The Fellowship gathers at The Temple. All wear freshly laundered cloaks and carry polished weapons and shields. They are eager to hear what the Supreme Council has to tell them. The eight have come to introduce themselves and discuss the purpose and object of their Quest. Driven to seek the means by which they might free their homelands and save all the Kingdoms of the World from the encroaching Darkness, they discuss the Legend of Yostwell’s Light and vow to seek for its whereabouts. They learn the Rules of Questport and pledge to cooperate with one another so as to complete their mission. Mei is chosen as the first Task Hero, due to a dream she had the previous night regarding a small white box that contains vital information regarding the Quest for Yostwell’s Light. This is her story… “I dreamed that I was in a circular room, with walls of shining marble and a high ceiling. Candles were everywhere, and the room was filled with light. All the candles were the same, but their flames shone with every color of the rainbow. In the center of the room was a wide table draped with a white sheet, almost like an altar. There was a silver candelabra sitting on the cloth, and as I looked at it, it let out a flash of white light and the candles around the room burned even brighter. I only caught a quick glimpse of it, however, because after the light flashed, it shrunk and dwindled, and was swallowed up by a small box. The box was no larger than my fist; made of white porcelain inlaid with gilded patterns. On the top were three perfect roses. Even though the candelabra was totally hidden inside the box, the light of its flames still shone through the sides.” The Fellowship sets forth to find the Dreambox–a challenging task, due to their lack of knowledge of anything about it save its appearance. However, their optimism and strength give them the courage to journey far across Questport to seek their goal. At first they search in vain, finding no sign of anything resembling the object they are seeking. Coming upon an old farmer, they ask for help. He tells them that although he’s never heard of a “Dreambox” before, the Oracle might have an answer to their query. Indeed, the Oracle has had a vision of where the Dreambox can be found, but he will not share it with them until they present him an offering of the sacred brew. After providing the Oracle with liberal amounts of sacred brew, the Fellowship learns that they must seek the Dreambox at the Stone of Honor. Unfortunately, not one of them has the slightest idea of what that means. Taking pity on their confusion, the High Priestess of the Oracle tells them that the Stone of Honor can be found beneath the trees of unbloomed flowers. With only these two hints to guide them, The Fellowship finally locates the Dreambox, hidden at the base of an old memorial beneath dying trees. Each of them tries to open the box, but cannot; instead, they return to the Temple with their prize. |
The Dreambox
The next day, the Fellowship gathers at The Temple. They have obtained their signatures and are in costume and character. Mei tries again to open the Dreambox; this time, the small box opens easily in her hands. Inside is a silver key strung upon a white ribbon, and a message telling them that the location of the second key can only be discovered by following the directions found in the Book of Knowledge. Unfortunately, gremlins in the service of The Lord of Angels and Demons have stolen all the pages of the book, and they are now scattered and hidden in books all over Questport. The Fellowship must first REUNITE the book, then follow the directions contained therein, in order to reveal the hidden location of the second key. Spiro is selected as the Task Hero. The heroes search the libraries of Questport and–after much research–find all eight pages of the Book of Knowledge. Though the Book has been magically preserved from rot or decay for thousands of years, the spell had not prevented the gremlins from crumpling and ripping the pages. The Book seems to be beyond repair; but with the aid of the Reunite Wand, it is restored. In answer to the question of how the Fellowship may find the second key, the Book tells of the Secret Keeper, who was chosen from among the Supreme Council to guard the location of the key. She alone of anyone in Questport knows its location. But the Secret Keeper, who was both proud and beautiful, rebuffed the advances of the mercurial Lord of Angels and Demons. Enraged, the Lord of Angels and Demons cast a spell of utter forgetfulness upon her, and sent his gremlins to steal and deface the Book of Knowledge so that her memory could never be restored. Deep within the sacred tome’s pages, the heroes find a recipe for an Elixir of Remembrance, which should restore the Secret Keeper’s lost memories. After great trials and toil, they assemble all the ingredients and prepare the potion. Despite the Elixir’s bitter taste, its magic is true and the Secret Keeper’s memory returns. She gives them a scrap of parchment she had written long ago to encrypt the location of the second key in a rhyme: The Nectar of the Council grows sweet and wild She tells them that the key is hidden within a dazzling, fiery orb, and gives them sincere thanks for restoring her memory. After much thought, the Fellowship decides that the poem is referring to Questport’s Vineyard. At once they make haste to the vineyard, where after long hours of searching they discover a golden orb hidden among the bountiful vines. They bring the orb to the Secret Keeper, who opens it to reveal the second key. |