(Broken Cycle) Night Terrors

[Seraphina]

Finally, they were there. The Dream they had been searching for.

And this one unlike any of the others. Familiar, and yet…not.

It reminded her of her Season. The Antlers. The flowers.

But not what was in the center.

A tentative step was taken, moving slightly closer to center of the clearing. Her eyes searching the area. We're the bodies Dreamers? Another small step.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2020-03-13 13:06:49		Seraphina rolls 4 to Perception(Wits+Comp)-1 Clarity (10 Again)		2, 7, 7, 9		1 success

[Rhodes]

Rhodes looked around. He felt the poison all around, seeing the antler-like Thorns. But more than that, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck.

"Gardens. Not to be cliche, but I hate gardens," he mutters.

"Alright, Darling. This is the place. Have you ever Scoured a dream before?" the Dread Lord asks lightly.

[Saber Sloth]

Seraphina sees more then she would have if she wasn't of the Order of Oneirophysics, if she wasn't, bound to her Wyrd as a healer. The three, intubated. Their breath controlled, by unseen machines. Their bandages are tight, so glaringly, obviously tight. Too tight, biting into the skin, leaving it coloured purple and yellow. Underneath the gleam of bright, bloody red blooms. Their wounds, hands, feet, the top of their heads, their ears, their cheeks....too much of these three have been made bloody.

And as the Dreamhealer takes in the bodies, the people, these Dreamers, she sees their eyes are open.

Remember you can do a ton of things in a dream! Oneiromany Primer!

[Seraphina]

A brief nod of understanding, a reassuring squeeze on his hand, “I know. But we need to do this, and I'm with you.” But she had a feeling he already knew that.

“I have, once. But it was some time ago. So I might be a bit rust…” and her voice trailed off, her body ridged as her eyes focused on the bodies.

And what she was seeing. And understanding.

“No…” she whispers sadly, walking closer. “This isn’t right.” Why? What was the purpose?

  3 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2020-03-15 11:13:30		[01] Seraphina rolls 8 to Learn about the Dreamer(Wits+Emp+Wyrd) (10 Again)		5, 6, 10, 3, 6, 9, 5, 7, 8		3 successes

  4 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2020-03-15 11:13:30		[02] Seraphina rolls 8 to Learn about the Dreamer(Wits+Emp+Wyrd) (10 Again)		4, 9, 9, 7, 7, 9, 10, 7, 4		4 successes

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2020-03-15 11:13:30		[03] Seraphina rolls 8 to Learn about the Dreamer(Wits+Emp+Wyrd) (10 Again)		2, 6, 5, 10, 5, 7, 1, 2, 7		1 success

[Rhodes]

The feel of her hand and the chill of Fear in his heart. That was where he lived now. The twin callings of his heart. Rhodes looked towards Sera, smiling adoringly. He knew how she felt, but hearing it was so often what was needed. "Thank you, darling. I love you."

He nods. "Well, it's quite simple really Darling... darling? Sera?" What was she looking at?

I assume they just look like people still to Rhodes?

[Saber Sloth]

Sera takes in the Dreamers. Her Wyrd reaching outward to touch the core of them, needing to know. What she feels from all of them is the cracking of their minds. Fragile thin, like the first varnish of Clarity.

She can smell the scent of blossoms, and feel the burn of Fear.

She can feel the echo of a treble hear beating frantic, and feel the ache and agony of feet and shoes worn thin, bloodied and an ever needing drive to go forward.

As she draws closer to the three who's Dreams have bound them together, she feels muscles rip and tendons tear. She feels sinew and string, and a horrifying realization echoing in triplicate, that she-they were being stitched into something new.

To learn more, the Nix would need to delve deeper, or remove the tubing and coax the tree Dreamers to speak.

They look like people to both of you, but to Sera's trained eye, they're severely injured, and what's being done to help, is hurting instead.

[Seraphina]

The Treasured doesn’t appear to hear him as she approaches the bodies.

With purpose this time.

She needed to know more, and finally she speaks, still walking towards the bodies, “Can you see it? Feel it?” she asks, stopping beside one. “Their minds...breaking…the agony they are in?” the pain in her voice clear.

A hand reaches out and gently touches a bandaged arm, “Someone or something is stitching them into something….new? Different?” a question. “Questions…” and the hand moves to the tube in the Dreams mouth, intending to remove it. Carefully if she could, the Dreamer was in enough pain. “Let me help.” She says quietly to the Dreamer, her angelic voice gentle.

[Rhodes]

Rhodes follows Sera closely. "Darling, when there is poison throughout the dream, I worry less about the health of the dreamer, knowing as you do that the cleansing of the poison is of the utmost concern," he says gently. She was afraid, it was clear. He could almost taste it. "Once that is done, we can restore the fallow dream and you can tend to them, but before then we must deal with the poison." The tone becomes firm.

"Unless what you're doing can wait, I'm going to begin scouring the Dream." The Dread Lord rolls up his sleeves, looking to Sera.

[Saber Sloth]

The Nix, unmanifested, remains, invisible to the Dreamers, even as their eyes remain wide, searching, flicking. Casting around, looking for anything, anyone...

And so, her angelic voice, is heard only by the Dread Lord at her side.

[Seraphina]

Sapphires look at him, the pain evident in them. “I,” she begins, looking back down at the Dreamer, “I know you’re right.” She was torn, looking over the person on the table and the bandages, then back to the Dread Lord. “Do you promise?” she looks at him, her eyes intense, “If I can help them heal, I have to.” It was part of who she was now.

Could it wait? She’d have to manifest herself, which she completely forgot about before. And who knows if that would complicate scouring the Dream.

Almost recently, her hand drops, and she moves back to Rhodes, “What do I need to do? I’ve only done this once before, so might need a refresher.”