Play@YSDC

Posted: **Mon Mar 01, 2021 2:03 am**

HoneyDog wrote:Karl nudges Max's arm.

"Have you noticed that they never use names?" he whispers. "They never address each other. And they've never introduced themselves, nor asked our names. Pretty unusual, no?"

Mr. Handy wrote:"I hadn't noticed that," says Max, "but now that you mention it, it is odd. I think I've even been doing it myself while I'm here. Is it just the Dotherites, or did the people of Hlanith act the same way?"

"You're right, they don't," Helmut says. "Is that a quirk of their culture, or a facet of this world? Perhaps they don't have names. We don't know quite how real they are."

Posted: **Mon Mar 01, 2021 2:23 am**

"There was that one lady back in Hlanith, Milaya," says Max. "She told me her name, but then again, I did ask."

Posted: **Wed Mar 03, 2021 1:54 am**

Armed with this new fact, the three of you can observe that while the Dotherites speak to one another, they do indeed never use one another's names, even when two of them are discussing a third.

Meanwhile, the voyage reveals vistas of reddish desert that stretch to the horizon in both directions, though the river's banks boast broad fertile strips of dark soil - every so often you pass a farm or small village brick huts - the people look North African in both features and dress, and seem amiable, greeting passing barges with waves. The river itself is enormous, nearly half a mile wide - it would almost certainly have been navigably by the ship had the city's bridge's not blocked its passage. There are other boats, mostly going the same way as you, and mostly emanating the scents of Thraa's bread - some stop and unload at villages, while others keep going.

Unless anyone sees fit to confront the Dotherites about this quirk of theirs, the journey passes without any mishap, and after a few days you approach the city of Kadatheron. It's built of squat, square towers which would resemble a fortress more than a city were the windows not large and open. Even in the golden dawn light it looks more austere and less hospitable than Thraa. It's built on one side of the river only, the other being given over to farmland. From here it's impossible to tell which of the buildings are this Temple you're here to visit.

Posted: **Wed Mar 03, 2021 2:11 am**

Karl looks at the city, taking it all in.

"Is the temple nearby?" he asks.

Posted: **Wed Mar 03, 2021 2:35 am**

Max also admires the city and awaits the answer to Karl's question.

Posted: **Thu Mar 04, 2021 1:38 am**

"It is close to the centre of the city," one of the Dotherites replies. "All the major streets converge there."

As the barge comes in to the dock, you can see the city's people are close in appearance to the farmers and villagers you saw along the river. Few pay you any notice, concentrating on the other barges carrying food. However a couple of lightly armoured men come your way, asking what your business is in the city - it is clearly the three dreamers they are addressing, not the Dotherites.

Posted: **Thu Mar 04, 2021 1:54 am**

"We are here to visit the temple" Karl tells them, hoping honesty will work.

Posted: **Thu Mar 04, 2021 3:58 am**

Max nods in agreement.

Posted: **Fri Mar 05, 2021 2:09 am**

"The great road is that way," one of the guards points along the dock. "Once you reach it, you need only follow its course - it leads to the temple's square."

Posted: **Fri Mar 05, 2021 3:13 am**

Karl nods and offers his thanks.

"Shall we?" he says to his companions.

Posted: **Fri Mar 05, 2021 4:18 am**

"Dankeschoen," says Max to the guard before accompanying Karl and the Dotherites down the great road. "Let's go."

Posted: **Sun Mar 07, 2021 12:52 am**

The great road proves easy to spot - it's just shy of 75m along the stone-paved dock, between the bustling of unloading barges and equally busy covered stall set against the tower walls. The street is wide, wider than any in Berlin, yet crowded with people and carts - to either side, the towers you saw from the river rise several storeys up, while the buildings between them seldom exceed one - ahead, you catch glimpes through the throng of what must be the temple, a low structure of dark-coloured marble ringed with columns.
You are all aware that the two guards from the dock are following you.

Posted: **Sun Mar 07, 2021 1:19 am**

"Looks like they want to make sure we're really heading to the temple," says Max.

Posted: **Sun Mar 07, 2021 6:53 am**

"Good job we are!" replies Karl jovially.

Posted: **Mon Mar 08, 2021 2:21 am**

The great road ends at a huge circular plaza paved with light-brown stone - other, similar strees branch off of it at intervals, heading back into the city. Like the great road, the plaza is thronged with pedestrians and carts, although the usual consequence of having so many horses and oxen about doesn't seem to apply.

The temple itself sits at the centre of the plaza. It's only a little taller than the one-storey buildings of the city, but as broad as a city block. It's built of a dark blue marble, with black and white veins visible now you're closer - and surrounded by roofed walkway supported by columns.

A half-dozen guards can be seen at intervals along the walkway on your side of the building. Two flank an open doorway, though no one is entering or leaving.

Posted: **Mon Mar 08, 2021 3:30 am**

"Well, let's go inside," says Max.

Posted: **Tue Mar 09, 2021 2:19 am**

As you approach the temple, the guards at the doorway straighten up. "Hold!" one of them says. "If you seek entrance, you may pass, but these others may not accompany you," he adds, indicating the Dotherites.

"We expected this," one of the Dotherites says. "We will wait."

Max, Karl, and Helmut are allowed through the entrance, which leads into a large hall, decorated with standing plants and equipped with low marble benches. High slit windows admit shafts of light. Another opening leads further into the temple.

The gate guards follow you in, those who have been trailing you from the docks close on their heels. You sense their demeanours change too late to react before the shout of "Sieze them!" and the sound of running feet from the aperture ahead. Behind you you hear the snick of swords being drawn.

Posted: **Tue Mar 09, 2021 4:20 am**

Seeing that there's no way to get past the guards behind them and expecting more trouble ahead, Max concentrates and tries to create a new doorway leading out of the temple.

Posted: **Wed Mar 10, 2021 2:01 am**

The guards not attack immediately, presumably waiting to see if the three of you surrender.

Mr. Handy wrote:Seeing that there's no way to get past the guards behind them and expecting more trouble ahead, Max concentrates and tries to create a new doorway leading out of the temple.

OOC,Dreamshaping roll (10% skill) to create a new doorway: 248953:0 Can I spend 4 Luck to make that a success?

The marble wall to the left of you flickers in and out of your view, like a moment of blindness, and then there is another doorway, similar to the first.

Posted: **Wed Mar 10, 2021 2:53 am**

Seeing what Alex is doing, Karl runs for the doorway.

Posted: **Wed Mar 10, 2021 4:13 am**

Max also runs out through the new doorway he created, gesturing for Helmut to follow them.

Posted: **Thu Mar 11, 2021 3:01 am**

You both move like lightning, making it to the new doorway before the guards can react. But you're both outside before you realise Helmut isn't following. You can hear voices within, but his isn't among them. If you keep going you may be able to lose yourselves in the crowded plaza - if you turn back, you will facing at least four men.

Posted: **Thu Mar 11, 2021 3:22 am**

"Helmut!" Karl cries to Max. "He didn't follow!"

Posted: **Thu Mar 11, 2021 4:21 am**

"We're going to need allies before we go back to rescue him," says Max. "And maybe modern weapons. A panzer would be nice too, but that might be overdoing it. We could circle around to the front where the Dotherites were waiting and get some answers out of them, but they can't be trusted. It's quite possible they knew this was a trap."

Posted: **Thu Mar 11, 2021 6:21 am**

Karl nods.

"Let's get out of here then, before they find us."

Posted: **Fri Mar 12, 2021 5:22 am**

Max nods and leads the way into the crowd in the plaza.

Posted: **Sat Mar 13, 2021 1:21 am**

The two of you are able to disappear into the crowd with relative ease - now you're inamongst them, you can tell that most of them are traversing the plaza to get to one of the great roads from another, so you can also make it to one of them unseen. The question is where to go to find allies.

Posted: **Sat Mar 13, 2021 3:41 am**

"Shall we head around closer to the front of the temple to see if the Dotherites are still waiting outside?" asks Max. "Nobody would expect us to come back so close to the place this soon."

Posted: **Sat Mar 13, 2021 3:45 am**

Karl hesitates.

"How do we know they weren't in on it?" he asks.

Posted: **Sat Mar 13, 2021 4:07 am**

"We don't," says Max, "but this is a way we could find out. I do suspect that they led us into a trap, but we can make sure of it. If they are no longer waiting around in front of the temple for our return, then we know for a fact that they set us up. If they are still there, it becomes less likely, and we can find a way to approach them. I've studied psychology, so I should be able to tell from their reactions to seeing us again whether or not they sold us out. If they truly are innocent, they would make potential allies. They are also the only people we have any knowledge about in this city."

Posted: **Sat Mar 13, 2021 7:13 am**

Karl nods.

"An excellent hypothesis, Herr Max" he says. "Let's go take a look."

Posted: **Sun Mar 14, 2021 2:47 am**

You're able to work your way back around the plaza to where you left the Dotherites. At first it appears they have indeed left, but then you catch sight of a food stand set up against one of the plaza's outer walls - a brick griddle next to a wooden counter on wheels, and a few benches around them. Two of the Dotherites are there, eating what appear to be rolled up strips of bread. They are sat next to each other, facing the same direction, giving you the option of approaching from in front or behind.

Posted: **Sun Mar 14, 2021 3:14 am**

"Let's approach from behind," says Max. "We want to be close to them when they see us."

Posted: **Sun Mar 14, 2021 4:29 pm**

Karl nods. Max is obviously a man of action, and the scholarly Karl is happy for his companion to take the lead.

Posted: **Mon Mar 15, 2021 12:23 am**

The plaza has enough ambient noise for you to get up right behind the two Dotherites. After a moment, one of them turns apparently sensing a presence.

"You're here!" he says. "What did you see?"

"It's not been enough time," the other breaks in. "Did they not allow you in?" Ironically perhaps, it is Karl who discerns that the first spoke with eagerness and the second disappointment.

After a moment, the second Dotherite adds, "Where is your friend?"

Posted: **Mon Mar 15, 2021 1:17 am**

"They tried to seize us!" says Karl angrily. "And now they have our companion! What is going on here? Did you betray us?"

Posted: **Mon Mar 15, 2021 2:16 am**

"If you truly did not know what would happen when we entered the temple," says Max, "you will help us get our friend out of there. You can start by telling us everything you know of the temple and the people within."

Posted: **Tue Mar 16, 2021 2:37 am**

HoneyDog wrote: ↑Mon Mar 15, 2021 1:17 am "They tried to seize us!" says Karl angrily. "And now they have our companion! What is going on here? Did you betray us?"

Mr. Handy wrote: ↑Mon Mar 15, 2021 2:16 am "If you truly did not know what would happen when we entered the temple," says Max, "you will help us get our friend out of there. You can start by telling us everything you know of the temple and the people within."

"We did not betray you," the first Dotherite insists. "What would we gain from it?"

The second responds to Max's pronouncement. "The temple is in honour of the Great Ones, the gods worshipped by most in the Dreamlands. The priests who accompanied you into our enclave follow them too. We do not, but more than that we not discuss with outsiders. But no matter. it is said that this temple is the oldest, and built by the Great Ones themselves, with stone from their own home, Kadath. The first priests carved the ancient history of the Dreamlands on brick cylinder seals, enchanted to survive the ages - in time, the enchantment grew so that new carvings appeared by themselves as events too place."

The first picks up the thread. "We cannot tell you how many priests serve in the temple, nor its layout within. You may be able to find that out from elders in the city - once, any who visited were permitted entrance, but in more recent times, only the city's guards and those of importance - that is why we thought they would not refuse you. But there must be some here who remember from before."

"When you go to free your friend, we will come with you and help you," the second says. "As will any others of our people in the city - we are well travelled. But we will also seek out the cylinders."

Posted: **Tue Mar 16, 2021 2:46 am**

"Thank you," says Max. "It seems things have changed here as well. Then let us first seek out the elders and get more information."

Posted: **Tue Mar 16, 2021 3:05 am**

"Wait a moment! Why would they want to capture us?"

Posted: **Tue Mar 16, 2021 3:22 am**

"I do not know," the first Dotherite replies. "They could simply have denied you entry if that was their wish."

Posted: **Tue Mar 16, 2021 4:09 am**

"Perhaps the elders will be able to help us answer that question," says Max.

Posted: **Tue Mar 16, 2021 5:15 am**

"Very well" mutters Karl, not trusting the Dotherites.

Posted: **Wed Mar 17, 2021 1:39 am**

"Then we should make for the salons in the wealthier quarters," the Dotherite suggests.

Mindful of the possibility of guards continuing their search, you make your way to the nearest of the great roads leading out of the plaza. The Dotherites turn off of that road quickly, leading you into a bewildering array of streets and alleys, lined with the low sandstone buildings, interspersed with the towers - no doubt you're both wary of another possible ambush, but it doesn't come - the people you pass keep their distance (more from the Dotherites than from you, it becomes apparent), but occasionally give polite nods.

After a while, the streets grow wider, the arches on the doors and windows more ornately carved, the clothing on the people finer, some of the buildings constructed of marble rather than sandstone.

Before long, you reach a wide square decorated with wooden pavillions and trestles bearing green plants. Several crowds are gathered, some listening to speakers, others talking amongst themselves. The scene vaguely puts you in mind of political rallies and debating societies in Berlin.
"This is where the old and knowledgeable gather to talk matters of scholarship," on of the Dotherites says. "If anyone has the information you seek, you are likely to find them here."

Posted: **Wed Mar 17, 2021 2:05 am**

"Well, point them out then!" says Karl irritably, concerned about what's happening to Helmut. "We don't have time to waste!"

Posted: **Wed Mar 17, 2021 2:12 am**

"At least this looks somewhat familiar," says Max. "Are there any in particular to whom we should speak?"

Posted: **Wed Mar 17, 2021 4:10 am**

You can see a couple of gatherings whose members seem to be disproportionately elderly. The Dotherites give no sign of recognising anyone in particular, and suggest starting with them.

"I understand your frustration with us," one of them says. "But while we have heard stories of Kadatheron, this is our first visit here also."

Posted: **Thu Mar 18, 2021 2:52 am**

"All right, let's talk to one of those groups of elders," says Max.

Posted: **Thu Mar 18, 2021 4:10 am**

Making your way over to the nearest group, you can glean that the subject under discussion is poetry - specifically a competition of who can recite the best ones, as well as a debate as to the merits of different styles - reminding you a bit of the young students arguing schools of art in Cafe Braun."

A broad, grey-haired looks over at you, nodding in greeting. "What brings you to our benches, youngsters?"

Another, so old and wrinkled that if he was just sitting by himself you might take him for a mummy, says, "Show respect. They're dreamers if I am any judge."

A third man says "Welcome. Please, sit." He says it distinctly to the two of you. All three of them look disdainful of the Dotherites, a sentiment I'm sure you can both relate to.

Posted: **Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:22 am**

"Thank you," says Max, taking a seat on a bench and joining them. "You have judged correctly. We would like to know about the Temple and what has changed about it."

Posted: **Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:38 am**

"Changed..." the almost mummified-looking man says.

"That is what they said, Laigen," says the grey haired man who first greeted you.

"I heard them!" the mummy - presumably Laigen - says. "I assume you tried to enter and they did not welcome you. It is true they have been less welcoming of late. In past years I went regularly, but then they began to turn me away. I judge that they are afraid of something."

"What would the temple priests have to fear?" one of the others snorts.

"Perhaps they have lost the favour of the Great Ones," another suggests.

For a moment, it looks like another debate is about to start, but Laigen's voice cuts over them. He asks the others to leave you be for the moment, and they shuffle off, joining various of the other groups around you. "Your question is not idle I think. You wish to gain entry to the temple, whether the priests will it or not. Am I right?"

Posted: **Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:54 am**

"You are correct again, in part," says Max. "The guards did actually allow us to enter the Temple, but they did not want to let us leave. As soon as we were inside, they tried to seize us. I...made another way out. However, three of us entered, and only two of us escaped. Our friend is still inside, and we need to get him out."

Posted: **Fri Mar 19, 2021 3:24 am**

"Ah, I see. That is... beyond what I have seen of them. If they did not wish you to leave, I imagine your friend is still within. A dozen priests serve in the temple - they sleep there, so if you wish to save your friend, you will have to face them all. The guards themselves serve the Prince of Kadatheron - they rarely enter the temple further than the entrance hall.
"You made another entrance, you say? I have known many dreamers in my years. Few could have accomplished such a thing."

Posted: **Sat Mar 20, 2021 4:32 am**

"I'm actually new at this," says Max. "I guess I was lucky - and desperation helped too."

Posted: **Sun Mar 21, 2021 2:57 am**

"Indeed?" Laigan says. "Well, it is not difficult to imagine such a situation provoking desperation."

He lets out a long breath and takes a sip from a clay tankard next to him. You get a brief whiff of mixed fruits, and a tang of alcohol.

"I can tell you what I know of the temple's interior. The outer wall abuts a cloister, which runs in a ring around a courtyard. There are four central buildings, though I have only ever entered two of them.
"One is the temple itself, the nearest to the entrance. It too is built in the form of a cloister around a courtyard - within, there are a series of anterooms, each dedicated to one of the Great Ones, before the final hall of worship.
"The second building I have entered, is the leftmost from the entrance. It is a great library and museum. Priests who enter service to the temple must bring relics of their homeland to be enshrined there.
"The third, furthest from the entrance has many windows. I believe it is where the priests sleep and prepare their food."
"Of the fourth, I fear I can tell you nothing."

Posted: **Sun Mar 21, 2021 3:20 am**

"Thank you," says Max. "That is very helpful. Perhaps the unknown building is where we should start. None of the others seem likely to be used to imprison someone, but they could be keeping him in the temple. We could try to create another entrance to get inside the outer wall, though I've learned that these abilities don't always work. It would be best to try to gain entry at night and use stealth and surprise to our advantage."

Posted: **Sun Mar 21, 2021 6:11 am**

Karl nods.

"Can you tell us about the Dotherites?" he asks. "Why do they need our help?"

Posted: **Sun Mar 21, 2021 11:42 pm**

Laigan takes another drink. "Dother was once a great city - its people traded goods and news all across the Dreamlands. But the city is gone now - where its people were once merchants, they are now beggars. I cannot answer the question of why. But the Dotherites have lost home, people, perhaps even their gods, and few but them even remember - to many folk it has always been thus - perhaps it would to me also, had I not once visited it in the company of a dreamer.
"That, I imagine is why they seek your help - a hope that you can discover the reason for their loss, and whether it may be reversed.
"You must wonder why I tell you these things. It is for the same reason. I believe there is a danger that faces the Dreamlands. I believe the treasures within the temple may reveal what it is, but I am too old to attempt to gain entry myself."

Posted: **Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:34 am**

"They mentioned something about a cylinder inside the temple that they want," says Max. "They've agreed to help us rescue our friend if they can get their hands on this cylinder. Do you know anything about it?"

Posted: **Tue Mar 23, 2021 1:44 am**

"Indeed! There are many cylinders, made from desert brick. The priests of the temple have always carved histories upon them, of all the lands from which they hail. There was a time when scholars would consult the cylinders, and Kadatheron was reknowned as a centre of learning, but this is another thing the priests now forbid." Laigan's formerly placid tone takes on an angry edge at the last words.

Posted: **Tue Mar 23, 2021 2:55 am**

"That must have upset many people," says Max. "Who was the most angry? They would make natural allies for us."

Posted: **Wed Mar 24, 2021 1:12 am**

"Many of the scholars in this square share anger at the priests' decision, though I do not know what help they could be to you in gaining entry, save perhaps distracting attention away from the entrance."

Posted: **Wed Mar 24, 2021 1:14 am**

"A distraction would be very useful" says Karl. "A protest perhaps, to draw the guards away."

Posted: **Wed Mar 24, 2021 2:12 am**

"Yes, that will be helpful," says Max. "The guards will also be stretched thinner now that they have an additional entrance to defend. If they leave the new one undefended, then we can slip inside that way. I cannot count on being able to create another one at will."

Posted: **Wed Mar 24, 2021 7:43 pm**

"Find somewhere to stay for tonight, and I shall rally some angry scholars. I am confident I know which will be willing, and which would not dare."

Posted: **Thu Mar 25, 2021 1:31 am**

"Where is a good place to stay?"

Posted: **Thu Mar 25, 2021 1:45 am**

"Thank you," says Max. "Shall we arrange this for tomorrow evening, after it gets dark? It'll be easier to sneak then. Tomorrow we can try recruiting Dotherites who live in the city to aid us and purchase anything we might need."

Posted: **Thu Mar 25, 2021 5:09 pm**

"There are hostels close to the docks," Laigan says to Karl. "They are anonymous places and you should be safe there."

"Tomorrow night it shall be," he says to Max.

Posted: **Fri Mar 26, 2021 4:41 am**

"Very well," says Max. "Thank you again for your help."

Posted: **Sat Mar 27, 2021 1:30 pm**

Is there anything else you want to ask Laigan before you go? If not, you can rejoin the Dotherites and make your way back to the docks. The decision acquires another factor when Max spots some of the city guards entering the square and accosting people.

Posted: **Sat Mar 27, 2021 7:38 pm**

"We'll need to avoid those guards," says Max, pointing them out to Karl. "The scholars can give the Dotherites a message to meet us at the docks while we take another way to get there that doesn't go through the square."

Posted: **Sat Mar 27, 2021 8:48 pm**

Laigan is willing to give a message to the Dotherites; meanwhile there are many streets and alleys that lead out of the square.

Posted: **Sat Mar 27, 2021 9:18 pm**

"Thank you," says Maxto Laigan. "Which is the best route to reach the docks without running afoul of the guards?"

Posted: **Sat Mar 27, 2021 10:06 pm**

Laigan points out an alley. "It runs through an older quarter of the city, one inhabited mostly by poorer folk. The guards rarely bother with it"

Getting there is easy enough through the crowded square - not as fast as you'd probably like, but relatively safe from being spotted while you're on the move.

Once you're away from the square, the architecture changes a little - the buildings are still mostly sandstone, but this district doesn't boast the towers you've been passing in most of your time here. Windows are narrower, but doors are wider, and many of them have impromptu market stalls set up in them - as you pass by, hawkers call to you to take a look at their wares. The alleys are narrow, but since the buildings are almost all of one storey, it's still bright - you can see streaks of colour on the sandstone walls, as if they were once painted. The layout of the alleys are a confusing tangle, until Karl realises that they parallel the constellations. After that, he finds it easy to navigate, and you can make your way quckly to the docks.

However once you get there, you can see more guards patrolling up and down, though they fortunately seem to be more on the lookout for you trying to board a ship than find a hostel.

Posted: **Sat Mar 27, 2021 11:04 pm**

"Let's see if we can spot the Dotherites," says Max, looking around for them.

Posted: **Mon Mar 29, 2021 5:33 pm**

You can see them, spread out around the dockside. Several have been approached by guards - maybe the guards know you arrived at the temple in the company of Dotherites - but a couple appear to have escaped notice. A short trot along the facades of the waterfront businesses can get you to one of them.

Posted: **Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:50 pm**

"Let's see if we can get to him," says Max, pointing to the closest Dotherite who has not been noticed by the guards. "We can have him give a message to the others without alerting the guards."

Posted: **Tue Mar 30, 2021 2:17 am**

Karl nods.

”I defer to your experience, Herr Max”.

Posted: **Tue Mar 30, 2021 10:18 pm**

You're both able to reach the Dotherite unseen - indeed Karl manages to move so unobtrusively that even Max might be wary of swearing he was there. The Dotherite sees you at the last moment and directs a way glance in the direction of the nearest guards.

"They're looking for you, but they assume you mean to flee the city, so they're looking at ships, not hostels. We've found a safe place for us." He gestures with his head toward the doorway of a nearby tower.

Posted: **Tue Mar 30, 2021 11:13 pm**

"Thank you," says Max. "We shall stay there tonight with you, if we may. What the guards do not understand is that we are not leaving the city without our friend, and for that we must return to the temple in larger numbers. We have a plan to gain entry tomorrow evening and rescue him, but we would like help from you and your friends. Let us get inside before we are seen."

Posted: **Wed Mar 31, 2021 12:22 am**

You're able to get to the tower quickly. The interior is decorated with colourful frescoes of desert scenes, some with people, some just landscapes.

The Dotherites have managed to rent three rooms - your guide says they're happy to leave one for just the two of you. The rooms are on the ground floor, as they grow more expensive the further up you go. It's a twin - comfortable enough, though there's a constant noise from the docks outside.

Posted: **Wed Mar 31, 2021 1:38 am**

"Thank you, this will do nicely," says Max. "Let's have a meal, and we can go over the plan while we eat."

Posted: **Fri Apr 02, 2021 1:46 am**

You're able to get a meal of diced fish on a bed of rice, together with a unfamilar tasting alcoholic beverage.

The Dotherites have contacted some of their fellows in the city, and enlisted about a dozen as backup - they were willing to help when informed of the mission that had gotten Helmut into danger. Coupled with ones who travelled with you, that's nearly twenty - far too many to sneak in, even with a distraction, but should sneaking out prove harder, they may be able to come to your aid.

You have the scholars Laigan has rallied providing the distraction.

"We will help you save your friend," one of the Dotherites says, "but while within the temple we must search the brick cylinders for the fate of our city." His words remind you of Laigan's words - that he wants to help you in order to learn what the priests fear so much that they close off the temple to all comers. Everyone has their own agenda.

The Dotherites have also procured a selection of small clubs and knives. (Though Max also has the punch dagger where his gun would be).

Posted: **Fri Apr 02, 2021 2:11 am**

"Very well," says Max. "It sounds like we have a good plan. We will want to purchase some equipment to aid us on our mission. What do the temple priests wear? If we dress ourselves similarly, it may help us avoid detection once inside, especially if they wear something like a hooded robe that could hide our faces. Other items such as ropes and lanterns may be useful too. If the two of us went to the market to make purchases tomorrow, we could be detected by the guards, but you and your friends could buy what we need discreetly. We can also try to use our dreaming abilities to create equipment that cannot be obtained here, though they do not always work."

Posted: **Fri Apr 02, 2021 3:12 am**

"I asked this of one of my countrymen in the city. He said they wear white robes but not hoods."

Posted: **Fri Apr 02, 2021 3:48 am**

"Then let us procure something similar."

Posted: **Fri Apr 02, 2021 4:19 am**

"Perhaps there are cosmetics that would allow us to alter our faces and hair to look more like the priests, if you can describe them," says Max. "I never go in front of the camera without my face slathered with the stuff and my hair styled. It can take a while, but it helps that the makeup girl is pretty. Of course, the guy who plays the werewolf in the film I'm making has to take hours to get into his costume."

Posted: **Fri Apr 02, 2021 10:25 pm**

Several of the Dotherites are look at Max like he has three heads. After a few moments, one of them says, "We have not seen their faces, but they are said to come from all over the Dreamlands. Features like yours would be known among them."

[In any case, Laigan said there are only twelve priests. They likely know each other's face well enough to make such a deception impossible anyway]

Another answers Karl, "We shall find such robes for you."

Posted: **Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:07 pm**

"Thank you," says Max. "It may still help to alter our faces and hair just so that the guards do not recognize us if they see us. They know what the two of us look like."

Posted: **Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:53 pm**

"Ah yes, I see now. We shall search out these things for you."

Posted: **Sat Apr 03, 2021 1:38 am**

"Thank you again," says Max. He looks over at Karl. "Anything else you can think of that we might need?"

Posted: **Sat Apr 03, 2021 2:34 am**

"Luck" Karl replies. "Lots of it."

Posted: **Sat Apr 03, 2021 4:36 am**

"I have a good supply of that," says Max.

Posted: **Sun Apr 04, 2021 1:35 am**

Little remains but to turn in for the night, and to wait restlessly for much of the following morning. However, in the early afternoon, the Dotherites return. They have some white robes, and pastes that can be used to darken your skin and hair - while you can't forge a resemblance to the local inhabitants of the city, you can make yourselves relatively unrecognisable from your normal appearance.

In any case, it will be put to the test as the time for the raid draws close. Two of the Dotherites have procured robes for themselves and will go in with you (more than four people will make stealth impractical, even with the distraction).

When the time comes to leave, one of the other Dotherites runs ahead to warn the scholars to get their distraction going.
When yu approach the temple plaza, you can hear angry voices raised - shouts that the priests are failing the Great Ones, the gods built the temple to be a place where all could see knowledge, the gods will be angry that the temple is closed, that if the priests are no longer willing to serve the Great Ones they should be replaced with those who are - clearly Laigan was not exaggerating when he said there was anger among thsoe classes.

It's having the desired effect, drawing guards away from the temple to disperse them.

Posted: **Sun Apr 04, 2021 2:22 am**

Max has taken a club, which he keeps concealed beneath his robe, tied to his belt. "Let's try the entrance I made," he whispers to the others.

Posted: **Sun Apr 04, 2021 3:33 pm**

Karl nods, his heart racing. He has concealed a club in his robes, but isn't very confident about using it.

Posted: **Mon Apr 05, 2021 5:19 am**

For a moment it appears the the entrance Max made has gone, but then it becomes apparent that it's the original entrance that's now replaced by blank marble wall. In any case, both lead into the same chamber.
Your group draws a few curious looks from bystanders in the plaza, but for the most part, both are looking at the disturbance - the guards are focussed on the shouting crowd, and you're able to get into the temple.

The entrance chamber is as you remember it, with the passageway opposite leading out. This quickly leads to a crossroads - left and right are long hallways lined with arched openings (presumably the cloister you were told about) - the doorway ahead of you is slightly offset from the passage you're in, but the light coming through it indicates that it leads to the courtyard.

Posted: **Tue Apr 06, 2021 2:14 am**

"Let's try the unknown part of the complex first," whispers Max. "From the description, I think that would be to the right."

Posted: **Tue Apr 06, 2021 9:29 pm**

The arched openings on the rightward passage alternate left and right - the ones on the right leading toward the outer wall, the ones on the left leading toward the inner courtyard.
Through each of them is a small cell, with a marble table and bench, a few of the latter bearing cushions. Karl knows a place for a researcher to sit and work when he sees one, and it's obvious to him that this is the purpose these rooms serve - or perhaps served, in light of Laigan's account - if the whole cloister is taken up with rooms like this, there must be a few hundred of them, vastly more than the priests could need. When this place served the scholarly community it must have bustled like the markets and salon squares.

You reach the end of this hallways without any sign of variation - or use - in the rooms. At the end is larger, square, chamber with two other exits, both to your left - the further one leads to a continuation of the cloister - presumably still following the main wall. The nearer one leads out into the courtyard - you can see the central buildings from it - the closest is the unknown one, that Laigan had never entered, nor knew the purpose of.

Posted: **Wed Apr 07, 2021 1:52 am**

"That's the one we want," whispers Max, pointing at the unknown building.

Posted: **Wed Apr 07, 2021 1:54 am**

"Ja, let's go".

Posted: **Thu Apr 08, 2021 1:17 am**

The courtyard is paved with a smooth, shiny black stone neither of you recognise. It's periodically decorated with trestles of plants, but it otherwise bare. You're almost at the building when its door opens and a white robed man emerges. His first response goes to confusion at the sight of you, rather than raising the alarm - "Who are you?" - though raising the alarm is sure to follow quickly unless you can stop him.

Posted: **Thu Apr 08, 2021 2:26 am**

Without a word, Max takes out his club and clobbers the priest with it, trying to knock him unconscious. He hits him fairly hard.

Posted: **Fri Apr 09, 2021 1:55 am**

The priest goes down - you can tell he's still breathing. One of the Dotherites glances quickly throught the door he came out through, and says "I see no one else." The other Dotherite takes the priest's shoulders and drags him through the door.

Inside is a room running what looks like the width of the building. At each end are altars set before clusters of statues. Opposite you is another door leading deeper into the building.

Posted: **Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:45 am**

Max ties up the priest with a length of the rope they had the foresight to bring and gags him, then helps move him into some out of the way alcove if one is available. He tries to listen at the door, but all he hears is silence.

Posted: **Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:49 pm**

Karl is shocked by the violence, but he wants to find Helmut.

"Open the door."

Posted: **Sat Apr 10, 2021 1:43 am**

The door opens into a cavernous room, that clearly takes up the whole rest of the building. Regularly interspersed through it are what at first glance look like brick pillars rising from floor to ceiling - but then you realise that the "pillars" are hollow, and mounted on axes, like gigantic prayer wheels.

"These are the cylinders," one of the Dotherites says. "They're here1"

Both of them rush into the room, looking from pillar to pillar, their body language growing more desperate with every moment. "They're blank!" he cries. "All of them are blank. There's nothing here."

More importantly, it's clear Helmut isn't in here either.

Posted: **Sat Apr 10, 2021 2:53 am**

"There are probably other cylinders elsewhere in the complex," says Max. "Shall we check the main temple next?"

Posted: **Sat Apr 10, 2021 4:00 am**

"Yes, the temple," the Dotherite says, "and the museum."

"No," the other answers. "We should find their friend first - they and he have done all we asked."

Posted: **Sat Apr 10, 2021 4:20 am**

"Thank you," says Max. "Once we've found him, we'll stay with you and help you find the cylinders."

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 1:26 am**

The four central buildings are laid out like a diamond, but the door at the cylinder's building is at the end facing the main entrance to the compound - and so is the temple's. This means it's a longer run to get to the priests' qarters than the temple, because you have to go back along the length of the cylinder building - but the priests' quarters are the more logical place to keep somone prisoner - but relatedly, it's also where most of the priests are likely to be. There's no one outside, anyhow, so you have a chance to go for the one you consider the better option. The second Dotherite suggests the priests' quarters, while the first suggests the temple - but it's clear to you both he's thinking of finding more cylinders rather than Helmut.

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 2:05 am**

"Maybe we should try the quarters first," suggests Max. "Our friend is most likely to be there, and once we have him free, our position will be strengthened. From there we can proceed to the museum afterwards, and finally the temple."

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 7:33 pm**

You're able to make it across the courtyard to the priests' quarters without incident. The shadows are lengthening into evening, and the noise of the city outside is muted, leaving you unable to tell whether your distraction is still ongoing.

The building has a wide set of double doors, with a smaller door set into them. Whichever you try opens without a problem, revealing a surprisingly normal-looking cloakroom lit lit by lamps and a few windows high up near the ceiling. The walls are lined with hooks on which hang grey garments that appear to be hooded shawls. You can grab some as you pass - there are enough for all of you - but their appearance suggests their likely use is for going outside at night.

There are two doors in the far wall - the one on the right is closed - the one on the left is ajar, and you can hear voices through it. You can't be sure how many.

The two Dotherites heft their clubs.

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:11 pm**

Max does put on one of the hooded shawls, as it will help when they do go outside, as it is night, and it will hide their faces as well. He gestures for the others to do the same. He gestures to the door on the right when they reach the end of the hall, not wanting to tangle with the priests just yet if it's not necessary.

Posted: **Sun Apr 11, 2021 11:37 pm**

The Dotherites nod and one quietly opens the right hand door.

It leads into a large kitchen - from the dimensions it must go from the central axis of the building to the rightmost outer wall. There's a cooking range along said outermost wall, a tall cupboard on the wall on the opposite side from you, a marble table in the centre, and a pair of baisins on the inner wall to your left. It appears that the baisins have plumbing.

There are two doors, one on your side of the room, and one on the far side next to the cupboard. The former door could only lead to a small room beside the cloakroom you just came from - one of the Dotherites checks it quickly, revealing it to be a pantry.

That leaves a far door, which opens into a hallway. It seems to stretch the whole length of the building, before turning left at the end. All the doorways are on the right.

Posted: **Mon Apr 12, 2021 12:11 am**

Max points to the hallway, seeing as there's nobody in the kitchen or pantry, Max points to the hallway and mimes opening a door. Helmut could easily be kept in a small side room.

Posted: **Tue Apr 13, 2021 1:51 am**

The first of the right hand doors leads to a small sleeping chamber - there's a bed and a chest, but nothing more.

As soon as you open the second, you hear the sound of light snoring. Easing it further open, you see a chamber of the same design and contents, but with a man sleeping in the bed - not Helmut, so presumably one of the priests.

There are four more doors in the hall before it turns, but from your new vantage, you can see the last of them is heavier than the rest.

Posted: **Tue Apr 13, 2021 2:05 am**

Max gestures to the heavy door.

Posted: **Wed Apr 14, 2021 12:05 am**

No sounds come from the other three doors you pass. The heavy door bears a large lock - you can't hear anything from within, but there is light coming through the keyhole.

Posted: **Wed Apr 14, 2021 2:39 am**

Max looks through the keyhole.

Posted: **Wed Apr 14, 2021 11:08 pm**

There's definitely some movement inside. Whoever it is seems to sense the same, as Helmut's muffled voice says, "Is that one of you Schweinhunde? Just come in if you're going to."

Trying the door reveals that it's locked, and the key is not immediately visible.

Posted: **Thu Apr 15, 2021 2:14 am**

"It's us," whispers Max. "We've come back to rescue you, with a couple of friends. Let's see if I can shape the dream to make the door unlocked." He concentrates, but when he tries the door, it remains locked. "Maybe one of you two can try," he says to Karl and Helmut.

Posted: **Thu Apr 15, 2021 4:55 am**

Karl tries to focus his mind, but he can't do it.

Posted: **Sat Apr 17, 2021 1:16 am**

"I've been trying," Helmut says. "I think one of the priests has the key - they don't seem to have a leader, but he's the oldest. They wouldn't tell me why they're doing this. They kept asking me what I wanted here. I told them it was to look at their verdammt cylinders, but they acted like they didn't believe me."

[The priest you knocked out looked to be in his thirties, so was unlikely to be the oldest]

Posted: **Sat Apr 17, 2021 3:11 am**

"It's not the priest I knocked out when he found us in the other building," whispers Max. "He's too young. There are other priests in this building, though. It could be one of them. We should check the other doors in this hall and see if we can find him sleeping."

Posted: **Sat Apr 17, 2021 4:17 am**

Posted: **Sat Apr 17, 2021 5:07 am**

"The priest sleeping in the second chamber looked older," adds Max. "It could be him. Can you describe the old priest's height, weight, and face?"

Posted: **Mon Apr 19, 2021 11:48 pm**

"He was very tall, more than six feet. Very thin, and he had a limp."

Posted: **Tue Apr 20, 2021 2:49 am**

"Could be him," says Max. "He was certainly tall enough. We'll have to take a closer look. We'll also need to be able to knock him out before he shouts for help if he wakes up. We can always club him over the head, but chloroform would be better." He tries to make some appear, but with no luck. "I can't make any, probably because I don't really know what's in it. Do you want to try?" he asks Karl.

Posted: **Wed Apr 21, 2021 1:02 am**

"I've no idea about chloroform!" says Karl. "Just hit him over the head."

Posted: **Wed Apr 21, 2021 2:06 am**

It's a simple matter to return to the room of the sleeping man and club him. There's a scrip on the floor next to his bed - searching it reveals a ring of keys - it takes a few tries, but one of them opens Helmut's door.

"Danke," he says to you all. With a passing glare at the Dotherites, he asks "Do you have any idea why they reacted this way?"

"We found a hall with the brick cylinders," one of them replies (the one who advocated looking for Helmut before more cylinders), "but they were blank. Perhaps the priests are frauds?"

"But they used to let people in here," the other objects. "There must be more here. We have found your friend - we must look for the true cylinders or another of the priests to question."

"Unless I am done with caring about your problems," Helmut says.

Posted: **Wed Apr 21, 2021 2:15 am**

"They helped rescue you," said Max. "Without their information, we would not have been able to do so. We should look for the cylinders in the library and museum next. I'd rather not alert the priests to our presence. It is quite possible that the priests are frauds. Maybe someone else has taken over the temple and replaced the priests with their own people." He fills Helmut in on what the scholars told them. "For whatever reason, they want to capture dreamers like us."

Posted: **Wed Apr 21, 2021 5:22 am**

Helmut nods. "I'm sorry. Let's do what we came here to do."

Posted: **Wed Apr 21, 2021 8:52 am**

"Come on then, Helmut" says Karl. "What did they want with you, anyway?"

Posted: **Thu Apr 22, 2021 1:58 am**

HoneyDog wrote: ↑Wed Apr 21, 2021 8:52 am "Come on then, Helmut" says Karl. "What did they want with you, anyway?"

"They kept asking why I'd come here. They didn't seem to belive me when I said it was to consult their verdammt cylinders." He hestitates and says, "No wait. They did not just ask me that. One of them asked why some 'Meyernick' sent me. I have no idea who they meant."

He shows no sign of having been injured during his captivity, which is something at least.

Retracing your steps down the hallways gets you back to the cloakroom, and you can hear the voices from the other door still in conversation. This time, Max is sure there are three of them in there (not at least three, definitely three). Helmut whispers, "One of them was one of my questioners, I'm sure of it."

The Dotherites have reached the outer door and are making to open it.

Posted: **Thu Apr 22, 2021 2:27 am**

"Put these on first," whispers Max, handing out the hooded shrouds to everyone. "We'll be able to blend in better outside and hide our faces."

Posted: **Fri Apr 23, 2021 2:38 am**

It's now fully dark outside, which aids in concealment (and justifies the use of the hood-shawls). Two more of the priests are outside when you exit the building, coming from the direction of the main temple. They're both yawning, and intent on their conversation, and give no sign of recognising that you don't belong. They nod vaguely to you and pass by, going into the building you just left.

The walk to the museum is a mirror image of the one you took from the cylinder hall to the priests' quarters. The entrance is a wide double door that leads into another cloakroom, though much larger than the last one, obviously designed to serve more people - it runs what looks like the width of the building. There are two doors in the oppsite wall, at the far left and right ends.

Posted: **Fri Apr 23, 2021 4:20 am**

"Let's listen at the doors," whispers Max. "If we hear nothing, then it seems an arbitrary choice which one to try first, but I'd be inclined to choose the right door."

Posted: **Sat Apr 24, 2021 1:31 am**

Both doors are silent. The right hand door opens into a long gallery, lined on both sides with shelves bearing books, scrolls, and even the odd tablet.

There are archways down the inner side. After a moment, another of the priests emerges from the nearest. At first he goes to greet you, then realises who you aren't, and a look of horror crosses his face. He looks back through the arch for a moment, but doesn't call out.

"You're the only one in here, aren't you?" one of the Dotherites says. "Do not run."

"How did you get in here?" the priest asks, backing away. He looks about as old as the one who had Helmut's key, and obviously intimidated by the sight of five intruders.

Posted: **Sat Apr 24, 2021 3:22 am**

"We don't want to hurt you," says Max. "We just want to talk. We came here seeking information, and we were greeted by an attempt to kidnap us. One of us was kidnapped, so we returned to get him back. As to how we got in here, well, I think you know something of our capabilities. Surely you've seen your temple's new door. I'm sorry for having to redecorate, but it was the only way to escape abduction."

Posted: **Sat Apr 24, 2021 6:38 am**

"You're dreamers? Why even come here at all? You've already taken everything from us!"

Posted: **Sat Apr 24, 2021 5:42 pm**

"We've taken nothing from you but our friend that you took from us first," says Max. "And these shawls, which we will gladly return when we leave. I think I see what the confusion is here. You think that all dreamers are the same. Nothing could be further than the truth. We have only just come to Kadatheron to seek your wisdom. Whatever group of dreamers has plundered you, we have nothing to do with them. Our friend said you asked him if he worked for someone named Meyernick. I have not heard the name before, but it does sound like it comes from our home. If he and his people have stolen your cylinders and other valuables, we may be your only chance of getting them back. Who else can match the power of dreamers but other dreamers?"

Posted: **Sun Apr 25, 2021 1:12 am**

"They have not been stolen," the priest says. "They have been destroyed. They held the wisdom the Great Ones and the Dreamlands, but now they are blank stone. Even we cannot recall anything that was written upon them."

One of the Dotherites sags against the shelves. "This is the fate of our city. It is lost, and we know not how."

Posted: **Sun Apr 25, 2021 2:27 am**

"I suspect Meyernick and his ilk are responsible for that as well," says Max. "Perhaps what one dreamer has done, another dreamer can undo. We could try to undo the erasure of the cylinders and of your memories of them. I cannot guarantee success, but it is worth the attempt. We did see blank cylinders in one of the buildings, but we did not understand them until now. One of the priests also found us there. I knocked him out and bound him, but he is otherwise unharmed. We can release him when we go there. We also knocked out another priest who had the key to release our friend. He will recover as well. We have killed nobody here."

Posted: **Sun Apr 25, 2021 4:03 am**

The priest seems somewhat taken aback by these admissions, but the double revelation of you having beaten up some of his fellows but not killed them does seem to put him off trying to oppose you.

"If you sincere," he asks, "then you would not object to us joining my fellows, so that I am not alone with you?"

"So that you outnumber us once more?" Helmut counters.

Posted: **Sun Apr 25, 2021 4:18 am**

"Let us try to the restore the cylinders before we do anything else," says Max. "We can untie the priest in that building and explain matters to him while we're there. Then you will not be alone with us, but there will still be more of us than there are of you."

Posted: **Mon Apr 26, 2021 4:18 am**

The priest seems hesitant, but he doesn't have many options if he wants to not go along with you. "Very well, he says. My name is Teros." (As Karl noted earlier, the Dotherites do not introduce themselves in return, which doesn't seem to surprise Teros at all).

Teros seems a little twitchy on the walk to back to the cylinder all, presumably debating whether to try calling for help, but in the end he doesn't.

The other priest is still where you left him, unconscious. Once roused his eyes widen at the sight of you - Teros intervenes - "We have come to... an accord. They know our secret, and have promised to try undo what was done to the cylinders. In return I have promised not to alert anyone to their presence."

Posted: **Tue Apr 27, 2021 1:19 am**

Max gives the other priest the same explanation. "Let's go to the blank cylinders," he says. "We'll do our best to restore them, but that may be beyond our abilities. We shall try, however."

Posted: **Tue Apr 27, 2021 2:11 am**

For one thing, you don't know what the cylinders are supposed to say - you're trying to reverse a change you haven't seen. Still, the two priests lead you back into the cylinder chamber and remain quiet as you try. With a grinding sound, the nearest few cylinders begin rotating - as new portions of their surfaces enter your field of view, you see images carved upon them - until they've turned through 360 degrees and are completely covered. With a cry, the two priests rush forward and begin examining them. You're unable to maintain the effect further. The cylinders you've changed keep rotating, and maintain their images, but the rest remain still and blank.

Teros turns to you. "I... remember now. I remember what these should have held... but they are different. I am not sure what that means."

The affected cylinders show two kinds of image predominantly. Some are cities and villages - you recognise Hlanith, and Thraa, which you passed through on the way here - along with others that are unfamiliar (though Karl thinks one looks faintly familiar from the journal he studied in the library in Berlin). The others are visceral, realistic scenes of warfare and brutality, ranging from Mediaeval in character to depictions reminiscent of WWI - something both Max and Karl are familiar with.

One of the latter shows a sacked and destroyed city, torn apart by bombs. One of the Dotherites places his hand on it before sinking to his knees. "This is Dother," he says. "If this is the truth, there can be no return."

Posted: **Tue Apr 27, 2021 3:13 am**

"It looks like a scene from our world," says Max. "There was a war there, some years ago. I fought in it. These other dreamers must have brought weapons from our world into yours. Their only limit would be their imagination. Your world would have no defense against them. Meyernick and his followers must be stopped."

Posted: **Wed Apr 28, 2021 1:29 am**

"To what end would they wreak such destruction?" the other priest says, staring at the transformed pillars. "The Dreamlands are a balm for most who come here from you world."

"It has not been a balm for us," Helmut says. "These two fellows" - he indicates the Dotherites - "abducted a woman to bring here. Only when that failed did they ask for aid. Perhaps this Meyernick was treated similarly."

Posted: **Wed Apr 28, 2021 2:06 am**

"They may also seek to conquer this world," says Max. "With flying machines, panzers, and artillery, who could hope to stand against him? I don't know the man, so I don't know what motivates Meyernick, but he may have been in the war too. Some men came back...different. Harder. Mad, sometimes. That loudmouth Hitler is one of that type. Again, we don't know yet. We'll have to find out what we can about him in order to stop him. Killing him in this world won't stop him. Dreamers who die in this world just come back. We may ultimately have to deal with him in our world."

Posted: **Thu Apr 29, 2021 1:06 am**

"Where would we begin to search for him?" Helmut asks.

Posted: **Thu Apr 29, 2021 2:04 am**

"Back in Hlanith," says Max. "Dreamers from Berlin go there first, it seems, and they tend to stick out. In Berlin, he'd be one man among a million, but for his name."

Posted: **Fri Apr 30, 2021 12:59 am**

"We have provisions for a return voyage," one of the Dotherites says.

"And we can tell the city guard not to trouble you further," Teros says.

"Gut," Helmut adds. "I would be away from this city as soon as possible."

Posted: **Fri Apr 30, 2021 2:30 am**

"Ja, let us go back to Hlanith," says Max.

Posted: **Sat May 01, 2021 4:02 pm**

"Let's try to find Herr Alex" says Karl.

Posted: **Mon May 03, 2021 6:06 pm**

Departure from Kadatheron goes smoothly - after a word from the temple priests, the city authorities go from trying to capture you to being keen to see you go.

It's up to you whether you tell Laigan and his fellows what you found out.

The voyage back down the river back to Thraa brings a disquieting sequel to the vision of Dother you restored to the cylinders: the farms and villages you saw on the way to the way up are now ruins bearing the marks of bullets and bombs. There had been no rumour of this on the docks before you left, and indeed the damage looks to be years old, despite you having seen differently only days before.

Plumes of sand on the horizon seem to mark the presence of some sort of life in the desert, but whatever it is does not approach the river.

Posted: **Tue May 04, 2021 2:04 am**

"Could they have the power to change this world's history?" wonders Max aloud. "It certainly looks that way, and why wouldn't they be able to do it, if they can imagine it? Maybe we can restore it with the same power, if we work together. We remember how these places were before."

Posted: **Tue May 04, 2021 8:57 am**

In response to Max's suggestion, he says, "When you changed the character of the bar on our first night here - well, our first conscious night - most of the patrons acted as if nothing had happened. The priests claim to have forgotten most of what was on their cylinders, and the Dotherites seem to barely remember their city. From the data we have, it would appear this world is malleable enough that even if we cannot change the past, we could make changes indistinguishable from doing so."

Posted: **Wed May 05, 2021 2:25 am**

"I think someone else changed the bar," says Max, "probably Alex. All I did was make a lager appear. That's interesting. Any changes made seem to be retroactive. I don't know why someone wants to destroy these cities, but the three of us should try to restore them."

Posted: **Wed May 05, 2021 6:04 pm**

Despite your combined wills, the ruins remain as they are - perhaps the devastation covers too large an area to be shaped in the way you're used to.

Posted: **Thu May 06, 2021 2:17 am**

Max sighs. "It's always easier to destroy than to build, I suppose," he says. "An entire city is too big to shape. I guess they inflicted the destruction by shaping weapons into existence, and they must have used them here in the last few days."

Posted: **Thu May 06, 2021 5:50 pm**

"And these ruins look older than that..." Helmut says, as if to himself. "The laws that govern this process must be fascinating."

Once the barge reaches Thraa, it at least remains intact - including the scent of its famous bread which you hungered to on your way through. However, the mood in the city is tense - everywhere you look there are small groups engaged in worried talk - through scraps of overheard sentences you glean that the predominant topic is "the war" and whether it will close in on the city.

Posted: **Fri May 07, 2021 4:17 am**

"We'd better board the ship and set sail before the war does get here," says Max.

Posted: **Sun May 09, 2021 1:52 am**

The Dotherites take Max's advice and get the ship ready to sail. As you put out to sea the weather seems to have turned to reflect the mood in the city - or perhaps a quest that yielded more unhappy revelations than anything else - the sky filling with dark clouds and racing wind. Rain follows quickly, not cold, but driving.

The Dotherites do not appear to be worried about their ability to handle the vessel, but advise you to get into the cabin unless you want to get soaked.

Helmut certainly does.

Posted: **Sun May 09, 2021 4:17 am**

Max also gets in the cabin.

Posted: **Mon May 10, 2021 7:01 pm**

The cabin provides better protection from the wind than it seems like ought to from the gaps around the door, though the stacatto of the rain on the wooden roof still lends a cold feeling.

It occurs to you that this is first bad weather you've encountered since arriving in the Dreamlands - the thought reminds you of the waking world, and you finds yourselves awake in your beds, without conscious awareness of the transition.

On to part 4!

Play@YSDC

Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

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Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

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Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)

Re: Part 3B - Der Tempel von Kadatheron (Max and Karl)