Dark Tidings

The session "Dark Tidings" took place on June 11th, 2020. Our heroes decide on their next course of action, receive some harrowing news, and one finds more than she bargained for within the dreamscape.

Synopsis
In private RP, a possible romance blooms between Clairen and Sorithyn. Returning to the main group, the party deliberates on which Court to visit next, the Court of Spring to the northeast or Summermount to the south. They know that something of value to Dubhoisean lies south in the Eternal Tempest. Finding a way to cross the storm is a priority.

Kalza suspects that Lord Tinneman may be more sinister than he appears. While this isn't substantiated yet, everyone agrees that he's shady and opts not to call on Altun for aid until they have more information.

After some discussion, the party decides to head to the Court of Spring and sets out for the border. Kalza notices that despite it being about three in the afternoon, the sun appears to be higher in the sky, about midday. Something is certainly messing with time.

Ally hears heavy footsteps in the woods. She unsheathes her maul and spots the fur-covered dinosaur from A Winter's Knight, known as a yutyrannus, tromping in the woods nearby. It makes eye contact with the party and freezes.

Sorithyn charms the creature, causing it to relax and approach the party. Saphir wonders if they may be able to ride it to the border. Rylee uses Speak with Animals to ask the yutyrannus for help. It agrees and offers part of its last kill for food, which the party declines. After some logistical discussion, Rylee turns into a horse to carry Sorithyn, Ally and Clairen ride on Arivae, and Saphir and Kalza mount the yutyrannus, taking them to the border between Winter's Walk and the Court of Spring. Sorithyn's spell wears off, but the yutyrannus writes it off as a strange trick and departs.

With daylight left, the party crosses into the Court of Spring. Quickly, the snow recedes into lush, soft grass. The sky grows brighter, and they find themselves surrounded by flowers of all hues, natural and unnatural, as well as a heavy fog.

Rylee attempts to use her new cantrip, Shape Water, to create a horse from dew clinging to the grass, but it ends up falling apart and making a splash. Because he can be a jerk at times, Saphir creates a fish using the same cantrip. Being more practiced, he fares a little better.

Running low on energy, the group decides to set up camp near one of the few trees in the area. While drawing her magic circle, Kalza hears a tiny voice. It criticizes her circle-drawing abilities and offers her chalk. Remembering the rules of the fey, the chalk is declined. They hear the fluttering of wings from an invisible source. Whatever it was retreats.

Later on, they spot a campfire in the distance. Saphir scouts ahead and finds a man in bulbous armor stirring a pot of what appears to be stew. Wary, but trusting in the protection of the magic circle, the party decides to leave him alone. Sorithyn casts Detect Magic, spotting motes of magic in the fog. The delicious scent wafting from the bulbous man's campsite also reads as magic. Reminding her of cooking back home, the scent tempts Rylee, but she resists its siren song. Everyone eats their rations instead, a very disappointing substitute.

Saphir and Ally take first watch. They have a conversation about love and death, how to move on when the people you care about inevitably perish. Ally tells Saphir about her past, falling into a monster-killing frenzy and realizing she needed to do something more constructive. She sought to train young or otherwise inexperienced fighters. When asked what drew her to Kalza, Ally explains that she holds onto a passion for life despite its hardships. She catches Saphir looking at Clairen, but pretends not to notice.

After their talk, Saphir contacts Phyrra via sending stone to inform her about their audience with the Winter Queen. Dumbstruck, she congratulates him on the success and informs him of news from west of the Wall. Things have grown increasingly strange since the party left for Mete, with reports of odd sightings of a black stag circulating. Saphir lets Phyrra know that Dubhoisean can appear during the witching hour until the Blood Moon rises. She urges him to be safe and muses that his motivation to save the world reminds her of his father.

When questioned about what happened during the last Blood Moon, Phyrra recalls a memory from her childhood, about 312 years ago. Her caravan denied entry to the city, they were forced to bunker down with the others stuck on the outside as the sky darkened for an entire week. Monsters and shadows everywhere. Phyrra's mother cast some spell that kept them safe, similar to Magic Circle, but Phyrra can't remember any further details about it.

Finally, she tells Saphir that one of Lord Tinneman's sons has disappeared. She doesn't know whether it's Silas or Bernard.

Afterward, Rylee attempts to contact Silas through the Dream spell. Inside the dream, she finds Silas inside a comfortable-looking room, busy at work. A haze surrounds them. Through the window, Rylee sees nothing but a dark pink mist outside, like a deconstructed sunrise, and she senses an unsettling presence. She attempts to influence the dream and dispel the mist with gentle moonlight, to no avail. It turns out the haze isn't part of the dream.

At first, Silas is surprised to see Rylee, until he recalls the magic of outlanders. He remarks that it's been a stressful few days and he's glad to see a familiar face. Silas is aware of his kidnapping, but not the identity of his kidnapper. After being approached by a gruff-voiced man in a black cloak (likely Bahn Shal), he ended up trapped in the dream while his body moves on its own. His physical location is unknown to him, and he's afraid.

Attempting to offer some comfort, Rylee offers to visit Silas via Dream every night. Before he can accept or decline, he suddenly collapses and sinks through the floor. Through the influence of her spell, Rylee changes the surroundings to a warm wildflower field, but she's unable to retrieve Silas. The grass turns brown and fallow, and the vampire Iris appears.

Iris and Rylee press each other for information. Iris states that she is denied the world because of sunlight and prejudice against drow, and that there are more gods outside of the Barrier. Placing her finger on Rylee's forehead, the halfling's mind fills with visions of what lies beyond. Demons, horrors, but also great beauty, infinite galaxies. She sees the true forms of Lolth, Sune, and other gods. It seems to go on for weeks, but she finds herself still within the dream.

Finally, Iris shows Rylee a vision of her mother. If the Barrier falls, there will be nothing to separate the living from the dead. Rylee refuses to entertain the possibility, stating that she's made her peace. Besides, she wouldn't want her mother to live (or unlive) under the thumb of evil.

Rylee awakens screaming. Sorithyn and Clairen rush to her side, Clairen providing some strong healing. Crying, Rylee tells the party that Iris has Silas, and that within one of her many visions, she saw a hooded figure with a green eye -- similar to the man the group encountered in the Winding Steppes -- holding three colors in his hand. She fears that next time she encounters Iris, the vampire will hurt her more. Sorithyn vows to protect her, and the rest of the party debates how to prepare for a fight against the trio.

At some point during the conversation, Saphir declares that she can't be trusted because she's a drow. Kalza delivers a slap across the face and shouts at him to stop with the internalized racism and self-deprecation, which causes Saphir to back down.

The man they spotted at the campfire before approaches their magic circle. He expresses concern for the party. He heard screaming. The magic circle throws him onto his rear end as he tries to cross it, but he seems unphased and asks to sit just outside. The man gives his name, Grahmine. He's a lowly eladrin knight who serves the Court of Spring. The session leaves off as the party settles in to speak with him.

Player Characters

 * Clairen Longridge
 * Alavara
 * Kalza Palod
 * Rylee Puddlefoot
 * Sorithyn Tolkuthol
 * Saphir

Returning

 * Phyrra
 * Iris
 * Silas Morengrow

New

 * Grahmine

Mentioned

 * Lord Tinneman
 * Dubhoisean
 * Laern
 * Bahn Shal

Quotations
Clairen: "Nothing about Kalza is straight." Phyrra: "You do sound like your father." Rylee: "I'm fine with her never living under your thumb."
 * Invisible Fairy: "You can't draw a good straight line with [ Kalza 's chalk]."
 * Saphir: "I don't make any promises. I'm not looking to run headfi rst into danger, but you know, gotta save the world or whatever."
 * Iris: "If the veil comes down, [ Rylee's mom] will be able to move freely. Life and death will no longer matter. Do you truly think you could see no more benefit? [...] If you're fine with never seeing her again~"