Episode 11 - Circadian Rhythm

Recap
Norman and Dariun fought off 8 Limbo horsemen and successfully brought Berryl to the mansion. Zippy, captured by Limbo, played a cruel game with the goliath Carmine where he had his pinky finger cut off by Carmine's dagger. An unnamed Limbo girl helped Zippy escape with the dagger where they left the cavern before Zippy fell unconscious. Norman and Dariun tortured Berryl for information and planned to go to find Zippy in the morning. When they slept, Norman and Zippy were in the dream world on the silver sea on the fishing boat where Norman's self-proclaimed father, the demon king, showed up.

Episode Summary
Norman and Zippy are in the boat on the silver sea after they hear the booming voice in the black space. The water is bulging as Norman looks around and addresses Royce. Royce tells Norman that he was the one that called him here, Norman pulls out the amulet and asks Royce why he has it. The water becomes more rough as Royce explains he gave it to Norman a long time ago and sounds to be disturbed by the amulet. Norman tries to calm down the water but despite believing the rough waters are from his emotion, the water does not calm. Royce tells Norman that the amulet is for protection and a symbol of identification before a large black, clawed hand with cracks of lava reaches out from the water and goes to the boat. Meanwhile Zippy is trying to nap in the boat.

As the hand comes down and begins to close, Royce asks to Norman to become one with him before Norman uses thunder wave. The wave hits the hand but does not slow it down or damage it. Norman uses detect thoughts and hears Royce continuing to say become one as the hand continues to close and the boat begins to get crushed. Zippy transforms into a small bird and squeezes through a small gap in the fingers. Norman tries to cast Leo's Tiny Hut within the crushing hand as Zippy transforms into a salmon and dives into the water to only see the bottom of the wrist and no body under the water. As the hand closes, the fist lowers into the water and Norman can feel the water fill the area. Zippy uses hold person on the hand as Norman finishes the hut spell.

As Zippy floats up in the air, he sees the cloaked figure he saw in the candy land, sprinting towards him. As they run to Zippy, the waves behind him erupt into a tsunami. Zippy uses gust of wind shooting himself forwards towards the figure. Norman, knowing it's just a dream, releases the spell as the fist drags Norman down into the silver sea. The cloaked figure copies Zippy and uses gust of wind. Zippy casts flame blade, and just before they clash, Zippy flies down into the water, now followed by the figure. Zippy casts wind wall under the water towards the figure as it creates an ice blade and slashes through the wind wall. Frustrated, Zippy casts moon beam onto the figure as they cast an earth wall to shield themselves from the moonlight.

Zippy can see beneath the fist that is dragging Norman down is a wooden door, just like the one he used to get into Norman's dream. He uses gust of wind and moves like a torpedo to the door and uses destroy water around the door, allowing Zippy to open the door. As he does, the world around him begins to shake as he sees a bright green light come from the door. Norman hears the voice of Royce repeat the word deeper as he sinks. Suddenly, the fist explodes and the figure grabs Norman and asks where Zippy went. When Norman tries to use hellish rebuke, the figure drains the power from Norman and the flame of his spell disappears. Norman then tries to stab the figure with his sword but feels a sharp pain in his stomach and he wakes up.

Through the door, Zippy enters a land resembling a Feywild forest. He sees many Feywild creatures including Dariun who is very confused as to why Zippy is there. He starts to clue onto that they are in a dream and that Zippy is the real thing and asks where he is. The visions that Norman saw with the harbour area around Aurum appears behind Zippy and as he describes the castle, the world shakes and the castle images become real. Zippy then describes the cave he was in and that he was with Colm as well. As Zippy continues to explain, there is a boom as a door appears in the air and the figure comes down from the sky. It grabs Zippy and drags his through the dirt before being kicked off. Zippy summons a pegasus, dubbed Longface Pegasushooves and flies as the figure is chasing. It creates a giant stone Gollum hand with a mountain and as it goes to hit Zippy, he uses heat metal and call lightning on the hand and it crumbles. The figure is able to get in front of Zippy and tackles the Pegasus to the ground as it explodes into a rainbow. Meanwhile Dariun is miles away and decides to wonder back to his Fey friends.

Zippy feels his arms being stretched like a starfish as cuffs restrain him. The figure pokes Zippy on the forehead and he falls from the sky into a doorway that appears, finding himself in a white room. As Dariun is walking, the figure flies over to Dariun and grabs and tosses him into the door Zippy went through. Dariun and Zippy find themselves in a pure white room as they see the figure standing and writing on a clipboard. Very soon after, Dariun wakes up in the mansion.

Norman woke to a sharp pain in his stomach and immediately notices a dagger in his stomach and a woman Limbo member, covered in blood and eyes filled with tears, is holding the dagger and Norman's collar. She tells him he killed her husband and she will kill Norman. Norman uses charm person on the limbo member promising to bring her husband back. He learns her name is Jau and he walks to Dariun's room waking him up. When Norman opens the door, Dariun sees he is covered in blood and uses a cure wounds on him. Jau, charmed, confesses to stabbing Norman and Dariun gets her into a chair and ties her up.

Norman tells Dariun about his dream and he tells Norman Zippy was also in his dream. Norman tells Dariun about his plan to use Jau to get to the limbo hideout but Dariun isn't too convinced and considering the charm spell only lasts an hour, they won't be able to use her the whole way. Dariun speaks to Norman about how they cannot just let her go and will need to kill her but the charm spell is not making it easy. Norman does not want to kill her in cold blood so they decide to keep her in the basement tied up. Gilbert Is not too happy about the idea and would prefer to just kill her now. Gilbert also lets them know that Marley and Paige are staying at another location for their safety.

Dariun asks for a non-violent poison and a bread roll as Norman talks to Jau about her backstory and why she chose Limbo. He asks about Carmine and she tells him he is crazy and one of the downsides of the job. Dariun, outside the room, puts the poison onto the bread roll and offers it to Jau. Norman suspects something is up and does not trust Dariun so he uses mage hand try to get it out of his hand but Dariun is able to keep it from his grasp. Norman stands between Dariun and Jau and stands firm that he doesn't feel they can leave her alive and he was trying to spare Norman from being a part of it, Gilbert agrees with Dariun. Norman, turns to Jau and casts words of terror on her advising her to get out of Aurum. After he cuts her bonds, she runs to the window she came in from and flees. Before she can get away, Dariun casts planar warrior and fires and arrow at Jau, killing her instantly. Norman slaps Dariun and expresses his frustration before leaving to get on his horse. Dariun throws the poisoned bun out the window and advises Gilbert to get mercenaries to protect the house. Dariun and Norman head towards the port city looking for the place they saw in their dream.

Zippy is alone in the white room in the dream space with the cloaked figure who is dumbfounded by Zippy and why he can do what he can do in the dream lands. The cloaked figure tells him that his boss, the God of Dreams, will be very mad with him. The cloaked dream figure asks Zippy some questions but is cut off after two when Zippy wakes up.

Zippy wakes up feeling lightheaded not only from his injuries but also from hanging upside down on a tree branch dangling over the edge of the rock wall, wrapped in the rope the woman tied around him and is also gagged. He tries to chew through the gag and as he does, he can hear 3 voices coming towards him, one of which is the woman who saved him before, who is referred to as Carmin by the two men she is with. In the conversation, Zippy can hear Carmin explaining that she had caught the Greeder and would be able to get into her brother's, Carmine's, good books. Zippy has now gnawed through gag and summons a polar bear and directs it to kill Carmin. The polar bear charges at Carmin wounding her badly. The other two members go around to try to get Zippy off the branch.

Zippy can hear the gallops of Tealeaf and Denmark but Dariun and Norman cannot see Zippy or the commotion going on. Zippy yells out to Dariun and Norman and the two limbo members go to cut the rope and kill Zippy off the cliff. Dariun and Norman now see Zippy and the other Limbo members as they kick up a gear on their horses. Zippy instructs the bear to body slam Carmin to prevent her from running. As she is trying to crawl away, the polar bear stands on his back legs and he starts to walk to her. As he shadow covers her, she looks back to see the polar bear raises his arms and jumps onto Carmin, killing her.

Meanwhile, Zippy casts flame blade, immediately cutting the ropes causing him to fall. As he falls, he grabs onto the wall, now hanging from the cliffside. Norman and Dariun make it to the scene. Dariun uses planar warrior and fires two arrows at one of the members and one hits, killing him. Zippy climbs up and the newly reunited team 8 stand over the one remaining Limbo member. Zippy tries to reason with the Limbo member and even offers to let him go to play his tambourine for Aurum, giving the Limbo member hope. But Zippy's tone turns as he slits the Limbo member's throat, killing him. Norman takes the pocket tambourine from the now dead Limbo member's pocket before Dariun kicks the body off the cliff. Zippy heads over to Carmin's body and cuts off her pinky with Carmine's dagger, feeding it to the polar bear, named Winston.

On examining the dagger, Zippy learns about Carmine's hunting knife which is a magic weapon with lust for blood. Now that the fighting is over, the team properly reunite and catch up with what's been happening. They speculate as to where Colm would be so they decide to head to the cave to see if they can bring him back and uphold their promise to Turi.

Quotations

 * Zippy "It was almost like there was some force willing me to just the caught, it was terrible"
 * Zippy "I think everyone should know where everyone is coming from in life"
 * Zippy "It's time for you to die a brutal death!"
 * Dariun "We killed a lot of people to find you!"
 * Zippy "The whole time I've been away from you guys all I could think about is when, you know, we'd be together next!"
 * Dariun "We've all gotten into this mess together, might as well get through it."
 * Zippy "Heck what do we have to lose?"
 * Dariun "Oh you know, not much, just our lives"



Main Cast

 * Norman D
 * Dariun Branch
 * Zippy Westborrough

Returning Characters

 * Royce
 * Cloaked dream figure
 * Gilbert Bernstein
 * Tealeaf
 * Denmark
 * Female Limbo member/Carmin



New Characters

 * Longface Pegasushooves
 * Jau (female Limbo member)
 * Braum (mentioned - dead husband of Jau)
 * Winston (polar bear)



Locations

 * Gilbert's mansion