"It wasn't anything any good soul with the means wouldn't feel compelled to do to help out all the nice folk in this town," Chrys replies to Flint, grabbing an ale and raising it in toast to him. "An' on a personal note, I'm always glad to help a brother out,"she adds in dwarvish with a broad grin.
Seeing his struggle, Chrys reaches down and pulls Krackle up onto the seat next to her with a grin. Turning back to Harriet, she says "Well, we gotta return to Yartar an' report back on what happened here, I think. Also, I think there's a cave along the way down we gotta visit an' make sure it ain't sufferin' from a similar taint. Found another adventurer an' his horse done in by stirges in broad daylight; he'd been passin' through Melton, so I figure we best check it out 'fore we call the job here really done." She grins. "No one ev'r said the adventurin' life twasn't hair-raisin'... or if ya don't think it is, then ya probably won't be in it fer long. But doin' what we do keeps places like this goin', and seein' all the smiles on peoples' faces here makes it all worth it."
Taking a deep draught of her ale, Chrys looks at the rest of the Pie Pals. "So... it's been real hectic on the road when we're travelin', but how are the rest o' ya holdin' up, too? If clearin' out that temple taught me anythin', it's that y'all got some serious skills,"she says appreciatively.
For all of your fears that Krackle would be perceived with a negative eye by the villagers, it seems to be a non-issue when the little kobold enters the tavern. He gets a few odd looks from a handful of people, but no one speaks up or says anything derogatory or threatening towards him. Again, it could be that most everyone in here is pretty inebriated and more concerned with their nightly pursuit of ale, food and company to worry about a single kobold. Or, maybe it's because he's with the group of heroes who, rumor has it, just killed an entire band of goblins and their leader. Either way, there's no trouble, not even from the grumpy innkeeper, who has probably seen a variety of races and different types of people drink at his establishment.
Answering Chrys, the dwarf Frostforge says, "Well, that's might good o' you to say so. Brothers and sisters gotta help each other out in this world. By the way, you get to use them caltrops I made for ya?"
Ellywick chimes in between sips, "I think that no on ever said that life in The North twasn't hair-raisin', but we keep on keepin' on up here, don't we. As much as we like to relish in the good life and occasionally look the other way when things get dark, we all know that danger isn't ever far off once you stray outside of the walls of a town or city. At the same time, we always got mugs o' aleand usually good cheer and friends behind them walls, which makes comin' back from outside all the more special. As much as I love walking outside under the trees and looking up at the sky, I sure do love sittin' down with me mates and a good, stout ale. Here here!!!"
"And funny thing you say... Stirges don't usually come above ground during the day unless they've got a good reason, or unless they're chasin' fresh blood. Now you've got me curious about what you might find in that cave yer talking about.
Lumen eases back down to relaxation after he sees the townsfolk accept Krackle. He does keep an eye on the kobold to make sure he doesn't risk getting into trouble. He tears into the soup and drains a pint before he realizes he's done so.
"Harriet, I think you've earned some respite here in Melton. They could use a good soul such as yourself. Perhaps we'll finish our business with the stirges and the pool and Yartar and be back here in Melton in time to see you off to Silverymoon."
He talks over the party's options a bit, advocating a return to Yartar with the mask fragments by way of the pool to check it out. Then going back to Dundragon, seeking a cleric to help with the fiend, and coming back to Melton and clearing the cave/temple. Then onto Silverymoon.
He looks to the locals. "So do you have a new constable?"
"I did in fact,"Chrys says to Flint. "Unfortunately, nobody I was aimin' for stepped on 'em. Got 'em still here with me though, an' I think they'll come in handy in the future, too."
To Ellywick, Chrys explains: "Well, we found a corpse of a poor adventurer an' his horse on the road. Gave him a proper burial, an' took a few o' his things with us back here to Melton to try an' give word that he passed. Turns out he wasn't from 'round here at all, an' he'd dropped lots o' hints 'bout lookin' for some kinda magic pool in a cave somewhere nearby. Now, I don't know nothin' bout this pool or any rumors about what magics might be in it. But I done just seen a magic pool in that temple we just cleared, an' the only thing it held was a slag-blasted fiend. So I got a bad feelin' bout this one. It already got one man killed, an' I think it's somethin' we need to look into."
Answer Lumen, Ellywick says,"I s'pose it's Gareth... that bloke you saw at the gate just now. After Frida, he's the one who's been on watch the longest. Good kid. I've always liked him... good eye and not a crab like ol' you know who."
A gruff, stout human man with a thick gray beard who's also sitting at the table chimes in as well. "Ye, Gareth's a good egg an' he's ain't no fear'ed o' nuthin. I don't see as we need to vote on someone to take Crabapple's place. He already does the job half time, now he's got it full time."
"So, that crabby ol' bit turned out to be running the Bloody Mask Mob? Don't make no sense, but then again, stranger things happen in Waterdeep, ain't that right, Flint?"
"Ye speak the truth, Burl," the dwarf says. "but if these folk say it was, then it was. She weren't my favorite neither, but sounds like she got under the spell o' some evil enchantment that took away her right mind away. S'pose it coulda happend to anybody..."
Harriet respons to Lumen, excited to hear that that you all might be passing through this way again soon. Well, that would be just splendid! If there was anyway you could accompany me to Silverymoon, well I'd be most appreciative. 'Course, take your time, as I say, I'm sticking 'round here for a spell. Already made one friend, and I wouldn't mind make a few more."
"It depends. We might have a lot of business to take care of." Vesper didn't want to make any commitments, seeing as Chrys wanted to go investigate the stirges and they had to go take the mask back to Yartar.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
Krackle would be eating and drinking much faster than before as the hot food and drinks are placed on their table. Crumbs would fall from his mouth as he took bite after bite. After his tiny stumach was painfully distended, he would continue to grab scraps from the table and slide them into his pockets for later. "So full... take... for later..." He would mutter aloud inbetween deep breaths as he tried to keep from moving too much. The bloated kobold would perk up immediatly at the mention of pieces of mask. "You still have my mask?! Can I see the pieces? It was a really neat looking mask. Maybe you should get the pieces out so I... err... so the people here can see them. Maybe they saw her holding it sometime or someone sell it to her or something." The tiny kobold would say as he strained to lean forward due to the weight of his stuffed tummy and pockets.
Chrys shakes her head firmly. "It ain't your mask an' never was. You were the mask's slave. Believe me, ya don't wanna be a slave, so I'd enjoy yer food and let foul things be." She smiles at Krackle, but when she turns to Vesper and Lumen, she gives them a knowing look, as if to remind her friends that her previous warning about watching her bag against sticky fingers still stands. "I think we should think about gettin' rooms for the evenin' too. How do we wanna split up ta sleep tonight?"
Krackle would visibly deflate a bit as he slouches in his chair when denied seeing the pieces of the mask... like a young kid that was told that his best friend isn't going to come to his birthday party. "Oh.... yeah.... you are probably right..." He would say as he grabs towards his mug and stuffs his thin little snout into the bottom of the glass
"You can share a room with Krackle, I'll bunk with Kess, and Lumen can have his own room." Vesper does not like the fact that Krackle just tried to see the mask again, so she sends Chrys a Message. "We should get back on the way to Yartar tomorrow."
Chrys nods ever so slightly at Vesper, thinking to put off searching for the cave entirely until the dangerous mask has been properly dealt with once and for all.
OOC: We're all going to be in separate rooms, so staying up to take watches would only keep us from getting a full rest unless we're going to share one room.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
OOC: We can still take watches if we move the bag with the mask to the person who's staying awake, who then wakes up the next person after a few hours. Awkward, and it'd be easier if everyone was in the same room, but doable.
OOC: Vesper will keep the mask with her and Kess, since Chrys has a valid point on not allowing the bag to be in the same room as Krackle. But she will make sure to keep the door locked.
Since Chrys has advised her to keep her watch up in case there's a chance that Krackle might try to get the mask back, Vesper does not get drunk and retires early, getting a room for her and Kess. Once the elf joins her, she will lock the door, or if the doors here don't have locks, she'll barricade the door with a chair or a table, so that the two of them can sleep (or in Kess' case trance) in peace without having to worry about the mask being stolen in the middle of the night. "I don't like the fact that we're doing this, but it's only until we get the mask back to Yartar." She says to Kess, before going to sleep.
Since it's been a very long day... a very long two days, you secure lodging for the night, and the innkeeper gives you the keys to your three rooms that still smell strongly of mildew. You retire long before the tavern empties out, and as you shed your armor and prepare for what you hope will be a restful slumber, you can still hear the muffled noise of the villagers drinking well past the late hours of the evening through the walls.
As you remember, the bedding is hard, but comfortable enough, and as you lie down, you feel the exhaustion pull on your eyelids and draw you towards sleep, although it does not come as quickly as you would have hoped. Despite being extremely tired, most of you lie awake for a good hour before a deep slumber finally takes you. At one point, you're briefly woken up by the sound of a single scream... it sounds like a woman, but in your dreariness and half sleep, you cannot place where it came from, or if it was even real. Perhaps it was just a dream...
Either way, you fall back asleep and wake the next morning to the sounds of roosters crowing at fist light. When your eyes open, you see the rays of orange light steaming into the small window of your room, and your stomachs begin to grumble with the pangs of early morning hunger.
Vesper
You certainly feel safe enough, sharing a locked room with your very capable friend, but thoughts of the mask and the frightening events of the past couple of days weigh heavily on your mind as you lie in bed. These thoughts cause your mind to flight sleep for well over an hour, but eventually you drift off into unconsciousness. However, sometime during the night, you hear a noise at the door... Someone is rustling with the lock. You continue to lie in bed, staring at the door, hoping that the lock will hold. You look towards Kess and see that she is deep in her trance.
Suddenly, the door creaks open... just a few inches at first, and then it opens further, and you see a small snout peek around the edge of the door. You freeze and watch as the little kobold stealthily enters the room and slinks over to your pack. He begins fumbling with the straps, undoing buckles and then begins riffling through the rucksack... You turn and shout for Kess, but she is still deep in trance and does not respond, and when you turn back around, you see Krackle crouched on the floor next to your pack, wearing the mask, which is fully intact. Terror grips you, as you're seemingly all alone in the room with the creature who, earlier today, nearly killed Lumen.
You turn back to try and wake Kess up again, but this time, when you look, she is gone. Your eyes snap back to the little kobold, who's standing there, looking straight at you. He's not moving, but his cold stare is driving right through you like an arrow.
With all your determination, you find your courage, break through your fear and launch yourself out of bed and onto the floor. Krackle beings approaching now, and you can now see that he has that dagger in his hand. Throwing your hand up and pointing at the kobold, you speak your familiar words and send a fire bolt at him. Unfortunately, he's quick, and he easily dodges it with a fast slink to the side.
You try again, this time with a stronger spell. With a series of quick hand gestures and a short arcane phrase, you call forth three magical missiles and send them straight at Krackle's chest. All three slam into him with powerful force and an immensely bright flash of white light that blinds you for a few seconds. When your eyes adjust, you look around, and to your horror, you are no longer inside your room at the Weary Knight. Instead, you find yourself floating in a vast, unending silvery blue space, that extends in all directions, its utter barrenness broken only by faint swirling whips of white and gray that streak among the light of the distant stars.
You try to scream but no sound emanates from your mouth, and in fact, you can hear no sounds at all in your ears. You look around, trying to identify anything familiar, but you see nothing but the blank blueish void of nothingness all around you.
Then, without warning, you suddenly snap back and find yourself lying awake in your bed. Sitting up, you see the masked figure once again, approaching the bed, only, it's not Krackle... it's a slightly taller, much more stout person, welding a hammer that's covered in bed... You realize that it's Chrys, and she's raising the hammer above her head. You cannot see her expression behidn the hideous black mask, but your eyes catch something off to the side. You glance and see a kobold lying dead on the floor, broken and bloody.
You turn back at the masked, armed dwarf and scream, just as she's about to slam the hammer down on to your own body....
...and then you wake up in a terrified scream, your body covered in sweat and your breaths in quick, shallow succession.... You realize that it was just a dream. Looking around the room, you see that it's just as you left it, and Kess is still in her trance.
Once she calms down, Vesper will check her pack to make sure that the mask is still there and still broken.
If it is in the bag and broken, Vesper will communicate to Kess that this mask must be of Shar, since she had some terrible nightmare that centered on the mask and emphasizes that they have to take it back to Yartar so that Dundragon can do something with it.
If it is in the bag and fixed, Vesper will communicate the aforementioned idea, as well as the idea that they can't destroy it through non-magical means.
If it's not in the bag at all, she'll tell Kess that they need to get to the room that Krackle and Chrys are in right now.
"It wasn't anything any good soul with the means wouldn't feel compelled to do to help out all the nice folk in this town," Chrys replies to Flint, grabbing an ale and raising it in toast to him. "An' on a personal note, I'm always glad to help a brother out," she adds in dwarvish with a broad grin.
Seeing his struggle, Chrys reaches down and pulls Krackle up onto the seat next to her with a grin. Turning back to Harriet, she says "Well, we gotta return to Yartar an' report back on what happened here, I think. Also, I think there's a cave along the way down we gotta visit an' make sure it ain't sufferin' from a similar taint. Found another adventurer an' his horse done in by stirges in broad daylight; he'd been passin' through Melton, so I figure we best check it out 'fore we call the job here really done." She grins. "No one ev'r said the adventurin' life twasn't hair-raisin'... or if ya don't think it is, then ya probably won't be in it fer long. But doin' what we do keeps places like this goin', and seein' all the smiles on peoples' faces here makes it all worth it."
Taking a deep draught of her ale, Chrys looks at the rest of the Pie Pals. "So... it's been real hectic on the road when we're travelin', but how are the rest o' ya holdin' up, too? If clearin' out that temple taught me anythin', it's that y'all got some serious skills," she says appreciatively.
"I'm doing fine." Vesper says as she slowly drinks from her mug.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
For all of your fears that Krackle would be perceived with a negative eye by the villagers, it seems to be a non-issue when the little kobold enters the tavern. He gets a few odd looks from a handful of people, but no one speaks up or says anything derogatory or threatening towards him. Again, it could be that most everyone in here is pretty inebriated and more concerned with their nightly pursuit of ale, food and company to worry about a single kobold. Or, maybe it's because he's with the group of heroes who, rumor has it, just killed an entire band of goblins and their leader. Either way, there's no trouble, not even from the grumpy innkeeper, who has probably seen a variety of races and different types of people drink at his establishment.
Answering Chrys, the dwarf Frostforge says, "Well, that's might good o' you to say so. Brothers and sisters gotta help each other out in this world. By the way, you get to use them caltrops I made for ya?"
Ellywick chimes in between sips, "I think that no on ever said that life in The North twasn't hair-raisin', but we keep on keepin' on up here, don't we. As much as we like to relish in the good life and occasionally look the other way when things get dark, we all know that danger isn't ever far off once you stray outside of the walls of a town or city. At the same time, we always got mugs o' ale and usually good cheer and friends behind them walls, which makes comin' back from outside all the more special. As much as I love walking outside under the trees and looking up at the sky, I sure do love sittin' down with me mates and a good, stout ale. Here here!!!"
"And funny thing you say... Stirges don't usually come above ground during the day unless they've got a good reason, or unless they're chasin' fresh blood. Now you've got me curious about what you might find in that cave yer talking about.
Lumen eases back down to relaxation after he sees the townsfolk accept Krackle. He does keep an eye on the kobold to make sure he doesn't risk getting into trouble. He tears into the soup and drains a pint before he realizes he's done so.
"Harriet, I think you've earned some respite here in Melton. They could use a good soul such as yourself. Perhaps we'll finish our business with the stirges and the pool and Yartar and be back here in Melton in time to see you off to Silverymoon."
He talks over the party's options a bit, advocating a return to Yartar with the mask fragments by way of the pool to check it out. Then going back to Dundragon, seeking a cleric to help with the fiend, and coming back to Melton and clearing the cave/temple. Then onto Silverymoon.
He looks to the locals. "So do you have a new constable?"
"I did in fact," Chrys says to Flint. "Unfortunately, nobody I was aimin' for stepped on 'em. Got 'em still here with me though, an' I think they'll come in handy in the future, too."
To Ellywick, Chrys explains: "Well, we found a corpse of a poor adventurer an' his horse on the road. Gave him a proper burial, an' took a few o' his things with us back here to Melton to try an' give word that he passed. Turns out he wasn't from 'round here at all, an' he'd dropped lots o' hints 'bout lookin' for some kinda magic pool in a cave somewhere nearby. Now, I don't know nothin' bout this pool or any rumors about what magics might be in it. But I done just seen a magic pool in that temple we just cleared, an' the only thing it held was a slag-blasted fiend. So I got a bad feelin' bout this one. It already got one man killed, an' I think it's somethin' we need to look into."
Answer Lumen, Ellywick says, "I s'pose it's Gareth... that bloke you saw at the gate just now. After Frida, he's the one who's been on watch the longest. Good kid. I've always liked him... good eye and not a crab like ol' you know who."
A gruff, stout human man with a thick gray beard who's also sitting at the table chimes in as well. "Ye, Gareth's a good egg an' he's ain't no fear'ed o' nuthin. I don't see as we need to vote on someone to take Crabapple's place. He already does the job half time, now he's got it full time."
"So, that crabby ol' bit turned out to be running the Bloody Mask Mob? Don't make no sense, but then again, stranger things happen in Waterdeep, ain't that right, Flint?"
"Ye speak the truth, Burl," the dwarf says. "but if these folk say it was, then it was. She weren't my favorite neither, but sounds like she got under the spell o' some evil enchantment that took away her right mind away. S'pose it coulda happend to anybody..."
Harriet respons to Lumen, excited to hear that that you all might be passing through this way again soon. Well, that would be just splendid! If there was anyway you could accompany me to Silverymoon, well I'd be most appreciative. 'Course, take your time, as I say, I'm sticking 'round here for a spell. Already made one friend, and I wouldn't mind make a few more."
"It depends. We might have a lot of business to take care of." Vesper didn't want to make any commitments, seeing as Chrys wanted to go investigate the stirges and they had to go take the mask back to Yartar.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
Krackle would be eating and drinking much faster than before as the hot food and drinks are placed on their table. Crumbs would fall from his mouth as he took bite after bite. After his tiny stumach was painfully distended, he would continue to grab scraps from the table and slide them into his pockets for later. "So full... take... for later..." He would mutter aloud inbetween deep breaths as he tried to keep from moving too much. The bloated kobold would perk up immediatly at the mention of pieces of mask. "You still have my mask?! Can I see the pieces? It was a really neat looking mask. Maybe you should get the pieces out so I... err... so the people here can see them. Maybe they saw her holding it sometime or someone sell it to her or something." The tiny kobold would say as he strained to lean forward due to the weight of his stuffed tummy and pockets.
Chrys shakes her head firmly. "It ain't your mask an' never was. You were the mask's slave. Believe me, ya don't wanna be a slave, so I'd enjoy yer food and let foul things be." She smiles at Krackle, but when she turns to Vesper and Lumen, she gives them a knowing look, as if to remind her friends that her previous warning about watching her bag against sticky fingers still stands. "I think we should think about gettin' rooms for the evenin' too. How do we wanna split up ta sleep tonight?"
Krackle would visibly deflate a bit as he slouches in his chair when denied seeing the pieces of the mask... like a young kid that was told that his best friend isn't going to come to his birthday party. "Oh.... yeah.... you are probably right..." He would say as he grabs towards his mug and stuffs his thin little snout into the bottom of the glass
"You can share a room with Krackle, I'll bunk with Kess, and Lumen can have his own room." Vesper does not like the fact that Krackle just tried to see the mask again, so she sends Chrys a Message. "We should get back on the way to Yartar tomorrow."
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
Chrys nods ever so slightly at Vesper, thinking to put off searching for the cave entirely until the dangerous mask has been properly dealt with once and for all.
Lumen quietly advocates taking watches during the night to Vesper, Chrys, and Kess.
OOC: We're all going to be in separate rooms, so staying up to take watches would only keep us from getting a full rest unless we're going to share one room.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
OOC: We can still take watches if we move the bag with the mask to the person who's staying awake, who then wakes up the next person after a few hours. Awkward, and it'd be easier if everyone was in the same room, but doable.
(Chrys will totally pass on a watch, then. No bringing that bag into her and Krackle's room!)
OOC: Vesper will keep the mask with her and Kess, since Chrys has a valid point on not allowing the bag to be in the same room as Krackle. But she will make sure to keep the door locked.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
Since Chrys has advised her to keep her watch up in case there's a chance that Krackle might try to get the mask back, Vesper does not get drunk and retires early, getting a room for her and Kess. Once the elf joins her, she will lock the door, or if the doors here don't have locks, she'll barricade the door with a chair or a table, so that the two of them can sleep (or in Kess' case trance) in peace without having to worry about the mask being stolen in the middle of the night. "I don't like the fact that we're doing this, but it's only until we get the mask back to Yartar." She says to Kess, before going to sleep.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
Since it's been a very long day... a very long two days, you secure lodging for the night, and the innkeeper gives you the keys to your three rooms that still smell strongly of mildew. You retire long before the tavern empties out, and as you shed your armor and prepare for what you hope will be a restful slumber, you can still hear the muffled noise of the villagers drinking well past the late hours of the evening through the walls.
As you remember, the bedding is hard, but comfortable enough, and as you lie down, you feel the exhaustion pull on your eyelids and draw you towards sleep, although it does not come as quickly as you would have hoped. Despite being extremely tired, most of you lie awake for a good hour before a deep slumber finally takes you. At one point, you're briefly woken up by the sound of a single scream... it sounds like a woman, but in your dreariness and half sleep, you cannot place where it came from, or if it was even real. Perhaps it was just a dream...
Either way, you fall back asleep and wake the next morning to the sounds of roosters crowing at fist light. When your eyes open, you see the rays of orange light steaming into the small window of your room, and your stomachs begin to grumble with the pangs of early morning hunger.
Vesper
You certainly feel safe enough, sharing a locked room with your very capable friend, but thoughts of the mask and the frightening events of the past couple of days weigh heavily on your mind as you lie in bed. These thoughts cause your mind to flight sleep for well over an hour, but eventually you drift off into unconsciousness. However, sometime during the night, you hear a noise at the door... Someone is rustling with the lock. You continue to lie in bed, staring at the door, hoping that the lock will hold. You look towards Kess and see that she is deep in her trance.
Suddenly, the door creaks open... just a few inches at first, and then it opens further, and you see a small snout peek around the edge of the door. You freeze and watch as the little kobold stealthily enters the room and slinks over to your pack. He begins fumbling with the straps, undoing buckles and then begins riffling through the rucksack... You turn and shout for Kess, but she is still deep in trance and does not respond, and when you turn back around, you see Krackle crouched on the floor next to your pack, wearing the mask, which is fully intact. Terror grips you, as you're seemingly all alone in the room with the creature who, earlier today, nearly killed Lumen.
You turn back to try and wake Kess up again, but this time, when you look, she is gone. Your eyes snap back to the little kobold, who's standing there, looking straight at you. He's not moving, but his cold stare is driving right through you like an arrow.
With all your determination, you find your courage, break through your fear and launch yourself out of bed and onto the floor. Krackle beings approaching now, and you can now see that he has that dagger in his hand. Throwing your hand up and pointing at the kobold, you speak your familiar words and send a fire bolt at him. Unfortunately, he's quick, and he easily dodges it with a fast slink to the side.
You try again, this time with a stronger spell. With a series of quick hand gestures and a short arcane phrase, you call forth three magical missiles and send them straight at Krackle's chest. All three slam into him with powerful force and an immensely bright flash of white light that blinds you for a few seconds. When your eyes adjust, you look around, and to your horror, you are no longer inside your room at the Weary Knight. Instead, you find yourself floating in a vast, unending silvery blue space, that extends in all directions, its utter barrenness broken only by faint swirling whips of white and gray that streak among the light of the distant stars.
You try to scream but no sound emanates from your mouth, and in fact, you can hear no sounds at all in your ears. You look around, trying to identify anything familiar, but you see nothing but the blank blueish void of nothingness all around you.
Then, without warning, you suddenly snap back and find yourself lying awake in your bed. Sitting up, you see the masked figure once again, approaching the bed, only, it's not Krackle... it's a slightly taller, much more stout person, welding a hammer that's covered in bed... You realize that it's Chrys, and she's raising the hammer above her head. You cannot see her expression behidn the hideous black mask, but your eyes catch something off to the side. You glance and see a kobold lying dead on the floor, broken and bloody.
You turn back at the masked, armed dwarf and scream, just as she's about to slam the hammer down on to your own body....
...and then you wake up in a terrified scream, your body covered in sweat and your breaths in quick, shallow succession.... You realize that it was just a dream. Looking around the room, you see that it's just as you left it, and Kess is still in her trance.
Once she calms down, Vesper will check her pack to make sure that the mask is still there and still broken.
If it is in the bag and broken, Vesper will communicate to Kess that this mask must be of Shar, since she had some terrible nightmare that centered on the mask and emphasizes that they have to take it back to Yartar so that Dundragon can do something with it.
If it is in the bag and fixed, Vesper will communicate the aforementioned idea, as well as the idea that they can't destroy it through non-magical means.
If it's not in the bag at all, she'll tell Kess that they need to get to the room that Krackle and Chrys are in right now.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More