Alva
As I’ve studied these grey splinters you found, I’ve come to believe that they have a kind of knowledge imbued in them. It’s fragmented, of course. Not enough to glean a conscious thought. But I keep having dreams… nothing coherent yet… but I’ll let you know…
Alva
I had a more coherent dream after working with a larger number of splinters… I saw a feast. A peaceful, tranquil place. I felt… smiles. I felt calm.
Ranger
Was that in a forest? Or a village?
Huntress
Sounds like home.
Monk
A good feeling, in a dark time. Where was this place?
Witch
That can’t be anywhere on Wraeclast.
Sorceress
Sounds like home. Was it the Vastiri?
Warrior
A memory of peace. Do you know where it was?
Mercenary
So it was a dream, then. Can’t imagine where that would be.
Alva
I didn’t get the impression that this was part of a vast empire, or a grand civilisation, or anything like that. Just a rare haven from the world’s ills. I really wish I could have written it down… but it’s gone. I can’t hold on to the sensations…
Alva
I had another dream… well, more like a nightmare. I was running through a glade, chasing a rabbit, but no matter what, I couldn’t catch it. It fled into a stump, and disappeared into darkness… while I was peering down, something loomed above me. A horned creature. Emaciated. I could see its shadow fall over me but… it seemed impossible. It was like the shadow came from… below. When I finally met its gaze, I expected horror, but instead, I was blinded by a void. My eyes were open, yet I saw only… eternity. A creature reached out its claw and cut deeply into my forehead. Countless screaming voices poured into my mind. Then… I woke. Disturbed, but… still myself. What do you think it means?
Ranger
We can’t be sure what it means yet. Try to get some sleep.
Huntress
The elders told me of a darkness that skulks deep in the world. Could it be the very same?
Monk
It’s an ominous sign of evil.
Witch
I don’t know what it means, but I’m excited.
Sorceress
I believe this is someone else’s tale, conveyed to you by {their} memory. Try to remember every detail. It could be important.
Warrior
I think you need some rest. Whatever that nightmare means, I’ll handle it.
Mercenary
I think it means… you took a sip of the wrong drink, love.
Alva
I believe I had the final dream. I think I felt… divinity, as crazy as that sounds.
Ranger
Divinity? What was it like?
Huntress
I’m listenin’.
Monk
Perhaps the memory of a god. Go on.
Witch
Tell me {everything.}
Sorceress
Perhaps not as crazy as you think. Now… finish the tale.
Warrior
Tell me more.
Mercenary
I’ve heard crazier. Go on then.
Alva
In the dream, I was hollow. Completely empty. I was a liar. A torturer. A deceiver. I’d perfected the art of contorting reality to my will, purely to bring untold misery upon the world. Perhaps strangest of all, I had a… portal of sorts… in my forehead. A gateway from my mind to the world. Where all the horrors I imagined could be made real… I think I’m done with those splinters. I don’t want to know anymore.
Ranger
It must be {his} memories. The Black Crow.
Huntress
I know it, now. It’s {his} memories. How he came to be… the Raven.
Monk
The memories of a dark god. The one tormenting us.
Witch
Ah, it’s the trickster’s memories!
Sorceress
I see. It is the tale of the trickster. The Raven himself.
Warrior
It’s him. {His} memories. The strange voice is… the Black Crow.
Mercenary
That must be the strange voice. His memories.
Alva
The completed object… when the splinters are reassembled… it’s a fruit. A stone carving of a fruit we used to gather from the shore. Sweet and juicy, like summer, now lost forever… Sorry, what {they} used to gather…