Okay, I haven't written any of these dreams down yet because I wasn't sure they were important, but I think this one was. prax called it an old mirrow, others called it a mirrow lord, said it was a prophetic dream. Prax had been taken ill all day and was asleep, and would not eat his food. We entered the dream at a crossroads of a dozen or more streets named symbolically in a dense city. I, Wactawa, and Miss Rosalie were present, in our normal forms. Fearing a nightmare, I immediately tried what little Prax had taught me about onironotism, and tried to summon my cart. My prayer was heard, but not answered. I tried various ways of deciphering the symbols of the dream, but we decided we had to walk down the various streets. On Miss Rosalie's suggestion we started with saphire, where me met prostitutes of all stripe who were in dire need of a leader and resources. We also learned that the dreams were symbolic, and we were meant to learn from what we saw.
We learned several things:
Mr. Littany wants a Newmen so he can break his curse.
The Newmen is a part of a god's soul, and is often used to attain godhood.
The cult of the Hood wants one too, to ascend one of theirs to godhood.
Neither are very close to their goal yet.
There's wierd weather coming in the pandemonian sea from Starfall.
the continent of the beholders is now showing activity.
The beggars are being eaten away by the peridot dragon, who convinces them they deserve their misfortune. I've seen some of that when I do my soup-kitchen duties, and it's bad news.
The Agikaanis are making a comeback. their god is alive, and their old allies are still around.
they may be making contact with Harkan the Black.
Fuligin weapons are as powerful as Gifts.
Trolls carrying stones from their homeland are actually smuggling fuligin weapons to a leader of a joint goblin/troll thing about to happen.
A leader has emerged among the goblins and trolls and is uniting them for something really destructive. We had a dream about it on an earlier night, they've got a dagger that will destroy the world.
A woman carrying food is actually smuggling stuff to a fae queen, she emphasiszed not THE queen, just A queen, who is playing a game of bloods against a demon that looks like the full sun.
The blue cloaks are being muscled in on by a legitimate operation.
The sather people don't know what form the Newman has taken. they just said it was something clever.
word is there's a new god that delights in torture, something about hooks, and he's worse than the peridot dragon.
Two old blind men are actually con men who founded the Domino studios. They do art cons, but they've got a hand in the trickster wars. That one sounds pretty serious.
And now for the wierd one, and it's a long one too: Someone thinks there's only one door left, but there are nine, and two are freeform. I don't know who, or what has nine doors. I asked the Domino brothers about it, and they said that by asking that I told them more than they could ever tell me, which makes me think I may have screwed something up there. They said that when I knew who they were, it would answer my question of who thought there was only one door there, but I still don't know what that means.
There were four roads left when we woke up. I really wanted to visit the darker ones, because I thought we could learn more there, but we went the easy roads because Miss Rosie was scared. By far the friendliest sources in the dream were the minotaur tribesmen who say that all blood is one in the tribe, the twins in the brownstone apartment, Mr. Monsapple, the doctor among the homeless, and the pawn shop dealer, who was really nice about answering our questions. I knew he'd be a good source of information because pawn brokers see stuff go in and go out. The blue-cloak was nice and friendly, but he was a blue cloak. The worst to deal with was the contradicting duck, the blackjack dealer at the lucky seven, and the woman in the bed who pissed me off. Even the goblin reever of the pandemonian sea gave me info once I figured out how to talk to him. We didn't get to go down chain street, Jasper street, web street, or a couple of others, and I'm worried we missed good stuff there. Anyway, I'm going to tell Prax all about it when he's feeling better. You guys can ask me whatever you want to clarify stuff I might have missed. If you know what the deal with the nine doors is and can tell me, I sure am curious.

Father Sulfur Irongut, priest of Amber

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Two hours later, this response appears on the next page...

Greetings, Father Irongut. For the purposes of our correspondence, I will be called The Scholar. I am an agent of the Order of St. Theresa, whose journal you are writing in. Your entry has been lodged in our archives, and I have consulted seven other agents and experts in gathering all the information we could for a response.

First, allow me to note that I will occasionally indicate the standardized spelling of a word or phrase. I do this not to repudiate your own spelling nor to be a stickler, but to edify you such that you might more easily find information on the subjects should you chose to research it further.

It is our belief, and I suspect your friend Prax (the oneironaut) can verify, that this is not merely /a/ prophetic dream, but a miro—a living dream—whose title is The Prophetic Dream, being the fundamental embodiment of prophetic dreams. Calling it a Miro-Lord is accurate, as is the fact that it is very old—one of the oldest miros, in fact. From what you described, this experience sounds very straight forward relative to other interactions with this particular miro.

Your news about Mr. Littany (presumably you mean Everett) comes as no surprise. Numens have been in use since First Shem. Rumors suggest that the Webweaver used one to defend himself against the Sword of Death itself, and that several were created in the wake of Starfall. Another was the one that helped to resurrect the Spellcaster Divine on First Shem. The one you refer to is a new one, and its source is currently unknown to us.

The Cult of the Hood supposedly has the numen at the moment, but if the Prophetic Dream suggested that it does not have it, that is useful and interesting information.

Meteoromagi, -mancers, and –ologists have been studying weather patterns involving both the Pandemonian Sea and Starfall since both existed. The Pandemonian Sea is the seat of the Court of Crabs in the west, and its weather reflects its chaotic nature. Starfall’s effect has proven impossible to completely identify. There have been fuligin storms as far south as New Wath, but we’ve heard of none in the Pandemonian Sea. The question is this, then: was the miro’s information on strange weather literal or metaphorical? Is there more to the circumstance that you can elaborate upon?

As per Zeronys, the island where the Zeronysian eyes were from, we have heard rumblings from there as well, and we have agents investigating. If possible, I will inform you of their findings.

The Dragon of Misfortune is one of the more troubling of the New Gods. Our efforts to curb their influence has proven less than successful, but we continue to fight.

That the Agikaanis are gearing up for war is not news, but the declaration of their God’s return is. I would have you elaborate further on this revelation. Harkan the Black has ambassadors in many courts of the world, but none of them ones we are generally friendly with. What we have learned suggests that he is trying to trade fuligin metal for military support.

Your statement about the equivalence of Gifts and fuligin deserves some clarification. Our reports indicate that they make weapons equal to that of a Gifted weapon in terms of traditional uses of said weapons. Very strong, sharp swords, for instance. No fuligin weapon has been seen to have supernatural powers equal to the supernatural powers of a Gift—none, for instance, could command flame the way the Sword of Rubies can.

The information about smuggling fuligin is in line with our information about Harkan’s involvement. There seems to be two leaders—one of the trolls, one of the goblins—that have united each of those nations, but so far, there has been no indication that the two would unite with each other. We have agents keeping a sharp eye on the situation. As per the dagger, I beg for you to elaborate—we’ve had no indication of anything like this.

My sources suggest that the female smuggler is a metaphor for the smuggling operation known as Hannah’s Men, who have been hired by the May Queen to help her outsmart the demoness Lady Midday. Their game of intrigue may well involve a literal Puzzle of Bloods, or a figurative one. We will try to find out more.

Our information suggests that the organization competing with the Blue Cloaks is the Spicers’ Guild. They seem to be gearing up for some sort of power play.

The Lord of Hooks, Master of Agony, the Pallid God, the Tormentor Divine, the Fleshripper, the King of Pain—he has many titles already, and many beings to follow his dark, twisted philosophies. Did the prophecy say more of him, or simply indicate that he exists?

About the Trickster's War, our information tells us this much: The Puck’s son had a follower who was killed by a follower of the Dealmaker. The Puck is perhaps the most powerful of the fey, save The Queen. The Dealmaker is a cunning yankiir of old who tricked all of the Gods of Sable Night and Obsidian Obelisk into buying his soul, thus becoming inmortal. His actions have sparked a war between the tricksters that is beginning to ripple out and affect the world at large. We are keeping a close eye on it, or as close of one as possible. Tricksters are incredibly difficult to track.

For the prophecy of the doors, I have no interpretation of this that seems to work. Doors are traditionally associated with Death and with the Two-Faced God [GM’s note: boundaries]. My best guess is that you simply don’t know who they really are, yet.

Your descriptions of the unseen streets and others you spoke to are interesting. Which Mr. Monsapple did you speak to? What was the pawn shop like? What was the minotaur tribesman like? The woman in the bed?

Thank you,
The Scholar

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Greetings, Scholar! Thanks for writing back. I'll try and answer your questions in the order you asked them:

--I don't really know any more about the Pandemonian sea. The reaver-symbol we were talking to was a Goblin, and he probably would have been pretty unpleasant if it hadn't been the dream. He seemed concerned by the weather, so i assume we're talking basic stuff. Did he mean more metaphorically, I don't know.

--I regret that I don't know any more about the Agikaani god. The Minotaur man we talked to didn't go into great detail, just that their faith is making a come-back.

--Okay, the goblin-troll situation: This isn't our first time with the Miro-Lord Prophetic Dream. We had one more, where we were in a major city in Kren'atan, it was deserted, but there were two armies approaching from opposite directions: Goblins and Trolls. They charged for the center of the city, looking for all the world like they were going to go all-out hair-teeth-and-eyeballs, when suddenly they stopped. Their leaders did this ceremony that sounded a lot like a script of a father-reconciliation ceremony, as one of them raised a big evil dagger and plunged it into the ground, where it destroyed the world. I feel like I may be missing details here, so I'll ask Prax to elaborate on that for you when he can.

--Specifically what the prophesy said about the Lord of Hooks was that the pawn-broker thought the Lord of Hooks was worse than the Peridot dragon, probably the worst of the set of the new gods. Just my personal opinion, but it sure sure sounds like he might not be wrong.

--Thinking back, Mr. Monsapple didn't really give his name. He referenced that we've slept in Monsapple beds, and that he thought that made us practically family. I think he may have just been symbolic of the Spirit of Monsapple, or the like. I could be wrong.

--The pawn shop was clean, tidy, well-stocked, and in a good area of town. The broker seemed like a proficient and observant business-man, a good conversationalist, very diplomatic, and fast on his feet. Again, I'm under the impression that he was symbolic of all his kind, but where do you draw the line at what his kind is? all pawn-brokers, all upscale pawn-brokers, all those with their ear to the ground and their fingers on the pulse of society, or what? I couldn't say, but I know I suggested going to see him among the other symbols present because I do a lot of street-level work in my calling and I tend to know who else is down there with me and knows stuff. One of the black market guys I used to get saffron from was an old retired veteran, and he used to say the Janitor has all the keys to the building. (You guys are already pretty familiar with that principle, I'm sure). Anyway, the pawn-broker didn't disappoint, so it may have been a multi-layered symbol.

--The minotaur tribesmen were very friendly, dignified, and warm people. They welcomed us into their lodge hall, greeted us as guests, and were free and easy with their information about Agikaan. They were even-tempered throughout, and very polite. If I recall correctly, they were of a particular lodge or tribe that believed that all minotaurs were of one blood. If I hadn't been in such a hurry to get information while I could, I'd have asked them more about that because it really would have been the courteous thing to do. There just came a point where I wasn't afraid to ask even the goblin reaver captain because I'd figured out that in the dream the conflict was against time, not against people, so I really let courtesy go by the wayside in situations where I wouldn't normally. But the Minotaurs sure didn't hold it against me, or at least they didn't seem to.

--Okay, the woman in bed. I didn't get a good look at her, because she was behind the curtains of the bed. She was behind a door marked with an X, and asked us to wipe our feet, so we did. She laughed a lot, even when I got mad at her. Her offer was that the information she would give us would be valuable proportional to what we offered. I fielded a couple of possibilities, and she asked for my cooking skill. That piqued my suspicion, and I asked if she was that woman I bartered with for the Gellid Blood (long story, I'll fill it in if you want it). She made a rude comment so I told her to do something rude to herself and left. She was laughing the whole time. I'm not exactly the best role model for diplomatic skill, I have a bit of an anger management issue.

I hope this helps. I hate to say it, but the details are getting fuzzier the longer I go. Maybe next time we'll have Prax with us, he'll be a great source of info if he's there. I can't emphasize enough how serious the thing with the goblins and trolls is. That stuff was scary. We'll keep you updated as we can.

Father Irongut

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Two hours later...

Dear Father Irongut,

What concerns me most is the dagger that destroys the world. As much detail as you can muster from that dream would be greatly appreciated. Please, do have Master Prax tell me as much as he can as well. In fact, anyone else who shared this dream, we would like to hear from.

Pawn-brokers can be symbolic of many things. As a merchant, they speak of wealth and resource. As a dealer in used goods, they are often connected to criminal organizations. It could be this one was symbolic of a criminal front. But they could also be intended as a merchant of used goods, meaning, a merchant for the lower classes. They could be the meager resources of the lower classes given form. This is all wild speculation. The tidy nature of the one you met seems to have significance. That sort of detail is probably not accidental. That it was in a nicer part of town suggests it is not symbolic of the lower classes, anyway. I must research this further.

As for the minotaurs, it is a strange vision because minotaurs do not live in tribes. As a nation, they are either united under their khan, or they are independents who live their lives at sea. In fact, everything about those minotaurs you mentioned seems completely at odds with the archetypical minota--I apologize, sir. In writing this, it occurred to me why this detail has been nagging at me. "All of one blood"? Gentle minotaurs? Discussing Agikaan? This was absolutely a vision of the Drakhaur family. They are the family of the long dead Champion of the Matriarch, and they have turned themselves into a clan of vigilantes. Currently, they are focused on rooting out the dark stirrings in Agikaan. I should have put this together previously. To confirm my suspicions, was there an overbearing amount of lavender--the color or the flower--present in the vision?

The Lord of Hooks is the archon of the Pantheon of Obsidian Obelisk. I suspect those terms are largely unfamiliar. Most people think of the gods as almost independent entities. They worship one or a few of them, and they think the others have no relevance to their lives. Other people acknowledge the pantheistic view, but don't really understand the interactions of the gods. I am sure in your education and indoctrination into your faith, there was some obscure reference perhaps the "The Amber Shield" or similar. These are terms used originally by followers of the Arbiter, but they have seeped into every faith in the world. Those who follow the gods and their politics more directly use these terms often. The Arbiter imposes a Hierarchy upon the Divine and inmortal Courts. Excepting a Messiah, the highest rank in this is that of archon. An archon is the had of a pantheon, of which there are eight. Your own goddess belongs to the Pantheon of Alabaster Shield, representing, in the Arbitrational terminology, the Court of Amber Shield. My own god is the Veiled God, and he belongs to the Pantheon of the Vermeil Blade. Both of our gods are gerents, who head a single Divine court.

To give a little more perspective: the Webweaver is the archon of the Pantheon of Sable Night; the Flowerlady is the archon of Fulgent Blossom; the Megalithic Goddess that of Alabaster Shield; the Impassive One is the archon of Vermeil Blade; the Infinite is the archon of Velour Mantle; the Ern Divine is the archon of Viridian Pillars; and the Arbiter sits alone in the Pantheon of Sienna Scales as its archon and only Divine. All of the other gods are gerents of their own Courts.

You may have noticed that many of these archons are those counted amongst the New Gods. This is a result of Divine politics. The New Gods are seen as inoffensive choices for the role because they do not have alliances and entanglements and grudges yet. It makes them politically safe to take the role. Indeed, the only Pantheons without New Gods as archons are Sable Night, Fulgent Blossom, and Sienna Scales. This is a result of politics, to some degree. Quite simply, the Arbiter has no one to contest him, the Flowerlady is well liked, and the Webweaver is universally feared.

So the Lord of Hooks is archon of his Pantheon, which politically places him as an equal to the Webweaver himself. In those terms, he is absolutely the most dangerous of the New Gods. His actual power, though, is questionable, but it would not surprise me if he were stronger than the Muckdweller, the Dragon of Misfortune, the Shrill, the Poacher, or the Chained God. In some ways, his aspect is complementary to the Arbiter's and the Megalithic Goddess's and the Impassive One's. The Arbiter is the Father of Balance and the Judge of All. He sees all equally, he remains impassive, and he doles out punishment. The Megalithic Goddess is Mother of Equality. The Impassive One is the Father of Neutrality, representative of, obviously, the impassivity of a judge. The Lord of Hooks represents punishment.

If you would have your friends also tell me as much as they can about the woman in the bed and her room marked with an X, I would appreciate it. I have no idea what she might be.

Thank you,
The Scholar

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In response to Prax's message...

Thank you, Father Irongut and Master Prax, for your responses. I believe the key ingredient to understanding your dream has been revealed. The father-reconciliation ceremony Father Irongut spoke of was actually a meeting of grandfather and grandson, according to Master Prax. This is simply a metaphor: the long dead Trollfather was the grandfather of the long dead Goblinfather. Quite simply, it spoke of their Divine relationship as a metaphor for the relationship between the trolls and the goblins. The goblin gave his dagger to the troll, which I believe to mean that when they unite, the goblins will provide the means of violence to the trolls, and the trolls will strike the blows. In other words, if we can prevent the alliance, or prevent the transfer of whatever it is the goblins metaphorically have, we might stop this before it starts.

Signed,
The Scholar

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Greetings Scholar.

I appologize. I can't believe I left this out: We also spoke with The Listener in our dream, and she says the big picture the Miro Lord was trying to get us to see was consequences of Starfall. I don't know how I forgot that, because it did inform my manner of questioning the symbols from then on out. Sorry about that.

Father Irongut