Strange Aeons / Dreams of the Yellow King pt. 12 / Eire the 28th, 3592 CE / 8-11-22

General Summary

The party has embarked on another Dreamlands excursion in search of one of several fabled gifts which they hope to present to the being known as the Mad Poet in exchange for clues to the whereabouts and actions of Baron Haver Lowell IV as well as a possible cure to the afflictions which have struck Esp, Hemlock, and Zolkri. Unfortunately, this excursion, to the Enchanted Wood, has led to run-ins first with a horse-faced monstrosity called a tikbalang, and now a pack of evil fey creatures called lurkers in light, which can literally turn invisible in direct light. Though the Dreamlands do not appear to have an actual sun, sufficient light has filtered through the dense canopies of the immense trees in the Enchanted Wood to allow the lurkers to attack the hapless party from hiding. However, the shade has also allowed the party's newest member, Mason, to use his supernatural ability to blend in with the darkness. Despite this advantage, and even as their numbers are culled, the lurkers inflict a terrible curse on the half-orc Zolkri, blinding him. Terrified that the effect will follow him to waking, Zolkri forces himself to awake, and is relieved to find that his sight has returned. Unfortunately, even if he can recreate the ritual correctly, it will take Zolkri an hour or more to return to the Dreamlands. Meanwhile, the party is able to dispatch the last of the lurkers. Hearing a sound from further down the branch they are traversing, they investigate and discover a man named Nestor whom the lurkers had taken prisoner and staked to a massive leaf. Nestor warns the party that the leaf is trapped, and a wrong move will send him hurtling to his doom, but Mason and Hemlock are able to bypass the trap and free the hapless explorer. Mason also discovers a severed finger with a magical ring. which enhances psychic abilities. The ring is Nestor's, and he offers it to the party as reward for freeing him. Mason notes that Nestor has an archaic accent, and the man shares that he is not a dreamer but resides in the Dreamlands as an aspect of his waking self, which, judging by the accent, is more than likely long dead. At that moment, a horde of zoogs reveal themselves from their hiding spot in the foliage. The chatter to the party in Aklo and Esp negotiates for the object they seek, the blue and purple mottled tale of a pard. The zoogs say that they are in possession of a pard tale, but before giving it to the party, ask them to take care of a pack of tree tigers lurking nearby which have been hunting them. Nestor tells them that bargains with zoogs can usually be trusted before taking his leave, and the party agrees to the deal. As Mason uses his shadow-blending ability to stalk the tree tigers, Trakir, Esp, and Hemlock walk out in the open as bait. Hemlock uses magic to enlarge himself, attracting the attention of the ravenous beasts, and soon the battle is engaged. The vicious tree tigers tear horribly at Esp, Hemlock, and Trakir even as Mason springs from hiding to attack them. Though they fight valiantly, Trakir is dealt a mortal blow in the Dreamlands, forcing him to awake with new scars to his psyche. As the others finish off the tree tigers, the zoogs emerge to celebrate the victory, gladly handing over the pard tail in exchange for five fresh new tree tiger tails. Mason, curious if the tree tigers had any cubs, tracks their claw marks back to their lair. Though he finds no evidence of younglings, he does find some treasure from a previous victim of the beasts. With the gift attained, the rest of the party returns to waking.

Character(s) interacted with

Hemlock Shores, Mason, Esp Platyrhynchos, Trakir Firebrand, Nestor Brindly, lurker in light, zoogs, tree tigers

Report Date

12 Aug 2022