Strange Aeons / Dreams of the Yellow King pt. 13 / Eire the 28th through Galen the 1st, 3592 CE / 8-18-22

Esp, Hemlock, and Mason awake from their most recent Dreamlands excursion to the disturbing realization that the Starling has been attacked while they slumbered. Zolkri has succeeded in aiding the crew of the Starling in fending off an attack by nightgaunts led by a byakhee, the same byakhee that may have been aiding Melissa Korova, the leader of the Cult of Hastur which members of the party previously drove out of Rushton. Though Captain Fred is grateful for Zolkri's aid, she is now wary of losing any more men to the types of disasters that seem to have followed the Starling since her departure from Rushton. No longer willing to travel at night, she and Zolkri concoct a plan to keep the ship's crew secure from attack, but it will lengthen their voyage, at least until they reach their next port of call in the town of Dabrile, two days further down the River Natra. Hemlock and Mason both offer to assist the Starling's crew, while Zolkri serves as a lookout for more attacks, leaving Esp to continue her research into the Dreamlands gifts the party must secure in order to win the favor of the Mad Poet. Meanwhile, Trakir suffers from terrible dreams as a result of his death in the Dreamlands. After two restless nights, Esp decides to intervene, drawing the nightmares upon herself. Trakir however, upon waking, thinks his restful night's sleep is due to the advice provided by Mason. The morning that the Starling arrives at Dabrile, Captain Fred asks the party to stay with the ship while she takes a landing crew to resupply and perhaps find some sailors to replace those killed in the byakhee attack. While the party waits for her return, Zolkri spots a squad of enforcers riding their way. The trackers work for the local warlord, Baron Morcar, and their leader, a masked woman dressed all in gray, demands to be allowed aboard the Starling to search for a fugitive, but Zolkri blocks her passage. When Esp asks the identity of their quarry, she is shocked to hear a familiar family name: Demaine, the same as Viktor Demaine, her missing companion from Stonebriar Asylum, the one she knew as "Kingfisher."