A Matter of Dreams...

The amazing thing about D&D is that you can pretty much do anything. Well, maybe not as much as the GM, but he is "God" after all.

After a few sessions, my GM Chris mentioned that he wished to expand on my characters history to get a bit of character development in. Now, when a guy you know approaches you online, asking you to meet him only for a bit of Roleplay a la one on one. Well, yeah. It was a bit weird.

I had no idea what to expect, so, for your benefit, I have copied our session over MSN Messenger below. All text in brackets is usually out of context, while ** indicates that the person typing is finished.

Chris says:
It begins...
The party turn in for the night when the barman informs you that you have rooms 'on Elric'. At some unknown hour, something disturbs your sleep and you sit bolt upright in your bed. Everything has a strange green tint (imagine slightly tinted sunglasses), you can see colours clearly and diferentiate between them but the same green tint remains. You hear noises as if some kind of fight is taking place outside the door of your room.**
Tim says:
I pick up my axe and quietly approach the door putting my ear to the wood.
(Is there a key hole or spy hole I can look through?) **
Chris says:
There's a standard keyhole which you should be able to see through **
Tim says:
I look through the keyhole.**
Chris says:
Through the keyhole you can see what appears to be Dominic, wearing only a pair of black trousers, sword in hand, fighting with some kind of creature which appears to be some kind of mutated minotaur. The background to the fight is very different from what you expect. The fight seems to be taking place in a clearing where you would be expecting nothing more than a corridor **
Tim says:
A forest clearing?
Chris says:
Yes.
Tim says:
Is Dom winning or losing? **
Chris says:
Neither at the moment, it seems fairly even as far as you can see **
Tim says:
I slowly open the door, trying not to alert either of them.**
Chris says:
Neither of them notice the door opening. Now that you have an un-obstructed view, there are some things which dont make sense. Dominic is wielding his usual sword, however there seems to be a black outline which seems to follow every sword swing and his movements seem jittery, almost as if he's blinking in and out of existence (make sense)? **
Tim says:
Yeah, very shade-y.
Chris says:
Yeah, like a cartoon or film where every second frame is mising. On closer inspection, the minotaur is hairless.It is more like some kind of demon. Suddenly the minotaur/ demon turns and flees in the opposite direction. Dominic gives chase, the creature seems to be limping and Dominic is able to catch up. He dives forward, driving his sword into the creatures back. Both are now roughly 20 feet from you. As both hit the ground, Dominic rolls through and finishes on all fours, his left side facing you. He glances in your direction, and, just for a moment, his face seems to flicker, seemingly becoming that of a dragon before returning to normal. It is so brief, you almost miss it. Running almost canine-like, his sword left behind, he bounds towards you on all fours **
Tim says:
"Dominic, what are you doing? Stop!" **
Chris says:
He stops a couple of feet from you, standing upright. He looks you up and down, smiling. Without warning, he pushes you in the chest, hard enough to rock you but not to knock you over.
"You're not so tough"
"Part Orc huh?"
"Thought Orcs were ment to be tough?" **
Tim says:
"What's got into you Dominic? Where are we? Who was that?" **
Chris says:
You get the impression Dominic doesn't seem to be himself, there's no response to your question, he simply pushes you again.
"No, there's something else, there's something dormant..."
"Lets see if we can get some answers shall we?" **
Tim says:
"Don't push me again, Dom...and what do you mean, "Dorment"? You mean inside me? You know I'm a half-orc, nothing more, nothing less!" **
Chris says:
"Don't push you? Why ever not? Will you get angry?"
"Good! That's what we want!"
"Let it out!"
"Be all you can be!"
He grabs your head with both hands, one on each temple **
Tim says:
"Shut up Dominic, you rambling fool!"
I grab his wrists and pull them off my head, holding them down by my waist, twisting them to imobilise him.**
Chris says:
You manage to move his hands, always strong, he seems more so, it's almost as if he's letting you. His chest begins to heave as he laughs. Quietly at first, then booming.
"You actually think you can overpower me?"
Dominic throws his head back and howls into the sky **
Tim says:
"Your mad, if all is well here then go back to bed..." **
Chris says:
As you head back to the door, Dominic calls after you...
"You're a coward! What would your father do at a time like this? Shall we find out?" **
Tim says:
"I don't have a father..." **
Chris says:
"No? Then it seems I've wasted my time. I believed you sought answers." **
Tim says:
"The creature you speak of has no right to call himself my father...that primitive bastard. My uncle was more a father than he was! The only answers I want will be delivered when his head is on a plate!" **
Chris says:
"That may come sooner than you think. He seeks you Lox and he has power, strange unexplained power." **
Tim says:
"And so do I, Dominic! I have the strength to kill the bastard, but I am no fool. I know he's looking for me, but I know when the time is right, his life is forfeit! It'll be mine for the taking, and in my mothers name, I'll make it right for what he did to her!" **
Chris says:
"Yes, yes you do. You seem afraid of your own capabilities" **
Tim says:
"It's as if you speak in riddles! What are you on about old man! Speak plainly! What "capabilities! do you speak of?" **
Chris says:
"Speak plainly? If you so request... Things are not as they seem Lox. Let me show you." **
Tim says:
"Dom, my friend, we've been friends since we were little, but recently, when we first returned to Solace, me and the girls just couldn't figure it out. What's wrong? What's changed?" **
Chris says:
"I did. I guess we all have a little inner... savage" **
Tim says:
"There you go with your bloody riddles again! Well come on then! Show me!" **
Chris says:
"Gladly"
Black wings sprout from his shoulder blades, and quickly, too quick, he grasps you under each arm and launches into the sky **
Tim says:
"What the hell, Dominic, what's happened to you?! Where are you taking me?!" **
Chris says:
"You wanted answers, we're giving you answers."
After ascending to around 100 ft, he twists in mid-air, and gaining speed, begins diving headfirst towards the ground. At the moment of impact there's a darkness before you. You seem to be in the middle of a settlement of some kind. Orcs of all shapes and sizes mill around, seemingly beginning a new day, none seem to even be aware of your prresence. A young Orc warrior emerges from one of the larger tents, something seems familiar about him as he literally passes straight through you and strides into a large tent, 50 yards behind **
Tim says:
"Is this a dream Dominic? A message from beyond? I'm really back in my bed right now, aren't I?"
"Just tell me, who were you fighting? Why didn't the others stir?"
"Where are we? Who was that?" **
Chris says:
Dominic's voice fills your head, but there's no sign of him.
"Yes Lox, you're safely in your bed. I was fighting a demon sent by your father to stop me revealing the truth"
"We are far south, beyond the icewall glacier, deep in the frozen lands and that was the Father you don't have" **
Tim says:
"How can that be...he looks so young?" **
Chris says:
"He is young, barely an adult, perhaps you should follow him?" **
Tim says:
"This is not our present time...?"
I follow the figure into the tent. **
Chris says:
"No, this is some 20 years ago"
As you follow the figure into the tent, he approaches an older figure, dressed in what you recognise as chieftain dress. The young Orc warrior literally barges passed the servants, aides and guards alike, stopping and dropping to one knee before the older figure. A soundless conversation follows between the chieftain and young warrior, there's an obvious similarity and the two are clearly father and son **
Tim says:
I approach to try and listen in. **
Chris says:
You stand mere feet from the figures and can clearly see mouths move but there's simply no sound **
Tim says:
"Dominic, what's going on? I know they can't see or hear me, but why can't I hear them?" **
Chris says:
"Bending the laws of time has its limitations." **
Tim says:
"Well, you must mean for me to see something in that case! get to it man..." **
Chris says:
A brief flash of light temporarily blinds you. As your vision returns, you are seemingly on the back of some reptilian mount surrounded by Orc warriors and led by the young Orc Warrior from previously. He seems older, but not by much. Within minutes the Orcs have crested a hill and are descending on a settlement of some type. The battle, if you can call it such, is over within minutes. The scant militia are easily overwhelmed and the Orcs stand in the centre of the settlement victorious **
Tim says:
"Do...do I know this place?" **
Chris says:
"No, this place is not familiar."
The orc warrior is handed a lit torch and proceeds to take it to the first building he reaches, it catches in seconds and is soon burning firecly. On command, the others do the same. Dozens of women and kids stream from the buildings. The Orcs round up the survivors, including the newest ones to appear. Taking a Great Axe from the side of his mount, the Orc warrior begins cleaving through women and child alike. Head to toe in blood and gore, he takes no time to wipe out the remains of the village. **
Tim says:
"If this truely is my "father", Dominic, then you are showing me nothing that I don't know of already!" **
Chris says:
"Then we'll move along..."
At double the speed of previous visions, dozens more similar such attrocites occur before you find yourself back in the original settlement. The Orc Warrior strides confidently towards the same large tent seen earlier, subordinates scurry out of the way as he passes. **
Tim says: 
I'll follow him in.
Chris says: 
You follow the Warrior into the tent. You watch as he approaches the clan chieftain on what you assume to be his deathbed. Without warning, the Orc snatches a metal tray from one of the aides, and brings it down on the neck of the cheiftain, severing his head from his body.
Tim says: 
(Amazing)
Chris says:
Grasping his head by the hair, the Orc walks from the tent. Grabbing a spear from a guard, he drives it point first into the ground before taking the head and driving it onto the blunt end**
Tim says: 
"Is there a point to this, Dominic? No pun intended, of course."**
Chris says:
"You never knew your father, I seek to show you just how mindlessly cruel and savage he WAS" The scene changes and you witness countless more raids by the new Orc Chieftain. Razing settlements to the ground, killing everyone and anyone. Each and every raid is almost identical to the last, no stealth, no tactics just mindless brute force **
Tim says: 
"My mother has told me of his and his gangs brutality. I need not see it for my self." **
Chris says: 
Another raid, this time against a hilltop settlement, the Chieftain leads his warriors up a narrow and winding path, forced to ride single file or face certain death by tumbling down the steep hillside. The Chieftain rides with reckless abandon, punishing his mount with blows to the head every time it places a foot wrong. As they approach it is eveident the settlement has walls. Barely 6 feet in height, they prevent villagers tumbling down the hill. As the raiders get within 50 feet of the settlement, a glint of armour is seen rising above the wall, followed by more. Solamnic knights. Dozens of them, armed with bows, rain death upon the Orcs **
Tim says: 
"Interesting..." **
Chris says:
The chieftain, being at the forefront, takes a number of arrows, as does his mount.Thrown from the mount as it collapses, he tumble towards the edge of the narrow pathway and promptly falls over the edge. Dislodging rocks and small trees as he falls, he, quite literally, bounces down the sheer cliff face. As he lands at the bottom, limbs bent in impossible directions, bloodied and quite clearly dead, the ground subsides beneath him and he falls through the roof of a ramshackle hut built into the cliff wall **
Tim says:
"NOOO! This can't be! His head was mine to take! Are you telling me he fell to his death? The Bastard Coward! ARRRGH!" **
Chris says:
"Patience, young one, this is years before your birth..." **
Tim says: 
"But, how can this be?!? No one could survive that! Look at him, he's dead!" **
Chris says:
"Yes, dead he is" You float into the hole in the roof of the hut. The chieftains body lies on the floor, blood pooling beneath his body as the remains of his lifeblood run towards what looks like a small and long unused altar. The altar itself has an inset bowl carved in the top with a small channel running from the bowl and down the side into a small drain hole. Between the base of the altar and ground, the chieftains blood trickles slowly towards the drain and drips down into the base of the altar. A green mist (remember everything still has a green tint) begins to come from the small drain. Drifting over the dead body, it glides into his mouth and nostrils. The body convulses violently, its eyes snap open and shine with a strange green glow. Still lying, the chieftain begins snapping bones back into place before getting up and dusting himself off. Seeing directly into his eyes, the same savage brutality can still be seen, now seemingly mixed with an intelligent gleam not seen before **
Tim says:
"Hmmm, I don't like this. I mean, I enjoy the fact he survived, as it means I can still take him, but is he still orc?" **
Chris says: 
"Physically, yes" The chieftain, with a single leap, jumps straight through the hole he himself made in the roof. Grasping a young sapling growing from the cliff wall, grasping anything he can, making footholds where required, the chieftain begins climbing the cliff. He reaches the top within a few short minutes, scaling several hundred feet with remarkable agilty and speed. The villagers have seemingly dragged the bodies of the fallen orcs inside, for what purposes you cannot tell. All that is left now is blood stained snow and the remains of the short battle. The villagers, seemingly intent on the gruesome task at hand, do not notice the lone Orc as he heads towards the scene of his single, devestating defeat. He stops, kneels and plunges his hand into the snow, which seems to melt away from his presence, uncovering the shaft of a weapon. He grasps it and pulls it from the snow. Once again armed with his precious axe, he snarls in the direction of the village, turns and walks back down the hill **
Tim says: 
Lox's eyes widen with the axe being uncovered. He obviously wants it."Ha! That's not his last defeat, if I have anything to do with it...""What do you know of this gas, Dominic? He's posessed, yes? But by who?" **
Chris says:
"They call themselves 'Ravers', "Turiya Herem", "Samādhi Sheol", "Moksha Jehannum", three brothers. Ancient, powerful and undeniably evil. They are awake now. I know not which one has possessed him." The scene changes again and you see Elric Draven, in the same room you encountered him in previously, kneeling dressed in plain grey robes, he seems to be praying **
Tim says:
"Three brothers? What of the other two? If one has taken my fathers body, then what happens to the other two? And why are we in Elrics room again? What is he wearing? Whom does he pray to?" **
Chris says:
"So many question, so few answers." You float around to 'stand' in front of the praying Elf. It become obvious you have limited control of your body. You now recognise he wears simple prayer robes, much the same as you would witness Isosceles wear from time to time. His eyes open and you get the impression he stares straight into yours for a brief moment, he smiles slightly. Scene changes to a gladitorial arena where you see a Minotaur, scimitar in each hand and standing on the sanded arena floor. He stands opposite an Ogre armed with a Great Sword**
Tim says: 
"Is that Dark Knight?" **
Chris says: 
"No" (and it's Darknight/ Dark Night )
Tim says: 
(*cough* BATMAN! *cough*)
Chris says:
The Ogre swings his sword but the Minotaur (*cough* FU *cough*) is quicker, ducking underneath the swing, slashing blades at tremendous speeds. The Ogre falls to the ground. A bloody mess within seconds. The crowd, thousands of them, a mixture of every race you can possibly think of, are on their collective feet and going crazy**
Tim says: 
"I'm confused, what does this have to do with my father? How have you come to know all of this?"**
Chris says: 
""This" has nothing to do with him." The minotaur, using a Scimitar, points up to the crowd at one in particular.**
Tim says:
Lox tries to look out at the member in the crowd. **
Chris says: 
Following the Minotaurs pointing, it is quite easy to determine who he points at. You see familiar faces in "Darknight", and Elric Draven standing to the right of a seated figure dressed in purple robes of office, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Elric. To his right sits a strkingly beautiful, black haired Elven woman. The robed figure stands as the crowd goes to a whole new level, this is clearly something they are both used to and expecting. The figure makes his way down towards the arena floor .**
Tim says: 
"Who is the minotaur? Why does the robed figure go to him?" **
Chris says: 
"The Minotaur is named Kaz. He is something of a local hero in Ergoth, as he has never been bested in one on one combat. In a decision which many thought disastrous, Aleron, emporer of Ergoth, decreed that he would take on any challange to his rule by way of single and to the death combat. However, the decision has kept him in power longer than most remember. The gladitorial arena, or 'the pit' serves numerous purpoes, anyone found guilty of a crime, faces time down here. With victory they may win freedom, to lose means death. Needless to say, crime in Daltigoth is unusually low. Kaz has challenged Aleron's rule, and he must accept.**
Tim says: 
"When did this take place? Is Kaz still alive?"**
Chris says: 
"This took place just a month ago, and witness for yorself!" Aleron appears to have reached the lower level as a portcullis opens and he walks out onto the arena floor. He disrobes, dressed only in plain trousers, toned and athletic he is clearly in good physical condition, however he is still an Elf and is dwarfed by the Minotaur. Choosing no weapon, he approaches the Minotaur who has begun gentle execise to keep himself warmed up. The crowd settles again as the combatant size one another up, the Minotaur begins twirling his blades in numerous patterns, increasing in speed as he goes. He lunges in, seeking to end the fight quickly. Aleron, however, showing impossible speed lunges inside the swinging blades and rocks the Minotaur with several punches to the body. Enraged, the Minotaur roars and lunges in again. There is a slight cloud of sand building up now as both combatants move with a hard to believe speed. In the blink of an eye, Aleron has disarmed the Minotaur and disembowled him with him own swords. The crowd erupts as Aleron bows slightly, as if unaware of the fuss being made and heads back towards the tunnel he came from. **
Tim says:
"Impressive."
"A shame, I would have liked to have met this Kaz." "I'm still none the wiser as to why you show me this, Dominic?"
"You haven't answered my questions either...how did you come to know all of this?"**
Chris says:
Dominics voice can no longer be heard as the green tint, so inobtrusive until now, begins to become more solid. Eventually blocking you from seeing anything further, it is suddenly gone, as you find yourself back in your room and staring straight into the face of Dominic, who seems to be shaking you awake. **
Tim says: 
"Dominic, what do you know of what I dreamt?" **
Chris says: 
"What madness do you speak Lox? I heard you mumbling and came to wake you before you wake the whole damn place!"**
Tim says:
"Truthfully? You know nothing? You weren't telling me anything?" **
Chris says: 
"My friend, I wish I were, perhaps then I may understand what you're talking about"**
Tim says:
"As I thought. Very well. Thanks Dominic. Go back to bed." **
Chris says: 
Dominic leaves the room muttering somehitng about Orcs and Elven drink not mixing **

So there you have it. A simple couple of hours chat and I've (or rather Lox has) a hell of a lot more for my buck.

I love this idea that most GM's take what the player give them with regards to the history of the character and expand on it. It opens up endless doors to things that the GM may have not have thought of, but can then include in the story or campaign.


You can see throughout the dialogue, obvious indications where Chris or I had to change our thinking due to each others responses. Pretty interesting for sure. It's led me to think what other groups would be like. How do they differ? Do they prefer combat? Role-play? Problem solving? How much more involved do they feel?

So try it out. Just keep on rollin'.