Into the Cosmos

The Legion of Tears had taken control of Villa Myra. Lord Myra himself and much of his household had been slaughtered senselessly in acts of wanton violence. The Legion got their name from a very specific regional drug that the group took. It was made from a combination of ground-up Duskmoss and Ghost Wasps. The feeling when one partook of the powder was extreme euphoria but long-term use often caused a loss of emotional control. This caused most mortal creatures to eventually start weeping uncontrollably. The Legion of Tears could be easily identified by these tear tracks. Longer use turned those tears bloody. 

The raging hoard of a cult had rushed the villa and overwhelmed the guards who were taken by surprise. They had then gone on to slaughter the staff and most of the family. The twins, Corra and James had somehow made it through the chaos. They had run blindly with many members of the Legion close at their heels. Just as they thought that they would be ended, a house materialized in the air and crashed down on several members of the Legion. The twins were stunned as a young woman in a very fancy dress stepped out and started picking off members of the Legion with a crossbow. A heavily scarred tiefling jumped out of a second-story window and launched a fireball that exploded, sending Legion members flying. 

“What are you waiting for?” the woman asked, yelling at the twins. “Get in the house!”

“What?” Corra asked, blinking.

“In the house!” the woman repeated, jabbing a finger toward the front door she had just come out of.

James grabbed Corra’s arm and pulled her toward the door. “It can’t be as bad in there as it is out here,” he yelled. “Come on, Corra. Run from the maniacs.”

“I hope you’re right, James,” Corra said as James pulled her inside.

The inside of the house was very ornate and the twins gaped in wonderment at the fancy house. Corra could have sworn she saw a torch sort of blinking at her. It felt off. For a moment, they both forgot the fighting outside. Then they remembered their family members.

“We have to go back for them, James,” Corra said.

“We can’t,” James said. “They’re already gone. It’s too dangerous.”

“We shouldn’t have run,” Corra said. “We could have saved them.”

The woman and the tiefling burst through the front door and slammed it behind them.

“Are you crazy?” the woman asked. “There’s no way you could have survived. You did the right thing.” She banged on the wall. “Let’s go before they try and break in.”

The twins felt the house go all weightless for a moment and then things went back to normal. Corra rushed to the nearest window and there was nothing but blackness outside of the window as if somebody had painted it with tar.

“There’s nothing out there,” James said from behind her.

Corra looked back at him. “What’s going on?” she asked.

The tiefling spoke up. “It’s the void between planes,” he said. “It’s where the house goes when it travels.”

“Since when does a house travel?” Corra asked. “Who are you?”

“This is a very particular house,” the woman said. “My name is Kestrel Proudseeker and this is Wit Cinderstride.” She pointed at the tiefling who nodded. “He’s mute, not impolite. This is the House of Mystery and it goes where it is needed.”

“Where it’s needed?” James asked. “I don’t want to seem ungrateful but the house could have shown up a little earlier.”

Corra nodded in solidarity with her brother.

“I wish we had shown up earlier,” Kestrel said. “Near as we can tell, the house can’t see the future but can sense danger in the moment. It must have sensed specifically that you two were in trouble.”

“Why us?” Corra asked.

“You must be needed to save the planes,” Kestrel said. “What the house needs with two teenage elves is beyond me.”

“We don’t have any clue either,” James said. 

“I don’t want to save anything right now,” Corra said. “I just want to cry.”

“I understand,” Kestrel said. “But I’m not about to argue with a house. Pick whatever unoccupied room you want. There’s plenty of food and drink in the kitchen.”

The twins wandered off together into the house.

Advertisement

Undead Reckoning Pt. 13

Supper continued without Talbot getting any more clues as to the agenda of Lord Blackrance. At least, nothing more than had been in the letter. There was a necromancer in the wasteland. A wasteland that the Dragonborn Rahj was familiar with as their guide and presumably their tracker. The Cleric Ana was obviously along for the ride to counter undead threats. Talbot assumed that he and Clarity had been invited as damage dealers to fight back whatever henchthings that the necromancer had. Of course, Talbot still had no intention of going anywhere closer to the wasteland. He was going to take his rifle back home and hang it over his mantle. Forever.

After a nip or two of Drown brandy, sent by the good Lord Blackrance himself, they all retired to bed. All of them except for Rahj who stayed up drinking heavily of the cheapest ale available. He took a keg out behind the inn so he could be with his pet, Sandor. They all left the dragonborn alone. Talbot paused outside of his door and looked at the door currently belonging to the mysterious Mr. Seneca. How did he fit into all of this? Talbot had a sudden urge to go over and knock on that door. Just beyond, a question could be answered. But trying to answer that question could raise a lot of hell. It was best to just wait until morning.

Thanks to the good meal and the brandy, Talbot was just about out when his head hit the pillow. He came to when the sun was up but it felt like just a moment later. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and got himself together. A change of clothes and he was ready to descend the stares once again. Luckily, the smell of good food once again wafted up from the kitchens. It made Talbot take the steps a little quicker. It would not hurt him to have one more good meal on Lord Blackrance’s coin before he went back home. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw three people in the sitting room. The halfling Titus Talbot already recognized but there was also a masked figure and a drow sitting there as well. The masked figure got up and walked past Talbot without a word.

“You must be Sergeant Hawkwing,” the drow said with a sly smile. “As you might have gathered, my name is Lord Blackrance. Have a seat, won’t you?” He gestured toward the fourth chair.

“I no longer go by my rank, Lord Blackrance” Talbot said bluntly but not unkindly. “You may call me Talbot if you wish.”

“Fair enough, Talbot,” Lord Blackrance said. “If you wish to dispense with formalities, then you may call me Callum.”

“That’s a little forward when dealing with the aristocracy,” Talbot said. “but sure.”

“I had a feeling that you would want to talk,” Blackrance said. “I’m glad you’ve come down before breakfast.”

“I have a feeling you’ve already divined what I want to talk about,” Talbot said. “I might as well get to it. I have no intention of going on your expedition. There are plenty of hired guns even around here that you could take with you.”

“But I singled you out, Talbot,” Blackrance said. “I assembled my team carefully as I have assembled all of my teams. Your record speaks volumes and you are uniquely suited for the mission ahead.”

“How am I uniquely suited for it?” Talbot asked, more than a little curious at that statement.

“I’m honestly not sure yet,” Blackrance said with a shrug.

Talbot was a bit shocked. “You don’t know?” he asked. “I thought you had all of this figured out?”

“I have an ace up my sleeve when planning a mission,” Blackrance said. “The secret to my success.” He gestured to a young girl sitting peacefully in the corner.

Talbot blinked in shock. It was the young woman from his dream on the train. What the hell was going on?

Undead Reckoning Pt. 12

Pepper and a young man that Talbot did not recognize started carrying a veritable feast into the room on platters. It all smelled very good and it was far finer food than Talbot had expected this far out in the frontier. There were several whole roasted chickens, steamed carrots, toasted mushrooms, brisket, and mashed potatoes. Rahj immediately reached out and palmed one of the chickens, whistled, and then threw the chicken out of an open window. Something very large and hairy jumped up in the window and snagged the chicken. There was a deep growling sound from beneath the window. Everybody stared at Rahj who shrugged.

“They won’t let me keep Sandor inside but he still must be fed,” the large Dragonborn said. He then set about devouring whatever food he could reach.

“Um,” Clarity started, seeming to be at a loss for words for once. “Is Sandor your dog?”

Rahj grinned and began to speak with food in his mouth. “Ha!,” he cried out, letting out a single barking laugh. “In the desert, we have pets far superior to your dogs. It’s an insult to call Sandor a dog.”

Clarity seemed to think about that, almost as if she was deciding which part of the statement she was most interested in. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Did you say ‘out in the desert’? Do you mean to tell us that you have lived out there? Is this a recent occurrence or have you lived out there when it was still dangerous?”

Rahj frowned and looked at Clarity as if he was deciding whether or not she was being ignorant or insulting. Talbot immediately realized Clarity’s mistake and he looked around and saw that Clarity was the only one not in the know. She had an innocent look on her face which must have convinced Rahj that she was merely ignorant.

“Your government has always hated my kind,” Rahj said, his voice a low growl that almost harmonized with the growl from Sandor outside. “They made it real hard to find land of our own. Our scales are resistant to magic and we went out into the desert to settle where other mortals were too scared to go.”

“That is impressive, Mr. Blackscale,” Clarity said. “I apologize for my ignorance, I had not known that the government had dealt you such a poor hand. It is shameful. I am sure that everybody in this room does not share in such prejudice.”

Rahj grunted. “Thanks,” he said. “We made it work out there but the government and all of the business types want back out there now that it’s safer. I’m sure they’ll take our land too.”

“I hope they don’t,” Talbot said. “I never did cotton to how that worked out. You all should get first dibs, of course.”

“Blackrance is going to go to the government about it,” Rahj said. “He understands what it’s like since he’s drow. It’s the only reason I agreed to guide all of you out there.”

“You’ve talked in person to our illustrious patron?” Clarity asked. “I have only communicated with him via correspondence myself since I was out of country.”

“He sent me a letter too,” Talbot said. “I haven’t met him.”

“He came out into the desert,” Rahj said. “Faced me like a man alongside that one.” He pointed at Titus who nodded.

“I accompany Lord Blackrance on most occasions,” Titus said softly. “This is a rare moment when I am not by his side.”

“He came to see me at church,” Ana said. “He vas very polite and convincing.”

“So only half of us have met him,” Talbot said. “Wait, that reminds me. What about the other one? The person across the hall from me? What is their deal?”

“Mr. Seneca has a complex situation so he and Lord Blackrance agreed that he would not meet you until Lord Blackrance could be present,” Titus said. “Everything is going according to plan.”

“You do realize how suspicious that is don’t you?” Talbot asked, his eyes narrowing.

“I am very aware,” Titus said with a smile. “I can only operate according to Lord Blackrance’s wishes unless there is an emergency.”

“A lot of rules go out the window in an emergency,” Talbot said with a sage nod. “I remember that.”

“I’m sure you do,” Titus said.

Koshain

(I thought I would update information on one of the fictional lands of my fantasy setting which kinda sort of is still a D&D campaign setting.)

Koshain is a desert nation in the middle of the continent of Aldona. The land of Koshain is cursed with a desert climate due to the fallout from the events that occurred in what is now the neighboring nation of Khull. The magical fallout created a harsh atmosphere full of sandstorms and cloudless skies allowing for oppressive heat. Lesser nations might have been driven out but Koshain adapted their way of life several millennia ago. Many residents of the nation fell back to live in the more stable city centers where they could find shelter from the wind. Farming moved underground where magic helped sustain a lot of agriculture. However, in the transition, insects native to Koshain went on the menu and remain a delicacy for the rich and a necessity for the poor.

Others set up a system of nomadic life where people keep moving to keep ahead of the sandstorms. The constant movement helped in establishing a massive trade network that was needed to obtain foodstuffs and goods that were no longer readily available in Koshain. Dwarven stone-cut outposts set themselves up as outposts and shelters for trading caravans. The dwarves also found rich deposits of jewels and ore that became very useful for trading, allowing the nation to have a chance of survival and eventually led to success. However, the trade-based economy led to a large gap between classes. City trade barons and aristocrats (often the same thing) became richer and their workers were stuck under their collective thumb. This eventually led to a large criminal contingent who view themselves as freedom fighters and revolutionaries instead of villains.

At some point, the Koshani people adopted specially formulated face paint to keep their skin from burning. The lower class just slathered on one color while the rich often painted their faces in ostentatious multicolor art pieces. Face painting has evolved into an elaborate social status ritual with different classes and families following different patterns. A millennia ago, Koshain suffered from a horrible plague that killed many of its citizens. To combat this respiratory sickness, Koshani people adopted face masks as protection. The lower classes strapped on cheap masks and soldiered on. Once again, the rich went in an artistic and showy direction and had beautiful masks designed to hide their faces away from the world. When the plague subsided, the poor discarded their masks (except when traveling in sandstorms) but the rich kept their tradition. Criminal leaders adopted masks that are almost parodies of the masks of the wealthy.

Because of the large criminal population in the cities, the capital of Corren is also the home to the world’s greatest lock designers (and consequently the greatest lockpickers). The criminal element is broken down into different guilds who have each declared themselves as autonomous factions separate from the governance of the rulers of Koshain. The various thieves guilds compete with one another but are definitely also aligned with each other against the upper class. Alliances are common between the guilds and crews often encounter each other while out on the job. For example, a second crew might show up during a heist and would decide to distract law enforcement to obtain a later favor from a guild. The enemy of their enemy is often their friend.

Speaking of the rulers of Koshain, there is a Koshani King that passes through generations through biological children (legitimate or not). The King is the ruler, never the Queen although the Queen is revered as a celebrity. The truth is that it does not matter as much who is King. The King often consults a council in order to make decisions which is made up of the heads of the most profitable trading empires. Aristocrats often buy their titles and pass them down through the generations. These titles are much less restricted by gender as it is recognized that women and nonbinary people can be shrewd in business. The King rarely makes major decisions without economic input.

Hesper’s Web Pt. 8

Mariel, Asher, and Luther walked into the light coming from overhead. Directly in that light was the black crystalline form of the Thing that Had Not Been Gwendolyn. It was wrapped in heavy chains. Each link of those chains was carved with warding runes that would guard against magic and would limit the shapechanger’s abilities. The three surrounded the Thing with Mariel facing it directly. She smiled peacefully pretty self-satisfied. The Thing regarded her with malice so strong that one could sense it even though it had no face.

“I think you will find that you cannot move,” Mariel said.

The Thing tried to struggle regardless of Mariel’s warning and confirmed it. There would be no easy escape from this predicament.

“It doesn’t like being told,” Luther said. “Listen to her, she’ll only tell you the truth.”

“I think this discussion will go a little more smoothly if you have a mouth,” Mariel said. She waved her hand and the Thing’s surface ripple and it changed shape. It became a young girl, one who had teased and bullied Muriel back in school. It gave her some satisfaction to see the girl in such a bad way.

“Where am I?” The thing asked with a snarl.

“You are in my mind now, Devilspawn,” Muriel said. “You’ll find it is a lot stronger than the mind of a child. My mental defenses were well-trained by good education and experience. You are at our mercy.”

“You think I am afraid of you?” The Thing asked. She spat. “I’m not afraid of you, little elf.”

“We’re not particularly concerned with how you feel,” Muriel said.

“We’re more focused on your boss,” Asher said. “Hesper.”

“Hesper would devour you in but a moment,” the Thing said. “Do not look for what you do not want to find.”

“Oh we’ll find Hesper,” Luther said.

“With your help,” Muriel said. “Whether you like it or not.”

“You’ll get nothing out of me!” the Thing screamed. It spat and hissed.

“Oh? Is that so?” Muriel asked and then she laughed. “We already have the information we need out of you. You’re in my mind. I whittled down your defenses hours ago without you realizing.”

The Thing looked confused. “Then why am I still here?” it asked.

“You tortured a little girl,” Luther said. “You took days of her life for yourself and tried to take over her body and make it your own.” Images of Gwendolyn and her suffering floated in the air around the Thing. It looked at those images and felt pride at a job well done. Rage flitted across Muriel’s face but she maintained control.

“We wanted to make sure you died,” Asher said.

“And not quick,” Muriel said. “Slow and painful.”

“Do your worst,” the Thing said softly, staring defiantly into Muriel’s eyes.

“I will,” Muriel said. She walked forward and touched the Thing gently on the forehead. The point where she touched burned with green flame. A single candle-sized point of combustion and the Thing shuddered but remained defiant. Slowly the flame started to grow, surface skin started to flake and blow away. As its false face floated away, the Thing finally gave in and started to scream. The sound quickly went from human into something more shrill and inhuman. Muriel waved her hand and Luther and Asher disappeared. Muriel stood there and watched for quite a while as the flame slowly consumed the Thing and then she disappeared herself.

Gwendolyn was out of bed two days later. Everybody voted to stick around and make sure that she was going to recover and regain her health. She was able to walk to the gate where everybody was waiting. She had thankfully forgotten a lot of her experience in her long nightmare but she remembered the more recent positive memories of Muriel and her friends. She had asked them all a million questions as she started to recover but now it was time to go.

“Where are you going?” Gwendolyn asked. “Will you be back?”

“We’re going to go find the devil that hurt you,” Muriel said.

“We probably won’t be back,” Dina said before being elbowed in the ribs by her brother.

“Never say never,” Asher said. “You just focus on getting better. Alright?”

“OK,” Gwendolyn said. “Please get rid of the bad thing. Make sure it can’t hurt anybody else.”

“I promise,” Muriel said. “I promise you we will.”

And then they got onto their horses and they rode away.

Hesper’s Web Pt. 7

They all held hands and Gwendolyn wished them back up to the castle. Gwendolyn’s little eyes sparked with hope and relief to see that castle again. The adventurers gathered around the little girl as they approached the gates for the second time. Mariel put her hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“Gwendolyn,” Mariel said. “Things are going to get violent. We are going to have to fight that thing in there and I want you to be prepared for that.”

“I understand,” Gwendolyn said. “You guys are adventurers. You fight the bad things.”

“We do indeed,” Luther said. “We are here to protect you and that means getting that thing out.”

“If we could ask you to stay here, we would,” Dimitri said. “It’s going to be too dangerous.”

“But we need you with us because you have the power here,” Asher said. “You’re our back up, kiddo.”

Gwendolyn nodded timidly and smiled. “Okay,” she said.

Dimitri and Luther led the way but Gwendolyn nodded at the gate and it opened easily for them. There were no preliminaries this time. No mermaids. No unicorns. They arrived immediately in the throne room once again. The Thing That Was Not Gwendolyn locked eyes with Gwendolyn and, to her credit, Gwendolyn did not back down. Asher played a little tune to bolster Gwendolyn’s confidence. Everybody readied their weapons and there was a stillness. Sir Buttonface stepped into the middle of it all with his huge weapon. Something passed over the bear’s face as he saw Gwendolyn.

“Sir Buttonface!” Gwendolyn said with a pout. “You stop that this instant! You are my knight.”

“Master Gwendolyn!” Buttonface said. “What is going on?” He looked back at The Thing on the throne and clutched his weapon a little tighter. “Traitor! Abomination!” He raised his weapon.

“Sir Buttonface!” Mariel called out. “You need to protect Master Gwendolyn. We’ll take care of that thing.”

Sir Buttonface nodded but looked sad. “I apologize for what I have done earlier,” he said. “I will make it up to you.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Dimitri said. He was a man of honor and understood how the knight must feel having been fooled and controlled by something so foul.

“Speak for yourself,” Dina said. “Ouch.” However, she was smiling because what were they going to do? Hold a grudge against a teddy bear?

“Protect the girl, Sir Knight,” Luther said. “Let’s do this thing.”

Sir Buttonface scooped up Gwendolyn and lept to the other end of the throne room. She clutched his fur and brought herself closer to him to comfort herself. He shielded her with his body. Gwendolyn was safe and now it was time to get down to business.

The Thing on the Throne stood up and turned into a black, crystalline figure before multiplying into several creatures. They had sharp claws and glowing green eyes. Nobody had seen anything like them but nobody hesitated. They attacked as one but this time there was not an over-sized teddy bear knight in their way. With Gwendolyn returned to her palace, the scales were balanced once again. The battle was not short but one by one the creatures were shattered until one remained. The remaining Thing gibbered and cursed in some dialect from beyond. Mariel focused and summoned a chest and Dimitri and Dina dumped the creature into it. Mariel locked the chest and it disappeared.

“We’re done here,” Mariel said to Luther. “It’s over.” The two of them exchanged a look.

“I guess we can wake up then,” Dina said, looking around.

“I don’t think we got much rest,” Fern said as she stretched.

“We’ll get some soon enough,” Mariel said. “Ironically we have to wake up first.”

“Because that makes complete sense,” Dina said.

“Dream magic is strange,” Mariel said with a shrug. “It’s why people rarely mess with it.”

Gwendolyn and Buttonface walked toward them. “Is it over?” Gwendolyn asked. “Is the bad thing gone?” She seemed to be growing stronger, gaining her footing again in her own mind.

“We’re taking it away,” Asher said. “You can wake up now. We’ll see you when we’re all awake.”

“Okay,” Gwendolyn said. “Thank you.” Her smile warmed the hearts of the adventurers, really the only thanks they needed.

A bright white started to fill the chamber and everybody covered their eyes.

Cult Pantheon

What follows are the borderline and rarely worshipped mystery cults of the world of my Dungeons and Dragons campaign. These are often but not always the crazy people of the world and it shows.

The Nameless

It is rumored that this god or goddess was punished early on in the history of creation. This deity decided to expose the mortal races to knowledge forbidden by the other gods. While the good deities had the best wishes for the mortals of the world, they had wanted to keep them in the dark on certain things. That way they could more easily protect them even from themselves. Sometime later they realized their error much later, the damage had already been done to The Nameless. They nearly destroyed them and what survived had lost its name and form. The Nameless escaped into the Dreamplane, connected to the minds of the whole world. Not much more lore than that survives in the world but it is known that The Nameless survives as a sort of god of inspiration. The followers of the Nameless are few and far between but most are inventors and forward thinkers. Many, but not all, also contain some level of insanity.

Zeoron, The Limitless One

Many theorize that Zeoron was waiting for the gods when their eyes first opened to reality. One of the rumored “Old Ones”, Zeoron did not take kindly to the upstart newcomers who wished to form the world. He fought them all but either lost or realized his fight was futile. Instead of dying, he exploded and his essence spread across all of the planes much like the spores of an exploding mushroom. His followers contend that Zeoron’s essence is everywhere and is truly limitless. Many of his followers believe that Zeoron wishes this reality forged by the gods is illigitimate and must be destroyed. That is why they think that Zeoron’s essence may be the origin of all monsters in the known planes of the multiverse. Followers of Zeoron seek to destroy the foundations of society and any forces that might defend the multiverse from destruction.

Church of The Light

Worshippers of the Church of Light reject all deities in favor of the truth of the light. The light never intercedes on behalf of its followers but instead allows them to rely on the power within which makes them stronger and more self-assured. They view dependence on the gods as a drug, one that is dangerous to mess with since the power and favor handed down from the gods can be taken away on a whim. Followers of the Church of Light seek to teach others to abandon the gods and move on. All that is needed is the Light. The Church is small but extremely loyal to each other. Some outside of the Church have wild theories about what the Light really is. It could be a devil, a spirit, an Old One, or any number of things whispering in the ears of mortals to cause doubt of the gods. Some of their followers prefer the Church because they are tired of the eternal conflict between the good and evil forces.

Ganza, The Advocate

The self-styled spirit of Justice, the shadowy Advocate urges her followers to fight for both accusers and the accused. Therefore it is also a sort of deity of even-handed Law. Followers created the first so-called Lawyers and corresponding Judges. Worshippers pray to remain objective and unemotional whether they are on the attack or on defense. They are passionate only about making sure that their wards are given fair treatment by the governments of the world. Ganza is represented by the symbol of the scales. Her followers are expected to dress well while following their mission.

Dendar, King of Nightmares

Dendar was born as the God of Fear but he proved to be a loose cannon and he ended up being opposed by good and evil gods alike. He sought the destruction of everything that everybody had built. Therefore, the evil gods did not stand in the way of the good gods when they captured Dendar. They imprisoned him for eternity in a box floating through Outer Planar space. At some point after the Ascension, the box was cracked and Dendar escaped into the Dreamplane. Mortals and Immortals alike still feel the pure fear of Dendar’s power in their sleep. If he can, Dendar will be released from the Dreamplane and will not stop until he utterly destroys the multiverse.

Hesper’s Web Pt. 6

Even though everything hurt, everybody hurried toward the source of the plaintive cry. They pushed through weeds and charged through the fog and found a small clearing. In the center of the clearing was a little girl in chains which were staked to the ground. Tears were flowing down her face but it was clear that it was young Gwendolyn. It was easy to believe that this one was the real one. She trembled as she looked up at everybody, frightened and defeated. It broke Mariel’s heart and she knew she was not alone.

“Gwendolyn,” Asher said softly. “Your mother sent us to find you.”

“R-Really?” Gwendolyn asked. “What about the monsters?”

“We’re quite experienced with monsters, young lady,” Mariel said. “We’ll protect you.”

“Dimitri and Dina, help me pull these stakes up,” Luther said. He and the twins moved over and started to pull on the chains. The stakes stubbornly stayed in the ground and Gwen cried harder, shaking like a leaf in the wind.

Mariel kneeled down in front of Gwendolyn and took the young girl’s hands in hers. “Gwendolyn,” she said. “I know that you’re scared. This is very scary. However, this is your world.”

Asher kneeled down next to Mariel. “This is your story, Gwendolyn,” he said. “You hold all of the power here.”

“What?” Gwendolyn muttered. “I have no power.”

“That’s what I thought when I was your age,” Mariel said. “Then I went to an academy and learned magic.” She was proud of her upbringing from a powerless place to wield the forces of magic effortlessly.

Gwendolyn looked up at Mariel again, the first glimmer of hope returning to her eyes. “But I don’t know magic,” she said. “I don’t have any magic.”

“Magic is in everyone,” Mariel said. “Some do it like me and use words but some do it with their mind and heart.” She punctuated this by pointing at the girl’s heart which filled the girl’s eyes with wonder.

Ashe nodded. “Gwendolyn, you don’t have magic in here,” he said. “In here, you are magic. Just think it and it’ll happen.”

“Really?” Gwendolyn asked. “For real?”

“Just give it a try,” Mariel said. “Get rid of these awful chains first.”

The little girl closed her eyes and her shaky breathing slowed. There was a near-blinding pink light and then the chains were suddenly made of flowers instead of thick metal. She shrugged off the flowers and clutched one of the flowers to her chest as she stood up. Her tattered clothing became a princess dress even more spectacular than the one worn by the imposter back at the castle. She opened her eyes and suddenly everybody’s wounds were healed. She smiled so brightly that Mariel and everybody else could not help but smile. Even the usually unreadable Fern was smiling an enigmatic little smile.

“I really am magic!” Gwendolyn said and giggled. “I did it!”

Mariel and Asher stood up clapping. Everybody joined in on the applause and the landscape around them seemed to become more green and colorful. The area just felt happier which would not have made sense back in the material plane but here it made perfect sense. Asher started to play a tune on his lute and the little girl clapped and danced a little and sang along. It was great to see.

“Do you think you could help us get back up there?” Luther asked. “Help us save your friends and get rid of the bad thing?”

Gwendolyn faltered. “The bad thing is scary,” she said. “I don’t know.”

“Normally we’d do it for you, Gwen,” Luther said. “but we need your help. This is all yours. Your mother and father are waiting for you. We just need to get rid of the bad thing. For that, we really do need your help.”

“You know how to do it now,” Mariel said. “You’re so powerful.”

“You’re magic,” Asher said.

“And we’ll be right there with you,” Dimitri said.

“We’ve got your back,” Dina said. “Don’t even worry about it.”

Fern gave a weak thumbs up and a slight smile.

Gwendolyn brightened up again. “We’re going to get rid of the bad thing,” she said. “But how?”

“First we need to go back to the castle,” Mariel said. “Do you think you can handle that?”

“I think so,” Gwendolyn said. “What then?”

“One step at a time,” Luther said. “Trust us.”

Hesper’s Web Pt. 5

“I am going to go ahead and guess that you’re not Gwendolyn,” Luther said. “You’re who we came to see, though.” Mariel glanced over at Sir Buttonface and he was staring at the floor as if he had somehow gone to sleep on his feet. Thankfully, he was not present for this horrific sight of something wearing his master’s image eating a beloved baby unicorn.

The thing that looked like Gwendolyn grinned and then tilted its head back and actually cackled. “Obviously,” it said. “What tipped you off?”

“Um, the unicorn feast was a big one,” Dina said.

“I couldn’t resist,” the thing said. “Such innocence is delicious. I haven’t fed like this in ages.”

“What are you?” Mariel asked. “No no, we know what you are and why you’re here. Who are you?”

“Tsk tsk,” the thing said with a smile. “I know how this works. You do not get to know my true name. All you need to know is that precious little Gwendolyn was weak so I decided to move in.”

“Well,” Luther said. “It’s time to move out now. This is not yours.”

“It is now,” the thing said. Its voice changed back to Gwendolyn as it looked over at her loyal knight. “Sir Buttonface! Please remove these guests.”

Sir Buttonface slowly and sadly turned toward the party. “I’m sorry for this,” he said. He drew a giant ten foot sword and swung it in a wide arc at the party as hard as he could.

Luther pushed Mariel out of the way but caught a little bit of the blade on his shoulder. Dimitri quickly brought up his shield and stopped the sword swing, getting driven back a few inches. Dina took the opportunity to shift into hybrid wolf form, her claws grew and she circled around behind Buttonface. Fern waved her hands and vines grew from the floor to capture the giant teddy bear. Asher pulled out his lute and started to play a countercharm to see if he could somehow break the unnamed devil’s hold on this unreality. Dina lunged and shoved claws deep into the fluff of the teddy bear knight and then she backflipped out of the way. Mariel stood with righteous indignation and tossed a fireball which ignited right in the knight’s face. Burning stuffing and fur flew everywhere and the bear fell to his knees.

Unfortunately, the bear then stood up while he was still burning. The devil laughed as the burning bear started to attack again. Buttonface attacked with mindless savagery, his large size and strength made him more than a match for the combined forces of the party. Luther tried a knockout punch but was swatted into a wall hard by a burning paw. Mariel was picked up and tossed into Fern, the two of them tumbling to the ground in a tangled mess. The devil lashed out with hellfire at Asher, sending the bard into deep unconsciousness. Buttonface landed an overhead downward swing on Dimitri, driving him into the ground despite his shield. Dina tried to run for her brother but was stomped by the still-burning teddy bear knight. For good measure, Buttonface stomped hard on the others.

One by one, Buttonface picked each member of the party up and carried them to the edge of the cloud and tossed them off. They fell to the shadowy ground below. When they woke up, they saw that the landscape around them was dark and full of shadow and mist. They started to check their injuries. They were definitely in bad shape but they were all still able to stand. Their equipment, weapons, and supplies were all damaged beyond repair. They all looked up at the castle on the cloud and then looked at the ground below them.

“How are we still alive?” Dimitri asked. “I mean, I’m not complaining.”

“A reminder that this is a dream,” Mariel said. “Things do not always work out like they do in the material plane. However, I think our survival actually has a lot to do with Sir Buttonface.”

“How is that?” Dina asked. “He really kicked our asses. He tore us apart.”

“I think I see what you’re getting at, Mariel,” Asher said. “That devil told Sir Buttonface to ‘remove us’ instead of telling him to kill us. I think that the lack of specific language actually saved us this time.”

“Exactly,” Mariel said. “I suspect that Buttonface is a pure creation of Gwendolyn’s and therefore carries a lot of power in here. That devil has taken control of Buttonface and everything else in here.”

“Hopefully deep down, Buttonface is still loyal to Gwendolyn,” Luther said. “We need him out of the way so we can get our hands on that little devil.”

Then, from somewhere in the mist, there came a small pitiful sound. “Hello?” the voice said. “Is anybody out there? Please!”

Hesper’s Web Pt. 4

The party stepped through the main gate and found themselves in a glass tunnel under what looked like fathoms of water. Sir Buttonface seemed nonplussed but all of them were absolutely astonished. They had traveled the world and seen many wondrous and horrifying sights but this was new. Fern and Dina pressed their faces to the glass and Mariel gently pulled them back. As she did, a mermaid swam by and waved and smiled at them. It was not like real sea people that Mariel and her friends had seen. The top of the woman was beautiful by human standards and the bottom was all fish but the scales shone like gems. She was absolutely magnificent. Then three more swam by, more graceful than anything in the world.

“They’re beautiful,” Dina said. “Super weird but beautiful.”

“Totally wild and free,” Fern muttered. “I want to swim with them.”

“Master Gwendolyn swims with them often,” Sir Buttonface said offhandedly. He was not even looking at them, he was just staring into space with a bored expression. “She can breathe underwater. Did you know that?”

“We didn’t,” Mariel said. “Has she swam with the mermaids recently?” She smiled and turned with wonder toward Sir Buttonface.

Buttonface turned to face her, his attention suddenly attracted. “Not lately,” he replied. “Master Gwendolyn has had other things to focus on.”

“Like what?” Luther asked. “She’s a little child. What does she have to do except for play?”

Sir Buttonface shrugged. “Law and order,” he said. “There is a threat to the kingdom.”

“Oh?” Luther asked. “What’s the threat? We can help.” He gestured to his compatriot’s weapons and armor. “We are adventurers. Fighters.”

“You’ll see,” Buttonface said. “Come. We’re expected.” He pushed open the next gate and kept walking.

Everybody looked at each other, exchanging worried glances. Still, there were few options other than following the teddy bear knight. Everybody tensed and continued.

They were led through the next door which revealed an indoor area that was covered with plants and grass. Prancing nearby was a couple of unicorns. Everybody stopped again. The unicorns were rainbow-colored and their hair seemed to be made of light and love. They moved like they were completely unencumbered by anything natural. They were beautiful otherworldly spirits in horse form. Mariel hardly noticed that her breathing had stopped. When she noticed she gasped and just could not stop smiling. She noticed Asher staring intently as well.

“I have always wanted to see a unicorn since even before my orphan days,” Mariel said. “I have never really known of them outside of the Faewild. I’ve never really wanted to risk it all by going there.”

“I have,” Fern said softly. Mariel and Dina glanced over at her and she shrugged and turned back toward the unicorns. That girl was a mystery.

“You’re a unicorn fan, Asher?” Mariel asked.

“My sister drew them endlessly when we were little,” Asher said. “She was absolutely obsessed. That obsession was definitely contagious and many nights I dreamed of unicorns. One of my first songs that got famous was about unicorns.”

“Really?” Mariel asked. “I don’t think I’ve heard that one.”

“It’s Unicorn in the Meadow,” Asher said. As he said it, the sound of music filled the air around them and an invisible singer seemed to circle around them. It was the song that Asher had just mentioned.

“That is one of Master Gwendolyn’s favorite songs,” Sir Buttonface said. “She has sung it often. That’s her voice.”

“We need to see her,” Luther said. “We want to help her.” He looked up at the teddy bear knight.

Sir Buttonface seemed to consider Luther’s request for a long moment. “She does not need your help,” he said. “I will still bring you to her. She will want to meet you.”

“Lead the way then,” Luther said.

“We have already arrived,” Sir Buttonface said.

They looked around and found that they were suddenly in a glittery pink room with white marble floors and accents everywhere. It looked like they were inside of a confection. A rich girl’s birthday cake come to life. On a golden throne was Gwendolyn. She wore a flowing silk dress with literal stars twinkling in the fabric. She wore an impressive silver and gold crown. She had a baby unicorn on her lap. As they all caught her eye, she smirked and leaned down and took a large bite out of the baby unicorn. She swallowed hard, multi-colored blood running down her chin as the baby beast squirmed. She tossed it aside and wiped her mouth clean.

“This is going to be fun,” the thing that was not Gwendolyn said.