Session 64: The New Dimension of Fun

General Summary

Tympi's Court

The session began with you all gathered around Kaswink's corpse. Bobcat turned to the nearby Mothling that was caring for her and began to ask some questions about the outside world and this strange darkness. The mothling seemed unaware of what Bobcat or the rest of you were referring to, claiming she hadn't been outside and wouldn't know of such things, and most technical questions were left unanswered by her. She did, however, suggest you visit Tympi's Court as they might have some more information and would be more capable of calmly raising awareness or limiting travel. She showed you the general direction and referenced a certain Library you had all been to as sharing a building with the townhall. After some awkwardness provided by ALT and some casual ALT abuse followed by DAN defending the poor lil robot, you all left for the Town Hall. On the way there, you started to hear whispers about inaccessible trees, worry about what might be happening, and even a mothling or two freaking out about what they saw outside. Word was starting to spread. As you reached the Town Hall, mothlings were already gathered outside and whispering in some worrisome, hurried discussion. They stopped and allowed you to pass as some of them even bowed. There was some concern over whether or not ALT would be allowed through, so some of you vouched for them ... though it seemed to be with a hint of distrust which DAN was quick to defend.

The town hall interior was like any other group meeting place you'd seen. Rows of seats, podiums, a big ol' table in the back, and some mothlings were slowly funneling in as well. A group of 3 luna moths which were recognizeable as Tympi's Court, were either seated or floating about a large table in the back of the room. A rhinoscerous Beetlefolk with a pair of scimitars and some intriguing armor was standing watch nearby. A greyscale luna moth with silver wings trimmed with matte black. Her “tails” from her wings are a similar silver color and end with a gradient leading into black and end at her knees. Her fur and antennae are white with black eyes. She wears a knee-length, sleeveless dress made of autumnal colored, fiery catalpa leaves. A yellow-ish brown winged luna moth with other earth tones seen throughout these wings and a dark brown trim. His fur is cream colored with dark brown antennae and eyes. His outfit is a pompously regal military-esque uniform made of dark brown and yellowy earth tone oak leaves. A luna moth with mid-light forest green wings, the “tails” of her wings trail down to her feet and have start mid green before blending into a much darker green at the end. Her Fur and Antennae are a yellow-green similar to peridot. Her eyes are white. Her outfit is a flowing gown, sinched at the waste with a white cord made of silk, and is made up of bright yellowish-green citrus tree leaves.

ALT moved forward with intent to speak to the yellow-ish brown winged luna moth, Cymbi. His grouchy, loud attitude was appealing to ALT's intent to find someone that could handle the information about to be presented. He floated down towards ALT, leaned in and spoke with a surprisingly calm voice. Throughout the conversation he also frequently looked back at the other members of the court, who most often just responded with a shrug. His first bit of dialogue asked ALT what it was, and it was at this time that we all learned ALT apparently stands for "AutoLich Transfer", what a nefarious sounding name. ALT began explaining some things after introductions were concluded, "I just met those people, and they said that the darkness outside is new...and then out of the darkness yesterday came some really fucked up looking goblins. So you probably shouldn't let people go outside or they might run into some really fucked up looking goblins." Bobcat weighed in next, hoping to provide some clarity, "It seems like the storm that is on the horizon corrupts everything it touches." The greyscale mothling in the back, Xyli, confirmed that they had heard whisperings of the darkness, but news that the darkness corrupts things was new. The green mothling, Clavi, then closed her eyes. It was later revealed that she had apparently communicated this news to the rest of the village and that they would make sure no one is able to leave. Xyli, however, brought up that you all might have business on the outside, and it would be unwise to just completely close the village off. As discussions about the logistics of it all continued, Cymbi interrupted yet again to demand that actions be carried out against whatever this new threat is. He seemed convinced that sitting around was a waste of time, and that he must journey out to stop it. This bravado was easily seen through as offers to take him with you were made, and it became increasingly obvious that it was all for show. In fact, he didn't even seem to have a plan to protect against the corrupting nature of the strange cloud.

As things were winding down, DAN suggested that "A lot of the things here didn't need to exist in the first place, apparently? Their existence is redundant and unnecessary..." The thought seemed to fire up the usually cheery Xyli, and she turned towards DAN with some confusion. DAN tried to explain what they meant, stating that the "things they do aren't necessary", and Xyli tried to clarify that nature of these supposed "redundancies". "If they've (the different layers and their gates) have been swept up in this dark cloud you're talking about, the world is going to be throne into imbalance. That's likely a part of why this whole dark storm thing you're talking about is even happening. Something got out of balance. Something went crazy, and now everything's getting fucked up! So, I don't know if they're unnecessary...unnecessary compared to what?" DAN tried to explain their understanding further, suggesting that the gates are what are unnecessary as things already occur in the material plane, but that these gates simply tie one world to another. Xyli scratched her head for a moment and conceded that, "If you're referring to the entrances, yes, they're perhaps unnecessary and likely why a lot of this is happening. The layers themselves that you get to through them, those and their effects and whatever natural scientific thing might be happening in your world...they are intrinsically connected. One happens because of the other, it's a uhh... chicken and the egg kinda thing, y'know? You don't know what really came first, they might've both happened at the same time, but neither is redundant." Things started to wind down again, and your attentions were turned towards gathering information. Research could be carried out, but they also suggested visiting Ilven. As you were leaving, ALT asked for one of the banners hanging from the wall. There was some confusion over why, and it explained that he "Wanted to use it as part of the gate in and out of the mothlights".

Visiting Ilven

With that, ALT wandered off to start collecting items to make their gate. It found leaves, branches and all manner of meaningful foresty goodness. He also gathered information about local spirituality and how the strange esoteric magic of the Spirit World might work. They made a "ring shape with almost a crane made out of junk behind it" which was "held aloft, made into a gyroscope? (perpetually spinning disk) due to the banner being wrapped around, intertwined and knotted along the ring". Something like what is pictured is the best I could come up with after lengthy discussions haha, but it is basically a gate that is intended to look like a spinning ring. The symbols appeared after the cleansing fabrics and Ilven's ritual were completed. Throughout the manufacturing, collecting, purchasing, and other aspects of this project, ALT gained the attention of several mothlings. They were curious about the project, they followed ALT for some time and even helped it build the gate. Everything was eventually assembled rather quickly, save a most important piece: the purified banner.

Meanwhile, at Tympi's House, the rest of you saw some familiar and some unexpected sights. Anvi was still there watching everything, but Ilven was also now awake as described. Logren, The Mantis Knight, was also awake and standing guard near Ilven. Ilven was collapsed on Tympi's bed, on her knees and draped over her sister, clearly distraught. Ilven straightened up and apologized for her appearance as Bobcat got her attention. She also stated that it is apparently "bittersweet" to see you. Bobcat explained who he is, and Ilven accepted this...she even seemed to "recognize" Bobcat to some degree, seeing him as one of the "many outsiders" that Tympi helped, but that it was a distant memory. Bobcat continued to lead the interview and next asked about the strange storm of darkness. Ilven was holding back tears as Bobcat spoke, but she eventually addressed his question. "I'd be happy to tell you what I can, but, first, words cannot express my thanks for you saving me nor my remorse for taking such actions. I was …misled, misguided by a trusted friend I have since learned is apparently not herself. Maybe she never was? Or…maybe she was once long before we met her. I doubt you can ever forgive me, and I would not ask you to." She held her forehead in her hand as she awaited a response. The mood was tense, awkward, but a general, "yeah, that's about right" seemed to be the general vibe. DAN in particular spoke up, "It's fine at this point... I mean, if we really had an issue with it we would've done something about it. If we didn't think that you were worth being saved in any way, shape or form we wouldn't have tried, but we did because you're worth it."

Ilven held back more tears as a tiny smile appeared at that sentiment before quickly regaining her composure. "Right, the darkness... It is um, hard to tell exactly what it is before I see it for myself or perhaps enter it. I have experience with darkness when I was consumed by that spirit, I have lived through dark moments in the history of this world where all the land was covered in such a bleak thing, but I know not if this is the same thing as that. What I do know is that it is worsening. It is growing, consuming the mothlight trees that my sister is connected to. Her condition will likely worsen as it takes them. The parts of her consciousness that are still yet recovered -that are fighting to connect back to her- may wander the land beyond.
I don’t know entirely what that means, but while I was recovering, I was with her in a sense. There were times when I slept that I felt your presence…times that I felt my sister’s mind was in peril, but you were always there to pull her out of it. I am awake now, I cannot tell what she is experiencing, but I feel her journey back to us is not yet over, and, if she is being consumed with these mothlight trees, well...that can't be good. When I at last awoke, she was struggling with something particularly jarring… a beast made of tendrils that surrounded her entire journey up to this point. All the battles won or lost, the conversations she’s had, the memories she has relived…even ones that have not been experienced yet are all wrapped within this beast...every time that you saved her is being wrapped up and covered. She is now, um, content within its maw. It devours her even now, swallowing who she was and who she could’ve been. I fear as though it could be dragged into this place as well if the darkness spreads any more." She paused, waiting for some response from you all. Bobcat was curious if these "tendrils" were witnessed by Ilven, and she confirmed that she did see them just before waking up. Apparently they were wrapped around everything leading up to some perfect moment which was being used to break her down and consume her. He also tried to see if what she was might've matched what was happening to the goblins. She thought for a moment, and said something rather conflicting, "It did have spikes...I think, though its body was not something I could perceive. It was as the void that surrounded me before I returned to reality. But, what you are describing is familiar."

Bobcat next asked how Tympi was currently doing. This caused more tears to roll down Ilven's face as she looked back towards her sister. "I don't know, but I could send you to help her." Bobcat was curious what this meant, and Ilven explained. "I can't go in again, I'm terrified, and I don't know what would happen to me if I tried. I don't know if I could get out, but I've seen what you can do. I've seen you free me from such things, and if you sleep in the mothlights with her I could send you to help her into her mind. Be warned, however, you may find yourselves battling your contentment along the way. Unraveling the complicated tendrils and freeing yourself from its maws to arrive at Tympi’s own peril… It will be dangerous, frustrating, and probably confusing, but you would be doing everyone here a service by finally freeing her. You would certainly helping yourselves along the way if you plan on going into that darkness. If I were more focused with her awake, I could shield you, at least partially, from corruption." Bobcat explained that you all would need to speak with your new companion before confirming anything. Ilven was shocked to hear that there was someone else traveling with you, and she even started blaming herself when Bobcat revealed that Kaswink had perished. Bobcat assured her that it was The Oni, which led to Ilven being a bit worried that Kaswink had failed in her mission. Hysteria confirmed that The Oni and Kaswink died simultaneously, and Ilven immediately guessed that The Oni likely had some convoluted scheme involving his own death. Ilven called Kaswink strong, and claimed that Kaswink would find her way back or perhaps she could be forced back, but Hysteria denied that any forcing would be involved.

"We don't intend to force her back. We talk to her...this may be hard for you to hear, but she didn't want to come back. She fought for so long, she didn't have any hope. She kept fighting for some long, she couldn't, she had to stop eventually. I don't think she wants to come back. She lost the battle, she didn't want to fight anymore, it's okay." Upon hearing this, Logren let out a heavy sigh and deemed the whole ordeal rather depressing. He revealed that he had something to give Kaswink, an item which Hysteria gladly accepted on her behalf. He reached behind a nearby plant and revealed a familiar kanabō, Kaswink's original weapon, and handed it to Hysteria to be delivered to the rest of her belongings.

Finishing the Gate and "Dreams"

After and while shopping, ALT utilized the skills of Hysteria, Bobcat and Frode to take some poisonous plants, brew it into a tea and then remove the poisonous aspects from it. This was right up Hysteria's alley. Reverse engineering poison into not poisons. The goal being to make enough of the no-longer-poisonous poison tea with hopes of using it with the new gate to remove some or all of the corruption from a creature that enters. The task was a success and so was the shopping! Lots of diamonds and gems and other goodies were found by all. ALT finished assembling the gate with the help of some mothlings, and Ilven arrived to complete the ritual. Her body slowly started to dissolve into light until she was just a being made entirely of this incredibly bright light. Her hair floated slightly as she meditated in front of the new gate, and a great deal of time passed as shopping and other tasks were performed. ALT, meanwhile, positioned itself nearby while aiming at a special lens with intent to "jumpstart" the gate when Ilven gave "the signal". She eventually flickered. ALT took this to be the signal and fired at the lens. Light poured into the gate, Ilven returned to her normal form, and the gate was finished.

Each of you began your nightly ritual to sleep or meditated, and Ilven began using her magic to bring you into her sister's mind. Even if you didn't necessarily sleep, the strange "dreams" were experienced by all. Are they dreams? Or is it all just reality within Tympi's mind? Either way, the following stuff be goin on: Each of you are currently experiencing a perfect, idyllic moment in your lives. Something that couldn't possibly be better, something that suspends any disbelief to the point that Ilven's words are almost completely lost. Phrases like "This is too good to be true..." and "This is just a dream..." are shuffled with Ilven's instructions to free Tympi, and each fades into the back of your minds like a slowly forgotten dream. A question meets you with each "day" that passes in this glorious time and place, "How did I get here?" or perhaps "How has it come to this?" And Contentment Answered, "It Matters Not."

Hysteria - You felt the gentle, tingling pleasantness within your meditation. Your body felt weightless and drifting as you cut through the throats of so many people. Orders were fulfilled, tasks were accomplished, awaiting more orders, completing them...but these memories slowly started to fade as they were wrapped up. Similarly, you found yourself waking up wrapped in a comfortable, soft blanket and stretching as the sun rose on another day. Looking around the room, there was no need for the weapons hanging on the wall in display cases, but hanging next to them was an apron with splashes of flour on it that you instinctively got out of bed to put on. You could hear the bustling of people outside, customers with feet crunching through the snow. The windows were frosted over, and you could see some elvish writing with words that you recognized to be the name of your bakery, "Sweet Meat Pies". The bell above the door rang as an elf walked in. You recognized him to be your employee with an apron already equipped and a look of determination on his face. He walked around the counter, asked what was needed and completely understood the most minimum of orders immediately. Perfect harmony between the two of you...and this went on as your life, as it should be. Memories of the previous day fading into the back of your head as if from a dream, perhaps a recurring dream you've experienced for many nights, but it fades just like all the others.

Frode - You feel the comfort of a pillow beneath your head as you wake up. The light of day pouring through a nearby window past some curtains that shift from a gentle breeze. They create shadows on your walls, and the light is soft and blue like an early morning should be. Birds chirped, wind blows through some trees, and laughter could be heard down a hallway. The laughter of children grew louder as they moved down the hallway towards you, and you recognized your wife lying in bed next to you as well. Everything was alive, always had been, everything is perfect and beautiful as it should be. The children arrived in the bedroom, hopped on the bed and shouted "Daddy! Daddy! What're we doing today?!" Frode answered, "Make fried potatoes!" The children cheered, excited about this Frode delicacy that only dad can make... Your life continued on like this with memories and concerns of how this even came to be drifting away as if just a dream you had that night before waking up into the proper reality.

DAN - Each of your bodies were fading into this light, drifting, tingling sensation into a dream. It's hard to tell exactly what the noises are at first. There were birds, leaves rustling, cartwheels turning and a distinct third snore as the first body wakes up. You could tell that you were inside the usual traveling accommodations you would have in your circus before all this Spirit World nonsense started, though, perhaps this is after? You aren't really sure about the series of events that led to this moment, and concerns over such things fade just like the dream you woke up from. You could see a comforting presence on the other side of the cart in a fourth hammock turning, stretching and meeting your own gaze. He looked at each of you as you all finished waking up, pulled out some hatchets, torches, and other juggling implements as he spoke. "Well, brothers, ready for another day? Looks like we're about there!" You responded with a meek, "Yep, Alright." which was met with some concern from Steve. You explained, "This is gonna sound weird, but it feels like it's been so long since you've been like this." Steve laughed this off, "Well, drinking that much'll do that to ye." The cart had stopped, the circus was being prepped and customers were already lining up. Circus friends could be seen, everything was normal as it should be, and you could see Steve standing in the usual spot as he started the routine, ready for you to join in. You inspected the juggling gear you had on hand, shrugged and enjoyed the moment. Thoughts that this was an illusion, that there was something wrong with this, it all faded like a dream into the back of your mind. Each throw in the juggling routine was like another perfectly normal, though idyllic, moment.

ALT - The same strange, tingling, weightless sensation also surrounded you. You could feel your arms moving with, well, not the usual necessity of maybe needing to do something because there is something needing to be done, but each movement of your arms is instead done with a sense of purpose...a sense of reason. You know exactly why you're doing all these things is something not just thrusted upon you by someone else, by some creator or whatever spirit might've inhabited your body, no, it is something you chose to do. It's coming into focus as some fog or mist is clearing, and you could see that you were on some assembly line. You aren't sure what got you were, what led you to this point, all you have is the reason that you're supposed to be doing this and that is that you chose to do it. As you make adjustments to fit pieces together, you realized that there are more people here with their own part to play in this manufacturing process. You chose to fit a few more pieces together before stopping, looking around and then climbing up a shoot at the end of the assembly line. At the top of this shoot was another assembly line with smaller bits being assembled by more workers. Memories were fading as if they were a dream or perhaps a malfunction in your programming. It was something that shouldn't've been there, and it was slowly being forgotten. You got the sense that you should be working, but instead continued climbing up shoot after shoot to see smaller and smaller components until reaching a point where there were no more shoots to climb... instead there was just a tube with a steady stream of powder pouring out of it. Mechanical assembly line arms released arcs that turned chunks of powder into the most diminutive of bits. You chose to climb up this pipe to find another level with far larger bits, likely the end result of this series of assembly lines, and you saw the final product. Something...something that ALT knows. This invention, whatever it was, was being broken down into this powder to be reassembled into itself. A cyclical thing and one that ALT will enjoy for many days to come.

Agave - You found yourself sitting in a very familiar place that you do not recognize. It's somewhere that you know you should know, but it is something that you lost. You felt wet with soaked through fur...cold, and a strange thought that there were two people that should be there with you sharing a drink. You didn't know these people, and you didn't know how they were lost to you, and you certainly didn't know how you got back to where you are. Concerns with that faded with each drink, with each compulsion to throw back another ounce, and the memories of these two lost people didn't get any clearer. They were as cloudy as the skies that took them away, and the only shape that they can take in your mind is more rain. Bobcat - You had a slightly more cheery dream, a more cheery day-to-day life. Memories of Ilven and the new friends you found were fading, and you were standing on a very tall desert rock formation in the middle of a rather large crag. There were four gang members which were recognized to be your friends, and there were two villages: one on either side of the crag you found yourself in the middle of. You had your pick of who to loot, and the revelry was about to begin. Additionally, you could see a few spirits floating nearby. They were only partially opaque and they had unusual, long, tubular bodies with rows of tendrils that lined their bodies on either side. These tendrils looped and wrapped around each other, through the air and phased through each other at times. The only other thing really known about these spirits was that they seemed to encourage feelings of Contentment.

Monday, March 20th D&D