Caedius loses himself in the eyes for a moment...

There is a discontinuity, a sensation like having briefly fallen asleep. There is significantly more greenery in the area, now... if, that is, it can truly be said to be green.

A leaf tickles his face, bringing with it an impulse to yawn. Whatever it was he was trying to focus on is gone without a trace.

The snake, for its part, seems slightly larger... and, perhaps, smugger?

"It's like that, if you managed to notice it. And my, that was a better memory than I had expected! In the spirit of our growing cooperation, then... I promise that, when I feed on your memories, I will only take those which you offer."

(Agreements of that sort are not retroactive, of course.)

"Now, to address your earlier questions... should you die out there in the Is, death will bring you to the River before too long, but here in the Is-Not, it is a mere suggestion. It can at times be an insistent suggestion, but one whose consequences will leave you inconvenienced and diminished rather than sent elsewhere. This has advantages and disadvantages. Notably, it is not possible for deliberate and concerted effort to instead destroy you, in ways that would be difficult in reality. Should you bargain unwisely, giving too much of yourself away for too little gain, or take risks repeatedly and suffer too many mortal wounds, while failing to attend to your deteriorating condition for too long, you may become too diminished to rebuild yourself, reduced to shadows, reflections, and memories, too broken to ever have much chance of coming back together. But should you learn the arts of this place, choose your hiding places wisely, and take time to recover yourself between great risks and exertions, it is possible to endure indefinitely. There are humans who have managed to remain in the Is-Not for a very long time."

"In terms of service, the uses I might have for you depend both on what you can do, and what you are not doing. For the former, reflections of many real occupations can be found in the Is-Not, so there is some chance of you doing something similar here as what you did there. For the latter, humans have plenty of capabilities that they do not use constantly. While sleeping, you may find that you have little use for your body... and even less so, should you mean to come here to stay."

Yawn. 

And the area is doing something weird... is the greenery growing? Along with the snake? That seems kind of surprising.

"There was something to notice, but it feels less like a hole in my memories than I expected. A calm forgetting, instead of a nagging one."

Whoops. He wanted to know what the memory was worth, to price others, but now his comparison point's gone. Anyway.

"That does still sound... better than Hell. Even if dangerous. Are there teachers or places of teaching, of those arts you mention?"

"I am a wizard by profession. It means that when I have access to the correct tools - scrolls of spells or a spellbook, and eight hours of uninterrupted sleep - I can prepare spells of illusions, buffs, destruction, and various other purposes.

I'm unaware how the requirement for sleep will fare, out here. Nonetheless I would work for you, as a spellcaster, for the right price. I would consider renting my physical body, especially if I am to stay, but it would be important to ensure its safety. I am still not quite certain what attacked me and how I ended up here. I believe there was a minotaur, who went for my body."

"There are few places worse than Hell," agrees the Fingerking, "On that subject, I will note that devils have been known to visit parts of the Is-Not on occasion. They are not welcome guests, having betrayed my kind long ago, but ancient treaties permit some of their number limited access to certain areas."

"As to the arts needed to endure and thrive in the Is-Not, I myself have some relevant knowledge that I might share. More specialized instruction might be obtained in a variety of places, which notably include the Dome of Scales, the Castle of Forests, the Moonlit Chessboard, the Waswood, the Viric Jungle, the Sea of Spines, and the City of Arbor. To be clear, I am not welcome in all of those places, but should you prove valuable enough to me, it might be possible for me to arrange guidance and introductions sufficient for any of those. If your primary motivation is your own safety, I might recommend the Castle of Forests, an ancient stronghold of my kind. You might also find safety in Arbor, a walled city inhabited exclusively by the dreaming dead, though it might be difficult to negotiate entry. Alternatively, any of the rival powers which contest the Moonlit Chessboard might have a place for you, if you are comfortable making a war camp your home."

"There are indeed many who, like you, think to offer their bodies to my kind on a temporary basis. In your own case, I might caution that the logistics of such a bargain could prove impractical, depending on how easily repeated are the circumstances that led you here. As you did not come here on your own, it might not be possible for you to return on your own."

"One can contract with Hell but rarely be satisfied with the end result. I find the knowledge and warning useful. I would guess at difficult transit between here and my wakeful body, from what you say. So I will be careful, before offering again."

"I would willingly journey to the places you speak of, depending on our arrangements and the dangers. Currently I value safety, but it also exists in information and capability. And I would appreciate a respite, nonetheless."

"The places you mention do beg questions; do the dead dream as I, departed from their bodies? And how does one build a Castle of Forests?"

The fingerking is not interested in the spells or i playing its interest close to chest.

"Of my profession, I can demonstrate."

Light

A glowing light appears on his sleeve.

"This is the simplest kind of spell I can access. Power and complexity goes up hand in hand. Do you know if spellcasting is common here?" 

"Humans most commonly enter the Is-Not through dream, though generally in specific regions more amenable to their entry. The people of Arbor arranged to come here all at once, and they are indeed the inspiration for my suggestion to you. As for the Castle of Forests, it was made from ancient dreams of endless primeval forests, then shaped into defensive patterns by the dreams of architects and maze builders. From horizon to horizon, massive trees grow close enough together to resemble solid walls, surrounded by vicious hedges with poisoned thorns, laid out in patterns meant to entrap and mislead... and at the heart of it all, the Citadel of Vineyards, with its own layered defences."

The Fingerking examines the light thoughtfully.

"Magicians often associate with my kind, often coming to us for tutelage and inspiration. Illusionists and conjurers of minor talent are not uncommon, though true masters are naturally rarer. Still, it might be possible that there are some interesting differences between their arts and your own."

"Oh... so they didn't enter from death but their bodies died after entry?"

"Building castles out of dreams certainly sounds like an architectural challenge... and patterns out of architect dreams. Sounds solid enough for defensive purposes, though."

"With time and resources I could find out the differences.. I could demonstrate something more significant but then wouldn't have access to it until I can rest and re-prepare."

"Nonetheless, what shall we do next? I still desire safety as the first point; I would give you memories, if I have to, but I'd rather labor, if it would purchase protection."