Back into the World

27 Gaiztoak — Late
Brida marched into my room with Duraz’s kilt and accused me of hiding him after he had supposedly absconded off to sleep with me?! I am hard pressed to think of much funnier. I whacked the stupid stone floor with some of the things in my quiver a while to rouse him and then left them to sort out themselves. I did catch Brida asking Duraz if he fucks the stone, and while this was hilarious, I’m too tired for this shit right now.
 
28 Gaiztoak - Morning
I just had the weirdest start to the best dream ever. I fell asleep—and I mean actually asleep again. The dream pulled me in, and I soon found myself at the entrance of a carnival with a giant Keenor at the entry gate. He said, “ONE GOLD PIECE,” which I had in my pocket. Giant Keenor then ate it, but he let me enter.
 
It was an almost point-for-point replica of the carnival I conjured for Rue in my house. I originally thought my subconscious had so thoroughly recreated that day that it added Rue, because I saw him across the way, but then I noted how confused and alert he looked. Why would I have conjured him in that state? I slowly moved in an arc into his line of sight, hoping to catch his attention and judge further whether he was a figment of my imagination, but I got distracted by a gigantic guard disrupting my path. I ended up deviating to the beverage merchant and acting that part out, again to see how the Rue behind me reacted.
 
He eventually approached, we bought a “potion of fun,” and he told me with disarming earnestness that though he knew I wasn’t real, it was still really good to see me. I swear, this man is even sweet to versions of me he thinks are imaginary. In moments like this, I am overcome with how much I adore him. After a little back and forth, we tentatively determined that we believe both of us to be real, and from that moment we were stuck together like two magnets—that is until the guards got mad at us for being inappropriate in a children’s zone and tried to put us in time out. (It didn’t last long once Rue started using AE on the unassuming puppet-stuffed animal-butterfly-glitter… things.)
 
It had clearly caught us both off guard to be here, because our information exchanges and conversations and sweet nothings all came out jumbled together. I fucking missed him. We covered a lot of ground, and I have no idea how long we were together or if time passed the same in the dream as outside. But we discussed Ella, Jarlaxle and all that was wrapped up in that, most of what has been happening on this end, my death and resurrection, and next movements. I withheld some things, telling him there was more to say but I would feel better about it with Duraz present and somewhere secure in Waterdeep.
 
I then finally told him the story of Starinya and Danos, couching it as a story that Percy had found and recounted to me. At first it seemed to work, and I could tell Rue was trying to figure out if he had studied this before. I think it was something about my expression, though, that tipped him off that this was more than just a story—he got far more pensive and thoughtful after recognizing that I had personally already made my decisions about what this meant and if it applied. And then he said, “I told you we’d be together forever.” We took some time to demonstrate this commitment before the discussion turned to efficiently discussing safety measures and leaving the dream for Ella’s sake.
 
Saying goodbye honestly felt like someone was crushing my torso in a vice, but I did wake up mirthful for two reasons: (1) To end the dream, Rue turned to a guard and said, “Excuse me, sir, I can’t find my parents.” (2) Oghma, determined to have the last word, forced himself to say, “I’m glad [Ella] did that for you.” It did sound like he struggled through the sentence, honestly.
 
Action Item: We all need amulets to protect us from scrying.
 
28 Gaiztoak - Late Morning
Duraz has been sleeping far longer than normal. I’ve bothered Brida thrice now as I came by to ask if he was up yet. She’s already made breakfast, too. Things are a little weird after last night’s accusations, but I feel that we can overcome this in time.
 
28 Gaiztoak - Even Later Morning
Duraz finally awakens. Brida asked Brenri to bring Roscoe in, and the four of us settled in for a conversation. Blackthorne remains in the tourist area, apparently comatose, and Seksgar has turned an entire room of this palace into a winter wonderland in his recuperative slumber.
 
Both Roscoe and Duraz indicated they had had heavy dreams, which was a nice change of pace for me, seeing as my dream was delightful. Roscoe first gave us a rundown of his mirror conversation with Myri, namely that:

Fern and her companions have not made much progress, and in fact, they seemed to be having a rough go of it so far. Myri had seen them via a scrying spell making their way through a forest, chased by giant bugs.

Tantras continues being utterly besieged, and the word Roscoe brought back was that they can hold out a little longer, but the situation gets more dire by the day.

Roscoe suggested that Rue would be very mad at Duraz over the Rose situation, and Roscoe said it was good that Rue didn’t know yet. I said I thought I had told him already, but couldn’t be sure. If that dream really was real… I wouldn’t have done anything differently, though. Ma’len and I don’t lie, even by omission.

Myri intends to come with us to Tantras.

With news of our reality out of the way, we shifted to talking about the boys’ dreams. Roscoe told us about his shadow friend. Some words were exchanged, and Roscoe got a lot more than he bargained for this time, though shielded by his “friend.” If my recollections are correct, he withstood technically seeing Baeylor’s essence in shadows, something that would drive most crazy. I’ll have to read more into what we know of Baeylor using dreams and peripheries of consciousness to reach mortals. I don’t know if the gravity of it really sank in for Roscoe. He wisely suggested we keep his connection to his friend even more secret than we currently do. Duraz had a hell of a montage in his sleep, apparently. He spoke with Kain (and sort of Nathara), Chendes, the Trinity, and Lepota, all in one night. He (probably unreliably) told us how each encounter went, and both he—and Brida, for a spell—seemed a little put off with how adamant the pantheon is about protecting me. That title emerged again, too… Chosen of the Prime. Another weighty fact that I think only Dream Rue really grasped.
 
Of interest to me in Duraz’s long divine dream, too, is how much time the gods, especially the Trinity and Lepota, spent coaching him on the power of love as magic. I still don’t know that he understands how much he has hurt Rose, nor do I believe he sees that the ripples of his choices impact not just himself but all of us surrounding him. I don’t envy Brida in the slightest right now. I think I can talk Rue down from any violence against Duraz, but I make no guarantees about psychological punishment.
 
Duraz also came away from his god interactions with a few more nuggets:

He learned the moons are sending stones, which gave me great amusement to remember when I learned this.

He confirmed the Chosen of Mirkul is the cause of Tantras’ problem.

Taika’s condition and whereabouts are of great concern to Duraz, as they are for us all.

Of interest to me in this rundown was:

Brida’s change in demeanor and regard for Duraz as a result of these interactions and his recounting. Without knowing her better, it is hard to properly read her expressions with great fidelity, but there has clearly been a change within her when it comes to her marriage and purpose.

What I used to think was deliberate obstinance in the dwarf I now see as a shocking degree of mental rigidity, perhaps even a functional fixedness of mind that extends beyond conceiving of new uses for familiar objects.

I am unsure if Duraz accepts his importance in the grand scheme of things. After all, he spoke to a substantial portion of the pantheon in his dream escapades.

I need to decide if it was more trouble being the only person of apparent elevated importance or if it is actually being the one who has to coach her idiot friends through what it means to be important.
 
28 Gaiztoak - Afternoon
I guess it should be of no surprise to any of us that Brida and Duraz were fighting—loudly. The thing is, it came out of nowhere, and so those of us that were around (Roscoe, Brenri, and I) thought there surely was something attacking or causing them harm, but when we arrived with weapons at the ready, we found the newlyweds fighting over the petals and stones Duraz had collected in Lepota’s realm. Brida was demanding to know why Duraz would need to give “her” a present and Duraz protesting that “she’s” a druid. When the fighting boiled over and Brida walked away from Duraz, I followed in order to speak briefly and provide context without absolving Duraz.
 
Wise One only knows how long we will have things bubbling up like this.
 
29 Gaiztoak - Morning
We will be leaving shortly. Our commissioned items are all finished (my armor is, quite honestly, immaculate—they did an excellent job meeting my exacting demands), our supplies acquired, and our hesitant plan set. I no longer know who I should truly consider part of this party—Brida seems to be a permanent addition, but she’s the easy one. What of Dalen, Ruggam, and Brenri? Brenri and Ruggam will leave once we reach the coast, but Dalen is stickier. Nonetheless, the seven of us sat to talk, gather our things, and head out.
 
29 Gaiztoak - Late Morning
Some hasty notes as I ride the back of Duraz’s giant eagle form. The battle last week has scarred the land and made it unreadable from on foot, so it is good we took to the skies. Between the dragon’s force damage trenches, the general chaos of warfare, and the earthquakes and changes to flora and fauna resulting from its death, this land is not what it was a handful of days ago. It was very unsettling to see, especially from above.
 
Duraz and I spotted the faint symbol of Lolth still lingering in the sky over the orc town, and when we went over to check on it momentarily, we saw the young orc boy running across the area, tired, thirsty, and beat. He had been traveling with Fern and her companions, and this left an uncomfortable pit in my stomach to know he was separate from them. That doesn’t bode well for anyone.
 
Also, I sent Rue a message telling him we left, asking if the dream was real, and letting him know we were following after Fern. The first words he said were, “Duraz is a dead dwarf.” This might seem like an off putting first sentence, but it confirmed for me without a doubt that I had, by the grace of Ella, truly been with him.
 
29 Gaiztoak - Midday
Still on Duraz’s back. We think we rallied help for the orc boy. We also found signs of the three we’re tracking, deviating significantly from their path. There are treacherous things—enormous ants and rock slides, primarily at this point. I grow more worried the longer we give chase.
 
29 Gaiztoak - Evening
As the sun began to fall, Dalen suggested we make camp. I said I needed a secure base but could control the rest of our night’s protection. Duraz helped identify a suitable rock outcropping and then ferried people up to it, making it not necessary for anyone to make the treacherous climb.
 
Working on creating the dome was an interesting experience. If you had asked me, I would have expected to feel more embarrassed and self conscious about what I was doing, but instead, I found myself approaching it in a very matter-of-fact manner. I had no doubts I could do this—I’ve done it dozens upon dozens of times now. I found it no bother whether any of the new dwarves did or did not believe I could do it. I had done and would do it, whether they believed or not. It was a delight, though, to watch Brida and Dalen immediately grasp the planar boundary, which I think is a reflection of their willingness to accept obscure and strange magic. Brenri and Ruggam were not so easily convinced. Maybe they’ll learn to have faith in the strange half-elven horizon walker before they depart.
 
We quickly negotiated watch shifts for the night, and I checked on both Blackthorne and Seksgar—neither has had a chance in status, for better or for worse. With every day that passes, I get more worried.
 
30 Gaiztoak - Morning
I pen this from an extradimensional hiding place atop my rope as we wait to see if we can survive. More on that later.
 
This morning, as we ate, went about our respective morning routines, and broke down camp, Duraz went off to go speak to Rose. I admit part of me was curious if she would already know, given that I’m sure Roscoe spilled to Myri and since yesterday’s confirmation that Rue and I did in fact speak, he could have told any number of his family members. That conversation went about as someone who knows Duraz Stoneheart should have expected…
 
The highlights (lowlights) included him unceremoniously telling her the matter at hand, heavily implying he never had any affections for Rose. He dumped a series of other bits of news on her throughout, about the rest of the party, our journey, our concerns about Fern and her companions, and things that had happened to that moment. Rose warned Duraz not to speak to Rue or Ash “for a while.” Then, probably most gut-wrenchingly, Duraz didn’t end the mirror connection when Rose decided to leave, and we heard her talking to one of the awakened creatures (I think) about how “he never loved [her]” and how she will be “stuck in one place, forever, alone.” I tried to explain to Duraz how that could have gone… better.
 
Myri then called Roscoe and said Rose had left the temple entirely, leaving her mantle on the floor. Myri also confirmed that because I told Rue, he had told Rose already, which explains the flat affect and level of highness Rose had in the call I heard. Myri recommended we make ourselves scarce when we get to Waterdeep. Roscoe then asked Myri to scry on Fern and her companions, which led to nearly immediate hysterics from Myri. While Fern was alive, one of her compAnions had fallen and anOther was unwell. She communicated their physical location to us the best she could, and we made haste from camp.
 
We found the grAve, then followed after Fern and her remaining cOmpanion, rushing through the trees and diving down to where the trail led. We found Fern, but scarcely a half dozen paces from the tOmb of her second companion, also freshly fallen. Fern was distraught. She still is. We are close to the coast, close to a teleportation opportunity… we will gather their bodies or else rush to Waterdeep for reinforcements who can raise them. We will try. I do not truthfully know what we can do, but we must try.
 
And now we wait—I burned my sending stone’s charge to tell Dalen where to find us and to hurry. We have thirty-five or so minutes left up here.