The dog and the moon.
(Two shimmers, or two months, after the death of Dorrad Chaos)
There are few places like Dirtmoth, most landmarks are well built cities or outlying shrines/monuments. Here in Dirtmoth you are introduced to the worst built structures on Dorrad Den; for example there isn't a single stretch of road in the entire town. If you wanted to walk from one end of town to the other there is no straight path. To walk across town you would have to, from northeast to southwest, head south, then west, southwest, north, take a west turn back south, head all the way down then west to the end. By some miracle they managed to cram plumbing not only for each house (houses which are never built in a block and sometimes get dropped right in the way of a road) but also for a fountain! As for who built the town, that would be the culprit since no one actually knows the founder and no one ever stays long enough to keep a record of where things go.
It's pure chaos, you'll have one architect move in who shows an obsession with one style only to have him replaced a moon later by a carpenter who has an entire other style in mind. Its building after building of the most absurd creations when you consider the context of the entire town.
There are two redeeming factors that keep Kren from succumbing to the powerful stench and overwhelming visuals of Dirtmoth. These would be the nearby forest from which he appeared, certainly the most bizarre experience any one of those that dream will experience. The other is the local bar keep Mykel, in terms of recorded history Mykel is the only Dorrad who hasnt tried to set fire to society and recently Kren was coming around to their inevitable friendship.
Well, now there is a third reason for the Old Pilgrim to visit this town, the beckon of his Moon goddess. Kren would go to Original Den itself if April asked him to. As for where exactly he is meant to go he has no idea and so Kren reaches out, closes his eyes and looks ahead. There was Queen Stell, the reserved table at the Upside Down Cafe and a swipe across his scalp. Kren ducks in a flash just as a blade of shadow cuts across, Kren turns and steps back fast.
"aha! so its true, the oldest tool cuts open the veil and see's what's ahead ey?" The Deathal Void, sheathing the blade before it puffs away, approaches Kren with an extended hand.
"No, thank you." Kren, standing on his own and waving away the offer, says pointedly "Running out of space between huh? Well I'm impressed you've already found a fitting place to settle down..." The darkness points to a table outside the Cafe where a poor victim, what's left, is sitting on a chair next to a pile of goods.
"Shopping-" Deathal stutters before Kren cuts him off.
"Shopping? you're a horrible Liar, ALSO that's a breach of contract, let the poor man go; with all his parts back where you found them!" The poor tavern patron reforms from the near lifeless husk he was and in a haze he runs off.
"Stell." Instinctually Kren greets the Lady Starlove, his memory recalling this as the moment she decided to finally show herself.
"Can't get anything past that old dog" Stell mumbles, thwarted.
"Matter's to attend Deathal, you'll have to excuse us." Kren says, with a dismissive gesture. Did he recognize the puppet of bone? A pirate for sure but Kren swears he remembers the outfit.
"How close was I?" Stell asks with an ember of excitement, enough to remain regal yet enough for Kren to notice she had been planning ways to outwit his 'gift' ever since she learned they would be meeting again.
"Not even close." Kren gives an awkward smile, it's hard for him to interact with a Denizen of equal or greater rank than him. "But, candidly, are you questioning me or April?"
To this, Stell straightens and puts on a serious face "I guess... I mean... You probably?" She admits, mixing a confused look into her dishonest posture. Kren has Stell caught in the trap and the only way out is to outwit him; a common past time that got them through the many moons of Chaos' reign.
"you give up the game too easily, play it like a harp, play it like the love of your life!" Kren exclaims with an out-of-character energy.
"You're doing it already." Stell mundanes, dropping her act and returning to the posture of a burdened soldier that had walked from Nocturnia to Dirtmoth in plate armor and a pack. In a slump of exhaustion she points towards the tavern and begins a, not even close to regal, hobble.
Kren, stopped in his mental tracks, reaches out a pathetic gesture and drops his jaw with a quiet "a." before setting himself back on track. "How are the Piety Score's going?"
"Let's hear her out, then we can talk." With this, and a gesture to hurry, Stell and Kren are through the tavern's door.
The Upside Down Cafe was it's name and that it was. Upside down - right side up - every which way right and wrong. The town outside might be a bit dull, but if it weren't for this tavern the town wouldn't exist (You could say the town was built by the perpetually inebriated.) Masterful artist playing lute on the north wall, patrons pouring their own drinks at the ceiling bar and a chandelier hanging from the floor.
Kren recalls April would be waiting at the reserved table, a circular table with three chairs in the back corner. Next to the kitchen door, nestled under some stairs that go up to the ceiling and back down to the floor in one big oval. There April, the Moon Goddess, sat drinking blackberry wine and talking to Dorrad Mykel. All details Kren had noticed but not fully grasped until setting his eyes on the moment. Kren and Stell move to the table.
April greatly affects the aura around her. Unblemished skin, Silky hair, glowing face, vibrant eyes, she defines beauty. The room glows and smells like a garden. There are colorful flowers sprouting from the cracks in the floor. Lady bugs, Potato bugs and Butterflies accompany the flowers. April is the antitheses of anxiety, she commands calm and requires it stay that way. Kren meets with the Moon Goddess April almost once a gleam (a rare occurrence for any follower, zealot or not.) In all their times meeting he had never met her like this, so informal, and here? Kren prepares for anything, for all he knows it's one grand trap.
Kren and Stell sit just as April is taking a sip of wine, Stell on the inside and Kren on the outer part of the booth.
"I'll have a glass of water" Kren says to Mykel
"No you wont." Mykel says hopping off the table and sauntering into the kitchen. Mykel, an unnatural and narrative novelty, is a Dorrad (A dragon of Legend). Not all Dorrads are as big as Dorrad Chaos, and not all are as legendary as their title would lead you to believe but Mykel has been an effective ally to the Goddess and so their is no malice during this interaction.
"Kren? Would you like something more relaxing?" April asks, holding up a wooden vase with steam hovering out of its spout.
"Ooooh is that your garden tea?" Stell asks with a shocking jubilance, offering up a wooden mug from the table center.
Kren reaches for a mug of his own, he had only tried the tea once before, a memory he holds very dear. Kren feels a relief from an unnoticed tension, meeting with April feels like you're on stage. At first you think she will be displeased with you and then you remember she didn't want anything she wasn't already certain you could offer. They sit and sip for a time, awaiting anxiety's passing. The tea's effect grasps Stell first, she had nearly downed the mug, and finally Kren follows into the intoxicating drift that is the tea's effect.
"How is everything up on the Throne?" Stell asks.
The Throne is where an Enchantress is taught, from a very young age, how to be a benevolent and fair Queen. The old Pilgrim had been there once but only on its outskirts, and only in a dream. One night, as he slept, he was shown that place from a distance. April offered him the chance to see it closer up and in person but he declined; he didn't, and never would, fit in there. April and Stell talk during Krens rumination and of course the April notices, so she turns her attention to him (Pouring more tea into his mug.) Kren happily indulges further, chasing after the myth of serenity.
April extends her hands out to Kren and Stell, both returning the gesture, Stell reaching out to Kren to form a triangle and Kren hesitantly returning that gesture as well. The three lean in and with that the meeting truly begins.
Stolen story; please report.
"Have either of you ever been to the desert?" April asks curiously. Though she resides on the moon April never watches so attentively as to know the constant activities of the people below, she genuinely wouldn't know where the two have and have not gone.
"I've been to the Treatied Cliffs, saw some sand once." Stell found a loaf of sourdough in a basket cornucopia and was now snacking on it by the mouthful, talking through the food.
Kren had somehow missed the basket of fruits, cheese and bread. Normally he would feel shame for displaying such familiarity to April, he prefers professional display, but with the tea and Stell's excessive familiarity he figures mimicry serves better in this moment; so Kren grabs a slice of sourdough and some cheese. "I've been to the desert, during my pilgrimage." The image of the dog and the Golden Casket grab Kren's mind. Seeing the memory from both perspectives he nearly falls unconscious with the sticky euphoria of pure nostalgia.
---
Notes from popular literature 'The Dorrad and the Tedious Process of Dethroning One'
"When the Ortaro Kren arrived on Dorrad Den he was a young boy. Those that dream are represented in body by their mental maturity. It is functionally the same as a Denizen's aging process with the added caveat that a dreamer doesn't die of old age (Denizens have shown to both die of old age and live indefinitely see later notes on Denizens, page 67.)
It is ritual among the Ortaro Archons to return at full maturity to the place where you arrived and take your younger self on a pilgrimage to where you see fit. The Ortaro covet the opportunity as it really isn't theirs to have before and after yet during they own it fully. For Kren he traveled across all of Dorrad Den, starting in the constant forest and ending on a dune overlooking the sun as it crossed over the valley and into the garden.
Of all the Ortaro this was by far the most impactful pilgrimage, for many moons it would be framed as the cause of the pilgrimage of the Sun.."
---
"Ah, I should've guessed." April gives Kren's hand a double squeeze. The second squeeze remains for a moment, April is so perfect in Kren's eyes. April knows her creations and her guests all as if she personally saw to their creation. This type of gesture (A silent acknowledgment) was a common one, it meant April was ready to return when you felt more comfortable. "Stell? Did you meet with any caravan's coming from Original Den?" April asks.
Stell gives her response with a glow "In fact I hired one on my return trip home one Reflection and one Shimmer ago. They told me all about the desert and its landmarks." The tea works wonders, Kren knows at this moment he usually would be exceedingly jealous of Stell, the way she leans in, the wide eyes of awe. Instead he is too calm to feel that heat, even so deep within like an ember.
"Alright, then I feel confident in both of you and now it is decided." April straightens up while some Tulips, Snap Dragons, Wood Blewit and a Fern rapidly grow in the center of the table. "The Wood Blewit represents Dirtmoth, the Tulips are the Valley, the Snap Dragons are the Tunnel Prison and on your end, the Fern, the city Original Den. I want you to go to Original Den, one of Chaos' greatest weapons is in the heart of the city's pyramid. Now that Sun and Chaos are gone we should take advantage of the chance and learn Chaos' secret's."
"We'd be leaving the land under the rule of the Dorrad! They walk along the soil like they own it and use YOUR winds to fly!" Stell almost standing to say it, if she hadn't Kren would've said so himself. Not that April's request was absurd, again she is a goddess, while the Ortaro and Enchantress help they only serve to hasten April's work.
"I'll be sure to tell the people and plants that you feel that way but I assure you now, more than ever, we are secured. Chaos' military is practically doing all the work for us. The people of the garden will be united soon." April says motherly, without coarseness.
There is a pause, neither Kren nor Stell mean to say no, only the unexpected nature of the request gives them pause.
"Ill do it." Kren says.
"Ill do it." Stell is crying. April lets Kren's hand go to grab Stell's and look her in the eyes.
"You have done wonderful things for the garden, if you dont want this you're free to act on your own." April assures. "Kren go ask the Dorrad how to get to Original Den, you leave immediately." She gives him a gracious look "Thank you."
Kren takes the thank you as a request for privacy and leaves the table. In the kitchen, Mykel is cooking a feast above a fire he continuously stokes like he's puffing pipe smoke out one cheek.
"What poor thing have you burned black?" Kren smirks along with his remark, the comment said with a sarcastic tone (Mykel is an expert chef, barista, smoker, itamae, baker, you name it he makes it.)
"Aha, what's that she sent you in here for?" Mykel, without hesitation in his flame, friendly returns.
"You didn't hear? You're gonna want to be sitting down for this one." Kren pulls up his own stool from the break room.
"I'm-" *pause to stoke the flame* "I'm not sure you even have the potential to surprise me Old Dog."
"I need my old music box." Kren says just as Mykel is giving the flame another puff.
The Dorrad make a remarkably un-chef-like pause before returning to the tend "You don't have to go, she can't force you."
"I want to go." Kren shoots.
"Never thought you were a full fledged zealot." The little Dorrad utters.
"So im going, no stopping me blah blah blah lets just skip to the part where you tell me where Chaos hid my stuff." Kren says, pleased with himself.
"Not really your property though, is it?" *pause* the two look upset yet content like they don't want to have this conversation but they both knew it was going to happen eventually. "It's in the prison."
Kren walks to the door and leaves with a genuine "Thanks."
"He'll bury you forever. For a 'slain beast', Chaos' is very active these days." Mykle stops what he's doing to say it and Kren ignores the plea with ease.
April stands to greet Kren "I assume you got what we need?"
"Yes, it's in the prison." Kren looks down at Stell who has her head on the table, making no noise "Is she okay?"
"She's still fresh from her interrogations in Cordon, the scope of Chaos' occupation had yet to set in. I hope you'll help illuminate what good came of this loss while you two are out there." April gives a friendly face and a smile to reassure. In an awkward exchange Kren holds out a hand for a shake and April holds out her arms for a hug, the two chime a laugh and April accepts the hand shake with "Happy doing bizz little pup."
In moments like these Kren was seeing through it all, not that April is veiled but more that her humility keeps her secrets safe. You know she's a god, that doesn't mean you know how or why or what about it but, in fact, Kren sees she is perfectly benevolent. Without expectation or wishes Kren would fulfill every request. Maintaining the purity of Dorrad Den, the only thing he could think to offer. Soon Kren and Stell are up and out, the tea giving them a sense of safety as they leave April's sight.
---
Outside the Cafe Stell and Kren set up for their journey, point their compass and pack their bags.
"The Piety Scores turned to Lectures." Stell says, throwing on her bag.
"It's right there." Kren says pointing towards the Moon "You'd think that's enough evidence for the average observer."
"No they want a bit more than that, all of them." Stell sighs staring out at the garden, away from the road to the valley.
"All of them? Not a single person heard you out?" Kren, with disappointment, was having a hard time believing it. An entire continent of people and no one wanted to join in the fight, so many benefactors of the Moons graceful light, a healing light no less. A truly absurd notion, no one person should even be aloud to deny April.
The two begin walking, out of town and into a beautiful field of flowers and ferns. Their path leading to the Valley, one of three known ways to travel from the garden to the desert. The Valley had recently been the victim of the Pilgrimage of the Sun, a devastating event that ruined the lives of almost every inhabitant in the valley and its settlements.
Stell, who had to stop talking for the moment to quell more tears, takes a deep breath and begins again. "Near the end, in Cordon, I was taken in for questioning or... interrogating. Im surprised you never encountered this yourself but for me, nobody really believes we saved Nocturnia. I'm so different from the other Enchantress's they think I stole the throne for selfish desires."
She was right, not once had Kren encountered anyone who called him out for enacting a coup, no one he met ever had the time to accuse him. "You're the first one she let me talk informally to, before you I was only aloud to look from afar." A half lie, but a good one he thought, truthfully it was his choice to avoid the other Enchantress's, Stell was the first because she was a denizen. Kren finds himself with an itch, something he hasn't done in moons, and so he lets one out.
"Glow them like the sky
Behold light of the lost stars
Even Lady Stell."
Referring to the others like her, those chosen by April that glow with a hypnotizing light. An Enchantress.
"What?" Stell stumps.
"It... It was a poem! Sorry if im not that great at improv but if you don't mind id lik-" Kren puffs the rest of his sentence out in an exhausting huff as Stell bunts him in the gut, pointing at a camp up ahead.
"Are those Chaos' detachment?" Stell knowingly humors, a smile on her face. While true that Sun was now gone, abruptly stopped in its tracks overhead during its pilgrimage and Chaos' killed, his military still remained.
"No thats just a blockade, or some checkpoint." Kren wises, knowing the size of a detachment to be practically unfathomable compared to Stell's own military force.
"At ends we find the s--s-p." Stells voice says, catching Kren off guard as it comes from right next to him despite her being a few measures behind. Foresight is not always presented as a sense to him, especially as he has gotten older, the gift often sneaks up on him. Subconsciously The old pilgrim preps a simple prayer. "Bless the moon and her garden. Give life to the denizens and deliver me the dream for my works on the other side." The prayer said on Kren's knees, Stell now standing next to the Old Pilgrim holding her spear.
"At ends we find the spider and its many limbs, lose them and let the critter sleep under the moon that it might spend its reincarnation contemplating its place in the dream." Stell says as Kren perfectly imitates her.
Immediately the duo fall upon the blockade (made up of a small camp, watchtower and spiked wall along the road.) they tare it to shreds; everyone of Kren's moves complimenting Stell's chaotic attacks. Stell makes no pause as she flies through the camp, each opponent an obstacle that she arrogantly crushes, Kren remaining just behind to protect from any caustic collateral attacks. Every lunge forward from Stell is a major backstep from Kren yet they remain aligned back-to-back and unflinching. Stells eyes wide with a passionate, fear inducing, rage and Kren's eyes closed as he sees it all occur from the perspective of the outcome.
When it is over Kren and Stell go around to cut off one finger from each corpse, store the fingers in a pouch, and begin their journey in earnest.
