A halfling walks into the Cafe

The Halfling campaign
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Maximillian
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Post by Maximillian »

Taking a look around the place, Vincent's mood seems to brighten up a bit, despite the empty and silent streets. Turning to Gabriel

"Would you like some breakfast? I am sure there is a bakery somewhere nearby... I can surely smell fresh bread and cakes!"

While trying to locate the bakery, his stomach protests loudly. With an apologetic look and a sheepish smile

"Well, we didn't have dinner last night, did we?"
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Post by Whisper »

Gabriel smiles. They did not have anything to eat, that much is true.

"Not a bad idea!"

He looks at the marketplace. An impish smile appears on his face before turning back to face his friend.

"I suppose we'll have to pay though, right?"

Old habits die hard, but Gabriel has no problem controlling the rogue in him. Nevertheless, he likes joking about it often, especially with his more law-abiding friend around.
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.
And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
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Post by Maximillian »

Turning abruplty to cast a scathing look at his friend

"We are most definitely going to pay, my dear friend. We cannot afford the luxury of the city guard after our tail."

Trying to conceal a smirk

" Not for petty theft anyway..."
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Post by Jason of the Fraternity »

The smell of fresh baked bread and cooked sausages drift through the air past the two men. The aromas causing their mouths to water and their stomachs to grumble. As the two of them move closer to the stands, they see the first stand has a man busy hanging his meats and organizing baskets of bread.

Catching sight of some potential customers, the man brushes random spots of flour from his apron and smiles. "Care for some breakfast, gents? I've got the freshest bread you'll find in this market, and my sausages are freshly ground with my own special spices."
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Post by Whisper »

Gabriel smiles broadly.

"Say no more, my friend! Bread and sausages sound, not to mention smell, just fine. I'm surprised you couldn't hear our stomachs protest as we approached..."

Laughing a little, he proceeds to buy some bread and a couple of sausages, paying the man the money asked. Taking a bite, he smiles once more.

"These are great!"

Letting out a sigh and taking on a more serious expression, he goes on, trying to look a little bewildered and worried.

"Too bad I can't say the same for the sleep we tried to get last night... I can't remember when was the last time I had such a horrible nightmare..."
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.
And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
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Post by Maximillian »

Vincent conceales his smile with a mouthful of fresh bread. Gabriel had his way with people... Following his friend's example he adds in a somber tone.

"Horrible doesn't even begin to describe my experience. I have never been so unnerved in my whole life. And it felt so real... It still gives me the shivers."

Seemingly shuddering at the mere thought, he casts Gabriel an approving glance.
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Post by Whisper »

"Not to mention the fact that the two nightmares seem to share a common characteristic. Namely, a strange black-garbed person..."

Gabriel pauses for a moment, looking at the man in front of them in order to see his reaction. He then continues.

"Oh, almost forgot... We met a rather likeable fellow by the name of Renaldo, I think. He seems to be recording dreams. I suppose we should seek him out again, huh? Our dreams seem to be worth recording, don't you think?"

The swordsman smiles a little, making it appear forced and awkward.
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.
And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
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Post by Jason of the Fraternity »

Whether or not the man heard the comments is difficult to tell. He merely keeps standing there and smiling his polite smile to his customers. After a few more moments, his smile widens further...

It is about that time that both Gabriel and Vincent notice the burning sensation in their stomachs. Poison! The bread and sausages had been poisoned.

"My apologies," the vendor said, "but the two of you have yet to learn the true definition of fear and pain..."

The sensation begins spreading through the two men's bodies. Legs begin to sway and give out. As each of the adventurers falls to the ground, he feels the poison surge into his skin. Nerves flair and muscles contort, and they writhe around in agony.

"So I thought I would give you another lesson," the merchant continues, except it is no longer the merchant. The white apron and clothes have changed to a pitch black robe, and his face is nothing more than an almost featureless grey expanse of skin. Only a pair of eyes remain... Remain watching as they twitch.


* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

"Gabriel! Vincent! Wake up!" Renaldo's voice calls from a black void. The calls continue for what seems like an eternity as each of the men slowly wake-up from the horrendous nightmare.

"Thank goodness!" Renaldo exclaims as each man slowly opens his eyes. "I thought that we might have lost the two of you in your sleep..."
[i]Pandemonium did not reign, it poured![/i]
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Post by Whisper »

Gabriel opens his eyes, obviously startled and at least a little scared.

"Wha... what happened? I... I was awake... wasn't I?"

Seeing Renaldo, he starts to calm down before continuing.

"I saw a nightmare and then I thought I woke up, but I didn't. A nightmare within a nightmare? It was so real..."
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Post by Maximillian »

Vincent also awakens after some wild thrashing and a long scream of protest. At first he is clearly disoriented and stumbles about trying to get up, but failing miserably. Seeing Renaldo and Gabriel

"Gods! It was... It was horrible... I was asleep and I thought I was awake! I saw you too my friend! We died! We were poisoned by the doppleganger!"

Trying to regain his composure after his almost insane babbling, he freezes for a moment. With a suspicious look he turns at the two men.

"Just a moment, though... How do I know I am really awake? This could be another dream, another cycle of terrifying nightmares..."

Grabbing a dagger from his boot, he bares his right arm. Grazing his forearm, he draws blood.

"Painful enough, but is it true?"
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Post by Jason of the Fraternity »

Renaldo frowns deeply as Vincent takes the knife to his own arm. Reaching for a clean rag, the young man hands it to Vincent.

"For your wound," Renaldo says with a pained smile. "As for your being awake or not, I would like to assure you that you truly are. Unfortunately, there is nothing for me to do in order to prove this to you."

Leaving the two men alone for a few moments, Renaldo moves over to the bar and gathers three cups and a teapot. He returns to the table and begins filling the cups with hot water and tea leaves. "It is nearly noon, but we didn't want to wake you any earlier than we needed to. You were up so late last night that we figured you could use the extra sleep."

"This," Renaldo continues as he slides the cups to Vincent and Gabriel, "is a rather potent tea from Rokushima Taiyoo. It has certain medicinal effects that should help calm you down after your nightmares."
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Post by Maximillian »

Vincent takes the rag with a thankful nod and proceeds to bind his wound. He seems rather depressed. If reality from dream cannot be discerned, then surely madness is not so far away after all... Sitting down he takes his cup of tea

"Smells strange..."

Taking a couple of careful sips

"Tastes better though."

He puts the cup down and looks at Renaldo and Gabriel, half-expecting to get wracked from pain and wake up again. Another dream, another nightmare, another awakening. Full circle.

"So anything interesting while we were asleep?"
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Post by Jason of the Fraternity »

Renaldo frowns slightly and shakes his head dismally. While the young monk doesn't look ill, it is apparent that he hadn't been sleeping well either. The deep rings around his eyes indicate that he hadn't gotten much sleep for at least the last few nights if not longer.

"Nothing much to report," Renaldo says tiredly, "most of the patrons that stayed the night continued to suffer from their nightmares. Nothing new or unexpected, though. Most of them suffered from various fears or paranoias, and this dark figure appeared in many, but not all, of their dreams."

"With the morning passing on, all of the other patrons ended up leaving for their jobs or families." Renaldo looks at Gabriel and Vincent. "You are the only two remaining, other than the staff of course. We wanted to let you rest as much as possible. I hadn't realized that you were being plagued by nightmares as well."
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Post by Whisper »

"Well, they seem to have caught up with us..."

Gabriel says that with a smile, his mood seeming considerably brighter than it was at the moment of his awakening.

"Ah, but I forget myself! I guess being frightened does that... We owe you an account of the nightmares, right?"

The two men proceed to do just that, describing to Renaldo the two separate dreams that came first and then the dream they shared, the one that seemed like it was real.

"Any ideas? The fact that we almost died has me a little worried, you see..."
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Post by Jason of the Fraternity »

"No, I am afraid that I have no theories or even guesses as to what it all means. These reports would be best interpreted by Father Melbourn, who has much more experience than I do. Perhaps, he will be able to decipher the meaning of your dreams."

Standing up, Renaldo bows slightly. "If you will excuse me for a short while, then I will give these reports to Father Melbourn for further examination. Hopefully, he will be able to provide you with some direction."

Renaldo begins to walk off, but the young man quickly turns around before leaving. "Until then, I would highly suggest that you try not to fall asleep. If you nearly died in you last dream, then there is the potential that you might not be so lucky not time around..."
[i]Pandemonium did not reign, it poured![/i]
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