Synopsis: Grand Quest II-Part 1 (a Sir Differel Dreamlands adventure)

But Darkness and the Gloomy Shade of Death Environ You

64 days left

Victor, Differel, and the Girls are up before dawn. After a wash and breakfast, they met with Medb and Kuranes to go over what they are to do. Then they mount the hippogriff and take off. The Girls find the flight exhilarating at first, but the monotony of water quickly becomes boring. Once over land again, however, their interest piques as they see landmarks from on high they had only seen previous from the ground. They also see features they hadn't known about before. Once they all arrive in Ulthar, Victor stables the hippogriff and arranges for it to be fed, then they all go to see Mephitis. She shows them a sample of morbidun, a grayish-brown, oily liquid that she would rather people not know she had. She also gives them a piece of the fungus so that they can better recognize it.

They grab a bite at an outdoor stall, then visit Aislinn. She shows them a map of the Underworld, pointing out such features as the Gug city, the Crag of the Ghouls, the Peaks of Thok with the volcano Flaunth, the Vale of Pnath, and the Vaults of Zin. She has no information as to which vale the fungus may be found; however, she knows exactly where to find the Ghoul wizard, named Shuggob, because she visited him once with Medb. She points to a spot on her map, on the edge of the Vale of Pnath, not far from the Ghoul crag. She allows the Girls to make a tracing of her map and gives them an accurate chronometer to tell the time, then they go to Kranon, the Burgomaster of Ulthar. They advise him of their mission, and inform him that Kuranes will be arriving in a day or two. He authorizes them to take whatever supplies they need from the merchants, pending payment by Kuranes. While they do so, they encounter Morgiana, the Master Thief. She explains that Medb had contacted her and asked her to help them, since at some point they may need a thief's skills. Differel is suspicious, but Eile and Sunny believe her and accept her.

By the time they finish, it is sunset. They go to Günderson's tavern for a feast, where they talk to Karella about their mission. Afterwards, the Girls decide to spend a couple of hours at Lady Trotula's bathhouse; they give the key to their house to Differel and Victor, and tell them to make themselves at home, while Morgianna goes to stay at the Thieves Guild. When the Girls return later, they find Differel and Victor asleep together in the guest bedroom.

63 days left

Over breakfast at the Laughing Cat, they decide to wait for Kuranes, but after a couple of hours they get restless. Differel wants to start immediately; they have the map, surely they should be able to find this Shuggob on their own. Victor and Morgiana advise against it and Eile is hesitant, but Sunny is eager and Eile sides with Sunny, so Victor and Morgiana agree to come along. They set off with their supplies on three zebras to the Enchanted Woods. They travel to the Zoog village to apprise them of their mission to the Underworld. They negotiate for right of passage through the Woods for Kuranes and his men, and then are taken to the stone slab covering the entrance to the Tower of Koth. It lies inside a monolithic circle of stone so huge that they tower into and above the forest canopy.

The slab itself is rectangular, roughly twelve feet by five, with an iron ring in its center. Despite its antiquity, the ring shows no sign of rust. They build an A-frame and use it to see if they can lift the slab. They find they can using the zebras to help. They divide up the supplies, giving each of themselves seven days worth of food while caching the rest and leaving Shadow-stalker and the Zoogs to watch over it. They raise the stone, prop it open with a log, and go down inside the opening. Once at the bottom, they pull the prop out and the slab drops back into place. Sunny creates a globe of light on the end of her staff to see by. The Girls and their party find themselves in the topmost floor of a tower, with a spiral staircase leading down. The room and the steps are huge, as if made for giants. As such, descent is slow, as they carefully ease down each step.

A flotilla of cloud barges consisting of a dreadnaught, three destroyers, and four chase-boats, appear over Ulthar, but no one is alarmed because it bears the standard of Ooth-Nargai. The dreadnaught lands in an open area west of the town while the other barges take up positions over it. Kranon and the other burghers go out to meet Kuranes and they set up a command camp in the shadow of the dreadnaught. Kranon reports on the girls' visit, and states that they left that morning for the Enchanted Woods. Medb is pleased that they did well, and she goes into town as the Cat Queen and her Council arrive to confer with Kuranes. She meets with her friends Lachlinde, Tabitha Grayson, Scylla the Hetaera, Tokoyo, and Karella at the Inn of the Dreaming Skull, and the latter two agree to accompany her into the Underworld. She then writes a note and tosses it into the fire.

After a couple of hours according to the chronometer, the Girls and their party finally reach the bottom of the Tower of Koth. Morgiana listens at the door, but hears nothing. They manage to force the door open wide enough to slip out. They find themselves in a city of cyclopean towers that stretch up into the dim sky out of sight. They cannot see the roof of the cavern, but rather than being in pitch darkness, there is a dim grayish light that seems to emanate from above. It's enough to see by when their eyes adjust, so Sunny extinguishes her light to avoid attracting attention. The Tower is in the middle of a courtyard surrounded by a forest of towers, but it seems to be deserted.

They head up what looks like a main thoroughfare, hoping it will lead them out of the city. The street winds around, but they don't meet any inhabitants, and finally they see a wall with an open gate up ahead. As they approach, Caliburn appears in Differel's hand, never a good sign. A Gug appears from out of a tower. It stares at them for a moment, then bellows an ululation. The party takes off for the gate with the Gug in pursuit. They are cut off by two who appear in the gate. They run along the wall as more Gugs exit other towers and give chase. They run about a quarter of the way around when Morgiana spots a split in the wall. It's just big enough to squeeze through. Eile goes first, followed by Morgiana, then Victor. A Gug appears and grabs Sunny, but Differel cuts off its arm. Sunny gets through and Differel follows.

They find themselves on a broad plain leading down to the shore of a huge, dark sea. There is no cover, and they can hear the Gugs bugling as they run back to the gate. They take off towards the shore, hoping to evade their pursuers, but the Gugs are soon right behind them. When they reach the shore, they find no sanctuary and are forced to make a stand. They climb onto a rock promontory to put themselves higher up and limit the number of Gugs that can come at them at once. They are surrounded, and exchange blows for a few minutes, when gigantic tentacles rise up out of the sea. The Gugs back off, but the tentacles do not attack, at first. Instead, a huge eye emerges from the water and examines them all. It bends down towards the Girls' party. A smaller tentacle reaches up and pokes at Sunny, then Eile. Finally it directs its attention towards the Gugs and attacks them savagely. The Gugs scatter, but the tentacles are able to reach them even over a great distance. Those caught are dragged into the sea.

The party makes a run for it, and they soon put themselves far away from the carnage. They pause long enough to check the map, then turn inland towards the Vaults of Zin. While they have no intention of going near the entrance, it is one of the few landmarks on their map. It takes longer for them to cover the distance than the map seems to indicate; it obviously wasn't drawn to scale. Though there is no sun, their growing fatigue and hunger, and the chronometer, indicate that they are well into evening before they reach it. As earlier, cover is scarce, but they come upon a ruin, little more than a jumble of stone blocks, but sufficient to give them shelter, and they decide to sleep there for the night.

With five of them, they decide on a 90-minutes watch rotation cycle; Victor volunteers to take first shift and Sunny the last. They do not wish to risk a fire, and they have a cold supper. It is obvious to all of them this expedition was a mistake, but no one voices any complaint; they all agreed to come. After eating, Victor settles himself into a spot where he can see all around without being seen, and the others find places to curl up for sleep. Differel remains awake and she and Victor talk. She feels guilty that her impatience has put them all in danger, but Victor assures her that they were all as reckless and overconfident as she, so she is nothing special. The facetious reprimand reassures her and she goes to sleep herself.

Medb is conferring with Kuranes and the Cat Queen when Ceara Lasairíona the Fire Sorceress enters the common room through the fire. Medb explains the situation and asks her to come along. She states the Council of Sorcerers for the city of Lelag-Leng is aware of the situation and wishes to offer its support, hence she has been ordered to help in any way she can. Medb indicates she does not plan to leave for the Underworld until morning, and Ceara replies that she has no accommodations, which prompts Medb to offer to let her share her bed. As they leave to go to the Laughing Cat, the Cat Queen and Kuranes observe that sleep is probably not a high priority for them.

After Victor, first Eile, then Morgiana took the watch, and she woke Differel to finish the night before Sunny's turn. Differel notes that the plain is somewhat empty of creatures: a couple of Gugs at separate intervals, several solitary twisted humanoid figures scuttling about, once a massive multilegged creature strode by, partially hidden by the gloom, but none approached the ruins. It made her wonder if it was because they knew the ruins held nothing of interest, or if they were frightened of them. Alarmed by the possibility, she checks the sleepers and the supplies, but nothing seems amiss. She is startled by Cailleach Beara, telling her she need not fear; while the ruins had been home to a gilleytrot at one time, it has long since moved on.

Differel is upset at the hag's appearance, but Cailleach assures her she means her no harm, above all people. As her protector, it is her obligation to aid her in whatever way would be best. So far, Differel has handled herself quite well; even coming here in anything less than full strength was not as foolish a decision as she now believes it to be. However, before this matter is concluded, she will face a hard test, one that may be beyond her. Cailleach cannot interfere with whatever may be her destiny, but she can provide the means of surviving this quest.

She offers what looks like a medal; Differel realizes it is an exact replica of the George Cross awarded to her after the defeat of the Fomorian invasion of Britain. She refuses to accept it at first, feeling inadequate to its honor, but Cailleach informs her that here in the Dreamlands, awards of honor can only be worn by those who deserve them, and have a power that only their true owners can wield. Differel takes it, if only to make the hag go away, but as soon as she touches it, it begins to glow. It fades in moments, but suddenly she realizes the hag was telling the truth, and she slips it on around her neck. She asks what its power is, and Cailleach, smiling, replies that she will discover that for herself in due time. With that she vanishes. Differel settles in to complete her watch, but for the first time she feels a confidence that she never felt before.

62 days left

When Medb and her party of friends, cats, and Ooth-Nargai dragoons arrive in the Zoog village and are told where the five went, she is livid. She takes them immediately to the stone slab, and the dragoons use the A-frame left standing to raise it. She then goes down into the tower with her companions, Shadow, and Saighlíne, Kami, Ssas'sashu'ra, Uilmheidhrea, Karella, Tokoyo, and Ceara, while the cats and dragoons remain behind. Ubasti elects to remain behind with the cats and dragoons. They then begin the long climb down.

Sunny awakens the others with food she heated using her magic. It does much to lift their spirits, and when they are ready they continue on.

Medb's party finally reaches the bottom of the tower and enters the Gug city. The Gugs are abroad and close in to attack, but Medb quickly deters them. One approaches her and "talks" to her in a form of sign language augmented by facial expressions and gestures. Medb replies, and they have a conversation for a short while as the others keep an eye on the other Gugs surrounding them. Medb finally breaks off and heads out of the city. The Gugs follow, but make no attempt to stop them. However, they halt at the city gate and let them leave unmolested. Once some distance from the gate, Medb informs the others that the Gugs chased the girls and their party out towards the sea, where they lost them. However, since they are trying to reach Shuggob on their own, they will have to go by way of the Vaults and the Gug cemetery. They should be able to catch up with them somewhere around there.

The Girls' party reaches the vicinity of the Vaults around mid-morning. They pause within sight of the opening, but don't go anywhere near it. Far ahead of them, they can see on the horizon the peaks of a vast mountain range. They check the map and draw a bearing on a field of monoliths, then set out for them. Before they can get very far, however, they are confronted by a Ghast. As they try to divert around it, more appear. They soon discover they are surrounded except in the direction of the Vaults. When they try to break through, the Ghasts attack and force them back. It quickly becomes apparent they are herding them, but there is little they can do; there are too many.

As they approach the Vaults, many more come out of the cave mouth and fully encircle them. Before they can move in for the kill, however, a blast of light erupts, blinding and searing the Ghasts, as arrows and fireballs slam into them. When the light fades, Saighlíne and Kami cut through their ranks and clear a path. As the Girls' party makes a break for it, the Ghasts charge, but another blast of light disrupts and scatters them. When it fades, the Girls and their companions see Medb with her companions. The two groups merge and head off for the monoliths. It is obvious Medb is upset at their foolishness, but she makes no reprimand; there's no point.

Half way to the monoliths, they take a break to rest and eat. Medb takes the opportunity to introduce her friends to Differel and Victor. She then calls a quick council. She explains that since everyone present has either been on adventures with her, or have had military training and experience, or are adventurers in their own right, and she has come to know and trust their abilities, she will make no attempt to dictate particular roles. She expects everyone to respond to any encounter with good judgment and courage, and she will permit anyone to handle an encounter as she or he sees fit.

However, they each have specialties that should be used as and when appropriate. Long-range missile fire can be handled by her sling, Tokoyo's long bow, and Sunny's composite bow; while medium-range missile fire can be provided by Karella's short bow and Victor's crossbow, and short-range fire by Differel's pistols. Magical attack and defense can be provided by herself, Ceara, and Sunny. Heavy assault combat can be handled by herself, Tokoyo, and Saighlíne, while Kami, Karella, Eile, and Differel will provide light assault combat, and Morgiana, Victor, and Sunny can handle defensive combat. Ssas'sashu'ra is the wild card; she should do whatever seems best at the time. Uilmheidhrea and Sunny should be the medics, Morgiana and Victor the scouts, Kami and Differel the rearguard, Saighlíne and Tokoyo the flank guards, Karella and Eile as outriders, with Ceara and Ssas'sashu'ra taking up the center.

However, she believes they should all stay close and in visual contact with each other. In the Underworld, while a large group will attract attention, there is safety in numbers, and they could be picked off individually if they stray too far or pass out of sight. Besides, being close means they can rush to each other's aid as needed. They all agree that her recommendations are fair, and they start off again.

They reach the monoliths about mid-afternoon. To Eile, they look like headstones for graves, and Medb confirms they are; it is a Gug cemetery. Morgiana and Victor signal to approach with caution, and when they do, they discover the Gugs have surrounded an open grave. They are pulling chunks of meat out of it and consuming them; they are eating one of their own dead bodies. The scene is too horrific for some of them to take, and Medb leads them away at an oblique angle towards the far-off Peaks of Thok. However, they are detected and the Gugs give pursuit. This time, they are not intimidated by Medb's or Ceara's pyrotechnics. A group suddenly appears in front of them and cuts them off. More arrive, and the party of adventurers find themselves surrounded. Medb and Ceara immolate some of them, while others are brought down by arrows, bolts, or bullets fired into their mouths or necks, but they are replaced by others and close in. Eile and Differel realize that despite their losses, they seem determined to reach the party, as if being driven to it.

Then a flock of Nightgaunts arrives and harry the Gugs. At the same time, Ghouls appear and dance around the encircling Gugs, gibbering and gesticulating like mad. They do not attack, but the Gugs seem terrified of them and run off. The Ghouls then close in, but Medb approaches them with the Girls and Differel. One comes forward and meeps at them, and Medb answers back. When Sunny exclaims that she can talk with them, Medb states she learned centuries ago in ancient Ireland, though her accent is probably quite strange. Another Ghoul comes forward and replies that strange is not the word for it, and she recognizes it as Marrowsucker, a one-time Irish warrior whom she befriended when she first arrived in the Dreamlands.

Marrowsucker also knows who the Girls are, and he invites the party to the Ghoul warren. When Medb demurs, he insists, saying that the Ghoul leaders demand it. Medb understands she has no choice and she and the party follow them. They travel the rest of the day and what would be half the night, before fatigue forces a stop. While the party sleeps, Medb, Differel, and the Girls confer with Marrowsucker and explain why they have arrived. He sends runners on ahead of them to tell the leaders, but he doubts they will reconsider their original orders. Medb then admits to Differel and the Girls that this was a wrinkle she had not anticipated. Nonetheless, they cannot see Shuggob without the Ghouls' cooperation, so they have no choice.

61 days left

Medb awakens the party at what would be dawn, and as they eat, the runners return. Sure enough, the leaders understand their need, but insist they confer with them first. So they start out again. About mid-morning, however, they are met by a band of Ghouls who have come to help escort them. Their leader salutes Differel and introduces itself as Captain Ney. When he remarks that she isn't as surprised as he thought she would be, she replies that she had his team checked out thoroughly before she hired them. She asks if these others are his men; he replies they are. She then orders him to deploy, and he salutes. Marrowsucker objects, but Ney assures him he is only there to make sure she and her party get to the warren safely.

After they start off again, the Girls ask her what's going on. She explains that after the Fomorian invasion, the Caerleon Order was severely depleted of manpower, and to compensate in the short term, she hired mercenary groups. One such was the Fian Scáthanna. It was a renowned black ops group, skilled at infiltration, sabotage, and ambush. They were also the only group she could trust, because they were the only group to swear personal loyalty to her. She had learned through confidential sources that they were all members of families that trafficked with Ghouls; some were undoubtedly Ghoul-children themselves. She sent them on a suicide mission from which they did not return, but apparently they survived and joined the Ghouls.

Ney, who had been close by, confirmed that his group knew the mission was suicidal, and they recruited help from a local Ghoul warren. Afterwards they retreated to the warren, but were not allowed to leave, hence the assumption that they had all died. However, they did not forget their oath, and when word came that Sir Differel Van Helsing was in the Underworld, he and his group volunteered to escort her. Differel expresses remorse she abandoned them, saying that if she knew they were alive she would have moved heaven and earth to extract them, but Ney brushes it aside, saying it was their choice, and they have no regrets or recriminations.

By what would have been evening, they all reach the base of the mountain range. There are no foothills to speak of; the peaks simply rise up out of the flat ground. The Ghouls decide to stop there for the "night", which suits the party. After they eat, they bed down, but before they retire, the Girls see Differel take a piece of paper out of a breast pocket and mark on it. She sees them watching her as she slips it back, but says only that now they have just two months left to accomplish their mission.

60 days left

In the "morning", the Ghouls take them into the Peaks, but after a couple of hours they reach an entrance to a warren. They take them down to an antechamber, then instruct them to surrender their weapons and packs. On Medb's say-so they comply, and Marrowsucker consoles them by saying at least they are allowed to keep their clothes. They are then taken deeper into the warren. Without the chronometer, the Girls have no way of measuring the time, but Eile estimates it takes them a couple more hours before they reach the main Ghoul "city". They are then allowed to rest for a short while before being taken to a council chamber where a couple of dozen Ghouls are waiting. Their escort leaves them except for Ney, and the Ghouls present surround them, but they sit of their haunches, except for Ney who remains standing. The Girls are happy to see Stéise among them, but the look on her face dashes their joy.

One Ghoul, so hoary it looks greenish, stands and makes a statement in meeps and gibbers, which Ney translates as a demand to know why they are in the Underworld. Medb replies, then launches into a speech, which Ney summarizes as her explanation. Various Ghouls then question her, and she gives answers, but Ney's translations indicate that the Ghoul leaders are not happy with their mission. A few leaders express support, including Stéise, but the majority are opposed to it. Finally, the first Ghoul stands again and demands that they leave. They will escort them back to the Tower of Koth, but they must leave the Underworld. Differel angrily refuses, and while her remark is rude, Medb seconds her refusal. Stéise hangs her head as the spokes-Ghoul states they leave them with no choice.

At a signal, Nightgaunts exploded from the ceiling, swoop down, grab each person, and carry them off. When they resist, the Nightgaunts tickle them into submission. In moments they are carried down a tunnel and out an opening in a shear cliff face that runs from foot to peak. Looking down, Eile sees that they are flying over a long, broad valley, the floor of which seems to be covered in snow. Her Nightgaunt dives and passes over the ground, and Eile is shocked to see that the "snow" is actually polished, glistening bones. It then lets her go, and she drops, bouncing and skidding to a halt. The others drop their burdens as well, and in seconds all members of the party are lying around her.

They get to their feet and find they are on the floor of the valley. Eile is shocked to see that Medb is as close to panic as she has ever seen her to be, and her friends, Kami, and Ssas'sashu'ra look terrified. Only Sunny, Differel, and Victor don't show any fear, only confusion or anger. Differel rages at Medb for trusting the Ghouls. Medb tries to ignore her, but finally seizes her by the throat to shut her up. She then explains that they are all in mortal danger. They are in the Vale of Pnath, the largest valley in the Underworld, and one of the places where the Bholes comes to the surface. No one has ever seen a Bhole and returned to describe it, but they are known to be enormous and to burrow through the bones, which are the discards of many millennia of Ghoul feasts. If a Bhole discovers them before they can find a way out, it will come up underneath them and swallow them all whole, and there may be other things lurking about. Their only safety lies in hugging the wall of the valley until they can find a path out. Fortunately, the Nightgaunts dropped them fairly close to one side; if they start immediately they can make it in about an hour. But they must be quiet, because the Bholes can sense noise and vibration, and in the stillness any noise can carry far.

They move out and head for the nearest part of the wall. Along the way they hear rustling in the bones, as if something is moving through them. Occasionally they hear or see the bones shift, and once they felt the bones undulate beneath their feet, like a wave passed through them. But nothing appears or tries to attack them. After awhile Eile begins to wonder if the stories of the Bholes are just due to overactive imaginations. Finally they reach the wall. It is little more than a cliff, with ravines that cut through it at irregular intervals. It is not too sheer to climb, but without the proper equipment it is next to impossible.

As they explore for a climbable section, a monstrous worm-like black shape emerges from bones. They flee but accidentally enter an alcove in the wall and become trapped when the worm blocks the opening. Medb and Ceara blast at it, but Ceara's fireballs bounce off, and her flamethrower-streams have no effect; there isn't anything flammable to catch on fire. Medb has better luck, blasting chunks of flesh from its body, but it's mass is so great she could spend hours attacking it before she seriously hurt it. The others crowd into the back, trying to stay out of the way.

Then a half-dozen ropes drop down from the dim ledge high above. The party starts to climb up, but furry scuttling creatures emerge from the wall face and attack. Differel holds them off with Caliburn, then allows Ceara and Medb to retreat. Medb insists on being the last, but even as the worm is about to engulf her, a harpoon shoots out the bones behind it and impales it. It is then dragged under as it thrashes about.

At the top the party finds a group of Ghouls; Ney, Marrowsucker, and Stéise are with them, and they brought the packs and the weapons. They take them into the Peaks and find them a hollow where they can hole up for the "night". As they eat, the Ghouls explain that they had been coerced by the Fomorians into helping them prepare the morbidun. They would like the adventurers to free them from this coercion, but they couldn't say anything about it in the council meeting, because most Ghouls are too afraid to resist, and some have gone over to the Fomorian side. There may even be Fomorian quislings on the council.

The Fomorians had demanded that the party be forced to leave or killed; they had tried to force the Ghasts and Gugs to do it as well. Since they could not openly defy the Fomorians, they had to play along, and when the party refused to leave they had no choice but to send them to the Vale. However, they made plans to rescue them, and now they wish to join forces. They will help the party destroy morbidun production if they also help free their people. When Differel asks how the Fomorians could coerce them, they reveal that Bres has taken Shuggob hostage, and that Ghouls have been forced to work the production site. They agree to the deal, and it is decided that the first goal will be to rescue Shuggob, since he alone knows where the morbida fungus is grown.

Continued in Part 2