Interlude II The Oneironauts

Interlude II: The Oneironauts

Read this interlude only if you are playing The Dream-Quest and The Web of Dreams as an interconnected eight-part campaign.
Do not read this interlude until both Scenarios 2–A: The Search for Kadath and 2–B: A Thousand Shapes of Horror have been completed.
The Oneironauts 1: Following scenario 2–B, the investigators have finally reached the end of the mysterious stairway…
The black cat awaits you at the bottom of the stairs, watching your long descent with distant, unblinking eyes. You are about to ask how the cat got there when it cuts you off. “Don’t bother. You wouldn’t understand.”
It curls up on the cold stone floor, lounging amid the bleak environment.
Check the Campaign Log for The Web of Dreams (Campaign B).
Read the section below that applies to your situation, then proceed to the following text. If neither section applies, skip them.

If Randolph did not survive the descent and the black cat has a hunch:
“Where’s blondie?” the black cat asks, peering around. You remain silent, in anguish. “Ah. I see.” The cat examines its paw.
It doesn’t seem to care that your companion did not survive the descent. “Well, that seems to have resolved itself nicely,” it says to itself cryptically.
In both Campaign Logs, cross off the black cat has a hunch.

If you asked for it:
“Well, since you clearly don’t need my help, I’ll be off now.
Just wanted to check to see if you’re still alive. And look at that! You are. For now. Bye then.” Before you get the chance to reply, the black cat wanders off, its pitch-black fur melding into the darkness of the Underworld.
Skip the rest of this interlude.
Proceed to either Scenario 3–A: Dark Side of the Moon or Scenario 3–B: Point of No Return.

You’ve about had it with this cat’s cryptic half-truths and nonanswers.
You rail at the beast. How are you supposed to help when you might as well be stumbling in the dark? The black cat sits up and narrows its gaze. “I did not know if you could be trusted. To be honest, I am still unsure. I have had visions of these events for many, many years now. I know some of what may come to pass, but not everything. You could be the ones who will save all of us…or the fools who herald our doom.” The cat’s justification is convenient, but it does explain how it has known where to find you at every turn. You try to persuade the cat to trust you, but it remains unconvinced. “Tell you what. Beneath the surface of the Sea of Pitch lies a passageway between realms. That is where you need to go to stop this world from merging with yours. Make it there in one piece, and I’ll tell you everything. But first, I have somewhere else to be.
Your pals need me, too.”

ÆÆCheck Campaign Log. If the black cat has a hunch, it wanders off before you can reply, its pitch-black fur melding into the darkness of the Underworld.
ÆÆOtherwise, the black cat once again offers to pass a message along to your companions. The lead investigator must decide (choose one):
==Tell your companions that you are in trouble. The black cat will return to you with aid once this message is delivered. This may put an undue burden on your companions. In the Campaign Log for The Web of Dreams (Campaign B), record the black cat requested aid from the others.
==Tell your companions about the Underworld. The black cat will then go elsewhere. In the Campaign Log for The Web of Dreams (Campaign B), record the black cat shared knowledge of the Underworld.
==Tell your companions that you are safe. The black cat will stay with them once this message is delivered. This might make your quest a little more difficult. In the Campaign Log for The Web of Dreams (Campaign B), record the black cat warned the others.
ÆÆProceed to The Oneironauts 2.

The Oneironauts 2: Following scenario 2–A, the dreamers sail for parts unknown…
You open your eyes to the sound of a cat’s shrill caterwauling. You had been drifting off to…well, not sleep, exactly. Despite—or perhaps due to—your dreaming, you have been unable to truly sleep in this realm.
When you come to your senses, you spot the source of the wailing: Virgil’s cat, black as the void of space itself, sits several feet away waiting for you to pay attention. “Finally,” it declares, “about time you noticed something outside your own head. Listen, I got something important to tell you.”
Check the Campaign Log for The Dream-Quest (Campaign A). Read each section below that applies to your situation. Then, proceed to the following text.

If at least one of the investigators was not captured:
“Wait, where is my human?” the cat asks, craning its head to look around the deck of your ship. “Didn’t I leave him with you?”
You explain that Virgil has been taken captive by Corsairs, and  he cat replies by licking its paw without much concern. “Oh yeah, that’s right. Okay. I’m on the same page as you now.”

If all of the investigators were captured:
You try to shush the black cat, but it ignores you. “Relax. Your captors are all up on deck at the moment.” You ask bitterly why the creature is so cavalier about your capture, and request that it free you. “Nah. Somebody else has that covered, if memory serves,” it replies enigmatically.

If the black cat has a hunch and Randolph eluded capture:
The black cat sees Randolph at the helm of your ship and glares at him suspiciously. You wonder aloud what is wrong. “Normally I like the smell of fish, but this is too fishy. Something is wrong.
There are not supposed to be two of him. But my memory is fuzzy…” You thought you were confused before, but now you are truly lost. Two Randolphs? “Yes,” the black cat affirms.
“This one, and another in the waking world. That seems off,” the black cat understates the problem. “I think something is trying to interfere. I need to go figure this out.” With that, the cat leaps out of view.
Skip the rest of this interlude. In both Campaign Logs, record the black cat is searching for the truth.

“Now, where was I? Oh, right. I had a chat with your friends. They’re in the Dreamlands now, too. They have a message for you.”
Check the Campaign Log for The Web of Dreams (Campaign B).
Read the section to the below that applies to your situation.
Once the relevant entry has been read, choose and proceed to either Scenario 3–A: Dark Side of the Moon or Scenario 3–B: Point of No Return.

If the black cat requested aid from the others:
“Your friends are in a bit of trouble. They took a one-way trip to a pretty awful place, and I don’t know if they’ll be able to navigate it without me. I know your quest is looking pretty dire right now, too, but if I don’t stick by them, it won’t matter whether you reach Kadath or not. Good luck. Try not to die.”
With that, the black cat leaps out of view.
Check both Campaign Logs.
ÆÆIf neither Campaign Log has the black cat is at your side recorded, in the Campaign Log for The Web of Dreams (Campaign B), record the black cat is at your side. Add 1 <tab> token to the chaos bags for both campaigns.
ÆÆIf the Campaign Log for The Dream-Quest (Campaign A) has the black cat is at your side recorded, cross it off and record it in the Campaign Log for The Web of Dreams (Campaign B) instead. Replace 1 <mon> token in each campaign’s chaos bag with 1 <tab> token.
ÆÆIf the Campaign Log for The Web of Dreams (Campaign B) has the black cat is at your side recorded, no change is made.

If the black cat warned the others:
“Your friends are doing about as well as can be expected, really.
But they’re worried about you, and for good reason, it seems.
They might not be able to reach you any time soon. They want me to help you out instead, so I’ll be staying here for a little while longer. Gotta make sure you survive. If you don’t, well…” it takes a long pause, “…let’s not talk about that.”
Check both Campaign Logs.
ÆÆIf neither Campaign Log has the black cat is at your side recorded, in the Campaign Log for The Dream-Quest (Campaign A), record the black cat is at your side. Add 1 <mon> token to the chaos bags for both campaigns.
ÆÆIf the Campaign Log for The Web of Dreams (Campaign B) has the black cat is at your side recorded, cross it off and record it in the Campaign Log for The Dream-Quest (Campaign A) instead. Replace 1 <mon> token in each campaign’s chaos bag with 1 <tab> token.
ÆÆIf the Campaign Log for The Dream-Quest (Campaign A) has the black cat is at your side recorded, no change is made.

If the black cat shared knowledge of the Underworld:
The black cat tells you all about the region of the Dreamlands your companions have entered. “The entire surface of the Dreamlands, where you’ve been exploring, covers the Underworld like a beautiful silk dress over decayed skin. You have no reason to go there, which is a good thing, because it is a particularly inhospitable place. You actually might have walked right by one entrance to the Underworld, now that I think about it—back in the Enchanted Woods. There are several other entrances as well: beneath an old monastery in Leng, another in the ruins of Sarkomand…”
In the Campaign Log for The Dream-Quest (Campaign A),
record the dreamers know of another path.
Check both Campaign Logs.
ÆÆIf the Campaign Log for The Dream-Quest (Campaign A) has the black cat is at your side recorded, cross it off. Remove 1 <mon> token from the chaos bags for
both campaigns. 
ÆÆIf the Campaign Log for The Web of Dreams (Campaign B) has the black cat is at your side recorded, cross it off. Remove 1 <tab> token from the chaos bags for both campaigns.
ÆÆIf neither Campaign Log has the black cat is at your side recorded, no change is made.