Session 11/11/22

General Summary

Heading Out

Everyone makes their way back to the Guild Hall after doing a quick restock on materials and Caerso having dinner with his brother's family. Many are too tired for much else and head to their rooms. Feyrith staying up to do some research is visited by an Air Elemental that carries a gift from him from his mentor. A Codex encoded with spells that his mentor felt would be useful for Feyrith's travels but before he can't get enough work done to solve a single puzzle, Feyrith falls asleep at his desk. The next morning Caerso wakes up with a nose bleed and the stationary that was at his desk was missing.

The group sits around the table for breakfast and talks about their plans for the day. They agree to pick up Stoin and Lila to look for the remains of the adventures team around the area they found Stoin and Lila, about a two day trip south of Amberhold. There was also a call for help from the city to find materials and equipment to restock the stores that have been starting to run empty. Silvyr took a little while to come out of his room before joining the breakfast table. After breakfast was done the group split up to get ready to leave. Silvyr and Ballad stayed at the Guild to set up their cart, while Caerso and Feyrith went to go find Stoin and Lila in the market district, in an apartment above the store Spin 'n Tale. Caerso, knowing the roads well having walked them a lot in his time in Amberhold, makes quick progress towards the shop.

Finding it closed so early in the morning and in a bit of a rush Caerso changes his shape into a Sprite and flies up to the apartment window and knocks. Greeted by a shocked Lila, she agrees to meet the two in a little bit as Stoin was still moving a little slow from the attack on the walls the night before. After a little while the two made their way down with their gear on their backs. Grabbing more food on the way back to the Guild Hall, they make their way towards Ballad who dipped into the party funds and bought two black stallions to pull the cart, after their last horse ran past exhaustion and needed a few days to rest. The group hops in and makes their way out of Amberhold.

The first day of travel remained uneventful as Caerso's keen eye kept the cart out of dense webs. Their journey halted by the sound of a falling tree. Assuming a threat the group prepared for combat as Feyrith sent Thoth to investigate with his Manifested Mind. Seeing nothing dangerous around the tree the party made their way to investigate why it had fallen. It seemed that the webbing was so tightly constricting this tree that it had died and began to dry to the point it was so brittle that the pressure had caused it to collapse. But this perfectly dried wood would fetch a decent price in the market so the party shattered the tree and collected the pieces in Caerso's Bag of Holding. By the time they were done with collecting firewood it was beginning to grow dark and the group decided to settle down and set up camp. As watches were set Caerso puts the letter he wrote that morning under his pillow hoping for a reply from his sister.

The Dream Dunes

Caerso settled down for the night and was having a dream of his family before he left. Watching his siblings play and be happy while his father and mother watched with smiles. The scene plays for a little while before it begins to crumble away into fine grains of sand and Caerso finds himself in dunes that he saw before. Like the last time a woman stood before him. Looking similar to what she presented herself as last time but seemed more meek and timid, looking almost younger. Her hair the color of sunset and a dress made of the sands around them. The two have quick little introductions this time introducing herself by her true title, The Queen of Dreams.

"In the excitement to finally talk with the Lady's pet, I got ahead of myself and forgot to give you the chance to keep my boon. After a large scolding from her lady I came back to right my mistake and give a gift in good faith. To my surprise, I find you writing to dreams." She says holding Caerso's letter to his sister between her fingers. "But to push that for a later part of our conversation I'm here to grant you and one other my boon for the night. The Boon of Lucidity."

Caerso takes a second to answer as he thinks about what she said about writing to dreams. "Can I give it to Anyone?"

"Preferably someone near you. I'd have to bridge a connection between you and the other person you choose. Also it has to be one that can enter this realm. I have no reach for your friend made of stone." She says making a fist like a rock.

"How does this boon help me?" Caerso asks knowing that Fey don't just offer gifts.

"The Dream Dunes hold hundreds of secrets that have never been spoken. Many people see them but by the time they wake, their memory of such secrets are gone." She says still holding Caerso's letter in her hand, "With my boon you will remember every dream you have as well as it grants you strength in this realm but in this realm alone. But after you wake my boon will expire. In order to be granted my boon permanently, you must know my true name but I can't tell you it. You have to figure it out yourself. That's why, to help, I'm granting this boon to another."

Caerso thinks about who he would like to help. Stoin and Lila were still pretty much strangers so they were out of the picture. So the choice is between Ballad and Feyrith. At this point it was a no brainer and two smart boys are better than one. Caerso takes the letter and tells the Queen that he picks Feyrith to join him. With a nod she reaches out and grabs the horizon pulling it closer. As she did the ground shifted and moved beneath them as they seemed to cross miles of desert in an instant and a massive spiraling tower came into existence.

Feyrith having fallen asleep after his watch was dreaming of being back in his study. Going over books and scrolls doing what he loved as the door to his study flew open and in the door frame stood Caerso. Caerso turns around and he stands alone in this doorway. With a quick catch up, Caerso explains the situation with Feyrith who grows increasingly excited having read only theories about this place. By the time Caerso had finished explaining, Feyrith's tower had crumbled into sand leaving the two standing alone in the dunes. The two walk and talk for a bit as Feyrith explains the theories and text that he has read about the Dreamscape and the creatures that dwell in it's sands.

At this point the two didn't really know what to do. The only two things the Queen had suggested they do. Try and figure out her name and enjoy the boon for the night. Caerso takes out his letter and Feyrith suggests that he think about his sister and it might lead to her dream. As Caerso thinks about his sister, the letter begins to glow brighter and brighter before a beam of light erupts into the sky. Another conversation about "the monsters that live here and the beacon attracting them" later a crash of sand interrupts the conversation as a ship crashes over a dune. The sails were replaced with a massive dream-catcher that was being pulled in an unfelt wind. Standing at the top of the bow with a smile on her face a familiar but more mature figure waves to Caerso. "Brother, ready for another night of adventure?"

With a reasonable amount of suspicion, Caerso and Feyrith make their way onto the ship. Keelie pulls him in for a quick hug before making her way to the center of the deck as the ship begins to move. Caerso, shocked because he was expecting a punch across the face, introduces his friend to his sister. The trio begin to talk about how this isn't the first time that Caerso and Keelie have spoken. They have spent hundreds of years adventuring through the Dream Dunes together but unlike the two she was here physically. Caerso asks how she got here but she dodges the question over and over before finally giving in.

She tells her brother that it was their little sister Lana's fault that she was trapped here. They had gotten into a massive fight while they had been researching for a way to enter the Dream Dunes. One night she had woken up here and just assumed that she was going to wake up. Then a hundred years went by. Then another and another. Trying to deny the fact that she was trapped here, she began looking for a way out. Losing and finding her mind over and over in the process. But she couldn't find one and everyone she went looking for for help never remembered when they woke up. If they did, they thought it was just a dream. The only person that could have helped has yet to enter the Dream Dunes since. A voice comes up from below deck that makes Caerso's blood run cold.

As he turns to face the source of the voice, he sees his dead mother. Although her face and features shifted and changed constantly. Looking at his sister, she shakes her head with a sad smile. Keelie explains that she is just a dream. Keelie had found her in what she assumed was where their home was. She is the collection of all their dreams of their mother. At this point though Keelie's focus seems to keep drifting and it grows difficult to keep her focus on their conversation. The dream of Anna explains that this is what happens when the conscious mind spends too much time in the Dream Dunes.

Caerso knew that he needed to save his sister from this place but to do so he needed that boon. The group brainstorms a few ideas but can't really figure out how they are supposed to know if they are right. Keelie checks back in and tells of a time the Queen actually visited their ship. She wanted the dream of Anna to join her collection of dreams and assimilate with her but Anna turned her down until Keelie was home. That was the hint Caerso needed to have a solid guess for her name. Now they needed to find her again. Caerso begins to think about the Queen and goes to copy her trick as he reaches out to the horizon and begins to pull. His fingers disappeared behind the horizon as sand moved quickly beneath the ship. When it came to an end the ship stood outside of a hedge of roses but the texture was gritty as if all made of sand.

Feeling the pull from deeper within as the ship sailed easily through the maze, as it seemed to stretch and unravel before them. They only had to sail for a little while before they were docked in the throne room. Their ship not even filling the carpet. Sitting on the throne the size of a giant looking down on the ship with a gentle smile. Looking to Caerso she asked with a teasing grin if he took long enough to come up with a guess. Feyrith having no clue what was going on, Caerso stood for and declared the name of the dream that everyone dreams for. Love.

With a nod she confirms that is her family name. Her full name is Unconditional Love. The love of a Mother for her child and the child's love back being a strong example. She looks at Anna while saying this. Turning to Feyrith and Caerso she blows them a kiss as sands wrap around the two and the light of a rising sun glares into the two's eyes. They had woken up and with looks to another knew that it was all a dream. But that now had a much larger meaning than it did before. Silvyr nodding to the two as they begin to get breakfast together for the camp.

Silvyr's Vision

Silvyr had been thinking back on the vision that he had the day before making him late on joining the group for morning talk. He had visions before but they didn't feel real like this one had. They had been mainly visual with no sense entering the vision. But this time he was there. He could feel the stiff chair he sat in while looking among a group of four others. All being a different race of elf. And the one sitting to his right was the drow queen that had entered his vision before, but this time she was part of the scene. Her voice was the only one he could hear at this meeting.

She seemed frustrated as she tried to sooth the other three elves. The conversation didn't really make sense since he could only hear one side of the conversation. Mostly she was agreeing with the occasional but however she never got far before she was interrupted by one or more of the other elves at the table. Finally it seemed like her patience had run out as she pulled her hand out from under the table and it was the same hand that he wore outside of this vision. A dripping black aura begins to emerge out of the joints of the hand as other items begin to glow in response, giving off an aura of its own.

One of them being the veil that was over his face as a white cold mist began blowing out of the fabric. With the Wood Elf his staff that stood on its own by his side began to glow green as aura leaves began to form on its twisting branches. The Sea Elf's ring one his finger took one a blue sheen as the smell of the sea filled the room. The taste of salt in the air. Finally a pink pearl earring on the Eladrin's ear, began to sing with what sounded like a fairy’s song. A soft tinkling of bells and chirps. The moment of shock ended as the three elves seemed to erupt into anger. Pointing fingers in Silvyr and the Queens direction as they slammed their fists on the table.

With a bored look on her face, she looks at Silvyr and raises an eyebrow. With an uncontrolled nod Silvyr looks back to the other three elves that were still flailing around in anger as the three Drow assassins that Silvyr could always see step forward and pull out their blades. With a wave of the Queen's hand the three elves fall to the table dead, throats slit. The two stand up as they make their way around the table. Silvyr picking up the three items that had responded to the hands aura. The Drow Queen pulls a small chest out from her pocket and holds it out before her as an exact copy but larger appears at her feet. She opens the chest and with a wince pulls off the hand, placing it inside. Silvyr comes up to join her and places the staff, ring, earring, and veil into the chest as well.

After the chest disappears with all of the treasures with it, Silvyr and the Drow Queen face each other. Not a word is said between the two as a nod and tight grip on something in each of their hands. From his vision Silvyr could feel something hard poking into his hand with how tightly he was gripping it but never saw what the item was. Stepping up to the two remaining elves the assassins bowed to each of them words spoken but not heard as their blades moved up to the Queen's and Silvyr's throat. With a flick Silvyr comes out of the vision in his room back at the guild. Hand reaching up to his throat from a phantom pain.

Now that they were in the dangerous spider infested woods Silvyr had bigger problems that a "nightmare". He helped the group pack up with Ballad as Caerso and Feyrith pass out food having had their own after dream discussion. Rain begins to fall as lightning cracks across the sky. Their travel was slow but unbothered by spiders but any dry wood would be drenched by the time they collected it so they kept a steady pace deeper into the woods. Feyrith taking the time on his trip to solve one of the codes in the codex his professor had given him. Caerso keeping the rest of the party entertained with stories and tales of his time in the Feywild.

It being safer to just sleep in the cramped cart while the storm raged outside. Feyrith adding a layer of protection his tiny hut spell. The cart now protected from the storm and spiders the party begin their rest. Another quiet night goes by as Feyrith cracks another of the codex's secrets adding another spell to his spell book. The night ended and most of the storm seemed to have past but a drizzle still remained as the party continued on their way to where they had found Stoin and Lila.

Find Party Members

During the night they discussed how they planned on finding their party members since they were most likely dead or in no state to know their location. The only thing that the two could think of was that their party leader had a magical sword. It always seemed to reflect a clear blue sky even when they were inside or deep underground. Ballad had a spell for finding the item as did Silvyr. Eventually later that day the group came across their first set of web sacks. Ballad cast his spell looking for the sword but got no ping on it. The party cut through any humanoid shapes they could find.

They found a few animals but the meat was spoiled and unusable. They did manage to find a few adventure bodies as well. Taking the gear off of them to be sold back to Amberhold and collecting their dog tags. Among the bodies was one of Stoin's and Lila's party members. A small kobold with tools strapped to its body. Knowing that this was the most likely outcome didn't stop them from looking broken at the scene. Stoin and Lila wrapped their party member in a blanket and moved them into the carriage to be buried properly.

The party continued and found a few more bodies and gathered more gear for Amberhold. Again there was no ping for the sword as Ballad used the last of his magic he could for that spell so it was Silvyr's turn. At the next collection of web sacks they found mostly spoiled animals and hatched egg sacks. But this time Silvyr got a ping on the sword. Leading the group to a more out of the way corner not even hung up like the other adventures was a websack that a twinkle of soft blue caught the parties eyes. Inside rested some kind of metal creature. As they light from the party reached it's "eyes", they flickered on as it sat up. Stoin and Lila celebrate that their leader LT-9 was still working.

After quick celebrations they realized that LT-9 was missing a good chunk of the back of it's head. Having a hard time with sentences and motor functions the group looked at the liability that they now carried. Not counting the fire hazard that the sparks would cause. Getting LT-9 to the cart they hurried and turned around back to Amberhold not wanting to stay any longer in the forest than they had to. After a few errors and glitches the group puts a blanket over its head hoping to get LT-9 to shut down. The party, having spent a lot of time in these woods, had gotten good at noticing the signs of nests and avoiding them, making the next two days go quickly. At the end of the fourth day the party had made it back safely to Amberhold.

After dropping off Stoin and Lila the party is approached by Bennet and his wife. They wanted to invite the party over for dinner a few nights ago but the party hadn't returned yet. Seeing the party make their way down the street, they had to catch the chance to give the group the invitation. Bennet reminded Caerso that even though this was an invitation. It was still his house and his rules and to make sure that the rest of the party didn't break them. While the party dropped off their gear that they wanted to sell and kept the gear that they wanted to keep, Caerso explained Bennet's rules to the party. Leaving the guild with empty stomachs and heavy coin purses. This is where the session came to an end for the night.

Rewards Granted

3438 GP Earned by Finding Bodies and Materials
Warhammer of Earthen Strength
+1 Longbow
LEVEL UP

Missions/Quests Completed

Find the Missing Party Members to Stoin and Lila's Party
Gather materials needed to restock the City

Character(s) interacted with

Stoin
Lila
LT-9
Bennet and Jennifer
Queen of Dreams (Dream of Unconditional Love)
Keelie
Dream of Anna
The Drow Queen

Report Date

11 Nov 2022

Primary Location

Amberhold

Secondary Location

The Dream Dunes

Related Characters

• Caeso
• Feyrith Austrom
• Silvyr Thromifeth