westwhere | a little dream of her

a little dream of her | part i

A LITTLE DREAM OF HER

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This is the first of two logs covering the Dream county travel Arc — it stretches until 23 April OOCly and covers roughly one IC week. There is an entirely optional wedding mystery plot, which will depend heavily on information gathering, sharing and deduction, rather than on supernatural powers.

Boarding scenarios for existing and new characters are covered under the Old Timers and New Arrivals header, respectively. Click on the tabs for details!

OLD TIMERS

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Absorbing Wrath, Licyn and Yelena’s feedback, King Deimar of Alem decides against joining his brother Haiva in ‘noble sacrifice’ to hell. Good news for the party, who depends on royal savvy to reach Alem’s otherworld transport beacon, buried in the labyrinthine tunnels beneath crumbling Alem.

■ Deimar and his paladins guide small groups back to the beacon — but the keypoint’s war-drained energies only let a handful of party members out. Characters who have dropped or been swept by AC during Arc VI go home. You can also canon update your character now.

The party must heads onwards east, boarding a dreamy train at a station near Hassir. Here, find exotic stalls with wares once intended for Alem — from the latest travel fashions, to unlucky artefacts, heavy alcohol and narcotics. You can even purchase a domestic ghost.

Whether the Merchant supplies a ticket or false staff uniforms for you to proactively sneak aboard, don’t dally — this train runs like clockwork.

NEW ARRIVALS

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You wake up to claustrophobia, ash and gravel in your mouth — and a sense of urgency: run. Midway through a slovenly, rattling underground corridor, you meet an irritable woman, who leads you out, at the foot of a serene, smoke-topped mountain.

The woman passes you a pendant that allows you to understand her and to communicate with others like you. You are one of many otherworlders brought into Akhuras by undead lords who seek to weaponise you, as they battle humans and each other for dominion. Don’t believe her? Look up. The holy citadel Alem yet burns before the dead armies of Rahakku.

The woman is Karsa, an associate of the elusive Merchant, who collects and leads otherworlders east, where ancient beacons can transport them home.

Regrettably, you’re late — you arrived with the unexpected last gasps of Alem’s dying beacon and must now catch up with the others, who’ve departed on the Sandman train express.

WHY THE LONG FACE?

Karsa barters for a carriage led by two nightmare horses, along with several such steeds for confident riders. These are mercurial mounts and dizzyingly fast — your only shot to reach a train travelling through Dream county.

■ Karsa warns you must not fall asleep during travel. The horses will invade your nightmares, consuming your vital energy while you suffer asleep.

■ Talk at all times or sound the shrill silver bells Karsa provides to wake up any sleepers.

You reach the seaside village of Kyari, where you must board the incoming Sandman express. Regrettably, the horses have left Karsa with just enough coin for one ticket for the wounded Dean Winchester. Everyone else: make do.

You must also help Karsa sneak in fist-sized, forbidden dream boxes. Try to avoid the Sandman’s guards and their canine sentries, who scent newly boarding passengers for such contraband. Return the boxes to Karsa once on the train.

You’ve got 45 minutes to board, once the Sandman reaches its rustic station. Some options?

■ Play stowaway and break the rustier locks of the economy class cars.

■ Sweet talk the depressed Conductor. You bought, but just… forgot your ticket.

■ Distract the guards while your group boards, so they can sneak you on after.

■ Plant dream contraband on another would-be passenger, when the dogs draw close.

■ Ride one of those god-forsaken horses and jump on top of the train once it starts moving, then make your way in through ceiling hatches. God help.

A fully veiled young woman might lend you a hand.

THE SANDMAN

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All aboard… the Sandman, a majestic 100-car train that gallops on an emaciated railway across Dream county. Ghosts and dream residents wave as it passes by.

The Sandman stops once after leaving Alem, at seaside village Kyari, before crossing the abyss of the Cradle — the turbulent, storm-prone birthplace of dreams, where it is constantly night-time.

Some say the Cradle is only a cauldron for those who steal dreams or make them into living things. Others say the Cradle has its own mind.

To avoid igniting dream storms, passengers are strictly prohibited from carrying dream tokens and performing dream magic. Characters find their powers are significantly reduced while travelling on the Sandman.

New arrivals join the Sandman at Kyari with group caretaker Karsa, who introduces them to the old party.

■ The Sandman offers exquisite single-person compartments with en-suite bathrooms for First Class passengers, while Second Class travellers share generous cabins in pairs, and up to four voyagers can bunk up in… cozy Third Class cabins. Shared bathrooms and a small sauna cabin are also available.

■ You can hide in the staff, luggage or coal stock rooms.

■ You can decide your character’s First/Second/Third Class, staff or stowaway status. (Pick a job for staff!)

■ The LOST & FOUND booth contains an assortment of clothes and items forgotten by passengers, which you can raid (within reason). Latest findings: cigarettes, medical-grade opiate powders, a a beautiful green dress and pink striped men’s suit, all brought in after the Sandman leaves Kyari.

■ Amenities range from dining & bar carts to game, exercise and cinema halls where the (PG-13!) pleasant dreams you’ve gambled away can be viewed freely, or passengers can hold recitals or seminars.

■ You can gamble in regular currency or pleasant dreams (not memories).

■ Travellers are polite and social. You learn early on that you share a voyage with renown heroine and First Class passenger Firo, who, alongside her friends and sister party, picks up her bride Prassenze from Kyari.

■ Within two hours of leaving Kyari, the sky begins to darken, becoming pitch black and occasionally loudly stormed. It stays a starless night time throughout your journey over the Cradle.

■ For communal safety, windows and doors are locked and magically enforced shut after the train departs Kyari. The nightmare storms within the Cradle region crackle with highly chaotic energy that can (re)shape reality, endangering passengers. Deputy conductor Michel Bauc holds the window and door keys. An irritating, tinny, train-wide alarm sounds if anyone tries to force a window open.

■ You might sometimes find fellow passengers trying to exit the train or open the windows to join the storms, while they nap. Do wake up them up.

■ Whether you’re an insomniac or don’t typically need sleep, you find you fall instantly asleep at midnight and awaken refreshed by 8 a.m.

■ A skeletal crew serves the Sandman at night. The most authoritative figure is gloomy Conductor Rossakoff, who slinks silently across the train.

THE MENU

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Trot down to the dining carts for an unforgettable meal included with your ticket. Formal evening attire is expected during dinner. Some courses are lightly sparkled with stimulants that deepen certain aspects of diner’s emotions during the meal — this is not disclosed ICly, but visible to you OOCly in the menu. (ex: the Ham and Laughter Eggs triggers roaring laughter and a good disposition ).

BREAKFAST

SUPPER & DINNER

SNACKS & BEVERAGES

DREAM SMUGGLERS

The new arrivals helped Karsa bring contraband aboard, but they’ve steps to go to their final destination. The sorceress doles out fist-sized boxes containing precious dream fragments of happiness, sadness, fear, surprise, anger, guilt or disgust — explicitly prohibited cargo that regains its magical properties once aboard the Sandman.

Each box comes with instructions for drop off under a dining hall table at midday, under a roulette table by 6 p.m. or in the coal room by 8 p.m. Karsa says the deliveries are an explicit favour from the Merchant to an old (dream thief) friend aboard the Sandman.

■ Pair up for your run! Those who hold dream boxes feel their emotions to a player-chosen degree of intensity, throughout their adventure.

■ Beware the vigilant guards of the Sandman, who run frequent searches for illicit dream artefacts. Some bring dream-catching dogs who catch the scent of the dreamed things.

■ You may feel unusually sleepy while holding dream boxes. Doze, and you wake up to find your dreams have summoned a wo/man, child or animal whose temperament embodies the box’s emotion. They can’t help drawing attention, but slowly disappear within 30-60 minutes — wait, are those the guards?

■ Caught smugglers are locked into ‘jail’ cabins, while their contraband is placed in the office of Conductor Rossakoff. First-time captives can be bailed out at ludicrous expense or in exchange for maid service, but repeat offenders are jailed
for the rest of the voyage. Liberate your dream box back from the Conductor’s strangely barren, otherwise untouched compartment.

■ Successfully delivered boxes feed into the mystery of the missing bride. You mysteriously fall asleep to a sweet dream if you wait to meet the collector — and wake up to a feeling of wrongness, as if reality is mute and diffuse around you, before your hearing and vision resettle.

THE GROUNDHOG WEDDING: A MYSTERY

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Firo’s bride Prassenze boards the Sandman from Kyari. She comes alone, veiled head to toe, and only brings a modest case. She is short, thin, pale and shy, prone to silence and retiring to her cabin at the earliest opportunity — a far cry from boisterous Firo.

…so much so that Firo’s sister Lita and friends Dulcinea, Maiza and Attru tell anyone who’ll listen that Firo is marrying this girl after courting her for six months through correspondence. Even bashful Hugo admits the pair is… perhaps a little mismatched. This is their first in-person encounter.

■ The wedding party members plead or offer coin for you to coerce the loving pair to delay their marriage — or to sabotage the wedding, due to take place in two days.

■ An enthusiastic Firo meanwhile asks if you can help with celebratory clothing or wedding ornaments.

■ Shortly after, Lita appears lost in her thoughts and altogether not there, clutching a letter in hand, the day after the Sandman departs Kyari.

HERE COMES THE BRIDE... AGAIN

1.0

No one forgets their wedding night — least of all brave Firo, who, vows performed, makes merry with her group and timid bride over a magnificent feast in the dining halls. Everyone is invited.

The blushing bride is visibly infatuated with Firo, but overwhelmed by the loud, relentless social activity. She hardly speaks to anyone, other than Firo, whose friends complain increasingly loudly that Prassenze is aloof, a cold fish, and thinks herself above them.

Prassenze excuses herself to freshen up in her cabin. Nearly an hour’s absence later, a worried Firo checks up on her — finding the bride’s compartment locked from the inside. Once the door is forced open, the partygoers — and you? — discover the inside stormed, bridal veils discarded on the floors, and windows widely open as the Cradle’s nightmare tempests rage.

The bride has vanished.

Terrified, Firo questions everyone in earnest, accepting your assistance to find Prassenze.

2.0.

You wake up next morning to find everyone reliving the same wedding day, which only fellow otherworlders recall. Squinting outside, you see new landscape — suggesting the Sandman has covered a day’s journey.

The bride Prassenze is present again, but sharply different in appearance and manner. Now, she is closer to Firo in size, her build athletic. Her manner is brusque, assertive, commanding. Some in Firo’s group are put off, others frightened. Firo appears a little taken aback by her bride’s domineering nature.

During the second wedding, a drunk Maiza and Dulcinea quarrel with Prassenze, who doesn’t back down. A frustrated Firo tries to break the fight, verbally lashing out at her friends for drinking and at Prassenze for stooping to their intoxicated level.

Prassenze storms to her cabin. She is once more found missing, when searched. As before, her compartment was locked from the inside, the window is wide open, and her veils have been abandoned.

3.0.

You wake up to a third wedding day, with only party otherworlders recalling the past two days. Prassenze looks and acts differently from the first and second wedding day — now she is of average build and height, with an especially jovial, overly friendly manner, prone to laughter and pranks. This time, she drinks with Firo’s friends, plays (and wins!) at many of their card and dice games, humours their stories and even flirts — but is so devoted to Firo’s group that she accidentally neglects Firo herself throughout the day. Firo repeatedly tries to coax her to spend time together, but fails, and abandons her during the wedding feast — perhaps meeting you for a drink instead?

Realising she has driven Fire away, a distressed Prassenze once more withdraws into her compartment at the end of the (third) wedding night — and disappears, leaving the same clues behind as on the first and second wedding day.

There are no further repetitions and time passes regularly after the third wedding day. The morning after, apothecary passenger Rigolante mentions asks Conductor Rossakoff to conduct a search, as some of his herbs and measuring tools have gone missing.

■ Player characters can change events and investigate during the second and third ~~groundhog~~ wedding days. Regrettably, Prassenze still disappears.

■ Non-PC characters and the Sandman’s crew only recall the third wedding day.

■ Conductor Rossakoff says the number of dreamers whose dreams help propel the Sandman during the obligatory midnight-8 a.m. nap — what do you know, you were helping all along! — has stayed the same since leaving Kyari, meaning the bride is alive on board. No one seems able to find her… help a distraught Firo find her missing wife!

CAST & CREW

	FIRO Good-humoured, sincere and just heroine, renown for her many feats of bravery — from rescuing villages to outwitting sphinxes and challenging immortals. Loud and prone to laughter. Quick to tell everyone about her beloved Prassenze.
	CONTESSA LITA Doting older sister of Firo, married to a Count who prefers a quiet life at his countryside estate. Preposterously wealthy and fashionable. Life of every party.
	MAIZA Once a gifted mathematician, Maiza quickly realized there is more money for the modern man to make from his brawns than his brains. After retraining as a barbarian, he served as muscle (and accountant) during many of Firo’s adventures..
	ATTRU The prince of a distant land, some say descended from wolves. Walks among men to learn their ways. Looks young, but will mention at least three wives and five children in the first five minutes of conversation. Smooth.
	DULCINEA Redeemed mercenary, who once used to sell her sword to anyone with the coin to spare — some say, even the dead! Turned an honest leaf after meeting Firo, of whom she is very protective. At times still sinister at her edges.
	HUGO A pilot turned priest, or a priest turned pilot. Met Firo during his many travels. Soft-spoken, mild-mannered, but jittery, with the kind of thin nerves that suggest he has survived numerous fraught circumstances.
	RIGOLANTE An apothecary of exotic drugs and herbs. He had hoped to make his fortune in Alem, but arrived just as the fortress crumbled, before he could sell enough of his wares. Prays he will find better fortune east.
	CONDUCTOR ROSSAKOFF The gloom and doom of the Sandman, eerily tall, slinking and silent. Passengers prefer to deal with deputy conductor Michael Bauc because of Rossakoff’s intimidating and discouraging presence. Takes a hard stand on smuggling or passenger misbehaviour and all but worships the Sandman.
	PRASSENZE The all-veiled bride of Firo, boarding at Kyari. Not once, not twice, but thrice disappeared.

IC TIMELINE

Day 01: Boarding at Hassir/Alem (morning)

Day 03: Boarding at Kyari (midday); within two hours of departing, the Sandman starts journeying on the railway above the abyssal Cradle — the sky is pitch black at all hours, nightmare storms rattle the train.

Day 04: Lita begins to behave airily, as if she’s not quite present.

Day 05: First wedding (16:00) and wedding feast (19:00)

Day 06: Second wedding (16:00) and wedding feast (19:00)

Day 07: Third wedding (16:00) and wedding feast (19:00).

Day 08: Rigolante asks Conductor Rossakoff to enforce a search for his missing herbs and recipients.

QUESTIONS

NPC THREADS

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Kahl smiles, and squeezes in past the conductor. Back on the small train for now.

"Kahl not know ven-mo." He's not even sure he's pronouncing it right. "But, it okay. Kahl not leave anyone." And he stuck to that. Corpus captives tried to pay some times too, but that wasn't the point of why Kahl helped people.

"Where new guy from?"

Well, maybe Kahl won't accept Venmo but Buck will find a way to pay him back later. "I'm from Los Angeles." Then he shakes his head. "Uh, it's on Earth."

He looks a bit sheepish. "I'm Buck, by the way. Thanks for saving me out there, Kahl. Where are you from?"

Kahl would have to ask about Los Angeles later, but making sure new people understood this place was more important.

"Heh. Kahl from Earth." And he already knew that was going to need some explanation. "Buck know about alternate universes?" Kahl didn't when he arrived. He's had a lot of practice talking about it now.

"Alternate universes?" he asks, because he figured Kahl was from the future or something.

Somehow time travel seems more realistic than alternate universes.

"Guess, I mean, kind of? I've heard of them." Then he shrugs as he thinks about it. "Guess it's not that weird, since I'm already here." He's still debating whether this whole thing itself is a dream.

"Mm. Lots here. Lots of Earths. Kahl not know Los-An-jel-lees." He has to struggle to pronounce it, slowing down to get the sounds out. "Maybe others know." There were definitely people here who knew each other from off-world. Kahl was glad he didn't. His brothers deserved the chance to rest at home.

"Can go back with Beacon. That magic thing, in cities. Kahl stay here though. Find way to stop undead. Buck know about that part?" Karsa sometimes didn't explain much.

"Uh, kinda? The undead thing, I wasn't sure if she was being serious," he says. "Wait." He blinks. "She wasn't kidding about the undead thing? Like there's really just. Undead. Like zombies?"

For some reason after riding Nightmare horses and boarding this weird train, the zombies thing is really not sticking the landing for him.

Kahl shrugs. "It magic thing." There was a lot of magic here, and a lot back on Earth. But Kahl hadn't been taught about any of it.

"Kahl only know--undead lords take slaves. Kahl free slaves. That why Kahl stay." Nobody else from home had showed up among the people trapped here, but that didn't matter. This wasn't the kind of thing you could ignore, just because it happened to other people.

Well, that's fair. Buck thinks that he'd want to do that too, but he does have a lot going for him back home. And, well, he's no soldier. He just doesn't think he's the best candidate for this job. And he is a damn good firefighter.

"This undead lord guy seems like a piece of work. So how come we haven't decided to overthrow him?" he asks, because obviously it's easy to do that, Buck.

"More than one," Kahl corrects. "Lords got armies." And they definitely don't. "Have to fight sneaky." Kahl's used to that, but it means you fight where you can do good, then leave.

It can be frustrating when he wants to hit things harder, but he's survived long enough by knowing when not to listen to that anger.

Especially when other people aren't fighting like they should. "Locals, all different places. Some think undead not important. Some scared. Not focus on fight." He can understand with the ones that didn't know how to fight, that makes sense. The ones in charge should know better, though.

Kahl sighs. "This place complicated."

"Yeah, I can see that," he says, but then he reaches out and claps a hand on Kahl's shoulder. At least, if he comes closer and Kahl doesn't seem like he's going to move away. "Listen, I'm sure they appreciate your work so far, Kahl. You're doing a great deed."

He knows he just met the guy, but he's already stuck his neck out for him, a total stranger. And that means Kahl's pretty alright in his books, particularly since this is the reason he's staying.

"You're not scared of the undead?" he asks. Buck isn't, either, but also doesn't believe in the undead, or ghosts, so there's not really anything there to be afraid of. And if they're real, well, he'll deal with it. But he wants to know Kahl's perspective, too.

Kahl smiles, giving Buck a more careful pat this time. There's metal hands under his gloves, and he has to remember other people don't wear armor. "Kahl protect brothers too. Undead stole Kahl. Could steal brothers. Kahl not let that happen." He couldn't stop it yet, but he'd be there if anyone else got taken.

"Kahl not afraid." This place could get bad, but he'd survived worse. "Kahl choose to fight." That was the important part. Having the choice to fight, rather than being forced. He focused on that, while other people did what was best for them.

"What Buck do on Earth?"

"Buck fights fires," he responds. "So don't worry, I'm not scared of a little undead either."

But then: "I'm sorry about your kidnapping. That happened to me once. Not - with the undead, I mean, I was just held at gunpoint. My best friend too, they threatened his son, it ended up fine but. Sorry, that's not my point. I mean, I understand. And I want to help. As long as I've gotta be here."

"Ohh. Suppressor crew." That's a navy job, putting out fires on ships in combat. Specialist stuff. "Tough work. Good to have here." They'd definitely had some fires back in Alem.

But that explanation... That's a good reason to want to head back. Family and friends in danger is never easy, even after it's done. The brain sometimes doesn't let go of that idea for a while.

"Buck can see friends again soon." Not everybody had to stay here. Same way he didn't tell everyone to stay and fight back at home. Too many people, and it could get dangerous in different ways. "When we find beacon, be ready when it turn on--they not have much power."

He nods. "Okay," he agrees. "And thank you. I'll go home with the beacon, but you've got me until then." And then probably something will go wrong when he tries to go home.

But, he thinks about his friends and his family, and his team. And he'd do anything to be with his team again, because he's not sure he can do this without them and he knows that they're missing him, too.

Kahl smiles. "Good." He gives Buck another pat on the shoulder. "Kahl make sure Buck get home." And in the meantime, he'll try and figure out if anybody else here was from the same Earth as Buck.

"Can pay Kahl with stories about Los... Place where Buck from." Kahl usually keeps notes about these things in his cybernetics, so he'll remember new words. That only works when he remembers to do it in the first place. Whoops.

"Angeles. It's fine." He smiles.

"Wait. Where are you from on your Earth?" Because he wants to know more about this alternate universe. He's assuming Kahl's met other Earthlings from Buck's Earth because there seem to be more of them.

"An-je-les." He makes sure to make a note in his augments this time. He'll figure out how to say it better.

"Kahl live in forest with brothers." He won't get more specific, even here--his brothers deserve that secrecy. "If Buck not recognize Grineer, Earth very different."

That was the one thing that stayed the same--no matter who he met from Earth, it never sounded familiar. "Kahl not know Los-an-je-les. What that like?"

"It's... a mess. A big city, lots of buildings, tons of neighborhoods. It's sunny a lot, but it gets windy too, and it's been home for six years." A pause. "I grew up in Pennsylvania. There's a lot more forest up there. But - LA's nice. Never a dull moment."

"Well. I don't know. I might think everything's boring after this place."

"Kahl never see cities before this planet. Just army stuff." Some military bases could be too big to think about, but they weren't cities. They were places you stayed until you got sent out again. "Kahl's Earth almost all trees. No place for cities." There was Cetus, but that wasn't like Serthica or Alem here.

"Mm. This place weird. Lots of magic stuff. Buck's Earth have magic?"

He shakes his head. "Not unless you count sleight of hand magic." Which is not real magic.

"Wait, what kind of magic does Kahl have?" He doesn't usually refer to people in the third-person, but Kahl seems to like doing it, so Buck will just follow suit because he thinks it's more polite.

Usually when people imitate Kahl, it's to joke about how he speaks. But Buck doesn't seem to be like that. It's nice.

"Heh. Kahl not do magic." It's a fun idea, though. "Some back home can. Special." And strong. Stronger than the stuff here, but there weren't many who could do that.

This place, on the other hand. "This place have lots of magic. It get everywhere."

He nods. The fact that magic gets everywhere seems annoying to him, because he for one, has no idea what to do with it.

He's just a normal guy, from California, via Pennsylvania. Couldn't get more regular than that. But somehow he ended up here, on this train, trying to sneak in dream boxes, talking to this guy from a different Earth who hadn't even seen a city before he got here. It's just all so bizarre.

"Also uh, how do I get money here? I really do want to pay you back, but also. I feel like we've all gotta eat soon."

"Ask locals for trade," Kahl shrugs. "Kahl trade with hunting. Moving cargo. Guard duty. It work so far." It's been enough to keep him going, anyway. "Other people know better. Kahl not do job for money before." And he hadn't seen a reason to start, until he got here. He still prefers to just trade work for what he needs.

"Buck hungry? Train got food." Kahl points toward the dining car. It's weird food, but it still tastes good.

"Well, then I owe you a favor or two," he answers, but thinks he'll probably be happy to help Kahl anyway because he's so friendly and Buck is just that kind of a guy.

"Sure, Buck's always hungry. Come on, let's go eat. But... how weird are we talking?"

"Magic weird. Or drugs. Kahl can't tell." He's not sure why you would do either, but. "Makes big feelings happen. Kahl not know why they want sad food. Or angry food." That seems like something a cook wouldn't normally appreciate the results of.

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3point0 - 2023-04-19 22:31 (UTC) - Expand

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