- Ethan’s rebuilding of the Kingdom of Bloodstone is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a child’s drawing. In the picture is a moon with blood red eyes. Ethan instantly knows that this came from Hilda and that she has sent him a warning. Hilda was clearly scared when she drew this. The Red-Eyed Dwimmerlaik has returned.
- Ethan asks Liliana what she knows of the Red-Eyed Dwimmerlaik. To his surprise, she knows of him. He made some trouble about six months ago, conquering four realms, clearly looking for something and then he backed off. She doesn’t know what R.E.D’s aims are, but she assumed that he was cautious enough of Nicol Bolas to back off. Liliana is intrigued that Ethan is bothered by the Red-Eyed Dwimmerlaik. Ethan decides to leave the Legendary Realm at once and makes it clear to Liliana not to ‘break anything’. She agrees and appears disappointed to see him go.
- Heading onto the Stair, Ethan goes to find the foster home where he left Hilda. It gives him time to think. He regrets sleeping with Liliana. What on earth was he thinking? Was he even thinking?
- On his way, he contacts Isabelle via Icon and explains the drawing that he presumes was made and sent by Hilda. She is intrigued by this – it marks Hilda as an Invoker – and a powerful one at that. Isabelle agrees to join him as she wants to meet Hilda. Ethan asks about the Red-Eyed Dwimmerlaik and Isabelle says that there have been sightings of animals and people with red-eyes from time to time. Lucien doesn’t like to talk about it.
- When almost at the Door to Hilda’s realm, they are confronted by a number of small shadowy rodents that flee towards them on the Stair. Something ahead has them spooked. Ethan prepares a defensive spell. In front of the Door is a large ginger Cat. (GM’s note – this is a capital ‘C’ Cat – ie: a feline who communicates telepathically, uses sorcery and is generally awesome, so sayest the cat-lover Bruce)
* Image sourced from Google Images
- They exchange pleasantries with the Cat. It says its name is Grimples and it is here as a favour. It has been promised a quantity of fish for guarding the Door. Grimples recognises them as Wardens. He says that he’s been here about two weeks – long enough to be fed 13 times. Ethan bargains with Grimples to step aside, negotiating with an even greater quantity of fish. While he does so, Ethan gently slips a Sleep spell into the conversation and Grimples falls asleep at his post.
- Slipping past the Cat, Ethan and Isabelle enter the realm. They travel through a 1950s rural European setting. It is warm and sunny. The hills are dotted with pockets of livestock. Ethan finds the village of Tanshiel only a few miles from the Door but Hilda is not at home. Figuring that she must be at school, they find the one-room school in the village and Ethan politely asks the teacher if he can talk to Hilda. Hilda is overjoyed to see Ethan and she asks to be excused. She hugs him and says that there is danger nearby. She asks to leave immediately. Ethan promises to send a message to her foster parents so that they will not worry. Quizzically, Hilda says helpfully that she can do that herself.
- Using an Icon to contact Lady Sophia, they interrupt her negotiations but it is a welcome interruption as it enables her to demonstrate that she has close connections with multiple Lords of Gossamer, not just Lord Grant. Thanking her, Ethan, Isabelle and Hilda head for Ethan’s house in Central. Ethan hasn’t been here in a while. It is clean but not as tidy as he would like. Inside Ethan’s residence, Hilda asks for art materials so that she can send her foster parents a message. Ethan and Isabelle watch in amazement as Hilda does a drawing of three stick figures, clearly one for each of them. The drawing is crude but Hilda is imbuing the drawing with magic. Ethan and Isabelle realise that Hilda may appear to be a little girl, but she is not. At last, the paper fades away and vanishes. Ethan notes that they should probably not tell Grant that it’s possible for an Invoker to summon and send things from within a protected realm like Marindar.
- After making Hilda feel welcome and comfortable, Isabelle heads to the Central Market to get some provisions. Ethan warns Isabelle not to tell Lucien about the Red-Eyed Dwimmerlaik just yet. Isabelle agrees – it is a sore spot for him.
- As soon as Isabelle has left, Hilda asks where Auntie Abbie is. It is a painful question for Ethan – he says that she’s elsewhere and he misses her. Hilda simply says (with childlike logic) that Ethan should ask her to come back. It persuades him to contact Abbie via Icon. She receives his contact but is not pleased to hear from him. Ethan simply says that the Red-Eyed Dwimmerlaik may be active once more and he is looking after Hilda. He advises her to watch her back. Abigail is cautious but accepts his warning. She he agrees to contact Ethan if she needs assistance and she asks Ethan to say some kind words to Hilda on her behalf.
- Hilda settles down in Marindar. Ethan asks about her foster parents and Hilda says that they were nice. She tells Ethan that she ‘named’ the house, marking it as now protected.
- Ethan asks about why the Red-Eyed Dwimmerlaik is hunting her. She tells him that the Red-Eyed Dwimmerlaik was exiled from the Dwimmerlaik Empire because he had no talents. Apparently the Red-Eyed Dwimmerlaik kept her as a ‘pet’. The R.E.D. likes to collect things. But he was distracted and left her behind while he focussed on something else and Hilda slipped away. Ethan asks how old she is and she guesses that she is 137 years old. Young for her age – she doesn’t age very quickly. A bit young for school. Her parents are gone – the R.E.D. found their names and made them ‘stop’. He removed them.
- Outside the seagulls are crying. Ethan asks more about the R.E.D. Apparently he wanted revenge against the Dwimmerlaik Empire but since the civil war this is no longer his goal. He is looking for something. He can send himself places. He is very good at doing that. Somehow he became a Warden of the Stair too as he can open Doors. Something was holding him back but he is no longer afraid – he is venturing forth and expanding his reach. He appears as blood-red eyes in a moon.
- Ethan judges that returning to the Legendary Realm with her is too risky. Marindar is safer because Grant protects it. He contacts Liliana to check on things in Bloodstone. She flirts with him over the Icon contact but it falls flat, much to her surprise. Ethan warns her to be on her guard.
- A day later, Ethan is contacted by Lady Sophia. She says that a ginger Cat named Grimples is apparently owed a large quantity of fish. Ethan goes to meet with the Cat, surprised that he has found his way to Marindar. The two parley and Grimples tries to convince Ethan that he owes him a quantity of fish. Ethan argues that he owes Grimples nothing as he beat him.
- Inviting Grimples to dinner at a seafood restaurant overlooking the sea (in order to smooth things over), they talk about their predicament. R.E.D. is looking for the girl (Hilda) and he needs her alive. Ethan asks Grimples how R.E.D. found him and how he ended up working for him. Grimples explains that R.E.D. looks for exceptional individuals that would deprive the Empire. He notes that R.E.D. had his eye on Ethan once when he became an Imperial Warden. Grimples has worked for R.E.D. for a long time. Once the R.E.D. has your name, it is difficult to refuse. R.E.D. has Grimples’ name so he does what R.E.D. wants.
- Grimples isn’t a Warden himself but he has other ways to find things and open Doors – it’s just not as effective. Ethan surprises Grimples by asking to meet with the R.E.D. – he wants to make a deal with him. Grimples agrees to this but cautions Ethan, saying that Ethan will be snared just like he was. Nevertheless, he agrees to pass the message along. Ethan is thinking that he might be able to use R.E.D. to somehow do a deal to get Abbie back from Bolas’ control but he wonders if dealing with the R.E.D. might be stepping into the ‘lion’s mouth’.
- After Grimples’ departure, Ethan notifies Lady Sophia and asks him to keep an eye on this Cat. Lady Sophia comments that they always keep an eye on Cats when they come to Marindar as they have a reputation of being slippery characters and not to be trusted. Ethan wonders if Macavity would be pleased or disappointed with Lady Sophia’s opinion of Cats.
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