Play@YSDC

Posted: **Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:50 pm**

It's April 1926. The worst of Berlin's postwar misfortunes are behind it, though deprivation and hyperinflation loom large in the scarred memories of the populace. And the increasing battles between gangs representing both left and right remind everyone that life is still precarious. Most people embrace the moment for fear of not getting another.

At least the street trouble rarely comes into Cafe Braun, either by day when it caters to the artistic set, or by night when it boasts drugs, dancing, and illicit sex.

But today? Today there's some trouble.

Alex is behind the bar, along with black-haired barmaid named Elsie Levy, while Max and Karl are both enjoying their respective lunchtime meals. There are other customers there too, most of them artists, some working as they drink.

A couple enter, heading for a table at the back. The man is friend of Max, Louis Blanchard, a Frenchman who works as a stunt performer - he waves a quick salute, then gestures apologetically at his companion in explanation of why he doesn't come over.
Alex recognises the woman as Friede Lanz - another artist, though she works for theatres and film studios, helping put sets together. She and Louis have been in together a few times now.

Not long after their arrival, it's Karl's turn to recognise a new arrival: Helmut Koch, a theoretical physicist he's worked with from time to time at the Prussian Academy of Sciences. However, Helmut doesn't acknowledge Karl at all - indeed he doesn't even appear to see him. Instead he makes straight for Louis and Friede, anger radiating off of his every movement.

Yet it's Louis who makes the aggressive overture, leaping to his feet, yelling "Vous Salaud! You try to take my girl from me?" The men are obviously seconds from coming to blows.

Posted: **Wed Dec 23, 2020 12:08 am**

Alex puts down the glass he is polishing on the bar with a sharp crack!. ’Herren!” he says firmly. “We’ll have no trouble in here, danke! Whatever disagreement you have you can’t settle it by fighting in here, not in Cafe Braun!’

As he speaks he pushes past Elsie and lifts the counter at the end of the bar. Crossing the floor to the table where the two men stand, he points an admonishing finger at them. “You can calm down and sit and have a drink, or I can throw you out and you can fight in the street like dogs. Your choice!”

Posted: **Wed Dec 23, 2020 1:31 am**

Karl stands up, concerned. Not wanting to see his colleague roughed up or worse, he too also tries to defuse the situation.

“Herr Koch” he calls out. “It’s Karl Giger. Please, come and join me.”

Posted: **Wed Dec 23, 2020 4:50 am**

Max von Kleist strolls over to the commotion in an easygoing matter and tries to lighten the situation. "Usually I'm the one who gets accused of stealing someone's girl," he says. "Easy there, Louis, it's not worth it. Friede won't be unfaithful to you."

Posted: **Wed Dec 23, 2020 6:27 pm**

Both men seem startled to be accosted. They make no further move toward one another, though they're still staring daggers. For her part, Friede ventures a quiet "Your friend is right Louis. I would never betray you like that."

Helmut Koch responds, "But you would betray me?" Still, Karl seems to have gotten through to him and he backs up slowly.

As the distance between them grows, Louis shakes his head. "I'm sorry Alex. Next time I'll do this outside."
After the momentary drama, the other customers are mostly returning to what they were doing. Helmut goes to sit with Karl, while Louis offers drinks to Max and Alex by way of apology.

Posted: **Thu Dec 24, 2020 1:35 am**

Alex looked at the two men. It seemed that they weren’t about to start anything now. He nodded towards their respective friends. ’If you promise you aren’t going to cause any problems, you can stay. Otherwise, I suggest you go home now. We have a deal, ja?” He waited until both men agreed they would behave before returning to his station behind the bar.

Picking up the glass and starting again to dry it with a cloth, he said to Elsie, ”Sorry I pushed past you. I had to nip that in the bud before it got out of hand.” He continued polishing and then said, ”That fellow over there, Elsie. Have you seen him before? I had the oddest feeling that I’ve met him but I can’t place him.”

Posted: **Thu Dec 24, 2020 2:11 am**

“No need to apologise” says Karl absently, wondering at the strange feeling he just had. “A glass of Moselle is in order I think.”

He signals the bar.

Posted: **Thu Dec 24, 2020 3:10 am**

"Danke," says Max with a smile. "I never turn down a free drink. You know, this whole situation reminds of something from a film, but I can't recall which one."

Posted: **Thu Dec 24, 2020 10:30 pm**

Both men acquiesce to Alex's suggestion and retreat to the company of their friends.

Philulhu wrote:”That fellow over there, Elsie. Have you seen him before? I had the oddest feeling that I’ve met him but I can’t place him.”

"You thought that too?" she asks. "I've been trying to think of where I've seen him before, but I don't know."

Posted: **Thu Dec 24, 2020 10:31 pm**

HoneyDog wrote:“No need to apologise” says Karl absently, wondering at the strange feeling he just had. “A glass of Moselle is in order I think.”

"And only fair that i pay for it," Helmut says. "You seem to have stopped me making a fool of myself."

Posted: **Thu Dec 24, 2020 10:34 pm**

Mr. Handy wrote:"Danke," says Max with a smile. "I never turn down a free drink. You know, this whole situation reminds of something from a film, but I can't recall which one."

"Doesn't everything remind you of a film?" Louis asks, a little of his usual manner returning. He seems to have almost forgotten Her Koch, though Friede keeps casting nervous glances between the two of them, as if worried their tempers will flare up again.

Posted: **Fri Dec 25, 2020 1:28 am**

“If you like, you can tell me the story” Karl asks gently.

Posted: **Fri Dec 25, 2020 2:11 am**

"True enough," says Max. "All the world's a movie set, and all the men and women on it merely actors..."

Posted: **Sat Dec 26, 2020 6:56 pm**

Alex reached up and lifted two wine glasses from the shelf above the bar. He filled them with Moselle and carried them over to the table. He put the glasses on the table and said, ”Everything ok now?”

Posted: **Sat Dec 26, 2020 11:14 pm**

HoneyDog wrote:“If you like, you can tell me the story” Karl asks gently.

"It's... the strangest thing, even more embarassing that I've just made myself look. I'm not even sure I know the girl at all. I think I might have confused her with someone else."
It's hard for Karl to be sure whether Helmut is being honest or spinning a story - but it's clear the other man recognised him too, so the facts are at odds with it.

Posted: **Sat Dec 26, 2020 11:16 pm**

Mr. Handy wrote:"True enough," says Max. "All the world's a movie set, and all the men and women on it merely actors..."

"And set designers," Friede adds. She mouths a silent thankyou at Max at a moment where Louis won't see it.

Posted: **Sat Dec 26, 2020 11:18 pm**

Philulhu wrote:Alex reached up and lifted two wine glasses from the shelf above the bar. He filled them with Moselle and carried them over to the table. He put the glasses on the table and said, ”Everything ok now?”

"For my part, yes," Herr Koch answers. True to his word, he pays for his and Karl's drinks.

Posted: **Sat Dec 26, 2020 11:41 pm**

The rest of the lunch hour passes more smoothly. Helmut can't be drawn any further on his part in the incident, and Louis acts like it didn't happen at all. It is only after the afternoon's work, when night falls that the drama's next stage unfolds.

After retiring to bed, each of Alex, Karl, and Max find themselves on a street - Elsie the barmaid is there too, decked out in a red party gown.

The buildings to either side are granite, faced with deco stylings - doors and windows alike are picked out with pillars and Moorish arches, from which echo sounds of party and cabaret - the buildings are tall, the angles sharp, casting cold shadows over the street. From the corners of their eyes, everyone can see flickers of movement that resolve themselves into people if focussed on - but they only become truly clear to see at the point where they enter one of the doorways - they resemble the denizens of Berlin's night life, but this is not Berlin.

The sky above is shot with streaks of white, with no sun, moon or stars.

Posted: **Sun Dec 27, 2020 12:07 am**

"A lady should not go unescorted in the evening," says Max to Elsie. "Especially not one so attractive. Please allow me to accompany you."

Posted: **Sun Dec 27, 2020 1:29 am**

Alex looked at Elsie then their other two companions. “What is happening?’ he asked. “How did we get here?! I remember going to bed so why are we now here?”

Posted: **Sun Dec 27, 2020 2:12 am**

Karl shakes his head, mystified.

"The architecture" he says. "I don't recognise this place."

He looks up at the sky and tries to focus. "I can make out the stars though. The view is the same as we would have in Berlin."

Posted: **Sun Dec 27, 2020 3:45 am**

"I don't see any stars," says Max, looking upward. "All I see in the sky are streaks of white."

Posted: **Sun Dec 27, 2020 1:36 pm**

Alex glanced up. ”I can’t see any stars, either.”

He looked around, up and down the street, seeking any familiar landmarks that might tell him where they were - the Berliner Dom, the Funkturm or even Goldenelse.

Posted: **Sun Dec 27, 2020 2:05 pm**

“I’m an astronomer, mein herrs” Karl tells them. “I’ve been studying the sky all my life. Those white streaks are stars.”

He looks around him.

“Perhaps we should try to figure out why we are all sharing the same vivid dream?”

Posted: **Mon Dec 28, 2020 12:07 am**

"It sounds like home," Elsie ventures.

She is right - the cabaret music coming from the buildings to either side isn't made up of specifically familiar tunes, but is certainly of the styles befitting clubs you've all been in and past. There's a faint miasma of alcohol in the air, and silhouetted figures bustle past the arched windows. However the more you talk to each other, the more vague the other shadowy figures on the street get, until you seem to be the only ones outdoors.

Posted: **Mon Dec 28, 2020 12:51 am**

"We should go into one of these buildings," says Max. "There's nothing else for us out here."

Posted: **Mon Dec 28, 2020 2:27 am**

"I concur" says Karl, looking about him warily.

Posted: **Mon Dec 28, 2020 11:55 pm**

Alex frowned. He wasn’t convinced by that line of reasoning but had no intention of waiting out on the street on his own.

Reluctantly, he nodded his agreement. ”In Odnung,” he said. ”But which of these establishments are we going into?”

Posted: **Tue Dec 29, 2020 12:05 am**

Most of the archways echo with the sounds of the cabaret music, but a few are dark and quiet. Apart from this, there is little that immediately distinguishes one from another, so the choice would seem to be to pick a random "cabaret" door or a random quieter one.

Posted: **Tue Dec 29, 2020 1:44 am**

"Perhaps a livelier establishment is better" says Karl, indicating a doorway from which cabaret music is streaming.

Posted: **Tue Dec 29, 2020 3:56 am**

"I agree," says Max. "Let's go where there are people, and life."

Posted: **Tue Dec 29, 2020 5:59 pm**

Alex nodded. “Sehr gut. After you,” he said to Max and stood to one side so he could lead the way.

Posted: **Tue Dec 29, 2020 10:48 pm**

As soon as the foursome steps through the chosen archway, the cold and almost black-and-white atmosphere of the street is replaced with a riot of noise, heat, and colour.

The interior is clearly a night club, decorated in reds, oranges, browns and gilding, in deco patterns. You see a throng people in party clothes, heavy makeup, and accessories - some are sitting at tables, drinking and talking - others are dancing, and more than a few of the dances have progressed to kisses and caresses. The air smells of alcohol, smoke, fruit, and hints of drugs and sex - just breathing it in makes you all feel a little intoxicated. The cabaret music is coming from a stage at the far end, where an array of gramophones are set up in an arrangement reminiscent of how a band would be seated.

Moments after your entry, one of the dancing couples separate and approach you. The man takes Elsie's hand and tries to draw her onto the dance floor, while the girl does the same to Max.

Posted: **Wed Dec 30, 2020 2:57 am**

"I'd be delighted to dance with you, liebchen," says Max, letting her lead him onto the dance floor.

Posted: **Wed Dec 30, 2020 10:43 pm**

Smiling, the woman leads Max into a dance that seems oddly slower than the music would suggest, although the movements seem familiar, as if he has danced them before.

Elsie also allows herself to be pulled into the dance, looking almost hypnotised as she does.

A second man, decked out in a suit and makeup that makes him look more than anything like Marlene Dietrich, accosts Alex and Karl. "Cocktails for our new guests," he says, proferring two glasses of something pale blue-green. "Welcome to the Manticore's Feather, the best club in Hlanith." Both of you feel a stir of recognition at the name Hlanith, even though it would normally be difficult for a German-speaker to pronounce.

Posted: **Thu Dec 31, 2020 12:54 am**

Alex frowned and leaned forward, so as to hear the man better. ”Where did you say we are? Hlanith? Where is that?” he asked.

Posted: **Thu Dec 31, 2020 5:24 am**

"I am Max von Kleist," says Max by means of introduction, though he can't imagine she hasn't heard of him. "With whom have I the pleasure of dancing?"

Posted: **Thu Dec 31, 2020 10:10 pm**

Mr. Handy wrote:"I am Max von Kleist," says Max by means of introduction, though he can't imagine she hasn't heard of him. "With whom have I the pleasure of dancing?"

"Milaya," she answers. Her accent is unusual, and Max has trouble placing it.
"I have not seen you here before," she says.

Posted: **Thu Dec 31, 2020 10:19 pm**

Philulhu wrote:Alex frowned and leaned forward, so as to hear the man better. ”Where did you say we are? Hlanith? Where is that?” he asked.

"Hlanith is here," he answers, apparently not understanding the question. "First of the Six Kingdoms, no matter what the others claim." Pitching his voice louder, he adds, "I ask you: is the first city the dreamers see not truly the First?" This gets a distracted cheer from several of the nearby tables.
Instinctively looking in the direction of the cheers, you both catch sight of Helmut Koch sitting at a table on the far side of the club, along with Friede Lanz. The two are leaning close together, drinking and talking, and apparently on far more intimate terms than they showed back in Cafe Braun.

Posted: **Fri Jan 01, 2021 3:21 am**

"This is the first time I've been in this establishment," says Max. "I'm usually at the Cafe Braun."

Posted: **Fri Jan 01, 2021 5:22 am**

"I've never heard of it," she replies. "Is it very new?"

Posted: **Fri Jan 01, 2021 4:47 pm**

Wanting some answers about whats going on, Karl makes his way over to Helmut.

Posted: **Fri Jan 01, 2021 8:18 pm**

Posted: **Fri Jan 01, 2021 8:47 pm**

Alex slowly looked around, taking it all in, before following Karl in Helmut’s direction.

Posted: **Fri Jan 01, 2021 11:46 pm**

Mr. Handy wrote:
OOC,Is it new? I don't think it was specified.

Posted: **Fri Jan 01, 2021 11:54 pm**

Seeing Karl and Alex, Helmut extends an arm in welcome. "Welcome, my friends! Join us!" He shows no sign of surprise at seeing either of you - nor does his body language suggest he is any less familiar with Alex than Karl.

Friede looks up and smiles in greeting as well. Then her face falls at the sight of something behind you.

This turns out to be Louis, storming over to table from the door, replicating in reverse the scene from Cafe Braun that afternoon. "You!" he yells at Helmut, interrupting most of the conversations in the club. "You have insulted me one time too often!"

Max hears this too, though Milaya presses closer to him, trying to hold his attention.

Posted: **Sat Jan 02, 2021 12:49 am**

Instinctively, Alex stepped forward to block Louis’ approach. Having had to break up too many bar fights meant that his first reaction was to nip it in the bud, even if it wasn’t his bar. ”Calm down,” he said to Louis. “You’ll get yourself thrown out.”

Posted: **Sat Jan 02, 2021 1:20 am**

“Is this why I felt I’ve seen this event before?” thinks Karl to himself. “Because I have, here? Do I come here every night?”

Posted: **Sat Jan 02, 2021 6:36 am**

"I'm terribly sorry, Fraulein," says Max, "but I must stop my friend from making a mistake. We can finish the dance later." As gently as he can, he separates himself from Milaya and goes to intercept Louis.

Posted: **Sat Jan 02, 2021 10:27 am**

Philulhu wrote:Instinctively, Alex stepped forward to block Louis’ approach. Having had to break up too many bar fights meant that his first reaction was to nip it in the bud, even if it wasn’t his bar. ”Calm down,” he said to Louis. “You’ll get yourself thrown out.”

"Let me be thrown out," Louis answers. Raising his voice again, he says to Helmut, "And you follow. Meet me in the alley behind and we will duel for her."

Posted: **Sat Jan 02, 2021 10:35 am**

HoneyDog wrote:“Is this why I felt I’ve seen this event before?” thinks Karl to himself. “Because I have, here? Do I come here every night?”

This thought provokes a rush of memory. You have indeed dreamed your way to this city before, and more than once. You remember seeing Helmut and Louis brawl over Friede - even a time when Louis killed Helmut, although that obviously didn't last past that particular dream.

Posted: **Sat Jan 02, 2021 10:37 am**

Mr. Handy wrote:"I'm terribly sorry, Fraulein," says Max, "but I must stop my friend from making a mistake. We can finish the dance later." As gently as he can, he separates himself from Milaya and goes to intercept Louis.

Milaya responds with an alluring pout, but lets you go. You reach Louis just as he issues his challenge. Herr Koch gets up from his table, apparently ready to accept it.

Posted: **Sat Jan 02, 2021 5:06 pm**

The flood of memories rushing back makes Karl gasp. He decides to try to take control of the situation.

“No duels!” he says firmly. “Instead, we will sit and have a drink and talk about our differences. Maybe we can come to a resolution, no?”

Karl tries to imagine a warmer, more intimate setting. Leaving the club doesn’t feel like good idea – let’s have a drink instead.

Posted: **Sat Jan 02, 2021 6:56 pm**

"Please, don't do this," says Max. "It's not worth killing or dying over a woman. There are so many other women from which to choose, each more beautiful than the last."

Posted: **Sat Jan 02, 2021 10:20 pm**

HoneyDog wrote:
SunlessNick,[url=https://orokos.com/roll/867126]Dreamshaping[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]14[/b] Seriously! Sorry – this is a new skill for me, I’ve no idea if I’m using it properly.

That's perfectly fine!

Posted: **Sat Jan 02, 2021 10:32 pm**

As Karl makes his offer, all three of you are conscious of a change coming over the interior of the club. Without any single thing visibly shifting within your line of sight, the tables are now further apart, yet more evenly spread, leaving little of the dance floor that was there previously - the patrons respond to this, abandoning their dances and sitting in clusters talking quietly - more of them are eating as well as drinking, though you didn't see where the food came from. The gramophones are now playing quieter music.

Two or three of the former dancers seem bewildered at the change. One of them quickly hustles his way out the door. The other two, apparently acquainted, sit down at one of the tables, talking in low voices, and casting suspicious looks about. Their gazes settle on you, but they do not approach.
The table where Helmut and Friede were sitting has become a semi booth, with room for then, Louis, and all of you to gather together.

Helmut, Louis, and Friede are all aware that something has happened - and all clearly surprised. The first to speak is Louis, "Was that you who did that?" he asks, though he seems unsure to which of you to direct the question.

Posted: **Sun Jan 03, 2021 1:10 am**

“It was me” says Karl. “We are obviously in a dream, so we are able to shape our surroundings. To a degree, at any rate. This is most fascinating, wouldn’t you say? Wouldn’t it make a better subject of conversation than this quarrel you’re having? Which, incidentally, is a recurring event.”

He sits down.

“Come now everyone! Sit! Sit! Let us order a drink.”

Posted: **Sun Jan 03, 2021 1:16 am**

“Wait!” said Alex. “Where did Elsie go?!” He looked around but didn’t see her. He walked quickly away from the booth and started looking in the other booths and at the tables. He looked for the man who she had danced with to see if he could be seen.

Posted: **Sun Jan 03, 2021 1:26 am**

“We are missing the Fraulein?” asks Karl. “I most certainly did not dream that. Perhaps she is sitting with the gentleman she was dancing with.”

Posted: **Sun Jan 03, 2021 1:37 am**

"Or did she wake up?" asks Max. "I've heard that you could control your dreams if you realize you're dreaming. I learned about it when I studied psychology at Heidelberg. Van Eeden called it 'lucid dreaming.' This is fascinating! But how is it we are sharing the same dream? I've never heard of that being possible."

Posted: **Sun Jan 03, 2021 1:44 am**

“Neither have I” says Karl. “I wonder if we can wake ourselves? I’m going to try.”

He begins to concentrate on that action.

Posted: **Mon Jan 04, 2021 9:03 pm**

HoneyDog wrote:“I most certainly did not dream that. Perhaps she is sitting with the gentleman she was dancing with.”

Karl can sense that he couldn't have affected Elsie with his newfound ability - whatever the reason for her disappearance, he knows that it was not his doing.

HoneyDog wrote:“Neither have I” says Karl. “I wonder if we can wake ourselves? I’m going to try.”

He begins to concentrate on that action.

For a moment, Karl feels his bed and blankets against his skin, but for the moment he remains in the Manticore's Feather.

Alex is able to find the man Elsie was dancing with. He is sitting in a booth with the woman he'd been dancing with before, the one who sought out Max - they are eating dinner together, and look for all the world as if they have been doing so for some time, despite having been on the vanished dance floor only a few minutes earlier.

"What do you mean a recurring event?" Helmut asks Karl. "You say we are dreaming?"

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2021 12:37 am**

Alex walked up to the table and said abruptly, ”What happened to the girl you were dancing with? The dark-haired girl. What have you done with her?!”

He had his hands on the edge of the table, gripping hard so his knuckles turned white.

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2021 1:24 am**

Karl feels he is almost there, but can't quite make it.

He looks at Helmut.

"Do you not have the sensation that you have experienced this before? It would explain events at the Cafe Braun today, which you had no real understanding of."

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2021 3:11 am**

"I remember now!" says Max. "I've been here in Hlanith before, multiple times. Louis and Helmut always fight over Friede. Once Louis even killed him, but he apparently didn't stay dead. I may be able to make changes too. Let's see if I can conjure up a lager." He concentrates, and one appears in front of him. He hoists it. "Prost!" He then tastes it.

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2021 4:54 am**

"Wunderbar!" Karl exclaims. "But why is it happening though? Sharing a dream is extraordinary enough, but for the events to mirror reality? I have never heard of such a thing. Helmut, do you have any explanation?

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2021 10:59 pm**

Philulhu wrote:Alex walked up to the table and said abruptly, ”What happened to the girl you were dancing with? The dark-haired girl. What have you done with her?!”

He had his hands on the edge of the table, gripping hard so his knuckles turned white.

"Dancing?" The man seems confused for a moment, then seems to collect himself. "I did nothing with her. She wanted a drink and went to the bar. Another man spoke to her there - he was dark, a Dotherite I think - there are coming into the city now. I presumed they were friends, and... well, I did not want to associate with one of them. I saw your other friend" - he points in the direction of Max - "had deserted Milaya, so I returned to the table to finish my dinner with her."

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2021 11:14 pm**

Mr. Handy wrote:"I remember now!" says Max. "I've been here in Hlanith before, multiple times. Louis and Helmut always fight over Friede Once Louis even killed him, but he apparently didn't stay dead."

HoneyDog wrote:"Wunderbar!" Karl exclaims. "But why is it happening though? Sharing a dream is extraordinary enough, but for the events to mirror reality? I have never heard of such a thing. Helmut, do you have any explanation?

"He's right!" Friede exclaims in response to Max's revelation. "I remember it."

Louis's face has turned somewhat ashen at the thought of having murdered someone.

"So... while we are awake, Louis and Friede are a couple, but she and I grew close in our dreams. And Louis and I subconsciously sensed it and became rivals? Is that what you are saying? Fascinating if it is true. After our meeting in Cafe Braun, I can confess now that I could not remember where I had seen either of you" - that part is directed at Louis and Friede - "I had gone there to see Karl, because I knew he drank there. But Karl, as to your question. Thoughts are carried by electrical impulses in the brain, so they could conceivably be affected by some mechanism. But I know of know of no physical phenomenon that could possibly allow our brains to interact with one another in this fashion. And why only us? Or is everyone here dreaming?"

Posted: **Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:36 am**

SunlessNick wrote:"Dancing?" The man seems confused for a moment, then seems to collect himself. "I did nothing with her. She wanted a drink and went to the bar. Another man spoke to her there - he was dark, a Dotherite I think - there are coming into the city now. I presumed they were friends, and... well, I did not want to associate with one of them. I saw your other friend" - he points in the direction of Max - "had deserted Milaya, so I returned to the table to finish my dinner with her."

”A Dotherite?” snapped Alex. “What’s one of those?!”

Posted: **Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:53 am**

Philulhu wrote:”A Dotherite?” snapped Alex. “What’s one of those?!”

"Men from the land of Dother," he replies, in a tone suggesting he thinks you should know that. "Some call them merchants, but they're a poor lot. No goods or worth to trade, the men are thieves and the women whores. They all crowd together near the docks. Maybe your girl went to service them."

The woman with him, recoils at that last outburst.

Posted: **Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:56 am**

’You take that back or I’ll break your jaw!” snapped Alex, his colour rising. ”She’s not that kind of girl!’

Posted: **Wed Jan 06, 2021 1:10 am**

"I would imagine so" replies Karl to Helmut. "Though most are probably unaware of it."

"Perhaps now" he says to the group as a whole, "there will be no more need to quarrel, now that we understand the situation?"

Posted: **Wed Jan 06, 2021 2:42 am**

"No, we don't," says Max, rising. "We need to tell Alex that too, before he ends up starting a fight." He approaches Alex. "Easy there, friend. You wouldn't like it if someone started a fight in your place - which almost happened recently."

Posted: **Wed Jan 06, 2021 7:15 pm**

Alex snapped a look at Max. ”This heinie called my friend a hure. He’s lucky he’s not taking his teeth home in his hat!”

Posted: **Wed Jan 06, 2021 8:07 pm**

HoneyDog wrote:"Perhaps now" he says to the group as a whole, "there will be no more need to quarrel, now that we understand the situation?"

Helmut and Louis exchange a glance, before Helmut says "Yes, you are correct, my friend." Louis adds, "I only hope we remember this when we wake."

Friede wonders aloud whether she can conjure a drink the way Max did... ... and scowls slightly when nothing happens.

Posted: **Wed Jan 06, 2021 8:12 pm**

Mr. Handy wrote:"Easy there, friend. You wouldn't like it if someone started a fight in your place - which almost happened recently."

Philulhu wrote:Alex snapped a look at Max. ”This heinie called my friend a hure. He’s lucky he’s not taking his teeth home in his hat!”

"Entschuldigung," the man says. "You know her better than I. But I know no more of where she may have gone."

Posted: **Thu Jan 07, 2021 2:27 am**

"I'm sorry," says Max, though he's relieved that it probably won't come to a fight, at least. With his glass jaw, he'd rather not get involved in one.

Posted: **Thu Jan 07, 2021 1:53 pm**

As much as Alex wanted to teach the guy a lesson, he allowed himself to be pulled away by Max.

He turned around. ”We need to find Elsie,’ he snapped. ”That arschloch reckons she she might have been taken down to the docks by these Dotherites - whatever they are!

Posted: **Thu Jan 07, 2021 3:28 pm**

“Dotherites?” queries Karl. As it was he who manipulated their surroundings, he feels some sense of responsibility.

“Well, if the Fraulein requires our help, let us find these docks.”

He pauses for a moment.

“Wait a minute… docks? Do you mean the Westhafen?”

Posted: **Thu Jan 07, 2021 10:54 pm**

”Do you know any other docks?” said Alex sarcastically. “Finish your drinks. Let’s go!”

Posted: **Fri Jan 08, 2021 12:21 am**

Louis and Helmut also feel a degree of responsibility, since their altercation began the serious of distractions that took everyone's eyes off of Elsie. They are willing to accompany you in the search if you wish it, though both are reluctant to involve Friede. She however would rather come than be left alone.

Outside the bar cum cafe, the sky has brightened to near daylight - though it is a cold daylight, as there is no Sun, and most of the party can still only percive the sky in white streaks on black. Karl can still resolve them into stars, and it turns out Helmut can too - between them they are able to determine that they are the stars that would be visible above Berlin during the day, were they not obscured by the blue of the sky. The street seems wider, or perhaps the shadows less deep, it's hard to be certain.
You can now make out that most of the stone buildings are granite, with a predominantly Moorish architecture, though most of the fittings you would expect to wood are instead metal. The average height is four or five storeys, though there are occasional towers reaching up that much again.
There are more people about than during the "night," and you can see them more clearly. Most are sitting in the many cafes that line streets, or moving from one to another. Others are moving more purposefully, although it's hard to tell their business immediately. The bustle is punctuated by a few horses and carts. Everyone looks and dresses like people you would expect to find in Berlin.

Posted: **Fri Jan 08, 2021 1:12 am**

Posted: **Fri Jan 08, 2021 3:40 am**

"They must all be dreaming, like us," says Max.

Posted: **Fri Jan 08, 2021 6:07 am**

HoneyDog wrote:
OOC,Unless the docks are nearby, we will have to acquire transport.

Posted: **Fri Jan 08, 2021 7:03 am**

"Let us hail a taxi" suggests Karl.

Posted: **Fri Jan 08, 2021 7:27 pm**

”Dreaming? What do you mean, dreaming?” asked Alex, who had missed their earlier conversation while he was threatening to punch out the guy who had danced with Elsie.

He looked around, trying to spot a taxi.

Posted: **Fri Jan 08, 2021 11:39 pm**

There aren't any motor vehicles on the streets, but some of the horse drawn carts have seats in them, and might be public vehicles. Hailing one confirms this, and the driver asks where the party wishes to go.

OOC: Are you taking Helmut, Louis and/or Friede with you? Helmut and Louis are both willing to come, but don't want to bring Friede - Friede would rather come than be left alone.

Posted: **Sat Jan 09, 2021 12:43 am**

Posted: **Sat Jan 09, 2021 3:49 am**

"We are all in a dream," explains Max. "Somehow, we're sharing it. And now that we know we're dreaming, we can reshape the world through force of will. I made a lager appear. Then I made it disappear down my throat."

Posted: **Sat Jan 09, 2021 3:11 pm**

"Come along you three" Karl says to Helmut, Louis and Friede. "I'm sure that you don't want to leave the Fraulein alone in this place. We're better off together."

Posted: **Sat Jan 09, 2021 10:39 pm**

There is room enough for everyone in the cart. On hearing you wish to go to the docks, the driver turns and heads back the way he came, before heading east at a turning. It quickly becomes clear that if the street you appeared in corresponds at all to Alexanderplatz or Friedrichstadt, then he is not going in the direction that would correpond to the route to Westhafen - it appears that whatever equivalence there is between this city and Berlin does not extend to geography.

The city's architecture remains more or less consistent, but the areas you're passing through take on a more industial character - there are still cafes to be found on every block, all boasting a lot of custom - but the rest of the buildings seem to be workshops, warehouses, and offices. As you pass through, you see a blacksmith shoeing horses, a wheelwright fixing a cart, and crates being brought into and out of storage - the metal shutters and other decorations adorning the buildings go from steel to iron, while the predominant clothing becomes both more working class and more archaic. Finally a salty scent advises you that you're nearing a seafront.

Sure enough, you emerge into a long, wide street - on one side adjacent a row of granite quays and wharves - on the other, to more warehouses and workshops. The quays are bustling with people, now looking almost Mediaval in their clothing. The docked ships look Mediaeval too - you can see what appear to be fishing vessels getting ready to set out to sea, and cargo vessels unloading goods.

The driver takes you a short way along the street, before saying "The Dotherites make their camps just up there, past the Great Mountains's compound. Those are the only ones willing to sell to them, you see? Charity."

Posted: **Sat Jan 09, 2021 11:16 pm**

"What else can you tell us about the Dotherites?" asks Max. "I don't know too much about them."

Posted: **Sat Jan 09, 2021 11:39 pm**

Posted: **Sat Jan 09, 2021 11:45 pm**

"They're a poor lot," the driver says in response to Max's question. "In times past we would only see merchants from Dother. But more have been coming here lately, and they have no goods to sell - they're beggars and whores when they're not gathered up in their camps, and they smell like they're starving. That's why the Great Mountains priests help them I suppose. I don't know what you're expecting to get from them."

Posted: **Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:42 am**

"Fascinating!" Karl thinks. "It's like a whole other world, but resembling ours. These Dotherites could be refugees and immigrants from the east."

Posted: **Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:31 am**

Alex mulled over the idea of this living dream in his mind. The concept was strange to say the least; the idea that he could change things merely by thinking about them? It sounded like the sort of thing that fellow Freud would come up with.

He tried closing his eyes but the jolting cart and his concern for Elsie we’re too much of a distraction so he vowed to try again when he could collect his thoughts.

Posted: **Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:39 pm**

"We're looking for a missing woman," explains Max. "We think she may be there."

Posted: **Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:15 pm**

"Good luck to you then," the driver says. "As I say, you'll find them just up the Straße here." Clearly he's unwilling to take you the rest of the way, but neither does he ask for payment.
With little option but to continue the rest of the way on foot, you soon reach what must be the compound of these Great Mountains Priests. It is built of marble rather than granite, and resembles a cloister surrounding a number of low buildings whose purpose is not immediately apparent - the faintly Moorish look of most of the city's architecture is replaced her by something more Grecian looking. While the cloister is easy enough to cross into from the street, there is also a prominent gateway, which is surmounted by the depictions of two mountains - one is much larger than the other, but more stylised, while the smaller one is more elaborately carved and realistic looking.

"Hatheg-Kla," Friede says as she looks at the mountains. "The smaller one is called Hatheg-Kla, I think."

What must be the priests themselves are dressed in white monastic habits. Most of them are administering blessings to sailors about to board ship, but there are a quarted of them wheeling a large handcart piled with foodstuffs.

Posted: **Mon Jan 11, 2021 12:10 am**

"Shall we just go up to the gate, describe Elsie, and ask if they've seen her enter?" asks Max.

Posted: **Mon Jan 11, 2021 1:11 am**

"Sure" Karl shrugs. "Sometimes the most direct route is best."

Posted: **Mon Jan 11, 2021 9:07 pm**

Seeing the party approach, one of the priests makes as if to meet you. Another interrupts him and takes his place. "Welcome," the interloper says. "My name is Wilhelm, and I wager you are from the waking world too, yes? How can I help you?"

Posted: **Tue Jan 12, 2021 12:36 am**

”The waking world?” repeated Alex in a puzzled tone. “You mean that this has happened before to others? Not just us?”

Posted: **Tue Jan 12, 2021 5:22 am**

"Pleased to meet you, Wilhelm," says Max. "I'm Max von Kleist. We're looking for a friend of ours named Elsie, also from our world, who disappeared. We think she may have come this way." He describes her and what she was wearing.

Posted: **Tue Jan 12, 2021 8:53 am**

Philulhu wrote:”The waking world?” repeated Alex in a puzzled tone. “You mean that this has happened before to others? Not just us?”

"It has," Wilhelm replies. "There have always been those of strong spirit who have found their way into this world through their dreams. I flatter myself that I am such a one. My first visit here was eight years ago, shortly before the Armistice. But lately there have been more. Many more. And the Dreamlands have begun to change. I fear there is danger in it, but I cannot make my fellow priests understand. They are native to the Dreamlands, you see, so the changes affect them too.

Mr. Handy wrote:"Pleased to meet you, Wilhelm," says Max. "I'm Max von Kleist. We're looking for a friend of ours named Elsie, also from our world, who disappeared. We think she may have come this way." He describes her and what she was wearing.

"I have not seen her I am afraid, but some of my fellows are about to take food to the Dotherites' camp. If you accompany them, the Dotherites will most likely be more receptive to your questions."

"The Dotherites are in fact one of the changes I spoke of. Their city was once a great trading power - they carried goods all across the Dreamlands. But now they are impoverished, and none remember what happened to cause it."

Posted: **Tue Jan 12, 2021 2:20 pm**

“Dreamlands?” thinks Karl. “Some kind of parallel universe to ours, but only accessible by dreams?”

There is much he wants to talk to Wilhelm about, but duty comes first.

“Perhaps we can talk again, Herr Wilhelm” he says. “However our friend may need us. Please direct us to your brothers.”

Posted: **Tue Jan 12, 2021 7:10 pm**

Alex shook his head. Nothing was making sense but he knew finding Elsie was the most important thing.

Posted: **Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:45 pm**

HoneyDog wrote:“Perhaps we can talk again, Herr Wilhelm” he says. “However our friend may need us. Please direct us to your brothers.”

"Whenever you wish," Wilhelm says; "the Dreamlands can be overwhelming." He directs you toward the four priests you saw pushing the handcart. They have nearly reached the street, but can easily be caught up with.

Posted: **Tue Jan 12, 2021 11:50 pm**

”Come on, let’s go!” said Alex impatiently, leading the way towards the four monks. ”Hey, there,” he called out as he approached them. Wilhelm told us you’re going to see the Dotherites. They have a friend of mine with them, so we’d like to tag along.”

Posted: **Wed Jan 13, 2021 2:58 am**

"Danke," says Max. He hurries to the cart as well.

Posted: **Wed Jan 13, 2021 4:39 am**

Philulhu wrote:”Come on, let’s go!” said Alex impatiently, leading the way towards the four monks. ”Hey, there,” he called out as he approached them. Wilhelm told us you’re going to see the Dotherites. They have a friend of mine with them, so we’d like to tag along.”

"That's right. You are welcome to come," one of them replies. They do not ask for any help with the cart, but accept it if offered. The journey is a short one, round two street corners until you are behind the row of warehouses. You arrive at a small district of the city that appears to have been walled off, although the gate proves to be unlocked as the priests lead you through it.

Beyond, the streets are narrow, almost alleys, making the granite buildings loom like giants. The architecture is Arabic in character - they are devoid of the metal fittings you've seen so far, though there are marks on the edges of door- and window-frames suggesting that such may have been stripped away. (Alex recognises a foreign quarter when he sees one).
The people are darker than most you have seen in Hlanith thus far, but thin and unhealthy looking. Most wear robes - in many cases their clothing is ragged, but still clean and worn neatly. They gather around the priests, obviously eager for what is being offered, but their behaviour is orderly, and none of them shove one another. All of you remember privation from the end of the war until the hyperinflation a few years ago - most Berliners struggled to keep their pride, and the same is plain to see among these Dotherites.
Several of the women are sizing up the men in the men in the party.

Posted: **Wed Jan 13, 2021 5:07 am**

Max, ever the charmer, smiles at the ladies.

Posted: **Wed Jan 13, 2021 7:33 am**

Alex scanned the crowd. He tried to find a vantage point where he could see over the heads of the people to see if he could spot Elsie.

Posted: **Thu Jan 14, 2021 5:58 am**

The priests begin passing food out to the crowd. Louis, perhaps surprisingly, helps them do so.

Helmut seems fascinated by his surroundings, and wanders a short distance away, looking at the buildings. "Have you ever known a dream's surroundings to be so solid?" he asks Karl, running his hand down a granite wall. "The way that Wilhelm fellow was speaking made it sound as if most people here are native. Is this a whole world unto itself, do you think?"

Mr. Handy wrote:Max, ever the charmer, smiles at the ladies.

Most turn their attention back to the food after a few smiles, but a couple sidle a bit nearer, letting Max get a good view as they move.

Philulhu wrote:Alex scanned the crowd. He tried to find a vantage point where he could see over the heads of the people to see if he could spot Elsie.

Friede joins him at it.
Elise isn't visible, but after a minute, you see a doorway further down the street. A Dotherite man is skulking in it, watching the proceedings, while clearly attempting to remain hidden. He is not dressed the same way as the people around you - instead his clothing is befitting to a nightclub.

Posted: **Thu Jan 14, 2021 7:01 am**

"Not quite unto itself, I think" Karl replies to Helmut. "If we can come from outside and shape it, then it must be connected to ours. It would be fascinating to learn exactly what the connection is."

Posted: **Thu Jan 14, 2021 7:03 pm**

Alex looked away from the man, but only so far as to keep him in his peripheral vision. ”Don’t stare,” he said to Freide. ”But the guy in the doorway over there - he’s not dressed like everyone else, is he? Like he’s just stepped out of a nightclub.”

He waits for Friede to check and confirm his suspicions, before deciding what to do about it.

Posted: **Fri Jan 15, 2021 2:19 am**

HoneyDog wrote:"Not quite unto itself, I think" Karl replies to Helmut. "If we can come from outside and shape it, then it must be connected to ours. It would be fascinating to learn exactly what the connection is."

"It would indeed. I wonder how many times we came here before we became conscious of it."

Posted: **Fri Jan 15, 2021 2:23 am**

Philulhu wrote:Alex looked away from the man, but only so far as to keep him in his peripheral vision. ”Don’t stare,” he said to Freide. ”But the guy in the doorway over there - he’s not dressed like everyone else, is he? Like he’s just stepped out of a nightclub.”

He waits for Friede to check and confirm his suspicions, before deciding what to do about it.

OOC,How close is the man?

Friede nods. "I don't recognise him, but I remember plenty of people dressed like that."

The doorway is about fifty yeards away. It would be imposible to appoach down the street without him seeing you, but there's an alley just beyond him, and others near you, so it may be possible to get around behind him.

Posted: **Fri Jan 15, 2021 3:47 am**

"It appears to be in decline, much like our world" says Karl sadly. "Maybe that's not a coincidence."

Posted: **Fri Jan 15, 2021 4:24 am**

"I wonder if the people of Hlanith dream of Berlin," says Max, trying to recall if he's seen anyone like them while awake.

Posted: **Fri Jan 15, 2021 12:44 pm**

”Keep an eye on him,” said Alex to Friede. “I’m going to see if I can get around behind him.”

He turned and headed back the way they came, drifting towards the side. When he judged he was unlikely to be seen by the watching man, he ducked into an alley and started making his way back. He’d counted his steps so he had a rough idea where he was in relation to the others and the watching man.

Once Alex thought he’d covered enough ground, he cut back towards the Main Street, carefully observing where he was in relation to his target.

Posted: **Fri Jan 15, 2021 8:15 pm**

HoneyDog wrote:"It appears to be in decline, much like our world" says Karl sadly. "Maybe that's not a coincidence."

"You may be right," Helmut agrees in the same tone.

Posted: **Fri Jan 15, 2021 8:22 pm**

Mr. Handy wrote:"I wonder if the people of Hlanith dream of Berlin," says Max, trying to recall if he's seen anyone like them while awake.

Louis shrugs at the question, continuing to help the priests.

Most of the people you've seen in Hlanith look too similar to the German people to be sure of having seen them or not. The Dotherites have a skin tone a shade lighter than that of the Indian subcontinent, though their features are broader and their hair is curled.

The two women whose attention remains on Max are now blatantly inviting.

Posted: **Fri Jan 15, 2021 8:31 pm**

Philulhu wrote:He turned and headed back the way they came, drifting towards the side. When he judged he was unlikely to be seen by the watching man, he ducked into an alley and started making his way back. He’d counted his steps so he had a rough idea where he was in relation to the others and the watching man.

Once Alex thought he’d covered enough ground, he cut back towards the Main Street, carefully observing where he was in relation to his target.

The side alleys are more twisting than you expect, and you get turned around for a few frustrating moments, but eventually make it to the street just behind the watcher. He doesn't seem to have registered your departure from area near the gateway. Approaching goes more smoothly, and you're able to reach him without him detecting you.

Posted: **Fri Jan 15, 2021 11:05 pm**

Alex approached carefully, watching the man for a moment or two. He stepped carefully behind him and said, ”I’m looking for a friend of mine, mein herr. Perhaps you can help me?’

Posted: **Sat Jan 16, 2021 3:56 am**

"Shall I go ask the ladies if they've seen Elsie?" asks Max.

Posted: **Sat Jan 16, 2021 8:53 pm**

Philulhu wrote:Alex approached carefully, watching the man for a moment or two. He stepped carefully behind him and said, ”I’m looking for a friend of mine, mein herr. Perhaps you can help me?’

The man lets out an angry snarl and tries to step back inside, slamming the door shut.
Alex has dealt with enough sudden altercations not to be taken off guard and is able to block the door from being closed. A glimpse of the room beyond shows some low furniture and another door opposite, but no other people.

Posted: **Sat Jan 16, 2021 8:56 pm**

Mr. Handy wrote:"Shall I go ask the ladies if they've seen Elsie?" asks Max.

"Good idea," Louis answers.

One of the women seems to have made out what you said - she approaches more quickly, and says "You're looking for the girl in red, yes? I can tell you. But silver first."

Posted: **Sat Jan 16, 2021 8:59 pm**

Posted: **Sat Jan 16, 2021 9:13 pm**

"Of course, liebchen," says Max. He fishes around in his pocket for some money to give her.

Posted: **Sun Jan 17, 2021 4:33 pm**

"Our friend!" Karl shouts, pointing to Alex. "He needs us!"

Posted: **Sun Jan 17, 2021 10:01 pm**

Max turns to look.

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 12:49 am**

Alex shoved the door hard, pushing his way into the room. ”There’s no need to be like that,” he said. “I just that we could have a little chat.” His voice was menacing, the guy must have reacted like that for a reason and Alex was convinced he must know something about Elsie.

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 5:34 am**

Mr. Handy wrote:"Of course, liebchen," says Max. He fishes around in his pocket for some money to give her.

The coins Max finds in his pocket are unfamiliar in design - one face features what appears to be an abstracted set of curving steps, while the other has the front view of a man's face - but they are indeed silver. The woman takes one and says, "They want her because they know she's a dreamer. She has a dreamer's power so they want to take her to Kadatheron - they say all the world's history is there, so they can-"

At this point she interrupted by Karl's shout.

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 5:39 am**

Philulhu wrote:Alex shoved the door hard, pushing his way into the room. ”There’s no need to be like that,” he said. “I just that we could have a little chat.” His voice was menacing, the guy must have reacted like that for a reason and Alex was convinced he must know something about Elsie.

"There is nothing for you here," the man replies, trying for the same tone.

At the same time, Alex hears a thump from beyond the inner door.

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 5:40 am**

HoneyDog wrote:"Our friend!" Karl shouts, pointing to Alex. "He needs us!"

Mr. Handy wrote:Max turns to look.

You both see Alex disappear into one of the buildings.

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 6:27 am**

Despite having no appetite for physical violence, Karl hurries off to see if he can help.

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 1:13 pm**

”Really?” snarled Alex. “So who’s back there?”

In his pocket he had his knuckleduster. He slipped his hand in to get them ready, in case he needed them.

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 10:32 pm**

Philulhu wrote:”Really?” snarled Alex. “So who’s back there?”

In his pocket he had his knuckleduster. He slipped his hand in to get them ready, in case he needed them.

The precaution turns out to be warranted, as the man lunges for you, throwing a punch in your direction. It goes wide - you can try to fight back or dodge past him, as you please.

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 10:36 pm**

"Hold that thought, my dear, I'll be back," says Max, hurrying after Alex.

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 10:38 pm**

HoneyDog wrote:Despite having no appetite for physical violence, Karl hurries off to see if he can help.

Mr. Handy wrote:"Hold that thought, my dear, I'll be back," says Max, hurrying after Alex.

It'll take you both a couple of rounds to get there. The priests and Dotherites around the handcart all react with surprise at your call, but none of them follow - whomever Alex is fighting is at least not going to get a whole crowd of backup. Helmut does follow, but it will take Louis a few moments to extricate himself from the people around him.

Posted: **Tue Jan 19, 2021 12:04 am**

Alex stepped sharply to one side, trying to let the man’s momentum take him past him.

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

Philulhu wrote:Alex stepped sharply to one side, trying to let the man’s momentum take him past him.

OOC,Dodge (42%) - 246272:0

Your opponent manages to stay engaged with you, and attempts another attack. Again his blow is wide of the mark. Clearly he's not used to fighting when he's the one on the back foot.

Posted: **Wed Jan 20, 2021 12:19 am**

”What’s wrong, bully boy?” sneered Alex. “Not used to people fighting back?” And he pulled his hand out with the knuckledusters, aiming to hit the guy in the kidneys and put him down.

Posted: **Wed Jan 20, 2021 1:24 am**

Philulhu wrote:”What’s wrong, bully boy?” sneered Alex. “Not used to people fighting back?” And he pulled his hand out with the knuckledusters, aiming to hit the guy in the kidneys and put him down.

OOC,Fighting brawl (50%) - 246310:0

Your opponent sneers back at you at he dodges your blow, but doesn't have a quip of his own. Your attack has left the two of you close together, enough that his next attack is a hard jab with his elbow.... this time he's successful, the point slamming into the gap between two of your floating ribs, leaving you winded. However, you're close enough together to ger +25% attack next round.

Posted: **Wed Jan 20, 2021 1:28 am**

"Ach" Karl mutters as he surveys the scene. "Always with the fighting, this one."

Posted: **Wed Jan 20, 2021 4:33 pm**

Alex found he was good close to his assailant. He tried to strike him but couldn’t get his arm free to connect...

Posted: **Wed Jan 20, 2021 11:01 pm**

Philulhu wrote:
OOC,Fighting brawl (50% + 25%) - 246329:0
Alex found he was good close to his assailant. He tried to strike him but couldn’t get his arm free to connect...

Your adversary backs up sharply, trying to get a better angle for his next attack, and then sees reinforcements have arrived.

Max and Karl; you and Helmut are at the outer door now.

Faced with four opponents, the Dotherite backs down. "What is it you want? To rob me?" he asks - "my people have nothing for you to steal."

Posted: **Thu Jan 21, 2021 12:32 am**

“I want to know what you’re trying to hide,” snapped Alex, as he strode forward and made to open the door.

Posted: **Thu Jan 21, 2021 2:17 am**

The door emits another thump as Alex heads toward it. For a moment the Dotherite looks as if he's about to attack again, but he stays put.

Behind the door is Elsie, still wearing her red club dress. She's bound and gagged on a low cushion-couch, but has her feet stretched out to the door - clearly the thumps were her kicking it.

Posted: **Thu Jan 21, 2021 2:20 am**

"Fraulein!" cries Karl, shocked at the sight. He rushes to unbind her.

Posted: **Thu Jan 21, 2021 2:56 am**

Max also hurries to help Elsie, but he keeps a wary eye on the Dotherite.

Posted: **Fri Jan 22, 2021 12:43 am**

Crowded out, Alex turned back to the Dotherite. Approaching him and grabbing his labels, he barked, ”What’s the meaning of this?!”

Posted: **Fri Jan 22, 2021 1:32 am**

Philulhu wrote:Crowded out, Alex turned back to the Dotherite. Approaching him and grabbing his labels, he barked, ”What’s the meaning of this?!”

The Dotherite scowls, then says, "My home suffers. I would find out why. For that I needed a dreamer, and she was there."

"But why?" Helmut asks. "How would a dreamer help you?"

"There's a faraway place. A temple," the Dotherite replies. "It tells the secrets of the Dreamlands. It is a place closed to outsiders, but they would not refuse a dreamer."

Posted: **Fri Jan 22, 2021 1:33 am**

Mr. Handy wrote:Max also hurries to help Elsie, but he keeps a wary eye on the Dotherite.

HoneyDog wrote:"Fraulein!" cries Karl, shocked at the sight. He rushes to unbind her.

"Danke," Elise stammers as you free her. "He wasn't alone. There were two more, but I don't know where they are."

Posted: **Fri Jan 22, 2021 3:45 am**

"Why didn't you just ask for help?" Karl tells the Dotherite angrily.

Posted: **Fri Jan 22, 2021 4:31 am**

"Yes, we would have been willing to help if you had simply asked," says Max. "What made you think it was a good idea to kidnap a lady? This temple, is it called Kadatheron?"

Posted: **Fri Jan 22, 2021 6:20 pm**

Alex glanced at Max. ”You know of it?” he asked.

Posted: **Fri Jan 22, 2021 9:54 pm**

HoneyDog wrote:"Why didn't you just ask for help?" Karl tells the Dotherite angrily.

"And had you said no?"

Mr. Handy wrote:"Yes, we would have been willing to help if you had simply asked," says Max. "What made you think it was a good idea to kidnap a lady? This temple, is it called Kadatheron?"

"Yes," the Dotherite replies in a surprised tone.

Posted: **Fri Jan 22, 2021 9:55 pm**

Elsie puts a hand on Alex's arm. "I heard you through the door. Thankyou."

Posted: **Sat Jan 23, 2021 1:24 am**

Alex smiled awkwardly. ”Well, wherever the hell we are, I wasn’t going to leave you behind.”

Posted: **Sat Jan 23, 2021 3:40 am**

"One of the ladies outside started telling me about it when she talked to me about our looking for Elsie," says Max. He turns to the Dotherite. "If we had said no, you could have asked someone else. We are not the only dreamers in Hlanith. Where is Kadatheron, what do you know about it, and how does one get there?"

Posted: **Sun Jan 24, 2021 12:30 am**

"It is an ancient city, on the far side of the Cerenarian Sea," the Dotherite says, gesturing in the direction of the dockside. "Surrounding a temple, where are told all the stories of the Dreamlands. But they admit few - only the wisest. But dreamers are not so bound. We could learn what afflicts Dother, and why my people suffer, if you would do this. I have fellows preparing a ship."

"Where you would have taken me, I suppose?" Elsie interjects in a cold tone.

"Yes," he says quietly.

Posted: **Sun Jan 24, 2021 12:35 am**

”Why should we trust you?” snapped Alex. “In fact, why are we even having this conversation?! We should just report you to the Kripo for kidnapping Elsie - they’ll soon sort you out!”

Posted: **Sun Jan 24, 2021 12:49 am**

"Please," the Dotherite says. "I am asking you to help my people."

"Only because kidnapping me didn't work," Elsie says.

"Elsie and her friend may owe you nothing," Helmut says. "But I am curious to see this temple if it is all you claim."

Posted: **Sun Jan 24, 2021 2:25 am**

"Do the rest of your people have the same criminal inclinations as you, or is it just you?" asks Max.

Posted: **Sun Jan 24, 2021 9:02 pm**

"He wasn't alone," Elsie says before the Dotherite can answer.

"There are six of us," he says in response. "The rest are preparing the ship I spoke of. None of the rest took any part. This I promise."

Posted: **Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:51 pm**

"I'm not sure what your word is worth," says Max. "You've already been caught kidnapping, so what would stop you from telling a lie? Still, I won't judge an entire people on the actions of one or a few."

Posted: **Sun Jan 24, 2021 11:50 pm**

”You might not, but Elsie said there were more of them. It sounds to me as if they’re all rotten. We get on that ship of their’s and we’ll be overboard before we’re a day out and Elsie and Friede will find themselves being sold off to the highest bidder!”

Alex’s colour was up and he looked ready to swing for the would-be kidnapper again.

Posted: **Mon Jan 25, 2021 1:28 am**

“Please, Herr Alex” Karl soothes. “Violence won’t help. But you do have a point. I am not inclined to help either, on account of this kidnapping. You should have approached us with the hand of friendship” he tells the Dotherite. “How do you expect us to trust you now?”

Posted: **Tue Jan 26, 2021 1:18 am**

"I suppose I cannot. Go then, if you wish. I could not stop you."

Posted: **Tue Jan 26, 2021 4:34 am**

"If we go, what will you do?" asks Max. "Are you going to try to kidnap another dreamer?"

Posted: **Wed Jan 27, 2021 12:53 am**

”Let’s go,” said Alex, heading for the door. “He’s shown he can’t be trusted. Whatever story he comes up with to get you on thar boat, you’d be a fool to believe it.”

Posted: **Wed Jan 27, 2021 1:46 am**

Mr. Handy wrote:"If we go, what will you do?" asks Max. "Are you going to try to kidnap another dreamer?"

"We will try to find one to help us. Make of that what you will."

Philulhu wrote:”Let’s go,” said Alex, heading for the door. “He’s shown he can’t be trusted. Whatever story he comes up with to get you on thar boat, you’d be a fool to believe it.”

Elsie goes with you, staying close by. Outside, the crowd seems to have mostly dispersed from around the now-empty food cart.

Posted: **Wed Jan 27, 2021 2:06 am**

“So you would take someone again” Karl says to the Dotherite.

He frowns, thinking.

“Very well” he eventually says. “I will help you. But I would hear what exactly your plan is”.

Posted: **Wed Jan 27, 2021 4:31 am**

"I will as well," says Max. "I will not allow you to take another, and this is the only honorable way to prevent it."

Posted: **Thu Jan 28, 2021 1:17 am**

HoneyDog wrote:“Very well” he eventually says. “I will help you. But I would hear what exactly your plan is”.

Mr. Handy wrote:"I will as well," says Max. "I will not allow you to take another, and this is the only honorable way to prevent it."

"You have my lifelong thanks. When the ship is ready, we mean to sail south east across the Cerenarian sea to the port city of Thraa. There we will travel upriver to Kadatheron. The city is hospitable to travellers, and we will be able to present you at the temple. It is a journey of a few weeks."

Posted: **Thu Jan 28, 2021 1:18 am**

Outside in the street, Alex and Eslie are met by Louis and Friede. "You found her!" Louis exclaims. "What did that thug do to her?"

Posted: **Thu Jan 28, 2021 1:32 am**

"Will you join us, Helmut?" asks Karl.

Posted: **Thu Jan 28, 2021 4:52 am**

"What about provisions for the journey?" asks Max. "There will be more of us than you had planned."

Posted: **Thu Jan 28, 2021 4:57 pm**

”He had her tied up in a cupboard,” replied Alex tersely. ”Just as well we got here when we did. He was talking about putting her on a boat to God knows where!”

He tried to give Elsie a reassuring pat on her arm but he was tense - they weren’t out of the wood yet. He looked back at the building they had come from. He walked back towards the doorway and shouted through, “Cone on you two! Let’s go!”

Posted: **Thu Jan 28, 2021 11:51 pm**

Philulhu wrote:”He had her tied up in a cupboard,” replied Alex tersely. ”Just as well we got here when we did. He was talking about putting her on a boat to God knows where!”

"Mein Gott," Louis says. "We should leave here at once!"

Philulhu wrote:He tried to give Elsie a reassuring pat on her arm but he was tense - they weren’t out of the wood yet. He looked back at the building they had come from. He walked back towards the doorway and shouted through, “Cone on you two! Let’s go!”

Elsie presses closer, clearly welcoming the gesture.

Posted: **Thu Jan 28, 2021 11:58 pm**

HoneyDog wrote:"Will you join us, Helmut?" asks Karl.

"Indeed I will," Helmut replies. "I am curious to see this temple for myself. And how far this world extends."

Mr. Handy wrote:"What about provisions for the journey?" asks Max. "There will be more of us than you had planned."

"The rest of my people here know of the voyage. They will be willing to give up some of theirs. It is no less than we suffered back in Dother."

At this point you hear Alex's voice through the door calling you to go with him.

Posted: **Fri Jan 29, 2021 5:12 am**

Karl goes outside to speak to Alex.

“We’ve agreed to go with them” he says. “You should return to the city with the brothers. I guess we’ll see you back at the Café, eh?”

Posted: **Fri Jan 29, 2021 5:20 am**

Max follows. "If we don't, they'll just kidnap someone else,' he says. "I don't like it, but it's the best way to stop him."

Posted: **Sat Jan 30, 2021 1:00 am**

”You’re mad,” snapped Alex, bluntly. “If he says he’s going to do it again, you don’t go along with him! You report him to Kripo!”

He glanced around. “Or whatever passes for the Kripo around here...”

Posted: **Sat Jan 30, 2021 2:00 am**

"What does pass for Kripo in this city?" Louis asks. "We have seen nothing that might."

"I'm not going anywhere with them," Elsie says.

"Nor I," Friede agrees, looking at Elsie's dishevelled state.

"I intend to go," Helmut says.

Posted: **Sat Jan 30, 2021 5:21 am**

"I think people usually settle things in Hlanith by dueling," says Max, "but even if one of us won a duel, there's more than one of them, and sometimes people here don't stay dead."

Posted: **Sat Jan 30, 2021 2:00 pm**

Alex looked aghast at Max and shook his head. ”And you think that’s a reason to stay here?! You’re crazy! We’re better off sticking together and working out how to get out of here than going on some boat trip with a would-be kidnapper!”

Posted: **Sat Jan 30, 2021 4:44 pm**

"It shouldn't be difficult to get out of here" says Karl, following the sounds of the raised voices. "Just wake up, back in Berlin. We're just going to stay a little longer."

Posted: **Sat Jan 30, 2021 6:31 pm**

“How does that work?” said Alex, irritably. “Do I fall asleep here and just wake up back at home?”

Posted: **Sat Jan 30, 2021 11:51 pm**

"I'm not sure, but I can remember we've been here before several times and woken up normally," says Max. "We should be able to will ourselves to wake up, just like we can alter the world around us through will."

Posted: **Sun Jan 31, 2021 12:09 am**

"We have been here a few hours, but we cannot be sure time passes the same way, so there is no telling how much time there is before we wake up," Helmut says. "However, I do not recall my previous visits with any clarity, both Karl and Max remember my being killed, and here I am. So it appears the danger in this journey is limited."

"There are other dangers than death," Friede puts in.

Louis hunches down at the mention of his killing Helmut, trying to look small.

"I am not getting aboard that ship with them, no matter what," Elsie insists.

Posted: **Sun Jan 31, 2021 1:20 am**

"I don't blame you," says Max. "There's no need for everyone to go. Anyone who doesn't want to go can certainly stay behind."

Posted: **Mon Feb 01, 2021 12:32 am**

”That settles it. I’m staying here,” said Alex, adamantly. He looked at Max and Karl. “You really think it’s safe to go with him?’ He shook his head. “I’ll see you back in Berlin. Come to the bar and let me know you’re ok.”

Posted: **Mon Feb 01, 2021 5:20 am**

Karl shrugs. “I honestly don’t know. But my curiosity to find out more about this place is too strong. I want to see what the stars look like.”

Posted: **Mon Feb 01, 2021 10:45 pm**

"Good luck to us all, then," Helmut says.

Posted: **Mon Feb 01, 2021 10:46 pm**

And on to part 2...

Play@YSDC

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