A Talk Cut Short

Log Info

• Title: A Talk Cut Short

• Emitter: Dolan

• Characters: Andelena, Dolan, Telamon, Verna

• Place: Temple of Daeus

• Summary: Telamon and Verna come to visit Dolan on the tail-end of his stay at the Temple of Daeus, with Andelena there to ensure Dolan's safety. The group discusses the totems and the path forward, but must cut their talk short.

Going to visit Dolan this time is a little different than it was the last time Verna did so. Instead of awaiting escort into the depths of the temple, the group is taken to a small antechamber in the main part of the temple, a simple affair with chairs and table inlaid with the image of the Platinum Dragon in fine woodwork. There, Telamon and Verna are left to wait -

But not for very long, as the door opens a scant few minutes later to admit a very-much-better-looking Dolan, clad in a shirt that, outside of some stitching along the hems and collar and having a high collar, looks very much like his normal attire. This is paired with his usual leather trousers and low house shoes, the holy symbol and his eye exactly where they should be. "Brightest of days," he greets the pair, his cheeky grin very much back to its usual place. If there's just a little bit more haunting there in the shadows of his face, that is to be expected, and no attempt is made to conceal the scars that run down the right side of his face.

Telamon looks tired. Well, not exhausted, but it's clear he's fatigued. His face is a touch careworn, and his garments aren't quite as fine as they usually are -- a deep green woolen tunic over trousers, boots, and a travel cloak tossed carelessly on his shoulders. Interestingly, he's leaning on a staff wrought of ironwood, with a curious headpiece of bronze: three circles, intersecting.

When Dolan greets him, Tel visibly bucks up, and offers a smile. "The light shines, Dolan," he responds in kind. "You're looking better every day."

Verna bears her usual cloak against the elements, though beneath is a bright yellow sundress both Telamon and Dolan may be familiar with. It is an stark contrast of color opposed to her typical robes. The wait is expected, but Dolan's emergence is less so. She rises upon sight of him. "Dolan. It is good to see you so mu more improved."

Andelena stands with Dolan, wearing a more casual tunic and a pair of breeches that are either hers or Dolan--but have since melded together in a pile of generally-shared Daeusite casual wear. She offers both Verna and Telamon a wide smile, a sort of warm expression that's more at home on her face compared to the expressions that both Telamon and Verna have generally seen her make as of late. "Well, he always looked good to me, but hey, glad to know other people can recognize it when they see it," Andelena says, barely containing a good-natured chuckle to follow it. "Good to see both of you."

She peers at the staff that Telamon's got. "Funny stick you got there," she says. "Didn't think you were a... you know, wizarding stickly type."

Dolan's chuckle joins Andelena's, a good-natured thing, and he snakes his arm out to wrap around her waist. He does still keep his left arm close to his body, and there is no evidence of a weapon on him. He, too, eyes the staff Telamon bears with great interest, the harder when Andelena mentions it. "I hadn't figured you for a staff kind, either. So what brings you here, or are you just checking in?" He reaches out with the left arm and gently and carefully pulls the door closed behind him, the first time either of them have seen him make much use of that arm since he was taken.

"I'm not," Telamon replies with a dry smile. "Tell me, Dolan, did you ever conjure up those boots? Or did you opt for something else?" He holds the staff out slightly. "Behold," he continues with a wry grin. "The fruits of my labor. Drawn from dream and memory. And now I have even more questions than I did answers."

He glances at Verna. "Also, we bring word of an expedition we took to the Vast. It... wasn't a complete disaster, but it could've definitely gone better."

The lightening of Verna's countenance upon seeing Dolan upright and ambulatory returns to neutral at Telamon's words. It then promptly continues futher to frown. "The situation is far worse that we realized. We discovered a great deal, to include that we were ill-equipped to remedy the matter at hand."

Andelena looks at the staff and whistles. "Okay, well--that makes two people that have pulled shit out of the dream, then," she says, looking to Dolan and seeming satisfied that he's pulling doors closed by himself now.

But then Verna discloses the fact that they went to the Vast and she frowns. "Okay, well... Shit. What happened?"

Dolan grimaces as the door is pulled to, although he tries to some degree to conceal it, letting the mobile half of his expression fall and turning back to the pair. "Shit. Yeah, I managed to manifest a sword out of the Dream," he answers. "Learned a few things doing so, too, but let's hear your story." Keen interest registers in the sharpening of that lone brown eye on Verna and Telamon, and he nudges Andelena towards the two remaining chairs. "There's some other stuff you should know, too."

Telamon takes a seat, a bit gratefully, and sinks down. "We didn't lose anyone, thankfully. We figured we could go there, fly in, burn some things down, and be done with it." He scowls. "Evidently the wolves... growing, or arriving, or whatever out there, though, are a lot tougher than your garden variety lycanthrope. Spells, teleporting, ridiculous durability -- Dirk blew out one's eye and another's leg and they just did NOT want to lie down."

He shudders. "The worst, though..." His face twists into an expression of fear. "The worst is that there's this huge wolf -- like, the size of a damned building -- out there."

"I believe they are servitors of The Nightmare" Verna notes, dourly, "though could not confirm. Less lycanthrope are more akin to celstial or infernal. The arrival point was confirmed to be a portal; worse, one to Caracoroth's very own realm. It was held open by a great power, perhaps an artifact of some sort. It could not be readily, nor quickly closed. We were prepared to search for the source to remove it when... it arrived."

She looks to Telamon as she expounds. "It was a wolf nearly the size of the Redridge. A greater servitor. Perhaps, though I hope not, some avatar of Caracoroth, itself. We were all but powerless against it. I chose that we all withdrew."

Andelena's eyes go wide. "Shit. That must have been the wolf that Seldan said he couldn't get a read on," she says. "He infiltrated that camp out in the Vast and said it nearly gave him a headache when he saw it with Eluna's help."

Her lips purse together in thought. "He said--there was a human leader, another leader that wasn't present, and then the wolf. I don't blame you for withdrawing. You probably would have all gotten killed."

The mobile half of Dolan's face goes slack-jawed, wide-eyed at the tale unfolding in front of him. "Shit, that's got to be what we saw in the vision the Knight sent!" He turns his head immediately towards Andelena, loosening his arm around her waist to rub carefully at the opposite shoulder, then letting the arm drop.

"It's time. Damn it!" Suddenly, his features twist in frustration and worry. "I'm just going to have to go with the longsword. It's not as effective, but-" He shakes his head quickly. "I've got to do _something_. Look. Maybe we can't fight that thing here in the real. Maybe we've got to focus on the portal. Does it exist in the Dream?" Suddenly, he is speaking fast.

"I don't know," Telamon admits. His lips tighten. "If we'd had more time, more chances -- we need to work together', though. We make more mistakes haring off on our own." He runs his fingertips along the staff in his hands, staring at it, before suddenly looking at Dolan. "You said you had news as well. Let's get everything out first, before we start making plans for any more trips." Suddenly, he tilts his head, and sighs heavily, before adding, "And we need to use the totems as well. Sorry, Lana just reminded me."

"Yes, we must close this portal. Yes, we must act sooner rather than later. Yes, must take informed action and not blithely charge in. Yes, action in the Dreaming may well be the solution and, if so, the totems will be invaluable." Verna firmly agrees with all of the statements before reaching up to pinch at the bridge of her nose and exhales a long breath. "There is no shortage of those willing to act, nor a lack of wisdom to plan. The problem is a lack of information."

She then looks to Dolan. "Anything further you have learned, that any have learned, is most welcomed. To that end, the camp also holds at least one powerful clergy or shaman, presumably serving The Nightmare. I recognized the incense in the air when we last visited. They were, or are in active communion with their god."

Forcing himself to sit down, to slow down, to _think_, Dolan leans back in his chair, head turning to take in the both of them. He seems less inclined to do this with Andelena, seeming content to leave her outside his unaugmented field of view. "One of the ways that you can make manipulating the Dream easier is to have multiple servants of a deity working with their totem together in the Dream. Zeke and I, or Andie and I, can manipulate the Dream pretty easily using the Knight's totem. We attract attention when we do that, though. I gave blood to the totem by accident-"

He trails off, staring past all of them at the stone wall - or maybe at the middle distance - at something only he can see. It remains that way before several moments before he picks up again, suddenly breathing hard and shaking. "Seraquoix. Lana mentioned Dace Zinskas. Seraquoix showed up and tried to take the totem. We got out first. Need to figure out - figure out where they fit."

Telamon makes a low growling sound -- not like that of a wolf, but something a bit harsher. "Seraquoix. His name's come up a couple times -- he's the pack leader, one of them, of the werewolves." He takes a deep breath, calming himself down again. Gripping the staff. "We interrogated a werewolf at one point, got his name out of the fellow -- right before he was compelled to try and kill himself."

A deep breath, then another. "All these pieces, not sure where they fit. But maybe we need to spend some time on them. Both Zinskas and Seraquoix seem to be able to track the totems in the dream. Perhaps we could lay a trap for one of them."

Verna reseats herself to consider what is shared. She knows little of the specific individuals by name, but makes note of the appellations for future recognition. When Dolan speaks of the totems, however, she looks up. "We know they are fed by blood, and not just for the initial bonding. If fed enough, they will begin to actively draw it from you, so be cautious. As well, they appear built to function as a group. When I fed two, the totems oriented to one another, aware of the other's presence. While there is no totem from my matron, I shall do what I am able with what I hold."

Andelena, who seats herself next to Dolan, reaches over and takes Dolan's hand, offering him a small smile as she squeezes it. "I like the idea of a trap, Telamon," she replies. "And if we all meet up in the dream, we will become stronger for it. Bry and I have seen what happens for ourselves: we've heard the voice of the Knight."

Her voice grows warm, almost nostalgic. "We are stronger together. Way fucking stronger together."

"Language," pipes up an older woman's voice from Deliverance, which Andelena is currently wearing on a sword belt instead of her back. "But I approve of the sentiment."

"Yeah. I know." Which of Verna's remarks Dolan is responding to isn't entirely clear, and he squeezes her hand in his. "Yeah, we have. Two makes them face each other. Three does something else. When they all work together, they summon -"

That's where Dolan stops, and seems to be seized by a convulsive shudder. All he can do in the face of it is shake his head, bolt to his feet, and head for the door. "I'll be back in a minute."

As it happens, he isn't back in a minute, and the visit is cut abruptly short, the visitors after a few minutes being asked to come back another time.