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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lylandra" data-source="post: 8596076" data-attributes="member: 6816692">After jumping through the portal, we fall quite uncomfortably onto a grassy underground. As we open our eyes, we see that Kasvarina is nowhere to be seen and that the atmosphere is...different. There appears to be turmoil around us and we're quite happy to see Andrei opening his eyes and asking us what had happened.Before we can answer him, our landing place turns into an actual battlefield as several fey engage in open warfare. Utterly confused, we run to take cover as to not get hit by spells or artillery. By the cries of the combatants, we conclude that the opposing factions must be the Hedgehog Court and the Unseen Court, which also means that we're somehow managed to transition to the Dreaming. Which is bad news, as Asrabey needed enormous efforts to leave our mirror plane.We rush through a wild mix of forest and clearings which resemble a chess field and dodge warriors of the Wild Hunt chasing fox riders throwing with mushroom bombs. We almost stumble across a scavenging fey, who introduces himself as Rambilion and who suggests that we better flee from this battlefield. We agree, and ask him for the nearest mushroom circle where we might try to cross to the Waking. But Klauswald, the caterpillar-fey who loves smoking herbs will surely know. So we let Rambilion guide us toward Klauswald's place.As soon as we managed to get to relative safety, we take the time to try contact Kasvarina via sending. In our message, we tell her that we landed in the Dreaming but cannot find her, so we ask her for directions. However, the message doesn't make it to the sender. When the second attempt fails as well, we're pretty sure that Kasvarina didn't end up in the Dreaming, but most likely, the Waking. Still, was everything working as usual, the chances of having a trans-planar sending fail had been next to impossible. And in turn this magical anomaly would also mean that we'd have no chance of contacting our allies in Flint or Slate.So we head straight to Klauswald and tell Andrei that Nicodemus had possessed and used his body for his own gain. Andrei is very much shocked, but he does remember that one time when he managed to protect his dear friends. He is more worried about Isobel than himself, and we assure him that everything is alright in Flint, especially as Flying Spark is still around.Klauswald appears to be a large, weed-smoking caterpillar, just like Rambilion said. He is in the company of a few other fey, who have some sort of weird tea party and are busy watching the battle.(I sense massive Alice in Wonderland inspirations here)We are hailed by Mista Nyves, Klauswald's servant, an ettercap and we introduce ourselves as people from the Waking who got stranded in the Dreaming by accident. Klauswald is quite the hospitable fey, and so he offers Auryn an apple as a welcome gift. She is too polite to refuse the offer, takes one bite and is instantly struck with hallucinations. When she starts talking about the beautiful butterfly wings of Carlyle, he asks Andrei to make sure nothing strange happens to her while he's busy getting more information from the Fey.Carlyle has a really tough time trying to wrap his head around Klauswald's ways of conversation, but he manages to gain some insight on what is happening in the Dreaming right now: Both the Unseen and the Hedgehog Courts are conducting their battles on the chessboard fields ever day, and these battles are properly scheduled. As for why the courts are now in an open war-like state, Klauswald suggests that the death of Rock Rackus will have likely something to do with it, as both Olazdor and Thisraldion, Lords of their respective Courts blame each other on being behind the Rock's premature demise.(Dead? Really? This would be too good to be true in Carlyle's eyes)When he asks the Fey about a way to the next faerie crossing, Klauswald mentions that all of those known to him ceased to work for some unknown reason. Oh, but at least Copperhat made it back to the Dreaming before the gates shut down.These are not good news at all, so Carlyle decides to go to the Unseen Court to find more reliable sources of information, and maybe even someone who might know the location of a still-working portal to the Waking. As he doesn't know the directions, both Mista Nyves and Rambilion offer to give directions, but both for a price: Rambilion asks for a kiss of the “fair maiden” while Mista Kyves seems content with regular payment in gold. Needless to say that Carlyle goes for the gold.And so Andrei carries applestuck Auryn while both he and Carlyle follow the Ettercap's directions. Turns our that Nyves is a pretty bad guide, and the whole group ends up falling into a water-filled ditch. Fortunately, Auryn recovers from the shock of being tossed into cold water, and we take the opportunity to talk about what Gabriel has learned so far. Auryn is as anxious as Gabriel about the prospect of being trapped in the Dreaming while Borne is running free in the Waking and Kasvarina is gods-know-where. But she remembers that we actually found something useful when we banished Nicodemus from Andrei's body: The Ring of the original Obscurati founders. So at least there might be one way of gaining information on what the Obs are up to.We recite “In Methia, in the Lance of Triegenes, we were forged in secrecy” to gain an image on Han Jierre and are happy to see that the ring actually works. But what we do see is very shocking to say the least: It appears as Han Jierre is giving a rallying speech for his army, which he plans to send to war with Risur. He declares that Risur started this all with their uncalled invasion of Methia alongside the Colossus and the toppling of the Lance of Triegenes, where his dear niece Lya was killed in the collapse.(See? I bet no one had Lya dying in the collapsing Lance of Triegenes in their campaign <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />Wonder if there was any group which had her come out of the campaign alive)“So she didn't make it out this time. What a wasted potential.”, Gabriel comments with a heavy sigh.“She could have come with us if we waited... but then again, it was her choice to follow us blindly to the top of a magically constructed tower”; Auryn adds.“Anyway, this is really bad news. And I doubt that King Aodhan knows anything about these events, or Han Jierre's conclusion. We need to warn him immediately.”(And just like you surely already guessed, this ring would be one of the most useful items regarding information on the Han's proceedings)So we hurry to get back on track. To not be spied upon ourselves, we place the ring inside the Absurdist's web. But as night is falling already, Mista Nyves suggests that we'd better find a nice inn for the night. Fortunately, he does know about one nearby etablissement. We follow the ettercap and are surprised to find a cozy place made of sweets and sugary icing. Nyves prefers to sleep in the stables, but we agree rent two rooms for the night.We're being served cat pastry for dinner, which Auryn refuses. Instead, being very unlike her usual self, she takes a break of the railing (which is made of gingerbread) and leaves the table early. Gabriel sees that his partner is still very much in turmoil over the last memories of Kasvarina and the threat of war with Danor doesn't make the situation any better.Still he stays a while and listens to the chatter at the other tables while trying to have a normal conversation with Andrei. He then dares to join some of the other guests, but has to deal with absurdities like being served a guppy in a bucket full of water. He does manage to get some more random information, like were-humans living nearby or that someone set a huge reward for the person to bring back Rock Rackus' famous golden pistol. Some fey talks about Beshela being a nasty sea witch again as she tore her own prophet in two, which led to the poor woman crawling around bleeding in Clover. Gabriel is honestly surprised that someone might suffer that fate and manages to live on. Also, there is the rumor that a couple illusory eggs got stolen with the help of a hypnotizing serpent. But how would someone steal an illusion anyway?Then the rumors turn spicier, as the fey also discuss poor Rock's fate. There appears to be a consensus that Rock did indeed have a romance with Thisraldion. Meanwhile, he also had several conversations with Olazdor, so that the guests are torn on their opinions about the real murderer of the famous singer.Carlyle has heard enough Rock news for one day and so he finally returns to Auryn, who is sitting on their bed in silence while halfheartedly chewing on the gingerbread railing. She apologizes for leaving early, but she couldn't just push her grief and turmoil about Hierarch Silvestri's crimes aside. Up till now she had always thought that Srasama's death had been a tragedy, but now she knows that it was planned genocide. Even if she is fully aware that the most important task would be to return home as fast as possible, report to Delft and King Aodhan, and warn them from the impeding attack of the Danorans.“I feel the same, even if it doesn't look that way. But I forcefully pushed aside everything regarding Kasvarina's last memory to bury that part for now.”, Gabriel admits silently.“And I must confess that, for one moment, I seriously considered jumping through that portal when she died. Just so I could take in more of the goddess' essence.”“Really? It could have lead to your death, or worse, a fate like Miller's”, Auryn interjects.“I know. Which is why I tamed that urge. But now that I can think more clearly, I understand our connection even better. See, if Dala was the one to become Srasama, and Dala was the daughter of Kasvarina, then I truly became a part of your family the moment I left my mortality behind.”Auryn smiles slightly, but still honestly in response.“You have been part of my family for quite a while now.”, she adds.Knowing that he managed to drag Auryn out of her hole to some degree, Gabriel agrees to what she had said when they were all still climbing the Lance of Triegenes: That he, too, believes that Miller only loved Kasvarina for as long as she was available and open for him and his plans. And that this was no foundation for true love although he might have romantically thought he'd loved and admired her.Auryn agrees that Miller must have harbored and grown a pretty distorted image of himself for a while now as he also believes to be a burdened martyr who has to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. And while she knows exactly how that might feel, she also adds that one must never lose the compassion for those inhabitants of the world you like to protect or improve. Also, by not bearing any risk for his plans due to his in incorporeality, he might have simply forgotten how it feels to be alive. To live a life. To be fragile.Concluding these thoughts, she promises to be fully operational the next day as she, too, will manage to reschedule the topic of Srasama's death to a quieter time.(There you have it, the roots of Carlyle's new arc are growing strong. And who would have thought that he'd be such a good and efficient emotional support? Also, a bit of an encore on psychoanalyzing Nic <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> )</blockquote>

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