Encounter with Menegegus and the Odd Paw

Expedition

The CR5 meet a Tortle cleric of Kar'r'rga on her own spiritual journey. A circle of dreams Firbolg clan called the Odd Paw attempt to help the group investigate their dreams. An induced dream is hijacked into a nightmare.

Session 18: Menegegus The next morning, we get back to the journey, suddenly a doglike creature attacks us but is struck by thunder, cast by a strange tortle named Menegegus. Menegegus is friendly and explains she is a traveling trader on a journey for the God, Kar'r'rga, God of the Sea. She has several crabs that follow her around. She explains that she had a dream in which she fought a large crab, to the benefit of a smaller crab, who she felt gave her a quest. That quest, as far as she knows, involves finding a crab prophet, and go from there. She describes meeting an old Goblin sage named Nancy Stinkfoot, who gives her guidance on her quest. She is looking for the place where the "land shifts beneath your feet". She agrees to join us in our journey south. She shows us her wares, which are a bunch of cool, possibly magic, items. We are very low on cash but I suggest Tem identify her items for her, in exchange for some store credit. We agree to put it off until that night. We end there.   Session 19: Helm’s Walk: Odd Paw On your journey to the citadel, you all decide to maintain your southward direction, and cut over a mountain, during which, some of your items go mysteriously missing. Knowing that Menegegus’ mission involves “following currents or tides” you decide to head toward the coast, along the way encountering a little shadowy creature that fell on Tem’s back and scuttled into the bushes. This is when you came across the druidic Odd Paw tribe, who offered you all respite and food. You learn that the tribe protects the transient Feywild gate which resides somewhere in these woods, as well as studies the relation or connection between the Feywild and dreams. After spilling your guts to an elder named Mydrovip, he suggests a sleep study with magical intervention, to better understand who he can help. That night, nightmare rapidly ensues, beginning with a feeling that something is very horribly wrong. As if there is an impending doom, or a shapeless unnamed fear. You can't define it therefore you can’t hope to overcome it. Like nowhere is safe, and everything is just darkness and uncertainty. Eri encounters a babbling entity in the dark, Brogg gets pursued by a long-fingered man, Vel finds a familiar murderous man mutilating a corpse, Tem is chased by some shady ducks who want something he has, and E4 engages a scary hane-hane wearing dead antelope-cats. With the exclusion of Eri, you all eventually come to some state of lucidity, starting with Brogg, who can impressively see and interact with Mydrovip in his meditative state. You bring him into the orphanage, and show him the “death machine” still sitting dauntingly in the red room. Mydrovip cautiously inspected it, before suggesting they wake up. Vel engages his murderous nemesis, turning him and Chi into tracings in the dirt, before running directly into a frenzied Eri who recontinued to gaslight him into thinking that this actually wasn’t a dream. Tem, with the aid of Alspaka’s whisperings, was able to squeeze himself into an impossibly narrow crack between two converging mountains, exiting the dark woods and entering a serene moonlit coastline. He then attempted to conjure Alspaka, with little success and grabbed her boobs. Meanwhile, E4 frantically fucks up the Hane-hane, throwing it into the wall of Lee’s house. And pursues the man in the chariot, which many of you saw several nights ago. Eventually he finds a path of dead fungi and mold, desperately running along it, when you realize that you haven’t been hearing any sounds. But then you do. A low rumbling that becomes a stampede. And you stop and turn around to see and grotesque parade of dozens and dozens of runners: humanoids, monstrosities, and in various states of rot, desiccation, and mold. Trailing them you see the grand chariot, and atop it larger than life, you see the face of the entity. Eyes sunken eye and milky white, mouth agape in lifeless defiance, a long tendril of a nose, almost like a plague mask. Reclined against the back of the seat, jostling freely as the chariot goes over rocks and hills, something that resembles a human. Fungus, mold, and rot, dried and long dead, cover the entities body plastering it to the seat of the chariot. It’s hard to comprehend what you’re seeing, and as it approaches you realize from far in the distance, it begins to cover the moonless sky. But your moment of mindless panic is interrupted as you here the frantic scream, “it’s a dream!” from Vel, and you all awaken in Mydrovip’s shelter. With the exception of Tem, you recall and that feeling unease, isolation, anxiety, confusion, and just unabated fear. And you it’s not all encompassing anymore, but the memory is clear, and it lingers in the back of your mind.   Rewrite We walked for a while, increasing in elevation until we encountered a mountain, we decided to climb the mountain as best we could until we reached a point where it was untenable. Deciding between going west toward the coast or east toward where we suspect the Citadel is, eventually, we decide to go west. We are looking for a place where the "tides/current will take us" to a place of import regarding Menegegas' auspicious mission. We continue onward and reach a place where we could go east along a stream or west toward a well-traveled path. Eri realizes she's missing the locket from her dead friend and several rations; we dismiss it as her being careless and move forward. Eventually on the path we hear mischievous laughing and a small black fetus like creature lands on Tem. We speak up and ask if anyone is there and meet a firbolg named Alspacka of the Oddpaws, after approaching peacefully she reveals there are several firbolgs around us. She explains that the small creature we encountered are small fey that are known for stealing and mischief. Once she learns we're on the pilgrimage, she offers us a stay at their camp and food. Alspacka promises to one day visit the Crackrack at Tem's behest. Vel goes to help Fhumis prepare the feast and look for liquor. Vel fucks up preparing the giant snake, cutting the venom sack. We eat the food and some are affected by the venom, numbing their mouths. Caretakers of the souther lands, wanderers of the circles of dreams. Aberriw, Mydrovip, Alspacka tells us that Southern Nescius is a gate to the Feywilds. They find the gate through dreaming. We go to meet Mydrovip, who is an old firbolg with orange fur and a mushroom hat. We explain everything so far about our dreams. He explains the relationship between the different planes; Prime Material, Feywild and potentially the "Dream Realm". He explains that he wants to do a sleep study with us, and examine our subconsciousness and how they're connected. We agree and each go into similar, but different dreams. My dream involves finding Hane-Hane holding several dead antler-cats, he charges me and I charge him back, he jumps onto my face and I throw him against a wall. He doesn't get up. The wall is Lee Ali's house, I enter the house and remove the cloth from the mirror where the words "It's a long way to go back" and several magical runes representing three different schools of magic. I continue up the stairs to the balcony from which I saw the chariot from before. It's pitch black so I can't see anything, but I start to visualize the vision I saw before, with a withered forest and the man in the chariot far away. I hear Mydrovip's voice, "Look at the moon", where I see his face in the sky, but it dissipates. Suddenly I sprint through the woods, intent on finding the chariot. Eventually I find a path of dead fungi and mold, desperately running. Eventually the dream also dissipates and we wake up.   brogg showed mydrovip the death machine crystal. Mydrovip tells him he has a powerful charasmatic presence. Vel feels straited rock behind him -a warning of yellow-teeth guy nearby. He sees yellow-teeth guy stabbing chi and attacks him, realizing that he’s dreaming. Eri hears the man from the torn under the windowlight, and but can’t approach him out of fear. She then runs into vel and continues to gaslight him into thinking he isn’t dreaming, when he tries to tell her she is. E4’s dream involves finding Hane-Hane holding several dead antler-cats, he charges me and I charge him back, he jumps onto my face and I throw him against a wall. He doesn't get up, but continues to stare at me. The wall is Lee Ali's house, I enter the house and remove the cloth from the mirror where the words "It's a long way to go back" and several magical runes representing three different schools of magic. I continue up the stairs to the balcony from which I saw the chariot from before. It's pitch black so I can't see anything, but I start to visualize the vision I saw before, with a withered forest and the man in the chariot far away. I hear Mydrovip's voice, "Look at the moon", where I see his face in the sky, but it dissipates. Suddenly I sprint through the woods, intent on finding the chariot. Eventually I find a path of dead fungi and mold, desperately running. Tem is being chased by the ducks, and runs into the path of converging rocks, whilst yelling for Alspaka. Alspaka heard Tem yelling her name, and held his hand, helping him through the rocks and gain lucidity. He then tried to conjure Alspaka, with very little success, and then grabbed her boobs and woke up. Eventually the dream also dissipates and we wake up.