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'."