Date unknown, Location: flying castle, Time since Awakening: 0.5 hours
Awake again we leave the castle proper to get our bearings. From Seravin's map and the various topography around us we seem to be over a red square in the Red and Pleasant lands. Timmy jumps back into the throne to take the 'helm' as we begin discussing our next destination. Looking at Seravin's map I suggest the Baths of Szaczard, as it may be where Hydra is. Dagon was very vocal about finding his wife. He does tell us that the baths are where the Queen of Hearts historically kept the undying heads of the nobility of the clubs, diamonds, and spades courts. I can't wait to be able to understand Dagon without the need of a translator, I'm pretty sure Seravin isn't telling us everything he says.
The castle has started moving, though we're not sure where its going. When asked Timmy was particularly cagey in his response, saying "The castle wants to go home." Where or what home is to a flying castle is something none of us really know, but last I checked it was Timmy that controlled where the castle went. I'll have to fix that. I spent the next hour using the newest boon granted me by the Headmaster, shedding Korth to don, once again, Medraut. Seravin spent that time conducting a ritual creating an 'Elder Sign', while Dagon went about doing Dagon things and Nanfoodle started trying to make the gardens grow on the cloud around the castle.
Paranoia about Camelot begins seeping in as my skin changes. I would order Timmy to take us there immediately, but it may be more helpful if I come back bearing the Holy Grail and sitting atop the Siege Perilous. Now I just need my sword back. I can't believe I gave it to Chicago for safe-keeping as Korth, that just isn't right. The castle continues heading North, away from the Red and Pleasant land. So I order Timmy to turn the castle around. When he gets cagey again I am explicit. "Do your best to turn the castle around right now." He communes with the sphere on the arm rest before telling me he can't. Something intangible and very real between us snaps then there is a large clatter. Timmy shakes his big furry body and pieces of full plate start raining off of him. Seems something broke our pact.
Considering Timmy is the one attuned to the castle at the moment I can't just throw him off the cloud and be done with it. I don't want to waste any more time, but it looks like we're heading North now. So I begin inspecting Dagon. And ask him if he feels my sword inside him. He demands fealty and obeisance before his godly might. I refuse. He informs me that he feels something and I ask him to look in his mouth. He demands recompense. I inform him I will not willingly kill any females we may find. His jaw pops open and I can just barely see Caliburn deep in his gullet. As I begin reaching toward him and planning on retrieving my sword his maw snaps shut again. "I opened my jaw. Do you want more now?"
Oh. So we're playing word games? Fine, two can play at that you overgrown seal. At this point Seravin finishes another ritual and places an Elder Sign on me. I can feel my shattered psyche knitting back together and start thinking clearer. Dagon demands that he and his cults and children be allowed in Brittania. That they be safe from government eyes and receive no retribution for what they do. I consider my words carefully. "I will not personally sanction any government actions or take action against your cults." If his big dumb face could look smug it would. He doesn't realize that I plan on writing or messaging Lady Blackheart to create a small taskforce to look for more signs of cult activity that I have no say in, stake or power over. Anything they do will be disavowed.
When Dagon opens his mouth again I dive right in without hesitation, not giving him a chance to spin his words once more. The monstrous seal has no gag reflex! I slide right down into his gullet and get my sword back. I start poking him with the sharper bits of my armor and am thrown back up. I don't know if this was my action or others that caused this, but I am now covered in sick. I notice Timmy has started cleaning the castle and tidying up. When asked why his response was, "My wife wants me to do it. It makes her happy." Startled and confused we ask for clarification. We learned several interesting things from that conversation. The castle is alive. It considers whomever controls it her husband. It lives in Uth-Nargeye. It is already nagging Timmy about multiple things, including how dirty it is in here. And throw pillows. Something about sixteen throw pillows for a bed. I was still a bit churlish about Timmy's pact breaking with me so I started rolling around and spreading the sick more. It was great fun watching him try to clean it until Seravin brought up that he had Prestidigitation prepared. Never trust a vampire.
About our second day out I sense a portal near us to the west. It feels big. I inform everyone but we don't have control of the castle, Timmy does, so it is ignored in favor of Uth-Nargeye. Looking at Seravin's larger map of the overall Dreamlands it appears we are in for about a week's journey. And someone, namely Timmy, scrawled all over it. He wrote that Urg, the capital of Uth-Nargeye was incredibly close to us and made some other inane changes. We could tell he did it because he scrawled his signature in the corner of the map.
I while away the time asking Nanfoodle to gather some ravens to be used as message birds. I send them to Lady Blackheart, informing her of our whereabouts, what has happened, to form the task force, and that we may be arriving in a floating castle. Nanfoodle spends the rest of his time trying to get the gardens restarted, and building an enormous nest. He says it is for brooms to come roost. Seravin and Dagon take turns reading from Jubiliations and informing us about their findings. Seravin learns about Alice. She is the Flame Princess and wields the Ruby. Apparently she has found herself in the goblin woods rather than Urg because of a new portal. She has been ordered to kill Dreamers. He also learns that the other necklaces holding gods are: a diamond necklace, an opal necklace, a cat's-eye necklace, and a sapphire necklace. He also learns that Ulthar is in the Waking World. Dagon gets a list of gods that are captured and gods that are not captured. He neglects to share this with us at the moment. He does tell us about what the Crawling Chaos plans. It convinced the Dreamlanders to turn their backs on their gods. In the confusion it got its followers to trap them in the necklaces. It is swiftly moving to destroy all of the Dreamlands.
The trip takes shorter than we thought, only lasting four days. Four. Listening to Dagon babble. Timmy complain about his wife. Seravin crave the blood of a Vampire Lord. And Nanfoodle. I spend most of my time with Nanfoodle. He's a good adviser. We finally reach Uth-Nargeye, specifically Urg. It is an enormous black rock, bigger than the castle, and set in a glacier. The city below us is in chaos, much as Camelot was. Everything seems to be on fire, people are screaming, and all because of something amiss. Literally a hemisphere is missing from the rock. As the castle moves to examine it Dagon sees some people on the coast. A high priest of his cult and four acolytes.
Timmy seems upset. So much so he takes his amulet and throws it to the ground. A draft drifts through the castle, whispering the word, Heretic over and over. He puts it back on and talks with the castle. It shoots into the sky and moves at least twice as fast as it did before back South. Dagon then talks about his home and what he learned from his priests. It has sunk beneath the waves and is now inhospitable to his children and followers.
Two more days in the air and we return to the Goblin Woods. The mountains, instead of being capped with snow, are now covered in it. The snow and ice is spreading from a point that corresponds with where Timmy placed Urg on Seravin's map. The nearby greenery is already getting choked out by the ice. Timmy speaks up and says something is waiting for us in the entryway.
A brown-furred creature, as large as Timmy almost, and dripping entrails on the stonework greets us. It challenges Timmy to determine the true champion of Ithaqua, wanting a one-on-one fight. It asks Dagon, as a god, if it will join him in striking down the Heretic…
[zombify_post]
0 Comments