Session 21: Wonderland, then Darkness Report
General Summary
Previously
The party continues their journey through slices of different planes, slogging their way through a side effect of the collapsed planes stored in the Planar Research station. Their intent is to get through as quickly as possible, so that they can re-engage the safeties in the station, hopefully stop the planar leakage, and retrieve the Planar Stabilization device they need to close the great rift and hopefully rescue the lost city of Agaddon.
The party has just arrived in Wonderland.
Wonderland
They emerge on the edge of a Fungal Forest, at the T intersection of two paths. A path to the left leads to towering fungi, and a giant blue caterpillar is in that direction, perched on a huge toadstool, watching them impassively. To the right, a path leads into the woods, and directly ahead, a path follows a river that emerges from the Fungal Forest behind you, and meanders through the woods in that direction. All the paths appear quite well maintained, practically manicured.
Windellian is suddenly struck by the memory of a conversation he had about two years ago in a bar on the Rock of Bral with a well-dressed, drunk barbarian ("My bar was nicer than this!"). The barbarian, Ankylosing Spondylitis ("Call me Al!"), was a member of the Knights of the Reluctant Circle. That group had just arrived on the Rock of Bral after their extensive travels, just as Realmspace was descending into chaos. The fleet built in Greatspace at T'Laan's orders, crewed with Illithid-controlled slaves, had rendezvoused with another controlled fleet built in GwynnethSpace, and used a sun shard to darken the Realmspace sun, and attack the planet of Toril, as the Drow of Menzobarranzan attacked from the Underdark. The KRC were at the Rock of Bral to gather info on the attack (and on what happened to Bruin's queen Nicollette, High Priestess of Zeus for Greatspace, who had travelled there earlier seeking aid against T'Laan and the Drow forces in Greatspace).
When Windellian had asked Al about their travels, and the various spheres and planes he had visited, Al went on a rant about a demiplane called "Wonderland", and (among other things) described the two known entrances: a trap door leading to a long shaft, at the bottom of a Portable Hole the KRC carried with them, and a mirror leading from a room in a wooden mansion to T'Laan's castle in Darkspace. Al hinted that these entrances were tied to the back story of the dark sun devices the Drow had used to darken various suns.
Based on this, Windellian warns the party that this is a very strange and whimsically dangerous place, and that they should leave as soon as possible. While some of the party questions the caterpillar, Zayer and Windellian take to the air to try to get their bearings. Unfortunately, Zayer (utterly) fails to spot the gigantic JubJub bird that swoops down upon him and seizes him in its clutches. Windellian quickly tries to land on the bird to help, and then Jessa casts Entangle, wrapping the bird in rainbow chains. While the JubJub quickly shreds the chains, the distraction does give Zayer a chance to escape, and the JubJub bird decides to fly off, in search of easier prey.
The caterpillar greets the party, and asks where they arrived from (since from his perspective, they arrived out of nowhere). The party (briefly) explains they are planar travelers, merely passing through, and looking for an exit. The caterpillar is impressed with how quickly they evade and drive off the JubJub, and is willing to direct them to the Hall of Doors (roughly in the direction they are facing, head straight ahead, turn left at the Duchess's manor, and then right at the Caucus Race Grounds, then cross the Pool of Tears), or the Magic Mirror House (beyond the Mountains of Division, in the Mirror Lands). He also directs them to a (probable) short cut to the Hall of Mirrors, through a door in a tree to the North. He warns them to beware the Queen of Hearts, and hints at dark events going on with the queen (which the party has absolutely no interest in learning more about).
The party (after some debate and further questioning) decide to go north along the path to find the tree with the door. En route, they hear a loud group ahead, and hide in the undergrowth as a strange patrol passes by. There are about a dozen "card men", heads and appendages on a body resembling a playing card (all 3's of clubs), lead by a 6 of clubs and a Drow elf. (Windellian does remember Al complaining about repeatedly encountering T'Laan's Drow allies in Wonderland, which they entered through the mirror in T'Laan's castle). The Drow is arguing with the 6, saying that he is sure his magic detected a planar opening here, and that the Queen will want to know about it. The 6 is skeptical, to say the least, and unhappy about dragging his patrol here.
The patrol passes without incident, and just as they relax, Windellian is startled from his perch on a branch by a soft voice in his ear, saying "My, aren't you a tasty-looking bird,", as a fanged smile and a pair of cat eyes materialize in this air. The party quickly moves on.
After passing a couple of side roads with houses visible down the paths (as well as what looks like an outdoor tea party in front of one of them), they find the tree with a red-painted wooden door in the side. Opening it, they find themselves in a hall with many doors of various sizes. The hall is lit by oil lamps hanging from the ceiling, though one end of the hall is shrouded in darkness (which the party does not investigate). Fortunately, the tell-tale dimensional shimmer they are looking for is visible in front of one of the doors, indicating which way they should go.
However, as they step through the gate, something unexpected happens. They feel a odd sensation, and when looking back over their shoulders, they see apparent duplicates of themselves stepping back into the Hall of Doors, accompanied by someone they don't recognize: a middle-aged, balding thin man, with a large staff and a small, glowing hourglass on a chain around his neck. The duplicate group gives a friendly wave, and appear to be wearing some clothes and carrying some equipment that the party doesn't have. Before they can learn more, the party finds themselves elsewhere.
Dhizrend, the Kingdom of Ghouls
The party finds themselves on a rocky hillside, shrouded in darkness. The "electric torches" from the shuttle quickly reveal that the "rocks" are actually a mix of bone dust, bones, decaying corpses, mountains of skulls, and naked arches made by rib cages of vast, long-dead creatures. Shining the light around, the party spies gaunt, naked, gray-skinned humanoids with sharp claws and short tails gnawing on bones to find what scraps they can. The humanoids--ghouls--are drawn to the party's lights, and Zayer quickly realizes this must be the legendary Dhizrend. According to some stories, all graveyards across the multiverse are connected in some way, and that connection is through the dimension of Dhizrend, the home of the ghouls, the eaters of dead flesh.
Jessa uses Far Sight to spot another dimensional shimmer up slope, and most of the party clambers up the hillside of bones as quickly as they dare, as Zayer and Windellian fly in the darkness above. Large numbers of ghouls seems to be closing in on the party, but not making any attempt to cut them off. And when a raspy voice out of the darkness says, "Please, stay and talk for a moment. We only eat dead flesh.", the party redoubles their speed, and dives through the far gate as quickly as possible.
The Depositorium
On the far side, the party is relieved to find themselves back in the moonbase, in front of the door to the Depositorium. Behind them, the shimmering figure of Martin is barely visible through the haze of dimensional barriers, but they are unable to communicate with him.
The door opens easily to their touch, and they step inside a large chamber. A robot of some kind, with a human body but a flat screen for a head, steps forward to greet them.
