Jemima the Dreamer

A young dreamy girl Jemima has long had a happy smile and ready laugh that made her popular in Muldon?s ford despite her tales of invisible friends and such fancies. Recently however she has begun having terrible nightmares and the folk have begun to fear she is possessed.

Muldon's Ford has suffered greatly of late and the villagers' mood is becoming very sour, Jemima's mother is terrified that her daughter will be burnt as a witch, as the village priest debates if she can be cleansed of the taint that has befallen her - for clearly Jemima has been possessed of some evil.

The truth is, as ever, more complex. Jemima has a faint bloodline of Azrai from a youthful fling between her mother and a passing bard. As a result when Jemima dreams unlike other Cerilians her mind does not simply roam the Shadow World, but both shapes the Shadow World around it, and can be felt by those native to the plane.
When Jemima was young her dreams roamed amongst a bright part of the plane where the fey roamed, however as the taint of the Shadow spread her world became darker, and many of her Spirit World friends fled into Cerilia via Jemima?s dreams and erratic bloodline powers.

Purpose: Quest person; Damsel in distress; Matter of Justice: Even the innocent must perish ere they threaten the community; Supernatural events ? Shadow World breach, entrance to the Fey Mound.

Jemima is a friend to the local fey (led by Pickle) who will rally to her aid, she is also a member of a very close-knit (and somewhat in-bred) community, strangers are not wanted and not trusted, but the village looks after its own.

In the last few months Jemima has dreamed of only one thing, a man with terrible scars, antlers and burning eyes, a minion of the Lost called Mordecai.

Mordecai has long sought to aid his master in Hidaele, but took the opportunity to strike out alone when he found Jemima and saw in her a chance to first corrupt, and then inhabit the world of Cerilia himself. He has already sent her a multitude of nightmares, and recently succeeded in sending a shadow fiend into her village. The Shadow Fiend plans to sacrifice a number of children to create a proper gate to the Shadow World allowing Mordecai to enter Cerilia.

So far the fiend has been scouting for innocents who could be sacrificed and avoided confrontation, although it has slain a number of guard dogs that sensed its presence and caused other trouble to sate its violent nature.

The Shadow Fiend has fought with Pickle and Jemima's other "invisible friends" in the forest and learned to respect their power enough not to dare seizing Jemima for its ritual. Pickle, bravest of the Pixie warriors has begun looking for heroes who can help Jemima - who is possibly the only way for more of Pickle's friends to escape the ever-darkening Shadow World.

Pickle and his people have already left the Shadow World, their Spirit World enclave has been shrinking for some time since its ruler, "the Lady in Green" fell into a deep sleep after being wounded in a battle with Mordecai. Pickle hopes to create a Spirit World gate that will let the remaining fey leave the world (carrying their beloved Lady) and find a home in Cerilia.

To make a gate Pickle needs Jemima to make a "happy place" - just as a gate to the dark areas of the Shadow World are found where death, pain and sorrow linger so the Spirit World is nearest were in places where life is celebrated. Fortunately there is a hill nearby long used by the sidhe for dances but lately fallen into disuse, if Jemima could have the village use the Hill for the site of the villages revels then with a little help from Pickle the revelry might be enough to open a gate.

Whether of course the villagers will be happy to have their party crashed by satyrs, dryads, fairies, pixies, etc, etc is another matter - it would clearly be best if the older, grouchier members of the community were distracted elsewhere during the revels... And then of course there is the issue of where a community of hundreds - possibly thousands of fey might find an enduring home.