The Dreamlands Express shuddered onward through a landscape that refused to settle into any single shape, its windows framing vistas that slid between nightmare and half-remembered reverie. The train’s rhythm should have been comforting—steel on rail, the steady reassurance of motion—but instead it seemed to echo too loudly, as if each clatter carried with it the promise that something unseen was keeping pace just beyond sight.

They stood clustered in the narrow corridor outside the compartment, the smell of blood still heavy in the air. Zsusza’s body lay within, pale and unmoving, her life already retreating into the safe unreality of waking existence. The wounds in her chest—three precise punctures arranged with an almost ritual deliberateness—troubled Arthur deeply. War had taught him the many shapes violence could take, and this was not the work of panic or rage. This was intent. Worse, it was intent carried out without leaving the usual human traces: no footprints, no smear of blood leading away, nothing but the faint, unsettling sense that the room itself had been violated by something that did not obey the rules of flesh and gravity.

Walter murmured prayers, his voice steady despite the strangeness of the setting, anchoring the moment with words older than the rails beneath their feet. Per, ever the scholar, leaned out through the window in search of answers, only to find emptiness rushing past—a reminder that the outside of the train was a place hostile to human certainty. Viola watched quietly, her expression unreadable, her eyes suggesting that this was not the first time she had seen death wear so peculiar a mask.

Henri assured them, with a calm that felt practiced, that Zsusza would live on in the waking world, her journey cut short but not her existence. The relief this brought was thin comfort. Someone—something—had acted with purpose aboard the train, and purpose in the Dreamlands was rarely benign.

They began to speak with the others. Miroslav Karakov, shaken and pale, bore the look of a man who had stumbled too close to horror without understanding it. His story rang true: surprise, fear, the instinctive recoil of someone confronted with death. No deception clung to him. The owner of the room, Mironim-Mer, presented a more troubling puzzle—golden eyes unreadable, his solitude conveniently unobserved at the crucial hour. He claimed ignorance of how Zsusza came to be in his compartment, and though nothing in his demeanor betrayed obvious guilt, his isolation made him an unavoidable suspect.

The investigation carried them through the length of the train, gathering passengers from baths and parlors, drawing groans and theatrical sighs from the Sarnathians, who treated the prospect of a murder mystery as a mildly diverting annoyance. Their laughter grated against the gravity of the situation, yet Arthur could not ignore how their amusement masked something sharper—a casual cruelty, perhaps, or a familiarity with horrors that no longer inspired fear.

It was in the corridor near Madame Brugia’s compartment that the investigation took a turn from unsettling to truly grotesque. Clinging to the corner where wall met ceiling was a being of Ib: gelatinous, reeking, its vaguely formed face an affront to the idea of symmetry. The sight struck like a physical blow. Stomachs churned, minds recoiled. Yet the creature did not attack. It merely existed, trapped and pitiable, as if it had wandered somewhere it did not belong and lacked the means to escape.

With careful, reluctant cooperation, they freed it from the wall, peeling it loose with a broom until it dropped to the floor in a wet, undignified mass. The act felt absurdly humane in a place where humanity itself seemed optional. The being responded with simple sounds—burbles and pops—but there was intelligence behind them, alien though it was.

Henri returned with a curious fungal orb, a translator of sorts, and at last the being of Ib could speak. Its testimony chilled the air more effectively than the open windows. It had seen a face outside the window: a thing of tendrils and mottled flesh, with grasping limbs like elongated, sharpened claws. Not a human face. Not anything that belonged among them. And yet, when pressed, the creature confirmed the most disturbing truth of all—the murderer was present, in the room, even now.

A ripple of tension passed through the assembled passengers. Chairs creaked. Eyes darted. Arthur’s instincts screamed that the danger had not passed; it had merely been waiting for the right moment. When the being’s description sharpened—when the mention of wine from Sarrubia stirred a memory—the truth snapped into focus.

Mironim-Mer moved with shocking speed. The illusion fell away as his body twisted, bones and flesh reshaping into something that could no longer pretend at humanity. He lunged, monstrous and undeniable, his attack cutting through the fragile civility of the gathering like a blade through silk.

In that instant, the Dreamlands Express ceased to be merely a conveyance between worlds. It became a stage for revelation, a reminder that the Dreamlands did not merely host horrors—they invited them aboard, seated them among the living, and waited patiently for the moment when masks would fail.

And as the train thundered onward, indifferent and eternal, it was clear that whatever bargain the passengers had struck by boarding it was still unfolding, clause by terrible clause.

Session Notes

  • Opening / recap of the prior session state

    • The Keeper (Luke) states he does not have a prepared recap and that it has been a while since the group last played.

    • The investigators are still confused about being in the Dreamlands and how the Dreamlands Express works.

    • The group previously picked up two new passengers, including:

      • A screaming, eyeless madman, described by Henri as “a lost dreamer.”

        • Henri attempts to help lost dreamers when he can, but notes they can be dangerous.
        • Henri did not have a good feeling about this passenger, but the man had a ticket, so he was allowed aboard.
        • The investigators persuaded Henri to keep the man aboard with the intention of getting him “home.”

    • A scream was heard across multiple cars, drawing people to the sleeping compartments.

      • The scream came from the compartment of Zsuzsa the dancer.

      • The door was locked; Henri arrived with a key and unlocked it.

      • Inside, Zsuzsa was found dead, with blood pooled around her body.

        • The death appears to be from severe injury and blood loss (unclear whether instant or from bleeding out).
        • There were multiple puncture wounds in her sternum/chest above the heart.

    • It is reaffirmed that Zsuzsa was the woman Per slowed the train to help catch when she boarded late the previous night.

    • The murder appears to have occurred the following day, after lunch (the investigators had lunch together and saw her there).

  • Immediate investigation at the murder scene (Mironim-Mer’s compartment)

    • Arthur Zorba wants to search for clues beyond the puncture wounds.

      • The Keeper calls for a Spot Hidden roll.

      • Arthur rolls and gets a hard success.

        • Arthur finds no evidence of tracks or anyone moving through the blood (no footprints or blood trail).
        • The scene suggests no obvious physical intrusion leaving trace evidence inside.

    • The group references details about the window:

      • The window was closed but not latched.
      • Viola Sutcliffe had previously found a small amount of blood under/near the latch (noted aloud during the scene discussion).

    • Per Oskarson attempts to check outside the window for evidence.

      • The Keeper calls for Spot Hidden.

      • Per rolls a failure.

        • He looks out; the outside of the train offers limited visibility (mostly up/down, and someone jumping off would likely be far back by now).
        • He sees nothing on the roofline or outside surfaces from that vantage point.

  • Assessing the puncture wounds

    • Arthur asks if the puncture wounds indicate a specific weapon shape (single stiletto vs claw/triangle, etc.).

    • The Keeper describes the wounds as three points in a triangle.

      • The investigators cannot determine whether this indicates multiple stabs or a single multi-point implement.
      • The Keeper suggests it could resemble a stiletto-type dagger or ice pick (something narrow and puncturing).

  • Establishing whose compartment it was / questioning those present

    • It is clarified that the compartment where Zsuzsa was found is Mironim-Mer’s room (the “golden-eyed” wine merchant).

    • The group recalls that Miroslav Karakoff was banging on the door when people arrived.

    • The investigators question Karakoff about why he was at the door.

      • Karakoff states he heard the scream and came because it sounded like someone was in trouble.

      • Arthur asks whether he believes Karakoff (a psychology/“scrutinize” style read is discussed).

        • Arthur rolls Psychology (despite being poor at it).

        • The Keeper’s read:

          • Karakoff seems shaken, like someone who has just seen a dead body.
          • He does not seem to be lying or hiding guilt; he appears genuinely shocked.

    • Someone asks about Karakoff’s injured hand.

      • Karakoff explains he was shaving, was startled by gunshots, dropped his razor, and tried to catch it “like a fool,” cutting himself.

    • A rules/setting question is raised: what happens if someone is hurt or killed in the Dreamlands?

      • Henri explains: if one perishes here, one awakens (you wake up in the waking world).

    • Henri explains the consequences of Zsuzsa’s death on the Dreamlands Express:

      • She has had her trip; by the rules Henri follows, she may not ride the Dreamlands Express again until her passing in the waking world.
      • She will live the rest of her life, but she did not get to “unburden herself.”
      • Karakoff visibly reacts with relief at learning she will be all right (in the sense that she will awaken).

  • Early theory: motive tied to “unburdening”

    • A theory is stated: the “murder” may matter because it prevented Zsuzsa from reaching the destination to unburden herself.

      • The idea is raised that someone might want her to remain burdened, since that is what was stopped.

    • The investigators ask whether anyone knew Zsuzsa.

      • Karakoff says he had never met her before.

  • Identifying known passengers and who was (not) at lunch

    • The Keeper names/mentions various passengers/groups present on the train:

      • Miroslav Karakoff
      • McKenzie
      • Mironim-Mer (wine merchant)
      • A delegation of Sarnathians
      • Beings of Ib
      • A lost dreamer (eyeless madman) somewhere on the train
      • Cats (including at least one cat visible snoozing on the map)
      • A cranky lady identified as Madame Bourgeois (mentioned as in the other sleeping palanquin)

    • The Keeper tries to recall who skipped lunch:

      • Karakoff was not at lunch.
      • Mironim-Mer was not at lunch.
      • Some (not all) of the Sarnathians were not at lunch.
      • Madame Bourgeois is recalled as having skipped lunch (the Keeper is initially unsure, then confirms he remembered correctly).

  • Walter’s “idea” and adopting a locked-room approach

    • The Keeper prompts for an Idea (INT) check to frame next steps.

    • Walter Lake rolls INT and is treated as exceptionally intelligent.

      • The Keeper describes Walter’s insight:

        • This is a classic locked-room mystery with a fixed set of suspects.
        • The solution path is to determine where everyone was at the time of the incident.
        • Someone will “inevitably” lie, and the investigators must identify who that is.

  • Decision: gather everyone together

    • The group decides to gather all passengers in a common car (the men’s saloon and ladies’ parlor are referenced as train spaces; the group converges on gathering people in the saloon).

    • The Keeper asks whether they split up or stay together.

      • The group chooses to stay together (explicitly aligning with Henri’s earlier advice to keep each other’s company).

    • Karakoff and McKenzie accompany the investigators as they move through the train.

  • Collecting the Sarnathians

    • The group finds three Sarnathians in their compartment.

      • They heard commotion but did not seem to care much until they learn a public “reveal” might occur.

    • A Sarnathian named Besweet reacts with excitement at the idea of a dramatic solution:

      • She asks if Walter will piece together the mystery and reveal the killer before them all.
      • When Walter says they are still in the clue-gathering phase, Besweet pouts and calls it not very dramatic.
      • Besweet ultimately agrees to join.

    • Additional Sarnathians are found naked in the baths.

      • The investigators tell them to robe and come along.
      • They roll their eyes/sigh and must be convinced by companions that it will be entertaining.

  • Collecting the cranky passenger (Madame Brugia)

    • The group goes one palanquin over and finds Madame Brugia in her compartment.

      • She is initially dismissive of the idea of a murder (“meh” reaction).
      • When she learns the victim is the young woman who joined them, she agrees to come.

  • Finding Mironim-Mer

    • The group locates Mironim-Mer.

      • He is already in the saloon, seated and reading a book.

  • Detour: encountering a being of Ib stuck in the corridor

    • The investigators attempt to locate a being of Ib for possible testimony.

      • They find one in the corridor near Madame Brugia’s car, stuck in the corner where wall meets ceiling.
      • It is described as a gelatinous, sticky, foul-smelling entity with eyes and a horrible semblance of a face.

    • The Keeper calls for a Sanity check upon seeing it up close.

      • At least Per fails and takes a 1d6 SAN loss (the exact SAN loss result is not stated in the transcript).
      • Claire is described as being badly shaken by the encounter as well.

    • Madame Brugia states she did not invite it and kept her distance.

      • She says she now understands what the smell was.
      • She says it forced her to open the window of her compartment (to vent the odor).

    • Arthur makes Spot Hidden (and gets an extreme success).

      • He observes Sarnathians whispering and giggling about the being of Ib.

      • A male Sarnathian is identified by name as Rommel.

        • Rommel brags that he used a broom handle to jab the being of Ib up into the corner, mocking it as a “stupid thing.”

      • Arthur quietly communicates to Walter that a Sarnathian appears responsible for shoving the being of Ib into that stuck position.

    • Walter attempts to communicate with the being of Ib.

      • The being makes wet, burbling/popping noises; it cannot speak normally.
      • The investigators establish rudimentary yes/no responses (“burble pop” style confirmations/denials).
      • Rommel notes the beings of Ib have a small device (gestured as something held) with a “squeaky bit” that can talk for them.

    • Besweet interrupts Walter, mocking him for being distracted from the murder mystery.

    • The Keeper calls for CON checks due to the overwhelming stench.

      • Walter fails (rolls 98).

        • The Keeper indicates Walter must withdraw quickly or risk vomiting.

      • Claire is also described as rapidly leaving due to the combined distress of the being of Ib and the smell.

    • The investigators decide to help the being of Ib down from the corner before leaving.

      • A broom is used; the being’s pseudopods wrap around it and semi-absorb the end.
      • The investigators peel it from the wall until it plops down to the ground, leaving residue on the wall/ceiling.
      • The being of Ib confirms (via the yes/no method) that it wanted assistance.

  • Regrouping plan: return to the saloon and consult Henri

    • The investigators discuss checking in with Henri for what the attendants observed.

    • Henri reports:

      • He spoke to the attendants (though the investigators note they rarely see them; only engine stokers have been clearly observed).
      • No one saw anything overtly out of place, but some attendants heard something moving along the roof around the time of the incident.
      • The movement seemed to go from the sleeping palanquin toward the rear of the train (rear including men’s saloon, banquet hall/kitchen, ladies’ parlor, and cats’ compartment).

    • Questions are raised about the beings of Ib:

      • Henri confirms they are in a dispute with the Sarnathians and headed to a neutral party to arbitrate.
      • He says the Ib are not originally of the Dreamlands, but they are not from the investigators’ world either.
      • When asked about hired assassins in the Dreamlands, Henri acknowledges such people exist but says he would not allow anyone like that on his train.

  • Requesting the beings of Ib to testify

    • Per asks Henri to invite the being of Ib (the one found stuck in the corridor) to come speak, noting communication was limited.

      • Henri agrees and says he will fetch the speaking device.
      • Henri mentions he will have attendants open windows (contextually tied to managing the smell and/or preparing for the Ib’s arrival).

    • Per also raises concern about the lost dreamer they brought aboard.

      • Henri states the lost dreamer is with the beings of Ib at that time and that he will check whether the man has remained where left.

    • Henri departs; the investigators now have gathered most passengers in the saloon, excluding:

      • The beings of Ib (until summoned)
      • The cats’ car

    • The investigators observe Henri briefly stop and lean as he moves away; shortly thereafter, the windows in the car open one by one.

  • Tension in the saloon: Sarnathians demand a dramatic reveal

    • The Sarnathians grow fidgety and press Walter to announce the killer.

    • Walter states more work is needed before the reveal.

      • This produces audible frustration among the Sarnathians at the prospect of “work.”

  • Formal questioning begins: Mironim-Mer’s alibi

    • The investigators question Mironim-Mer first.

    • Mironim-Mer states:

      • No one can vouch for him.
      • He was enjoying quiet privacy in the men’s saloon, reading.
      • He took his lunch in his compartment, then came to read.
      • He does not recall passing anyone on his way; he suggests most people were still at or finishing lunch.

    • Per asks to borrow Mironim-Mer’s book.

      • Mironim-Mer hands it over.

      • The book was closed when handed over; Per cannot identify where Mironim-Mer had been reading.

      • Per does a quick read/skim (an INT-based approach is discussed and implicitly applied).

        • Per gains a partial understanding: the book appears to be Dreamlands history.
        • The language is ornate and unfamiliar to Per, limiting how much he can extract quickly.

  • Mironim-Mer questioned about Zsuzsa being in his compartment

    • Mironim-Mer reacts with surprise and says he has no idea why Zsuzsa was in his room.
    • He says he believed he had left the door locked, but acknowledges locking seems less emphasized on this train.
    • He notes his valuables are stored in the baggage compartment.

  • Arthur and Claire inspect Zsuzsa’s own compartment

    • Arthur and Claire leave the saloon briefly to check Zsuzsa’s compartment.

      • The door is closed but unlocked.

      • Inside, it appears lived-in, with belongings placed on surfaces.

      • Arthur makes Spot Hidden and gets a regular success.

        • He finds a book face-down and a cup of half-drunk tea with some spilled tea nearby.
        • Arthur infers she was reading and drinking tea and was interrupted, putting things down quickly.

      • The book itself is described as light fiction (no special note or marked passage found).

      • The compartment window is closed and latched.

    • The investigators clarify compartment placement:

      • Zsuzsa’s room is two doors down from Mironim-Mer’s.
      • The compartment between them is identified as Karakoff’s.

  • Henri returns with a being of Ib and the speaking device

    • Back in the saloon, Henri arrives with:

      • A being of Ib that is carrying a fungal sphere/orb in a slimy pseudopod.
      • The orb is the device that can “speak” for it.

    • The gathered passengers physically shift away from the being of Ib, uncomfortable with its presence.

    • The Keeper clarifies a rules point:

      • The investigators do not make additional SAN checks for encountering the same creature again in the same scene context.

  • Testimony: what the being of Ib saw

    • Walter asks the being of Ib (through the orb) whether it saw anything related to the murder.

    • The orb relays the being of Ib’s statement:

      • It saw “a face, in the window.”

    • The investigators ask for a description.

      • The being of Ib describes:

        • A face covered in long, ropey tendrils.
        • A dark, mottled brown coloration.
        • Appendages “like a crab,” but then clarified (with Henri’s help) as not actually like a crab—more like grabbing/pointed appendages that are longer and sharper than the crab comparison implies.

    • Arthur attempts a Dream Lore check to recognize what the description might indicate.

      • Arthur’s Dream Lore roll is not successful.
      • Henri states he does not recognize what is being described either.
      • Arthur notes that the description does not match any obvious passenger.

  • Testing the testimony’s reliability

    • Per proposes a Psychology check to determine whether the being of Ib is being truthful.

      • The Keeper allows it only at extreme difficulty.

      • Per initially fails by two levels, then spends a significant amount of Luck to achieve an extreme success.

      • Result:

        • Per believes the being of Ib is being truthful, but notes it does not perceive details the way humans do.
        • Per concludes the investigators may need to ask more pointed, distinguishing questions (or recognize something from the description themselves).

  • Crucial question: is the culprit present?

    • Per asks directly whether the person seen outside the window is present in the room right now.

      • The orb answers: yes.
      • The room reacts audibly (chairs creak; people shift with alarm).

    • The investigators then ask the being of Ib to indicate who it was.

      • The Keeper narrates that the creature’s description is recognized as matching a Sarrubian (connected to earlier information: mention that Mironim-Mer sells Sarrubian wine).

      • At that realization, Mironim-Mer abruptly leaps from his chair.

        • He rapidly shifts form into the described tendril-faced creature.
        • He throws himself at Madame Brugia.

    • The session ends immediately on this cliffhanger confrontation.