Using Lady Valarathorn’s mask, Iansa experiences a vision through the eyes of Vvaarek. In the memory, Vvaarek teaches gatekeeper druids how to create binding seals.
Wearing the mask, Iansa’s also able to read The Sundering Book of Dreams. The tome describes a ritual requiring a specific material (and living) component called “Dreamers”, beings who died and were revived during childhood when their souls remained malleable.
These Dreamers become spiritual “tuning forks” whose consciousness passed through both Dolurrh and Dal Quor during their stint in death. In sleep, they have connections to both realms simultaneously, making them living anchors capable of bridging the otherwise unreachable plane of Dal Quor.
The party then goes shopping, and Barb insults a half-orc shopkeeper by attempting to purchase a whip in orcish despite him having been born in Sharn.
The party heads back to The Cogs to deal with the cultist compound.
Cas disguises herself as one whom she remembers, only to make it awkward as that one is posted outside of the compound keeping watch.
Battle ensues immediately, as cultists and a monstrous Tusca Quori stream out.
After the fight, the party are recovering several poisons that induce paralysis from the bodies of the cultists when they hear a woman coughing inside. They enter the compound to discover an old woman, who claims she’s “just passing through.” She’s technically not lying, but not exactly telling the truth either, the body she possesses is from Sharn, but it’s actually a Quori possessing it.
As soon as she reveals this, Coravash immediately tries to punch her and completely misses. The Quori just stares and smiles at Cora in response.
Iansa manages to hit her with a sorcerous blast, but then the Quori and Coravash get into a full ideological debate about which side of the dream war is actually good. Cora talks about being reborn and creating a better world, but the Quori asks for who.
When the lady tries to read Taarkhan’s mind, he slices her clean in half.
Opening the box under the altar, they find a teenager asleep inside. They wake him and he has no idea what was happening. He did overhear them talking about Echo overseeing a shipment to Korranberg in Zilargo.
The teen’s name is Kuven, and Barbara immediately starts doting on him.
They find a receipt showing the cultists had requisitioned space on a cattle car with handling notes instructing to keep it cool and quiet.
While discussing priorities and next steps, Rhazala reports that some frightening-looking figures were looking for someone with Barbara’s distinctive scar. She managed to follow them back to an Inn in Middle Dura called “The Sanguine Serpent”.