064. Splendor

The motley journeys through the Far Dreaming.

***"I'm as close to a lucid dreamer as I know… but as all dreams do, they dissipate."***

The motley, with Kaylie and Talus, are standing in a field that is a mirror of the previous one, though brighter, more saturated, and without the hunters. The four Changelings find themselves undergoing a sort of second Chrysalis as their fae miens break through their mortal bodies. Patches finds her fingers elongating and growing sharp points, perfect for minute crafting work; Braum grows to 10 feet tall, shattering his granite skin; Talus' horns lengthen and his goat legs coil even tighter, strong; and Sophia sprouts ethereal wings and begins to emit light. All of them find their birthrights and frailties more pronounced as they begin to move forwards, and Patches easily casts a cantrip to fly up into the sky to scout ahead.

Their path onward into the Dreaming seems to lead into a huge, winding forest, where the motley thinks they may be able to find one of the 12 remaining gates into the Deep Dreaming. At the entrance to the forest, the group encounters two robed figures, one small and the other tall and gaunt. When asked who they are, the tall figure dismisses their introductions: "These are but names. Who are you, really?" Sophia steps forward first, naming herself as Beauty; Braum, Strength; and Patches, Creation. The figures let them step forward, telling them that they'll see them again "at the Mouth". It warns them, though, that the forest ahead leaves all naked, and only those who truly knows themselves can pass through it. While Kaylie seems confident, Talus hesitates, moodier now: "I don't know who I am…" he balks. Sophia persuades him to continue towards his redemption, while Patches suggests that he may be Knowledge and Power, thinking of his Dauntain legacy.

As they walk down the forest path, surrounded by brambles and roses, Talus complains about having *almost* been able to go home, while Kaylie takes Sophia aside to ask about who the "alpha" is. While Sophia insists that they all share the responsibility of leadership, the Garou has become completely smitten with her, hanging on her every word. Sophia decides to embrace it, and orders Kaylie to lead them on. As Talus conjures fruit from the ground to eat, the group becomes aware of the birds that seem to be gathering around and above them, keeping pace with them… totally silent. Patches creates illusory cats of all sizes, but loses control of the cantrip in the Dreaming, causing cats of all sizes to emerge from the forest.

Suddenly, the birds all cry out as one and descend on Talus, landing on him. Sophia is quick to try to instill love among all the creatures, and Patches creates a duplicate of Talus for the birds to chase off down the road. The real Talus has another moment of unworthiness, writhing on the ground, asking the motley why he is being punished in this life for something he didn't even do. As they move further down the road, Sophia begins to notice a change coming over the others: Patches starts to shrivel and hunch further, Braum's voice becomes just like stone scraping on stone, and even Kaylie begins to assume her monstrous beast form, spitting and raging. Sophia retreats inside a Faerie ring, and even Mab begins to taunt her, asking her why she's failed at her mission to make the world beautiful.

At the same time, Patches and Braum also begin to suffer delusions: Braum is crushed under his own weight, unable to move; Patches' touch seems to break everything around her. She sits as well: "everything I touch will fail," she whispers. She is eventually the first to rally the troops and start to move forward, hoping to get away from whatever has cursed them. The others all find ways to overcome their illusions as well, and they move forward.

Talus decides it is time to rest, and as Patches volunteers to watch, Sophia decides it is finally time to do explore something she should have done a long time ago… and she prepares to enter Talus' dreams, to learn about his true nature!