Arcadayn Journal: Session #36

Arcadayn Journal, Session #36

Game Date: 22-28 Harvestmonth, 994 KC; Play Date: 11/25/2000

22 Harvestmonth (continued): Ruqayyah had carried the Asanos during the day, and Darra took it for the night. Both experienced fragments of their previous dreams.

23 Harvestmonth: Laylah told the others about her talk with Rashira the evening before. They resolved to share the burden of bearing it, excepting only Al-Zaki who, as a dragon, would be difficult to stop if he somehow fell under its influence. Instead, he would watch the four women carefully. Laylah carried the Asanos this day.

As they looked for that night's camp, the dragon spooked a giant snake, dodged its strike, and killed it with a quick jet of flame. He carried it to where they made camp a little further on, and gave some of the cooked pieces to the women for their meal before gulping the rest. Laylah complained that she must have had another growth spurt, because her boots were getting too small and blistering her feet.

That night, Laylah dreamed that she was in a lightly wooded valley. The horseman appeared and chased her through the trees. She climbed a tree to get out of their reach. From about 15' up, she could see the black horse with red eyes, the rider in armor and a cloak (and with his face still in shadow), and briefly, the snake-like thing at his neck. The rider spurred his horse to charge the tree. She began to sing, in denial of evil things. On the third charge, the tree cracked, and Laylah jumped--and woke mid-fall. She woke thrashing, and shook for some time, but was proud of herself for not being caught.

24 Harvestmonth (New Moon): Laylah related her dream, then passed the Asanos to Naima.

Late in the day, Darra heard indistinct calls ahead that sounded like Mynars. She worried whether they were part of Umok's tribe, or enemies. After dark, they heard more calls; these were definitely Mynars, but Darra could not make out any of the cries.

Naima dreamed of being pursued, the same as her previous dream. She woke a bit scared, but recovered by dawn (an hour or so later).

25 Harvestmonth: The Asanos was passed to Ruqayyah, in spite of her new-moon lethargy. The party reached the river about midday, and saw four Mynars spear-fishing downstream (without being seen themselves). This part of the river looked difficult to cross, so they decided to cross further south, rather than risk these Mynars being Shulkor's worshipers. When they were well out of sight, Al-Zaki carried them across, two at a time as before.

Ruqayyah still had the Asanos that night, so dreamed again. She was meditating in a desert on a moonless night. The rider approached. She tried to shift to owl form and failed [she has made little progress yet with this spell], so took cat form. She waited for the horse to get close, then leaped at it. Her claws hit but did no noticeable damage. The horse tried to kick at her, and missed the first few times. She connected a second time to no effect, but then the horse kicked her in the side. She woke, with badly bruised ribs, muttering, "dumb, dumb, dumb..." to herself.

26 Harvestmonth: Ruqayyah described her dream to the others, and showed them the colorful crescent on her flank. She managed to heal herself on her second try. During the day's travel, she made some progress learning Detect Magic from Al-Zaki.

That night, they camped at the site where they had heard and seen the signs of battle that had led them to Umok.

Darra carried the Asanos that day and dreamed that night. She was in wooded hills, in horse form. She heard another horse, then saw the horse and rider. She took cover behind a boulder, changed to human form, and realizing that she did not have Helledoth, drew her old sword and dagger. The rider stopped the horse nearby, and Darra thoguht she saw smoke as it snorted. The horse charged and leaped the boulder. Darra dodged, slashed out at the horse, but her blade only glanced off it. As it turned, she shouted, "You don't scare me, Ormenlind," and when she saw the snake, "or your demon master." The rider reached out to touch the horse's head, and the snake slithered down his arm to it, shwing itself to be transparent with black eyes. The horse charged again, breathing smoke over Darra as it leaped. She woke coughing, with the stench of smoke and brimstone in her nostrils.

27 Harvestmonth: When Darra told her dream, she guessed that she had angered the demon. She wondered how to confuse it--it seems to be getting closer every time. Ruqayyah wondered what the changes in landscape meant; was it getting attuned to them? Did it want to change just one of them, or all?

As they continued their trek, the badlands became less and less rugged, and by dusk, they could see the plains in the distance.

Naima carried the Asanos during the day, and Laylah took it for the night. Naima dreamed of walking through wooded hills, and hearing (but not seeing) a horse.

Laylah's dream began with her in the tree from her last dream, and the horseman circling it. She could see the horse occasionally snort smoke. She began to pray for the light of the stars to shield her, and to use the fear of what this man has lost to drive him away. A dim witch-light began to emanate from the tree, and slowly grew brighter. As the light fell upon the horse and rider, they stopped circling and approached the tree. Laylah saw that the man's breastplate was dented and scorched, and could finally see his face: His dark beard and hair were cut in an old-fashioned Krithian style; an ugly scar on the left side of his face twisted his mouth into a permanent sneer. His eyes shone bright blue, much like the witch-fire, but his dark face resembled that of a long-dead, well-preserved corpse. Laylah woke then, full of pity for this man.

28 Harvestmonth: The women compared dreams, and Laylah expressed her belief that Ormenlind won't be free until the Asanos is restored. She is not sure if he can speak, but intends to try the next time she bears it.

They reached the river about midday. Al-Zaki ferried them across, then went flying one last time before taking human form to enter the forest where the Ranae lived. The women enjoyed a bath, then continued onward. Al-Zaki returned before they reached the forest, and they camped near its edge.

Laylah passed the Asanos to Ruqayyah, then meditated in order to ask how they could help this poor man. "The Serpent is old and devious and his coils are strong. Do you dare pit yourself against Him?" Not without help; Laylah asked if it was worth it. "Thwarting Him is always welcome, but I would fear for you." Laylah was both amused and confused; she is not yet ready for that fight.

In Ruqayyah's dream, she found herself in the desert as a caracal. The horse and rider were close, and circling her. She tried to cast Sense Life, but got nothing. She changed to human form, and tried to tell the man that she could help. She didn't want to fight, but wouldn't let him hurt her, either. At that point, the snake showed itself, coiled about his brow. She invoked Jin-Mubik's protection, and fled as the horse charged. When she got some distance from it, she took cat form again. She managed to keep up running and dodging for a while, but then lost her footing and rolled down a dune. She woke with a mouthful of sand.

Ruqayyah woke near dawn, so she and Laylah compared notes. Laylah had no dreams, so believes that the demon is not confused by their tactics anymore. Ruqayyah is thoroughly convinced that the snake is evil and must be destroyed, but is concerned that it may find a way to do more before they do.

[Next Session]

Return to the Arcadayn Journal index page.

Return to the Arcadayn index. | Return to the Game Room. | Return to the Foyer.