The Dreamlands

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The Dreamlands

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Grasp the silver key.

Tread beyond the threshold of sleep.

Descend the seven hundred steps of deep slumber.

Set foot within the Dreamlands and behold a place of wonders and terrors. The Enchanted Forest stretches wide, an endless tangled realm of hedges and oaks, of mist and cornfields, of quivering aspen and standing stones, of rivers and spirits and the dreaming minds of every living thing. The Bottomless Pit sinks deep, a fathomless gulf of choking smog and burning derricks, of tenement houses that rise like canyon walls, of shrieking winds tearing at cylopean ruins, of labyrinth waterways draining into the abyss.

Light and life and creativity rises.

Darkness and death and decay sinks.

A land of dreams.
A land of nightmares.

And in its depths the Dreatheart-

Waits.


The Dreamlands are the ethereal realms where all dreaming souls go when they slumber. Most people are unaware that the Dreamlands even exist as a discrete place, understanding dreams as nothing more than harmless visions conjured by their own brain. The Dreamlands can be broadly divided into the lands of dreams (The Enchanted Forest) and the lands of nightmares (The Bottomless Pit). The former tends to take on expansive realms of natural splendor that obscure line of sight, such as dense woods or bamboo forests. The latter takes the form of man-made environments in states of decay and disrepair and plunge without end into the deep.

It is perilous to physically enter the Dreamlands as its inhabitants are capricious and alien, its hazards deadly and pervasive. Sprites, goblins, mares, wildlings, pookas, and more terrible things lurk in its dark places.

Tread lightly, traveler.

Do not give your name. Do not accept gifts of food or drink. Do not thank the creatures here.

Be wise and cautious, and you may yet return home with who you are intact.

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Re: The Dreamlands

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[The Seven Hundred Steps]

And so our heroes begin their descent down the Seven Hundred Steps.

"When I'm like this it's because I don't want people to see me, I want them to see VIGIL," Lapis replies matter of factly.

Which is...

Maybe a little deep, coming from her?

Would the kids even recognize her like this? The yellow freckles might be a give-away. That's not exactly a common feature. Even still, she doesn't plan on playing grownup around her friends. She only does this when she has a Quest to attend to.

"Don't tell anyone your name who asks for it. Don't eat any food or drink offered to you. Don't thank anyone for anything."

Typical fae rules indeed.

The trek down the stairs will take some time, stairs of starlight that shimmer with each step. A dark void filled with warmth and torpor, with flashing and flowing pinpricks of color. The sensation of descending the stairs isn't too different from the feeling of drifting off to sleep.
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Re: The Dreamlands

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[The Seven Hundred Steps]

"Right. Down here I'm the Seeker," Wenomir says. "Seeker of the Riddle. It describes me but isn't my name." He keeps his eyes pointer forwards, his gaze not wandering.
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Re: [Planeside] The Dreamlands

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[The Seven Hundred Steps]

"No sweat," Adir scoffs merrily, following Lapis down into the vast and the dark. Adir has to shake his head and snort out his breath every few dozen steps just to keep a clear head. This place was easy to let yourself relax in.

Adir spares a glance over his shoulder for Wenomir the Seeker. "Okay. And I'm... I'm Nobody." Nobody grins. "Nobody important. I guess I could go with something that represents why I'm here, like Hunter, or Father, or... Daddy, but neither of you want to call me Daddy, do you?" Adir laughs, rebounding from a merry sound to a strange cackle as it echoes down and down.
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Re: [Planeside] The Dreamlands

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[The Seven Hundred Steps]

"Be careful with titles and roles, the Dreamlands will try to nudge you to follow them," Lapis warns as they descend the stairs, the dark mist giving way to a vast forest that spreads about them on all sides. It's a scene Adir will likely recall from his first visit, huge trees locked in a perpetual autumn twilight. Thankfully there isn't a cart full of children being pulled by a carnivorous horse this time around. "I haven't got a Name. None the Dreamlands recognizes. The Dreamlands doesn't know what Paths are. It can't comprehend them."

A cobblestone road stretches off in either direction, pitted and mossy and slick with moisture. The sort of road that would be easy to slip on and lose all your belongs if you aren't careful. But, strangely, that glistening sheen dulls as the boots of our heroes touch it. As if it were hesitant to be in contact with someone who so recently partook of bread baked upon a hearth.

Lapis looks this way and that.

In one direction the fiery leaves of autumn and thick clinging spiderwebs twinkling with dew dominate. In the other leafless birch trees stand still under a light dusting of snow. It seems they entered the Enchanted Forest right at a transition between the fall and winter domains. Zee had told Adir that the exact path he takes to reach the hag's domain doesn't matter; it will simply decide the trials he'll face along the way.

The unfolding story will be sure to propel them to the conclusion.
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Re: [Planeside] The Dreamlands

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[The Seven Hundred Steps]

"According to some, the Riddle of Steel was used to carve the fair folk out of the world. We'll see how true it is, I suppose," the Seeker says. "How did it go... steel can mark flesh, but flesh may not mark steel, and fey are creatures of the flesh through and through."
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Re: [Planeside] The Dreamlands

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[The Seven Hundred Steps]

Adir shoots Wenomir a quick glance over his shoulder. "Hey, just watch where you're swinging that thing," he wiggles his ears.

"Maybe it would be best to keep calling each other anything to a minimum," Adir suggests. He glances left and right. "So I guess we can just start walking, huh? Any particular suggestions, Lapis?" He'll follow the little girl's lead, unless she'd rather follow his instead.

As Adir stalks forward, he tries to continually reach out with his senses to search for signs of danger. His keen ears and nose in particular. It might not matter how they go, but he can maybe affect certain outcomes by anticipating danger.
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Re: [Planeside] The Dreamlands

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[At the Foot of The Seven Hundred Steps]

"I don't think I'm supposed to choose the way for you,"
Lapis says, glancing up and down the road that stretches off in either direction. Both quickly vanish from the sight, around the bend, into the fog, obscured by drifting snowflakes. "I'm just here to help with the dangers."

Down the path of autumn there's a heavy scent of decaying leaves and ripe fruit masking the heavy metallic scent of blood. Somewhere in the far distance comes the heavy beat of drums. A harvest festival? In a land of perpetual harvest. A party of the wildfae could be a dangerous thing.

Down the path of winter there is only stillness and cold. The sound of silence, of settling snow and tree limbs creaking under the weight. A heavy scent of pine resin and... oranges? What a strange thing. There are no voices to be heard, only solitude. The forest itself would be their foe on this path.
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Re: [Planeside] The Dreamlands

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[At the Foot of The Seven Hundred Steps]

"I think I'd rather face a wild fey party than a silent, faceless forest," Wenomir says. "A poor choice if there ever was one, but still."
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Re: [Planeside] The Dreamlands

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[At the Foot of the Seven Hundred Steps]

"I like parties," Adir agrees, glancing left and right. He's sure neither will be easy, but he'll choose the harvest way as well. He doesn't have his weapons out yet. Even held at port arms or pointed safely skyward, he's concerned carrying it ready like that would be too aggressive a posture.
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Re: The Dreamlands

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Forward!

Or, perhaps, this way isn't forward?

Or, perhaps, all ways are forward?

Does a story ever run backwards? Or does the plot always march on, even if it flounders for a time?

[The Way of Autumn]

In nothing but a handful of steps the cold at the backs of our heroes is gone. No snow laden trees, no chilled wind, no scent of oranges. Only the fiery colors of autumn, of the scent of damp leaves fallen across the road, of webs drifting in the breeze and candles flickering atop posts. The air is... crisp? Yet warm. Like a cool fall evening behind and the blazing light of a bonfire before. The feeling of mounting excitement, of hard work, of exultation once the job is done. Swirls of color and scent. The pound of drums and feet and-

Lapis' sword clears its scabbard, raking through the air and gashing through the thickening dream like a stick ruining a spider's web draped across a trail.

And into the wound?

She tosses a small handful of breadcrumbs.

The roiling fantasy calms.

The world remains stable.

Once again they are trekking through the fall-time forest, a clearing before them. A great bonfire stands at its heart, a half dozen fauns and satyrs dancing around it with wild and reckless abandon. Also? There's a bear sleeping nearby. Next to an absolutely absurdly large heap of apples all piled up next to him. Judging from the smell of said apples they've been sitting around for a while and the bear MIGHT be just a little bit drunk.

Our heroes could try slipping around the party.

Or force their way through.

Or try to play off their presence as a non-threat.

Or maybe something else?

What shall they do?

How will the story unfold?
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Re: The Dreamlands

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[The Way of Autumn]

"We could try to bypass them," Wenomir tells the others in a low voice. "But we'd need to head deeper into the woods. But then I doubt they'll just let us pass if they see us. That's not how things work in this place."
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Re: The Dreamlands

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[The Way of Autumn]

Adir tries not to get too distracted with looking around as the environment changes so rapidly. Familiar scents, sounds and sensations threaten to overwhelm his sense of self. He relishes evenings like this, and it would be so easy to get lost.

Lapis hacks through the illusion like an explorer thrashing their way through dense jungle. The stag blinks. He's sure happy she decided to tag along.

"If I weren't wearing so much of this gear, I could try to blend in," Adir laments as they stop to observe the celebration ahead. He raises his nose to the air, nostrils flaring. He knows he smelled blood. Where is that coming from? He'll swivel his head from side to side, slowly searching the area.
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Re: The Dreamlands

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[The Way of Autumn]

It's easy to get lost in the dream out here.

The dream is all there is.

And if the dream is all there is, then what are you save for another passing fancy in its every-shifting reflection?

The bread definitely helps, though. Remain sure. Remain concrete. Remain real.

"We could go around, but going off the King's Road is dangerous," Lapis cautions. Considering how dangerous everything is here that's probably saying quite a bit. "Things stay mostly the same on the road. But the wilds aren't anchored. We could end up anywhere. Even in someone else's dream."

Which would probably be bad maybe?

She speaks like someone who has been down here before.

Because she has.

Wicked things don't slay themselves.

Adir, meanwhile, sniffs the air. The scent of apples and cider, the acrid tang of alcohol, a slight whiff of sulfur, the musk of a bunch of woodland spirits having a good time. Of people and beasts. And of course it smells a bit of bear thanks to that bear snoozing over there. But all of that's masking the scent of blood. It lurks below everything else, like a jagged old snag unseen under the a river's water just waiting to catch a passing swimmer. There's something dangerous here. Something hidden.

"Appearances and titles mean things down here. It's all like parts in a play. If you look the part of a reveler then you may as well be one," Lapis whispers. "If you look like a warrior, like a father protecting your family, then that's what you are."
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Re: The Dreamlands

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[The Way of Autumn]

"Yes, let us go straight on. This land will seek to trap us and lead us astray. Let's not make it easier for it," Wenomir resolves. "We will insist we are on a mission of import and must pass without delay."
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Re: The Dreamlands

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[The Way of Autumn]

"Alright," Adir relents, eyes edging from Lapis to Wenomir and back. "Straight on and through it is. But let's be extra careful. There's something wrong here. Something genuinely bad, as opposed to just a trick."

The stag simply stands up out of the bushes. He's hard to miss then. He takes off his hat and waves it at the gathering like a banner, showing his white hair. "Ho there!"
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Re: The Dreamlands

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[The Way of Autumn]

Our heroes step out into the romping grounds and immediately all eyes-

Well, no, that isn't true. There are still quite a few beast sprites with their eyes on each other. And the bear has failed to wake up, snoring rather loudly next to the heap of vaguely fermented apples. Soon enough a gaggle of satyrs and fauns break off from the dancing to approach the interlopers into their realm.

"Hail friends! You're here just in time. You brought the wine with you, right?" one of the satyrs asks, a ruddy, handsome looking fellow with a positively magnetic smile. There's something vaguely wolfish about him, in spite of the horse-legs he has. That seems to be true of all the beast sprites. Horse legged satyrs and goat legged fauns, but somehow there's something else to them as well. Hints of another animal, all predatory beasts. Almost as one could imagine them being something else.

Lapis doesn't speak, though she offers a look of warning to the others. She already spoke of the dangers of assuming roles and the satyr acting as though they're known and expected may be more sinister than one might assume.


[Fox Dreams]

Vague visions and sensations swirl and congeal. Whispers and voices. Scents that call up memories.

Jade is dreaming.

What world appears to her, manifesting from the mists?
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Re: The Dreamlands

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Fox Dreams
Jade runs through the forest on all fours, her tails streaming behind her. Led on by the scent of food, she follows her nose through an arch of trees and into

A restaurant. The heels of her shoes click loudly on the tile floor. All else is silent, the diner abandoned, its windows cracked, stained and boarded up, and weeds growing through gaps in the floor. With trepidation, she pushes open the door to the kitchen, unsure of what she'll find.
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Re: The Dreamlands

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[Fox Dreams]

The doors turn.

And turn.

And turn.

Around and around Jade goes, trapped in a revolving door. There's a way in, surely, but where's the way out? Everything just keeps turning and turning and turning. Winter into spring. Spring into summer. Summer into autumn. Autumn into fall. Dormancy into sprouting forth into ripening into harvest into the bleak and the dark and the cold once again.

"How long have you been twenty four?"

There's no source to the voice.

Leaves or orange and brown and yellow and red litter the ground. Something shifts about under them. A mouse to be found! Little paws scratching below the scent of damp and decay with a hint of pumpkin spice drifting through the cool air.
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Re: The Dreamlands

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[The Way of Autumn]

"You must be mistaking us for someone, friend," Wenomir says, making his tone as light and polite as he can manage. "We are only travellers from afar."
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Re: The Dreamlands

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Fox Dreams
"Not even a year. You know, like a normal person who ages one year every year." That's not even remotely true, but Jade doesn't realize it. She tenses, her paws ready, and pounces at the hidden mouse, which for some reason smells more like a pumpkin pie. Whether or not she gets it, she'll probably end up floundering in the pile of leaves
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Re: The Dreamlands

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[The Way of Autumn]

"Just passing through," Adir agrees, keeping it short and clipped, which is rather unusual for him. Perhaps he's worried about shooting off his mouth too much and saying something that could get them into trouble. Normally he's quite adept at getting out of just that kind of trouble, but circumstances are different here.
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Re: The Dreamlands

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[The Way of Autumn]

There's a briefly blank look from the satyr, as if he were trying to grapple with this information and make sense of it within the context of the script that he's following. Watching someone's mind reset is definitely an odd experience.

"Oh! Of course, I must have mistaken you for someone else," he replies moving to following along with our heroes as they cross the glade with haste. "But if you're travelers from afar you must be weary! Come, come, come aside! Join us in the bounties of autumn. The harvest is gathered in and the time for feasting and dancing is upon us! Surely you can spare an evening for merriment?"

Evening?

But wasn't it-

Sure enough, the dusk is far spent.

Sparks rise and dance into the crisp fall air, lighting up the dark.

Lapis ticks off a second finger. The first offer rebuffed, now on to the second.


[Fox Dreams]

Jade dives headlong into the heap of leaves and lands heavily in a chair around a long table heaped high with food. A Thanksmas feast! There are people seated to both sides of her, and others across the table. Making out their features is difficult, but she's familiar with them all, isn't she? Friends? Family? Why can't she...

There's a slice of pumpkin pie in front of her, a mouse nibbling on the crust. Both smell delicious.

"Just one year? Are you sure?" asks the voice. "How old were you when the kumiho ate your heart? How about when you met Libra's curse on that fateful night? Or when you began fighting crime in Skyside?"
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Re: The Dreamlands

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Fox Dreams
Jade takes her fork and cuts a bite out of the pie. She smooths her napkin across her lap to make sure no crumbs get on her skirt. "I'm dreaming. That's why that doesn't make sense. Even if it was true, Nexus time doesn't work right. There could be multiple Thanksmasses in a year.
...
Who's Libra?"
she doesn't know a Libra, so it would be odd for her dream to mention it.
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Re: The Dreamlands

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[The Way of Autumn]

"I'm afraid we have a long way to go yet and we can't delay." Wenomir is curt and to the point. Of course, that's how he always acts, but this time he has a purpose. Don't thank for anything, don't agree to anything, don't give an inch.
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Re: The Dreamlands

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[Fox Dreams]

"Your story is stuck."


At that word, Jade's fork is now trapped, frozen in an icy burg adrift in the sea.

Dark waves roil around her. Memories fill her. The sensation of fighting against drowning at the bottom of the world.

"You need to move forward."

But how?

She's completely surrounding by the raging waves!
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Re: The Dreamlands

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Fox Dreams
Oh no.
Oh no no no.
Not this nightmare again.

Jade is drowning, her paws struggling to paddle through the wine-dark waters. Her lungs are full of liquid, her fur is heavy and matted. It's all she can do to keep herself from being swept completely under. She doesn't respond to the voice. She can't.
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Re: The Dreamlands

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[The Dreamlands]

"He's right! We really must be getting on," Adir declares carefully, continuing on and trying to watch for surprise attacks or sudden danger. He'll try to hang behind Lapis and Wenomir for now, to keep them covered.
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Re: The Dreamlands

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[Fox Dreams]

The waves crash over the kumiho's head.

She was cast out.

She was cast out.

They promised they would fix her but instead they stole her Name and cast her out and now she's drowning.

She needs to find something to cling to, but what? They took everything from her.


[The Dreamlands]

Three.

Here comes the third offer.

"Oh dear me friends, no! The evening is already long spent and night is upon us!" the satyr gasps. "I couldn't allow you to be traveling at night! What if you encounter some peril along the road? Why, that would be just dreadful wouldn't it? Please, please, come aside and join us. We have food aplenty. Rest your hearts and be merry with us."

There's a tension in the air.

A danger.

An electricity.

Magic winding like a spring, ready to snap.
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Re: The Dreamlands

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Fox Dreams
She just wanted to be a good fox...

In this ocean, there is nothing to hold on to, but she can see the night sky. She reaches desperately for something above to grasp. The moon seems to hang low, just barely out of her reach, its cheese-scented surface tantalizingly dry.
If only it were just a little closer.
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