Plane of Dreams
The Plane of Dreams, sometimes dubbed the Astral Plane by particularly pedantic scholars, is a vast nebulous expanse fueled by the collective unconsciousness. The very fabric of this realm is composed of the creative energies, and anguished anxieties of mortal dreamers- with its denizens forged from half-remembered figments, or the unfortunate few who've found their consciousness stranded within this fantastical place.
A very real possibility, given that attempts to chart any sort of meaningful course is complicated by the realms shifting nature- as small pockets of unreality form with each new dreamer, lasting only as long as their slumber. And yet, despite the Dreamscapes nascent identity, and the portions of it which remain in flux, certain landmarks have begun to emerge providing would-be travelers with a means of orienting themselves. Though, whether these landmarks are as permanent as they seem, or merely run-offs from a particularly vivid dream- and thus doomed to return to the aether, is a matter of some debate.
This is part of the Planes of Existence.
Landscape
The Plane of Dreams can be divided into two stages: One’s personal dream, and the Outer Plane. Should one be able to escape the confines of their own dream, the influences of their subconsciousness will still be evident along what is known as the Outer Plane. No two persons see exactly the same, but some ethereal similarities have been noted by those who have studied the Plane.
Landmarks
Various spheres of significant influence are known as dreamscapes, also referred to as kingdoms. These are massive semi-permanent dreamscapes maintained by either a collective group of dreamers that take turns walking the other Planes while others remain behind to maintain the dreamscape, or a lone powerful individual's dreams. Upon entering, one may become subject to the specific laws of the one that made it. When there are no more mortals who are traversing the realm to maintain the dreamscape, or when the arcane energy used to maintain it is lost, the kingdom dissipates, fading back into the ether from whence it originated.
Saurian Empires Rebuilt
The older a dragon gets the more often they succumb to long bouts of hibernation. During these periods of hibernation a dragon’s dreams become powerful and compelling, making it difficult for them to wake from these fantasies. Dragons will often construct massive kingdoms in these dreams, a perfect reflection of their greed and personal desires manifest where they can exist for eons without risk of their mortal bodies expiring. While traversing the dream realm it is not uncommon to stumble upon these dragon dreams by accident, but invaders beware; A sleeping dragon is no less dangerous in their Dream Realm lairs than a waking dragon is on the Material plane.
Flora and Fauna
- Wayfinding Goldens - These ethereal plants appear similar to mature dandelions, save for their glittering violet stems and golden seeds that form a puffball-like flower. These tempting and seemingly harmless flowers appear to those who have lost their way in the outer plane in a bid to have the dreamer scatter their seeds to an unfelt wind. Should one do so, the pathway to a place on the plane that one is seeking will appear, but the creation of the path will alert the more hostile creatures of the plane that an interloper is among them.
- Bearer of Night Terrors - Aptly named because those who manage to survive an encounter with it are often subjected to screaming night terrors for many nights following. Those who follow divine faiths believe this being to be the right hand of the Spider Goddess, though this has never been confirmed nor denied. It appears in the Outer Plane as a dark, translucent arachnid, with specks of devoured consciousnesses within its thorax giving it the appearance of stars in the night sky. It changes its size effortlessly and instantly, allowing it to stalk its prey until it decides to strike. Most alarming of all are its ability to inflict pain on both the body of the dreamer, and the dreamer’s corporeal form, for instance, should the Bearer of Night Terrors decide to tear the projection of the dreamer’s leg off, significant damage will transfer to the dreamer’s corporeal body.
Traveling to the Plane of Dreams
The Plane of Dreams is an area only accessible through a projection of one’s mind, and as such, entering it through one’s mortal body is downright impossible.
The most common method of entering the dream realm is through sleeping, whether through naturally sleeping or using magical means to induce torpor.Though all dreamers can access this shallow layer of the Dream Realm, most others will find the task of leaving this space extremely taxing if they do not already possess ways to mitigate this difficulty.
Those with more experience with the dream realm or those skilled enough at asterial protection may be able to enter a dreamlike state through the means of meditation, entering the dream realm without fully being asleep. Such methods are difficult and any disturbance or interruption will instantly break a person’s connection with the realm, shunting them back into their corporeal body similar to a Dream Rejection.
For non-magic users that want to temporarily gain access to the dream realm, there are rumors of a flying ointment, but it's dangerous and tricky, given its use of mugwort as an ingredient. This flying ointment is difficult to acquire, and in some regions illegal, as it's a hallucinogen and potentially life-threatening if used in excess.
Without the aid of arcane or divine powers, all races are subject to their own abilities and limitations upon traversing the Realm of Dreams. Most will go their entire lives without realizing that this realm even exists, let alone being able to influence it. Races that are either more likely to be proficient and less biologically inclined to traverse the Realm of Dreams freely can study arcane subjects such as illusionism, telemancy, and spatiomancy to help gain mastery in recognizing that one is dreaming, able to escape the confines of their individual dream, able to move freely in the realm, and with enough proficiency, gain the ability to influence their own dreams and the dreams of others.
Sentients
Most humanoid sentients are known to sleep anywhere between six hours to the entirety of nightfall, which is twelve hours on average. This includes virtually all races from as large as giants and orcs to the common avians and dwarves, to the diminutive pixies and fae. Only a short portion of their time asleep is spent dreaming, but when they do dream, they do so with an intensity that repels the more hostile creatures just outside their dreamscape. Notably, humans seem to have the easiest time of the sentient humanoids in attaining lucidity within their own dreamscapes and escaping into the Outer Plane. This unexplained ease has been theorized to be due to their natural curiosity of phenomena that escape comprehension. It is also perhaps due to their curiosity to the happenings of the Outer Plane that results in their kind being the most frequent victims of the hostile creatures within the Plane.
Dragons
Dragons are known to succumb to frequent spells of hibernation upon reaching the milestone of elderhood at 400 years, with each period of hibernation lasting longer than the previous. The reason why it becomes increasingly difficult for them to wake up is because it becomes virtually impossible for them to distinguish dreams from reality, unable to escape the realm of dreams after decades, centuries, or millenias of acclimation to the Plane of Dreams. It has been theorized that due to their frequent prolonged journeys through this plane, their kind is responsible for the known landmarks of the area.
Dangers of the Plane of Dreams
The Plane of Dreams is an area only accessible through a projection of the mind. As such, entering it through one’s mortal body is impossible. This does not mean that dangers are not present when one’s astral form is traversing the landscape. Scholars who have attempted to learn about the Plane of Dreams have all agreed on one thing: If one’s consciousness were to die in the expanse stretching between individual dreams, they cannot return to the Material Plane. The body that remains on the Material Plane remains comatose until it passes away from natural causes as a result. It is unclear whether deaths in this manner will send someone to Praemia or Perdere, but it recommended that one does not attempt to find out firsthand.
Dream Rejection
Those who attempt to enter the dreams of others are rarely successful unless they are well versed in arcane magic specific to the Plane of Dreams. Not only is it disorienting for the party entering a dream due to the differing laws directed by the dreamer’s subconscious, but it puts significant strain on the dreamer’s subconscious until an equilibrium of sorts is achieved for both parties. While this danger is more of the milder ones, there is a high likelihood of the intruder’s consciousness being expelled from the dream and temporarily forcing both parties out of the Plane entirely. It has been spoken of in myths that some who have tried this have inadvertently caused the target dreamer’s consciousness to be lost, resulting in the eventual death of their corporeal body.
The Nightmares
Since dreams are very subjective to a person's thoughts, it is of utmost importance to be mindful as possible or your unconscious fears could become monsters that haunt you. If you're afraid of a monster chasing you here, there probably is.
Taking many forms, often feeding on the fears of an individual for sustenance, these amorphous beings take on the qualities of a subject’s worst nightmares, tormenting them while they sleep. Within one’s own dreams these creatures have limited power but traversing beyond that into the evershifting wilds of the dreamscape these creatures take on an even more sinister power, able to capture a person’s astral form and keep them separated from their body. Those who are unable to escape and find their bodies before they expire become Wanderers, doomed to roam the twisted dreamscape in search of that which doesn’t exist.
The Wanderers
Those who pass away on the Mortal Plane while their spirit is traversing the Dream Realm often find themselves without an anchor to return to. While their soul does ascend to the corresponding higher plane, a copy of their consciousness will remain trapped in the Plane of Dreams. These beings are referred to as the Wanderers. Much like other aspects of the Plane of Dreams, their visage varies depending on who is able to perceive them. Some wanderers are formless and liminal, associated with darkness and its dread while others are more peaceful yet confused, usually unaware that they are no longer living beings and still maintaining a vague grasp of what they looked like in life.
Malevolent wanders are often called lemures or shades, resenting anything and everything often to violent ends. Whether they were evil in life, nightmares corrupted them, or simply the reality of their existence was made known to them somehow and they became angry, all lemures hate and despise the living and will stop at nothing to harm them should they encounter a living person’s astral form.
Peace wanderers often resemble the race they were in life. With no corporeal body to return to, no dream palace put in place to protect them, these peaceful wanderers are doomed to exist as vagrants in the Dream Realm, constantly moving from place to place but belonging nowhere.
The Night Hags
Those who bear witness in the Plane of Dreams to the true visage of a Night Hag traversing the realm rarely live to tell of it. Night Hags hate to be seen by mortals, and will often use their magic to track the dreams of the interloper to make them the next target. Through the use of dark dream magic, Night Hags are able to create semi-permanent fixtures in the Dream Realm. They curse an individual or group of humanoids to enter a magical coma, and then instead of draining them of their life essence they harvest their dreams. Using the magical essence of these dreams, Night Hags are able to form hidden enclaves where their covens can meet together, though such instances of this are rare. Like all hags, Night Hags are distrustful of one another and rampant infighting and bids for supremacy drive these covens apart. If the comatose humanoids die or wake up at any time, the hidden enclave will slowly vanish without the dreams holding it together.
History of the Plane of Dreams
The history of this realm remains shrouded in mystery.
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