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← Older revision		Revision as of 12:37, 2 May 2024
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	[https://avlis.org/viewtopic.php?f=86&t=116424 The Threat of the Great Dream Has Ended]<br>		[https://avlis.org/viewtopic.php?f=86&t=116424 The Threat of the Great Dream Has Ended]<br>
	By various:<br>		By various:<br>
	[[:Category:Books\|The Lost Princess]]		[[:Category:Books\|The Lost Princess]]<br>
	[[:Category:Books\|The White Lady]]<br>		[[:Category:Books\|The White Lady]]<br>

	[[Category:Poems]]		[[Category:Poems]]

VoidHamlet: Added See Also

2024-05-02T12:37:00Z

Added See Also

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:37, 2 May 2024
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	One of the most complex illustrations in "The Dreamwalkers" is a single frame piece, centered around a crowned Elf woman on a throne. The omnipresent dragon is curled at the throne base, one eye tracking the onlooker. The woman's dainty feet rest onto the dragon's back. The elven woman's face is the one seen across the tarot series, notably in "The Mother / The Child". In her right hand she holds a short sword, the blade inscribed "Justice" and pointed toward her bared breast. In her left hand she holds a set of tipped scales, joined with a ribbon labeled "Temperance". The top measuring bowl is overflowing with water, spilling onto the bottom one. In this final depiction, the Elf's eyes are closed but for a third one, painted on her forehead. She looks terrifying—and terrified. The card is titled "The Hierophant / Justice / Temperance".		One of the most complex illustrations in "The Dreamwalkers" is a single frame piece, centered around a crowned Elf woman on a throne. The omnipresent dragon is curled at the throne base, one eye tracking the onlooker. The woman's dainty feet rest onto the dragon's back. The elven woman's face is the one seen across the tarot series, notably in "The Mother / The Child". In her right hand she holds a short sword, the blade inscribed "Justice" and pointed toward her bared breast. In her left hand she holds a set of tipped scales, joined with a ribbon labeled "Temperance". The top measuring bowl is overflowing with water, spilling onto the bottom one. In this final depiction, the Elf's eyes are closed but for a third one, painted on her forehead. She looks terrifying—and terrified. The card is titled "The Hierophant / Justice / Temperance".

			== See Also ==

			By [[PCs:Thienna_Relimion\|Thienna Thel]]:<br>
			[https://avlis.org/viewtopic.php?f=86&t=123117 Three Sisters]<br>
			[https://avlis.org/viewtopic.php?f=86&t=116424 The Threat of the Great Dream Has Ended]<br>
			By various:<br>
			[[:Category:Books\|The Lost Princess]]
			[[:Category:Books\|The White Lady]]<br>

	[[Category:Poems]]		[[Category:Poems]]

VoidHamlet: Created page with "=The Dreamwalkers= TOC == Excerpts == ''From the eponymous lost work by Sage Miriel of Visimontium.'' === Excerpt, Prologue === The Hierophant's account begins
with one Orc maiden, free from sin
Alarmed by voices from beyond
Yet all too eager to respond
Her hands betrayed her heart of gold
Cursed vial emptied, as foretold:
A sip would bring forth from the past
what Time itself had turned to rust
Do mark h..."

2024-05-01T20:40:11Z

Created page with "=The Dreamwalkers= __TOC__ == Excerpts == ''From the eponymous lost work by Sage Miriel of Visimontium.'' === Excerpt, Prologue === The Hierophant's account begins with one Orc maiden, free from sin Alarmed by voices from beyond Yet all too eager to respond Her hands betrayed her heart of gold Cursed vial emptied, as foretold: A sip would bring forth from the past what Time itself had turned to rust Do mark h..."

New page

=The Dreamwalkers=

__TOC__

== Excerpts ==

''From the eponymous lost work by Sage [[PCs:Miriel Hana|Miriel]] of [[Visimontium]].''

=== Excerpt, Prologue ===

The Hierophant's account begins 
with one Orc maiden, free from sin 

Alarmed by voices from beyond 
Yet all too eager to respond 
Her hands betrayed her heart of gold 
Cursed vial emptied, as foretold: 
A sip would bring forth from the past 
what Time itself had turned to rust 

Do mark her name and good intent 
For she won't only represent 
the first to tip the fated scales 
The Hierophant will spin the tale 
away from her and wakeful land; 
Yet she'll be with us in the end 

This pure soul the record joins 
As Yen·efer, the Queen of Coins 

=== Excerpt, The Three Sisters ===

One blood drop heralded a stream 
Awakened from a timeless dream 

A river now, it flowed in three 
Each sought her own way to be free 
Born Trouble, Hatred and Deceit 
Resolved their destiny to meet 
as Storm, Wrath, Plague, to take their course 
Yet, joined by bad blood at their source, 

Their tether to the mortal coil 
By one misstep would quickly foil 

For Time is held back at a cost 
A dark pact forged in epoch lost 
Blood bound to serve one fallen soul, 
the Three must answer to her call: 
Go where they may, they share this fate 
If She should fall, their death won't wait 

Beyond the shattered prison glass 
More malice yet shall come to pass 

=== Excerpt, Zelia's Story ===

Seduced by beauty in her prime 
What started as an innocent crime 
Through desperation's door flung wide 
Allowed for something Dark to glide 
on flightless wings unto broken heart: 
A Princess comes to play this part 

To be the Nightmare herself 
Soft whispers pushed her off the shelf 
Her madness swept her ever down 
Her hand, her kin in blood to drown 
Wilsash's Great Dream devour'd her whole 
Blind vengeance drove her, above all 

A final trade to feed her spite: 
Dark Lady offered Lady White 

Three children beautiful and vile 
to do her bidding and beguile 
Three sisters bonded, mind and soul 
To be the mistress of them all 
the Princess paid a bitter price: 
Her wings, her true faith, and her eyes 

Soon folly followed reckless plan 
Blood marred the palace of Toostán 
While in the forests far away 
Three children from their task did stray 
All trapped in glass; Their mother's wrath 
consumed Cloud City in her path 

The fell Princéss she cursed to sleep 
Forever in a Nightmare's Keep 

A drop of blood she sealed behind 
Until an innocent soul would find 
the vial accursed, and drink their fill 
her prison's door won't be revealed 
And even then, there'd be a cost: 
The Princess of Toostan was lost 

The Nightmare Lord her soul had claimed 
Not much was left—not even her name 

=== Excerpt, Zelia's Return ===

Uncounted times the stars had spun 
Till vial's prison come undone 

The Dreamcall comet split the sky 
Fate faltered, as directed by 
the Puppeteer of the Blind 
Time's clockwork staggered to unwind 

Our days grew short and rest was brief 
The nighttime did not bring relief 
The grinning Moon was no one's friend 
The Dream had spilled from end to end 

Event horizon didn't look right 
The stakes rose higher every night: 
Behind closed eyes a darkness loomed 
To drift and dream meant certain doom 

Unknowing of herself at first 
Lost Princess on world's stage was thrust 
Blind Puppet's stride, Dark Prophet's tongue 
Nightmare's litanies she sung 

In wakeful lands she walked again 
Until she chanced one mortal man 
Her path to cross, her chant to hear: 
Eudaimon faced her with no fear 

His manner frank and unrehearsed 
Alas, the Princess' touch was cursed 
Blind as she was, her gaze he sensed 
and pledged his all in her defense 

Through many nights Eudaimon stirred 
His mind in darkness blazed and burned 
Lost Princess' freedom to regain 
he plotted; Time and time again 

his best designs would come to nil 
In restless dreams he roamed until 
the Luminous Tower rose ahead: 
He found himself awake, instead 

Last chance for him to turn about 
Surrender to a creeping doubt 
For he has everything to lose— 
Belay that! Still the same he'd choose! 

Unspoken deadline drawing close, 
He throws the gauntlet of his cause 
"Our common sense this Fool offends!" 
The Council of the Mind all stand 

against him; they are in accord: 
Such madness they could ill afford 
This dubious lot still met Fool's goal: 
They stood united, after all 

As for the Fool, if too far gone 
He knows he won't succeed alone 
To see this madness through the end 
Allies he'd need—and more so, friends 

=== Excerpt, The Ship of Fools ===

Not one to care for the rules, 
Eudaimon leads the Ship of Fools 

His hands the wheel, his heels the stern 
Many-as-one each take their turn 
In one-as-many voice he sings 
When starry night a quiet brings, 
He glances at the Sage again 
(No riddle this; he's just a man) 

A smile his lips begins to crack: 
One day, perhaps, she will look back 

A furrow on the Sage's brow: 
The Hierophant of Here and Now 
A Child before, a Mother then, 
It's hard to tell which one was when 
She reaches out to intervene 
and play her magic on the scene 

Still not the one to deal the cards 
Elemmiire of the Stars 

A shadow grows, alarming fast 
the Sailor, Straccio, at the mast 
Too late, the party would perceive 
More cards inside one traveler's sleeve 
For this one walks the Path of Dust: 
"We all are Fools for him to trust!" 

Dust never rose to stir a feud: 
A Storm into his teacup brewed 
This Storm's dark shadow hid, Owl said, 
Another Dreamer, this one Dead 
A wicked snicker split Dust's face 
Blink and he's gone!—without a trace 

=== Excerpt, The Willow Island ===

The Storm engulfed the ship with ease 
The tall waves offered no release 
and left them clutching at the ropes 
A gasp for air, a glint of hope? 
For in the storm's eye overhead 
Appeared familiar silhouette 
Her wings outstretched, her shadow bound 
Beyond the storm, on higher ground 

A pause beneath the willow tree 
She borrows time, to be set free 

Bone white tea cup in Zelia's hand 
She bargains more than they can spend 
Split seconds spill, small hours slip 
Nary a moment for a sip 
A-tick-tock beats her heart's refrain 
She smiles and pours a cup again 

A final riddle joins the rhyme 
The cards are shuffled one last time 

=== Excerpt, The Forest River ===

A glimmer on the watershed 
Reflected Moon and Stars ahead 
A river flows inside this dream 
A lonesome Otter braves the stream 

Beyond the reach of Fools and Seers 
A forest fire's drawing near 
A She-Wolf flees on quiet paw 
Along the stream, she spies an Owl 

This Owl is a veracious guide 
The She-Wolf's primal fear abides 
The White Rose held in beastly teeth 
Declares the ardent heart beneath 

=== Excerpt, The Graveyard ===

Nightmares. They show what we carry within. 
—Eudaimon Dawnblade 

=== Excerpt, The Temple of Time ===

Time is nothing. Timing is everything. 
—Eudaimon Dawnblade 

=== Excerpt, Zelia's Release ===

A dawn of victory unfurled 
Our world was saved, but in this world 
There was no cure for Zelia's grief 
The Princess chose her last reprieve: 
She faced unto Dagáth's domain 
Yen cried and begged her to remain 

As Zelia's body turned to dust 
Her own Yen offered, as she must 

Such deal the Sands of Time ignored 
Yet there was something else in store 
for our willing sacrifice: 
Gift of Winged Mother's own device 
While Yen stood tall, her frame grew slight 
Hair flaming red, now framed by white 
wings feathered; an unwitting host 
Reflecting Zelia's beauty lost 

=== Excerpt, Epilogue ===

From Dream to Dust, the story flew 
Recounted now but by a few 

Time takes Fate for another spin 
A skull alone remains to grin 
Atop a magic staff aglow, 
He laughs onto the Sage below 
The witness to a wicked joke 
of one who Dreamed and then awoke 

A onetime child, bereft of youth 
In vain she searches for the truth 
The open book becomes a cage 
Alas, the hand that scribed the page 
May hold the quill but not the key 
No trace of recognition; She 

who lives to tell the story now 
Remembers nothing anyhow 

[https://avlis.org/viewtopic.php?f=274&t=122547 Source]

=== Excerpt, Epigraph ===

''Lord of Nightmares spells disaster'' 
''Weaving shadows from his throne'' 

''Are you lonely, dungeon master,'' 
''Now that all the players are gone?'' 

== Dramatis Personae ==

Fool, Soldier, Swordsman, Many-as-One - [[PCs:Eudaimon_Dawnblade|Eudaimon Dawnblade]] 
Dragon, Playground Keeper - [[PCs:Hebrin_Maul|Hebrin Maul]] 
Owl - [[PCs:Elladin|Elladin Ashtar]] 
Sailor - [[PCs:Straccio|Straccio]] 
White Rose, Wolf - [[NPCs:Auryna_Ak%27hanrye|Auryna Ak'hanrye]] 
Weeping Willow, Mother/Child, Arcanist/Seer - Sage [[PCs:Miriel_Hana|Miriel]] of [[Visimontium]] 
Hanged Man, Storm - [[PCs:Anomandaari|Dust]] the Philosopher 
Otter - [[PCs:Ji%27mas_Esyle|Ji'mas Esyle]] 
Queen of Coins - [[PCs:Yenefer_Urgash|Yen·efer Urgash]]

== Tarot Illustrations ==

''Based on the deck popularized by [[PCs:Kaz'shardra Aske|Kaz'shardra Aske]].''

=== Illustration, The World ===

The first illustration in the series is an unsettling representation of the tarot card "The World". In the four corners are female faces with fiendish features. The center figure stands to tradition: an Avariel maiden swept in a joyous dance above the clouds. She would be lovely, if not for her gouged eyes and wing stumps. Rather than a pair of royal batons, she holds a stake in each hand. Her eye sockets and the stakes are dripping with blood. A dark ouroboros twists behind her, the theme repeated by the circlet in her hair: a rope of snakes. Perhaps the most disturbing detail is the Avariel's elated smile.

=== Illustration, The Queen of Coins ===

This card is split in three horizontal panels equal in size. The top and bottom are those of an Orc-blood woman of brutish beauty, attired in a wizardly robe. The robe's chest front, sash and skirt are each embroidered with a large circle, three in total, resemblant of sun disk coins. She holds a pristine white mask a small distance away from her tattooed face. In the middle section of the card, the woman's figure is proportionally smaller, with the flight feather tips of Avariel wings in the background. The card is titled "The Queen of Coins".

=== Illustration, The Fool, The Soldier ===

This card is divided vertically, splitting the image of a young Human man in two halves. The figure's left side affects a torn, motley hermit's robe, adorned with bells. His long hair is tangled with twigs and straws, his eye bulging mad. His left hand is placed upon his heart. The figure's right side is clad in chainmail, face and hair concealed behind a helmet. The helmet reaches over his cheekbone, leaving uncovered his ear and a closed eye. His right hand rests upon a long sword's pommel. The card is titled "The Fool / The Soldier".

=== Illustration, The World Tree, The Tower ===

This illustration follows the same style as the tarot cards. However, it departs from the known humanoid characters and into the animalistic. In the background is a dragon, aloof in the sky, wings spread to brace the scene. Below him, a barren willow tree fills most of the space. A large owl is perched, watchful, amidst the swooping branches. Outlined against the tree roots and the river bank is a wolf on the run, carrying a white rose in her teeth. In the background is a forest fire. In the river swims an otter, his shape defined and at the same time, concealed by the current. The card is titled "The World Tree / The Tower".

=== Illustration, The Mother, The Child ===

This card is divided diagonally, joining the image of an elven woman in two mirrored halves. Where the female shape on top is gaunt, scarred and pale, her hair cut close to the skull, the one below has a child-like softness to her face and frame, with long tresses that have never known scissors. Each half reaches a hand to the other, their willowy fingers never quite touching. What truly unites the halves are their haunted eyes. The card is titled "The Mother / The Child".

=== Illustration, The Sailor, The Hanged Man ===

This landscape follows the same style as the tarot cards. Protective, if distant dragon wings span the horizon, offset against dark storm clouds. In a turbulent sea is a ship, tilted precariously over a monstrous wave, nose diving in the void below. A middle-aged Human stands at the ship's stern, the perspective exaggerating his face. He grasps the railing for dear life, eyes wide with what could be wonder, fear, or both. He is not alone; others hold fast behind him. Above them is a crooked humanoid figure hanging upside down off a spreader mast, sporting a maniac's grin. The card is titled "The Sailor / The Hanged Man".

=== Illustration, The Hierophant, Temperance, Justice ===

One of the most complex illustrations in "The Dreamwalkers" is a single frame piece, centered around a crowned Elf woman on a throne. The omnipresent dragon is curled at the throne base, one eye tracking the onlooker. The woman's dainty feet rest onto the dragon's back. The elven woman's face is the one seen across the tarot series, notably in "The Mother / The Child". In her right hand she holds a short sword, the blade inscribed "Justice" and pointed toward her bared breast. In her left hand she holds a set of tipped scales, joined with a ribbon labeled "Temperance". The top measuring bowl is overflowing with water, spilling onto the bottom one. In this final depiction, the Elf's eyes are closed but for a third one, painted on her forehead. She looks terrifying—and terrified. The card is titled "The Hierophant / Justice / Temperance".

[[Category:Poems]]

The Dreamwalkers - Revision history

VoidHamlet: Added line break.

VoidHamlet: Added See Also