Dreams and Nightmares

[DM_Equinox]

Rumor around the taverns and inns has it that some people have been having weird dreams. Dreams that seemed oddly real, dreams that left them shaken and sometimes drained of all energy on waking up.

No-one seems keen to talk about what they actually dreamed about, but a wanted murderer was seen turning himself in to the watch, blubbering and crying like a babe, while a kind old farmer is reported to have gone ballistic and rampaged through his hen house killing every last chicken and smashing all the eggs.

Of course, nobody telling these rumors actually had such an experience, but they know somone who knows someone who was firends with such a person... in short, they practically had it happen to themselves.

The truth of such tales is questionable; after all tongues wag and truths get embellished for effect. Esspecially when ale flows freely.

Perhaps it's something in the water...

[Thief Of Navarre]

Peligir wakes up from the same dream he has had for the last two hundred years in a cold sweat;

"Ilmare? a dream... again

He gets up from his tent in only his leather grieves to speak to the keeper of the glade and learns of other such harrowing dreams people have experienced only recently.

[Allielliot]

A dream? the more he thought the less likely it seemed... Raven was there, and their wounds remained after waking....Was it the Saint of Swords, what is this ring, what was that rooster, and am i worthy of being a Red Blade.... The real Sword Saint had no answers, and Sain didn't either. He tried to return to his real sleep but it evaded him...

[DM_Equinox]

The rumors of such strange dreams intensify - some even say they shared a dream.

But that, of course, is utter nonsense.

[Dayledose]

He wakes up and looks around for his companions,seeing all of them he sighs and sleepily puts his head back on the grass.

Wait, he thinks, I shouldn't be sleeping. Was it a dream? Could it be?
Does one bring back items from a dream. Warily he get's up. A throbbing headache pounding in his ears. Making sure his companions are okay he looks at the ring.
A dream? Right?

[Fezzik]

"Quite yourselves. Fey are about, and they want the women. Why? Because it's with women that they can propagate. Fey? It could be any type really. My great great granny was visited in a dream by an elemental of the earth! No, you don't have to believe me if you don't want to, but it's true. What happens then? Granny said that her nannna came back, with child, when her siblings had all passed. They don't play the games the same way we do." She looks down at her ring. "We were lucky, the Pooka's are out, and they're afraid of something."

The young dwarven girl continues to tell tales and sing songs.

[DM_Equinox]

Clearly afraid to be labelled fools, the people experiencing these strange dreams have fallen silent.

But does that mean these occurrences have ceased?

Why is that wool merchant no longer lying like ... well, like a wool merchant? His income has been decreasing dramatically.

Does that noblewoman look so very jumpy for a reason? And did she just donate twenty whole stags to the orphanage?

And what was that goblin thinking, walking into the Talent and Balance and asking for a job as prompter? Unfortunately, all it could get out was "Guh-", before it was dispatched by an over-eager upstart mage's fireball, leaving behind only an oddly shaped, flecked ring and a pile of ashes.

[Inkira]

Elralia wakes up again, from the same horrible dream. This time she remembers almost every detail. The feeling of dieing, flashing lights, and assassin. She doesn't know why, but the dreams are worse every time.

[Gamling]

"Nnngh... fuck. Where...?"

Trapped in the dark, Lauan woke up in an incredibly tight space. Disoriented and wracked with nerves she took a moment to catch her breath. The stale, dingy air filled her lungs. Oxygen was quickly becoming scarce. With a grunt she managed to shove the lid of her prison up off of her, the heavy stone hitting the ground with a thud.

Darkness flooded into darkness as it was still too dark to see, though the air still tasted of undeath. She felt her way out of her prison, which had been a sarcophagus. Her mind raced while stumbling down a hallway.

"How did I get in there? How did I-" she topped in her tracks, feeling a weight on her finger that had not been there before, as well as one on her ankle. She reached down, prying the claw of a ghoul from off of her ankle and tossing it aside. A chill ran down her spine. A fear she hadn't felt in a very long time settling back in as the cold, dark necropolis walls closed in on her.

A dream. A nightmare. It seemed so very real, yet so very humbling. She looked down at her hand to the band wrapped around her finger... A warmth welled in her chest. It was comforting. Inspirational. For the first time in a very long time Lauan felt anew. Alive. Awake.

She smiled, the silent halls of the necropolis offering no resistance as she left for Aquor.

[Inkira]

Even more dreams come to Elralia. They are far more detailed, and familiar every time. Seeking help from an Illatamer priest, she was told to extinguish anything like evil clerics, and things of that sort. After killing two Clerics of Bane, Elralia returned to Sundren.

She didn't succed. The dreams keep coming, and she can't do anything about it.

[Thief Of Navarre]

Peligiri wakes up for the first time in several centuries without a thought in his mind and casts aside a crimsom ring on his hand that he cant remember aquiring.

"Hmmm, Ilmare; why do you not haunt me this night?"

He rises early and makes an undue inspection of the grimaxe hold. he slaughters hundreds of orcs while they sleep in vile retribution.

[Silas North]

A stream of smoke rises from the Viridale prepared altar cast to the skies by the hungry flames consuming the fallen form set upon the collection of wood and stone. Several eyes turn down and several mummured prayers escape the lips of those gathered around the altar. Amongst their number are individuals both in robes and in leather. Their prayers rise with the smoke to the skies in hopes that the gods of nature will hear them and guide their fallen friend to the reward he deserves for his life of service. Not far off a bard leans against a tree, stringed instrument in hand. He adds an accent of sadness, and respect to the prayers that have reached a sort of chanting at this point. Both voice and music carry on through the night.

Afterwards, there is talk about how the ranger Franklin Greene passed from this world. Osclow answers, though there is clearly uncertainty in his own words. "He was killed in a dream.. arm broken, slashed by... 'something'. I suggest all of you keep yourselves aware of your surroundings and if you find yourself someplace where you feel you do not belong, do not stray from those that are with you."

((PS: Not godmodding. I was asked to do this by a dm lol))

[TheBrogueadier]

The druid Sulfur watches the plume of smoke rise high above the Viridale, his thoughts with the soul of the ranger as it no doubt climbs that plume to the heavens.

Late in the evening the druid slips away from the group, letting the music and chanting drop to a distant susurration. Elements of the dream play across his mind; those man made bars that trapped and caged him, that threatened to leave him a maddened wreck, a caged thing to be mocked and laughed at by paying customers.

His pace quickens, his movements sharper and more erratic as replays the events again, the bars, as real as cold iron; the livid straight edged bruises across his back were testament to that. The mocking looks of those others in the dream when he struggled against the cage.

There was no doubt in his mind, whatever this was was due to Exigo workers, their insatable digging they must have disturbed something, or their mages called upon something to attack the grove. Such an attack would not go unpunished.

Deep within the woods he screams, a bestial and heartfealt roar of anger and frustration, one that rapidly becomes the gutteral roar of an angry bear.

[DM_Equinox]

One night soon thereafter, a very shaken looking Exigo Guard solemnly pours his last bottle of spirits into the campfire, tells a certain woman that they have to stop seeing each other and spends his entire salary for a gold ring engraved:

"To Martha, now and forever the woman of my dreams"

(( feel free to add your event experience if you were part of it ))

[Gamling]

"Her heart underneath, cries quietly. This part of me I choose not to see..."

The soft pitter patter of rain drops colliding against the Thayan knights metal armor soon began to fade. A flicker of light, a deep breath of air, and then silence. The only sound was her heart-beat, which rang in her ears with each pump of blood. She climbed to her feet with a discomforted groan and-

"What lives must I take for fealty's' sake? How much blood must stain this warriors blade?"

The words pierced her thought and clouded her mind. Unable to think her own thoughts in what seemed to be a surreal, nightmarish world with twisting and turning caverns... it was like before. Fear crept in at what she might encounter, though this time she was not alone. Standing around her, as puzzled as the knight were familiar faces from the Exigo.

"...put on my mask, I'll go where they ask so I might once again feel warmth like yesterday."

Why does it persist? She thought to her self angrily. The knight and the four others made their way through the dark, narrow corridors of the caves. Fighting their way through sharks and gelatinous monsters made of... food? It didn't make any sense.

"Staining my soul and stinging my eyes, the red on my hands wont' wash away wash away..."

Light pierced the darkness as the end of the cavern drew near. "There's the exit," one of the four chimed in. "Perhaps we can find out where we are from here..." Lauan remained oddly silent. Anger faded, aggression gone... all that she felt was sorrow and despair. The glowing, warm ring on her finger did well to comfort her.

"Cage of the kings, no need for wings. So turn them to stone, roses to bone..."

She had long given up on trying to block out the persistent words permeating her mind and soul. Her focus resided solely on over-coming their next obstacle. Before the group laid something that would render the most well traveled adventurer awe-stricken.

Upon the barren cliffs of a darkened land-scape were two dragons. One born of day, the other of night. They fought ferociously... her vision faded as the words seemed to materialize before her very eyes.

"When you look at me, what do you see? This costume I weave, disfiguring me..."

By the time sense had settled back into the woman she was already moving, dodging and dancing past the dragons feet, following after what looked like... Leckith? It must be. In her dream? Or was it her dream? Leckith had made his way to a bush behind the dueling dragons, and buried within the leaves were... berries?

None of this made sense, but the dragons... they stopped. They spoke, their voices hypnagogic, making her very...

"Storm clouds are creeping closer, danger is drawing near. Why am I not protecting all that I once held de-"

Stop! Stop! Stop! Lauan shouted within her mind. She reopened her eyes, Leckith had disappeared... the dragons were dueling once more. Her form felt weightless, fluid.

The ring on her finger burnt relentlessly, begging for attention. In her drowsy state Lauan obliged and held her hand out in front of her. A green spark of light shot from the ring, knocking the knight out cold...

...silence.

"Follow the blade before you, fear fall and courage rise. Leave all your tears behind you, far from where innocence lies..."

The sleeping men and women in Exigo slowly stirred, rousing from their sleep. The soft pitter patter of rain drops replaced the sounds of a nightmarish void. Her head throbbed, her throat was tight and her chest heavy. Her eyes were red... had she been crying?

"No, couldn't possibly..." she murmured to her self, though it was likely the contrary. She laid in the mud, too exhausted to move just yet.

"Led here by fate, no longer afraid. So now here I lay, wallowing in dismay."