In Dreams - Session 01
General Summary
A young bard, calling himself Eric of Greensleeves, arrives at Redwall Citadel, having travelled from the eastern plains to seek fame and fortune in the west. Unsure of his next steps, and without any other local contacts, he recalls the name of Sildar Hallwinter, a member of the king's Dragoons who served in the Shadow War and accrued—as Eric heard the story—a heroic reputation. Eric resolves to seek him out for guidance.
It takes him some time to enter the city. The town of Kalm to the west has been reportedly afflicted with plague, and a stream of refugees seeks entry to Redwall. Guards and clerics are painstakingly questioning and, if deemed necessary, examining all prospective entrants to the city.
After finally gaining entry, Eric finds an inn in the Trade District, The Anchorage, that will provide him food and lodging in exchange for a nightly performance. He takes up residence and starts to familiarize himself with the city.
Meanwhile, the fighting-man Mongo Morningstar has returned to the Gazel Ministry served by his adoptive father Wilhelm Stone. In return for room and board, Mongo eagerly performs cleaning and maintenance tasks, and plays with the refugee children from Kalm who are receiving aid from the church. Mongo's roguish friend, Sylman Zack, also lodges at the church but is noticeably less diligent in his duties.
Sylman spends as much of the day as possible in The Bent Coin, an inn in the trade district, drinking and scamming visitors with the coloured water he sells as a plague cure. It's here that Eric finds him, having been referred to him as a possible point of contact for Sildar Hallwinter. As Eric enters, the innkeeper, Simon Blest, is just warning Sylman to stop scamming his customers. Simon is unmoved by Sylman's offer of a piece of the action.
Putting that unpleasantness behind him, Sylman allows Eric to buy him a drink and relates his history with Sildar Hallwinter: how Sildar went missing after his caravan was attacked by orcs, how Sylman and his companions were enlisted to find him, how they tracked him down to an ancient temple of blood, how they found him afflicted by The Mark, and his current status—committed to the Whitestone Manor asylum in the care of the Gazel Ministry. He does not think that Sildar is able to receive visitors but proposes they speak to Father Wilhelm at Morning Star Abbey. En route, they observe a crow following them through the city; Eric uses his bardic magic to speak with it, but it seems that it only wants to steal his feathered hat. They chase the bird away.
Wilhelm confirms that Sildar is not well but suggests that a noble of their acquaintance, Lord Deston Ashwood, might be of some help to Eric. Sylman tasks Mongo with carrying a message to the Lord's manor. Mongo finds that Lord Ashwood is absent but, coincidentally, has himself sent a message to Mongo and Sylman care of The Bent Coin. Mongo retrieves the Lord's message from the inn and rewards himself for his efforts by filling his belly with meat. Lord Ashwood's message requests that Sylman and Mongo attend him the following evening.
The next day, Sylman, Mongo, and Eric visit Lord Ashwood's manor and are escorted into the chapel. They find him in the company of a visiting scholar, Karsus, whose gloved hands suggest that he may be marked with the tattoos of a wizard. Lord Ashwood relates that the university's archaeology department has recently succeeded in translating some stone tablets that purportedly describe the location of the tomb of a prominent lizardfolk religious figure from a thousand years ago, Sinzil by name. Lord Ashwood proposes that Sylman, Mongo, Eric, and Karsus form an expedition to search for the tomb. He will pay 50 gold pieces per person (half up front) and provide them with gear. The group agrees and toasts to their success with Lord Ashwood's excellent wine.
As the evening draws to a close, Sylman and Eric return to their lodgings in the trade district, while Mongo and Karsus travel to theirs in the Enlightenment District. Outside a pub named The Glass Flute, Mongo is hailed by Phinneas Boggs, a friend of his from the orphanage where they grew up. Phinneas is also working as a fighting-man and excitedly relates that he has been hired for a job up north—the same direction as Sinzil's tomb. Before they can learn more, a large and unpleasant man emerges from the pub and orders Phinneas back inside. Mongo is displeased with the man's rude behaviour towards his friend. Karsus looks inside to observe the man and Phinneas sitting at a table with a well-dressed man and a woman wearing gloves and a hooded cloak. Seeing no likely opportunity to learn more about Phinneas's expedition or his friends, Mongo and Karsus decide to leave. The next day, they relate these events to the others, and the group sends a note to Lord Ashford to raise the possibility that others may also be aware of the tablet translations and in search of the tomb.
As the group departs from Redwall, Eric plays them out of town on his bagpipes. Mongo, Karsus, and Eric travel on horseback, while Sylman drives the wagon with their supplies. They bring plenty of water as they will be travelling through dry and desolate country in the heat of summer, with no known settlements after the first day of travel. They expect the journey to last about nine days.
The start of their journey sees fair travelling weather. They take turns keeping watch during the night. On the third night, during Sylman's watch, he falls asleep only to be awoken by a rustling in the grass. As he alerts the others, he is attacked by a hungry cougar, which snaps at him but fails to connect before he kicks it away into the darkness. To illuminate the scene, Eric casts Faerie Fire on the high grass; in the eerie violet light, Karsus kills the animal with his crossbow.