Game Date: 4-13 Leaffall, 994 KC; Play Date: 2/3/2001
[Anne is enjoying the campaign, but has decided that she must leave the game for a while, until she is less swamped by other things. Therefore, we are moving this session along a bit more quickly than usual, to allow her to bow out gracefully, but as soon as possible. Because of this, we are glossing over the dreams so that we can fast-forward the journey. Each PC must make a nightly Fright Check, and will only recall the dream clearly if that roll fails--in addition to suffering the effects of a failed Fright Check.]
4 Leaffall (continued): As the party left, Darra lingered behind to speak with Yantos. She told him she serves a god of justice, and asked if he needed her service. He replied that there was a journey that he needed to take, but could not. He wasn't sure if she could help; besides, her friends need her more right now. She promised to return.
They reached the north end of the Rift before dark, and continued on a bit further before making camp. The women had dreams, but none remembered them clearly.
5 Leaffall: Ruqayyah practiced the spells she was trying to learn. She realized that she needed to grow some before being able to cast illusion spells. This in itself was comforting progress. [In game terms, she realized that she needed to raise her IQ slightly (by 1) before she could learn Simple Illusion.]
6 Leaffall (Full Moon): The party stopped early in order to give Darra time to prepare for the night. Laylah tried the lullabye that she had used before, and Darra fell asleep to it. Still asleep, she shifted to horse form as the sun set and moon rose. During the night, she wandered about the camp, but never woke or left sight of the camp.
While asleep, Darra dreamed of running with a herd of horses across a great plain at night. One of the other horses was a large bay. Another was a huge black, that watched the herd from a distance. Darra recognized these two [Fazia and the dream-demon]; other members of the herd were vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place them.
During Ruqayyah's watch, she experimented with the owl spell again. She managed only a partial change: her hands and arms started to shift form, growing a membrane but no feathers.
7 Leaffall: Darra woke at dawn, still in horse form and very disoriented.
Ruqayyah asked Al-Zaki if he had ever bungled his spell to become human, and if so, how. He had, a couple of times; the first one made him look like a particularly unattractive lizard man. She described the previous night's failure, and mentioned her conviction that spell-casting was easier in cat form--she was more comfortable in that form.
The party continued on, and reached the Yangar River around dusk.
8 Leaffall: Ruqayyah spent the day pestering Al-Zaki to describe "every spell he'd ever seen," so that she would have a better idea of what was possible for future reference. (Needless to say, she was still in her full-moon manic phase.) During their discussion, Al-Zaki tried Know True Shape on her, and was intrigued to learn that her current part-cat form was her "true shape."
9 Leaffall: The day was very windy and overcast, with fog at dawn and dusk. The party camped just south of the border, so lit no fire, as they wanted to avoid the border patrols.
10 Leaffall: They used the morning fog to help them cross the border into Krith. They saw no sign of patrols.
Castle Farvale came into sight by late morning. They decided to camp outside of the town. Ruqayyah wanted to avoid attracting notice (as she was still going without veils), so she and Naima stayed in camp with the Asanos, while the others went to "The Last Cask" to speak with Lady Bladwith. They were told that Bran and Fran were still at the garrison, so sent word to them while arranging for provisions. Fran came to see them at the 'Cask a few hours later, and they took him to their camp to talk privately.
Once outside of town, Darra explained that they had found the missing Asanos, and planned to bring it to Mistress Theolodia to try healing its corruption. He was overwhelmed, unsure whether to believe any of it; however, if it were true, then Corben and his company would want to help out. He and Bran would be leaving soon to hook up with them again in Quikara. They knew something about boats, so could arrange to buy a boat with Laylah's money (what she had saved to buy her own contract, but then hadn't needed). Bran would come tomorrow to tell them how their plans were going. After Fran left, Al-Zaki stated that he would stay with them at least until Quikara, then decide what was best for him to do.
Ruqayyah finally managed to make her owl spell work that night. She managed a short, clumsy flight without hurting herself.
Later, she dreamed that she was an owl, perched on a tree branch. The horse and rider were near the tree, looking at her. The horse was snorting smoke, and belched more as she flew away. It followed, sparks flashing from its hooves, and she narrowly missed being hit by a jet of flame it breathed in her direction. She went higher, looking for cover, but could see none. Behind her, the sound of the horse's hoof beats grew more muffled, but she refused to turn and look. She realized that the sounds came from somewhere above the level of the ground, and narrowly dodged another jet of fire. When she tried to circle and get behind the horse, she saw that it was running through the air after her, striking sparks from the air as it went, and leaving a trail of smoke in its wake. She tried to dive and rake its flanks, but missed by a large margin and passed through the choking smoke. She turned again as the horse breathed again--this time, it hit squarely and the intense pain woke her. She woke thrashing wildly, then lay still in fear and shock for some time, as Laylah tried to comfort her.
11 Leaffall: In the morning, Ruqayyah told the others about her dream, and demonstrated her new spell. They stayed in camp to wait for Bran to come.
Ruqayyah noticed that Laylah had been very quiet and withdrawn since seeing her new spell, so made a point to ask what was wrong. Laylah confessed that she had long dreamed of being able to fly, and was jealous. Ruqayyah speculated that she could learn how to shapeshift other people. Laylah wished to fly on her own, but was no mage. Ruqyyah reminded her that there were other ways to do things: "I know that Rashira has her eye on you. There are religions that give gifts like mine, but not through study." Laylah recalled that Volan had mentioned priestly magic--and that he served Phaor, god of travel. This comforted her slightly, but didn't cure her impatience.
Bran came in the afternoon. He and his brother had purchased a boat, and taken early leave from the garrison. They could leave the morning after next. He checked the women's gear to see what other supplies were needed, then returned to town. Laylah and Darra went into town to shop for a few things themselves.
Meanwhile, Ruquyyah hunted until she caught a mouse, and tried to cast shifting magic on it. She failed, so freed the mouse and pondered how to fix her faulty working model.
That night, Ruqayyah dreamed again. She was in the tree again, but in human form this time. She tried to jump onto the horse below, hoping to land behind the rider, but missed her aim. She fell down beside the horse, and the rider caught her by the neck with his hand. She woke, clutched at her throat, then her eyes rolled up and she slumped into a faint. Laylah ran to her, saw no marks on her right away, and began praying for protection for her friend. Ruqayyah came to a moment later, with the impression of a cat having just licked her face. When she mentioned being strangled, Laylah burst into tears. (She felt very guilty about resenting Ruquyyah's flying ability earlier.) Darra woke at their noise, and checked Ruqayyah over. Ruqayyah described her dream, and Darra noted that this was the first time the rider had touched anyone. As the two others meditated to calm themselves, Darra brooded--she wanted a face-to-face fight, not these dreams!
12 Leaffall: That night, Laylah prayed: "If it reaches for her, send it my way instead."
Ruqayyah dreamed that she was near the river bank, facing a copse of trees. The horse was charging at her from the direction of the trees, and she couldn't move. A white blur came out of the air above her, and began flying about the horse and rider's heads. She recognized it as a swan from Laylah's descriptions. She could move then, and started swimming across the river. She tried to think of how to make a metal and glass box to contain the Asanos, but woke before she reached the far bank.
Laylah dreamed that she was in a forest, and saw a forest fire approaching. She saw a caracal kitten cowering under a tree, picked it up, and ran. She found a rocky outcropping free of vegetation, and climbed it. The forest fire passed on either side of the rock. The kitten licked her cheek, which woke her from the dream.
They both woke during Naima's watch, and Ruqayyah thanked Laylah, and said, "You're very pretty in that form."
13 Leaffall: In the morning, a very confused Naima asked them to explain last night. They tried, and were surprised at how different their dreams were.
As they went to the river to meet Bran and Fran, Al-Zaki commented that he had never felt this comfortable in human form for so long. [He hasn't failed an IQ roll yet.]
Bran and Fran had bought an old but serviceable rowboat--basically a large dinghy--and explained the basics of handling it as they began to travel downstream. During the day's travel, the women explained several things of which Bran and Fran needed to be aware: Ruqayyah's lunar cycle; her healing magic; Darra's shapeshifting; that the necromancer they halped fight before is now dead; and that the package they carry causes nightmares to any who come too close to it. (They avoided any mention of their contacts with Kuldor and Rashira.)
They reached Quikara before nightfall, and made camp a short ways downstream. (They didn't want to bring the Asanos into the city proper). Ruqayyah demonstrated her shapeshifting spells for the two men, so they would recognize those animal forms as their ally.
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This page last revised 3/5/2001. | Copyright 2001 Timothy E. Emrick. | time@sluggy.net