Smoke and Mirrors

General Summary

The Wardens, having taken some time for a well deserved rest found themselves in Hazelden enjoying a relaxing couple of days. With nothing pressing to occupy them they made some trouble of their own fighting on balance boards and getting into a brawl at the local Stubborn Oyster. Adama had some less than pleasant dreams centering on the compass as it drew him closer beckoning him to come.

Sun and Snorkel

Waking up the next day Hagren proposes a snorkel mission while Adama, out of it from his dream, and Raijun, afraid of the water, bow out suggesting that they will meeting the group back later. Hagren, Sarya, Myra, and Trenchcoat shrug and find Sean, the dwarven surfer instructor who gives Hagren and Trenchcoat some lessons on snorkeling before taking them out to the reef. Myra opts for gills and Sarya changes into a giant octopus to accompany them spending more time below the water's surface.
The water is clear and there's clearly a flurry of activity below the floating city with a number of merpeople and crustacean people working down below the waves. Hagren assists Trenchcoat in checking out some sunken ships finding a crate with a broken spyglass and pocket watch, as well as 50 gold worth of gems. Sarya, after waving at a number of locals who were interested in eating her and assuring them that she was with us, stumbled onto an old statue of a dragon. The statue had a jewel in it's eye a blue sapphire that seemed to have lightning trapped inside. Sarya motioned to Myra, who had previously been occupied mostly by watching Sarya instead of looking around, who took a closer look at the statue and removed the gen from within the socket placing it in her bag for later.
The snorkeling crew having finished their swim split up as Hagren wanted to go check on Random Factorial and the Divine Reach ensuring that they would be good to embark the following day. Rand seems fine noting that he will need to go to a real city soon so he can get more parchment but assuring Hagren that he can have the ship ready to go. Rand mentions that his studying has led him to a number of ideas for potential upgrades, which will provide him with years of papers to publish. Hagren asks what he's found and Rand excitedly explains that Reach was originally designed to traverse not only seas and skies but planes it being shielded for interplanar travel. Hagren asks for more information with Rand trying to explain that the boat could translocate to other planes theoretically.
Hagren sighs saying he has no idea what Rand is talking about commenting that he just sounds horny for the boat and asks that he have all of his notes prepared for Myra to review when they come back. Rand sighs and says he will as Hagren brings up the idea of removing Reach's consciousness from the boat. Reach enters the conversation slowly turning a shade of red while asking if Hagren plans to remove him from the weapons. Hagren hedges suggesting that maybe he would get access to new weapons placating Reach as he returns to blue and starts muttering about 'mobile fortresses' saying that he likes this proposition. Hagren coordinates with Rand to get any further supplies and begins returning to the group to figure out what they are going to do for lunch.

Blue Haze

Meanwhile, Sarya and Myra have returned to the resort and are participating in some Thai Chi with Raijun out by the pool. As Raijun meditates and Myra is writing something in her notebook Sarya notices the color of the sky start to change to an indigo and points it out to Myra and Raijun. As they look out at the ocean they see a number of figures first one two then more than ten. Myra enlarges Spryg and takes off to get a better vantage point the figures seeming to track her motion through the air. She feels like they aren't normal illusions but is unsure exactly what they are. Inside, Adama's scar burns as he hears the whispers in his head pick up.
Outside, Myra also begins to hear the whispers are she returns to Raijun and Sarya. Myra mentions the voices to them but they indicate they can't hear anything, Raijun suggesting that perhaps it's because he's the chosen one. Sarya points out that if he's the chosen one she must also be chosen bursting his bubble as Myra tells them to focus and gathers them inside to find Adama as they prepare for something. As they rush inside they find Adama, who seems to be completely out of it, and doesn't react to their entrance or their information even when Myra slaps him.
Hagren had a lovely walk back to the tidepools seeing nothing out of the ordinary. As he entered the suite, the light changed dramatically and the whispers heard by Myra and Adama began in his mind too. Myra looks relieved as he enters having them all together as Hagren demands to know what's going on. Myra catches him up and asks if he can hear the whispers and Hagren nods. Myra does some quick mental math before asking Raijun if he was ever effected by the Cursed Compasses. Raijun says he wasn't but also reiterates he's probably the chosen one so that's probably why there's no effect. Myra has already stopped listening and directs the group to stop her if she starts to do something abnormally stupid as she reaches into the bag for the compass.
As she pulls it out the smell of ozone intensifies as do the whispers in her head. The compass seems to be radiating the indigo light, which by now has darkened the sky outside. Raijun complains about the compass asking why we haven't sent it into the bag of devouring. Myra reminds him that the bag doesn't actually destroy inanimate objects instead just spitting them out on another plane of existence. Myra looks to Adama to ask if he knows anything about it but he is still zoned out. Meanwhile, the compass has started exuding an indigo smoke that is slowly blanketing the floor. Myra opens the compass to further investigate and immediately collapses to the ground as the fog starts billows more violently out.
The group begins to panic (with three bad medicine checks), with Trenchcoat finally being the one to pull it together to realize she's just unconscious. As he does he goes to pick up the compass asking "what should we do with this," before falling unconscious himself. Raijun kicks the compass closed moving it further away, as the fog still seems to flow out from the sides, commenting that he saw that one coming. The group lays some pillows under Myra and Trenchcoat and attempts to wake them to no effect. Raijun decides to try to go for help hoping to find Meko who might know what to do.
As he exits the room he finds himself reappearing inside, he tries several more times before admitting defeat and saying that they are stuck. Raijun tries to center himself, calming himself down as he detects heartbeats to see if there is anything in the room that could be causing this. While he gets back no other specific heartbeats there's an irregular presence in the room with them making him think that they are not alone.
As Raijun tries to discover what is going on the fog that was blanketing the floor has grown slowly creeping up like tendrils over the bodies of Myra and Trenchcoat starting to envelop them. As Sarya and Hagren try to pull their friends up out of the smoke they breathe some of it in causing them to feel drowsy, like they need to lie down for a while. Adama, who's been almost catatonic this whole time slowly moves toward the compass with Raijun trying to stop him. Adama ignores his pleas slipping past Raijun and picking up the compass opening it and dropping into unconscious as well.
Raijun looks to Sarya and Hagren who are slowly succumbing to the fog and begs them not to fall into it reminding them that they have to stay up. In an effort to clear the fog Raijun breaks a window as he feels the presence from earlier moving slowly closer. As Sarya and Hagren slip into unconsciousness Raijun sighs and walks towards the compass announcing, "fine if you want to get your ass kicked in the dream world let's deal with it," as he opens the compass and drops into unconsciousness.

Not so Empty Halls

As the Wardens slip into darkness they pass through a dark unknown landscape. It's hazy and cloudy and they can't feel anyone or anything. Then, the fog parts as they awaken in a room. No one is sure how long they were out and everyone's memory is hazy after the snorkeling adventure that morning. They all awake feeling extremely well rested and, while not familiar with the room, they are in they all feel as though they are suppose to be here. On everyone's wrist a red stoned bracelet, but everyone immediately dismisses that as the bracelets they've all always had focusing more on their surroundings. The group immediately notices Adama's missing presence but can't remember where he might have gone.
The room itself is fairly bare with two tables one holding a crystal while the other holds a key, two chests, and two cells in the back. In one of the cells is a dead corpse and in the other a seemingly human woman in her mid 30s. She has heterochromia, one eye pale silver while the other is a deep red, matching her red hair which is buzzed close on one side. She's wearing platemail with a symbol emblazoned on the front resembling two moons back to back with two perpendicular lines through the center made of stars. She has a tattered red cloak and as Myra asks her who she is she responds, "Oh I thought I was dreaming again. I am Amelie."
Myra inquires why she was in the cell and Amelie says that was captured by nightmares, "I was but dreaming though. It is good to have company. It has been a while." Raijun introduces the Wardens trying and failing to do the dance as Myra keeps interrupting him with more questions. Defeatedly he opens the cage using a key on a nearby table.
Hagren and Raijun open the nearby chests finding a plethora of potions and items divided amongst the party members below.
Hagren

• Potion of Superior Healing
• Potion of Speed
• Ring of Teamwork

Raijun

• Potion of Superior Healing
• Potion of Speed
• Potion of Raise Dead
• Flask of the Fist
• All or Nothing Coin
• Ring of Giant Slaying
• Ring of Teamwork

Myra

• Potion of Supior Mana
• Potion of Greater Mana
• Minor healing (picked up from ropers later)

Sarya

• Potion of Superior Healing
• Potion of Greater Mana
• Potion of Raise Dead

As the group doles out the items Myra investigates a black crystal sitting on the table and notices that it appears to be the same shade as the glow coming off a sigil in the corner of the room. Not feeling any threat from the surroundings Myra takes the crystal and places it in the center of the sigil causing the entire group, and Amelie to be transported to a new location.

Floor 1

The group, including Amelie, finds themselves in a long hallway with a door in front of them and the hallway extending off to both the right or left. Something about the atmosphere of the location obscures vision after 30 even for those in the party with dark vision. The group debates which direction to go with Raijun insisting on going left because, "everyone knows if you keep going right you end up back in a circle. "Myra is perplexed by this statement saying the same thing would happen if you turn left but quickly drops the topic as Raijun heads down the hall to the left.
As Raijun walks down the hall Amelie calls out for him not to step there as he squishes a bug and she regretfully says that they had kept them company in their dreams. The dim light providing Raijun with ample opportunity he quickly goes invisible before the end of the corridor. The left path seems to end suddenly with a door on the same wall as the one they entered near. As Raijun touches the door the entire group is transported into a cave like room and immediately beset by Ropers.
The group fights off three ropers in a disorganized but not ineffective manner. Sarya turns into a scorpion, Hagren pulls Trenchcoat out of the ropers grasp, and Raijun does some impressive kiting managing to avoid most of the tendrils. Amelie, grappled at one point, casts something nightmares running down her arm as she demands, "How dare you touch that which devours nightmares," reducing the roper to dust. As the ropers are defeated two bottles appear in the room which appear to be regular potions of healing. Myra gives one to Trenchcoat, who was injured in the fight, and pockets the other for later.
Reviewing the back of the room they find another sigil on the floor this one glowing a faint orange, which seems connected to the door behind it. Not having any kind of orange crystal the group retraces their steps back into the hall ending back in front of the middle door. As they walk to the middle Raijun and Sarya start joking about hearing voices in their heads. Raijun jokes that the voices are talking about Myra, Sarya agreeing, prompting Myra to blush and push into the next room.
Inside the middle room stood a small boy, as the group entered he stammered that we shouldn't be there that we needed to go back. Amelie walked past the boy caressing his cheek, "sleep now the nightmares will come later." As she crossed where the boy stood he cried that they shouldn't have done that as his form transitioned into that of an adult gold dragon. The first round went poorly with only Raijun, Sarya, and Amelie hitting the dragon's form as Hagren and Myra's blows were glancing. The dragon roared, breathing down flames on the group, before indicating that they could and should still leave. Raijun and Myra, assessing the injuries of the group made to move toward the door with Amelie choosing to instead continue attacking the dragon and heal the party. Hagren and Sarya sided with Myra and Raijun begging the dragon for leniency saying they would drag Amelie out if needed.
The dragon allowed them to leave motioning to Amelie and saying, "it's rotten to it's core." Amelie approaches the dragon a tear in her silvery eye explaining that this nightmare won't last forever before retreating out of the room with the rest of the group. Out in the hall Myra wheels on her asking what the hell she thought she was doing.
"In my dream I had seen this tortured soul. I felt compelled to act. As I was trapped the forces in my dream turned to nightmares. I could not feed to replenish myself. I must reclaim what was promised to me, I was mistaken in my effort. I apologize for endangering you. I will go back to my cell."
She got mid-way down the hall before Myra calls out telling her not to go back. As she returns to the group they ponder what could be behind the next doors.

Report Date

16 Feb 2022

Primary Location

Hazelden