Speaking of Hob accidentally building Dream a temple in the form of New Inn… a temple to someone like Morpheus is a rare thing indeed. Even more rare is the fact that Hob, de facto a high priest, was touched by Dream’s divinity; he sat with him, spoke with him, dined with him… such things do not go unnoticed. There are high priests and there are High Priests and there are the anointed ones and Hob is firmly in the latter category.
Soon, the New Inn starts to attract some odd folk. Of course, it’s London, you gonna get some odd folks here and there, but these people are odd in a very precise and focused way.
- The dreams and nightmares that escaped to the waking world to find Dream use the Inn as their meeting place. At first, they watch Hob with hawkish eyes hoping he’ll bring them to Dream but when they figure out he knows less than them they continue to use this pleace as their base of operation. This is the place with the strongest presence of Morpheus, it inspires and guides them (or so they believe)
- Dream’s creations, occultists wanting to harness the energy, people strongly attracted to things that are unusual, an odd supernatural being here and there, genuine worshippers of ancient gods… everyone who wants to touch the divine flock to the New Inn.
- Some ask Hob for his blessing. He is a bit taken aback but he figures that they are probably harmless or maybe those LARPer guys, maybe even students trying to prank him so he jokingly “blesses them”. One woman kisses his hands and starts crying when he does it.
- Hob isn’t surprised anymore when he finds odd items lying about the place. Candles, flowers, books, handwritten poems and prayers. Offerings.
- Writers and poets find that they are strongly inspired if they spend enough time in the Inn. There are at least dozen books that have a dedications to The New Inn and it’s owner.
The problem with such a great amount of thaumaturgic energy is that it has to flow somewhere but Dream is trapped and imprisoned, the energy cannot flow to him, so it looks for a conduit, a storage, a battery if you will and it finds it in the form of one Hob Gadling. Hob’s dreams start to become more lucid, he finds his way to the library, the House of Mystery, the shores of creation, eventually, the crumbling throne room itself. Hob’s starts to channel the energy of the dreamers. He understands that he’s not exactly human anymore but he struggles to understand what he is.
In the basement under the Burgess manor, the glass bowl starts to crack. The cracks are microscopic, invisible to a naked eye, but Morpheus can see them, can sense them. The runes that trap him are fading quicker and quicker. Eventually they have to be redone daily. The cracks become larger. Something is happening.
Corinthian senses the changes too. Whatever it is, whoever it is, he cannot allow them to free Dream. Finding the source is easy, he is a nightmare after all, he is naturally attracted to the energy of the dreaming. He finds the The New Inn and he finds Hob Gadling, a creature that used to be human but is now something else indeed. Something that has to be killed before it realises its own power. Corinthian confronts Hob who is surprised to recognise him; they never met yet he knows him but Corinthian is not here to talk, he’s here to kill, and so he strikes a killing blow… except how do you kill an immortal? You don’t. You can’t.
But this strike by a nightmare with a knife made with the sand of creation severs the connection between Hob and the power, and suddenly all this cumulative energy of the worshippers and dreamers is free. And where does it all go? Straight to the place where Morpheus is kept, because no amount of runes and glass can separate all this power from its rightful master.
The circle is broken, the orb shatters, Dream of the Endless is free.
Corinthian tries to escape but Dream disposes of him before he can step a foot outside the inn. The energy from the New Inn allows Dream to summon the Moirai and ask about his tools (justice for Gregory). He finds his sand, his helmet, his ruby.
When he returns to the New Inn Hob is still there, still waiting for his friend.
“You waited for me”
“I did”
They smile at each other. It’s a beginning of a beautiful friendship or perhaps something more? Endless cannot involve themselves with humans but Hob Gadling isn’t human anymore. He’s something else. Something else indeed.