Session 1.3:

The Dark Destiny of the Dreamwalker

The Call to Adventure

You’ve made a horrible mistake, the call knows where you live! You hear the howl of the Hound when you dream. You see people who could be Men of Black and White as you go about your day. The dream has infected your life! And you are certain that you must finish your Incursion to have any peace!

You were sent into the Ring to obtain the Key to the Foglands, and now you have found the Key- but you can’t reach it! The Key is locked behind a binding seal created by somebody unknown to you!

And to make matters worse, the key is sealed behind a door in Den of the Hound! So now, you must find out who sealed the Key, convince them to release the seal, and then brave the Den once more to retrieve it.

Storyteller Synopsis

Hook

The Psychonauts must convince the Dreamwalker to help as they enact the Flight of the Prince and Princess from the Glass Tower.

Path

As they flee, the Prince and Princess are contacted by by the Witchdoctor, and instructed to seek out the DreamWalker, who will help them escape the Empire. But the DreamWalker is unwilling to help.

Plot

The Psychonauts found out previously that the Key is locked in a sealed portion of Void House, and only the DreamWalker to get them in. But the DreamWalker is unwilling to help.

Ultra Simple Overview

This is meant to give the Storyteller a bird’s eye view of the Incursion and how the story should flow.

Setup

The Psychonauts have found the Key to the Foglands, but they can’t reach it. They need the DreamWalker to undo the seal place on the door to the Key.

Act 1

Returning to the Ring, the Psychonauts find it in ruins. The Lady of Fire appears and advises them that the Locust King has been unable to make tribute and the Hungry Empire has fallen. Questioned about the Seal, she will explain that it was made by the  DreamWalker, and she will advise that the DreamWalker has been captured by the Men of Black and White.

Act 2

The Men of Black and White are still looking for the Prince and Princess, in a vain attempt to restore the empire by making now impossible, tribute. The Psychonauts learn that the DreamWalker is held in the base the Men of Black and White have set up in Void House to guard the room containing the Key.

Act 3

The Psychonauts reach the DreamWalker, but the DreamWalker refuses to assist the Psychonauts without some proof that they are not siding with the Men of Black and White and with the Hungry Empire.

Resolution

The Psychonauts obtain the Key to the Foglands, only to learn that they must charge first before it will work for them, and that they must do it by enacting the Flight from Glass Tower with the five pieces of the Glass Tower Tapestry. DreamWalker gives them the third piece, and tells them how to obtain the fourth, but explains that they fifth is “earned in the doing.”

The Deck of Fire used in 1.1 Act by Act

Blood Red Dreaming uses two decks of cards in play: The Deck of Void and the Deck of Fire. The Deck of Void is used for action resolution, taking the place that dice occupy in most tabletop games. The Deck of Fire is used to clarify story elements and help guide the action. Unlike the Deck of Void, the Deck of Fire features expansions and most Incursion Books will include new cards for the Deck of Fire. Storytellers can create their own Incursions by using the existing card for the Deck of Fire to create new Incursion templates quickly and easily.

A1-Sc1 Mythos: Lady of Fire Scenario: A Plea for Help	A1-Sc1 Challenge: Geisternaut, Lesser Shade Challenge: Ghost Lotus, The Rooting	A1-Sc1 Major: Stellar House Minor: The Atrium
A2-Sc1 Mythos: The Bone Man Scenario: A World in Ruins	A2-Sc1 Challenge: Water Bears, Swarming Scavengers Challenge: The Hound, Hunter of Fear	A2-Sc1 Major: The Lotus Garden Minor: The Compass Bridges
A2-Sc2 Mythos: The Bone Man Scenario: A Plea for Help	A2-Sc2 Challenge: Geisternaut, Lesser Shade Challenge: Ghost Lotus, The Rooting	A2-Sc2 Major: The Lotus Garden Minor: The Maze
A2-Sc3 Mythos: The Bone Man Scenario: A Captive in Distress	A2-Sc3 Challenge: The Bone Man, Pitiless Pursuer Challenge: The Hound, Hunter of Fear	A2-Sc3 Major: The Lotus Garden Minor: The Compass Bridges
A3-Sc1 Mythos: The Dreamwalker Scenario: A World in Ruins	A3-Sc1 Challenge: The Bone Man, Implacable Opponent Challenge: Geisternaut, Lesser Shade	A3-Sc1 Major: Void House Minor: The Sanctuary of the Hollow
A3-Sc2 Mythos: The Dreamwalker Scenario: A Captive in Distress	A3-Sc2 Challenge: The Bone Man, Implacable Opponent Challenge: The Hound, Hunter of Fear	A3-Sc2 Major: Void House Minor: The Den

The cards in the Deck of Fire fall into three broad categories: Narrative Cards, Challenge Cards, and Setting Cards. Narrative Cards are either Mythos Cards, or Scenario Cards. Setting Cards are either Major Setting Cards or Minor Setting Cards. Challenge Cards have no subtypes.

Narrative Cards

Mythos Cards

Lady of Fire

Half of Void and Fire, perhaps the most human of the Elders. Lady of Fire is nuclear fire, the heart of a star. A comforting light that may burn its children to cinder.

The Bone Man

Lord of the Knights of Unity, Master of the Secret Police. The Bone Man does not stop, does not tire, does not relent (does not smile)- until the dissident is caught.

The Dreamwalker

Every story needs a teller. And the teller cannot escape the tale. The Dreamwalker, the two who are one, shows others the way to their destiny- their fated end.

Scenario Cards

A Plea for Help

The Psychonauts are faced with a cry of distress, a call for assistancee, a plea for help! Without the Psychonauts, they are doomed.

A World in Ruins

Worlds end. Empires fall. But the story goes on. In the wake of the breaking, the world is left in tatters, awaiting a new tale.

A Captive in Distress

A plot contrivance older than television, older than steam, older than feudalism. You know the drill. Why are you still reading this?

Challenge Cards

Geisternaut, Lesser Shade

The Echonaut of a Psychonaut who met an unknown dark end. The Geisternaut floats like a ghost in pursuit of the Vajra of unwary Psychonauts.

Ghost Lotus, The Rooting

The Ghost Lotus bloom in the skies, but they take root to grow. They take root in the bodies of those foolish enough to wander the Maze unprepared.

Water Bears, Swarming Scavengers

Some Water Bears are sterile, and instead of bursting to spread spores, they grow to the size of large dog, with a scorpion tale with a fange maw.

The Hound, Hunter of Fear

The Elder known as the Hound can smell fear, and none can escape the Hound’s pursuit. The only defense is not to attract it’s attention.

The Bone Man, Pitiless Pursuer

The Bone Man is not a flawless tracker, as the Hound is, but he does not stop and he does not tire. Once he starts, legend says he will always be following you.

The Bone Man, Implacable Opponent

The Bone Man, Master of the Secret Police, does not react to the enemy. He pursues and apprehends. He is indifferent to their response.

Setting Cards

Major Setting Cards

Stellar House

Home and Shrine of Lady of Fire, and also the Hound. Stellar House stands as an altar to astronomy and is typically a safe place for Psychonauts to rest. Typically…

The Lotus Garden

A Fractal map of the Major Realm of Arcadia, the Lotus Garden is a twisting confusing maze filled with dangers and wonders. Treadly carefully.

Void House

Home and Mauseleum to Man of Void, and also the Hound (they he tends to stay in Stellar House) and the Grey as well. Tread these cold halls cautiously.

Minor Setting Cards

The Atrium

Center piece of Stellar House and one part temple, one part observatory, the Atrium’s vast clear dome gives visitors a view of Lady of Fire’s beloved stars.

The Maze

Although the Lotus Garden is more than the great maze, that twisted labyrinth certainly dominates the geography of the garden, blocking sight lines and hiding dangers.

The Compass Bridges

Four Bridges connect the Lotus Garden to the Rest of the Ring. Massive arches stoneworks, open and easily blocked by opposing; resulting in many pitched battles and more ambushes

The Sanctuary of the Hollow

Home to Man of Void, the Sanctuary looks like a museum to the history of space exploration built in a gothic cathedral where the Grey itself also feels at home.

The Den

The Hound resides in Stellar House, sleeping at the altar of Lady of Fire. But its den, where it feeds, is a small confessional booth in Void House.

Incursion 1.3 Act by Act

Set Up

Needed Materials

• Deck of Void: the Ugly Deck is available free as a printable download online
• The Incursion Session: The Incursion Book is available free as a printable download online
• The Incursion Deck of Fire: the Ugly Deck is available free as a printable download online
• The Campaign Book: You make this yourself. Either a physical book or an online document or some sort. You will need it.
• Incursion Sheets for the Psychonauts: These are available free as a printable downloads online
• The Story Progression Sheet: available free as a printable download online
• The Quick Reference Guide: available free as a printable download online
• Pencils and some tokens as well.

Act One – The Bazaar

Scene 1 – The Call

• Mythos: Lady of Fire
• Scenario: A Plea for Help
• Major Challenge: Geisternaut, Lesser Shade
• Minor Challenge: Ghost Lotus, The Rooting
• Major Setting: Stellar House
• Minor Setting: The Atrium

Storyteller Opening Narration

You found the Key to the Foglands during your last incursion, and that should have been it. But the key was sealed in a small sepulchre inside the Den of the Hound. Sealed by a Binding Seal, and you lack the ability to break it. And this means you need to find out who made the seal and somehow get them to remove it.

As you materialize in the Stellar House, a heat wave slams you in the face. You stand in the atrium, staring up at the huge glass dome. The great room is eerie in its silence and nothing in the room moves.

Before you can get your bearings, a heat mirage shimmers before you, and the heat increases dramatically as the outline of a woman appears before you. She is not black so much as the absence of light, and a corona fire surrounds her outlines at the edges. She leaves naked footprints seared into the marble floor as she approaches you.

Stage Direction

You are in Stellar House, home of the Lady of Fire. You are here to obtain the Key to the Foglands. And though you have found the key, locked behind a seal in Void House. And you must find somebody who can unseal the door or break the seal directly.

Storyteller Transition Narration

Lady of Fire has personally instructed you to seek out the Dreamwalker. You need to break the seal in Void House to obtain the Key to the Foglands, and the Lady of Fire has indicated that the seal belongs to the Dreamwalker. But the Dreamwalker has been captured by the Men of Black and White. What do you want to do?

Act Two – The Pursuit

Scene 2 – The Threshold

• Mythos: The Bone Man
• Scenario: A World in Ruins
• Major Challenge: Water Bears, Swarming Scavengers
• Minor Challenge: The Hound, Hunter of Fear
• Major Setting: The Lotus Garden
• Minor Setting: The Compass Bridges

Storyteller Opening Narration

You leave Stellar House behind you and step out on the West Compass Bridge once more. You can see the Tower of Void House beyond the Lotus Garden ahead you. That is where the Dreamwalker is supposed to be held by the Men of Black and White.

You can see the moss and foliage covering the stones of the Lotus Garden have shifted to a dead or dying brown and rust color. The walls of the Lotus Garden have come falling down some time before you arrived.

Crawling and swarming over the fallen walls of Lotus Garden, are hordes of dogs sized creatures which you belatedly recognize as water bears, their mouths extended into biting jaws, the body’s thinned and elongated, and a scorpion like tale sporting an additional mouth have sprouted on the back end of these hungry scavengers. In the distance, you also hear a familiar howl.

Stage Direction

You have left Stellar House and are on the Compass Bridge leading into the Lotus Garden. The lady of Fire has demanded that you find the Dreamwalker and rescue her. Really you need to do this anyway, so he can release the seal. But the Water Bears who didn’t manage to sporulate and breed have ended their life cycle as Scavengers about the size of a labrador with tails tipped with a second mouth full of fangs, and you can hear Hound out amidst the ruins.

Storyteller Transition Narration

So keep in mind that the Key is behind the Dreamwalker’s seal in Void House. And Dreamwalker is captured, and must be rescued and convinced or coerced to help. The Men of Black and White have DreamWalker and also they want you, because they seem to think you have some involvement in the Prince and Princess escaping. Certainly that’s why they captured the DreamWalker

Scene 3 – The Crossing

• Mythos: The Bone Man
• Scenario: A Plea for Help
• Major Challenge: Geisternaut, Lesser Shade
• Minor Challenge: Ghost Lotus, The Rooting
• Major Setting: The Lotus Garden
• Minor Setting: The Maze

Storyteller Opening Narration

You leave the Bridge and step into the Maze, full of Ghost Lotus flowers taking root on whatever sentient thing they can find. On the cobblestones of the Maze you see a circular Glyph, as you approach it a voice blasts in your mind “I have been captured! The Story is at stake! Help Me!”

You look up towards the spire of Void House, and watch in shock as a huge chunk simply crumbles and falls away. The Maze seems dead save for the Ghost Lotus, their roots pressing into the skulls of seemingly dead Men of Black and White strewn about the Maze. From a nearby earpiece you hear a cold deliberate voice say, “You have failed. Close your eyes and think of the Empire.”

As you are preparing to get past the as yet unrooted Ghost Lotus flowers, you can hear the cries of a Geisternaut on the prowl.

Stage Direction

You are now in the ruins of the maze. The Ghost Lotus are taking root in anything sentient. And there is a Geisternaut out hunting. And the Dreamwalker is apparently desperate for a rescue. And all this to get the Key to the Foglands.

Storyteller Transition Narration

So again, to recap, the goal is to get the key out of the sepulchre in Void House by removing the Dreamwalker’s seal. But Dreamwalker is captured by the Men in Black and White who are hunting for you. And the world is in ruins from the failed tribute, and things are very bad right now.

Scene 4 – The Twist

• Mythos: The Bone Man
• Scenario: A Captive in Distress
• Major Challenge: The Bone Man, Pitiless Pursuer
• Minor Challenge: The Hound, Hunter of Fear
• Major Setting: The Lotus Garden
• Minor Setting: The Compass Bridges

Storyteller Opening Narration

You keep moving, and are now on the Compass Bridge leading out of the Lotus Garden, heading towards Void House, and the captured Dreamwalker.

The Compass Bridge does not look stable. Pieces of the bridge have simply fallen away and drifted off into the darkness in defiance of gravity. The chill of Void House prickles at your skin as you step onto the bridge. You can see police tape fluttering here and there and other evidence of the Men of Black and White again.

In the distance ahead you hear a haunting lonely howl, a by now familiar howl- the call of the Hound. And ahead of you, but much closer, you can see a Strike Team of the Men of Black and White, but a single individual stands out as the leader, a bone thin man with sunken eyes and a pearl white dead smile.

Stage Direction

You are on the Compass Bridge leading into Void House. And Void House is where the Key is, where the Dreamwalker is, where the Men of Black and White have set up field base. And to add to the fun, the Bone Man is directly commanding the Men of Black and White.

Storyteller Transition Narration

And now you are about to enter Void House. Getting the Key from behind the seal is priority one. But this means saving the Dreamwalker from a base crawling with Men of Black and White and commanded by the Bone Man.

Act Three – The Showdown

Scene 5 – The Ordeal

• Mythos: The Dreamwalker
• Scenario: A World in Ruins
• Major Challenge: The Bone Man, Implacable Opponent
• Minor Challenge: Geisternaut, Lesser Shade
• Major Setting: Void House
• Minor Setting: The Sanctuary of the Hollow

Storyteller Opening Narration

You arrive in Void House, entering what remains of the Sanctuary of the Hollow. The Dreamwalker should be in here. And the Dreamwalker should be able to open the binding seal.

But Void House is in ruins. Structures are not crumbling, they have crumbled. A terrible fate has hit and the damage has been done in your absence. The Sanctuary is in pieces and the bones of the structure are barely clinging to verticality.

You’ve not lost the Bone Man and he still has forces to throw at you. But as you pick your way through the rumble of the Sanctuary you see the translucent Skull of a Geisternaut hovering around the shattered ceiling.

Stage Direction

So close to the DreamWalker and the Key, deep in Void House, in the Sanctuary of the Hollow, in the center of the ad hoc field base set up by the Men of Black and White. You are faced with the Bone Man himself and, from the cries of alarm, also under threat by a stray Geisternaut accosting the Men of Black and White.

Storyteller Transition Narration

To recap, the Bone Man still has the DreamWalker, and the DreamWalker has the ability to unseal the sepulchre which holds the key. But the DreamWalker is held in the Den, and the Den means the Hound.

Scene 6 – The Confrontation

• Mythos: The Dreamwalker
• Scenario: A Captive in Distress
• Major Challenge: The Bone Man, Implacable Opponent
• Minor Challenge: The Hound, Hunter of Fear
• Major Setting: Void House
• Minor Setting: The Den

Storyteller Opening Narration

You enter the Den, frustratingly still standing and intact- as though the story itself were protecting it. The door you need to pass is still standing, and the seal is still in place. On the floor before you, chained, and cuffed and with a glowing binding seal clearly present, is the Dreamwalker.

Coiled around the Dreamwalker lies the Hound, it gazes at you menacingly. The wind whips through the holes in the building. And you hear heavy boots on the stone tiles behind you.

“You have found your goal.” the Bone Man says, “And we have found you, cornered with no escape.”

Stage Direction

You’ve found the DreamWalker in the Den, but you also must still deal with the Bone Man and the Hound, since you’ve invaded the Hound’s Den to do all this.

Storyteller Transition Narration

You finally have the Key to the Foglands! But, it won’t work! You aren’t attuned to it, and the key itself isn’t charged. You need to figure out how to bring the key back to usable condition on your next Incursion or else all this effort was in vain!

Resolution

The key to finishing the Session is to end on both a cliff hanger while also giving a sense of closure. The Psychonauts need to feel as though the simple little mission they started has ballooned into a much large quest.

Give them the gratitude of the Dreamwalker, and the gratitude of Lady of Fire. The obvious prize is that the Dreamwalker will release their binding seal and allow the Psychonauts to reach the Key. But since the Key is not yet attuned to the Psychonauts, they cannot yet use the key.

But them cut them short as they start to brainstorm and plan their next move. Tell them that all shall be revealed (or not) in THE NEXT CHAPTER! Or episode, or session, or whatever method suits your style.

And remember to add your notes to the Campaign Book so the next Storyteller can remember the big moments, especially the ones that moved the story along.

Transition to 1.4

You’re now halfway through the first Incursion Story. And again, its time to give somebody else the reins.

Transitioning should be getting pretty routine by now. Back up the Campaign book if you haven’t already, if its a physical book. Scan it or retype it, whatever is easiest. But you don’t want to lose that thing. You can manage without it, but it would be a pain.

Outgoing Storyteller Duties

• The Psychonauts will have had interactions with a number of the denizens and the outgoing Storyteller should remind the Incoming Storyteller of interactions with the Following:
  • the Men of Black and White
  • Bobby Indra
  • The Hound
  • The Dreamwalker
• The Psychonauts may have earned a Glyph during the last session, and the Storyteller should note this in the Campaign book (or whatever document or file is being used)
• The Outgoing Storyteller should never try to tell the Incoming Storyteller how to handle the next Incursion. Each Storyteller will have their own style, nobody takes precedence in that regard.

Incoming Storyteller Duties

• The Incoming Storyteller should confer with the Outgoing Storyteller regarding the events and relevant events from the last session.
• The Incoming Storyteller should review the campaign book and read the Session Notes in the Incursion Book for the next session ONLY
• The Incoming Storyteller should NOT read ahead in the incursion book. Obviously this is impossible if you are taking new Psychonauts through an Incursion you have previously played. That’s fine.

Threads to Retain

The necessary threads here are the Key to the Foglands, and the Flight from Glass Tower. The Storytellers should keep track of both what the psychonauts know about the location (and status) of the Key to the Foglands. The Storytellers should also keep track of what the Psychonauts have learned about the Flight from Glass Tower.

Information that the Psychonauts ought to have about…

The Key to the Foglands

• The Psychonauts have the Key to the Foglands.
• All Psychonauts have it, and yet none of them do- The Key is Holographic.
• The Key is not charged and not attuned to the Psychonauts and cannot be used until it is charged and attuned.

The Flight from Glass Tower

• The Crown Prince and the Last Princess of the Hungry Empire have gone missing, and the Dreamwalker helped them escape.
• Because the Crown Prince and the Last Princess have escaped, the Tribute has been missed and the Hungry Empire has fallen.
• The Men of Black and White are looking for the Prince and Princess and blame the Dreamwalker for their escape.