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Dreams of Erthe
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<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 9131064" data-attributes="member: 508"><p><strong>ADVENTURE 57: SPIRIT QUEST</strong></p><p></p><p>PC Roster: </p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Alewyth Putterpye, dwarf priestess of Aerik 12</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Thurloe Pulver, human fighter 3/wizard 3/spellsword 6</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Wakuren, half-orc cleric of Cal 6/paladin 6</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Xandro Silverstrings, human bard 6/rogue 6</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Zander Quilson, elf sorcerer 12</p><p></p><p>Game Session Date: 9 September 2023</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>Instead of their normal training, when the five dreamwalkers arrived in the Dreamlands and were met by their individual moogle guides, they were escorted immediately to the corridor leading to the Queen of Dream's receiving chamber. "She says she wants to speak to you all, kupo!" replied Doc, Thurloe's personal guide.</p><p></p><p>Walking into the throne room, the five saw the Queen of Dreams sitting regally on her Butterfly Throne. Stepping before her and bowing, they received the Queen's blessing and straightened to hear what she had to say. "I have decided upon a new strategy," she announced. "I have already set measures into motion to facilitate this plan, but now I need you to appear before me, here in the Dreamlands."</p><p></p><p>The five heroes looked nervously at each other. "Um, we <em>are</em> here before you in the Dreamlands," hazarded Thurloe.</p><p></p><p>The Queen smiled an enigmatic smile and explained further. "No, your <em>dream-selves</em> are here before me," she said. "I need <em>you</em> - your physical bodies - here before me." She then reminded them how the large dreamstones the heroes had unearthed in the Underdark kobold warren and which had been carved with arcane runes by Iriadorrista the gem-cutter in Baron's Haven had been taken by one of her dreamwalker minions on the Material Plane, a man named Garth Mankin. "Garth Mankin took them into the desert in the middle of your continent, to a specific location where the planar boundaries between the Mortal World and the Dreamlands are weakest. There, they have been precisely attuned so that a dreamwalker - one of those like yourselves who can recall their dreams with accuracy upon awakening - can physically pass through the boundaries and step between the two planes."</p><p></p><p>"A <em>planar gate</em>," surmised Zander.</p><p></p><p>"Precisely," affirmed the Queen of Dreams. "Once you are physically here in the Dreamlands, I will expose your mortal bodies to dream energies which should help you to overcome the giant monsters - kaiju - that have thus far prevented you from awakening their dreamers." Standing up in one flowing motion, the Queen of Dreams stepped down from her raised Butterfly Throne and walked to a globe in the corner of the room. The five dreamwalkers followed, and watched as she pointed to a spot in the middle of the Centralia Desert. "Here is where the <em>Dream Gate</em> is located; the quickest way to get there is to use the <em>teleportation circle</em> at the nearest shrine of Delphyne to return to the city overcome by undead, as that's the closest one to where you need to go - it should be only a few hours of travel from there."</p><p></p><p>She turned to her five dreamwalkers. "Do you have any questions?" she asked them.</p><p></p><p>"No, Your Majesty," replied Alewyth, speaking for them all. They were dismissed, and told to make their best time the next day upon waking.</p><p></p><p>The next morning, there was some talk about how best to proceed. "The last Temple of Delphyne behind us is several days away," Wakuren recalled.</p><p></p><p>"There should be one in the city up ahead," Xandro assured them. "If we head out now, we could be there in less than three hours." That was decided upon as the best course of action, with the group eating a quick breakfast while on the road. They made decent time, and were in the city by mid-morning. There, they handed over a small sack of coins to Robin and Scarlie, who wouldn't be joining them - the <em>Dream Gate</em> only worked for dreamwalkers, the Queen had said. Robin and Scarlie would need to hang out in the city and await their eventual return; the coin pouch would pay for their rooms at the inn and the stabling of their animals. Then the five heroes made their way to the Temple of Delphyne; once there, the other four entered the extradimensional interior of <em>Hesperna's lamp</em>, while Wakuren picked up the lamp, activated his <em>ring of invisibility</em>, and found the hidden panel that allowed him to enter the small room behind the statue of Delphyne, Goddess of Magic. Once there, he flipped through the pages of the book with the pass-phrases, finding the one for the city of the undead, which they'd visited once before. Saying the magical phrase, Wakuren was <em>teleported</em> across the miles into the Temple of Delphyne in the city overrun by undead monstrosities.</p><p></p><p>The half-orc's plan had been a simple one: get to the city invisibly, summon his air element warhorse, and fly out of the city before any of the undead were even aware of their presence. But this plan hit a snag almost immediately, for in the shrine across the street from Wakuren was a dread wraith, huddled in the shade of the building, which was little more than a roof with four pillars and a defaced statue that had once been of Aerik, God of Earth, Stone, and Protection. And the wraith turned its head and stared directly at Wakuren, despite the cleric-paladin's total invisibility. Belatedly, Wakuren recalled wraiths could sense the life force of living beings - they didn't need to be able to see him to know exactly where he was. Outside, in the streets, three bloodthirsty zombies shambled on by, but they were oblivious to the half-orc's presence.</p><p></p><p>Wakuren held the holy symbol of Cal he wore around his neck, brandishing it in the direction of the dread wraith, and channeled a burst of positive energy through it. He hoped to be able to turn the dread wraith from him, at least long enough for him to summon Nimbus, but the ghostly apparition was too powerful for the blast to cause him to flee. (It was powerful enough to blast one of the zombies into dust as a welcome side effect, however.) But Wakuren was now perfectly visible, and the other two zombies took immediate notice of him.</p><p></p><p>Inside <em>Hesperna's lamp</em>, while the others had been chatting to themselves, Alewyth had her own necklace in hand and was using it to concentrate on seeing through the gemstone Wakuren wore on his brow. As a result, she was aware the half-orc was in combat with undead, including a hovering ghost the size of an ogre. Without bothering to warn the others, she said the command phrase and shunted herself out of the lamp's extradimensional space and back out into the Mortal World. She'd dropped the necklace and was now holding her own holy symbol of Aerik, and she blasted the dread wraith with her own concentrated pulse of positive energy - with no further success, unfortunately, than Wakuren had received. Worse, the undead monstrosity swiped at her with an incorporeal claw, the hand passing through the dwarf's body, and Alewyth felt a chill run through her as the insubstantial claws ripped through her life force, weakening her vitality in the process.</p><p></p><p>Then the bloodthirsty zombies shambled into the Temple of Delphyne, claws reaching for prey. Fortunately, they were easily dodged, as slowly as they moved.</p><p></p><p>Thurloe had no idea what had caused Alewyth to exit the lamp so quickly, but it sounded like combat was in order. He repeated the phrase and ended up standing beside her, his bastard sword <em>Spellslicer</em> already out and ready to be deployed. But the dread wraith seemed to be the biggest threat at the moment, and so he pulled his <em>wand of magic missiles</em> from the sheath at his belt and sent a blast of force-missiles screaming at it. Force energy, the spellsword well knew, would affect even an incorporeal creature like a dread wraith, while there was a good chance his sword's blade would just pass through it without effect.</p><p></p><p>Zander appeared behind Thurloe and made the same quick assessment, casting a <em>magic missile</em> spell at the dread wraith. Then Xandro was there beside the elf, and the bard-rogue started playing the chords of his song of inspirational courage on his <em>Dardolian Lute</em>.</p><p></p><p>Wakuren cast a <em>thunderstrike</em> spell at the dread wraith, his god's version of the <em>flame strike</em> spell, substituting lightning for the more traditional fire, as befit the God of the Air. Alewyth followed up with a <em>searing light</em> spell, pleased to see it was particularly effective against the dread wraith, who did not appreciate even normal sunlight. It swiped blindly with an insubstantial claw, hitting no one.</p><p></p><p>Dodging around a slow-moving zombie, Thurloe sent another <em>magic missile</em> barrage at the dread wraith with his wand. Then Zander finished it off with another casting of the same spell; the wraith's body blew away in all directions, dissipating in a silent explosion. That left only the two bloodthirsty zombies in the vicinity, and Xandro swapped to his magic short sword <em>Deathwhisper</em>, killing the first one with one blow. Wakuren brought the bottom edge of his <em>shield of Cal</em> crashing down onto the skull of the other one, dropping it instantly. But judging from the groans and moans nearby, there were plenty of other zombies nearby, wandering the streets in search of prey.</p><p></p><p>"Everyone back into the lamp," Wakuren said, as he called out across the planes for his aerial steed. As the other four re-entered the lamp, Wakuren scooped it up and leaped onto the back of his air element warhorse, and Nimbus took to the skies. They headed west, searching for the <em>Dream Gate</em>. Mogo was able to guide them through the dreamstone in Wakuren's <em>shield of Cal</em>, tightening their vector of approach if they started to stray too far off course.</p><p></p><p>What would have been a longer journey on land was less than an hour by air. Nimbus dropped to the ground beside a five-pointed flower of dreamstone petals, each inscribed with arcane glyphs and runes. They were arranged such that there was a 20-foot diameter area between the five teardrop-shaped dreamstones. Wakuren noted they had been placed on a slab of rock, and while the winds moved the sands of the desert in all directions, part of the magic of the <em>Dream Gate</em> kept the sands off of the dreamstones and the area between them.</p><p></p><p>Alewyth had been watching from inside the lamp and knew to have everyone come out of the lamp. Zander exited with his new pseudodragon familiar Petey on his shoulder. "You going to dismiss Nimbus before we head in?" he asked Wakuren.</p><p></p><p>"No, I thought we'd bring him with us," the half-orc replied.</p><p></p><p>"I thought only dreamwalkers could use the gate," argued the elf. "That's why we left Robin and Scarlie behind."</p><p></p><p>"I'm going to bring Nimbus into the lamp," Wakuren said. "I recommend you do the same with Petey." Zander looked over at his pseudodragon as if just now recalling he'd brought him along. "Oh yeah - good idea," the elf said sheepishly.</p><p></p><p>Once Nimbus and Petey were inside the lamp and the five dreamwalkers were all outside it, Wakuren picked it up and stashed it in the largest pouch on his belt. "The Queen of Dreams didn't say anything about a command phrase or anything, did she?" he asked.</p><p></p><p>"Nope," replied Alewyth, stepping forward in the space between the five dreamstones. "I imagine we just--" But her words were cut off as she disappeared from view.</p><p></p><p>The others followed suit, stepping into the <em>Dream Gate</em> and being whisked away through the planes. Streaks of color went streaking by them and they felt a momentary sense of vertigo before finding themselves standing in a small room. They stood in the middle of a circle of dreamstones here as well, but these were much smaller - comparable to the ones they'd had incorporated into their own personal items: Alewyth's warhammer <em>Sjondra</em>, Thurloe's bastard sword <em>Spellslicer</em>, Xandro's <em>Dardolian Lute</em>, Wakuren's <em>shield of Cal</em>, and Zander's <em>jade cooshee</em>.</p><p></p><p>"There you are, kupo!" said Calliope, Alewyth's personal moogle guide. She fluttered over to the dwarf and placed a hand tentatively on the priestess's head, as if eager to see if a real Mortal World body felt any different than its dream-self counterpart. The other moogle guides showed up and did the same thing, before remembering their orders. "We're to take you straight to the Queen of Dreams, kupo!" Mogchamp informed them.</p><p></p><p>The Queen was once again perched regally upon the Butterfly Throne; today she was a white-haired goddess with butterflies fluttering in her hair. "Approach the throne," she commanded, wasting no time. As one, the five dreamwalkers approached and stood at either side of the throne, as the swirls in the marble floor started moving about and forming a pair of massive butterfly wings, attached at the base of the throne. With a wave of her hand, the ceiling and walls started melting, exposing a vast starscape above them. With a flap of its wings, the Butterfly Throne took flight and started reaching for the stars.</p><p></p><p>"I took you to the dreamscapes when you were first brought before me," the Queen of Dreams reminded them, pointing at the stars with a hand. The heroes recalled the stars were really dream-bubbles, each the dream of a particular dreamer back in the Mortal World; this was but one way to envision the dreams, although Mogo preferred the Corridor of Dreams, each dream behind an individual door. "This time," the Queen continued, "we're going to go to a completely different set of starscapes." By her unspoken will, the Butterfly Throne canted to the left and spun about to head to a completely different galaxy of stars. She looked down at her minions and said, "I'm sending you upon a spirit quest."</p><p></p><p>She explained further. "Just as there are many cities upon a single continent, there are many worlds in this universe, and there are dreamers on most of those worlds. Each dreaming world has its own Dreamlands; we are currently heading for the Dreamlands of a completely different world, one whose Mortal Realm is very different than the one you know."</p><p></p><p>"Different how, Your Majesty?" asked Alewyth.</p><p></p><p>The Queen of Dreams smiled. "For one thing, among its inhabitants are a number of kaiju - the giant monsters you have encountered now four different times, which have prevented you from rescuing those particular dreamers. When we arrive, you will undergo your spirit quest: you will fast beside a cave on the side of a cliff for three days and nights, doing without food or sleep. During this time, your physical bodies will be absorbing the dream energies of this Dreamlands, and at the end of that time, on the morning of the fourth day, you will scale the cliff. I will have returned by that time, and we will be greeted by locals who will explain the results of your spirit quest. Are there any questions?"</p><p></p><p>Thurloe had one. "Fast, Your Majesty? For three days? And no sleeping during that time?" None of that sounded like a particularly good time as far as the spellsword was concerned.</p><p></p><p>"You need have no fears about staying awake: I have temporarily removed the need for sleep from your physical bodies. Sleeping while physically in the Dreamlands...well, let's just say that makes for unnecessary complications."</p><p></p><p>The Butterfly Throne flew on, for how long it was difficult to say, for there was nothing by which to note the passage of time. But eventually the throne flapped to a barren world of stone mountains and jagged cliffs, and the Queen had them disembark from the Butterfly Throne to the ledge at the mouth of a small cave halfway up a steep cliff. "One last thing," the Queen remarked, holding out a hand. "I will hold the magic lamp for the duration of your spirit quest," she said. "I fear it would be a great temptation, and I need you exposed to the local dream energies, not inside an extradimensional space. I will return it to you four days hence." Wakuren passed <em>Hesperna's lamp</em> up to the Queen of Dreams, then stepped off the Butterfly Throne and stood by the others. With a regal nod of her head, she said her wordless goodbye and the Butterfly Throne returned to the skies, and then to the dreamspaces between galaxies. Before long she was completely out of view.</p><p></p><p>"Well, this bites," griped Thurloe.</p><p></p><p>The first two days were incredibly boring. During that time, a restless Thurloe had determined the cave wasn't very deep, nor did it contain any hidden passageways. But the ambient environment of this alien Dreamscape was rather comfortable: cool enough during the day, and warm enough during the night. Thurloe had also determined that despite their advanced dreamwalker training, he couldn't do a thing to alter the dreamscape by the slightest margin, although whether this was a result of it not being their home Dreamlands or due to their being present in their physical bodies instead of their dream-selves, the spellsword couldn't decide.</p><p></p><p>"Come, stop your incessant pacing and sit beside me," suggested Alewyth.</p><p></p><p>"Sitting is boring," Thurloe grumbled. "Meditation is boring. This whole place is boring. She could have at least left me with all of my spellbooks - I might have been able to work out some of those spells I haven't figured out yet." The spellbooks, taken from a variety of enemy wizards, had been inside <em>Hesperna's lamp</em> when Wakuren had handed it over to the Queen of Dreams.</p><p></p><p>It was almost a blessing when the sudden attack began.</p><p></p><p>"Well, there you are, dearies!" exclaimed a frizzy-haired hag sitting astride a flaming-maned nightmare steed traversing the air beside the cliff. "I've been looking all over for you! Thought you could hide from <strong>Auntie Ghoulpus</strong>, did you? The Nightmare King isn't about to let you upset his carefully-crafted plans at this late stage, now, is he?" And with that, she cackled forth a spell and charged the cave opening.</p><p></p><p>Fortunately, her opening salvo had been a <em>deep slumber</em> spell, to which the five dreamwalkers were currently immune, the Queen of Dreams having removed their ability to sleep while in this alien Dreamlands. But as she charged the group on her ebon-skinned mount, they got much bigger than expected as they closed: the nightmare was the size of a small elephant, and the hag was easily as big as the dread wraith they'd encountered in the city of the undead. Alewyth was struck by a flaming hoof the size of a dinner plate before she could get to her feet and dodge out of the way.</p><p></p><p>Pleased by the sudden lack of tedium, Thurloe leaped into the fray with wild abandon. <em>Spellslicer</em> cut into Auntie Ghoulpus's side, but it cost him a set of ragged scratches across his cheek in retaliation. The spellsword didn't mind in the least; he had two clerics in his party who could deal with any wounds after the fact, and this definitely beat sitting around contemplating his navel!</p><p></p><p>Zander cast a <em>cone of cold</em> up at the cauchemar and his dreamthief hag rider, doing full damage to the fiery-maned mount, although Auntie Ghoulpus seemed to have an innate resistance to spell energy that kept her fairly protected. That was going to make this combat a bit harder, mused the sorcerer to himself. Behind his shoulder, he could hear Xandro begin the first strains of his song of inspirational courage, boosting the others' resolve going into this fight.</p><p></p><p>Wakuren tried casting a <em>bestow curse</em> spell upon the cauchemar, thinking it would be an easier target, but despite its lack of spell resistance it managed to shrug off the spell's effects. Likewise, Alewyth targeted the black beast with a <em>hold monster</em> spell, and met with much more luck: the creature's muscles froze up, turning him temporarily into a living statue. Auntie Ghoulpus whipped him with his reins in irritation, and sweat broke out upon the equine's forehead as he tried to overcome the spell's effect, but it was no use.</p><p></p><p>But even without a mobile mount, Auntie Ghoulpus wasn't left without a means of attack. Leaning over from the saddle, she snapped at Wakuren with her vicious teeth and jagged claws. One set of claws made it through his armor and he felt the sting of poison burning into his veins, but he was able to shrug its effects - for now, at least.</p><p></p><p>Thurloe activated his <em>torch of the titans</em> and let the magical boost of strength fill his muscles. He swung his blade into the hag's side again, feeling afterwards that he should have cut much deeper than he did - she must have some sort of physical protection in place, the spellsword reasoned, either a <em>stoneskin</em> spell or a similarly inherent ability.</p><p></p><p>Zander cast another <em>cone of cold</em> spell at the hag and the cauchemar, slaying the mount outright while once again failing to overcome Auntie Ghoulpus's resistance to spell energy. The horse tipped over to the right, spilling the dreamthief hag to the cave floor and pinning Thurloe beneath his equine corpse. Xandro took advantage of Auntie Ghoulpus's prone form to stab at her with <em>Deathwhisper</em>, the blade sinking deep into her rancid flesh. Wakuren slammed the bottom of his shield into her, catching her on the back of the neck, while Alewyth brought <em>Sjondra</em> swinging into a knee. For her trouble, the dwarven priestess got a <em>magic missile</em> spell in the face as the hag got to her feet, swatting away most of the physical attacks by those surrounding her.</p><p></p><p>Thurloe pulled himself from beneath the slain cauchemar and got to his feet, while Auntie Ghoulpus scratched him across the back as he did so. But he spun in place and brought his bastard sword slicing into her side once again. Then Zander cast a <em>chain lightning</em> spell at the hag, slightly disappointed that he had no second enemy to which he could arc his spell off to strike as well. Judging from her pained expression, it seemed like this time his spell worked just fine.</p><p></p><p>Xandro stabbed at the hag again while her back was turned to try to claw Alewyth, and Wakuren slammed her again with his shield. The dwarven priestess ducked beneath the hag's wicked claws, slamming her in the leg again with <em>Sjondra</em> for good measure. Auntie Ghoulpus swiveled and grabbed at Wakuren, slicing open his skin with a jagged claw and poisoning him even further. Fortunately, his healthy half-orc constitution kept him on his feet without any further setbacks from the venom. Thurloe cut at her again with his bastard sword, then <em>teleported</em> 10 feet away, using his <em>anklet of translocation</em> to keep him directly behind the hag, where he could stay in her blind side.</p><p></p><p>Tired of playing the "will it work or will it fizzle out?" game with his spells against the dreamthief hag, Zander instead cast a spell he knew would work as advertised: a <em>stoneskin</em> spell upon Wakuren, who seemed to be dealing a fair bit of damage to her with his <em>shield of Cal</em>. Xandro kept up his own short sword strikes, as Wakuren's shield slammed into the hag again. But Alewyth stepped back and cast a summoning spell, bringing forth a 16-foot-tall elemental rising up from the stone of the cave floor. It brought its massive fist down upon the hag's shoulder, while she was focusing her attention on Xandro, tired at last of his many stabs with <em>Deathwhisper</em>.</p><p></p><p>While Thurloe kept Auntie Ghoulpus busy by attacking her with his bastard sword, Zander continued his new approach of turning Wakuren into a combat machine, this time buffing him up with a <em>displacement</em> spell, making it anyone's guess where exactly he stood. Wakuren added to his own combat prowess with a <em>righteous might</em> spell, as Xandro bravely continued on with his own attacks. Alewyth was right there on the hag's other side, continuing to press her own attacks with <em>Sjondra</em>. And the earth elemental continued battering at the hag with its stony fists.</p><p></p><p>At this point Auntie Ghoulpus was starting to look a little haggard. "The Nightmare King isn't going to like this," the hag grimaced as she stuck a hand down the front of her dress and fumbled around inside, "but I think it'll be worth it, in the end." She pulled out a dreamstone on a chain necklace, brought the orb to her lips, and gave it a wet kiss. Instantly, a flash emanated from the dreamstone, and her various cuts and wounds had been healed up - she was now the picture of health.</p><p></p><p>"Crap!" swore Thurloe, frantically activating his <em>torc of the titans</em> for another instant boost of temporary strength, determined to whittle Auntie Ghoulpus back down to her bedraggled state as quickly as he could - starting with a slash across her upraised arm as she tried to block his sword with her hardened skin.</p><p></p><p>Zander, remaining calm and cool under the disastrous realization that all of the damage they'd heaped upon her earlier had just been undone, cast another <em>chain lightning</em> spell, sending the sole arc her way and overcoming her inherent resistance to spell energies. Xandro also continued pressing on the attack with <em>Deathwhisper</em>, but he had to admit to being a bit disheartened. He for one could use a song of inspirational courage to buoy up his spirits, but the song's lingering effects had already petered away.</p><p></p><p>Wakuren wasn't sure how the dreamstone had healed Auntie Ghoulpus as it did, and he likewise didn't have any idea how many times it could do so, but there was no way he wanted to allow her to be able to pull that trick again. So he leaped up at her, grabbing at the chain that was just visible inside the neckline of her hide garment. "Getting fresh with Auntie, are ye?" cackled the dreamthief hag, wrestling with the half-orc over the necklace. The hag didn't even notice Alewyth's failed attempt to try to cast a <em>harm</em> spell on her - the spell fizzled upon reaching her - and only felt the earth elemental's blows because they almost knocked her over. But she eventually wrenched the dreamstone necklace away from Wakuren, pushing him away and holding her jewelry tightly in one hammy fist. "Ha!" she cackled in triumph.</p><p></p><p>But Thurloe wasn't done yet. He brought <em>Spellslicer</em> down hard on the hag, scoring a deep gash in the upper part of one shoulder, as Zander cast a <em>haste</em> spell upon all five of the heroes, figuring if they could attack more times than she could they might be able to whittle her down that much faster. Xandro drove his short sword into Auntie Ghoulpus's meaty thigh and gave it a twist for good measure before pulling it back out and stabbing her again in the kidney. She screamed in pain, blood rushing down her side and leg.</p><p></p><p>Figuring they could all do with some healing themselves, Wakuren cast a badly-needed <em>mass cure light wounds</em> spell on the group, healing up the worst of their wounds before the hag could inflict any more. But at least one set of claws was out of play, for she kept her left hand in a tight fist, protecting her necklace lest it get stolen. But now she was bringing that hand up to her lips again, fumbling to get the dreamstone into position....</p><p></p><p>Alewyth attacked frantically with <em>Sjondra</em>, clocking her a good one that made a popping sound in the hag's knee. At the same time, the earth elemental brought both fists crashing down upon Auntie Ghoulpus's skull, just as she had gotten the dreamstone into position. There was another loud crack as the hag's skull split asunder, and then she dropped lifelessly where she had stood. Wakuren was there in an instant, grabbing the necklace away from her. Then, not seeing anything else of value upon her person, he gestured to the others and they rolled her lifeless form out of the cave entrance and over the edge of the lip, to plummet to the rocks below. Then, that task done, they did the same thing with the slain cauchemar's body.</p><p></p><p>Alewyth and Wakuren tended to the heroes' wounds, casting a bevy of healing spells until the worst of the wounds were all sealed up and no longer bleeding. Then Wakuren raised the <em>shield of Cal</em> towards him and spoke into the dreamstone embedded within it. "Mogo?" he called. "Mogo, are you there?"</p><p></p><p>"It's Kupek, kupo!" replied the half-orc's moogle guide, who'd apparently pulled comm duty for that shift. "What's up, kupo?"</p><p></p><p>"We just fought off an enormous hag," Wakuren informed him. "She had a dreamstone that she used to heal herself. Is that something they can normally do?"</p><p></p><p>"Hang on, we're going to get Mogo - he'll probably know, kupo!" In a few moments, Mogo got on the line and Wakuren relayed all that had happened.</p><p></p><p>"Wait a minute - let me check something, kupo," replied Mogo. There was another few minutes of waiting, then Mogo got back on the line, excitement in his voice. "Kupo!" he cried. "One of the dream victims has awakened all by themselves, kupo!"</p><p></p><p>"Then the hag was somehow responsible for that dreamer's coma," surmised Wakuren. "And by using up that energy, stored in the dreamstone, she released the victim. I wonder how many other dream comas is this dreamstone responsible for?" With Mogo's help, the half-orc learned how to release the dreamers the hag had put into comas using that particular dreamstone - it turned out to be 15 in all. "This is fantastic, kupo!" cried Mogo. "Wait until the Queen hears about this, kupo!"</p><p></p><p>"I thought it was the bite of a hypnalis viper that put someone into a dream coma," said Zander, puzzled.</p><p></p><p>"There's apparently more than one way," shrugged Thurloe. "One way from within the Dreamlands, one way from without." He didn't know much about these dreamthief hags, but he was well aware night hags could transport themselves between multiple planes.</p><p></p><p>"Well, you got the excitement you were looking for," pointed out Alewyth. "Are you happy now?"</p><p></p><p>"Happy enough to make it to tomorrow morning," replied Thurloe, the combat having restored his good mood.</p><p></p><p>They waited until the sun had risen the next morning before attempting to climb the cliff to the top. Of course, few opted to go that route: Wakuren cast an <em>air walk</em> spell upon himself, while Thurloe and Zander cast <em>fly</em> spells and Alewyth used her <em>butterfly brooch</em>. Only Xandro climbed up the steep slope, with Wakuren nearby if he lost his grip. But they made it up to the top of the cliff, which flattened out before sloping down on the other side. And there, at the edge of a flat surface, sat the Butterfly Throne. The heroes approached it from either side and stood looking ahead of them.</p><p></p><p>The cliff edge provided a wide vista of a valley below. But there was an oblong wooden box sitting at the edge of the cliff, and as if by an unseen hand, the top of the box lifted up and folded behind, revealing a pair of tiny women in matching kimono. Each figure was about six inches tall, and they dropped to their knees and bowed their heads in respect towards the Queen of Dreams. The Queen gave a silent nod, and the two tiny girls looked back up at her, before speaking in unison.</p><p></p><p>"We, the <strong>Shobijin</strong>, welcome the Queen of Dreams and her five agents from the Waking World. Your dreamwalkers have successfully completed their spirit quest. It is our honor to introduce each of your agents to their individual spirit kaiju."</p><p></p><p>In the valley below, there was a disturbance in the earth as a massive creature burrowed up from the ground. It was a quadruped, with a shell upon its back covered in rows of pointy spines. Its reptilian head had a row of curved spikes in a frill along the back of the skull and a mouth that ended in a beak. "Alewyth Putterpye," intoned the Shobijin, "you serve the God of Earth, Stone, and Protection. Your spirit kaiju is <strong>Anguiras</strong>, capable of burrowing through the ground and covered in a protective shell of spikes and spines. Anguiras is the kaiju from our world which best represents your own attributes."</p><p></p><p>In the valley below, Anguiras ambled off. In his place landed a spinning disk with fire shooting out of four holes along its sides. It landed, then extended four limbs, a head, and a tail, standing up to reveal itself as a massive turtle. "Wakuren," intoned the Shobijen in perfect harmony, "you serve the God of the Air and of Healing, and wear heavy armor into battle. You are best represented by <strong>Gamera</strong>, whose heavy shell keeps him safe, yet who flies through the air on pillars of fire."</p><p></p><p>Gamera pulled himself into his shell again and four gouts of flame shot out of his leg-holes. The creature's shell spun in a circle and it flew off into the sky. Then there was a piercing cry and a winged figure landed in the valley, humanoid in build but somewhat reminiscent of a one-eyed gargoyle. "Xandro Silverstrings," the Shobijin continued, "you have recently devoted yourself to the shadowy forms of combat, where quickness and surprise are valued as highly if not more so than brute strength. Your spirit kaiju is <strong>Gigan</strong>, a living organism embedded with secret mechanical parts, allowing him to strike with surprise." Gigan's chest suddenly vibrated and the row of spines running down its length in a line revealed themselves as part of a rotating disk of blades. The monster flew off into the sky with a shriek of rage.</p><p></p><p>Rocks suddenly started tumbling away from a cliff in the valley below, revealing the upright form of a dog-headed humanoid covered in fur. "Zander Quilson," intoned the Shobijin, "as a sorcerer, you deal with many spells, shooting rays and bolts of energy at your enemies, but you are also widely associated with your cooshee. You are best represented by <strong>King Caesar</strong>, a guardian kaiju in the form of a humanoid foo dog, fiercely loyal to his duty." King Caesar walked down the valley until he passed out of view behind another cliffside.</p><p></p><p>Finally, there was a blast of fire and a metal figure landed in the valley. "Thurloe Pulver," continued the Shobijin, "you walk the twin paths of arcane and physical prowess, learning how best to cast magic spells while still wearing heavy armor for protection and striking out with your sword. Your spirit kaiju is <strong>MOGUERA</strong> - in your terms, an animated construct capable of flight, blasts of energy, and massive damage from the weapons it wields in its hands." The metal being's entire forearms were spinning drills, likely capable of dealing an impressive amount of damage to anyone struck by them. It blasted back off into the sky, leaving the valley silent once more.</p><p></p><p>"Shobijin, I thank you for your hospitality and your assistance," replied the Queen of Dreams, and the two women bowed their heads in unison as the lid of their box slowly closed to encompass them once again. "And now, dreamwalkers, we return to our own Dreamlands." The five heroes stepped onto the Butterfly Throne, and then with a flapping of wings it too took to the skies and out into the shining darkness beyond. Without a word, she reached down to Wakuren and passed him back <em>Hesperna's lamp</em>. He placed it into his pouch.</p><p></p><p>"I have restored your ability to sleep," advised the Queen of Dreams when they had arrived back at their own Dreamlands. "You may now return back to the Mortal World through the <em>Dream Gate</em>, and when next you return to the Dreamlands in your dream-forms, I will have Mogo instruct you on how to channel your inner kaiju.</p><p></p><p>"And then," she said, with a sly smile, "we'll see if we can't free those dreamers who have thus far evaded our best efforts."</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>I've been steering this campaign in this direction since the beginning; after having decided the campaign would involve messing about in people's dreams, I figured this would be a good way to introduce Mystic Eye's <em>Giant Monster Rampage</em> into the campaign. GMR is a game designed around using plastic toys as your monsters, with a complete (if somewhat simple) set of rules for designing your monster's stats and running combat between them. Immediately after this adventure was finished, I offered to run the players through the next adventure, simply entitled "Giant Monster Rampage," in which the dreamwalker PCs would learn how to transform into their spirit kaiju and fight off other giant monsters - like the four kaiju that continued to slay the PCs every time they tried to awaken those caught up in those particular dreams.</p><p></p><p>They were game, so that's exactly what we did.</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>T-shirt worn: Naturally, my Godzilla T-shirt was a no-brainer for the adventure where the PCs each earned themselves a spirit kaiju.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 9131064, member: 508"] [B]ADVENTURE 57: SPIRIT QUEST[/B] PC Roster: [INDENT]Alewyth Putterpye, dwarf priestess of Aerik 12[/INDENT] [INDENT] Thurloe Pulver, human fighter 3/wizard 3/spellsword 6[/INDENT] [INDENT] Wakuren, half-orc cleric of Cal 6/paladin 6[/INDENT] [INDENT] Xandro Silverstrings, human bard 6/rogue 6[/INDENT] [INDENT] Zander Quilson, elf sorcerer 12[/INDENT] Game Session Date: 9 September 2023 - - - Instead of their normal training, when the five dreamwalkers arrived in the Dreamlands and were met by their individual moogle guides, they were escorted immediately to the corridor leading to the Queen of Dream's receiving chamber. "She says she wants to speak to you all, kupo!" replied Doc, Thurloe's personal guide. Walking into the throne room, the five saw the Queen of Dreams sitting regally on her Butterfly Throne. Stepping before her and bowing, they received the Queen's blessing and straightened to hear what she had to say. "I have decided upon a new strategy," she announced. "I have already set measures into motion to facilitate this plan, but now I need you to appear before me, here in the Dreamlands." The five heroes looked nervously at each other. "Um, we [I]are[/I] here before you in the Dreamlands," hazarded Thurloe. The Queen smiled an enigmatic smile and explained further. "No, your [I]dream-selves[/I] are here before me," she said. "I need [I]you[/I] - your physical bodies - here before me." She then reminded them how the large dreamstones the heroes had unearthed in the Underdark kobold warren and which had been carved with arcane runes by Iriadorrista the gem-cutter in Baron's Haven had been taken by one of her dreamwalker minions on the Material Plane, a man named Garth Mankin. "Garth Mankin took them into the desert in the middle of your continent, to a specific location where the planar boundaries between the Mortal World and the Dreamlands are weakest. There, they have been precisely attuned so that a dreamwalker - one of those like yourselves who can recall their dreams with accuracy upon awakening - can physically pass through the boundaries and step between the two planes." "A [I]planar gate[/I]," surmised Zander. "Precisely," affirmed the Queen of Dreams. "Once you are physically here in the Dreamlands, I will expose your mortal bodies to dream energies which should help you to overcome the giant monsters - kaiju - that have thus far prevented you from awakening their dreamers." Standing up in one flowing motion, the Queen of Dreams stepped down from her raised Butterfly Throne and walked to a globe in the corner of the room. The five dreamwalkers followed, and watched as she pointed to a spot in the middle of the Centralia Desert. "Here is where the [I]Dream Gate[/I] is located; the quickest way to get there is to use the [I]teleportation circle[/I] at the nearest shrine of Delphyne to return to the city overcome by undead, as that's the closest one to where you need to go - it should be only a few hours of travel from there." She turned to her five dreamwalkers. "Do you have any questions?" she asked them. "No, Your Majesty," replied Alewyth, speaking for them all. They were dismissed, and told to make their best time the next day upon waking. The next morning, there was some talk about how best to proceed. "The last Temple of Delphyne behind us is several days away," Wakuren recalled. "There should be one in the city up ahead," Xandro assured them. "If we head out now, we could be there in less than three hours." That was decided upon as the best course of action, with the group eating a quick breakfast while on the road. They made decent time, and were in the city by mid-morning. There, they handed over a small sack of coins to Robin and Scarlie, who wouldn't be joining them - the [I]Dream Gate[/I] only worked for dreamwalkers, the Queen had said. Robin and Scarlie would need to hang out in the city and await their eventual return; the coin pouch would pay for their rooms at the inn and the stabling of their animals. Then the five heroes made their way to the Temple of Delphyne; once there, the other four entered the extradimensional interior of [I]Hesperna's lamp[/I], while Wakuren picked up the lamp, activated his [I]ring of invisibility[/I], and found the hidden panel that allowed him to enter the small room behind the statue of Delphyne, Goddess of Magic. Once there, he flipped through the pages of the book with the pass-phrases, finding the one for the city of the undead, which they'd visited once before. Saying the magical phrase, Wakuren was [I]teleported[/I] across the miles into the Temple of Delphyne in the city overrun by undead monstrosities. The half-orc's plan had been a simple one: get to the city invisibly, summon his air element warhorse, and fly out of the city before any of the undead were even aware of their presence. But this plan hit a snag almost immediately, for in the shrine across the street from Wakuren was a dread wraith, huddled in the shade of the building, which was little more than a roof with four pillars and a defaced statue that had once been of Aerik, God of Earth, Stone, and Protection. And the wraith turned its head and stared directly at Wakuren, despite the cleric-paladin's total invisibility. Belatedly, Wakuren recalled wraiths could sense the life force of living beings - they didn't need to be able to see him to know exactly where he was. Outside, in the streets, three bloodthirsty zombies shambled on by, but they were oblivious to the half-orc's presence. Wakuren held the holy symbol of Cal he wore around his neck, brandishing it in the direction of the dread wraith, and channeled a burst of positive energy through it. He hoped to be able to turn the dread wraith from him, at least long enough for him to summon Nimbus, but the ghostly apparition was too powerful for the blast to cause him to flee. (It was powerful enough to blast one of the zombies into dust as a welcome side effect, however.) But Wakuren was now perfectly visible, and the other two zombies took immediate notice of him. Inside [I]Hesperna's lamp[/I], while the others had been chatting to themselves, Alewyth had her own necklace in hand and was using it to concentrate on seeing through the gemstone Wakuren wore on his brow. As a result, she was aware the half-orc was in combat with undead, including a hovering ghost the size of an ogre. Without bothering to warn the others, she said the command phrase and shunted herself out of the lamp's extradimensional space and back out into the Mortal World. She'd dropped the necklace and was now holding her own holy symbol of Aerik, and she blasted the dread wraith with her own concentrated pulse of positive energy - with no further success, unfortunately, than Wakuren had received. Worse, the undead monstrosity swiped at her with an incorporeal claw, the hand passing through the dwarf's body, and Alewyth felt a chill run through her as the insubstantial claws ripped through her life force, weakening her vitality in the process. Then the bloodthirsty zombies shambled into the Temple of Delphyne, claws reaching for prey. Fortunately, they were easily dodged, as slowly as they moved. Thurloe had no idea what had caused Alewyth to exit the lamp so quickly, but it sounded like combat was in order. He repeated the phrase and ended up standing beside her, his bastard sword [I]Spellslicer[/I] already out and ready to be deployed. But the dread wraith seemed to be the biggest threat at the moment, and so he pulled his [I]wand of magic missiles[/I] from the sheath at his belt and sent a blast of force-missiles screaming at it. Force energy, the spellsword well knew, would affect even an incorporeal creature like a dread wraith, while there was a good chance his sword's blade would just pass through it without effect. Zander appeared behind Thurloe and made the same quick assessment, casting a [I]magic missile[/I] spell at the dread wraith. Then Xandro was there beside the elf, and the bard-rogue started playing the chords of his song of inspirational courage on his [I]Dardolian Lute[/I]. Wakuren cast a [I]thunderstrike[/I] spell at the dread wraith, his god's version of the [I]flame strike[/I] spell, substituting lightning for the more traditional fire, as befit the God of the Air. Alewyth followed up with a [I]searing light[/I] spell, pleased to see it was particularly effective against the dread wraith, who did not appreciate even normal sunlight. It swiped blindly with an insubstantial claw, hitting no one. Dodging around a slow-moving zombie, Thurloe sent another [I]magic missile[/I] barrage at the dread wraith with his wand. Then Zander finished it off with another casting of the same spell; the wraith's body blew away in all directions, dissipating in a silent explosion. That left only the two bloodthirsty zombies in the vicinity, and Xandro swapped to his magic short sword [I]Deathwhisper[/I], killing the first one with one blow. Wakuren brought the bottom edge of his [I]shield of Cal[/I] crashing down onto the skull of the other one, dropping it instantly. But judging from the groans and moans nearby, there were plenty of other zombies nearby, wandering the streets in search of prey. "Everyone back into the lamp," Wakuren said, as he called out across the planes for his aerial steed. As the other four re-entered the lamp, Wakuren scooped it up and leaped onto the back of his air element warhorse, and Nimbus took to the skies. They headed west, searching for the [I]Dream Gate[/I]. Mogo was able to guide them through the dreamstone in Wakuren's [I]shield of Cal[/I], tightening their vector of approach if they started to stray too far off course. What would have been a longer journey on land was less than an hour by air. Nimbus dropped to the ground beside a five-pointed flower of dreamstone petals, each inscribed with arcane glyphs and runes. They were arranged such that there was a 20-foot diameter area between the five teardrop-shaped dreamstones. Wakuren noted they had been placed on a slab of rock, and while the winds moved the sands of the desert in all directions, part of the magic of the [I]Dream Gate[/I] kept the sands off of the dreamstones and the area between them. Alewyth had been watching from inside the lamp and knew to have everyone come out of the lamp. Zander exited with his new pseudodragon familiar Petey on his shoulder. "You going to dismiss Nimbus before we head in?" he asked Wakuren. "No, I thought we'd bring him with us," the half-orc replied. "I thought only dreamwalkers could use the gate," argued the elf. "That's why we left Robin and Scarlie behind." "I'm going to bring Nimbus into the lamp," Wakuren said. "I recommend you do the same with Petey." Zander looked over at his pseudodragon as if just now recalling he'd brought him along. "Oh yeah - good idea," the elf said sheepishly. Once Nimbus and Petey were inside the lamp and the five dreamwalkers were all outside it, Wakuren picked it up and stashed it in the largest pouch on his belt. "The Queen of Dreams didn't say anything about a command phrase or anything, did she?" he asked. "Nope," replied Alewyth, stepping forward in the space between the five dreamstones. "I imagine we just--" But her words were cut off as she disappeared from view. The others followed suit, stepping into the [I]Dream Gate[/I] and being whisked away through the planes. Streaks of color went streaking by them and they felt a momentary sense of vertigo before finding themselves standing in a small room. They stood in the middle of a circle of dreamstones here as well, but these were much smaller - comparable to the ones they'd had incorporated into their own personal items: Alewyth's warhammer [I]Sjondra[/I], Thurloe's bastard sword [I]Spellslicer[/I], Xandro's [I]Dardolian Lute[/I], Wakuren's [I]shield of Cal[/I], and Zander's [I]jade cooshee[/I]. "There you are, kupo!" said Calliope, Alewyth's personal moogle guide. She fluttered over to the dwarf and placed a hand tentatively on the priestess's head, as if eager to see if a real Mortal World body felt any different than its dream-self counterpart. The other moogle guides showed up and did the same thing, before remembering their orders. "We're to take you straight to the Queen of Dreams, kupo!" Mogchamp informed them. The Queen was once again perched regally upon the Butterfly Throne; today she was a white-haired goddess with butterflies fluttering in her hair. "Approach the throne," she commanded, wasting no time. As one, the five dreamwalkers approached and stood at either side of the throne, as the swirls in the marble floor started moving about and forming a pair of massive butterfly wings, attached at the base of the throne. With a wave of her hand, the ceiling and walls started melting, exposing a vast starscape above them. With a flap of its wings, the Butterfly Throne took flight and started reaching for the stars. "I took you to the dreamscapes when you were first brought before me," the Queen of Dreams reminded them, pointing at the stars with a hand. The heroes recalled the stars were really dream-bubbles, each the dream of a particular dreamer back in the Mortal World; this was but one way to envision the dreams, although Mogo preferred the Corridor of Dreams, each dream behind an individual door. "This time," the Queen continued, "we're going to go to a completely different set of starscapes." By her unspoken will, the Butterfly Throne canted to the left and spun about to head to a completely different galaxy of stars. She looked down at her minions and said, "I'm sending you upon a spirit quest." She explained further. "Just as there are many cities upon a single continent, there are many worlds in this universe, and there are dreamers on most of those worlds. Each dreaming world has its own Dreamlands; we are currently heading for the Dreamlands of a completely different world, one whose Mortal Realm is very different than the one you know." "Different how, Your Majesty?" asked Alewyth. The Queen of Dreams smiled. "For one thing, among its inhabitants are a number of kaiju - the giant monsters you have encountered now four different times, which have prevented you from rescuing those particular dreamers. When we arrive, you will undergo your spirit quest: you will fast beside a cave on the side of a cliff for three days and nights, doing without food or sleep. During this time, your physical bodies will be absorbing the dream energies of this Dreamlands, and at the end of that time, on the morning of the fourth day, you will scale the cliff. I will have returned by that time, and we will be greeted by locals who will explain the results of your spirit quest. Are there any questions?" Thurloe had one. "Fast, Your Majesty? For three days? And no sleeping during that time?" None of that sounded like a particularly good time as far as the spellsword was concerned. "You need have no fears about staying awake: I have temporarily removed the need for sleep from your physical bodies. Sleeping while physically in the Dreamlands...well, let's just say that makes for unnecessary complications." The Butterfly Throne flew on, for how long it was difficult to say, for there was nothing by which to note the passage of time. But eventually the throne flapped to a barren world of stone mountains and jagged cliffs, and the Queen had them disembark from the Butterfly Throne to the ledge at the mouth of a small cave halfway up a steep cliff. "One last thing," the Queen remarked, holding out a hand. "I will hold the magic lamp for the duration of your spirit quest," she said. "I fear it would be a great temptation, and I need you exposed to the local dream energies, not inside an extradimensional space. I will return it to you four days hence." Wakuren passed [I]Hesperna's lamp[/I] up to the Queen of Dreams, then stepped off the Butterfly Throne and stood by the others. With a regal nod of her head, she said her wordless goodbye and the Butterfly Throne returned to the skies, and then to the dreamspaces between galaxies. Before long she was completely out of view. "Well, this bites," griped Thurloe. The first two days were incredibly boring. During that time, a restless Thurloe had determined the cave wasn't very deep, nor did it contain any hidden passageways. But the ambient environment of this alien Dreamscape was rather comfortable: cool enough during the day, and warm enough during the night. Thurloe had also determined that despite their advanced dreamwalker training, he couldn't do a thing to alter the dreamscape by the slightest margin, although whether this was a result of it not being their home Dreamlands or due to their being present in their physical bodies instead of their dream-selves, the spellsword couldn't decide. "Come, stop your incessant pacing and sit beside me," suggested Alewyth. "Sitting is boring," Thurloe grumbled. "Meditation is boring. This whole place is boring. She could have at least left me with all of my spellbooks - I might have been able to work out some of those spells I haven't figured out yet." The spellbooks, taken from a variety of enemy wizards, had been inside [I]Hesperna's lamp[/I] when Wakuren had handed it over to the Queen of Dreams. It was almost a blessing when the sudden attack began. "Well, there you are, dearies!" exclaimed a frizzy-haired hag sitting astride a flaming-maned nightmare steed traversing the air beside the cliff. "I've been looking all over for you! Thought you could hide from [B]Auntie Ghoulpus[/B], did you? The Nightmare King isn't about to let you upset his carefully-crafted plans at this late stage, now, is he?" And with that, she cackled forth a spell and charged the cave opening. Fortunately, her opening salvo had been a [I]deep slumber[/I] spell, to which the five dreamwalkers were currently immune, the Queen of Dreams having removed their ability to sleep while in this alien Dreamlands. But as she charged the group on her ebon-skinned mount, they got much bigger than expected as they closed: the nightmare was the size of a small elephant, and the hag was easily as big as the dread wraith they'd encountered in the city of the undead. Alewyth was struck by a flaming hoof the size of a dinner plate before she could get to her feet and dodge out of the way. Pleased by the sudden lack of tedium, Thurloe leaped into the fray with wild abandon. [I]Spellslicer[/I] cut into Auntie Ghoulpus's side, but it cost him a set of ragged scratches across his cheek in retaliation. The spellsword didn't mind in the least; he had two clerics in his party who could deal with any wounds after the fact, and this definitely beat sitting around contemplating his navel! Zander cast a [I]cone of cold[/I] up at the cauchemar and his dreamthief hag rider, doing full damage to the fiery-maned mount, although Auntie Ghoulpus seemed to have an innate resistance to spell energy that kept her fairly protected. That was going to make this combat a bit harder, mused the sorcerer to himself. Behind his shoulder, he could hear Xandro begin the first strains of his song of inspirational courage, boosting the others' resolve going into this fight. Wakuren tried casting a [I]bestow curse[/I] spell upon the cauchemar, thinking it would be an easier target, but despite its lack of spell resistance it managed to shrug off the spell's effects. Likewise, Alewyth targeted the black beast with a [I]hold monster[/I] spell, and met with much more luck: the creature's muscles froze up, turning him temporarily into a living statue. Auntie Ghoulpus whipped him with his reins in irritation, and sweat broke out upon the equine's forehead as he tried to overcome the spell's effect, but it was no use. But even without a mobile mount, Auntie Ghoulpus wasn't left without a means of attack. Leaning over from the saddle, she snapped at Wakuren with her vicious teeth and jagged claws. One set of claws made it through his armor and he felt the sting of poison burning into his veins, but he was able to shrug its effects - for now, at least. Thurloe activated his [I]torch of the titans[/I] and let the magical boost of strength fill his muscles. He swung his blade into the hag's side again, feeling afterwards that he should have cut much deeper than he did - she must have some sort of physical protection in place, the spellsword reasoned, either a [I]stoneskin[/I] spell or a similarly inherent ability. Zander cast another [I]cone of cold[/I] spell at the hag and the cauchemar, slaying the mount outright while once again failing to overcome Auntie Ghoulpus's resistance to spell energy. The horse tipped over to the right, spilling the dreamthief hag to the cave floor and pinning Thurloe beneath his equine corpse. Xandro took advantage of Auntie Ghoulpus's prone form to stab at her with [I]Deathwhisper[/I], the blade sinking deep into her rancid flesh. Wakuren slammed the bottom of his shield into her, catching her on the back of the neck, while Alewyth brought [I]Sjondra[/I] swinging into a knee. For her trouble, the dwarven priestess got a [I]magic missile[/I] spell in the face as the hag got to her feet, swatting away most of the physical attacks by those surrounding her. Thurloe pulled himself from beneath the slain cauchemar and got to his feet, while Auntie Ghoulpus scratched him across the back as he did so. But he spun in place and brought his bastard sword slicing into her side once again. Then Zander cast a [I]chain lightning[/I] spell at the hag, slightly disappointed that he had no second enemy to which he could arc his spell off to strike as well. Judging from her pained expression, it seemed like this time his spell worked just fine. Xandro stabbed at the hag again while her back was turned to try to claw Alewyth, and Wakuren slammed her again with his shield. The dwarven priestess ducked beneath the hag's wicked claws, slamming her in the leg again with [I]Sjondra[/I] for good measure. Auntie Ghoulpus swiveled and grabbed at Wakuren, slicing open his skin with a jagged claw and poisoning him even further. Fortunately, his healthy half-orc constitution kept him on his feet without any further setbacks from the venom. Thurloe cut at her again with his bastard sword, then [I]teleported[/I] 10 feet away, using his [I]anklet of translocation[/I] to keep him directly behind the hag, where he could stay in her blind side. Tired of playing the "will it work or will it fizzle out?" game with his spells against the dreamthief hag, Zander instead cast a spell he knew would work as advertised: a [I]stoneskin[/I] spell upon Wakuren, who seemed to be dealing a fair bit of damage to her with his [I]shield of Cal[/I]. Xandro kept up his own short sword strikes, as Wakuren's shield slammed into the hag again. But Alewyth stepped back and cast a summoning spell, bringing forth a 16-foot-tall elemental rising up from the stone of the cave floor. It brought its massive fist down upon the hag's shoulder, while she was focusing her attention on Xandro, tired at last of his many stabs with [I]Deathwhisper[/I]. While Thurloe kept Auntie Ghoulpus busy by attacking her with his bastard sword, Zander continued his new approach of turning Wakuren into a combat machine, this time buffing him up with a [I]displacement[/I] spell, making it anyone's guess where exactly he stood. Wakuren added to his own combat prowess with a [I]righteous might[/I] spell, as Xandro bravely continued on with his own attacks. Alewyth was right there on the hag's other side, continuing to press her own attacks with [I]Sjondra[/I]. And the earth elemental continued battering at the hag with its stony fists. At this point Auntie Ghoulpus was starting to look a little haggard. "The Nightmare King isn't going to like this," the hag grimaced as she stuck a hand down the front of her dress and fumbled around inside, "but I think it'll be worth it, in the end." She pulled out a dreamstone on a chain necklace, brought the orb to her lips, and gave it a wet kiss. Instantly, a flash emanated from the dreamstone, and her various cuts and wounds had been healed up - she was now the picture of health. "Crap!" swore Thurloe, frantically activating his [I]torc of the titans[/I] for another instant boost of temporary strength, determined to whittle Auntie Ghoulpus back down to her bedraggled state as quickly as he could - starting with a slash across her upraised arm as she tried to block his sword with her hardened skin. Zander, remaining calm and cool under the disastrous realization that all of the damage they'd heaped upon her earlier had just been undone, cast another [I]chain lightning[/I] spell, sending the sole arc her way and overcoming her inherent resistance to spell energies. Xandro also continued pressing on the attack with [I]Deathwhisper[/I], but he had to admit to being a bit disheartened. He for one could use a song of inspirational courage to buoy up his spirits, but the song's lingering effects had already petered away. Wakuren wasn't sure how the dreamstone had healed Auntie Ghoulpus as it did, and he likewise didn't have any idea how many times it could do so, but there was no way he wanted to allow her to be able to pull that trick again. So he leaped up at her, grabbing at the chain that was just visible inside the neckline of her hide garment. "Getting fresh with Auntie, are ye?" cackled the dreamthief hag, wrestling with the half-orc over the necklace. The hag didn't even notice Alewyth's failed attempt to try to cast a [I]harm[/I] spell on her - the spell fizzled upon reaching her - and only felt the earth elemental's blows because they almost knocked her over. But she eventually wrenched the dreamstone necklace away from Wakuren, pushing him away and holding her jewelry tightly in one hammy fist. "Ha!" she cackled in triumph. But Thurloe wasn't done yet. He brought [I]Spellslicer[/I] down hard on the hag, scoring a deep gash in the upper part of one shoulder, as Zander cast a [I]haste[/I] spell upon all five of the heroes, figuring if they could attack more times than she could they might be able to whittle her down that much faster. Xandro drove his short sword into Auntie Ghoulpus's meaty thigh and gave it a twist for good measure before pulling it back out and stabbing her again in the kidney. She screamed in pain, blood rushing down her side and leg. Figuring they could all do with some healing themselves, Wakuren cast a badly-needed [I]mass cure light wounds[/I] spell on the group, healing up the worst of their wounds before the hag could inflict any more. But at least one set of claws was out of play, for she kept her left hand in a tight fist, protecting her necklace lest it get stolen. But now she was bringing that hand up to her lips again, fumbling to get the dreamstone into position.... Alewyth attacked frantically with [I]Sjondra[/I], clocking her a good one that made a popping sound in the hag's knee. At the same time, the earth elemental brought both fists crashing down upon Auntie Ghoulpus's skull, just as she had gotten the dreamstone into position. There was another loud crack as the hag's skull split asunder, and then she dropped lifelessly where she had stood. Wakuren was there in an instant, grabbing the necklace away from her. Then, not seeing anything else of value upon her person, he gestured to the others and they rolled her lifeless form out of the cave entrance and over the edge of the lip, to plummet to the rocks below. Then, that task done, they did the same thing with the slain cauchemar's body. Alewyth and Wakuren tended to the heroes' wounds, casting a bevy of healing spells until the worst of the wounds were all sealed up and no longer bleeding. Then Wakuren raised the [I]shield of Cal[/I] towards him and spoke into the dreamstone embedded within it. "Mogo?" he called. "Mogo, are you there?" "It's Kupek, kupo!" replied the half-orc's moogle guide, who'd apparently pulled comm duty for that shift. "What's up, kupo?" "We just fought off an enormous hag," Wakuren informed him. "She had a dreamstone that she used to heal herself. Is that something they can normally do?" "Hang on, we're going to get Mogo - he'll probably know, kupo!" In a few moments, Mogo got on the line and Wakuren relayed all that had happened. "Wait a minute - let me check something, kupo," replied Mogo. There was another few minutes of waiting, then Mogo got back on the line, excitement in his voice. "Kupo!" he cried. "One of the dream victims has awakened all by themselves, kupo!" "Then the hag was somehow responsible for that dreamer's coma," surmised Wakuren. "And by using up that energy, stored in the dreamstone, she released the victim. I wonder how many other dream comas is this dreamstone responsible for?" With Mogo's help, the half-orc learned how to release the dreamers the hag had put into comas using that particular dreamstone - it turned out to be 15 in all. "This is fantastic, kupo!" cried Mogo. "Wait until the Queen hears about this, kupo!" "I thought it was the bite of a hypnalis viper that put someone into a dream coma," said Zander, puzzled. "There's apparently more than one way," shrugged Thurloe. "One way from within the Dreamlands, one way from without." He didn't know much about these dreamthief hags, but he was well aware night hags could transport themselves between multiple planes. "Well, you got the excitement you were looking for," pointed out Alewyth. "Are you happy now?" "Happy enough to make it to tomorrow morning," replied Thurloe, the combat having restored his good mood. They waited until the sun had risen the next morning before attempting to climb the cliff to the top. Of course, few opted to go that route: Wakuren cast an [I]air walk[/I] spell upon himself, while Thurloe and Zander cast [I]fly[/I] spells and Alewyth used her [I]butterfly brooch[/I]. Only Xandro climbed up the steep slope, with Wakuren nearby if he lost his grip. But they made it up to the top of the cliff, which flattened out before sloping down on the other side. And there, at the edge of a flat surface, sat the Butterfly Throne. The heroes approached it from either side and stood looking ahead of them. The cliff edge provided a wide vista of a valley below. But there was an oblong wooden box sitting at the edge of the cliff, and as if by an unseen hand, the top of the box lifted up and folded behind, revealing a pair of tiny women in matching kimono. Each figure was about six inches tall, and they dropped to their knees and bowed their heads in respect towards the Queen of Dreams. The Queen gave a silent nod, and the two tiny girls looked back up at her, before speaking in unison. "We, the [B]Shobijin[/B], welcome the Queen of Dreams and her five agents from the Waking World. Your dreamwalkers have successfully completed their spirit quest. It is our honor to introduce each of your agents to their individual spirit kaiju." In the valley below, there was a disturbance in the earth as a massive creature burrowed up from the ground. It was a quadruped, with a shell upon its back covered in rows of pointy spines. Its reptilian head had a row of curved spikes in a frill along the back of the skull and a mouth that ended in a beak. "Alewyth Putterpye," intoned the Shobijin, "you serve the God of Earth, Stone, and Protection. Your spirit kaiju is [B]Anguiras[/B], capable of burrowing through the ground and covered in a protective shell of spikes and spines. Anguiras is the kaiju from our world which best represents your own attributes." In the valley below, Anguiras ambled off. In his place landed a spinning disk with fire shooting out of four holes along its sides. It landed, then extended four limbs, a head, and a tail, standing up to reveal itself as a massive turtle. "Wakuren," intoned the Shobijen in perfect harmony, "you serve the God of the Air and of Healing, and wear heavy armor into battle. You are best represented by [B]Gamera[/B], whose heavy shell keeps him safe, yet who flies through the air on pillars of fire." Gamera pulled himself into his shell again and four gouts of flame shot out of his leg-holes. The creature's shell spun in a circle and it flew off into the sky. Then there was a piercing cry and a winged figure landed in the valley, humanoid in build but somewhat reminiscent of a one-eyed gargoyle. "Xandro Silverstrings," the Shobijin continued, "you have recently devoted yourself to the shadowy forms of combat, where quickness and surprise are valued as highly if not more so than brute strength. Your spirit kaiju is [B]Gigan[/B], a living organism embedded with secret mechanical parts, allowing him to strike with surprise." Gigan's chest suddenly vibrated and the row of spines running down its length in a line revealed themselves as part of a rotating disk of blades. The monster flew off into the sky with a shriek of rage. Rocks suddenly started tumbling away from a cliff in the valley below, revealing the upright form of a dog-headed humanoid covered in fur. "Zander Quilson," intoned the Shobijin, "as a sorcerer, you deal with many spells, shooting rays and bolts of energy at your enemies, but you are also widely associated with your cooshee. You are best represented by [B]King Caesar[/B], a guardian kaiju in the form of a humanoid foo dog, fiercely loyal to his duty." King Caesar walked down the valley until he passed out of view behind another cliffside. Finally, there was a blast of fire and a metal figure landed in the valley. "Thurloe Pulver," continued the Shobijin, "you walk the twin paths of arcane and physical prowess, learning how best to cast magic spells while still wearing heavy armor for protection and striking out with your sword. Your spirit kaiju is [B]MOGUERA[/B] - in your terms, an animated construct capable of flight, blasts of energy, and massive damage from the weapons it wields in its hands." The metal being's entire forearms were spinning drills, likely capable of dealing an impressive amount of damage to anyone struck by them. It blasted back off into the sky, leaving the valley silent once more. "Shobijin, I thank you for your hospitality and your assistance," replied the Queen of Dreams, and the two women bowed their heads in unison as the lid of their box slowly closed to encompass them once again. "And now, dreamwalkers, we return to our own Dreamlands." The five heroes stepped onto the Butterfly Throne, and then with a flapping of wings it too took to the skies and out into the shining darkness beyond. Without a word, she reached down to Wakuren and passed him back [I]Hesperna's lamp[/I]. He placed it into his pouch. "I have restored your ability to sleep," advised the Queen of Dreams when they had arrived back at their own Dreamlands. "You may now return back to the Mortal World through the [I]Dream Gate[/I], and when next you return to the Dreamlands in your dream-forms, I will have Mogo instruct you on how to channel your inner kaiju. "And then," she said, with a sly smile, "we'll see if we can't free those dreamers who have thus far evaded our best efforts." - - - I've been steering this campaign in this direction since the beginning; after having decided the campaign would involve messing about in people's dreams, I figured this would be a good way to introduce Mystic Eye's [I]Giant Monster Rampage[/I] into the campaign. GMR is a game designed around using plastic toys as your monsters, with a complete (if somewhat simple) set of rules for designing your monster's stats and running combat between them. Immediately after this adventure was finished, I offered to run the players through the next adventure, simply entitled "Giant Monster Rampage," in which the dreamwalker PCs would learn how to transform into their spirit kaiju and fight off other giant monsters - like the four kaiju that continued to slay the PCs every time they tried to awaken those caught up in those particular dreams. They were game, so that's exactly what we did. - - - T-shirt worn: Naturally, my Godzilla T-shirt was a no-brainer for the adventure where the PCs each earned themselves a spirit kaiju. [/QUOTE]
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