Session 155 - "Dream a Little Dream"

General Summary

Rozenport

12.02p

Kelath continues speaking with Sully, a town guard, and asks about the people the Count has been hiring outside the school to research the tomes that he has been acquiring, an act that is highly unusual. Kyrrn wonders if this might present an opportunity with her linguistic and archaeologist skills. Sully recommends staying at the Huntsman's Rest if he wishes to stay near the school. Kelath asks, but the guard has not seen the Dark Riders.   The town caters to academia and has all manners of scribes and book makers. X decides to try and track down some of the school's professors in town to learn more from them. However, he finds that the townspeople are quite protective of them and shares little information about them.   Neferu and Kyrrn make their way to the south gate to speak with Berta, Quentin's cousin. They cross a number of bridges in the town, but at one particular bridge the people appear to be touching a worn down bronze statue of pig on the nose as they go by. Not everyone touches it and some only nonchalantly. It appears to be a town custom where the statue is supposed to bring good luck. No one seems to know where the pig even came from. Kyrrn does touch it as she goes by.   Neferu and Kyrrn are able to locate Berta where the traffic in the area is more concentrated from people leaving the town. She has a stall with small wood carved trinkets, jewelry, and figurines. Berta herself in her early thirties, has a motherly plumpness to her, and is wearing workman's clothes as she whittles away on a carving. There are a variety of holy symbols, fetishes, and animals. She says that her father was quite the woodsman and was the one to teach her the trade. Kyrrn continues to engage her in conversation as she looks over her wares. Berta does confirm that the dark riders did leave town by the south gate, but noticed them more for their horses like everyone else. It appears that the riders rode straight through town without stopping. Berta is able to offer an extra bit of information about trouble at the university. She feels that it's a game of thrones, politics, for the nobleman with regards to the school. She said there is a long history of the counts of Thrushmoor and the School butting heads and jockeying for politic position. There are three deans of the school, with the Dr. Henri Meirtmane being most senior, but there is a council that governs the school. Neferu asks, but she doesn't really know what kind of texts the Count has been acquiring or who Lucas is.   Neferu picks out a symbol of Desna for his horse barding and Kyrrn takes several sandalwood beads. She also eyes a cat carving and Berta tells her that she actually saw a cat in a vivid dream and then later carved it. The image of the cat just stuck with her. Neferu asks her about the details of the dream. She hesitantly explains that she walked down a long winding set of wooden stairs that descended down a large tree. It felt like to her that she was actually walking the stairs and eventually emerged into this large and amazing forest. Eventually, though, she felt as though she was being watched and did indeed saw up in the tree an incredible feline laying in the tree with yellow eyes and black fur. It looked as a common housecat but seemed more than it really was. She had the dream about two weeks ago.

---

Kelath continues to find more information around the town and finds a riverboat sailor named Lenk Marris, who is also a devout follower of Iomedae and dreams of being a paladin. He is however young and somewhat naïve. However, he has heard that the Count has been researching something called "the Watcher in the Bay". He regals Kelath with a tale of the sea monster that resides in Avalon Bay to the south and is said to be an ancient being with equally ancient knowledge that watches the shores and intrudes in human events as it sees fit to alter the course of history. As far as anyone knows, the creature has been there forever. Kelath asks but Lenk doesn't know what the Count's motivation would be in trying to contact it, but it is something he is trying to find out. His pappy and his grand-pappy all knew of the creature and every town along the bay has its own tale about it. He says that the folks in Illmarsh knows more about it than others. Lenk says that the town stinks to high hell and that even though the people there are nice enough, but all seem a bit queer. Kelath than tells him a story about a heroic paladin whose last stand was at Lastwall.

---

4.02p

X, posing as an associate professor, tries to determine more information about the professors at Sincomakti. Dr. Meirtmane actually lives on campus in a beautiful mansion there. There is also Dr. Quolorum, who is also a dean, and Zame Luralia, the third dean of the most prominent. Dr. Meirtmane is the most powerful, but the most challenging to meet. Dr. Quolorum appears to be the most open to seeing students. Zame herself is rather mysterious and stand-offish and maybe in fact a powerful psychic. X decides to speak with her first. All three deans have not been seen in town since the school closed and that they are most likely holed up in the university.   There is one proper entrance into the university that is covered by a gate resembling a castle wall with a portcullis. It is closed and there are guards on the wall manning the gate as well as in front and behind them. They seem on high alert and appear to take their job seriously. X decides to conjure an illusory object of papers in an attempt to gain entry into the school. The guard says that the document does look official and they would normally he escort X inside, however the guard tells X that the university is closed to all visitors, including those for Galafax (the signature on X's forged papers). Haffrey Stonewerk is his name when X demands it. The guard says the orders come directly from the dean's council and no one can be admitted. X tells him to summon the council, but Haffrey cannot do that but will pass on a message to them. X requests paper and pen to compose, giving time to allow him to pay closer attention to the battlements. He and Stonewerk strike up a conversation about how long he has been a guard and that he is worried about his own position. On the paper, X writes:  

"Help is never far away. Admit my entry and gain what you need to reopen the gates."

  then draws a scarab beetle with an eye on it. X gives over the missive and says that he will wait for a response. To pass the time, X engages in a show of fire-eating and earns a few silver.

---

Kelath makes his way to the Huntsman's Rest and procure lodging for the Fellowship and their horse. It’s a popular and large three-story building with balconies looking down on the main, central taproom with leather chairs and a large stone fireplace with hunting trophies hanging on the wall. It is run by a large 6' 9" balding, fat hunter named Cernon Eadbyrg, which he says is a famous line of hunters. It is known for its pale ale, "Direbear Drool". He gets three rooms and boarding for five horses. Spicy elk sausages is the special of the day. Kyrrn and Kelath meet up with him there.  

6.02p

X tells the guards he is leaving and will be at the inn if they receive a response from the dean.  

6.32p

On his way there, X hears a voice call out, "Excuse me, mister." Tugging on him is a young urchin with a message for him, a small envelope with a seal on it. He takes it and gives the boy two silver pieces. The seal is clearly that of the coat of arms for the school.   Back at the inn, Kyrrn tells the Fellowship about the Dreamlands, a separate dimension that one can only visit while they are asleep and dreaming. She explains to X that people being able to get into the Dreamlands easily and creatures being able to come out is a major sign of the damage being caused to ley lines in the air. Nyrrk then suddenly comes forward and tells X about the legend of Ulthar, a town within the Dreamlands where it is illegal to kill a cat. This stemmed from all the cats in the area attacking and eating a peasant couple who had been cursed by a young orphan boy after they killed his kitten. Nyrrk ends the tale by saying the morale of the story is:     X tells them he was able to make contact with school, but that there might be a problem. He used to be an agent of a secret order, the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye and eventually left without their permission. He offered the organization's services and the deans sent him a riddle to prove he is still part of that order.  

"Are you still one of the fold? Provide your answer to Pol. If it is the right one, he shall show you the way."

  Kyrrn attempts to object read the note:     X recognizes the name from forty years ago, Bruttenholm. Thrones are a classification within the Order, ranging from one to ten, with ten being the highest. The tests refer to one of truth and faith and can be manifested in many different ways. The higher the throne, the more serious the test of truth and faith is. The tests are always about seeing if the individual is faithful to the cause. The tests can show up in many different ways and there are a multitude of rituals and recitations, but normally involve some kind of mission. The Bruttenholm he know was Trevor, who was like a father to him. X says that if the deans are part of this Order, then they are no friend to the Whispering Way.  

7.32p

With the hour close at hand, the Fellowship makes their way back the docks district to the Muckshins to meet with Pol. Kyrrn recasts telepathic bond on the party. There they see that some of the locals are distinguished by wearing a metal skullcap. They make their way down into the basement where loud and rowdy men are drinking and playing cards. Pol is dark-skinned, muscular like a pugilist, and sports a mohawk. X tells him, "We're here for our tests. Hopefully it won't make it to the third." Pol begins to work up the men around them with various shouts: "We’re going to fuck up some rowers tonight!" "Going to go talk to Rower One-Eye has the information." "Sending in the A-Team." X makes sure they aren't being spied upon while Kyrrn detects magic. She senses enchantment that is centered on the area of the table Pol is seated at and finds it moves when he does.  

8.02p

The group leaves with Pol in the lead. X asks what the Rowers have on Pol, and he replies that what they are going to find out. They have to be careful because they are going into Rower territory and too much attention will bring them out of the woodwork.  

8.30p

The group arrives at the docks and only a few people out and about the area. Pol indicates that the people they are looking for are down in the sewer grate. They move the grate and descend down...