Dream Walking

I landed, or came to a halt anyways, on the streets of a city much like that of
home. I looked wistfully up at the large building that was the Observatory for a
moment and then saw Professor van Quillip smiling. It was only then that it struck
me.

Everything had that ghostly ephemeral look to it that I saw several times and
several instances in the Observatory�the telescope, the hand lens, and so forth.
Here, everything and myself were in that odd color. I also noticed that, aside from
my guide and myself, there was no one else on this lonely road. Just buildings of
all kinds and shapes, in a symbotic and holistic relationship to the tropical
flora.

"Welcome to the Dreamlands, Archard." The Professor said.

"Congradulations on fulfilling my expectations. You indeed can enter the Realm of
Dreams."
--Archard, from the Empire of the Gleaming Banner.

Ah, Sleep, perchance to dream...

The first new power introduced into the Strange Bedfellows campaign was its prime
mover, Dream Magic or Dream Walking. The blond haired man named Valerian used it at
the onset of the campaign to attempt to warn his long distant relatives, the
Amberite young generation, of the threat of invaders who style themselves the
Omphalos.

It was inevitable that players in the game would attempt to duplicate Valerian's
feat, and walk in the dreams of others...and explore the strange and amazing level
of reality known to all as the Dreamplane.

The DreamPlane is the common linking ground of all sentient's dreams. Think of
everyone's dreams as bubbles in a soda. The soda itself is the Dreamplane, and thus
Dreamwalking is the ability to recognize you are in a dream, and the know how and
talent to escape your dream to the greater reality of Dreams...and enter the Dream
Plane.

The Dream Plane can appear as a city whose doors and buildings represent the minds
of dreamers, or a vast forest, where holes in the trees are gates to sleeper's
dreams...but there is always a strong silvery cast to the lonely landscape the
Dream Walker sees...much like the Amber someone sees while in Tir Na Nogth. Also,
there are a few "landmarks"--objects with permanent reality.

Dream Magic:
Basic Dream Walking
Points: 10
Allows the character, with the aid of a focus object to enter the Dreamplane and
from there enter the dreams of another. Also, note, a Dreamer can enter the
Dreamlands from their own lucid dream with the aid of another Dreamer present.

The degree of control over a dream's events, milieu and plot is dependent on the
psyche advantage of the dreamer and the target, although the dreamer has an innate
advantage if the target has no knowledge of Dream Walking.

The target must be someone whom the dreamer knows well, or at the very least, has
met. Total Strangers cannot be easily visited at this level of Dream Walking--their
psychic signatures are difficult to pinpoint on the dreamplane.

Also note that Dream Magic Initiates have a better ability to enter a somambulent
state than non-Dreamers. With practice, a meditative state or daydream can be used
by the initiate in order to enter the Dreamlands. The frequency that the Dreamer
can do this is a function of Endurance and Psyche.

Also note that a Dream Magic Initiate, by definition, has learned lucid dreaming of
their own dreams to at least the extent required for them to escape their dream and
enter the dreamlands. GMs should not ignore the possibilites and roleplaying
opportunities afforded this.

At this level, the initate can also use a form of Mage Sight called Dream Magic
Sight. It is not often useful, but it can detect the presence or signature of
beings, or powers which impinge directly on the Dream level of reality. Archard,
for example, in the Empire of the Gleaming Banner, saw the stains of the Unbrood's
malevolent possessions of people in this way.
Enhanced Dream Walking (25 points)
More abilities: ability to transport objects from the dream reality into normal
reality and back again. Dream initiate can shapeshift in the DreamPlane.

Also at this level is an ability to navigate the DreamWorld faster. Depending on

how the subject views it, this could be a raft on a river or a subway system. The
Dreamworld is huge, and sometimes the person or landmark the dreamer is looking for
is very far away. Also the ability to combine dreams...to bring other dreamers into
someone's dream is possible.

Trump Dream Walking (35 Points or Enhanced combined with Trump Artistry)
"Dream Trumping": any subject's surface and perhaps even deeper thoughts can be
scanned without actually entering the target's dreams (like Caine's trick with the
Trumps). At this level comes an ability to transport a person from their dream into
the Dreamlands...This does not mean that the transported person automatically can
deal with the nature of the Dreamplane or physically can be transported anywhere.
To do this involuntarily to someone from their Dream would be considered a psychic
combat.

Also, at this level, a focus is no longer required...the Dreamer can enter the
Dreamplane without it's aid, although it is a slower and more difficult process.

The Dreamer can also begin to create what are called "Dream Bubbles"...while in the
Dreamplane they can create a small, personal dream around themselves and anyone
nearby. With practice, this can be used to link the dreams of divergent dreamers
together. It is more useful as a defense since it does provide a "home field
advantage" similar to that of ones own regular dreamspace. The Dream Bubbles are
epheremal, and can be dispelled, or destroyed. They are also fixed in space, and
thus cannot be used for "travel".
Advanced Dream Walking (45 points)
High degree of control over a person's dream irregardless of Psyche advantage.
Ability to find a greater range of people in the Dreamplane. Ability to physically
transport oneself or others in the real world via the Dreamplane. This level of
ability requires an Initiation at the Castle of Sleep.

Transport in the Dreamplane is only possible via one of the Power Nodes, unless the
initiate or person to be transported solves the mystery of, and uses the Taingate.
What happens is, at the moment of transport, the physical body of the person
transports to the new location and the person is automatically awake(but usually
bereft of everything, unless they were brought into the Dreamplane). Until that
time, unless the person entered the DreamPlane physically to begin with (at a node,
or Tir) , the dreaming person remains in their original spot until they transport
themselves. Also note that they will likely transport themselves denuded of
possessions (including clothing). Personal paid for artifacts, however, should
survive the trip.
Example: Altos is in a prison in the Courts of Chaos. He decides, being a Dream
Master, that he will use the Dreamplane to escape. He enters the Dreamplane and
heads to the node for Ygg. Before he can use it though, his physical body is awoken
by his jailers, who were tipped off to his ability. Altos, so close, goes nowhere!
Special Level of Dream Magic: Demonic Dream Magic (40 Points):
Demonic Dream Magic is a special level of Dream Magic reserved solely for certain
species of Demons which have a version of Dream walking available to them, such as
Incubi and Succubi. Giving this to a player or non player character would require
them to have this sort of demonic ancestry.

This level of Demonic Dream Magic is essentially equal to the Advanced, 45 point
level, save for a couple of differences:

1 The Dream Demon cannot enter the Dream Plane in a direct physical manner, nor
bring Dreamers into the Dreamplane. They can, however, given experience, learn to
use the TainGate and accomplish transport in that manner.
2. Dream Demons have an astonishing ability to find their prey. They can mark (to
themselves) a dreamer's dream, and thus have an easy ability to return to the same
hapless victim night after night.
The Dreamlands, TainGate and the Castle of Sleep.
As mentioned above, much of the Dreamlands is highly subjective. Someone raised in
an urban enviroment will likely see a cityscape, a mariner might see a beach, a
port town, or an island filled ocean, and so on. And the experience can be
different sometimes for the same person...depending on their variety of experience
in the real world. So, it is rather disturbing when you find permanent locations in
a place that shouldn't seem to have any. The major two are a stone Tower with a
portal above it called the Taingate, and a city sized keep called the Castle of
Sleep.

Both are focal points and power points of the Dreamlands. Although the dreamlands
are derived from the thoughts of sentient beings everywhere, the substance of the
Dreamlands, the magical energy, is also derived from other sources.

The Taingate is the simpler of the two structures, a simple Tower that is not so
simple to get into. Also, hovering just above the roof is a purple, square energy
portal which is the gate itself. However, the entire gate and portal are enveloped
in an energy field easily seen with Mage Sight. This field prevents access to the
Tower and gate unless the dreamwalker can attune herself or himself to the field
( a process which takes a few minutes), which is really a concentration of dream
energy, getting to the gate and Tower is not possible.

The Tower itself is rather non descript, not much more than a few deserted rooms,
and a 3 story spiral staircase which leads up to the roof. However, this staircase
is perverse, and resists attempts to climb it...it actually takes about a half hour
of dreamtime to ascend to the roof. The Taingate itself is the star attraction
here, and passing through it will transport the Dreamer, bodily, to anywhere she or
he wants to go (The effect is much like a Pattern Teleportation). Thus, the Dreamer
must be careful when passing through, since they might transport themselves to a
location which isn't very safe...

The Castle of Sleep is another matter entirely....a huge amalgam of many structures
from many worlds...from Tir na Nogth, to places in other multiverses entirely. A
city sized castle, it has a limitless variety to explore, and most parts are
readily accessible, save for the central, hidden area of the Castle, which is
called the Illusionarium.

The Illusionarium is the initation site at the Castle of Sleep...usually appearing

as a maze of some kind, once it is found in the castle...it seems to have a
slightly different location, or at least the non descript door that leads to it
seems to be different.

Once inside, the dreamer encounters a maze, which usually takes a form relatively
well known to him or her...hedge mazes, minotaur labyrinths, etc. The initiate must
solve the maze, and there are sometimes dangers which spring from her own
subconscious and the Dreamlands..as well as even meeting constructs or versions of
people whom the Dreamer knows very well.

The goal, no matter what route in the multithreaded maze is taken, is to get to the
center. Completion of this initiation is required for advanced dream walking.

Once this is done, the dreamer has a better awareness of the power of dream energy
and dreamwalking...and thus can potentially use the TainGate.

Another, more cumbersome option is to physically journey to a power point in the

multiverse, such as the Primal Pattern, Tir Na Nogth, The Fount of the Keep of Four
Worlds, and then physically phase into the Castle of Sleep, willing oneself to the
corresponding location in the Castle. The advantage to doing this is that it allows
to bring items along into the Dreamlands much easier.

Thus, the dreamer could go from Tir Na Nogth to the Castle of Sleep, and then walk
to the power node for, and phase out at, the Omphalos...and thus have transported
herself. The advantage to this is that it cannot be easily blocked and is faster
than the problems inherent in using the TainGate and the disadvantage is that, for
example, the dreamer cannot pick a random area in some shadow like the use of the
Taingate allows. Also, a Logrus initiate probably would not want to transport
themselves to the Pattern room in this way!

One note, however. Tir Na Nogth has a permanent, viable link to the Dreamlands,
that anyone, irregardless of dream walking ability, can use to bodily get to the
Dreamlands. Once you have ascended the stairs into Tir, you simply go to the top of
Kolvir again, and you will have the chance to ascend a second ghostly staircase.
Taking this staircase will put you in the Castle of Sleep.

This is a two way link, fortunately, although of course it does not appear on the
Dreamlands end unless the lunar conditions are correct in Amber. Someone who
explores the Dreamlands too long could be in for a long wait until the next
moon...in my campaign, Tir is usually best visited only during gibbous or full
moons...and the arduous journey to the second Tir almost certainly should be only
done during a cloudless full moon...

Recapping what one can do in the Dreamplane

There is a lot of info here, so, again, with the requisite amount of ability in
Dream Magic, a Dream Master can potentially:

Find the Dreams of various people, enter them, study them, interact with the
person via them.
Conjure items into and out of Dreams and Reality.
Scan the thoughts of a Dreamer without actually entering their dream...Dream
Trumping
Bring a Dreamer into the Dreamlands from their own personal Dream
Explore the Dreamlands, create personal dreams while inside the Dreamlands.
Transport someone physically in the universe via a Power Node after bringing
them into the Dreamlands
Transport oneself physically via a Power Node, or even enter and exit the
Dreamlands bodily under the right circumstances.
Use the TainGate and Teleport to a location.