(PrP) Nightmare At Large, Pt. 2

[InvertedMonkey]

This is the second part of the Nightmare At Large plot-line, a continuation/conclusion of the Once More Into the Dreaming storyline.

Dreams are an experience that can never be truly shared. Our words and arts are incapable of describing the awesome and terrifying ways in which they change us. A dream is another world. Everything is malleable. Time and memories are lost, or blur together. Matter may exist only while you pay attention to it, or take on strange and unrealistic forms. There are no rules, and there is no way of making sense. Even more astonishing is that a dreamer may step not only into another world, but into another mind. They might be tricked into believing something is real when it isn't, find no fault in the things which make no sense, undertake tasks or labors even when they know that something... is not right.

All of this is true, and untrue, for nothing about dreams is certain.

Yet for a Changeling, there are ways to... circumvent these magnificent borders between reality and the dreaming world. They among the few may share a dream, may distinguish reality from fantasy, may recognize an impossibility without causing a cascade of paradoxical actuality. In many ways, the realm of dreams is at their command. Gods amidst the shapeless, powerful authors and editors of the dreaming narrative. Their discretion can be benevolent... or wrathful.

And they are not alone.

The Sandman they call him, the terrible dream-demon that sent a group of children into a coma, and held their sleeping minds hostage in a fell prison. Though the children were released, he has continued to plague them, or at least one. Since his release, a young boy named Robby has been afflicted with the worst recurring night terrors anyone has ever seen. The Sandman's work continues, it seems.

A group of Changelings have taken it upon themselves to end these crimes, and bring the Sandman to justice.

[Terri Nutkins]

Terri waited outside her stall at Quicksilver Gate, letting the others know that they could use her place when the time came. Apart from the restaurants inside, most of the market was closed for the day, the vendors having headed home. Terri had lingered. She had finished some designs, done some of her accounting and had a bite to eat at one of the restaurants. All day, however, the Beast had been thinking about the coming night and the dream they would be entering.

It wasn't the first time Terr had wandered the dreams of others but the last time...Terri shuddered at the memory. Beside Mr. Bates and Spartan, trying to break through Fairweather's bastion. They had woken the dragon and caused the destruction of the Freehold's heart and soul - the Four Seasons.

Nerves didn't cover the range of emotions Terri was feeling right now as she waited at Treetop Fashions for the others.

[Kyle Ferlen]

Something about the plight of others strikes a chord with Kyle. He might not be the bravest bohemian when it comes to confronting the unknown, but he's a sucker for the prevention of suffering. Maybe that's why he had agreed so quickly to assist some kid he knew nothing about. Plus, it was Lynn making the request. A fellow artist who'd even helped him out with some new song material. He felt a little like he'd been conned - coming to meet her over some new material - but this new cause seemed to be legit.

To make matters easier, the location for their meeting is somewhere familiar to the Minstrel. One of the first places he had visited on his arrival had been the Quicksilver gate. He'd met Morgan, Tessa, Tally... he'd even caught a glimpse of Terri there too. From what Lynn had told him, the 'kid' who needed help was having bad dreams. Another thing Kyle feels confident he can help with.

So why the hell is he so nervous?

"Oh. Hey Terri! Didn't know you were gonna be here." She's got a shop here, asshole. Real smooth. "Um... what I mean is... didn't know you were helpin out too?" The Fairest doesn't quite hit the mark of delivering that with confidence. Oh well.

[Trickster]

Lynn made her way back to Quicksilver Gate with quick steps. She didn't want to be late and miss the opportunity to help out Roby. She carried a large bag in one hand, holding a sleeping bag and a change of clothes. She didn't know how long she was going to be in this dream and she wanted to be prepared. The first time she'd tried to enter a shared dream, all she had gotten out of the experience was a nap, so she hoped that the pledge would help things along this time.

"Hey Kyle! Terri, thanks for letting us bunk at your place." Lynn waved at them both as she approached.

[Daniel Leto]

Daniel made his way to the Quicksilver Gate. Ava had contacted him briefly, saying she remembered him attending the dream lessons at the Aumtumn expo and would Daniel be interested in helping with something. There weren't any specifics but Daniel had agreed anyway. He had some reservations but that had more to do with his ability to actually reach a dream than in whether or not to give Ava assistance.

So, this time he was coming prepared. He had a new yoga mat, still in the cheap plastic wrapping, and he'd brought along an inexpensive CD player. Plus a disk he'd burned a bunch of Enya on to. He felt almost dirty bringing along such cliche relaxation music. He'd brought headphones to hide his shame.

Approaching Treetop Fashions, he saw he wasn't the first to arrive. He gave them all a friendly wave before he closed the distance.

"Hi Lynn; hey Terri; and..." Daniel couldn't remember ever actually being introduced to the guy but his last court appearance had caused enough stir "Kevin? Sorry, I remember you dancing with Sasha.

"So what going on? I basically I heard there was a going to be a sleepover but not much else."

[InvertedMonkey]

Ava's divinations had revealed much. Enough to disturb her. In seeking a single, steady thread of the Skein with a clear path to Robby's dreamscape, she had made a grim discovery. The boy was not the only victim the Sandman continued to plague. Several children from the hospital suffered near-constant nightmares, making the Skein's weave around them tight and strained. It was easy to discern which path to take. Harder to discover when to take it. Like Robby, the children did all they could to avoid sleep. Sneaking caffeine or sweets, inflicting painful self-harm, blaring music as loud as possible, seeking any simple distraction that would keep them awake through the nights. Inevitably, this leads to strange sleeping hours. They would drift away for a few minutes, or a few hours, against their wills at any time of day or night. Unpredictable and brief. It would be a month since meeting Robby when enough of them would be asleep at once for the path to his dream to be whole and walkable. Tonight is the night.

Robby is bound in a dreaming pledge, but reaching his dream still requires some effort. When you're ready to begin dreaming, you'll need to spend a point of Glamour, and then make an extended Meditation (Composure + Wits) + Wyrd roll. The comfortable environment, relaxation music, and collective focus on dreaming tonight will give you a +3 bonus to this roll, and Ava's great success at Oneiroscopy has made the path clear, adding another +3.
Thus the final roll should be Wits + Composure + Wyrd + 6.
You may make up to as many rolls as your Wits + Composure on this extended action. Your target number is 16 successes. If you fail to hit the target number, you are not out of the scene/dream, but your journey into Robby's dreamscape will suffer a complication.
On Friday I'd like you guys to be asleep and making these dice rolls, but no rush until then. Continue to RP appropriately. Seems like Daniel still needs an in-character briefing on what's going on.

[Terri Nutkins]

Terri chuckled and threw Kyle a smile as he stumbled for words. "It's ok, I didn't know you were helping out either. Once everyone gets here, we'll head to my place and discuss it openly."

Soon after, the others joined them. Ava and Lynn got wide smiles and welcomes; they were both expected. Daniel had not been but it didn't concern the Beast. Daniel seemed to be helping out a lot of folk recently. Like them all, he was definitely part of the community good and proper.

"I think so, Ava," Terri replied before leading them to the rear of her stall and a door that was a small storage cupboard. Most of the time. Terri rapped out a series of knocks on the frame (those with good musical knowledge would recognize the opening notes of Paramore's Misery Business) before turning the handle and pushing the door.

"Come on in," Terri said, stepping over the threshold from the mundane world to the treehouse hollow she shared with Rick. It was cosy, open-space little hollow, the door opening up directly into a lounge seating area but rather than couches, it had a low circular seating area that looked a lot like a comfortable nest. A small coffee table was situated at it's center. Attached to the lounge was a cooking area with a simple cooking stove that looked like it didn't get used much but a door next to it was pretty large cupboard; the steepscrambler's own stash. A couple of other doors led away from the kitchen, no doubt to bedrooms. A medium sized space that doubled as a hallway connected the kitchen and the lounge, and possessed a large window and balcony where one could overlook the Hedge. Finally, another door was partially open that led from the lounge; Terri's workshop, no doubt where she created her designs, both normal and hedgespun. From the sight of it, it looked pretty messy. Overall, the treehouse held a similar fragrance of Terri's mantle that was comfortable and homey. A subtle color-scheme of bronze, dull oranges and greys set the tone.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Terri grinned as they entered, closing the door behind the last of them to enter. "Please, make yourselves comfy, I've got some nibbles and soda in as we fill in Daniel and Kyle on the situation." With a graceful spin, Terri headed to the kitchen and opened the large cupboard where she held a majority of her favourite snacks and treats.

[Kyle Ferlen]

Soo not smooth. Pick up your game, man. Like flipping a light-switch, his lackadaisical confidence comes back in full. "Your place, huh? That's kinda cool. Thanks for volunteerin. The little people like us appreciate that kind of thing." He throws her a wink - a hint to their recent conspiratorial endeavor. He honestly hopes it will turn out for her.

"Lynn! Wonderin when you would get here. Was worried I'd gone to the wrong place." Her unmasked features remind him, again, that he hasn't properly hidden himself. Might be alright, considering their destination. Plus he'd want to keep his reserves of Glamour in case things took some kind of unexpected turn.

Kyle gives the... somewhat familiar Gravewright an equally apologetic smile. "Don't worry about it, man." He leans forward to deliver his next in a whisper Kyle.

The next visage takes him less time to decipher, even with his condition. The fish-girl. Not at all a judgement, on his part: just an easy way to remember her features. "Ava. Good to see you again." His thoughts return the cold and confused reception from Ava and Ramona at that one bar. He's glad they'd moved past all of that.

The Minstrel cracks a grin at Terri's little musical password. "Didn't see that one comin. he says as the doorway to elsewhere opens up. Kyle strains his eyes a little, stepping in after all the ladies do - gentleman that he is - and takes in the view of Terri's place as well as he can. Humble, huh? Better than my apartment. That's for sure...

[Trickster]

"Oh, this is lovely!" Lynn looked around as she followed Terri into her Hollow. "I've really got to put something like this together, when I get the chance." She kicked off her shoes next to the door and crossed to sit down, curling her legs underneath her.

"Thank you for letting us work out of here, Terri." She looked over at Daniel and Kyle. "Well, I already filled Kyle in on everything I know, which admittedly wasn't much." She nodded at Daniel. "In short, we all met Roby at Quicksilver Gate. He was a victim of the Sandman, who was preying on children in their dreams about a year back and sending them into comas. They saved the kids the first time, but it seems like he's back, because Roby is still dreaming about him. Luckily, Ava managed to get him to agree to a dreaming Pledge, so we should be able to reach and help him again." She sighed. "I know that I'm not even the slightest bit experienced at this, but I want to help."