Sleep Paralysis

[Saber Sloth]

Something isn't right. The statement echoes, reverberating within the washed watercolour of the Dream Tavern around them. Standing beneath the sparkling-blank-something-nothing that might lead them out, instead the Lost flex their wyrd, learning, searching.

The dream is gossamer thin, almost like it's meant to break, is the first thing that strikes them. Underneath that realization is a sudden rush of an all consuming feeling of avarice, blood-thirst, and a coiling anticipation.

They realize, that this dream had been placed near on purpose and that purpose might in fact be a trap.

And just a reminder, if you don't have a skill that's a minus off your roll depending on if it's mental or physical/social

[Sonnie Wu]

None of this was too Sonnie's liking. Quite the opposite. What started as a fun dream romp to get some information had quickly turned dangerous. Animal instincts screamed her to flee in the face of this angry, hungry sensation lurking in the oneirological shadows.

Trap. Wake up now.

Got to protect Sera.

Wake her up now.

The human part of her brain managed to stay in control for the time being and she looked to the Spring Queen. "This is a trap. We should leave," she said matter-of-factly, "That's what I think as your Claviger."

[Seraphina]

Did she think it would help? She wasn’t completely sure, but it couldn’t hurt.

But as she looks, and, well, senses, she stops, dead still, sapphires flicking around.

This wasn’t right.

Eyes suddenly look to Sonnie, “This isn’t right, this is wrong, and this could be a trap.” Her voice low, stern, with a hint of unease. Could Dreams be used as a trap? She had the ability to fight within the Skein, and bring that fight out and to her opponent. But so could others. Which meant a danger to not only Sonnie, but Vincent as well, and she was not willing to risk them.

Nodding to the Beast, “Yes, I agree.” But still, a pause, “But whatever or whoever this is, they know what the Tavern looks like. Which means they could be there right now, or have been there. I don’t like not knowing who or what that is.” Because then the Tavern wasn’t safe.

Still standing in place, she decides to take a moment to try and analyze the dream, see if she can get any information about who or what was creating this.

4 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-10-22 19:34:42	Seraphina rolls 8 to Analyzing the Dream(Wits+Empathy)-1 Intensity (10 Again, WillPower)	9, 4, 7, 7, 8, 3, 7, 10, 10, 4	4 successes

Sera decides to try and Analyze the Dream

[Vincent Black]

Vincent was on high alert the moment his companions mentioned trap, “Whoever set this up knows what the tavern looks like. This is not good, they may have also known we were coming here. Did any of you tell anyone? Because I did not mention this to anybody.”

[Saber Sloth]

With the knowledge that this ephemeral dream is a trap, Sera flexes her Wyrd once more, and slowing begins to understand the nature of the trap - it's like a tripwire. A dream anchored around the Freehold, or maybe just Sera, or her Springs, given the watercolour environment around them - but oh, it's not an indented dreamscaping, they're providing the backdrop, that makes sense. No one new, or unknown to the Wyrdstone would have been able to, or has found the Tavern.

She knows that this is a dream meant to break, and it can and will break in oh so many ways, and once it is broken it will alert whoever's placed it.

They could try and wake up, or try to. And attempt to bypass the tripwire dream. Or they could continue on, breaking the dream and see just what'll happen next.

[Sonnie Wu]

Sonnie, being part monkey, felt better when she was off the ground. Sitting someplace high. High was safe. She knew this dream was a trap, and there wasn't likely anyplace that was actually safe here, but it still made her feel better. So, she perched on a table. Off the floor, but not so high she couldn't reach Sera in a moment's notice.

She just crouched there, on the table's edge, and watched her Queen do her dream study stuff, her tail twitching nervously.

"I told nobody," she said to Vincent, eyes not leaving Sera. "Unless my dog counts, and he can't do oneiromancy."

[Seraphina]

Sapphires shift over to Vincent, “I only have two confidants, and one is in here with us. So no, I haven’t told anyone else.” And she highly doubted Sonnie told anyone.

As she works her Wyrd, and her knowledge, she remains still, letting the Dream speak to her. Her eyes then find Sonnie, “It’s a trap, and one we can easily set-off.” Her voice low, calm, “The Dream itself is either tied to the Freehold somehow, the Spring Court,” then a deep breath, “or even myself.” Was she scared? Yes. This was an unknown to her, something she hadn’t come across before. And she found herself wishing for Rhodes, for his vast knowledge and ability to make everything sound like it was going to be ok. He made her feel…safe. And that safety was gone.

Another deep breath, “The Dream is meant to break, which should have been a huge hint to me but I missed it. Breaking it is going to alert whoever has placed it. That being said, we have some decisions to make. We could try and wake up, say fuck the whole trapped Dream, but that will also leave us back at square one with a new dilemma. Who placed this and why. No guarantee that if we wakeup we find the answers, or help stop whatever is killing people around the city. Or we continue and break the Dream, set-off whatever trap this is, force their hand per say. Confront them, and possibility stop the killings. Each path has risks, and I want to know what you guys are comfortable with.” She knew her way around a Dream Battle, she had some skills. But she was no expert.

A nod to Sonnie, she knew her best friend, she trusted her. “If we move forward, we could try and hold the Dream together should it break. Not sure if it would alert anyone or anything, but it’s something we could try.” With it being a trap, they might not even be able to hold it together.

“But you guys tell me, which way do we go. I know I would rather find whoever is causing this and deal with them. But I also know not everyone is comfortable in this element, and I won’t make you guys do anything.” Nope. She might be a Queen and Director, but she would never make those she cared about go into a fight they were not ready for or wanted.

[Vincent Black]

Vincent, not one to back away from a fight speaks up,"Fuck it, the only way we are going to figure this out it seems is by breaking this dream. And I say if we are ready for a fight we might as well give them what they want."

[Saber Sloth]

The ephemeral dream hangs, the watercolour washes around them, nearly humming. The table becomes more solid the moment Sonnie decided to perch, causing the floor where she had been standing to loose some vibrancy.

The trap waits to be sprung or avoided.

If you want to try and hold this dream together while exiting this one, someone will need to roll to create the gate, Wits + Empathy + Wyrd, and spend 1 WP to force this Dream to hold together. Remember the WP spending rules, and that WP is your Health Track in Dreams

[Sonnie Wu]

Sonnie watched, rather fascinated in that manner kids have when they see something unusual, as the table under her became more real. Sort of. Her long monkey toes gripped the edge with experienced confidence.

Her head raised back up to look at Sera again, studying the Fairest curiously. "Who would have knowledge of this place outside the freehold?" It couldn't be any current members, right? Especially with the freehold currently so small. They didn't even have a Winter Court, for Kong's sake. "Like, former members? Someone no longer connected to the Wyrdstone?"

The Steepscrambler shook her head, uncertain what to do. "I'm still for leaving, but even that could set off this trap, right? Might as well bull forward, I guess." She sighed and shrugged, "I'll open a gate, then, if one of you wants to hold this fake Tavern together."

She closed her eyes and started to focus on opening a dream gate, reaching out through her sense of the Wyrd, trying to tangle some of these gossamer threads of dreamstuff into a working portal.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-10-29 15:17:12	Sonnie Wu rolls 7 to Dream Gate: Wits 4 + Wyrd 3 (10 Again)	3, 5, 8, 8, 5, 7, 4	2 successes