Run Report: Wolf - Sun AM

[Greg Nelson]

Sun Mar 19 2017 11:07

DM: Wolf

Party:

Usidore - Wizard from Salot

Tarvellek - Paladin from Salot

Misrandir - Druid from Sahra'

Nesbit - Druid from Fairie Kingdom

Mordelaine - Rogue from Fairie Kingdom

Weslyn - Ranger from Sahra'

Darrak - Fighter from Sahra'

Almen - Sorceror from Salot

Half-Claw - Barbarian from Alcheringa

Last night, Gargravarr's dream barrier was knocked down.  We are going into his mind to fight him on inside while others guarding us are fighting on outside.

People's Republic of Isthmion staged naval battle against Isle of Light.  In addition the nine of our party, there is a guy who walks strangely - Nagalia the dream serpent (Nesbit has met him in true form).

We are arranging ourselves as spokes on a nine-spoke wheel; the other party is protecting us.  Nagalia is setting us up and then going away.  He's not sure if he'll live or not.  Protect her (Nesbit).  Protect her, for she protects my child in this gem (size of a halfling head).

"Rest, breath in the incense."  His form is blurring slightly.  As he walks he seems to get larger, more hunched over, his arms retract into his body, gets scalier, wings sprout up from his back, until he is rainbow feathered serpent.  If he could stand he'd be 15 feet tall.  Slithering around, wings outspread, more colors than you can fit into your mind.  Know where you are, know where to come back to, don't get lost there.  As he comes around you, you realized your head doesn't come all the way around, in the one second of turning your head to see him you can't remember what he looks like.  When you have an amazing dream and 10 seconds after you awake you caon't remember the dream any more.

Eventually, your eyes close, we wake up in a scene.  We recognize the guy in the middle as Gargravarr.  In order to gain immortality, each of us had to meet him.  He's in a circle of people.  "Someone is here."  None of them can see us.

"Someone is in my mind.  You four, find them - kill them and bring me their heads.  If they're here, your lives are forfeit, your worlds are forfeit, just like your worlds were destroyed by me. Will be again.  Will make sure your spirits don't float in the void to be..."  Fogs close in again, and we're left there anone.

We're in an open expanse, in his mind.  We hear little pitter patter, people running up to us from behind Nesbit.  Physical form here same as in outer world, but anything torn or dirty is repaired and pristine.  

Only since dreams have been sent from Alcheringa can elves even understand what dreams are an it takes force of will to remain here in this dream world.

Alcheringa a dream world where you could alter reality just by wanting it/dreaming it.

A halfling running up, a little off.  "Not here to join you, here to show you.  Need to show you all of them, you'll be so impressed.  All of the things he's been."  A whole bnch of bodies, giants, dwarves, dragon-born.  This is what we've all been.  Stretches on into infinity.  Each one of these is what we've turned into.  Not what we used to be.  You know how you seem to find your mind and your glorious memories that don't belong to you.  We're the sum of our experiences so aren't we glorious."

"Where do they come together - all of them?  They come together here.  We know you're here, you might as well make the most of things."

"I am Gargravarr, he is Gargravar."  He would fight dragons, respawn and, heep on fighting.  "I don't know who the first is any more."

"Do you know you're all tied to the heart at the center of this gold coin?"

"I give these worlds that I devour, that we devour, I give them the opportunity to be devoured.  You all help me nibble a little bit every time you die.  You don't appreciate what you do.  Some of you may have protected me, or benefiteed me.  No one can see into the mind of Gargravarr.  That little bit (from Fey) allowed me to get all the rest."  The basis of illusion that allowed him to eath the hearts of other worlds, where he was able to deceive them into believing he was joy and flowers while.

All of the forms we see are all grasping at their faces.

"I know of that mask that was put on me, and it won't stop me."

A group of us start attacking the enemy, the halfling.  Many are fading away, about 25% of them have faded, halfling grabs his face, smoke curling up, then he fades away.  Bats swooping down.

Water is rising around our feet.  Things from our nightmares are coming up in this world.

Gargavarr dies (other party); becomes total absence of light, even darkvision doesn't work.  No water any more.  When we bring out a sphere of light, it comes out like the dawn.

Nesbit scrys for Gargravarr.  Before 10 minutes is up, the light starts to slowly brighten, and we're on top of the mountain that we saw before.  As we look around the forms that we had destroyed before are all scattered around, mountain at the center.  Spread like a gridwork 5' apart forever.  Feel in our feet a heartbeat.

There's something on the bottom of the mountain, a humanoid form, a little bigger than a man, trying to climb up the mountain.  Would take him to minutes to half an hour to climb.  Heading towards him to meet him, looking for caves along the way.

Cold, windy, no precipitation, some lichen on rocks.

There are small caves, large enough for small humanoid to sit in, nothing large enough to explore.

As you get closer down, he's entered into one of the large caves, can't see him any more, but we know which cave.  There's a light coming from inside - flickering light from around a corner.  There's general ambient light out.  We walk in.

There's sort of a nest - a cloak over a pile of leaves.  Larger than humanoid size.  There's a narrow crack in the wall, seems new.  This is where heartbeat sound is coming from.

Dolls & religious totems by the fire.  Primitive tribal gods.

Grey mass floating in the air with slits with teeth.  There is an individual on far side of it.

"If you are not here to battle, then why are you here?  For knowledge, to know how I did it?"

"The time for battle is past."

"The time for battle is now.  Don't you think ..."

He waves his staff around and the thing in the middle uncurls, is replaced by three humanoid shark things.

-- Battle --

Mordelain casts Tasha's Hideous Laughter on Gargravarr, who appears in this context as a knoll, and we had a laughing hyena for much of the battle.  After we defeated several lightning shark monsters (team effort led by Half-Claw drawing their attach, and a particularly amazing set of blows struck by Darrak) and they wound up reverting back in the toothed grey heart, Mordelaine cast a phantasmal force and caused Gargravarr to believe that his heart had been stolen.