a clearing it was made evident the first group had been cursed. Joining forces with Captain Hook they attacked, killing myself and Peter Pan. Thankfully in the Dreaming, a bad idea can quickly turn into a good idea and this broke the curse, returning half our ranks back to us and stopping the wayward dream in progress.
Returning to the Queen of Hearts and the tavern would be a repeated process throughout the day. My mystic forge was set up as a permanent fixture to return to for the sake of refilling fighter supply. Ryu and Myself had frequently reminded the party throughout the day to reserve resources and repair armor at the forge whenever possible. The paths where regularly filling up with demons, and other forms of hell beast. With a clue of what was to come, we worked together to maintain shield walls, and keep casters on the fighters that needed front line support. It was at this point we came to Destruction, a being who carried a large hammer to be used with the Dream Forge. With his aid, we were then given four choices of Dream Creations behind four doors to confront based on the door we chose. I selected “Risktaker” which could not have blown up in my face any worse. No risk, no reward; these things happen. I was turned fae, on the surface not the worst thing to happen. However when you commonly carry cold iron, salt, and fae stones on your person…..not a good time.
At this point the party was separated. I found myself in a bar. There were demons and games and cookies. What could go wrong? I only go broke any time I sit at the poker table so let’s play some games. A few bar fights broke out, rending blows were won and lost cookies were bought… you know the drill. A lot of this point in the evening is a bit of a blur. Intoxication led to bad deals on my part led to being rended. By the time I was brought back many in the party had reunited and were in preparation to make a path for the Dream Forge.
After a tedious battle with demons and other hellspawn, we came to the chained figure of Morpheus. He was bound as his creations were running havoc with the forces of hell. After some discussion, we agreed to help him push back the forces of hell from the Dreaming to put an end to the chaos. After a short introduction and purging of the fae in me, I agreed to take up the mantle of Champion/Acolyte of the Dreaming in return to be allowed study of the Dreamforge, as smithing is kinda my jam. The first thing forged with the help of an intervention from other casters was to repower the casters in our forces (spell reset). With this, we rallied to expel the forces we found bringing several of Morpheus creations that had been twisted by hell to a weakened state. In doing so, we had accomplished our mission however, Some of the creations seem to have deeper ties to hell and were expelled for their crimes. This can't possibly turn out badly down the road, right? Returning back to the tavern weary and drained, several members of Chimeron joked about how Ryu and I treated the questing party regardless of what tabard we saw with “Mom and Dad energy,” keeping everyone on task with a mix of silliness and gruff field commands when needed. We joked about how unlikely a pairing we are considering our many differences. All in all, it was a chaotic day in the life that I look forward to the next journey to the Dreaming.
-Aiden
-Friday night:
Kicked off with meeting Charlie. He had a staff that I had seen in Strathmore's hoard last year, which immediately piqued my interest. I would later learn this staff shot fire and would protect its wielder. In exchange for one of his 'special' maps he asked for a lot of stuff from our group, the cost split amongst several people.
We were transported to a maze, guarded by several sort of sentries. One type which would roam and attack, the other which would turn you to stone. Both types required stealth. Personally I had some training from a Gi resistance fighter, Col. Robert Vinsin, and Onyx had some resistance to stone that he could pass along. Together we did reasonably well until we unwittingly ran right into a guard's path, then we booked it. At the center of the maze was a being later we'd learn was called Destiny, who let a handful of us read from their book at a time, never the same page. There were three pages we could read and so three groups could read from the book, and we got progressively better at noting down what was on the pages. I was a bit discomforted to discover a passage regarding me, stating I'd realize the stones I was to retrieve would be key to save someone.
In fact I had not yet mined these rocks. Griffin had destroyed a roving sentry and took its face and wore it for disguise and kept one off my back, but the mists were rolling in. My friends had to leave while I worked. I ended up being able to return due to things I could not speak of, in time for the next part of our night.
Into Danica's wand we went, and blindly we travelled, as eerie voices whispered about us. Holding onto a tether protected by others such as Ryu who remained outside the wand. At the center? was a lantern and candles, and we took turns lighting it. Rudely, Jean Baptiste was rebutted despite his efforts, but most of the rest of us made an effort and were able to light a candle.
Danica the angel of Aurora was freed and guided us back. Except we were besieged by sentient darkness, and Soul Taker, as he had been 1000 years ago. He pulled one of our numbers off the tether, who had to be resurrected later.
All of us were able to escape the wand, the darkness now gone.
Aiden writes pretty much what happened the next day. I'll fill in what I recall of it.
-Saturday:
Robin popped up, being his usual eccentric self. Said some cryptic stuff, passed along hellos. A lot of our party was not pleased with him, due to events of last year. We needed to enter the wand last night because of a deal Margaret made with him to get a wand of light and he fulfilled that deal by giving her a wand with an angel in it, who then needed saving. I think he used me as a looking glass? I'm unclear on how we passed into that strange world. We appeared in a mushroom filled world where a queen of hearts demanded to know why we were interrupting her games.
As some friends fought in their games, several others had vanished. I managed to find Aiden who had shrunk, and warned me not to eat the mushrooms. Talking with the doctor, a cat-urpillar, she shared that she had several ways of dealing with ailments, and couldn't give me the cure for my friends but gave me more mushroom, which I kept for later.
There was a lot going on. As some of our friends were shrunk, I checked in on them periodically but hesitated to join them without a way to turn back. They ended up managing. I had tea with the queen in the interim, then they did, and turned back to their usual size.
And there was a White Rabbit Hatter who revealed it's all a book. Or that may have been what I gleaned using my methods of investigation, if he didn't outright reveal it.
We faced a manifestation of a nightmare, in two beings, Kord/Cordelia, who sought to spread Despair. And also sought the wings of Ryu's friend Girvin the dragon. Ryu had it rough, first we had to prove ourselves friends of Girvin to get him back, then we had to rescue Griffin from a vampire. I was dead most of that fight after armlessly tackling the vampire lord in the hopes that Ypnn could beckon his corpse back to safety, they didn't care about anyone else.
Blue Coyote was around, in a half animalistic state. He paralyzed me when my diplomatic efforts failed and started eating me alive and Aiden had to rescue me along with others. Despite this, and his actions last year, he was just desperate for survival. A group trying to help Blue Coyote stayed behind when we later traveled to the Fulcrum, and Ypnn, J'ortsa, and Bogen would release BC's spirit and soothe his pain.
The Queen of Hearts would end up being the Lord/Lady of Change, who had entered our world last year through a nightmarish door. This door remains in our waking world as a window. She would transform into a being named Delirium, and lead us to her brother Destruction. Even her very presence caused madness in fits and bursts to those of us around her. Wandering the Fulcrum, we ran into a son of Garm, Gimnisnal, and would gain his company via honorable combat, which I did on Pawldo's behalf.
Destruction gave one amongst us the ability to wield his hammer to free Dream. Destruction left with Delirium as the Fulcrum fades, and Gimnisnal took Destruction's place, all of us making a choice on who would be our method of leaving. Deathdealer required eulogies for those that chose him, Soultaker made deals, Robin "asked" for a favor, and Aiden outlines above what Risktaker required.
We found ourselves in a Hellfire tavern, with demons jeering for games and bar fights. A being, an emissary of Dream, sought us, and had a few of us travel to where Dream was, and call him out of his stupor. We shared our dreams and nightmares, then the hunt began. A creature in the dark, a twisted game of red light green light as it honed in on movement and sound. If its sights were upon you, better not move or else agony and death. We had methods to combat it, and we collected the candles needed to draw Dream from the dark, though he could not yet hear us.
I believe others were fighting demons while we were on this quest, though what led to that I could not say.
When we were finally able to free Dream, with Destruction's hammer wielded by Onyx, we promised to be his Nightmares for the night against his foes. Dream needed his items of power, one a helmet from the demons, and one a ruby from Soultaker's nightmare. We played 'tag' with Soul Taker, as he would search in a small space for us for a short period of time, rendering stillness an ineffective tactic. Jean Baptiste and Margaret would be caught. I used heavy objects as tricks and my aforementioned stealth training. There were also freaky eyeballs that zapped people with pain and blindness. Did not like those.
When we had all the items Soul Taker was thrown into Hell by Dream, since Dream couldn't completely undo Soul Taker since in his thousand years absence Soul Taker had become a servant of Dionin. I promised Dream to fix the Smith whose soul resides in the stone pieces that I had found the night before, the smith who was the one who had first used the Dream Forge.
The night ended optimistically, with Dream going to work to undo the changes The Champion did in a thousand years, such as no more Dream Demons, except for The Dream Demon.
-And Sunday there was a zombie clean up, with fireball wielding zombie and much group effort. RB of Creathorne ended up winning. Although I hear in the future there may be more Neden zombie clean ups.
-Omri