The Rabbit, the Serpent, and the Falcon

The Washwoman's Rest.

We return to the Dreamers as they reel from the Dream that they all shared and spend some time recovering from their ordeal with the Sidhe Knights.

## Plot:

Unbeknownst to the Dreamers as they revel, as they Dream.  Miles and miles away Mordred steps into a space.  A large, cavernlike room with pillars and hall-like structures.  Anger radiates off of him, both figuratively and literally.  At the other end of the room, beside a fire, sit four individuals.  The first is Sarah the Moonchild, the second is a person with a gaunt, skeletal face, with visible scales.  High Priest Ellahs the dragonborn.  The third is a half elf and the fourth does not kneel as Mordred approaches.

Mordred apologies for his unpleasant absence, and says that he knows all of them have been waiting for a very long time for this, and he reiterates that the pieces are all in place.  Kings.  Queens.  All of it.  He pauses for a moment, as if thinking to himself and then says “I don’t know.”

### Back in the dream

The Dreamers feel as though they are awake, as magic, force, form, and energy flows through them.  They all stand before the gate.  They know for a fact that this is both real and a dream.  The creature in the dream says again that it has been waiting for them, and then stands quiet.  The Entity is the first to speak, asking the glowing being if it is the one who renders judgment.  It replies that it is only here to remember them.

It knows that something is coming, an end.  But not what end.  And it cannot see their faces, it does not know if they are the ones who it needs, the ones who must prepare.  Gwendolyn asks if it knows who will bring about the end, and it replies that faces are hard, and it knows no names.

Emelya introduces herself, and the being says that she sounds familiar to it.  Lucius then introduces himself as Lucius Valentus, centurion of the Warkeep… or at least he was.  The Being maintains that he was, and that his story is familiar to it.  Gwendolyn Snow introduces herself and asks about the future the being exists in, if people survive, if it can be changed.

The Being eventually speaks after it shifts colors.  “I have a dream, and in that dream all overtakes and is overtaken by one.  All finds itself in darkness.  I thought once that I knew who had cast the spell.  But the ripples shed ever outward.

Doc whispers something, and the Being turns towards him, “Mercy… what is mercy?  Is it kindness?  Is it relief?  Can you do it when all around you is dark?”  He replies, “It is that that, when it is asked for, is very rarely given.”  The Being maintains that it finds that familiar.

It then says that it knows them now.  It says “My mind casts back forever, and it has a name, and I will know it when I wake.  But while I sleep my name is frozen like ice in the mountaintops, and I cannot remember it.”  It says that it is a Warden, a Guardian.  And that is what it stands for.

“Now Dreamers, I must walk back through my own dream, and see if I may wake again.  Goodbye, Good luck, and beware the Fomorian.”

### The Morning Comes.

There is much sign of celebration around the Dreamers.  Lucius is first to awaken, and he steps out into the sunlight, and he puts his pouch on, but leaves his spear where it lays and walks out into the fort proper.  Everyone else sits bolt upright at the same time.  Emelya has a horrible hangover.  Gwendolyn says that a little hair of the dog never killed anyone.

Emelya checks on Saoirse before shambling out of the tent and shields her eyes from the sun so that she can stumble to the bar.  She has a ‘Fort Dogwood special’ stew and a couple of raw eggs.

Everyone else in the party notices that Sir John blushes and turns to walk away from the canteen when he spots Emelya, and the Entity goes over to be with him so he won’t be alone.

The party elects to spend a week in camp, after being asked to stay to boost the fort’s morale.

Lucius spends some time talking to Norburn and Sir Hebron about Warkeep, and learning some of the history that has occurred due to the decades of lost time he is suffering from.  He then spends the rest of his time helping to train the forces of Fort Dogwood in order to help them be more prepared in the case of future incursions.  He gets three whole nods from Captain Norburn.

The Entity asks for Emelya’s help preserving Suran’s blood and has it transferred into a reinforced iron flask for safekeeping.  It also gets a couple new weapons from Yu’ei, including a customized long knife for throwing and a new handaxe.  It then spends some time learning about cooking from the camp chefs.

Emelya and Yu’ei finish work on Emelya’s ritual blade, an Athame, and Emelya sets a Tourmaline into the pommel and carves it with runes, then imbues her will into the Athame with a fey ritual.  The hairs on the back of her neck tighten as though goosebumps rise on her flesh.  The Athame is not traditionally magical, but it is deeply connected to Emelya’s will and spirit.

Doc spends his time brewing a greater healing potion, he also spends time helping out at the infirmary and a wounded young man gives him a strange gold coin that reminds him of something from his past.  He then gives the man a token of Mercy.

Gwendolyn spends some time getting better acquainted with Lucius, and learns about his travels in the Moonlit Lands.  Then Gwendolyn shares her experiences, being an emissary from there herself.  Lucius tries to apologize to Gwendolyn for letting her die, but she tells him that it wasn’t his fault.

Gwendolyn then uses her sendings and messages to reach out to her contacts, including Ivesse of Alvar, Haze, and Lemorious.  She learns that there is a growing movement following Mordred across the Greenlands, and that they have an unnerving devotion to him, and they have a reputation of doing nothing but good… but also have a strange, cultlike relation to Mordred.  She also learns that Mordred is making claims of Divinity, based on blood, based on code, and based on the right to take as being given to him.  And THAT activity has been largely concentrated in Synjalo recently.  She also has trouble reaching some of her contacts, and they may be dead.

At the end of the week the Dreamers are approached by Sir John, who relays that Sir Hebron, Brionne, Karroway, Joey, and Sir Phillip will be joining his group on the road to Caerle’on, and that the Dreamers are welcome to continue with him.  Emelya relays that she’s expecting payment in full when they arrive.

The party then sets out.  Lucius and Warbler make their way to the front together, and the Entity makes its way to the back.  Its sensors begin to have issues, and it feels almost as though Captain Tyr is still there walking with it, supporting it.

As the party is continuing on, a Dryad calls out from the side of the road in Sylvan, demanding that everyone lay down their weapons and leave, claiming that they come with fire and war and are not allowed.  Gwendolyn tries to reason with it, and it remains staunch that they cannot pass, and Emelya tries to get information from it and learns that the Dryads have allied themselves against all nations, for nations bring dragons of fire and chop wood.  Emelya tries to connect with them, telling them of the oaths she keeps as a mediator between mortals and fey.  The Dryads share their anxieties over the balance being broken and the kin returning, and allow the party to carry on.

After the Dreamers leave the forest behind, they come on to one of Caerle’on’s outskirt villages, and the party takes a short break to buy supplies.  Doc is robbed by some urchins, Gwendolyn is approached by Sir Phillip and told that he would like to find a time to speak privately, and The Entity asks Saoirse about names.

After a short conversation, where the Entity proves it is terrible at coming up with names, Saoirse offers a few suggestions and the Entity settles on Réalta because it was the first one Saoirse wrote down, much to Saoirse’s chagrin.  Gwendolyn points out that the Entity can spend some time thinking about its choice before committing to it, and it agrees.

Before the party finishes their rest, Phillip approaches Gwendolyn and lets her know that he will want to speak with her privately at some point.  Gwendolyn agrees, and then the two return to the caravan and join the Dreamers on the last leg of their trip to Caerle’on.

Come nightfall, the group makes their way in through Caerle’on’s walls and find their way to a bathhouse that Sir John knows.  Sir Hebron rents out the indoor bathhouse for everyone to use, and pays for everyone’s rooms and food.

Saoirse leaves the bathhouse early and finishes her work on the bolt thrower design, she then asks for Sir John’s help in introducing the design at their meeting with the lord the next evening.

Everyone else discusses the upcoming noble dinner and how to pull together the best outfits for the occasion.