Chapter 1: A Marble Ship in a Sea of Necromancy
Who is The Dreamer? What is The Dream? Who are we, within it all? Brighter minds than mine have pondered these questions. Sharper eyes than mine have tried to pierce the haze of memory and piece together some semblance of meaning. Perhaps, some have even uncovered the secrets that lie beyond mortal understanding, but, I must confess, I fear I never shall.
I cannot tell you the why of it all; that taunts me from beyond my comprehension, just out of reach. Why are we here? Why does reality sift through our fingers like the waters of the ocean through the stars? Why can we make no sense of it? I am afraid I have no answer for you.
But I can tell you a story and, through it, you may find the answers for yourself, if there are answers to be found. Allow me, then, to tell you of a motley group of mercenaries--an unlikely group of heroes in an unlikely world.
Their tale begins in an age that predates memory, but I will be brief and introduce you to them in the port-town of Loona, in the Reanaaria Bay, not so very long ago.
Session 1
Loona is a fairly large port, with a population of over two thousand, on the Reanaaria Bay. All trade by Ocean waters into the City-State of Geanavue travels first through Loona; it is through tariffs on this trade that the town derives most of its wealth. Visitors to the town are as varied as the ships that dock in its harbor and the influx of trade goods help to keep both the economy and the society fresh; residing in the shadow of the peaceful Geanavue does not hurt, either. Even so, factions continually vie for the upper hand in the town and politics are often openly cutthroat. The town is not particularly unfriendly, even to newcomers, but there are certainly places in Tellene that are more friendly.
It is in this dockside town that a young gnome finds himself bereft of gainful employment when the ship on which he served as cabin-boy, the Ship of Fools, is lost to a Guard Captain in an unsuccessful gambit during a dice-game. The gnome has a sharp tongue and an unstoppable wit, though not much sense to go with it. He calls himself Faerbast Gozer.
It is also here that two Fhokki journey on an unusual pilgrimage. One man, wearing a resplendent red sash over the spikes of his glistening armor, leads the other forward by a well-toned arm. Both men are massive, but the second man is withered with age. The second, also, is blind; it is for this reason that his companion guides his progress. Oddly, the old man carries a scythe, which he currently is using as a walking staff. He, too, is bedecked in glistening scales of spiked metal. The elder is Hrunting. The younger man is his son, a priest of Falkker, Battle Rager, Prince of Turmoil, and it is his quest that finds the two Fhokki so far to the south of their homeland. His acceptance as a Brother in Blood is all but complete, lacking one thing only: he has been tasked to seek out a "Salty-Tongued Wee One" and partake in glorious battle in the name of his church. His name is Dakken Hruntingsson, initiate to the Way of the Berserk, and his axe and mace are mighty.
744 Year of New Discovery (YND), 15 Siege-hold, Diaday.
Currently, a sunny, autumn day in the Season of Colors
Today is autumn and leaves of gold and red and brown layer the harbor of Loona, even as trading vessels insist upon cutting through them. One smaller vessel is docked, likely for an indefinite period of time; it is a coastal trade-ship and in very poor condition, at that. Recently, it has changed hands. Its new owner heads toward it, but is still several blocks away when the two Fhokki pilgrims step aboard. Their attention is drawn to what looks to be a prepubescent boy, but is, fortunately for their purposes, actually a gnome. The gnome is wearing a false eye-patch over his left eye and an equally unconvincing hook over his right hand, presumably to look tough--a particularly difficult illusion to pull off while lingering aboard a long-loved ship with tears in his eye.
The old man mutters aloud a dubious inquiry as to whether or not the two Fhokki have finally found their "salty-tongued wee one."
By way of a response, the little fellow lets forth a string of obscenities unfit for the public ear, which include, but are not limited to, insults on the heritage of the two strangers' immediate family and ancestors, accusations of various types of sexually awkward exploits (both physically possible and most certainly not possible), and finally, a resounding denouncement of the two Fhokki men's personal character.
Dakken replies heavily, "Yes, he's the one."
Shortly thereafter, another man strides onto the deck. He wears the regalia of the town guard and the insignia of an officer. In fact, he is Guard Captain Wiuxiu, the new owner of this vessel. He appears pleased to see the strangers on his ship and gets immediately to the point.
He wants to hire them. Guard Captain Wiuxiu explains that he has need of a group of "acquisitionists" and "special deed-doers" in order to keep ahead of rival denizens of the city and in order to keep his nose in places that it normally would not be able to reach. Fair enough. Furthermore, he wishes to pay each of his "acquisitionists" a sum of one hundred gold a month, as well as ownership of all items acquired valued at less than five thousand. Fair enough! Then, Guard Captain Wiuxiu produces the contracts and hits the first stumbling block. None of the men before him can read what the papers say (although, Dakken does pretend to, for a bit).
With a sigh of resignation, Guard Captain Wiuxiu leads the would-be mercenaries to the Mayor's Hall, in order to find a witness to the signing. There, they are confronted with the mayor, himself, apparently a good friend of the Guard Captain.
Dakken stares in shock as a high-pitched voice greets the Guard Captain warmly and inquires after the (nonexistent) wife and children before reading the documents to the illiterate group. He tries to listen diligently, but one thought keeps surfacing in his mind.
The mayor is a DAFT, SQUEAKY GNOME!
Ultimately, the three of them mark the contracts and are beset with their first mission. Guard Captain Wiuxiu explains to his new "acquisitionists" that the City of Loona has recently purged a small island off the coast of a group of pirates. Guard Captain Wiuxiu is concerned that some of his rivals might discover some valuable (trivial) bit of information that would better serve the city in his own hands and assigns the new party to explore the island, the sooner the better. Since the party will be wanting to get a head start, they will leave tonight and should meet Guard Captain Wiuxiu an hour before dusk in order to procure transportation to the island.
Shrewd bargaining grants the party an advance of their first payment, which they use to purchase the supplies that they assume will be necessary. True to their word, the group meets an hour before dusk at the docks. Guard Captain Wiuxiu has procured a garbage barge for their journey and informs them that it will arrive at the island every six hours to pick them up, starting at dawn! Guard Captain Wiuxiu wishes his new mercenaries well, glances at a strange round device at the end of a chain, and turns his back on his employees.
The journey is uneventful and short. The twenty minutes are entirely taken up by defending against the mass of seagulls as they swarm overhead, their bodies glowing warmly as the sun sinks (rises) toward the ocean, far overhead. Eventually, the barge pulls close enough to the western shore of the small island for the party to wade to the narrow beach.
Before too long, the group is cutting a swath through the dense foliage that covers the small hill that forms this island, the blind man's scythe putting all consideration of subtlety to the grave. By the time night falls from the ocean above, the group has come across a narrow trail cut into the foliage that intersects with their own. It seems to be very recent.
The climb up the hill is marked with a constant heckling between the blind man and the gnome that is punctuated when Hrunting actually takes a swing at the short seaman with his scythe--and hits him. Dakken binds the poor gnome's wound and chastises his father, who rambles on in his own little senile world.
Farther up the hill, the group crosses another cut path, this one very wide and possibly a week old. Figuring that this was the path of the guardsmen who purged the island, the party follows it the rest of the way up the hill, pausing only to cut down Hrunting when he steps into a snare.
The sky is fully dark when the group steps out into a clearing and Dakken lights a torch, more for his own benefit than for anyone else's, although the light enhances Faerbast's own good vision. The ground around them displays the obvious marks of combat and the structures that rise above the mercenaries bear witness to struggle, as well. A marble mansion rests atop the hill; clearly, the head of these pirates had a taste for opulence. In sharp contrast, a stable looms much closer, its door unhinged. However the pirates managed to get horses to this island, they were obviously kept here.
Faerbast whispers warily, "If there's trouble, throw the old man down and run."
Hrunting snorts in disgust and exclaims, "Don't think a blind old man can't take you out, right quick, wee one!"
The three explorers cautiously approach the stable. Hrunting warns them that there is something moving in the woods, off to the side, but no one sees anything. He also hears movement within the stable.
When the party enters the stable, it is immediately obvious that the floor is entirely covered in muck, shielded from view only by a layer of dried-out hay. A short pair of stilts leans against the corner near the door; presumably, the stable-hand used these to feed the horses without slogging through the filth.
Now, a collection of eggshells litters the floor, as does a writhing mass of baby turtles. Some of them writhe, that is. A number of the turtles do not move at all and, in fact, appear to be...deflated?
The trio has no time to consider the matter; some strange creatures that resemble bats with wingspans of two feet drop from the rafters and assault the trespassers. Two attach themselves to the back and neck of Faerbast with pincers and long tube-mouths. One attaches itself to a vulnerable spot on Hrunting while another assaults Dakken, but is repelled by his glistening armor.
The gnome stabs wildly at his assailants with a dagger, but he cannot quite reach them. The old man attempts to pull off his attacker with his bare hands, but cannot quite grasp it well enough. Dakken reaches for the flying monstrosity with his gauntlets and grasps it well, but the winged bastard's grip on the Fhokki priest's father is unyielding.
Then, the winged creatures begin to suck.
Faerbast, with two attached, is quickly drained of a startling amount of blood and one of the things disengages from his back and flies into the shadows of the rafters. Hrunting, on the other hand, is drained of only enough to lighten his fair skin a shade. The other creature flies toward Dakken, but quick reflexes bring the initiate's massive war mace down on the beast. Thick blood, possibly not originally that of the creature, stains the walls, the ground, the turtles, and the mercenaries; a small fragment of wing hangs from Dakken's mace.
The Dream reacts. The death of the monster triggers a reality shift that tugs at the souls of the party while small patches of hay rot away at their feet. The rest of the struggle is less memorable; it is sufficient to tell you that the gnome is drained of even more blood and the blind old man lands a solid blow on his own attacker with his own heavy mace before the creatures have had their fill of them and retreat to the rafters. Having no enemies within reach, and therefore holding the battlefield, Dakken withdraws with his father and the gnome from the stable.
Given the sorry shape of Faerbast, the group decides to rest for a few hours in the clearing before moving on toward the mansion. Only when the gnome has regained a bit of color, does the party advance upon the marble building.
The front door is open and, inside, a massive ballroom stretches before the party. Here, too, the signs of conflict are prevalent. An ornate chandelier hangs from the domed ceiling, but little else of value has been left unlooted. Some strange features do dominate the room, however.
A ring of symbols, etched into the marble tiles of the ballroom floor, surround a marble pedestal, upon which rests a marble replica of a war ship, more intricately carved than marble should possibly be; even the tortured faces of its crewmen can be made out. A trap door lies open in the room, leading to darkness below. The gnome, who cannot read, is confident that he can make some sense of the symbols, and determines that they are arcane marks of some kind.
A quick prayer to Falkker and a few moments of intense concentration reveal to Dakken that the symbols and the ship are strongly magical--all necromantic.
The party decides to leave it alone for now and enter the trap door. It leads to a prison-complex, which contrasts vastly with the room above it; these prisons are made of alabaster, limestone, and mortar, with bars of cold iron. The sorrows of many years are etched into the walls and the occasional skeleton bears witness to the cruel mortality of the prison. All in all, it is a lonely place.
It seems, therefore, somehow inappropriate when, from somewhere within the darkness, around a corner, outside of sanity, an inhuman shriek rings out, echoing through the corridors and quickly overtaking the party.
For some reason, it makes the prison-complex feel all the more lonely.
