24/08/2021 - Nasty Gnolls, Malicious Murmurings, and a Dastardly Dream Dimension

## On the road again

* Tupelo marks on our map the route to the Tribunal. Can go through the mountains or skirt around them. Through the mountain is much much quicker (6 – 7 days compared to 8 – 9 days), but way more dangerous. No parties who go that way return with all members. Those who survived remember a weird light and much roaring.

* The Tribunals need the supplies within 10 days – it is the only food they get (they can’t source their own on the mountain), so it is imperative we get the supplies there in time.

* We debate which way to go – the temptation to go through the mountain is strong (we lacked the voices of reason this week :P ).

* We set off with cart of supplies in tow. A small girl gives Narko a flower as thankyou, he awkwardly accepts. Elyan helps him out with the awkwardness by successfully using the wand of smiles on him!

* Three hours into the journey, we hear thunder and lightening to the north…. It soon hits us. It is horrific. To avoid exhaustion, we have to stop and lose half a day.

## Bag time

* We go into the bag – it has been redecorated by Ves with flower arches. Inside is a spiral staircase (what a joker), as well as rooms for Lysandre and Belgaer, Narko and Bayul, and Elyan and Galdor. There is also a nice sitting room.

* We go upstairs. Narko bangs his head a bit, but eventually gets up. There are many flowers, nature things, half-elf paintings and notebooks. It is Ves’s penthouse apartment. Narko semi-falls back down but is so big he just wedges into the walls.

* We long rest and have a massive breakfast.

## The journey continues

* Today is much better. Nice weather, good walking day. We make good progress.

* We approach a thinner part of the forest close to the city of Miskanshen (capital of Echs). Can see some white/green towers. Beyond this, there are many encampments leading up to the City. Appear to be arranged in rank and file, with campfires etc. More tents in the process of being erected… Miskanshen is amassing an army!?! Bayul is very certain it is a military encampment, with potentially 500 - 2000 people!!

* Elyan messages Tupelo to warn him. Tupelo replies to say that we should not waste time on our supply run (we should take the mountain route) as he may need our help later, and that he will contact Christo to find out more.

* We have another night’s rest in the bag. When we wake up, hear rustling in the trees near us… it is a bear scratching by the tree. We try to sneak away, but we are useless, and it notices us. Thankfully Elyan is able to charm it, and it comes over to give Elyan a friendly nuzzle and a fist bump.

* Today is also a nice day. Good travelling pace. We go near a beach and see what looks like a small camp, with people moving and deranged laughter – gnolls! As we approach, the laughter goes ominously quiet… a gnoll face pops out and looks at us. Galdor shoots it in the face.

* Fight begins, with several of the evil poison-paralysis creatures with the gnolls. Elyan turns into a T-rex, gets some good hits in, but is then paralysed for a while. Narko charges in and kills one of the mean paralysis-dudes, whilst the others attack from range. Lysandre absolutely wrecks them with a psychic lance. Beldear does much eldritch blastage and some tentacle shenanigans. Eventually we kill them all and then take a short rest.

* Rest of the day is uneventful. We get close to the mountain and rest in the bag for the night. We debate which way to go… we decide on the mountain, so we have the option of getting back quicker to help Tupelo. Elyan helpfully reminds us that mountains are the stairs of the world.

## Creepy note and malicious murmurings

* As we have dinner in the bag, there is a note on a tray delivered by an unseen servant. Note is sealed with wax in the shape of a purple sun-burst with a grey skull. We don’t recognise it… Elyan opens it, sees that the ink looks like blood from the brutes in the fort from a few days ago! He can see weird stars glistening in the ink. The note says: “stop meddling in my affairs or suffer the consequences”.

* Elyan heads outside and puts the note on the ground, then mage hands it further away. Then tries to write on the back: “apologies, we will try not too meddle”. But the ink doesn’t seem to take to the paper.

* At this point. Both, Narko and Galdor look uncomfortable. Narko says he heard an evil sounding voice saying: “your mind is weak… I have found my way in…”.

* Elyan plays a lovely tune to calm everyone down. We don’t trust the bag anymore, so Belgaer casts Leo’s hut in the garden.

* Before getting in the hut, Galdor and Narko hear evil cackling. Elyan casts protection from evil and good on Narko and inspires Galdor. Shortly after they hear someone murmur the word "weak" in their head.

* Belgaer turns Galdor into a sheep to see if Galdor hears the words when he’s polymorphed. Don’t hear the voice for a while. In case Narko goes mental in the night, he puts his weapons out of immediate reach.

* Then decide that Galdor and Narko should sleep in the house, with the others in a new dome that they can’t get in.

## A dastardly dream dimension

* Narko, Elyan and Galdor go to sleep. As they do, a purple mist descends, their beds slip away, and each finds themselves staring at bright blue and green lights that look eerily like the ink and blood of the brutes.

* As they wake up, they are lying on cold, dark stone. And all three can now see each other, on separate rocks, a few feet away from each other, despite having gone to sleep in different places…. Strange beads of light are floating around us all. It looks like the twinkling lights Elyan saw in the ink earlier.

* Can see rocks and stairs below us.

* Elyan can hear and see lights being blown out and reappearing above us. This phenomenon seems to be coming towards us. Elyan turns invisible. We hear weird screaming. The weird light thing is following us. The lights are being refracted in all directions. In front of us, from the light, lands a very young crystal dragon!!! Looks like it’s made of diamond.

* Elyan knows that these dragons are extremely reclusive, but typically friendly and inquisitive. Elyan says we’re friendly and asks if it knows why we’re here?

* It hops over and starts sniffing Narko. He pets it, and it seems to like it. It then flies away and looks back expectantly. We follow it across the rocks.

* Elyan asks what its name is. It screeches. It seems to understand but be too young to speak.

* Elyan asks if this is its home? It shakes its head.

* Does it know the way out? It nods, and points towards the stairs below.

* Can he guide us out? It shakes its head.

* Can we help it escape? It twitches, its white eyes are now replaced with the dark inky colour of our surroundings. It looks angry, not itself, and combat begins…

* Elyan hits it with hideous laughter so it is incapacitated. Elyan then runs for the stairs.

* It breaks out, briefly looked scared, but then its eyes go evil again and dominated again.

* Narko disengages and runs for the stairs.

* Galdor casts web on the dragon.

* Elyan tries to hit it with some suggestion, but the dragon succeeds.

* The dragon flies out of Galdor’s web and blasts him with a breath attack. He takes a shit ton of damage, some of which Elyan negates. The dragons eyes start to smoke. It continues twitching uncomfortably.

* Galdor glides towards Narko after webbing the dragon.

* The dragon gets stuck in the web.

* Narko charges away, throwing Elyan onto his back and grabbing Galdor as he runs. As we reach the stairs, the crystalline dragon seems to dissolve into dust and blows away on the wind.

* We climb the stairs, and appear in a large chamber filled with giants cause-way esque blue pillars.

* We see a weird guy lounching in a chair… he murmurs, “I thought I told you to stop meddling in my affairs!”.

* Elyan is like, its not our fault, we have no idea how we got here. Who are you?

* He refrains from saying who he is.

* Wheels are in motion that are significantly more important that you insignificantly ones. But yet you, and your companions feel its necessary to turn up to this island at precisely this moment and start talking to people.

* He sasses all of us for being weak of either mind or body. But says that Galdor is his type, invites him to join his ranks. Galdor says he is not his type.

* He starts walking towards us. Narko starts walking towards him. Behind his throne are grey skulls, with purple. Like the note we saw earlier.

* Elyan asks what the symbol is, he says its his personal symbol and he has used it for centuries.

* He annoyingly doesn’t answer any questions.

* He tries to cast dominate person on Narko, but Elyan counter spells his (9th level!! Spell).

* The guy sighs, and says “why do I use such mundane magic”. He then clicks his fingers and casts dominate (without a spell) on both Narko and Elyan. He then makes both kneel and gets right up in Elyan’s face.

* He then says, deliver the goods you must deliver. But be aware, I’m coming for what is there. And when I do, the war that comes to this island will be nothing like you’ve ever seen.

* He then offers all of us a portion of his power for doing a small task for him. We all decline, some more angrily than others.

* Elyan tries to entertain him with his bagpipes, but this guy clicks his fingers and turns Elyans mouth into a zip. He then starts raising pillars and crushing them.

* On one of the pillars, is one of the people Elyan spoke to in Isairne. This is weird, as we know this figure to be dead, she burned in the attack.

* He raises three more columns, on one of which is Narko’s daughter.

* He tells Narko he will kill his daughter unless he plays his game, Narko aims a bow at his head. Looks at his daughter. Looks at the guy. And fires. Evil dude catches the arrow and says: “you have chosen death then”. Sends a ray of green into Solania, disintegrating her. He then slams his hands, and whisps of smoke pour out of Narko and Elyans heads, forming into weird contortions of Rocky and Kunai, both dripping in galaxy-like blood.

* Rocky says, what is your wish, my Lord. And orders them to kill us. Kunai shoots Galdor, Galdor fires back at Kunai. Narko then charges and kills Kunai, moves to Rocky and hits, but gets hellishly rebuked. Rocky looks hellish. And attacks Narko back.

* Rocky hits Galdor and Elyan with a powerful spell. Galdor goes down, and finds himself back in his bed. Elyan tries to polymorph, but gets counter spelled. Elyan eventually kills Rocky.

* The evil guy slow claps, says “I hope you’re happy”.

* He says we have entertained him. He holds three pearls, and throws all three to Elyan. They are motes of power. Use them when they are most convenient. And if we feel the need to aid in his designs, then, we know how to recognise his people.

* Elyan asks for a name, at which point he snaps his fingers, and we all snap back awake.

* Elyan has three black pearls – essentially one time uses of luck.

* We don’t feel any ill effects, other than sweat.

* Narko barges into the dome, and makes Elyan message his wife to check that Solania is ok. His wife replies that she is.