<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: andale mono;">Day 84, the Riedran Embassy</span></span></div><br/>[Knowledge (planes) 17+9 = 26]<br/><br/>Looking around, hearing nothing but his own heart beat, seeing the singular alien moon in the sky, Kleris had the feeling of dreaming.  With a slow realization, he remembered they had gone to the Riedran Embassy and their goal was to delve into his subconscious.  What else could that be called but dreaming?  And where do all dreamers go?  Dal Quor.  While it was ancient history since Dal Quor had been exiled from Eberron's orbit, mortals still traveled there each night, so most had some understanding of the plane's traits:  it could largely be changed by the dreamer.  Of course, this may not be only Kleris' dream; he'd have to tread carefully.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Hello Kleris," she said. "How are you doing today?"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>Jerking at the relatively loud voice in the empty silence, it was only more surprising to find mom!  But then again, it shouldn't have been.  He'd been focusing most intently on her and memories of her.  He automatically took one of the proffered cookies, taking a bite, and letting the smell and taste draw him back in time to those days.  For some reason he felt like he was supposed to be embarrassed or apprehensive about meeting mom while being a "girl," but she was just so warm and inviting as always he couldn't recall why or muster any negative feeling about it.  As they looked up to the thunder, Kleris wondered about about the significance of what was audible or not.  But he took the umbrella from mother in one hand and nodded, taking her hand with the other and following her across this alien world.<br/><br/>The obscuring rain made it difficult to see, however, but somehow the ground slowly gave to cobblestone and streets, and his surroundings became eerily familiar--so much so he didn't even have to pay attention to the rain-obscured path, but instead concentrate on hopping over and around puddles and talking to mom.  It was the usual:  politics and money, things he didn't really pay attention to or care to understand, yet affected his daily life in little ways anyway, such as taking that blue dress out of her reach.<br/><br/>"It's okay mom, I understand the shop needs to work hard.  It was just pretty, but maybe I can sew my own."<br/><br/>Looking up at their "home," it didn't look at all like it used to, but somehow still bore the identity and feelings of "home" anyway.  Looking up and seeing just the silhouette of dad brought an unexpected wrenching of the heart, as if she hadn't seen him in years and years.  She shook her head and reached for a flying melon as well.  It flew pretty well without direction, but the heavy rain and the fact that the house didn't seem to sit still made aiming tricky.  In fact, closing her eyes and letting her memory of home and hearing the gap in the rain led her truer than her eyes could, and she was able to gently step off onto the balcony before opening her eyes again.<br/>[Perception 19+10 = 29, success]<br/><br/>And right there before her was dad!  Just as she remembered him as a little girl, though that wasn't so long ago, was it?  Still, she giggled and jumped at the praise, reaching out to embrace him in a big hug, but felt herself falling backwards?  It was accelerated by the girlish arms caressing and wrapping themselves around her arms and legs, pulling her back impossibly fast out of the house.  The air rushed by, filling her ears, and instead of rain, she saw green darkness envelop the world, and instead of sheets of rain, brambles and thorns pulling and scratching at her.  She was so relieved not to be cut it took a moment to realize they had torn off every scrap of clothing, leaving her smooth and bare in the lap of a red girl as a second flops on top of Kleris, both giggling.  One held her arms and caressed her budding breasts, while the other kissed and tickled her thighs as she moved down to her virgin pussy.  It felt good, but she was embarrassed that her mom and dad might come and see her at any minute, and didn't she have a boyfriend, or girlfriend, or something?  When she felt the tails start caressing and prodding at her mouth and butt cheeks, it felt deliciously taboo, but it was just too much!  Reaching out with both her hand and imagination, she somehow groped at the bushes and found a stick of butter on a dish!  Chanting the words of the spell, it suddenly covered her in a extremely slippery<em>grease</em>.  At first the succubi were delighted, but they grew frustrated as their groping just served to push Kleris out from between them, launching her out like an arrow as she flew away.<br/><em>Grease</em>+10 vs grapple<br/>CMD 14+10 = 24, success<br/><br/>She could hear their pleading, cajoling, and also wings of pursuit, and she continued "falling" through the forest, dodging trees left and right until a large, thick tree rose before her.  A door caught her eye, the words coming to her mind as she sped towards it.<br/><br/>"There's nowhere like home!" she cried as she fell with terminal velocity to it, demons grasping at her toes, and it opened with a flash.  Tumbling and out of breath, Kleris pushed up onto her hands to look around.  Everything was quiet but the faint sounds of life outside.  Looking down, she was back in her blouse, untouched by butter or succubus slobber.  She was laying on a sofa, just like she had after any nap in father's quiet study.  Sitting up, she had to ask if all of that was just a strange dream, and now she was awake.  She couldn't help but wonder what else she had missed in those chaotic scenes bleeding into one another and shuddered.  Standing up, she padded around the room, looking at the familiar book shelves, trinkets, and art on display.  Coming to dad's desk, there was a green envelope on the chair.  That was out of place.  Kleris picked it up and sat in the chair, opening it to stare at the nonsense symbols until their meaning came to her mind, or her mind assigned them meaning.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote"><em>Kleris, my son,<br/><br/>If you are here, it means that the time has come when you met Retario or one of my old allies and thus dedicated yourself to finding me. I will not lie, I wish that this would not happen, but I'd be a fool not to prepare for this.<br/><br/>The enemy, the one responsible for sending me away for your safety as well as all you care about, is the One Death. In many planes, many worlds they go by many names. On Krynn they speak to Chemosh, in Faerûn they sought to forge a thorned crown for Myrkul. In Golarion their founder created the Whispering Way, but what they all have in common is an inner circle of people who seek nothing less than the heat death of the Multiverse, the end to all things. And I must stop them.<br/><br/>As I finish imbuing this memory inside you, I will be heading off for the world of Eberron, to prevent the One Death from making inroads among devotees of the Keeper. Do not be afraid to shed tears for your old man, but always remain strong. No matter the path you take in life, I will always be there from afar. And if we do meet again, in an earthly realm or the afterlife, I will tell you of all the great adventures I had on the road.<br/><br/>Sincerely,<br/><br/>Your Father</em></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>Sitting back, stunned, Kleris' mind was shaken back to reality.  He was dreaming right now, this was what he was looking for:  some path through his own subconscious to some inception of an idea from his father?  Whatever it was, wherever it came from, this seemed to be the answer to what his father was pursuing, what pursued him, and where he was.  And by all the luck, they were both on the world of Eberron!  Did this mean it was time to run off on some suicidal quest to tackle things he didn't understand, that outclassed a teenage student, and that could possibly kill all his friends?  Again?  But then the air of the study tore apart for the familiar hideous quori to "step" through.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote"><em>There you are, Kleris!  How fares your journey? Apologies, but this region of Dal Quor is rather...dangerous. I exhausted much of my power keeping them away from you as is.</em></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>Of course, the nightmares could have been the manifestations of enemies, or even just some hostile planar trait, but he was grateful Horishkad was able to give him as much leeway as he had to pursue this dream.  But even then, it wasn't the end as his dream-perception of the study was interrupted and gave way to the nighmare of tentacles breaking in.  Even before he saw the more humanoid form of Elgazia, he somehow recognized the tentacles as her, filling him with a mixture of revulsion and arousal.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"There you are, Kleris!  Good to see you! I couldn't help but notice your dream energy's been stronger than usual!"<br/><br/><em>Stay back, tanar'ri!  I know your true nature!</em><br/><br/>"Relax, honey.  If I had ill intent, I would have snuck up on Kleris and had my way with him. Speaking of which...  Since we're all dreaming here, what say you to a little bit of imaginative sex, eh?  We could do some practice bikini shots here without worrying about wasting any prepared spells, heehee..."<br/><br/><em>THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR THAT! KLERIS, WE SHOULD LEAVE!</em></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>The outsiders squared off in the arena of Kleris' mind, competing to keep it unsullied vs corrupted.  With the teenage demon on his suddenly naked lap, her soft ass pushing on his thighs and growing arousal, it was difficult to concentrate on anything else, even the pincer-horror yelling directly into his head about the dangers of his companion and their surroundings.  He wanted to reach out, to kiss and caress Elgazia just once before leaving, but knew he wouldn't be able to stop at that--the visions that came to his mind at her suggestion were perverse and delicious, and even the paintings and sculptures decorating the study started to morph to reflect the erotic possibilities of teenage pinups and thick black demonic tentacles.<br/><br/>Shuddering and standing, letting Elgazia slide off his lap onto the table, Kleris forced himself to lock eyes with Horishkad's... face?  "Okay, fine, let's get out of  here.  Elgazia, Rachel, we'll totally fuck back at Redhurst, okay?  I don't care how much magic I use, I just can't be eaten by alien dream-nightmares right now, I have to find my father.  Let's wake up!"