In Dreams… part 1

Extracts from the Personal Diary of Dr Eliza Jamieson

However before I can even begin the autopsies on the four victims of the Shantak, I am requested to return to Morgan Curwen School; initially to retrieve the bodies. I am required to sedate poor Belinda so that she can be taken away to the Wilmarth facility for treatment on her present condition. (Hopefully we can do something for her and she will be able to return and not be doomed to the same fate as poor Toby Higginbotham.)

Retrieving the bodies in the gym is slightly more problematic than normal and becomes the equivalent of a grizzly jigsaw puzzle as I am stuck with the remains of four bodies entwined within a gory mass. This is the equivalent of trying to put four five thousand-piece jigsaw puzzles together with no pictures. While I deal with this dilemma, DC Douglas has to ensure that the press are maintained at arm’s length. Barbara and St John, however, are set to clean-up duties, obscuring any further notices left by Mrs Northlay. When the jobs are finally over I can only be thankful as exhaustion is starting to affect my actions. As we complete, however, I am fully aware that the smell of cleaning fluids will linger for some time.

DC Douglas still appears to be convinced that we can save the four teenagers in the so-called Dreamlands. He further claims that he has a spell which should be able to take us all to her location on the Moon. He says the spell he will be using is called ‘Chains of the Pilgrims’ and he claims that this spell will ensure that we all travel to the same location.

The stress of the last few days must really be playing on my mind as I agree to partake in this foolhardy scheme with nary a complaint. We start this expedition from DC Douglas’ home. We get settled in comfortably and hold hands. The ritual in all takes around twenty minutes to complete and I notice the distinctive smell of burning cat hair near the completion. As the ritual ends I think I black out for a second as one moment I am sitting in the chair and the next I am floating a few feet above my own body. Fortunately I appear to be dressed identically to my sleeping form and not naked as I was last time I travelled to the Dreamlands.

DC Douglas suggests that to find Miss MacDougall’s location in the Dreamlands we would be advised to follow the silver cord we had observed leaving her body. Thus advised we make our way to the morgue and identify Miss MacDougall’s silver cord. Note: while Miss MacDougall’s, Mr Hebden’s and Miss Carleton’s silver cords remain, Mr Springfield’s is not to be seen. We then at DC Douglas’ insistence begin to follow Miss MacDougall’s silver cord into the darkness.

I note in travel that the cord virtually vanishes on a number of occasions but DC Douglas leads us onward. Finally the darkness begins to turn into a grey mist and shapes begin to manifest. As we proceed I notice that we appear to be descending towards a dark grey town. The buildings appear ramshackle and I note that not only are there no windows but also that the angles are decidedly off. The town appears to be clearly a port of some kind as there is a visible dock area with two ships tied up at the key, one of which appears to be a large dark galley of some kind while the other is much smaller, maybe a cutter or a brig. DC Douglas informs us that this is what he suspects to be the city of the Moonbeasts. This is partially confirmed as we get closer, as we are able to see several Moonbeasts herding what appears to be a slave species of Satyr style creatures through the streets.

Passing by all this we continue on our path towards a large imposing tower, which I initially think we are going to smash ourselves into the side of yet we pass through the wall into darkness.

The first thing we notice is the terrible stench that assaults our nostrils; a mix of excrement, sweat and an unidentifiable odour that we can only put down as Eau de Moonbeast. We then realise that we have no light source, Barbara reports then that while she has what appears to be a lantern of some kind she appears to have no way to light it. However, as we are discussing this we suddenly hear a strange female voice calling out to us from the darkness inquiring as to who we are as we reply we inquire if a young girl matching Miss MacDougall is also imprisoned here and we are informed there is. As the owner of the voice decides we seem unsure as to how to strike a flame she decides to lend us a hand in the form of what we are told later is a light spell.

The light shows a cell littered with bones. Chained against the wall are two female figures, one is easily identifiable as Miss MacDougall still seemingly dressed for the most part in nightclothes. I also note that she appears to have been quite severely abused during her stay. Despite the light in the cell I note that she appears to be asleep. The other figure, obviously the owner of the voice, was a considerably more impressive specimen, tall and athletic. Upon seeing us she introduces herself as Gloriana of Etruria. She offers to assist us if only we help her to escape we agree to this arrangement but in doing so note that the chains holding both women are very strong and would require us to acquire the keys. Gloriana informs us that she is unable to hold the light she has created for long but she claims that even while chained she should be able to create a spark for our lantern.

As the lantern comes to life we note our appearances have changed as our clothes now appear to be made of natural fibres, quite notably without the usual fire resistance of most modern clothing.

Note: as we had prepared to enter the Dreamlands DC Douglas had suggested that we try to dream weapons as we would otherwise be defenceless. He had of course brought his baton with him, which has seemingly transformed into a light club of some kind. Similarly his stab vest has transformed into a leather vest. Barbara appears to be completely unarmed and has nothing except a lantern while St John is equipped with a small knife and a wooden box.

Oddly enough, I presently appear to be the best-armed member of the team as I am armed with a rapier. However my grabber stick has transformed into a weird amalgam of a wooden stick, a candle and a burnished strip of metal. My trauma bag has also turned into a large leather drawstring bag. I am about to open it to check the contents when we suddenly hear heavy footsteps approaching.

DC Douglas stands near the cell door and he informs us that there is a large figure coming up the stairs, clearly the Moonbeast jailer. We quickly back away just as the jailer reaches the door. The Moonbeast slams open the door and stands in opening.

It is here that we note Moonbeasts appear to be devoid of sight as it was clearly without eyes (or a voice, as we were shortly to discover - how do these things communicate, I have to ask myself?) DC Douglas bravely steps forward and strikes the creature firmly above the right elbow, forcing it to drop the hunk of meat in its hand. It does not take an expert in anatomy, however, to identify the animal the meat had come from, so-called ‘long pig’ or human. The flesh is raw and slightly green (I have to admit this sickens me). The bag in the creature’s other hand threatens to hold more body parts.

The Moonbeast seems surprised by DC Douglas’ attack but this does not slow the creature down as it quickly drops the bag and reaches for a heavy cleaver at its belt. But in doing so it displays the keys also hung from its belt. Barbara then makes a beeline for the keys while DC Douglas continues the melee. Feeling useless I decide to hand my rapier to St John (who I note appeared to be acting strangely again, just like he had when we had gone out to face the Mi-Go).

Freshly armed, St John moves in to help but before he can strike a blow DC Douglas strikes again, this time hitting the creature’s left arm. With both arms now disabled it topples over backwards and lies still. Barbara quickly grabs the keys from its belt and hands them to me while she returns to take the fallen creature’s weapon. I release both Miss MacDougall and Gloriana from their restraints. Gloriana informs us that she has recently been captured when a Black Galley had attacked the vessel she had been travelling on. She says she hopes the vessel and crew are nearby as this would give us a means of escape.

Gloriana then begins dishing out orders but, seeing as we are strangers here, we deem it wise not to argue. We step out of the cell with St John and DC Douglas in the lead. I follow, armed with the lamp and keys with Miss MacDougall alongside me while Barbara and Gloriana bring up the rear.

Outside the initial cell we observe several other locked doors as we made our way down the stairs. We unlock each as we pass and Barbara and Gloriana open those in upper floors so shortly we have released a further seventeen prisoners, of which five are fit to fight. Gloriana reports that none of the prisoners are part of the crew she had been with when she was captured.

Miss MacDougall appears to me to be in better condition than I could have hoped, despite the fact that she has seen her entire family torn apart in front of her very eyes. At first I thought she may have required a sedative but she did not. This is fortunate as, when I examine my bag, I find that the items within have also been transformed. It now contains a bottle of brandy, several medieval style scalpels and other instruments (including a bone saw) and, surprisingly, what appears to be a small wooden mallet and chisel. There are also unfamiliar vials, herbs and unguents. Three things I am able to quickly identify are powdered willow bark, sprigs of what appear to be cannabis and a jar of leeches. There are also two glass hemispherical cups and a knife for the bleeding of wounds.

At the base of the stairs the stench we had identified earlier is more pungent; obviously we are closer to the source. In front of us stands a door; we approach carefully and DC Douglas asks me for the burnished metal plate, which he proceeds to use to see through the door.

Something he sees, however, appears to spark a fire within him as without warning he bellows a cry and rushes into the room. St John/Cameron rapidly follows on his heels. Not wishing to be left out the rest of us also enter the room to find what appears to be a medieval torture chamber. A man is held spread eagled on an open frame set to approximately thirty degrees to the vertical. Behind the man stands a Moonbeast clutching a whip seemingly made from wire strands while another stood near a burning brazier. A third Moonbeast sat at a table with a pile of items in front of it which it appeared to be tasting using small tentacles on its upper lip. Upon entering I also noted several weapon racks positioned strategically around the room, most appeared to contain the cleaver weapons of the Moonbeasts but one bore what appeared to be a halberd.

While DC Douglas and St John make their mad dash towards the creature with the whip I notice that Gloriana makes a beeline for the table, snatching a sword and striking the Moonbeast across the midriff with a flourish. I must admit I am impressed. In the meantime several other prisoners make their way to the racks to arm themselves, one snatching up the halberd.

DC Douglas and St John/Cameron swiftly deal with their opponent and move to engage the Moonbeast by the brazier. The creature snatches what appears, to all intense and purposes, to be a heavy poker from the brazier and moves to engage. Gloriana, after swiftly and stylishly dispatching her own foe, also moves to engage.

Feeling the Moonbeast is already hard pressed I make my way carefully to the prisoner and begin releasing him. My three comrades swiftly prove to be more than a match for the final Moonbeast and it is not long before it joins its compatriots. As I release the man Gloriana comes over with some of the items from the table; including leather armour, another rapier and two wheel-lock pistols. She then informs us that the torture victim is Yanez, the captain of the ship she had been sailing on before her capture.

Cameron then takes up the introductions from our side; the fact that this was Cameron is confirmed when he refers to me as Ice Queen and not Elisa.

Now the fight is over we are able to assess our surroundings. We appear to be in a large pentagonal chamber with a small human sized door in four of the walls. Upon noticing this we recall the strange slave creatures we observed on our way in and as we describe them, Gloriana is able to identify them as ‘Men of Leng’ who she describe as a decadent and unpleasant species which appeare to serve as clerks and merchants for the Moonbeasts. While they may look akin to satyrs from a distance this is an illusion as they have wider mouths and appear to be much crueller of feature. The final wall contains a much wider door, which we judge is most likely for use by the Moonbeasts.

Gloriana suggests there are likely to be more prisoners so, taking the keys and the lantern, she makes her way in to the other towers. When she returns she has a further twenty-two people in tow of which another seven are seemingly of fighting stock.

Captain Yanez agrees to help us escape on his caravel and take us anywhere we need to go if only we can help him get it away from here. He tells us his ship’s name and it translates into English as ‘The Grace of the Gods of Outside’ and its home port is Rinar.

With our plan in place we take a look outside, quickly noting the two ships tied up at the dock. Opposite the door is our target, Captain Yanez’ caravel, yet there are four Moonbeasts and several Men of Leng holding lanterns on sticks between us and our goal including, I note, two Men of Leng and a Moonbeast actually on the deck of the caravel.

There are also a large group of twelve Moonbeasts at the far end of the dock near the second vessel, which Yanez identifies as a Black Galley. There are also a few Men of Leng who seem to be working in a supervisory capacity as the Moonbeasts are manoeuvring a large cage onto a flat-bedded cart pulled by two six legged camel-like creatures. The cage appears to contain some kind of rhinoceros, which does not appear to be too keen to be in the cage. Standing a little off to the side we see the largest of the Moonbeasts we have seen so far and note that he bears a halberd as well as his cleaver. It was clear that this one is the one in charge, an overseer of all the operations, as it were.

A third and final group of Moonbeasts and Men of Leng are also on the dock and these ae presently loading some men into a cage on the rear of a wagon. A wagon, I note, is being drawn by two more strange six-legged camel-like creatures. These men, Captain Yanez informs us, are his crew. We decide that we will need to split up with most of our group heading out to secure the caravel while Yanez and Gloriana take some of the able bodied men we had rescued, including the halberdier, and rescue the crew.

Fearing that the second group might thwart our plans, we have a moment of indecision until Captain Yanez informs us that he has a plan to remove them as a factor claiming that he has spells that can assist in delaying their response. This in mind we let him try. I watch him as he waves his arms and mumbles. Suddenly there is a loud crack from the cage containing the rhinoceros creature and this causes it to become even more enraged as far as I can see. Suddenly the cage bursts open and it is free to gain vengeance upon its captors. The Moonbeasts thus distracted, we make our move.

DC Douglas, Cameron, Barbara and the six able bodied men we had rescued swiftly cut a swathe through the Moonbeasts guarding the gangplank. Fortunately for us, I note that the Men of Leng are obviously of quite cowardly stock as upon seeing us they either flee or hurl themselves into the water.

In short order we are able to board the caravel and engage the final Moonbeast. As expected this is again a very short and one-sided affair. Yet I note that Cameron appears to lose his cool as he continues to batter the Moonbeast long after it is clearly dead.

Gloriana and Captain Yanez in the meantime appear at first to be having a problem as the Moonbeasts are holding them off, but finally the tide changes and the four Moonbeasts lay dead at their feet. However, there are also at least two prisoners they have taken with them also lying still upon the dock. Having rescued the crew Gloriana and Yanez begin to make their way to the ship.

Suddenly the enraged rhinoceros bursts from among the Moonbeasts and charges down the dock! Surely Gloriana will see it or at least hear its approach but it catches her by surprise, knocking her down and trampling her leg. We note, in some alarm, that the Moonbeasts are pursuing when suddenly the rhinoceros stops, turns around and charges back the way it had come. Fortunately Gloriana evades its charge this time and it continues on into the group of Moonbeasts, scattering them like skittles.

Captain Yanez and one of the crew go to assist Gloriana and they are swiftly able to get on board, yet the Moonbeast overseer is not willing to let us get away that easily as he evades the rhinoceros’ charge and heads for the caravel. Unusually this Moonbeast appears to be able to cast spells and, with a mere gesture, is able to turn DC Douglas into a giggling maniac. But Gloriana gestures in turn and stops the overseer in his tracks. I am later to discover that Gloriana used the same spell the Mi-Go had used on St John and I when we encountered them near Silbury Hill.

It appears we are away and that we have succeeded in our goal of rescuing Miss MacDougall. However Gloriana requires my aid as her leg is hurt, the fibula bone is clearly broken and will need to be reset. Having no anaesthetic available we are required to get her drunk but fortunately the ship has a large rum supply. I then instruct St John and Barbara to strap her down as I manipulate her leg and immobilise it with two wooden splints. She will likely walk with a limp for a while but I am confident that I have done a good job and it should heal fully given time.

Captain Yanez informs us that he is for the most part unconcerned with the Black Galley we have left in the port but that is not the only one and we should keep our eyes peeled for any others. As it turns out, shortly after the warning, we observe a ship on the horizon that Captain Yanez confirms as a Black Galley but, forewarned, we are able to evade it quite easily. Following this, St John makes his way up to the masthead and with the aid of his superior vision we are able to avoid any further encounters.

Fortunately, after talking with her, we discover that we have rescued Miss MacDougall in the nick of time as the last time she had been removed from her cell they had drawn strange lines on her, which she was later to identify as marks indicating cuts of meat, implying that the next time they removed her from her cell she was going to be on the menu!

The problem now is that we have no clue as to what the future will hold for Miss MacDougall as she clearly cannot return with us to the waking world as she is dead. Eventually we decide that we would attempt to contact Jimmy Wainwright but unfortunately we are unaware of the name he is using. However he told that he intended to reside in the City of Celephais, which, we discover, is not far from where we presently are, south of Sarkomand.

We ask Captain Yanez if he can take us to Celephais and he seems all too willing to assist. He also appears incredibly grateful to us for we have not only saved his life but also his ship and crew.

We spend rest of the day talking and in doing so we are able to glean some useful information regarding our destination. Captain Yanez informs us that the patron god of Celephais is called Nath-Horthath and that the city is the home of King Kuranes, who rules the city from the Palace of Seventy Delights. We also discover that not only is he the ruler of the city but also it was he who created Celephais, for it seems that like us King Kuranes is a dreamer.

The following morning we awake to find that we are within sight of Celephais and it is wondrous indeed for the entire city appears to be made of pale blue marble with a great many delicate spires and minarets reaching high into the sky. As we approach, Captain Yanez imparts one final piece of information to us and this is that while you are in the confines of the city the passage of time has no effect upon you. According to Captain Yanez there is another place that also seemingly has the ageless quality and that is Sona-Nyl. When we dock we thank Captain Yanez and make our way into the town.

I feel at this time that I should visit the alchemists so I can identify exactly what is contained within my bag. The bandages, brandy, cat gut, gauze, medical instruments and even the leeches are in the whole very self-explanatory but a lot of the herbs, ointments and salves require identification. The Cannabis type leaves I find are what is usually aid in hypnotic healing, which to be honest are more Adam’s cup of tea than mine, while the ground willow bark is actually a mild analgesic. Two of the other herbs I find to be witch hazel and dried mushrooms. The two salves turn out to be a burn ointment and a healing salve, which aids in the closing of wounds while also serving as disinfectant.

The four glass vials are also identified: one is a sleeping draft and appears to be a derivative of opium. The second vial is a stimulant, which would likely cause the adrenal glands to activate their fight or flight response and thus increase the heart rate. The third vial appeared to contain a depressant which could lower the heart and breathing rates enough that the patient would appear to the untrained to be dead, while the fourth contained a virulent poison likely made from iodine. Likely this would mostly be used as a disinfectant for the instruments.

There are also the glass-vessels and blade and probes that, I was informed, were for the bleeding of wounds and the lancing of boils. I am actually required to be instructed in the use of the glass vessels by the alchemist, as I had never come across the so-called bleeding cups previously. It appears I warm up the cups and place them over wounds and they draw infections out, which I find quite ingenious. While there I chose to re-supply as much as I could.

Unfortunately, once we arrived and saw the size of Celephais we lost all hope of finding Jimmy without his name. So it appeared that we were at an impasse as, once we woke up, Miss MacDougall would be alone in the city and, even though it was considerably more friendly than her previous residence, she would be fifteen year old girl fending for herself in a city of strangers. However as it turns out, fate was to lend a hand in the form of Captain Yanez.

For, unknown to us, Captain Yanez had been boasting of the exploits of an Etrurian princess and the four Dreamers who accompanied her. The story obviously became more and more embellished as it was retold finally it appears the story even reached the ears of King Kuranes, a man who is always on the lookout for Dreamers passing through. Thus the King sent out a summons to a banquet in our honour and that we were to attend him at his Palace. As this was his city we felt it churlish to refuse his invitation so shortly we were at the palace and I must admit that while the city itself was spectacular enough King Kuranes’ palace truly took the breath away.

When we arrived we were allowed to bathe and were given a change of clothing. The banquet was spectacular but this was not the end of the evening for afterwards the King requested a private audience with us. There he informed us of how he had come to be here. It appears that dreamers from England are always welcome in the King’s palace, particularly if they have stories regarding his beloved Cornwall and how things had changed, since it appears that he had died just prior to the Great War. We fill him in as best we can about what occurred in the last eighty or so years since he has last been alive but unfortunately we are unable to fill in all the holes.

From the stories he told, King Kuranes is not only lord of Celephais but is also a great hero in this land for it is said that he is one of few who has travelled to very throne of Azathoth and returned to tell the tail.

He then asked us to tell him in our own words exactly what had transpired in the City of the Moonbeasts. We inform him of exactly how everything occurred and while our exploits could not hold a candle to his great achievements yet we still impressed him enough that he wished to be able to reward each of us individually.

King Kuranes extended his generosity to include Miss MacDougall as he offered her a place at his court and, as she was now an orphan, he also offered to make her his ward. This done, he then asked each of us to step forward: DC Douglas is the first and he is rewarded with a sleeved chain hauberk which the King claims was his own; Barbara is the next to be called forward and to her he offers a pale blue crystal. Oddly the crystal appears to be terribly cold as we all notice ice crystals forming upon its surface. King Kuranes then goes on to explain that this item is an Elder Crystal a mystical item that seemingly can store energy to be released during the casting of spells thus retaining our own mental power. He also informs us that while presently it is fully charged that when it empties it is very easy for us to replenish it again.

St John is next to come forth and to him the King offers a beautiful latched crossbow and a dozen well crafted bolts in a quiver. To Princess Gloriana he offers three pieces of fine silver plate, which will give extra protection to her chest, back, and abdomen areas. However as he gives the armour to her he expresses interest in her wheel-lock pistols, requesting that she show him how they work. Gloriana states the pistols were gifts from her father when she left home to go to sea with Captain Yanez. We travel out into the courtyard where an archery target has been placed according to the Kings’ wishes. Gloriana then proceeds to shoot the target, which looks impressive yet I do notice that her stance does not breed confidence as in my opinion Gloriana looks like she had never fired a pistol before. She then offers her second pistol to King Kuranes who appears suitably impressed but, as with Gloriana, he also appears a little apprehensive about the firearm.

Finally I discover that my gift requires that I accompany two of his female servants to a private area where I am asked to disrobe after which they carefully redress me in beautiful floor length dress of opalescent ivory satin inlaid with precious metals and jewellery. In all it takes the two servants nearly ten minutes to get me into the dress and style my hair but I would hate to think how long it would have taken for them to get someone of a more robust build into it as then I stood I could barely breathe.

Of course I do not notice the true effect this dress creates until I return to the others for while I note admiring glances from both DC Douglas and King Kuranes, the effect it has on St John is nothing short of spectacular as he appears totally dumbstruck and unable to take his eyes off me. King Kuranes informs me that this is because the dress is enchanted to enhance the wearer’s innate beauty. This will notably be particularly effective against the male of the species, sort of like a Helen of Troy effect. The only drawback other than the effect of emphasising my negative traits is that if I am to wear this dress I need at least two other people to get me into it, or out of it for that matter.

After King Kuranes has finished presenting us with gifts he has another surprise for us as, judging from our descriptions, he has been able to identify Jimmy Wainwright who is known here as Olondor and is presently a member of the King’s court. It appears that since Olondor had left us in Ulthar he has spent many months exploring the six kingdoms and he is able to impart some information regarding our quests.

Etruria is the centre of much that occurs within the six kingdoms as it is the true military power in the area, the equivalent of Rome. Zakarion is a place of seers and knowledge seekers and is presently in good relations with Etruria yet Thorabon and Dylath-Leen’s relations appear a little dodgier as there are rumours about the two creating an alliance against Etruria. (Note: Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, Etruria’s King, appears weak and somewhat of a milksop. His son is an entirely different matter but whether he would lean to open conflict appears to be open to debate.)

Olondor also informs us that we should forget our attempts to rescue Mr Springfield as he informs us that in his opinion no one can extract his soul from the grasp of the Crawling Chaos. As to Mr Hebden’s location he informs us that our best bet to find him would be to visit the seers at Zakarion. Following his advice we thank the King for his hospitality and state we regret that we need to leave if we are to complete our quests.

As we arrive in the harbour area we are to find that as of yet Captain Yanez has still to set sail and when we inquire of him whether he can carry us onto Zakarion he is once again happy to oblige. In fact he even offers us some coins so that we acquire the knowledge we seek. The journey is uneventful and takes a couple of days. As we travel, however, St John notices something unusual; that in all the time we have been in the Dreamlands the moon has remained the same, to whit on the wane one day after the full moon, exactly as it was when we first set out. When we inquire about this with Captain Yanez and Gloriana they inform us that the moon rarely changes here, almost as if the moon is marking the time on Earth which seemingly moves considerably slower than it does here.

It appears the case that most cities in the Dreamlands are quite beautiful and Zakarion, the City of the Sages, is a prime example. It appears to be made of abelone and mother-o-pearl, which causes the city to have an almost opalescent appearance.

During our visit here we decide that we need to discover Miss Carleton’s location, as she may be in a similar predicament to Miss MacDougall, where we would be working to a tight schedule, as Mr Hebden was clearly going to remain at his present location for at least some time. So upon arrival we decide that we need to see a seer regarding this and Captain Yanez advises that the best man to see is Ahmed the Seer who resides on the outskirts of the city.

Fortunately we are able to find Ahmed quite easily. We note that he appears to reside within a rather ramshackle building lined with small animal cages. As we get closer I note that most of the animals appear to be in a rather wretched state. St John and DC Douglas choose to go in while the rest of us await the results outside. The reading uses up one of our golden coins, leaving us with eleven, but the old man had taken the readings from a weasel’s (very fitting considering what we know about Miss Carleton as she is decidedly devious) entrails, which seemingly reveal that Miss Carleton is presently residing in the Temple of the Hornéd God in Dylath-Leen and as she appears to be in no immediate danger we decide that it would be for the best that Mr Hebden be our next target. However we need some knowledge regarding his imprisonment to be successful this would require a visit to the Loremaster who not unsurprisingly could be found at the Palace of the Loremasters. The Palace of the Loremasters is, of course, very easy to find as it is the second most spectacular building in the city, the Palace of the Great Sage being the most spectacular.

We are soon able to acquire an audience with a Loremaster but again this costs us one of our precious gold coins. The Loremaster then imparts upon us the legend regarding the bronze pillars on Mount Thorin. At one time there appears to have been a city built upon the foothills of the great mountain named Thorinopolis, and the leader of the city became power hungry and wished to wrestle the power over the six kingdoms from the iron grasp of the Etrurians. All the attempts failed until fate intervened when a dragon appeared over Thorinopolis and offered its services to the leader of the city in return for food in the form of young virgins offered to sate its hunger and tribute of gold to build its horde. The leader of Thorinopolis agreed. Initially this was unpopular with the citizens of Thorinopolis but it was suggested that criminals should be used and with the dragon’s aid Thorinopolis began to have success against Etrurians and other states.

Unfortunately the criminal population could not keep up with the dragon’s hunger as they began to see that committing even minor crimes resulted in being fed to the monster. However, a sorcerer discovered a solution to this problem as he developed the bronze pillars that exist to this day on the slopes of Mount Thorin. The pillars allowed the dragon to devour the sacrificial victims during the hours of darkness but would then regenerate the living tissue during the following day, allowing the victim to be devoured many times just as long as at least some living remains were left on the plate. This was successful until, as is the way with deals such as this, more dragons were attracted and the stipend could not be made. The gold reserves dried up, people moved away and Thorinopolis became a city of ghosts. The keys which allowed the victims to be chained to the pillars were lost.

After hearing this we report to the Loremaster that we come seeking a young man who is seemingly chained to one of these said pillars and that we had hoped to find how to release him. The Loremaster informs us that the legends had claim there are in fact five pillars and each also appears to have its own key. The pillars themselves are actually on the Eastern face of Mount Thorin and they are a thousand feet above the old city. But if we wish to discover which our friend is chained to then we would be required to see Ahmed the Seer again, plus if a key exists then it is likely that we would require his aid to ascertain its whereabouts. We thank the Loremaster for his help and head out to once again talk to Ahmed.

On this occasion I am chosen to enter the seer’s shack where once again we are required to hand over one of our coins he then asks me to choose an animal. On this occasion I choose a dog (never liked dogs since I was bitten by one as a child). The sacrifice is made and Ahmed is able to instruct us as to which of the five pillars Mr Hebden is currently attached to this appears to be on the easternmost spur of Mount Thorin directly above the old city. As to the key, he tells us we will need to search in the city of Alba-Longa, the main City of the Etrurians, if we hope to find what we seek.

Now we are required to find a way to travel from Zakarion to Alba-Longa for this is journey of some distance. Gloriana informs us that she should be able to arrange this for us as she knows the area better than the rest of us. As it turns out she arranges for us to travel with a wagon train, which should be setting out that day.

As we arrive at the setting off point, however, the wagon master comes over to offer us a deal. It appears the price for the journey is normally a gold coin each, but because of the recent bandit activity along the road he wishes that we serve as guards and if any bandits do attack then he will not only refund our fare but he will also pay us each one gold coin for our assistance. Seeing as we clearly have no choice, we agree to his terms. The wagon master’s name is Marius and he only appears to have offered this as guards are hard to come by these days.

As Marius looks us over he declares that we are to be assigned to the lead wagon, which is driven by a quite amiable man named Lucius, while Marius and his own men will take up position in the rear wagon. It appears that the front and rear wagons are the usual targets on these trips. This in mind I asked Gloriana if I could use her pistols and she agrees to let me borrow them. I am already quite aware that I couldn’t fight my way out of a paper bag. Mind you, despite the fact that have used pistols previously, I still need Gloriana to show me how to load these things as the only weapons I have previously used are not quite so complicated. (Note to self: these things are one shot and there are no safety catches so I must be careful how I handle them.)

So once again we are on our way and I note the road is quiet for several days. As we travel I decide to have a look around and in doing so I note that the road seems to form some kind of demarcation line: as to the south there is farmland, orchards and such while to the north of the road there is nothing but desolate woodland supposedly due to the dragons residing on Mount Thorin. However this only can hold my attention for a limited time before I become bored.

Deciding that the there is nothing happening here, I decide to slip into the back of the wagon to take a nap as I am quite sure that rest will be hard to come by once we take our leave from the caravan. But just as I settle in, all hell breaks loose!

Someone calling my name and shaking my shoulder wakes me and, as I come to, I hear a cry of pain from my right. I note immediately that the cry came from St John who is sat at the front of the wagon next to Lucius. It does not take heightened vision to see why he cried out as there appears to be an arrow protruding from his left leg! Suddenly I hear the cry to attack and several figures emerge from behind rocks and bits of scrub.

Gloriana, Barbara and DC Douglas quickly dismount and it appears they intend to skirmish with the strangers while I prepare Gloriana’s pistols for firing. St John fires his crossbow at the incoming strangers but judging from his reaction he appeared to have missed. Lucius also appears to prepare by readying his heavy club while still retaining his grip on the traces.

Suddenly a figure appears alongside Lucius and engages him. Being afraid that I may hit Lucius I take a very careful aim. However as I have never fired a wheel-lock previously I over compensate and only succeed in shooting the stranger in the foot. I hope it may have affected his balance but this is not the case. Hopefully I can do better with my second shot.

Yet before I had the opportunity to test this I heard a noise from the rear of the wagon. As I turn to investigate I observe another stranger climbing through the rear flap. Feeling that St John and Lucius can deal with the man at the front I turn my concentration to the new stranger. Again I fire and again I over compensate but not as badly as my shot strikes home just below the man’s right knee, causing him to topple backwards out of the wagon. Unfortunately I am now unarmed and, worryingly, another figure is climbing aboard, yet I breathe a big sigh of relief when I observe that it is just Barbara climbing back on board.

This relief is short lived though as suddenly Lucius falls back into the wagon, nearly flattening me. It does not take more than a cursory glance to see he has a massive gash across his lower abdomen. (Note: while not wishing to brag I feel he was fortunate I was here as medical knowledge in this Dreamlands appeared to usually be only up late to 15^th century standards on the whole, thus chances of survival from such an injury could be said to be slim yet this guy fortunately had a modern day surgeon on hand.)

So ignoring the combat taking place I carefully cleaned and stitched Lucius’ wound noting that while he would have an impressive scar to remember this incident by, in my opinion he would survive the encounter. While I was dealing with Lucius, however, Barbara joined St John and finally between them they repelled our boarder. Yet in doing so St John received a second injury, this time to his right leg.

After the combat Barbara was able to apply some first aid to St John as I finished patching up Lucius but St John still required three stitches to the arrow wound if he wanted it to heal properly, which again was my job.

Just after I had finished with Lucius, however, Gloriana and DC Douglas returned and reported that the bandits had been driven off. Yet before we could continue we had to reclaim the draft horse that the bandits had cut loose and Marius had to acquire another wagon driver for the lead wagon as while Lucius would heal in time it was not recommended that he exert himself for a few days.

Fortunately the rest of the trip was uneventful and soon we came within site of Alba-Longa. As we approach, however, a delegation comes to meet us led by Gaius Lucius who we have previously been informed is the father of new friend Gloriana. Gaius warmly greets us and invites us as honoured guests into his home as we are after all friends to his beloved daughter. We are informed that he will arrange a meal for us while we freshen up and take a bath.

As this is a noble house and due to the fact that the only clothing I have is splattered with Lucius’ blood I choose, perhaps unwisely, to wear the gown that King Kuranes had presented me with. However, Father has always insisted that one should dress for the occasion when dining with VIP’s. Unfortunately, all this appears to do on this occasion is reinforce my reputation as an inflexible manipulator.

As it takes the servants several minutes to figure out where everything goes regarding the gown I end up arriving slightly late to the banquet. However when I do arrive this is when I realise that maybe the gown was a mistake as all eyes are drawn to me including St John, Gloriana’s uncles, Antenenos and Valerius, and even Gaius Lucius himself (who I note actually appears to lick his lips). On the other hand DC Douglas has retained his indifference while Claudia Valeria (Gloriana’s mother) appears not best pleased.

During the meal I also note that after a short while a lot of the male servants disappear. We take this opportunity to ask Gaius for his help in obtaining the key as we inform him that a seer has told us that the key we need to open the locks on Mount Thorin could be found in the city. He agrees to get us help regarding this and if there were any refugees left from Thorinopolis then he will ensure that they are brought to our attention. I note, however, that no matter who asks the questions he keeps glancing in my direction, which only seems to displease his wife more and more.

After the meal we each return to our allotted rooms where again I require aid to get the gown off me. The servants having completed their task, they begin to retreat from the room when suddenly there is a loud knock on the door. Feeling that I am improperly dressed I ask one of the servants to open the door, admitting Gaius Lucius.

Feeling that this is not altogether ethical I inquire as to how I may assist him yet he appears more insistent upon asking the servants to leave rather than replying to my inquiry. I request that the servants should remain as otherwise it would appear unseemly. I am quite sure at this stage that his intention is to commit adultery with me but I am able to convince him otherwise, emphasising to in no uncertain terms that I have sworn an oath to my god to remain pure and celibate until my wedding night, plus the fact that I am a friend of his daughter and I healed her leg. I also make it clear that were he to sexually assault an honoured guest then that would reflect badly not only upon him but also upon his entire line. Fortunately he appears to accept this and leaves my room, much to my relief as I am quite sure that if he had been able to consummate his wishes then that would not have gone down well with his wife.

The following morning when we all emerge we discover that Antenenos, Valerius and Gaius have had to leave to deal with some important matters of state and Claudia herself deals with us. We are about to start our search for the mysterious survivors of Thorinopolis yet it appears that as we slept someone else has found one of the few survivors. This is hopefully the person we need to complete our task who it turns out is an old woman named Mailissa.

As we greet Mailissa it quickly becomes clear that the old woman is not quite right in the head as she cackles madly all the time while brandishing a strange cross-headed bronze key. Mailissa claims that she lived in the city of Thorinopolis as a child and that she knows her way to the pillar we seek. Claudia in the meantime arranges for us to be supplied for our journey and even goes as far as to arrange zebra mounts for us yet, as I am unable to ride, I feel it would be better if I walked. I note that St John, Barbara and DC Douglas appear to concur. Oddly enough even though Mailissa appears as mad as a box of squirrels she appears to know more than she is letting on about where we are heading.

In the end it takes us four days to get from Alba-Longa to Thorinopolis, (looking on the bright side at least it gives me some cooking practice). True to the stories, the place appears long abandoned and is now nothing bar a ruin. We decide to approach the derelict city on foot and hide our mounts a distance away. As we arrive in the city we swiftly decide that we would most likely need to find a bolthole to hide from the dragons once we had rescued Mr Hebden as I am quite sure that they would be most displeased to find that we had removed their free buffet so would likely attempt to stop our escape.

As it turns out it is Mailissa who finally leads us to a spot in the corner of an old derelict temple. Initially we planned to wait until the next night before we went to rescue Mr Hebden but it is Gloriana who changes our views regarding this as she remarks that Mr Hebden would be suffering another night of endless agony just so we could take a rest. While I note that the statement does not appear to effect Mailissa in any way it has a considerable effect upon the rest of us, resulting in simply marking our hiding place before we strike out for the pillar.

On the way up St John suggests using the binoculars to ascertain were the dragons emerge from. As he does this however I note that as Mailissa observes the binoculars she begins cackling madly and she appears to me to almost be hoping that we would use them. I feel that Mailissa is not as mad as she appears and that she is clearly concealing something, as when she feels that she is being unobserved she appears more sly than mad. In the end, however, we decide against the use of both the binoculars and the mask, seemingly much to Mailissa’s disappointment.

As we approach the appointed spot of the most recent sacrifices we notice a young man chained upon a large bronze pillar. We notice straight away that we are in the correct spot as this is clearly Mr Hebden so we are clearly in the right place. However Mr Hebden is in a terrible state with many of his major organs either badly damaged or missing in their entirety in my medical opinion. If we free him now he could not possibly survive. As to how he was presently surviving, this is also a mystery. Mailissa informs us that his condition is quite natural, as he will only be fully healed as the sun disappears over the horizon. It would appear that the ‘dragons’ that live upon the mountain are afraid of sunlight so I have to wonder if we can put that to some good use.

That question must wait for another time however for as we are talking the sun sets beyond the horizon and Mr Hebden’s body heals itself (the pillar probably has been impregnated with some kind of super healing spell in my opinion), just as Mailissa stated it would.

So with Mr Hebden fully healed we move quickly to release him and attempt to move him back to our hiding place in Thorinopolis. I Notice as we travel back that Mailissa appears to be remarkably sprightly for a woman of advancing age; so much so that several of our number have difficulty even keeping up with her. On the other hand, Mr Hebden’s mental state is decidedly questionable, so much so that when we finally arrive at our bolthole I am forced to administer him with a sleeping draft.

Suddenly we hear a screech from up the mountain and it is clear that the dragons are frustrated and angry to find their ready meal removed from its platter. The sound of the screech is familiar, however as, sparing Gloriana, we had all heard similar in another place - it is the cry of a hunting horror!

Well with their dislike of bright lights we wouldn’t be dealing with fire-breathing dragons so at least I can clutch onto that small mercy. We attempt to stay as still and quiet as possible, skulking in the deep shadows, yet this does not prove sufficient as we are found before midnight, the victorious screech coming from almost directly above us. As we look up and see it again, most of us feel deep apprehension, yet Gloriana is struck by the screaming terrors and then suddenly she vanishes!

Quickly we try to make firebrands in hope that they will hold the hunting horrors at bay and initially it appears to work. But we swiftly observe that the hunting horrors are milling around, winding themselves up in to a frenzy to overcome our feeble attempts. It only appears to be a matter of time before they overcome our feeble defences.

True to this, one of the hunting horrors moves in again and on this occasion it is St John’s mind that brakes as he throws his torch to floor. We think we are finished until Mailissa steps forward, directly into the creature’s path and begins chanting in an odd lilting language. Many of the words I do not understand but two words struck a chord with me as they are names we have heard before: Azathoth and Nyarlathotep!

I judge that this is some kind of a binding ritual as when she finishes she swiftly springs up upon its back and it begins to retreat. Suddenly St John jumps up to join her and the hunting horror pulls out and flies away. The rest of us stand dumbfounded. There are now only the three of us remaining, plus the sleeping Mr Hebden - well at least he wouldn’t suffer for much longer, as the rest of the hunting horrors close in surely our number is up this time?

It is blatantly obvious that our little torches will have little effect against these creatures as we back into the corner as much as we can. As we have little hope of fighting these things, I go into my bag for the vial of poison. I am determined that, while it may eat me, at the very least I am going to try and give it indigestion by smashing the vial of poison into its mouth!

However, just as we feel it is all over, there is a sudden blinding flash directly between the creatures and us. This is swiftly followed by more ear-piercing shrieks from the creatures. What happens next I have no clue for all I see is a blinding white haze!

As the spots on my vision clear over the next few minutes, I quickly check myself out, finding that I still retain all the correct appendages and my companions are still at my side. Also, judging from the detritus at our feet, we are still in Thorinopolis, so what happened?

I note that DC Douglas and Barbara are also both rubbing their eyes and, judging from their expressions, they too appear at a loss as to what just occurred. Suddenly a shadow detaches itself from the shadows at the far end of the temple and as it comes closer we are able to identify it as Gloriana, who reveals that it was she who created the burst of light. As she said this we note that she holds Barbara’s crystal, which does not appear to have as much frost upon its surface as previously. DC Douglas, afraid that the hunting horrors may once again regain their courage and return, quickly recharges the crystal with his own magic points.

Fortunately the rest of the night passes peacefully but we note that Gloriana seems different somehow as she appears to be almost a stranger within the body of the young woman we have come to know. Mailissa and St John are gone. However, I wonder if perhaps DC Douglas’ ‘Chains of the Pilgrims’ spell could show us were they had gone but maybe we’d already had too much excitement for one night.

In the morning we decide that it would be best if we return to Alba-Longa and I am able to stabilise Mr Hebden during the journey. Yet I do note that this appears a lot easier than I would have thought possible. Obviously, as we have found previously, things like grief and pain can be easily dismissed from the psyche, something akin to a light breeze dismissing the morning mist.

The trip back to Alba-Longa is uneventful; Gaius Lucius and his wife Claudia once again welcome us back to their home. (Note: I remember not to wear the gown on this occasion so as not to upset Claudia as I understood from Gloriana that she was not overly enamoured by me upon our last visit - Gloriana told me that after the incident in my room Gaius and Claudia had been involved in a shouting match, where I understood the term ‘Damn blonde strumpet’ had been used with some frequency.)

During the evening we inform them what occurred at Mount Thorin, emphasising how their daughter Gloriana had saved us when all had appeared lost and they appear to appreciate our candidness.

On the following morning, however, we feel that we have to continue on our quest, which involves travelling on to Dylath-Leen where we hope to find Miss Carleton. However, we are concerned about Mr Hebden but Gaius says that we need not be concerned as he feels that Mr Hebden should be able to find a place here with Gaius’ family. We, of course, thank them and make our way to the stables for our zebras to take us to Dylath-Leen.

Oddly enough St John has still not reappeared, hopefully he is okay. And surprisingly we also notice that Gloriana is still not acting the same as when we first met; that meeting with the hunting horrors has obviously had a more lasting effect on her than on Mr Hebden. Hopefully the trip to Dylath-Leen will shake the cobwebs loose. On the way we hear rumours: it seems that Dylath-Leen has been forming an alliance against Lucius T Priscus the King of Etruria. Hopefully this is not an ominous sign for the six kingdoms and Etruria in particular.

When we arrive in Dylath-Leen we decide that we do not wish dawdle so we make our way straight up to the Temple of the Hornéd God our plan being to acquire access by pretending to wish to pay homage at the temple. To support this we bring two live chickens for sacrifice.

As we arrive at the temple we are met by one of the acolytes. DC Douglas takes the lead; stating that we had come to give sacrifice and pay homage to the Nyarlathotep, which does not go down so great with the acolyte for he says that this is not who they worship here, fortunately I am able to quickly rectify this error by stating that what he had meant to say was the Hornéd God and not Nyarlathotep. This appears to appease the acolyte who then allows us to enter.

The acolyte leads us up to a heathen altar, which appears to be in the form of a stone monolith that looks almost identical to the centre stone at Mayburgh Henge. I don’t think this is an accident and it would certainly explain why all these incidents occurred in such a remote location.

Behind the stone is what appears to be a large horned figure with four arms, seemingly made of the same obsidian type stone as the rest of the Temple to the Hornéd God. Behind this, however, is an amber coloured screen with a candle flickering behind it giving an eerie effect.

The acolyte begins the ritual. Unfortunately it appears that our ruse is going to fail when, oddly enough, the ritual leaps into my head and I am able give the correct responses. The others, noting this, follow my lead. I do not understand the words but I appear to know what to say. In my opinion I could be reading out a grocery list but the acolyte seems pleased.

As the ritual finishes Barbara and DC Douglas sacrifice their chickens. With the heathen ritual now done we can hopefully continue with our mission to find Miss Carleton. We do this by inquiring whether Miss Carleton has been seen in the area? The acolyte informs us that he does indeed know where Miss Carleton can be found as it appears she is a priestess in this very temple and, as we are her friends from the waking world, he takes us to her.

As we come to meet Miss Carleton I find it comes as no surprise to find that she is neither in danger or any discomfort. In fact, from what she later informs us, this is exactly why she had arranged the ritual in the first place and that she is very happy here. She also informs us that it was she who started this whole thing by summoning the Hornéd God. As far as I can tell she appears to show no remorse whatsoever, despite that her selfish actions have resulted in at least a dozen deaths!

Miss Carleton then informs us that she only wants one more thing to make her every wish complete and that is that she be reunited with her lost love, Mr Jeremy Springfield. It appears that she feels that she needs our aid to achieve this goal as she then goes on to claim that she has performed a ‘divination’ that reveals the way for her to acquire the release of her beloved.

The divination revealed that five heroes from far away would come to the temple and she would give them a quest to acquire four Shantak eggs from the Father of all Shantak Birds, who supposedly resides within the city of Inqanok. It appears that she has already assumed that we would agree as she has already arranged passage for us to Inqanok upon a caravel named the ‘Cure of Souls’ captained by a man named Nicolo Monteverdi. She also provides us with a folded green flag bearing the symbol of the Hornéd God. It is at this stage that one of us, I cannot recall who, states the obvious, that her plan could not possibly work for as we set out there are but four of us, making her divination flawed, yet she does not seems concerned for she signals an acolyte who then leaves the room returning a few minutes later with St John whom we find arrived here a few days previously.

After we leave however I make it clear to the others that I am not overly convinced that we are doing the right thing here, for she is a priestess of an aspect of Nyarlathotep. Yet even though it appears that he holds her beloved, he still wants something extra.

Also I am not overly convinced about Miss Carleton herself, for she has arranged the deaths of at least twelve people, including her so called ‘beloved’ and her best friend for her own selfish aims so I don’t really see why we should be making everything perfect for her. My belief is that she should be made to suffer for what she has created.