Codename: Sleeping Alley, Report the Twenty-First

General Summary

We met the Alley Sleepers in the disgruntled gristle of danger, staring down at a naked, shivering old man where once was the destroyed form of The Wormspeaker.

What Do You Do With a Naked Old Man?

Some discussion ensued as to what to do about this development, and who, exactly, this old man might be. After giving him some water--and wrapping him in a blanket--they asked him that exact question. Turns out, he doesn't know. He can't remember anything before waking up on the cold stone floor of The Wormhole and is visibly shaken by the experience. More discussion ensued about who this individual might be--is he part of The Worm? A helpless patsy? A combination of both?--before Hama vu Ivory Bee decided to conduct a little experiment and said some of the Worm Glyphs aloud. This racked the old man with incredible pain, eventually causing him to fall unconscious and bleed from several orifices. Okay! Well, that little light torture revealed nothing, other than perhaps this man is under The Worm's control.
So, now what? Well, there is still one matter outstanding, namely the eradication of whatever it is haunting the Ghostpool. With no better options, Svo'Kool tied the old man's hands behind his back, slung him over his back, and the group headed out to kill the dragon/serpent/whatever in the Ghostpool.

To The Ghostpool

Navigation to this mythic body of water was a little easier since Rieta, ever the enterprising mapmaker, was able to get her bearings a bit better having already traversed this bit of the desert. Still this wouldn't be The Snakeghost without a healthy helping of strange encounters, so it is unsurprising that our heroes came across some weird stuff on the way.
First, they met a pair of dragonborn archeologists, Vuldekas and Xynorae, studying some recently uncovered dragon bones. After a peaceful exchange of water and bread, news was discussed. The pair rebuffed all efforts to join them in their quest to the Ghostpool (they study the dead, not the living), but agreed to compensate them should they rid the lake of whatever it is that lurks there. If they do so, they may seek remuneration at Dragonborn Excavations in Kinhall.
That night, however, was not as peaceful, as the Sleepers were set upon by some midnight Air Elementals. Our explorers discovered just how hard it is to fight sentient air, with Rieta falling unconscious before finally sending these wind jerks back to the desert squalls. They weren't the only ones up and about during the dead of night, however, as the old man--now conscious and more lucid, with his hands surprisingly unbound--emerged from Svo'Kool's tent to ask "what do you do when your mind is not your own?" Our crew had no answers for him, but suggested that maybe this is a better discussion to have over breakfast.
The next day passed almost unremarkably, save for a dangerous mirage that almost lead Svo'Kool to his death via quicksand. Only a dart to the ankle from Rieta and Hama's dispelling of magic saved the day. And so, our crew made it to the relative safety of the Ruins of Ixxalomi. Once there, it was decided that maybe this old man could benefit a spiritual journey inward facilitated by copious dryad leaf, so Hama, Svo, Rieta and the old man sat down to partake. Aletha of the Flintclaw, forever a square, agreed to stand watch. Not content with speaking with the old man's "inner worm," Rieta suggested that a reading from the Tome (Tomb) of Dreams was in order, so the smoke circle all took turns reading a page.

A Rough Approximation of The Story from the Tome (Tomb) of Dreams

There is woman in a large city, focused on a wall that stretches out as far as can be seen in either direction. Her goal becomes to get to the other side of that wall. She must do so, must see what else is out there in the desert. This becomes her motivation for living and she spends years at this wall, waiting for her chance. Her opportunity comes when the guards (Roger and Fred) are patrolling, leaving the other guards (Clayton and Sarah) without backup. She made her way to the previously unstaffed guard shack, but Clayton is there. A brief back and forth results in Clayton informing the woman that there is nothing on the other side, but giving her a key anyway. She tries the key, but it doesn't open the door. Disconsolate, she waits before the wall, before the door. Time distorts and loses meaning. Eventually, under the bright light of Gnet, another hole in the door reveals itself. The key fits and she opens the portal. What she sees is not a desert, but an endless ocean. The waves crash toward her.

A Behir, a Dragon, and Kexan

This strange story with its elliptical interpretation enabled each of our heroes to bolster their health with some temporary aid, but, perhaps more importantly, it allowed for Kexan Cloudroot to remember his name. And to remember something else--there are more memories locked away in his head. Something, presumably the Worm--is stopping him from accessing those memories. Regaining those memories might prove fruitful to all parties involved.
The Sleepers, thanks to some incredible navigation work by Rieta, made it to the Ghostpool in record time, only to be greeted by a halfling named Farron Brasslock, who had apparently set up shop nearby. Farron filled them in on a bit of what is happening in the Ghostpool: apparently a behir, an enemy of dragons, has taken up residence in a dragon's lair, destroying all who set foot in the waters. Farron deflected any questions about how he could possibly live here, and instead offered each of our brave adventurers a handsome reward if they killed the behir.
The Sleepers agreed to do just that, and, after provoking the creature with some Shaped Water by Hama, a brutal fight occurred. The battle started well, but then Svo'Kool got swallowed by the behir. Luckily, though, a brass dragon swooped down from the skies to aid in defeating the dreaded monster. Turns out, that dragon is none other than Farron Brasslock. Or, rather, Farron Brasslock is the dragon. Either way, I guess. Being true to his word, Alrueraes the Generous rewarded each Sleeper with a handsome gift. Living up to his nickname, the dragon also threw in an elixir to help Kexan with his troubles.

Kexan's Memories

After drinking the elixer--and weathering its effects--Kexan regained some of his lost recollections. Instead of dictating his memories to the Sleepers, he showed them via a communal vision, one that occurred over three hundred years ago. Our heroes saw themselves through the eyes of Kexan and his companions--all members of The Worm's Share, a bandit organization dedicated to the redistribution of wealth from the wealthy to the needy. This particular day featured a battle with a rival, more brutal and less scrupulous bandit gang. Kexan and his cohorts, a rogue named Similio and a fighter named Fuckin' Daniel, quickly dispatched these upstarts and rescued a captive they intended to perhaps ransom or enslave. That captive was named Beirdein Cahlor, and he would join The Worm's Share from then forward.
This vision ended, and it was puzzling why Kexan decided to show our adventurers something so seemingly unremarkable. Then, Kexan filled in vital contextual information: "That was my first encounter with Beirdein Cahlor, or, as he would come to be called, the Sovereign , founder of the Alerki Ascendency"
And that's where we left it, with the Sleepers unsure of how to respond to that bit of dramatic information. We'll see what answers--and what new questions--emerge during our next session.

Missions/Quests Completed

Operation: CrawlEcho, restoring Kexan's memories

Character(s) interacted with

Kexan Cloudroot, erstwhile Wormspeaker, founding member of The Worm's Share, very old
Vuldekas, dragonborn archeologist, co-owner of Dragonborn Excavations
Xynorae, dragonborn archeologist, co-owner of Dragonborn Excavations
Farron Brasslock, halfling entrepreneur, humanoid form of Alrueraes
Alrueraes the Generous, brass dragon
Similio, wood elf rogue, member of The Worm's Share
Fuckin' Daniel, stalwart human fighter of The Worm's Share
Beirdien Cahlor, former captive of ruthless bandits

Report Date

22 Feb 2021

Primary Location

The Snakeghost