Home. Shaa wandered around so much, it was the times he would swing back around to his old stomping grounds that gave him the occasional grounding that he needed. At least up until this last year. It started when a strange ring of flowers surrounded the Nomad Stone and had been inexplicably changed into a horse. Oddly enough that wasn’t the weirdest thing to ever have happened to him, but still weird nonetheless. More recently, he and several other adventurers had been attacked by an inter dimensional fae queen not far from where he was now. The group had been victorious but it had been a close call.

When Shaa had heard that another rift had been spotted by the Nomad stone as well as several other areas around the world, he took the news very seriously. Several of these incursions had been caused by gooey creatures that had been aggressive and in some cases even deadly. So the question was, what was waiting for them this time. There were too many locations for a full on assault by the guild. Instead , Shaa had opted to invite Sarne to come with him and investigate. Shaa had been camping out at the stone for over a day but there was still no sign of the staunch fighter. He could not afford to wait much longer, where could he be? 

Sitting by a modest fire, he takes a stick and turns some of the flickering embers. He can hear some horses in the distance but it’s too dark to see anything too clearly, even with his keen night vision. He got a sinking feeling that there were things other than horses waiting out there in the night.

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Quest Name: World of Wonder
Participants: Exactly Two
Location: One of the listed locations below
Post Requirements: 5 posts per person, 200 words per post
Reward: +2 Renown, 1 Mystical Archive Ticket
Description: At each location, where there once sat a beautiful ring of flowers, now sits a literal rip in space - a portal of raw magic that seems to be leaking into Charon. This portal is unstable and does not seem to connect directly to the Land of Wonder, but instead a small pocket of space, like a tunnel. The Crown is asking you to enter one of these portals and record what you find, while staying careful not to disturb anything there. The Crown is not interested in making enemies out of the Fae.

You are stepping into the unknown, but in order to protect the people of Charon, we must be aware of their potential. Scholars believe the Fae are here to stay, and if we are to be successful in integrating them, we must learn fast. Don't stay too long or get yourself into trouble, record what you find and come back home!

Special Requirements:
Delve into this pocket dimension and experience the land of wonder! What happens there is completely up to you, however you must record whatever you find and report it back. Each pocket will have a different setting with different effects based on which portal you entered, located below.

King's Valley Nomad's Stone
A ripple in space lies at the base of the Nomad's Stone and connects to a small pocket of the Land of Wonder. Once you step through the portal you will find yourself in a fancy dining room in a massive hall. At its center is a large table covered in whatever foods would most appeal to you, and you feel compelled to help yourself. The food is delicious and perfect, with each bite making it harder and harder to stop. As food is consumed it is quickly replaced with something new. 

Traveling quickly, Sarne was behind schedule, and his duties delayed him some. Screech needed the exercise anyway. The Terror Bird flew at its best speed. Sarne could see the campfire and other movements in the distance. Screech flew over the area, first scouting it out, making little to no sound, and gliding on the wind currents. Taking another pass over, Screech eyed the area, sniffed the air, and did not react negatively.


Sarne steered Screech lower for another pass to let Shaa know he was there. The pass was quick. The massive Terror Bird turned and circled, then climbed one more time, its 40-foot wing span flapping as it soared into the sky, disappearing into the darkness. Sarne could see nothing that was any real threat and tuned for Shaa's camp. He came in low, soaring over the tall grass, scaring a few boars that ran from the Terror Bird and Sarne.

The Terror Bird stopped hovering in the air at the last minute, flapping its wings and blowing dirt and grass everywhere before setting down. Sarne Paused for a minute before a quick wave to Shaa. "Greetings, Brother. I got your letter and answered your call," said Sarne over the screeches of the Terror Bird. "What no diner ready? You could a lest had some ale you know." Sarne joked with a smile on his face. "Or was I to say, Honey I am home!" teased Sarne as he walked up.

Shaa waves and motions him over to the fire. Well dinner is kind of a relative term around here. How do you feel about roast ..ummm..l whatever this I caught is? Shaa holds up a stick with some sort of smoking lizard creature on the end of it. I’m feeling pretty generous so I’ll even let you have the head! He waves the stick a bit and laughs as he takes the creature and bites it in half. Don’t worry, there’s plenty more where that came from. It was a well known fact that Shaa was not overly picky when it came to food. When he was younger, he had sometimes gone for days without eating anything. At one point, he had half eaten an old boot in desperation. In later years he held a keen appreciation for all things more edible.

I’m glad that you got the note. It’s kind of hard to see the rift here in the dark but there it is. Shaa points assuredly towards one side of the Nomad’s Stone. In the darkness, it was difficult to make out but it still had a kind of ominous feeling to it. I really haven’t left here for about a day. As far as I have been able to tell, nothing has come out of it…or come back into it for that matter. In the morning, assuming it’s the same, we are going to be doing some reconnaissance to figure out where exactly this thing goes. This makes the third one of these things I’ve gone through. It’s either going to take us A. Somewhere far away B. A different dimension with a very ticked off goo monster or C. Somewhere else Fea related. Either which way, it should be fine. You just need to be ready to stab something if it gets hairy. It’s not like we would get two red dragons in a row right? Hahaha. 

In the distance, some sort of creature bays into the night. Shaa felt a pang of jealousy towards the simple creature that was going about its nightly jaunt. There was a time when Shaa’s own life was just as simple. In the cool of the night he wonders when everything got so complicated? Let’s turn in. Might be a long day tomorrow.

The Pixie flew beside Sarne, looking, and then landed on Sarne's shoulder. Violet folded her hair behind her ear. She bowed to Sha. "Master Shaa, it is good to see you," said Violet politely. "Yes, I can see the opening. You are correct, I think. I don't know if it is wise to enter through it. I was always told to stay away from such things." stated Violet, tapping her chin with her finger.

Sarne shook his head and looked at Shaa and Violet. "If he goes, so will I. We must find out what's going on here, " he replied to Violet's statement. Sarne Walked over and sat near the fire. "It has been a while, friend. We should be careful if we keep meeting like this. People will start talking, and the woman out there will get jealous," he said, joking. Sarne leads back against a convenient log, looking up at the sky. "I miss the simple day, Shaa," commented Sarne.

He looked back at Shaa. "What happened to us, Shaa? The days of saving someone in trouble were gone, and we were home by dinner. Now, we are possibly fighting off an invasion of the Fea. I dont want a war. I have enough to do and run without fighting a war. I do appreciate a break from my duties." Says Sarne, relaxing.

"I will let you know if anything comes at us in the night. I do not know anything that could be a threat, maybe a meal for Screech. And no throwing stones at me if I snore too loud, " Sarne laughed, placing his shield and sword next to him. "Ya.. No Red Dragons this time." He says with a wink, for he curls up in his cloak and goes to sleep.

Shaa acknowledged the polite gesture of the Pixie and laughed at Sarne’s quip. I don’t worry about the creatures of the night out here. The horse tribes wouldn’t try anything around the Nomad’s Stone and we aren’t close to any Gnolls. We just need to get some sleep and deal with...whatever… in the morning.

As the night passes, there are few noises or disturbances that harrow the morning sun. As Shaa wakes from the evening, he stokes the fire again, watching as the newly sparked embers burn the sleep away from his pale blue eyes. He breathes out heavily and small clouds of steam show in the crisp morning air. He stands up and steps away from the fire towards the sparkling portal. From the looks of it, nothing has changed. Shaa wasn’t quite sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Someone or something open this portal. The only question now was why.

He picks up a rocks and deftly tosses it through the center. The rock flies true and sure as it speeds through the front and out the back of the portal as if it wasn’t even there. It appeared that not everything could get through. Despite his best laid plans, their mission might end before it even began. There was only one way to find out. Sarne! You ready? I think it’s about time we try this thing out. As he spoke, a sharp sense of dread hits somewhere deep inside. Maybe he was getting too old for this nonsense. Or maybe this nonsense is just what he needed. Either way, there was only one way now, and that was forward.

He was turning to face Shaa. "Ya, give me a minute," said Sarne. He was sending Screech off with a message case on the saddle. The Terror Bird leaped into the air with a mighty flap of its wings. The wind blew, sending grass and other light sticks flying around the camp. The Terror Bird released a screech of goodbye in the air as it disappeared in the dissidents.

Sarne shook a little, checking himself and his equipment before walking beside Shaa. He looked at Shaa with a grin. "Well, let us announce ourselves," said Sarne, stepping closer to the portal. "I hope you can hear me. This is your courtesy call!" Sarne started shouting. "There is a danger in this place! Oh, and that's Shaa!" Finished Sarne with a mischievous grin. Sarne did not look back at Shaa for his expression. Sarne was sure it was a good one. He just stepped through the portal.

The world changed. He could feel it as if his stomach were in his throat. The black made him uneasy, and he could not see anything for the brief moment of travel. Then, bright lights of candles were placed above chandeliers and on a table. The formal dining room was in a massive, elaborate hall. Servants to each side are beast people, rabbits, cats, and dog beast people. They were dressed in formal attire. They said nothing, seeing Sarne appear by a door in the room.

Sarne felt sunnendly under dressed. He knew a formal setting when he saw one. Even the table was perfect, including the placement of the dishes, silverware, and crystal goblets. You would think the king was dining dining here. He felt that food spread was everything he liked and assumed Shaa, too. The food was unbelievable, and then Sarnes's stomach rumbled at the smell.

As the two stepped through the portal, Shaa chuckled at Sarne’s funny introduction. He wasn’t quite sure but he might be becoming a bad influence on him. He would feel bad about it but frankly it just made getting things done easier. No “ why are we ripping that guys arms off Shaa? That doesn’t seem ethical Mr. Rhunn. Why is that on fire Shaa? Nope, not with Sarne. He could punch a dude and it would just be like any other day. No muss, no fuss. 

As the two entered the portal, the first thing that hits him is the smell. Considering all of his experiences with these portals, he had half expected garbage or fire pits or a combination of both. But, food? Really good food on a fancy table. This was definitely not what he thought was happening. There were several beast people surrounding the large table, all in fancy dress. Shaa thought that was a bit odd but, considering he was a Minotaur himself, he found himself oddly at home. He looks over at Sarne. Ok, this is interesting. They seem pretty passive but keep on your guard. They could go feral at any time.

Shaa walks over to a Rabbit like being who is holding a tray full of small snacks that he was unfamiliar with. Wanting to test the situation, he picks up what looks to be a cracker with some sort of pink paste on it. Giving it a sniff, it smells fishy but in a good way. Curious, he eats it and is pleasantly surprised by the taste. Illusions didn’t have a taste. Whatever was going on here, at least some of it was real. To his surprise, Shaa looks down at the tray and notices that none of the pieces are missing. To see if he was going nuts, he grabs a large handful and jams them in his mouth. Instantly, they are replaced on the tray, neat as always. The Rabbit man looks up at him and smiles. What in the world was this place? 

Sarne looked over the place. Everything seemed to be in place. The smells were delightful, and the food was not too perfect, like the chicken with the dark roasting marks from the flame. He thought this stuff was real. He walked past Shaa the Rabbit man, who held out a silver platter with wine glasses. The five glasses made of crystal shined as the light touched the glasses. Sarne picked up one glass with two fingers on the stem base of the glass.

He swirled the wine in the glass and smelled it. The wine was terrific—a beautiful ruby color. He sipped it and let it wash over his mouth. It was sweet but not too bitter. He had never had this type of wine and had no idea where it could come from. He took a few more drinks of the wine and then turned to Shaa. "This wine is perfect. I never had this make before," commented Sarne as he turned to get a wine glass for Shaa.

Sarne froze in place and tensed up. "What in all the gods is going on? " he said, turning around to look at Shaa with a surprised look. "I know everything in this room. I can sense everyone in here, but mine was already replaced when I turned to get you a wine glass." Sarne seemed to be questioning more than stating something. "Well, here Shaa," Sarne took a wine glass and handed it to Shaa. "To fun times?"

Shaa takes the glass and sniffs it cautiously. Just because some things were fine, didn’t mean everything was. After several sniffs and a cursory lick of the glass, he holds it up to Sarne. To fun times for sure. Shaa proceeds to down the wine in a single large gulp. He was more of an Ale Minotaur but, as far as he could tell, the wine was pretty good. Then, he proceeds to eat the glass itself. When he licked it he could tell. Even the tableware itself was edible.

Tye creatures around the room were all watching them, waiting for something. None of them were actually acting suspiciously but the entire scene was a bit unnerving. This kind of thing didn’t just happen. It was always monsters or gods or ancient creatures or something. He supposed that, laws of averages, something in theses portraits eventually might be good. He had watched for days and nothing had come out or gone in. The door was just here, waiting to serve them endless food. Maybe it was a peace offering for sending so many rotten bastards to their world? 

Shaa started to circle the room, picking up various cakes, some he had never even dreamed of before. Things got even stranger as every time that he circled the room, the food was different. There was no way to get sick of eating because it was constantly changing and, as far as he could tell, never ending. Shaa picks up a blue and red cake and tosses it over to Sarne. Amazingly, the cake keeps its integrity during the toss. Try this one. It has little popping things in the middle when you eat it. 

He wasn’t quite sure how long that they had been there for. There were no windows or anything that would indicate night or day. Had it been an hour, or two? Shaa rubs his belly. If they had been eating for hours, how could he not be full. He wasn’t hungry per se, but just not satisfied. If they kept this up, they would have to roll him out of here. As he considered the situation, a cat like butler suddenly turns and leaves through a door that Shaa never noticed. Almost immediately, the cat butler is replaced with another butler with antlers. Where did that door go?

Lifting his glass to Shaa, Sarne smiled. "Cheers to fun times and not having to deal with Red Dragons," he said. Sarne went about the room. Then he stopped and Faced Shaa, his look questioning. "Did that wine tast like it was from Kings Valley?" Sarne asked as he used a plate he grabbed from the table. Using his quick reflexes, he caught the cake tossed from Shaa. The cake landed perfectly on the plate and kept its form. Not even the decoration on the cake moved, and it was nothing like it was on the plate the whole time.

Sarnes raised an eyebrow, his face showing some curiosity. His instincts told him this was not right, that this setup was wrong. He looked around at each servant and wanted to push one hard to see if they would react. For the most part, not one of them said a thing or responded to his movements, which was unnerving to Sarne. He noticed the wine was gone, and crystal mugs of ale, dark and light ale, were there.

Sarne watched Shaa move throughout the room. He could see the food change on a platter. He did not see it change, but when he looked back, it was different. Sarne put down his plate, but he had another in his hand before he knew it. He just picked it up. He could not stop himself. He saw the same door Shaa had seen open, with the new person walking out with a deer head and a new platter of food. But the platters were never emptied, so why change the servants? Sarne thought, looking around.

Sarne looked at Shaa, motioned to the door with his eyes, and started to walk in that direction. As he passed a servant, he gave the servant a push. The servant went flying and crashed onto the floor, his platter, landing with a clang of metal hitting the marble floor. The food was still on the platter. Sarne felt guilty about the food being thrown like that. "What, Shaa tell me you feel guilty about the food falling?" asked Sarne, stopping and seeing the servant get up and stand, picking up the platter and returning to his original place. "Dam, Not good." said Sarne in surprise.

Shaa shook his head. Nah man, I don’t think it’s even possible to waste this food. I mean, look at the floors, nothing. Here the room was, perfectly immaculate. It was a strange mystery but he had been in worse ones. He chews on a small fruit tart while he thinks but then stops abruptly. When did he pick this up? He looks at his other hand and inexplicably, there is a muffin in it. When did he pick that one up? It certainly felt like something he would do. The issue was, he just couldn’t remember doing it. He jams the muffin in his mouth while he considers the situation.

He watches as Sarne indicates the door. He was right. The door seemed the only out of place thing in the whole joint. Curious, He walks over and tries the handle. To his surprise, the door knob turns easily. He shrugs and opens to door. whats an even bigger surprise is that, inside the door is another room exactly like the one he was in. Exactly. As Shaa peers in, on the other side of the room, he could see himself opening a door but on the other side. He waves and , sure enough, the other him also waves. He looks back in the opposite direction inside the original room and, again, he sees himself looking at himself from the other side of the room. That was certainly odd but what was even more unnerving was if they were all the same room, where did the antlered butler come from?

Shaa closes the door and walks over to a servant that looks like a cat. Sarne pushing them didn’t seem to have an effect. Shaa wondered what would happen if they pushed them a bit further. The cat butler is mostly orange with random tufts of white in its face. You would think it was a perfectly normal cat if it wasn’t people size and wearing an extremely fancy suit. He notes that, despite the fancy clothing, none of the servants are wearing shoes except for a goat servant that was standing near a large pile of donuts. 

Shaa picks up the cat by the scruff of the neck. The cat servant doesn’t seem bothered by this in the least and starts licking its paw like a regular cat would do. Shaa looks over at Sarne with an expression like “Ok, this is just freaky” Looking back at the cat servant, he says sweetly. Who’s a good cat servant? Are you a good cat servant feeding us nice treats? Yes you are, yeas you are! Shaa waits for a reaction like purring or the cat servant to scratch his face off like a regular cat but it just hung there, suspended in the air as Shaa held it aloft. He drops the cat and walks over to meet Sarne. Yeah I don’t get it. I still feel we are missing something here. He looks down and, yet again, there are small cakes in each of his hands that he can’t explain. What in the world? Did you see me pick these up? In frustration, Shaa throws one of the cakes against the wall hard enough to watch it explode in a million gooey pieces. This time, the servants looked agitated. One of the them that looked like some sort of fish, quickly moved to the wall and started cleaning. The others looked around the room nervously. Interesting…. He says with a slow drawl. Ok bro, follow my lead. He walks over to the table and picks up several pies. He turns to Sarne and says to Sarne For research! He then starts to launch the pies at Sarne’s face.

Watching Shaa open the door, Sarne watched for any trouble that might show up and Shaa's reaction. He looked back into the room they were in, then back inside, and then looked at the servants. Shaa was studying them one at a time. Sarne could see in Shaa's facial expression and eyes he was starting to see what Sarne was seeing.

Watching Shaa pick up the cat man off the floor, lifting him high, gave Sarne a grin. But the grin faded when Shaa approached a table and said something about research. Was Shaa going to throw more cake at the wall? Sarne thought to himself. He turned and looked at the wall behind him. When he turned, Shaa had a pie in each hand and a grin that stretched to each sides of his face. The goat servant stood near a large pile of donuts, and his eyes got big as the beast Goat man looked at Shaa.

Sarne put up his hand. "Oh no, Shaa, really?" remarked Sarne, looking at Shaa, not too happy. He could have moved, probably sensing what Shaa was about to do. The apple pie hit Sarne right in the face. The pie splattered all over his face and fell in and outside his armor, dripping to the floor. He blew pieces of the pie out of his mouth, sending even more pie to the floor as the second this time a blueberry pie hit Sarne in the face. That added even more pie to his face. Using his hands, Sarne wiped the pie from his face.

Sarne reached over to a large bowl of pudding and flung the pudding at Shaa. He hoped that it would splatter across the parts of his body and face. Seeing a bowl of mashed potatoes, Sarne threw that at Shaa, too. Sarne could only hope that this was what Shaa was thinking. If Sarne were wrong, Sarne would have some big dint's in his armor.

The Goat man Jumped between Shaa and Sarne with his hands up. He was signaling for them to stop throwing food. The man looked dismayed at the actions of Shaa and Sarne. "What? Wait, Stop, Please!" the Goat Man yelled, waving his hand to get their attention.

Sure enough,  a giant bowl comes flying at Shaa’s face and smacks him, pudding side in, square on the snout. The gooey substance streaks upwards on his face leaving a sticky trail right down the center. He sticks out his large tongue and cleans a large swath of pudding from his nose with a couple deft swipes. Hmmmm Carmel flavor. This was definitely the kind of fight that the big Minotaur could get behind. He didn’t have time to enjoy the pudding however as a second bowl was being launched.

This time he was ready and ducked just in time as the bowl came flying right between his horns with a loud woooshing sound. The mashed potatoes sail past him and go flying into the cat servant from earlier, spraying everywhere. The poor gloopy servant meows pitifully. From the side, Shaa hears a voice. What? Wait, Stop, Please!" It was the goat servant Shaa noticed earlier. Ohhhh so now you want to say something do you? There was no way that Shaa was going to let him off that easy. Here, catch this!

He walks over to the table and finds a large elevated tray with some sort of large bread stuffed bird on it. He had never seen anything like it before but it certainly smelled good. It was too bad the bird was now ammunition. Shaa slams his large fist onto the side of the tray, sending the roasted bird flying right at the goat servant. To his surprise, the goat grabs and empty plate and deftly catches the bird mid flight with extreme precision. Shaa would be impressed if he wasn’t so annoyed at the situation. He grabs a handful of creamy noodles, addressing the goat. Ok buddy, the game is up. Either you tell us what’s up with this room or I start getting more….creative. The goat servant shakes his head. Put down the noodles or better off, eat them. He bleats. You first. The Minotaur retorts. The goat servant looks confused. But I don’t have any noodles? Shaa realizes that his response embarrassingly didn’t make any sense but they were in a stand off so he was just going to have to roll with it. Damn goat servant. No. I mean, you explain what’s up first. I know you don’t have noodles. Stop trying to confuse me! 

The goat servant looks over at Sarne then back over to Shaa. This is my home. You came here, I didn’t bring you. You just came in and started eating the food. Shaa wasn’t buying it. Ummm try again. We came through a portal that appeared. We didn’t create it. What? So you just walk through any random portal that shows up? That seems pretty reckless to me. Shaa wanted something clever to say but he wasn’t wrong. This year alone, Shaa had gone through at least 4 portals not having any idea where they went. That is neither here nor there! No, it’s definitely here in my dining room, that’s the problem. What, so you just have a magic dining room with endless food for no reason and we are the intruders, is that what you are saying? Yes. Well….that’s awkward. The goat servant sighs. Well, the room is not entirely reasonless. Its purpose is for the glutton. The what now?

The goat servant grabs a chair and motions for Shaa and Sarne to sit. Years ago, our world was invaded by a demon creature. This creature ate everything. Crops, homes, trees, didn’t matter. Eventually it became known as “The Glutton” Every time it can it would ravish the entire countryside until there was nearly nothing left and then it would move on. We would rebuild and it would return. Eventually our mages came up with a plan. Create a room where the food never ended. Where anything you wanted would show up. Some place a food creature would never want to leave. Shaa picks up a roll and tosses it at Sarne. Ok that tracks, I guess. So where is this Glutton thing?