Somnis

A Dreamwalker influences the lives of others from behind the veil of Arcadia. Somnis requires a Minor Merit to pursue. 

Somnis

History

As with all Pacts and their respective Planes, Somnis came to be alongside the inception of Somna and the Plane of Arcadia. Innate to the Aranexi and only very rarely gifted to others, it is one of the least common Pacts. And yet despite that, Somnis has been used to influence all who dream since time immemorial.

Acquisition

Somnis is granted by the grace of Somna. This can feel exceptionally random, with many who try to crack the code of lucid dreaming left trying their entire lives to no avail whilst another may fall asleep with the idea in mind only once and succeed. The best method of acquisition is for another Dreamwalker to Ensnare a would-be initiate and then guide them through their first minor manipulation of their own Dreamscape, though the initiate might still fail.

Once the Pact forms, the newly minted Dreamwalker will be comatose for approximately three days, trapped within their own Dreamscape as the Pact settles into their soul.

Living As A Dreamwalker

Once granted the Pact of Somnis, a Dreamwalker’s soul is forevermore blessed by Arcadia’s Godhead, Somna. Dreamwalkers are able to freely traverse Arcadia during their slumber and make all manner modifications to the dreamscapes of others. The most proficient practitioners are even able to use Dreamscapes as a means of travel, stepping out of them into whatever world the dreamer inhabits.

• Recollection: Dreamwalkers always remember their own dreams.
• Recordkeeping: A Dreamwalker may recall anything they record in their Dreamscape with perfect clarity. Prudent– or perhaps paranoid– Dreamwalkers keep extensive journals or facsimiles of memories, as this does function as a failsafe against having memories lost by Fathom or similar manipulations.
• Lucid Dreaming: A Dreamwalker is always aware they are dreaming when asleep, and may always wake themselves at will unless Ensnared by a more powerful Dreamwalker.
• Astral Projection: When traversing Arcadia beyond their own Dreamscape, any harm their soul endures is reflected upon their body.
• Influence: Dreams altered by Dreamwalkers will be remembered by others more vividly than the fleeting nature of normal dreams.

Mageburn Symptoms

• Lesser: Lethargy, Drowsiness, Brain Zaps, Brain Fog
• Moderate: Sleepwalking, Exhaustion, Confusion, Lapses In Short Term Memory
• Greater: Coma, Astral Cleave
• Astral Cleave: A Dreamwalker’s soul is sundered from their still-living body and cast adrift in Arcadia; they lose access to Somnis and all other Arcana unless they are able to reunite with their body. A Cleaved soul is vulnerable to the whimsies of Anishina and any other Dreamwalkers, making this task always an inherently arduous one.

Spells

As a pact forged with the Godhead Somna, Somnis utilizes the Metaphor of Somnium for casting.

Dreamsculpt

The foundational spell of Somnis, Dreamsculpting is the Dreamwalker’s ability to tailor Dreamscapes as they see fit. The scope of these changes is limited only by their imagination, and the ability may be used to alter another’s Dreamscape in the same manner as it may modify their own.

Altering one’s own Dreamscape is always an efficient form of spell casting.

A single cast of Dreamsculpting may only do one of the following:

• Manifest: Manifestation is the most broad aspect of Dreamsculpting; a Dreamwalker may use it to manifest anything from a single scent to an array of emotions and all the way to a full facsimile of a war-torn battlefield depending on skill level.
• Anchor: To anchor something is to force an aspect or sequence within a dream to repeat for a set number of rest periods.

A single efficient cast of Dreamsculpting may:

• Intensify/Abate: A Dreamwalker may take any singular aspect of a dream– such as an emotion– and cause it to wax or wane.

A single inefficient cast of Dreamsculpting may:

• Quash: A Dreamwalker may remove aspects of a Dreamscape or facets of a dream.

Astral Project

While asleep within their own Dreamscape, a Dreamwalker may then Astral Project their soul into Arcadia, and it is through this selfsame method that they may return to their bodies from anywhere within at no additional cost. A Dreamwalker’s sleeping body will remain comatose and impossible to awaken by mundane means during Astral Projection.

Somnavigation

Somnavigation is the primary method Dreamwalkers use to chart their course through Arcadia.

A single cast of Somnavigation may do one of the following:

• Any Dreamwalker may instinctively navigate to any Dreamscape they have visited prior, whether the individual is asleep or not.
• They may instinctively navigate to any Dreamscape belonging to people they personally know and have strong memories of provided their target is presently dreaming.
• They may instinctively navigate to a random sleeper of a given Plane or region thereof they have visited before.
• Aranexi Dreamwalkers may use Somnavigation to instinctively navigate toward any nearby Anishina burrows.

Emergence

A Dreamwalker may use Emergence to manifest themselves into the physical world within a few feet of a sleeper whose Dreamscape they are currently inhabiting. The victim of Emergence will be unable to wake up until the Dreamwalker manifests fully. The spell can be re-activated within a set time period to warp the caster back into their own Dreamscape, re-placing their body back wherever they had initially fallen asleep.

This spell will fizzle if there is not enough physical space available or if it is blocked by a Talisman. If fizzled, the Dreamwalker will be left unharmed, but will not regain the Spell Reserves spent on the attempt.

Ensnare

Only available at Expert and above, the Dreamwalker may use Ensare to trap a sleeping soul in their web– a Dreamscape. Whilst Ensared, the sleeper cannot wake and the Dreamwalker may freely use their other Personal Arcana on the sleeper in question to full effect, as if in the waking world.

A single cast means trapping the sleeper in their own Dreamscape, but if used twice or cast for double the Spell Reserves, the sleeper will be transported to the Dreamwalker’s.

Dream Pulse

Only available to Master and Ascendant, the Dreamwalker may afflict all within a given geographical radius with the same short, scripted dream sequence. Area of effect may be refined with precision up to the maximum by the Dreamwalker.

A prudent Dreamwalker typically doesn't make use of the maximum area, as if they make too many waves in a given population, they may attract unwanted attention onto themselves by those educated enough to realize they're being meddled with.

Tiers of Mastery

Novice

A Novice Dreamwalker is likely to spend most of their time simply getting used to lucid dreaming as they explore their newfound ability to make minor modifications to their own Dreamscapes.

• Dreamsculpt: At this stage, the Dreamwalker is only able to make minor modifications to their own Dreamscapes.
  • Manifest: Only small, single-sensory manifestations may be created at this point.
  • Anchor: May be used to ‘lock’ any one facet of a dream to repeat for up to 3 rest periods.
  • Intensify/Abate: Fully available.
  • Quash: Available, but because Quash is inefficient, this will nearly always result in Mageburn for the Novice.
    • A Novice’s Quash may only remove aspects of a dream similar in scale to that which they can make Manifest.
• Astral Projection:
  • Not yet available.
• Somnavigation:
  • Not yet available.
• Emergence:
  • Not yet available.
• Ensare:
  • Not yet available.
• Dream Pulse:
  • Not yet available.

Apprentice

Having grown used to lucid dreaming, the fledgling Dreamwalker is able to make more complex modifications to their own Dreamscapes.

• Dreamsculpt: At this stage, the Dreamwalker is able to make simple modifications to their own Dreamscapes.
  • Manifest: Multi-sensory manifestations may be created at this point, though they must be simple in scale, such as whole plates of food or facsimiles of small animals.
  • Anchor: May be used to ‘lock’ any one facet of a dream to repeat for up to 7 rest periods.
  • Intensify/Abate: Fully available.
  • Quash: May remove aspects of a dream similar in scale to that which the caster may make Manifest.
• Astral Projection:
  • Not yet available.
• Somnavigation:
  • Not yet available.
• Emergence:
  • Not yet available.
• Ensare:
  • Not yet available.
• Dream Pulse:
  • Not yet available.

Journeyman

At this stage, the Dreamwalker may finally begin to explore the vast labyrinth of Arcadia and venture into the dreams of others.

• Dreamsculpt: At this stage, the Dreamwalker is now able to modify the dreamscapes of others whom they intrude upon through Astral Projection.
  • Manifest: They may now make more complicated manifestations, such as weather effects and large scale environmental changes, though lifelike facsimiles of people are still out of their scope.
  • Anchor: May be used to ‘lock’ any one facet of a dream to repeat for up to 14 rest periods.
  • Intensify/Abate: Fully available.
  • Quash: May remove aspects of a dream similar in scale to that which the caster may make Manifest.
• Astral Projection:
  • Must be channeled for 5 minutes both to leave one’s own Dreamscape and to return.
• Somnavigation:
  • Fully available.
• Emergence:
  • Not yet available.
• Ensare:
  • Not yet available.
• Dream Pulse:
  • Not yet available.

Expert

The Expert Dreamwalker’s repertoire of skills now finally begins to resemble the fairy tales and warnings told about them.

• Dreamsculpt: At this stage, the Dreamwalker is able to modify any Dreamscape they are capable of entering.
  • Manifest: At Expert, the Dreamwalker may Manifest clumps of objects at once such as a whole building or a copse of trees. They may also now make lifelike facsimiles of people.
  • Anchor: May be used to ‘lock’ any one facet of a dream to repeat for up to 30 rest periods.
  • Intensify/Abate: Fully available.
  • Quash: May remove aspects of a dream similar in scale to that which the caster may make Manifest.
• Astral Projection:
  • Must be channeled for 2 minutes both to leave one’s own Dreamscape and to return.
• Somnavigation:
  • Fully available.
• Emergence:
  • Emergence takes 5 minutes for the Dreamwalker to manifest.
  • Re-activation must be cast within 30 minutes and takes 15 seconds to channel.
• Ensare:
  • The Expert may Ensare a target for up to 12 hours.
• Dream Pulse:
  • Not yet available.

Master

Master Dreamwalkers may be benevolent weavers of soothing nighttime tales, harbingers of nightmares, or anything in between.

• Dreamsculpt: The Dreamwalker is able to modify any Dreamscape they are capable of entering.
  • Manifest: The Master can make sweeping changes in a single cast– they may create entire cities, crowds, natural biomes and so forth at once.
  • Anchor: May be used to ‘lock’ any one facet of a dream to repeat for up to 60 rest periods.
  • Intensify/Abate: Fully available.
  • Quash: May remove aspects of a dream similar in scale to that which the caster may make Manifest.
• Astral Projection:
  • Must be channeled for 30 seconds both to leave one’s own Dreamscape and to return.
• Somnavigation:
  • Fully available.
• Emergence:
  • Emergence takes 1 minute for the Dreamwalker to manifest.
  • Re-activation must be cast within 12 hours and takes 5 seconds to channel.
• Ensare:
  • The Master may Ensare a target for up to 5 days.
• Dream Pulse:
  • The maximum amount of distance coverable by Dream Pulse is 250,000 square miles (roughly equivalent to a mid-sized nation).
  • Dream sequences sent by Dream Pulse may last no longer than 5 minutes and the content thereof may not be altered once the pulse is sent.

Ascendant

The Ascendant Dreamwalker– the Visunox– is largely considered to be a figure of myth, only whispered about in fear or awe for their ability to sooth, play with or torment souls, all whilst their targets lie sleeping.

• Dreamsculpt: The Dreamwalker is able to modify any Dreamscape they are capable of entering.
  • Manifest: The Visunox can weave entire dreams in a single cast.
  • Anchor: May be used to ‘lock’ any one facet of a dream to repeat for up to a year.
  • Intensify/Abate: Fully available.
  • Quash: May remove aspects of a dream similar in scale to that which the caster may make Manifest.
• Astral Projection:
  • Astral Projection is instantaneous.
• Somnavigation:
  • Fully available.
• Emergence:
  • Emergence is instantaneous.
  • Re-activation must be cast within 1 day and is instantaneous.
• Ensare:
  • The Visunox may Ensare a target for up to 14 days.
• Dream Pulse:
  • The maximum amount of distance coverable by Dream Pulse is 3 million square miles (roughly the size of Australia).
  • Dream sequences sent by Dream Pulse may last no longer than 30 minutes and the content thereof may not be altered once the pulse is sent.

Contrivances

Some examples of creations capable of being produced through Practices and Theorems will be listed below. This list is not exhaustive. Otherwise, Contrivances may be crafted from the Dreamwalker's Sundered Somniite directly.

Ensorcelling

All manner of Talisman may be created to both ward away the influence of Dreamwalkers as well as to encourage or ward away specific types of dreams.

Alchemistry

Elixirs may also be made using the influence of a Dreamwalker's spells or Somniite to encourage or ward away specific types of dreams for one night or, with more potent magic, a number of rest periods corresponding to Anchor.

”Our entire village was plagued by the same nightmare for a week straight– the whole place burning down. I can still hear the screams, smell the smoke…but I’m glad for it. Those dreams were warnings; without them, we wouldn’t have been able to request the aid of the local militia in time to fend off the raiders who meant to ransack us. ” - A Rural Tailor 

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