New Horizons

The Interloper falls through a portal until he finds himself in a dark space with a strong smell of ferns and the feeling of leaves against his skin. He can hear the noise of animals moving. He pushes through the leaves to encounter a herd of deer with glowing yellow eyes, They quickly surround The Interloper. An image of Horizon appears, towering over him. To show he means no harm, The Interloper drops his spear and begins a conversation with Horizon, suggesting a potential alliance.
Horizon reveals that he doesn’t fully understand his motivations for killing. All he wants to do is get back at Uncle, and he believes this is the way to do it. He states that the deer show him the faces of those he must take, though there is a mysterious entity that seems to control these events and Horizon himself is terrified of this force. Horizon looks up at a small red circle, possibly a star or moon, this is likely the force he is referring to.
Horizon also informs The Interloper that Uncle Pally Wal is an almost invulnerable entity, existing in a peculiar state where, when present, it feels like he isn’t truly there. Horizon states that some of his victims’ identities have been concealed. His victims are as follows:
· John Doe, a homeless man from Tarmagras to the north.
· Sylvasker, an unidentified victim.
· Jane Doe, an elf involved in Planisum who was involved in an Orleath plot.
· A classified individual who was almost at the end of her life, though Horizon had no reason to take her—yet he was compelled to. Her name might be Len, Eln, or Nel.
· Ozrich Mantle, whose body was never found, marking the first murder witnessed.
· Mr. Chalk at the Dreamy Curtain Theatre in Magma Urbs.
Thralisk requests to speak with Horizon’s next intended victim before he takes them. Horizon agrees and allows him to exit the pocket dimension - however Thralisk may become trapped in another section of the playpen on the way out, fortunately this doesn’t happen . Meanwhile on the Material Plane, the remainder of the party is attacked by four lifesize toy soldiers that spring to life, which they defeat in combat.
In the aftermath, Thrallisk reappears in the theatre, though Mr. Chalk remains missing. Looking up at the sky, the party is struck by the number of celestial bodies, though they notice there is no red moon. Thrallisk points out a star, claiming it is another planet, the home of his sworn enemies. STU asks if he can see Thrallisk’s home from here, but Thrallisk explains it is not visible. He also shares that he was sent away from his home planet to help his people. STU offers his assistance to Thrallisk in return for help finding the Saviour, a figure of importance to STU.
The group heads towards the Gull and Beaker, a potential location for their next steps. They also learn more about Mr. Chalk, was actually a member of the Nell family, known in Gespara. The Nell family, a prominent family in Gespara and the Frreeholds, had ties to the Mantel family, and were the founders of the Straight Arrow Detective Agency. The party needs to speal Jonah Ranger for more information, particularly as his protege Wildervan is also part of the Nell family.
The PCS notices a poster: Zugrick, the fabulous entertainer, will be performing in a few weeks. The party doubles up and shares rooms. Nemo and STU in one room, Thralisk and Mr Zune in another and Liara and Neb in another room. The three duos have heart-to-hearts.
Thralisk experiences a vivid dream in which Uncle Pally Wal chastises him for entering the Play Pen without his knowledge and releases Shepherd as punishment. Hordes of crows burst from the trees, and a thin, tall humanoid figure with large antlers, a bird-like skull with a long beak and a yellow tattered robe moves in strange, four-dimensional ways through the dark woods, breathing with difficulty. The entity chases Thralisk and is about to catch him before he wakes up.
The following morning, the party visits Leather and Leevs, seeking tomes that may shed light on the red moon. STU also looks for books about gods, particularly a machine god or the worship of machines. They discover a tome that discusses a moon with multiple names: The Manic Moon, the Mania Moon, or the Screaming Moon. The book mentions that the moon departed during the First Age. STU purchases a book on the approved deities of Northern Gespara.
After their research, the party sets out on a six-day journey toward their next destination.