Sapphire:Sessions:20180210
Chalker and Shawna each "awaken in a dream" to the sound of a young woman giggling. Chalker says "Emmy feels happy." He notes that Ahn-Lee's room is vacant. We pass through the common room where a dozen people are having breakfast.
The weather is springlike; when Chalker asks someone the date, the incredulous response is "You don't even know the date? It's Blooming Time 15, 2436!" We conclude we are in a 'virtual' version of Rosemill; colors seem brighter.
A teenage girl carrying a water bucket stares at us. "We don't see many travelers like y'all. Strangers in town are not expected." Her mistress' name is Charlene, the Jewelry Maker. Chalker: "Does she have any nice emeralds?" "Yes, on consignment, being crafted for a lord." Chalker scans the girl's Aura; she is willful, idealistic, and a real person who has also been pulled into the dream.
We enter the shop. Charlene Mobley is an attractive middle-aged woman with bluish eyes and brown hair. Chalker pulls his emerald out of his pocket; it appears to have shrunk, and the "feeling" of Emmy is coming from elsewhere. Charlene explains, "Lord Zola wants an emerald set." Zola has ruled the area for a decade, since the Duke simply ceded this land to him. "He lives just outside of town, south, toward Ridell."
Back outside, a man is leaning against a wall. Neither of us recognize his heraldry. He wears light leathers which show as magic, and has a shortsword, a knife, and a crossbow. He says he was appointed as a guardian by the lord "and twelve Joes." In response to Chalker the man points in the direction of Temple Row; "You can't miss it."
We locate the tidy, paved path that leads to Lord Zola's manor. Shawna comments that the path is too narrow for a carriage. They have walked a half-mile from the main road when there comes the noise of dogs barking, then through the well-trimmed shrubbery crashes a large boar, its tusks dripping with blood. "May I borrow your cloak?" Shawna asks Chalker; she waves the cloak in front of the boar, then whips it away as it charges past and keeps running. Behind it come four large, slavering dogs, two of them with two heads. Shawna commands "DOWN!" and two of them submit, sitting at her feet. A two-headed dog bites Chalker's leg and a one-headed dog leaps at his throat and strikes his chest. Chalker grabs the one-headed dog and hurls it away, then knocks the two-headed dog unconscious.
After another quarter-mile we approach the three-story manor. The entire facade is magical. On either side of the front door stands a guard with a pike. Chalker addresses one, "Are you Joe?" "No, I am Edmund. Armsmaster Dana will escort you." Soon there appears a 6' tall warrior woman clad in scale armor, a hand-and-a-half sword strapped to her back, two shortswords at her hips. Her aura is not human; she is a 'dream construct.' Chalker: "We're here to see Lord Zola. Emmy sent us."
Silently, Dana turns and leads us into the manor to a huge ballroom, filled with the sound of musicians playing; men and women in formal dress are dancing. Our attention is drawn to a black-haired man who is dancing with a young green-eyed brunette wearing a green gown. Chalker taps the man on the shoulder, "Excuse me," and the man immediately yields the dance to Chalker and makes a beeline to Shawna. "I didn't think you'd come!" At Shawna's frosty reaction, he finally introduces himself as Lewin Zola and asks her to dance.
Emmy tells Chalker, "I'm here because I was invited, and he's been the perfect gentleman, and I didn't think you were coming." However, she denies bringing Chalker here. "Events on the road strengthened me. The elven warrior pushed most of it aside, but I got enough."
Chalker gets a good look at Zola's Aura and is strongly taken aback, experiencing sensory overload. Zola is 'at core' human, a 'powerhouse', high magery (4 or 5), strong psi, 'ageless but young,' greedy, megalomaniac; some thing or event once did great hurt/damage to Zola, but he recovered. He is very dangerous, and 'not a benevolent being.' Chalker realizes that somehow Emmy is accelerating some process, "making it better" for Zola. Chalker: "Emmy, he brought you here and you brought me here. If I left, you would go, therefore he will not allow me to go." Emmy: "I could live here forever. He likes me. You didn't want to mix auras. Just give him my physical form and you can leave." Chalker: "I'm glad you found someone. When I wake up, I will go give him -- something."
Chalker asks Zola, "How did you get hurt?" Zola goes into a rambling, disjointed 'explanation'. "People don't appreciate my innovative ideas. ... They beat me within an inch of my life... They are all jealous... I had to flee until I found sanctuary... I came here from south of the Isles..."
Chalker asks Emmy, "Which of us, Zola and me, is the more evil?" Emmy unhesitatingly says Chalker is more evil. Shawna: "Emmy, you have begun to develop a soul, but you don't yet comprehend good and evil."
After more words are bandied about, we return to Rosemill. As we approach, we hear sounds of screaming and clashing of weapons. A warband of giants is rampaging in town. Six of them turn in our direction, and one of them orders us to surrender and put down our weapons. Chalker retorts that they must surrender instead. They charge toward us. Shawna waits till the last moment, then casts a Force Dome over us that some of the giants slam into. Chalker hooks one of the giants' axes and imbeds it in the giant's head, stunning him. Chalker calls out "Flame on!" and parries another axe with his flame sword. The fighting in town seems to hesitate and a vortex of air begins to form.
Shawna draws her sword and runs toward the vortex, Emmy following. Two of the giants try to flank Chalker, who dodges between them and runs after the three giants that are pursuing Shawna. Yanking the axe out of the giant's head, Chalker says, "I told you to surrender."
Appearing within the vortex is a robed figure of medium height. Shawna stabs at him and he dodges. Just as a quarterstaff appears in his hands, Shawna chops off his left hand. He tries a one-handed swing that Shawna easily dodges. Chalker rushes up and swings at his head, and the man ducks. Shawna swings and cleanly severs the man's head, which bounces at Chalker's feet. Chalker chops the head, which sticks to his axe.
Shawna says to Emmy, "You didn't believe me. See what your 'hero' did. Stop giving him power." Emmy whimpers that she won't be able to help us, either, but obeys and walls herself off.
Shawna asks Roo who Zola is. The reply: "He is an escaped threat to mortal life."
We return to the manor. Edmund and the other guard step aside for us, then vanish. In the ballroom, a man and a woman confront us, saying "The lord is making preparations." Their names are Zelda and Zed, and they all came from a city called Shalise. They have no aura that Chalker can detect. "Zola has always been ambitious... we threw our lot in with him decades ago." Shawna: "Then I commend your souls to Dara." Chalker: "Not me -- I commend your souls to Dar."
Zelda and Zed step back, and swords seemingly formed of blood-red light appear in each of their hands. With a warcry, Shawna swings and cleaves Zed's shoulder clear through the collarbone. Chalker calls "Flame on" then after feinting with the flame sword, punches Zelda in the face.
Shawna swings at Zed's neck and he parries. Zed swings and Shawna dodges. Zelda swings both swords and Chalker dodges both. In turn, Zelda dodges Chalker's punch to her midsection.
Shawna tries to fool Zed with a low feint, but he dodges the cut to his eyes. Chalker chops Zed's leg, which gives way; as Zed starts to fall he throws his sword at Shawna, who parries (feeling that something tried to get to her through the sword), then clasps at his belt. Zelda performs a move to reduce Chalker's chance to parry, but he does anyway.
Shawna stabs Zed in the stomach; his body goes limp. Zelda swings and Chalker parries. Chalker tries a headbutt which Zelda dodges.
Chalker stabs Zelda in the stomach, then Shawna strikes her in the hip. Zelda falls.
Three-fourths of the crowd that had been in the ballroom is gone, and the remainder stand there dazed and staring (Chalker realizes they are constructs). Chalker searches the bodies. Each has a pouch containing a single copper coin. On the front is an image of Zola; the back appears blank but Chalker feels it touches the essences of Zola. Chalker tries peering inside the coin; his vision swirls and something momentarily tries to pull him in, then is gone.
We quickly search the manor. Chalker exerts his will to try to see the reality behind the facade; something opposes him. Chalker: "I think Zola may be back in Rosemill."
On the third floor, along with training rooms and an alchemy lab, is one large central room from which a "creepy evil feeling" emanates. With his penetrating vision Chalker can see demonic runes etched on a marble floor. Shawna dispels the Magelock and Chalker unlocks the regular lock and opens the door. A full 30' from the door, in the center of a pentagram, stands a horned demon, ten feet tall, grinning, its claws dripping blood. The demon points out a book to one side and claims it contains "the knowledge of the ages... such knowledge that would make the First Chosen envious." Chalker remarks to Shawna, "Have you ever talked to the goddess of Envy? She told me I would always get what I deserve." "Coward," the demon snarls at Chalker. Chalker calmly replies, "Trapped monkey."
We walk back to Rosemill, which appears deserted. We search for the house Chalker saw in his vision. Chalker suddenly feels invisible hands searching him, patting him down; he hooks onto something metal and pushes it up, and something moves away fast. He exclaims to Shawna, "Someone's searching me." Shawna replies, "Wake up."
Chalker awakens in his bed at the Rosemill inn. He hears the footsteps of someone running away. Ty is standing in the room out of sword's reach.
To Shawna, Chalker has disappeared. "Good, he figured it out." She tells Emmy, "Wake up, go to Chalker, tell him 'town hall'."
Chalker senses the copper coins are moving away from him. Outdoors it is a bright winter day. An older man is running away. Chalker catches up easily and strikes him on the back of the head, knocking him down. Ty, panting after him, explains that the man is a physician, a healing mage. "I called him because you wouldn't wake up." The man gives his name, Allan Fairson. "Why were you searching me?" "I was looking for a charm," something that might cause Chalker's unnatural sleep. Chalker: "I don't believe you, but I don't want to hurt you."
Emmy "yells" in Chalker's mind, "Shawna says 'town hall'!"
Shawna marches into town hall. Zelda looks up and swears. Shawna strikes Zelda with her sword and wakes up in her room at the inn. Zelda was the anchor for the dream. Shawna dresses quickly and runs to town hall.
Emmy guides Chalker through a maze of offices to a closed door. Chalker walks in and sees Zelda, unconscious. She has a money pouch, a belt knife, and a ring set with inferior-quality diamonds and a sliver of dark mithril. Her aura is of an evil person who has been touched by demons, very greedy, murderer, callous, strong will, low magery, medium psi (compulsion, read surface thoughts). She is Zola's minion and was linked to Zola recently; he was using her as a relay.
Chalker is tying Zelda up as Shawna arrives. "She's an evil bitch." He slaps Zelda awake, then asks "Al" (the physician) who she is. Fairson strains to remember; "I recognize her face, and her name's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't quite recall it." Chalker sends him out of the room.
Emmy tells Chalker "Something's not right." Chalker: "You can lower your shields now. This is the real world."
Chalker: "Zelda, are you ready? This has been coming for a long time." He stabs her through the heart. Shawna says that Zelda had tried to jump to another body, but Shawna had consigned her soul to Dar, who collected her eagerly. Chalker calls Fairson back in to make an official pronunciation of death, and Fairson is now able to remember who Zelda was.
As Chalker returns to his room to finish dressing, Shawna prays and feels led by Yasseph to the one blooming rosebush. She plucks a rose and acquires a link to the mage who made the rose bloom -- Zola. He is a mage and also has mind powers. Shawna prays again for Yasseph to guide her through the mental fog. She is led to a certain house. Outside stand some thirty townspeople armed with kitchen knives. Shawna and Chalker simply walk through them; the knives are ineffective against their armor, though Chalker does get a small scratch on bare skin.
Inside are fifty more townspeople. Chalker calls out, "Honey, we're home." We pass along a hallway and in front of one door stand three guards. Chalker slips past Shawna and punches G1 in the face, stunning him. Shawna stares into G2's eyes, and a moment later he stands aside. G3 backs away.
Chalker pushes the door open. Standing in front of a desk is Zola. To his right is Zed, wielding what appears to be a wooden training sword. Shawna smiles and stamps hard on Zola's instep. Chalker calls "Flame on" and swings at Zed, who dodges.
Something attacks Chalker's brain, causing him physical harm (Zed, using Mind Blast). Zola Mind Blasts Shawna. Chalker calls "Flame off" and grabs a quarterstaff. With the rose Shawna slaps Zola across the eyes; he screams in pain. Ty throws lightning at Zed for heavy damage.
Ty throws more lightning at Zed. Zola swings wildly at Shawna, missing, and Mind Blasts her again. Zed heals himself. Shawna runs her sword through Zola's vitals; Zola drops dead. Chalker shoves the quarterstaff into Zed's throat twice, crushing his larynx. Zed dies. Chalker searches both bodies, removing their money and rings set with dark mithril.
It is almost noon. Ahn-Lee is now awake and Shawna and Chalker tell him what had happened. Ty is assigned to do research while we enjoy a leisurely lunch. Magistrate Herv appears and Chalker summarizes events, which Fairson corroborates.
Ty gives us a "broad-brush" history. Zola and his minions had tried to take over Shalise but failed. They fled by ship and then overland, ending up in Rosemill where they "hunkered down" for ten years. They have had control of the local baron as well as the town for the past two years. Yesterday Zola had sensed Emmy and was determined to have her.
Zola's manor and grounds are deeded back to the rightful owners by "Chalker Jackson, Prince of Dolyena".
During the journey back to Ridell, Shawna, Chalker, Ahn-Lee, Emmy (in human form), and Trace find themselves seated around a table. A distinguished-looking, silver-haired, athletically-built man is seated directly across from Emmy. "Thank you. I appreciate your coming here. I am known by the name Boris, and that is my daughter Emmy." He is not human, nor is he a Chosen; he describes himself as "a more powerful being" though he does admit he is mortal. He claims to be from another plane that intersects with this one. Chalker asks "Do you know Zales?" and Boris recognizes it's the name of a jewelry store. He knows of Geriana Newsome but doesn't claim acquaintance.
Emmy: "He seems comforting, but I don't know him." Boris explains that ages ago he and a woman of Erethel named Shelley had "conceived" Emmy. Something killed Shelley and "hurt and cast away" Boris and he was separated from Emmy. He is glad to have found her again, but he claims he is not able to stay and care for her. Shawna (who expresses doubts about Boris' story) emphasizes the choice is up to Emmy, but if she chooses to stay here she must learn to discern good and evil, truth and lies.
By the evening of Dark Days 3 the group has reached Ridell. Shawna speaks with Ander, telling him she was sent because his great-uncle was concerned about him, and admonishing him to stay connected with his family and not recklessly deal in dangerous items like bloodstones.
Chalker goes to talk with Aaoo. "I come bearing a gift, and I have a question. I brought the remains of the bloodstones. Thank you for the bat thing. Do you know the individual who calls himself 'Boris'? ... Now, this is the question that will upset you. Bar's Second Chosen, did you allow him to use your bats?... Sweetie, you're not insane. That I do know. ... So you did allow him. It's important to me to know if it was with your permission." Aaoo: "I didn't argue it. It's interesting when mortals think." Chalker: "I have to talk to you every now and then. That way one of us stays sane... I never said I was the one that was sane."