I stretch, and pray for wisdom, and pray that He would guide me to the rabid badger if He wishes me to heal it, and/or to the brownies if He wishes me to make amends.

And then I set off for a walk in the forest, letting Him guide my paths...

The beauty of the forrest is even more open to you than before with what the sylph taught you of seeing clearly, of seeing the moments of perfect grace. You do see sharper, and at the same time with an artist's eye.

But then a corner turns, and you feel a rush of energy like pale lightning, like dark roots and ancient secrets, like the space between worlds and how it feels like to verse.

And in the center of a small clearing you see a 'man', fifteen foot tall, made of sticks, and grass, trees bent over, and small bits of stone. It doesn't take your sylph graced senses to see that it represents your versing companion, Day.

Of course, the look of stunned horror on the face of Lady Morrigan as she looks at you is a confirmation too.

And the feeling of massive powers hiding behind every blade of grass adds a notarized emphasis to the scene.

OOC: 'nother bad dice roll, this one a botch.  Of course, its an interesting question that I just considered. The miracle you were requesting might be simple enough that you can't botch it at this point. Oh well. 'The Magic Engineer' at GO was very good at doing that. He'd make spells that were unbotchable regularly. Onward with the story.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:17, Tue 28 Apr 2009.

OOC: Well, you did unbotchify me with the gray elf, so it all balances out in the end...  :p

BTW, didn't the brownie-under-the-bed happen at the beginning of the 4th day, and the sylphs happen later in the 4th day?  Or are we going to insert the sylphs after my departing for my walk, and before this encounter with Big Stick Day?  :)

I stretch forth my Sight and my telepathic senses as I gaze with some confusion upon the scene.

"Is that you, Lady Morrigan?  I seem to have lost my way, and this area seems... strange.  Are you real, or is this a vision?"

"You're dreaming, Oak." She says, and she turns from you. You look with your Sight, and see vast Powers arrayed in the clearing. Some of the columns of light, of swirling energy seem to tweak your brain until you realize they are going at right angles to reality.

Its not an optical illusion. Its just that you're looking at things that don't fit into ordinary space-time.

For a second, you realize what Lovecraft was trying to get at, at least in part. Squares that are triangular, and cones that are straight but bend at fourty-five degree angles spiral around you.

And it all condenses into the wicker man, and then through it to Somewhere Else.

And then you fall asleep. And you wake in Morrigan's garden on a silver couch.

"Had a good dream?" She asks.

OOC: What did my telepathic senses tell me?

BTW, is Day around when I wake up?

From the sunlight's angle and direction, what time of day would I estimate it currently is?  And what time was it when I fell asleep in the clearing during this "dream"?

I blink up at her, looking slightly disoriented.

"It was... strange..."

I relate the dream to her, as best as I can remember it...

"... and then I woke up here."

"What do you think the dream means?  Do dreams have particular significance in this universe?"

OOC: This post also serves as a friendly *bump* for my previous one in this thread...  :)

After my conversation with Lady Morrigan eventually concludes, I pray to the LORD for guidance once again, and again head out to walk in the forest, seeking rabid badgers, offended brownies, unoffended brownies, pixies, or whatever else the LORD may have in store for me...

You didn't have a chance to use your telepathy before you passed out.

Day is nearby working on his battle plans on a piece of paper.
"Dreams?" She looks at Day. "Sometimes, but sometimes a dream is just a dream. You are in a strange, and very magical place. That can affect Humans."

Its close to ten in the morning, which is about the same time it was in your 'dream'.

=================

You see a small lady sitting on a large mushroom. She's ten inches tall, green-skinned, with a few scales in her skin, clothed in leather, and armed with something that looks strangely mechanical.

She glances at you, and then goes back to her delicate work on what looks like a very complicated set of eyeglasses.

"One would think you'd never met a Wilderling. We're cousins of the Gnomes, but a mage a long time ago decided he preferred smaller so he altered our life code. You are of course, a Human. But not one of the warriors in the Fifties."

PT

OOC: What does she, and the surrounding scene, look like through my Sight?

I smile at her words.

"Indeed, I am new to this place, and you are the first Wilderling I've had the honor of meeting.  I'm John Oakmaster..."

"Please pardon my ignorance in advance, for I know not the ways of the folk hereabouts, and have already inadvertently offended a brownie today."

"That looks very interesting.  What are you working on?"

Like on the Mary Piper, you see a pattern of gears floating over her head.

"Its a system of peering through and separating out the various elements of reality. Glasses of Many Lenses."

She looks at you through her glasses with their many lenses, and gasped. She leaps to the ground, and bows.

"Forgive me my rudeness, O King." She's trembling.

PT

OOC: Ooooo!  Now *that* is interesting!  Does my sight give me that type of feedback in this world as well?  If so, did Lady Morrigan have any visible patterns?


I blink in surprise, and then, very gently, take her by the hand, and raise her to her feet.

"'Peace be unto you.'  I am but a humble servant of the LORD God Almighty, who is the King of Kings, and His Son and Savior, Jesus Christ."

"You need not call me 'King', but I would be honored if you called me 'friend'."

"Please tell me...  What did you see when you gazed upon me through your glasses?"

Lady Morrigan had pale lightning reaching into the sky, and dark roots going into the soil.  Seeing as the pale lightning also infused the skeletons, you think you know the symbol for necromancy now.

You raise her by using one finger to lift her arm.

"My lord, you may serve a greater king, but I saw a crown of fire upon your head."

She stands, but with her head bowed.

PT

I smile gently.

"I am blessed with the opportunity to walk through this lovely forest, but I will not be able to stay very long."

"I would dearly love to get to know you, and if possible, some of the other folk of this wood."

"Would you consider honoring me with your company?  If you were willing, it would be pleasant to walk and to talk together, and perhaps visit a few interesting places and people here.  But I don't want to disturb your work, or to be a burden..."

"It is no burden, my lord." She assures you. "Interesting? Would you wish converse with the Centaur scholar in waiting, or perhaps you might wish to talk with the Dreaming Trees? If you seek deep wisdom, and are willing to travel to the other side of the Elvenwood, the Crystal Sidhe are renowned, but their door does not always open back, and whoever goes in, is changed, or so it is said."

PT

I smile at her kind willingness to guide me, and ponder thoughtfully at the options as I cross-reference Tom's memories.  The scholar sounds interesting...  and the Dreaming Trees even more so.  And what of the pixies?

However, I realize that though I want to meet as many as possible, the highest priority is probably the Crystal Sihde, for I have important questions for them.

"I would love them all, but my time is limited.  How long would it take to travel to the Crystal Sidhe from here?  And what folk can be found more or less in that direction?"

"Oh, and are there pixies to be found?  My friend met one as he traveled..."
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:50, Mon 11 May 2009.

"If you carry me on your shoulder, I think a day and a half would bring us to the Sidhe." And so, putting deed to word, she climbs a tree, and leaps from it to land on your shoulder.  With both of you putting your will to it, the Road winds on quickly.

You're travelling from the southeastern corner of the Greenwood to the northwestern corner, and on the Pirate Gulf.

Halfway through the day, she bids you stop, and points out a collection of pixies floating over some flowers in a meadow.

She goes forward, speaks to them, and brings one back with her.

PT

I happily lend my shoulder to the task, and happily take the opportunity as we travel to get to know her, and learn more of the folk of the wood.  I start with simple things (what is her name?  family?  vocation?  hobbies and interests?), and gradually move on to deeper questions that will give me more insight into their lives and hearts and cultures.  I ask about their songs and stories, about the history of the folk of the wood, about differences between the various folk of the wood, etc...


I smile warmly, and give a friendly nod.

"Well met, friend.  I am John Oakmaster, a visitor to your fair wood, and I am honored to meet you.  'Peace be unto you.'"

If there seems to be a language barrier like Tom encountered, I gently repeat my communication attempt telepathically...

Her name is Alice. She has 272 brothers and sisters, and five thousand or so living relatives.  Her vocation and her hobbies are the same. She works with magictech. She is a nerd, like pretty much every other Wilderling.

She explains some of the details of the other peoples, but its from the viewpoint of someone who respects information, but does not care that much about other peoples except as customers. Its sketchy, and not deeply considered.

=============

*Peace be unto you.* The pixie replies. *You are not of the Fifty, nor are you a merchant. What brings you to our meadow?*

PT

"Two hundred seventy-two brothers and sisters!  That is far more than I have.  Are you one of the older siblings, or younger, or somewhere in the middle?  How old are you, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Magictech?  That sounds interesting!  Do you specialize in one type of device, like the glasses, or do you make many different types of devices?  What device creation projects have interested you the most?"

-=-

:: Among other things, I am something of a bard, and delight in meeting new folk, and learning of them, and exchanging songs and stories, and making new friends.  And a friend of mine met one of your folk while walking through these woods, and told me, so I hoped to have the opportunity of meeting you myself. ::

:: I am also a herald of a great Quest, a group gathering to travel to another universe, and help a folk in need defend themselves from a dangerous foe.  So as I travel, I bring these tidings, in case there are any who wish to join... ::

"I'm in the older one-third, and I have yet to reach my second century." She looks at you, and sighs. "I know you're wondering how. A typical Wilderling female has twenty kits at one time. And we have racial memory which rapidly develops. Its a strong influence on us."

"I make many different. But my favorite is Keys. I'd love to get my hands on Warreth's Key."

============

The pixie nods.

*We will be glad to trade story for story. And I will ask if there are any in need of glory and honor in order to impress their chosen lady.*

You pick up nine young pixie males eager to go on Quest in order to convince a pixie lady that they are brave and true.

You tell them a few stories, and they tell you a few romances, in the old sense of the word, of derring-do, of heroes, adventure, and the last is a comedy of misadventures by a hapless hero who never gets it quite right.

PT

"Among other things, I am something of a bard, and delight in meeting new folk, and learning of them, and exchanging songs and stories, and making new friends."

"Your racial memory sounds fascinating... and the LORD has given me the gift of telepathy during my travels.  By any chance, would you consider allowing me to read your thoughts, that I may partake of your racial memory, and preserve it in song?"

"You enjoy making Keys?  That is very interesting.  What Keys have you made that you most enjoyed working on?"

-=-

:: I thank you very much for volunteering, and perceive you indeed to be brave and true.  But I must be sure that you understand the nature of this Quest. ::

:: We shall leave this universe to do battle in another... and there probably will not be a way to return to this one.  So you shall be leaving behind everyone and everything here, not expecting to ever come back.  And the other universe does not support magic as strongly as this one, which may adversely affect you and your powers, though technology and psionic powers thrive more strongly there than here. ::

:: It is a worthy Quest and a grand adventure, with a new universe of wonders to explore for those who survive the coming battle.  But I do not want anyone to come, unless they first know well the cost, and choose knowingly. ::

I very happily exchange stories with them, choosing some from the Bible.  And I ask if they have any songs they would like to exchange.

OOC: BTW, how big are the pixies, compared to Alice?

"I would have to ask permission of the elders of my tribe before I did that, my lord." Alice replies.

She shows you some Keys she has.

"This one will open a lock made of brass. This one made of steel. This one will open a memory that has been forgotten. This one will, if freely accepted, open a heart to forgive the giver. This one will open a door inside a piece of paper."

She does not quite answer your question.

The Pixies talk to their beloveds, and four of the girls agree that venturing on the Quest counts as honorable all by itself, and worthy, and so you lose five Pixie guys, but gain four Pixie girls.

The Pixies are happy to exchange songs. But most Pixie songs seem to be drinking songs.

"That is more than fair."

"This walk and talk are lovely, and you are most kind to guide me.  I will be sad to leave this forest, but in a few days I must.  For I am a herald of a great Quest..."

I tell her of the Quest, with all the appropriate cautions, and ask if she is interested, and if she knows of others who might be interested...

"... and we shall be sent there by none other than Warreth, via his Key."

"Your Keys sound very interesting.  What does it mean to open a door inside a piece of paper?  Does that mean I could enter into a storybook?  Or that I could draw a picture of a place, and then enter it?"

"Could a Key be made that, when used upon an object from another universe, would open a door to that universe?"

-=-

I welcome the four pixie couples, relieved in my heart that I at least am not the cause of separating those in love.

I share some hymns, and see whether or not they have any other songs besides drinking...

And after an appropriate amount of time, I thank them for our time together, and take my leave, aware of the limited amount of time remaining to me in this forest.

-=-

Back on the road toward the Crystal Sidhe once again, I consult with Alice and the Pixie Octet.

"What other folk will the road to the Crystal Sidhe take us near to?"

:: And what are your names, my friends?  We shall share a long road together, so let us get to know one another... ::
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:36, Sat 16 May 2009.

She shows you, and it turns out that you can store solid items in a sheet of paper.

She's intrigued by the notion of other universes, and Keys to them, but it would require study.

They have no songs specific to their own race that are not drinking songs although they do have some songs used by many races.

========

You arrive the next hour at the Pirate Gulf, and walk up the beach. You're aware that it should have taken longer to arrive than it did. A headland rises before you, and you can see a path up through rough rocks to a cave entrance.

You walk in alone.

An empty cave, dry, well-lit, and friendly is before you.

A handsome man of some indeterminate race sits on a chair in front of you.

"Well met, Master Oak. You have time for three questions before you leave the Woods. As you know, we own many Doors, and usually the cave door you enter is the Siege Perilous, the leap into unknown, but it seems like gilding the daisy to send a Verser through such a door."

PT

I blink in surprise at the Key Alice shows me.

"That Key could be useful to me.  Is it for sale?"

OOC: BTW, was Alice interested in the Quest?

-=-

I compare the current scene before me to the one from Tom's memories.  Does my host have any resemblance to Tom's host?

I pray for guidance and wisdom, and ponder what three questions are most important to ask.

"Well met, and 'Peace be unto you.'"

"As you know, I seek to aid Tom Day in his Quest to deliver those he left behind in his previous universe from the threat they face."

"Question One: given our capabilities, and those of the allies that are joining in our Quest, and given the foes we face, what do we need to do, both now and after we return to that universe, to successfully defeat the foes that are awaiting us?"

I pause, listening carefully to the answer, before asking my second question.

"As you know, my journey as a Verser began when I was separated from my family and my home universe."

"You also know that doors can be opened between universes.  I believe that you can do so.  Warreth has a Key to do so.  Even I have the power to do so, when in a universe with a sufficient technology level.  But I do not have the means to control what universe the door will lead to.  And even if I had the power of Warreth's Key, how could my very own home universe be found, among the infinite choices?"

"I seek something not necessarily as powerful as Warreth's Key, but more specific.  Ideally, given an object from another universe, I seek the means of opening a door to that universe, arriving at the time that object was removed from that universe.  And ideally, this power would function successfully regardless of the level of technology, psionics, and/or magic supported by a given universe."

"Question Two: how may I obtain such a capability?"

I pause, listening carefully to the answer, before asking my last question...
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:32, Tue 19 May 2009.

"What would you give me for it that I might remember you to my children's children?" Alice replies.============The Crystal Sidhe does not look like the being Tom met, but he feels like him."You need to keep courage, have wisdom, and the blessing of fortune. Loss is possible, but so is victory."He tilts his head to the side."We the Crystal Sidhe control a network of nine hundred Doors that exist in three hundred twenty universes or other spaces, to use the term 'space' in its vaguest, broadest sense. That is to say, we are far above you, at this time, but on the scale of the Multiverse, we are small. Still, I would give you two clues. One is thus...."

He stands up and hands you a piece of paper on which are written a line of alien symbols. "Find the writer. He is great among your kind." And then he hands you a key.

"Give this key to the Magi Hadrian Superbia, but do not let go of his hand when you do."

He sits down.

"These are not answers, but places to search. I regret I can do little more, but call our name, and we will bring you to us for we have much interest in this problem you raise as well. When you have learned more, and come back to us, we will teach you our art of making Doors which may be of some aid to you, but you are still to young to miracles at this time."