Signe,
I did not get a chance to speak with you at Florica's wedding, but I am returning home once more. The matter that brought me here is resolved to my satisfaction. As you had asked me to keep track of the issue with the “holes in the pattern” as my service to the Militia, I present my best understanding of the state of things. It is certainly possible I am conflating two or more separate problems, but I believe this is all related. I am also leaving a copy of this letter for Roderago. He had asked for my notes on some of these matters, and is the best expert on the Realms in town, and this matter is firmly in need of such an expert.
As I understand it, many years ago, (probably before the year zero, as I believe this is tied to the Oracle Conundrum, but that is largely speculation), Something from outside the Realms as we know them attacked the Realms. The forces of all the Realms were insufficient to drive it off. However, it was trapped, and is held prisoner in the Witchwood. The trapping was set up by the ancestors of the Fandalee.
The Fandalee predecessors left three dreamstones explaining (vaguely) what they had done. I attach two of the dreams below. I recovered the dreamstone containing the last from Raine's sanctum last gather, and have given it to Nephros. It would be wise for someone to dream on it, I expect. They do not provide a great deal of advice on how to *solve* the problem, but they explain the background, and seem to confirm the Silver King's solution will work. They were described to me as numbered, but that may just have been the order in which people dreamed on them.
Part of the trapping was a forgetting, such that no one knew it was there or had been done. As people have learned about it (possibly starting with the Archeologists? unclear), the trapping has gotten weaker, and it is getting loose. As it does so, random gateways between the Realms (the “holes in the pattern,” although that's a metaphor more than an actual construct) have begun appearing. I speculate wildly that the current structure of the Realms was somehow created at the same time as this fight, and previously they were connected differently. I also believe, although I forget where I learned it, that this is the reason Witchwood leaves are black, rather than White, the color of Evren. (Note - I believe the trapped thing is at or near the center of the Witchwood, which is why I strongly advise against continuing to try to lick the Witchwood tree.)
In order to fix the problem, we would need to either repair the current bindings (probably causing everyone to forget again) or make a new one. The Silver King is working on an answer to provide a new binding, but as he researches it, the current bindings weaken because people remember more about what was done (and possibly he's also doing destructive testing more directly, he was not completely clear). The new binding will also need both a memory and a trapping part, but the memory part will somehow not actually cause people to forget - it will put the dangerous part of remembering (presumably some sort of reverish/umbral effect of the story/thoughts being dangerous, although I am again speculating there) into a box. He explained (most of) how to do the memory binding, and is still working on the trapping binding.
The memory binding requires: A box made of oak and pine planks taken from trees grown in the witchwood, lined with lead-gold alloy forged in Heartwood smoke, and tied to our realm by the Gatekeeper of Evren. The memories will be placed in this box, which will make them no longer dangerous. The memories will need to be collected with a Sword of Silver and Salt, with a hydra egg pommel. It will need to be [tied to? imbued with? something] Quintessence and Spirit by the gatekeepers of Vigor and Umbra. What you *do* with it once you've made it, I don't know.
The only thing we know from the Silver King about a new trapping binding is that it will need the Stitcher's Needle. One of the druids has that, although it has slipped my mind which one. I want to say Feohn or Vennick? I am assuming, from the Fandalee dreams speaking of a solution that requires all six gatekeepers, that the trapping binding will require the gatekeepers of Reverie, Firmament, and Void each to do something. I left a lead box with Zelai that Nyth had commissioned in the hopes it would safely hold an Eye of the Abyss. I was theoretically to give it to Aislin, but as you are one of the last members of Iron Company in town, I hope you can make sure it is put to good use.
The Silver King will be providing further briefings as he learns more about the answer. Someone(s) will need to take careful notes.
The Fandalee dreams describe the Gatekeeper of Evren at the time as a creature of Void, which makes no sense, but is also supported by the information from the nightmare-dwarf (Torven) in Reverie that we fought in the first Fall Gathering last year. I also enclose my notes from that encounter, although I do not have a complete set of the notes available there. (I believe the blood lyra with the hounds may have them? I think there were six, and I only have three.) I note that a relatively new Weaver who visits occasionally, Ficus I believe her name is, has been claiming our Gatekeeper has gone insane, which may be related to why this problem is occurring now. (Ficus is also working on breaking down the remains of Herman's Hive.)
I trust the residents of Oak Harbor will be able to repair and contain this problem. If you wish my advice, or clarification on anything I have said, or further discussion of possible Humaning lessons, I can be reached by letter at Scott Barston, Barston Vineyards, near Celire. I admit I am rather curious what the third dreamstone says, if you have the opportunity to forward that to me.
My Best Wishes for your long and happy life,
Scott Barston
P.S. On an entirely different note, I believe I had asked you to sage the copper acorn pin I took off one of the lyra-torturing-druids? It seems likely that is still a useful topic to look into, if you have no other plans for your research. I left the pin with Zelai.
You sleep and dream.
The world is dark. You are surrounded by nothingness. Lines of crimson light appear from the ether and begin to glow, snaking back and forth as far as you can see forming patterns in the shape of honeycombs.
Your vision glows red for a moment and you awake on a bustling street. You pick yourself up off the ground and begin walking. You feel drawn in a particular direction, towards a small cottage on the edge of town.
Children and adults bustle about the streets carrying out some sort of festival or party. A large object hovers over head, shading the street from the sun. It appears to be a sailing ship of not inconsiderable size, though you are not sure how it is kept aloft.
You arrive at the cottage and notice a carving on the door, similar to the patterns that Conall regularly draws. You feel as if you belong here.
A beautiful young woman sits at a table inside. She wipes a tear from her eye as she notices your entrance.
“Conner, I'm glad you made it before the festival finished. The children will be home soon and I am sure they will be happy to see their uncle, even if they aren't going to remember it. We'll spend one last night all together before we leave for Marsega tomorrow. We will honor the memory of Patrick and Siobhan as they gave their lives last week in battle against the viagmor.”
She pauses, looking slightly confused.
“You aren't Conner are you. What was it I was supposed to say? Oh right. The war has not been going well for us. The vigamor and undead are one thing but there is something worse beginning to appear on Marsega. Something not even the Gatekeeper had seen before. Not something of Void, as the Gatekeeper would have known its own but something not witnessed within the realms. The enchantment we are going to weave borrows power from mantelbearers of both Void and Evren in order to repair the damage done to the fabric. In a way, the enchantment is providing the thread for the stitcher's needle. Our memory will be erased but certain pieces will be preserved in case the enchantment begins to unravel. I don't think a working on this scale will be possible again, at least not the same effects. If we fail here, or if the magic is undone, those that follow will need to find some other way to seal that which lies beyond.”
The world around you fades back to the red honeycomb and slowly fades. You are left alone on a vast empty plane of darkness.
You sleep and dream.
The world is dark. You are surrounded by nothingness. Lines of crimson light appear from the ether and begin to glow, snaking back and forth as far as you can see forming patterns in the shape of honeycombs.
Your vision glows red for a moment and you awake on a bustling street. You pick yourself up off the ground and begin walking. You feel drawn in a particular direction, towards a large townhouse a few doors down.
You arrive at the townhouse and notice a carving on the door, similar to the patterns that Conall regularly draws. You feel as if you belong here.
You enter and a melodic voice beckons from above. “Up here honey”.
You walk up the stairs and into a lavish bedroom, adorned with fine tapestries. A beautiful Elven woman with long raven black hair and piercing ice blue eyes beckons you to join her. “If tonight is going to be the last night, let us spend it together. But… oh. You are not her, are you”
“Ah, I had rehearsed this. We had been experimenting with other options but had determined that this was the most likely to work. We thought of creating something to store and safeguard the knowledge in a compact form but soon realized this would be more of a patch than a permanent solution. If we had more time though…”
“But I digress, and we did not. Besides, it would have required the cooperation of the Gatekeepers of each of the Realms which would not be easy to achieve with scant few moments left. Perhaps those who come after us could find another way.”
The world around you fades back to the red honeycomb and slowly fades. You are left alone on a vast empty plane of darkness.
“Torven came to the realm seeking solutions. Investigations led to questions rather than answers and Torven dug deeper and deeper. Torven must not be allowed to return to Evren for surely destruction would follow.”
“After Torven was trapped we sought answers and advice. We found it, but it was twisted and foul. Torven can no longer be trusted competely, Nightmare has taken too much hold.”
“Torven convinced us to speak with the gatekeeper, loath as we were to speak to a being of void. This turned out to be helpful. Torven cannot be killed, only bound.”
I'm pretty sure there was a first one saying that he was trying to find an answer to the Fandalee precursors problem in Reverie when he started this.