Date unknown, Location: Castle Wife, Time since Resurrection: 0 hours
A message raven gets to us after I come back. Lady Vel says that blue skinned lizard riders are attacking, and seem to use unconventional spatial tactics that seem to work anyway. Another problem for another time. I spend the next hour changing skins again. The world is too large as a svirfneblin. Sevarin takes that time to head to the underworld to deal with the Ghoul King and see if he can get the god of death on our side.
I spend time explaining what Headmaster Perry told me as we discuss what we know. We are on a time limit. The Crawling Chaos will finish taking the rest of us in three real time days, stopping any attempt we make to save the Dreamlands. Even if we could get back to the real world, we would be erased from that realm completely and no one would be the wiser. Timmy informs us Alice escaped to either the moon or the Plateau of Leng. Dagon tells us what he knows of the other gods. The Ape men to the west have their god trapped in the Mox Emerald. One god survives still in the Great Tree. Hydra is trapped in the Mox Pearl in the Colorless lands. Hypnos is in the continent of Oriab. Koranes, an unknown if he is just a powerful dreamer or a god in his own right, is the king of Calepolis. The Green Man is also considered a god. Dagon curses at Bast for some reason. I also know that Pelinorae is still looking for the Holy Grail in the western part of the Red and Pleasant land.
Timmy spends all of his time the next few days at the helm. Nanfoodle builds more broom nests and continues growing plants round the castle, which makes Castle Wife happy according to Timmy. It takes a day and a half of travel, but we finally reach the Colorless lands. Looking down we see a lot of fighting, well a lot of slaughter, by the Ister Channel. Deep ones are being butchered by the vampires there as magic users dam the waters.
We make it thirty miles out of Crystal Lake, so named for the enormous crystal castle coming out of the pristine lake. A dragon flies around the keep. We observe it for a bit and figure it doesn’t leave more than ten miles from the keep. It is green scaled and breathes fire every now and then. For amusement or some other purpose we can’t tell. We continue moving towards the castle and get within five miles of it before the dragon flies up to stare us down. It demands to know who would dare intrude on the lands of Alezphraxian. After Dagon introduces himself by demanding Hydra’s release Al says the Black Pharaoh told him to watch for us. He informs us that he currently has Hydra in the Mox Pearl and that she is the crown jewel of his hoard, a god in a necklace. He makes it clear we could trade him for it, though he will only take a god in a necklace in its place. He invites us into his home to discuss.
As we approach we decide that we still need Dagon around to help us and discuss giving him something else instead. We eventually settle on trading the Jubilations book that none of us care for. We enter the castle and discover that, unlike our own, it is sized for humanoids, though it is the same size as Castle Wife. We make it through four entry halls before we come to a room with a large fountain, Al wrapped around it. He demands tribute for he is a great Tiberius Dragon.
Discussions very quickly break down when Timmy starts boasting about his ability to kill Al as Ithaqua. Al says he is bluffing, not knowing that Timmy can only change once per week. When asked why won’t he help us fight Nyarlathotep he responds that he is certain Nyarlathotep will fail. When asked for clarification he says it is because of us humans. Breeding like rats and always dreaming of new things. Even if this Dreamland were to disappear another would show up in time. We continue to barter for Hydra or his help for some time. When I ask what he is scared of, why he won’t fly more than ten miles from the castle his response is profound. “Nyarlathotep has my son, Draco, captive.”
We recess as I leave to process this information. I change back to Medraut and try sensing Draco through my King Pact with him. I discover him bound in the hold of a ship in the Starless Sea, heading for the Nameless Rock. When I head back in to talk to the dragon Al is confused as to how royalty got into his castle without his knowledge. I explain Draco’s condition and location and Al demands our assistance to rescue Draco. If we do that for him he’ll give us Hydra. I tell him we can’t get there that quickly, it would probably be best if he went to get Draco himself. We discuss Castle Wife travel logistics which means…turning to Timmy.
Timmy holds a conversation and informs us that Castle Wife will fly faster with jewels and gold inside her. After negotiating Al gives us four chests full of precious gems and money. We transport it into the castle and Timmy says we can get there in two and a half days. We tell Al to wait for us here, but he says he wants to go and save his son. I tell him he’ll slow us down. He says he can just rest in the castle’s keep. Timmy grows rather irate, declaring he won’t have no funny dragons in his wife. Nanfoodle confuses the issue saying the nests are for brooms. Al informs us that brooms don’t rest in nests, they rest in closets. We promise to bring Draco back and leave the Crystal Lake. Along the way I help Nanfoodle tear down the nests and build sheds and change into Korth again.
When we reach Nameless Rock we see it is well named. It is barren. What is not barren is the sea around it. The sea is filled with black longships, and more seem to be flying down from the moon every minute. We see the longship that holds Draco, inching ever closer to the armada and escape to the moon. Timmy has a plan, but it’ll be dangerous, deciding to land the castle on top of the ship. I’m not sure Draco wills survive underwater long enough, especially if he is bound so I turn to Dagon. I heave a sigh and ask Dagon to make me and all of my servants able to breathe water. In exchange he can have two cities off the coast of Brittania. Nanfoodle nods and says that’s a good idea and a good trade. Dagon is more than happy to have a place for his people to live and agrees immediately. As I shake his flipper I can feel a change, and see a change in Nanfoodle. We’ve grown gills. I can only assume the rest of the people of Brittania have as well. A vision assails me, of the future. My kingdom is a land full of monsters and men, all bound to different gods and entities.
Shaking it off I tell Timmy to land. He drops Castle Wife like a rock directly on top of the longboat. The entire thing capsizes and I dive into the water. I spot Draco almost immediately and pull him up from the depths, throwing him onto the cloud the castle lies on as the armada takes notice and begins heading our way. When I safely get aboard Timmy commands the castle to bounce, causing tidal waves that start washing the armada away.
Nanfoodle brings up an interesting point as we see to Draco’s wounds. Nyarlathotep is either on the moon or has allies on it. And Gobogeg, still in his Staff of Ygg, wanted to destroy the moon. A quick discussion is held and we agree. It’s time to set Gobogeg free. Timmy flies over the Nameless Rock and Nanfoodle shoots Gobogeg from his staff onto the island. The mushroom god roars in pleasure and starts growing. Its not fast enough, so Nanfoodle casts druidic magic and makes him grow more. We leave immediately. Turning back we see he is already a mile high and continues growing while the armada is attacking him. More longships are launched from the moon, only to crash on Gobogeg and get washed away in his spore clouds.
Over the next two days I talk with Draco as Medraut, though to hide my new form I’ve taken to sitting on Nanfoodle’s shoulders and wearing a trench coat. It can’t hide my complexion, but that will be addressed later. Draco says he’s happy in this form and he doesn’t want to go back to his father. Al will turn him into a dragon. I tell Draco to wait as we enter the throne room where Al happily waits for us in the Crystal Castle. Nanfoodle and I totter in there, almost falling more than once, but I’m determined to talk Al out of changing Draco.
We discuss. A lot. I explain how he is indebted to me as his king. Al scoffs at the thought. I need him as my spymaster. A dragon will just intimidate information out of my enemies. We go back and forth several times, but eventually I wear Al down to agree not to change Draco back. When I turn around to tell someone to go get Draco I discover Dagon is already walking back, Draco being held in his tail tentacles.
Al asks Draco if this is the life he really wants. When Draco responds positively Al reminds me why I need to stop thinking of him as a derivative of Alezphraxian. He breathes dragon fire all over Draco, saying, “Then suffer like a human will and learn your place!”
He flies off while Nanfoodle and I try to stabilize Draco. He is maimed for life. One arm and a leg are missing, his body is covered in burns, and he groans in barely sensible pain. Dagon goes and gets the necklace with Hydra in it and seems…happier then ever after freeing her. From there he starts gagging, and eventually throws up. In the bile is Chicago, with the necklace that held Dagon once. Dagon and Hydra leave and begin heading south. The responses I get to whether they will fight Nyarlathotep are noncommittal at best. Chicago needs a good cleaning, which Timmy promptly gives him, saying that’s not going in his wife. He then transforms into Ithaqua and begins taking everything from the castle that isn’t nailed down for his wife. Then he starts taking the things that are part of the castle itself, like the crystal throne and the fountain.
During all of this Draco is suffering. I can see it in the way he writhes. I do the only thing I can think of. I turn to Ithaqua and ask him to help. When Ithaqua dives into Draco’s mind he sees something he likes. A cold breeze kicks through the castle, then a column of black smoke engulfs Draco. When it dissipates what stands before us is a Wendigo that howls once before heading back to Camelot. Ithaqua is pleased. I break out in a cold sweat and start calculating what this war will cost me…
[zombify_post]
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