Live Adventures in Dreams

vi s i t

A N O TH ER
W OR L D
and be home by morning

Live Action Adventure Escapism

By Dan Comstock

We spend about a third of our lives in the realm of dream,

even though we can't remember it. The Dreaming is not just
a phenomenon produced by our unconscious brains. It is a
vast and strange realm hidden behind our own world. We are
only visitors there.

We drift around in a trance and think that it is our lives. But

there are people who live in that misty realm. You probably
can't remember them, but their lives are profoundly
intertwined with your own.
 he Dreaming is a game about the world hidden within our
dreams. Its first incarnation took place between 2002 and 2006
at SUNY Purchase college in New York. In 2010, it was
resurrected by one of its creators, Dan Comstock. Dan wanted
to run a reality-bending live adventure game based on easy
access and social networing technology. Between March and
May of 2010, he ran an instance of the game which is
documented in this magazine. 80 people signed up for the game.
Groups of players gathered in Connecticut, Long Island, and Ohio,
and more were scattered all over the United States.

Dreaming players develop a persona - a character who lives in the

Dreaming. To play the game, you and your friends will become
members of the Dreaming society. People in the Dreaming go on
adventures and fight monsters using foam boffer weapons. Events in
the game world are coordinated via a social networking site.

Players pick areas of the real world which would be good spots to
play. They use Dreamscaping rituals to give these places a special
meaning, and then gather other players there for feasts,
tournaments, or adventures. Characters can put curses on each
others territories or steal them from each other.

When a number of characters gather, they can go on adventures

called Dream Walks. The game's website website hosts a number of
Dream Walk scripts you can print out and play. People in your party
will become the monsters and characters you encounter during the
adventure.

The Dreaming involves a form of collaborative storytelling. Players

document game events by posting blog entries, pictures, or videos
to the social-networking site. This output was used to create this
magazine. The story was not pre-scripted. It unfolded as people
explored this medium and mode of play. This magazine is about
some very creative players and the adventures they had in a world
we can only imagine.

We live in strange times. The world is changing faster

than it ever has. But it's not just the Waking World that is
changing. Our Dreams are transforming as well.

In January 2010, the Fae were exiled from their

homelandand now wish to live in dreams. Many dead
humans are not finding their way to the afterlife, slipping
in the Dreaming instead. Worst of all, terrible monsters
have begun to appear, slaying anybody who has the
courage to face them.
 TABLE OF
Introduction 6

Visions 8

CONTENTS
Dead Gods 10

Fae 13

Lost Souls 16

The Story

Arrival 19

The Ice House 25

The Inn of Doors 29

Record of the Fae War 32

Squire's Castle to Arcadia 34

Knights of Ocean Tower 38

Land War 39

Slaying Another Portal 41

The Battle of Ohio 44

Rebecca Squire 50

Cardinal Rules 52
Editor: Dan Comstock

All copyrighted works

remain the property of
their respective owners.

Special Thanks to the

original Dreaming staff:
Dan Comstock, Keith
Johnson, and Josh MacNeil

For current updates on

The Dreaming and other
wacky adventures, go to
HTTP://CRAMUL.US
 THE PEOPLE IN OUR DREAMS
Interlaced with the world in which we
live and die, there is a place called The
Dreaming. It is said that humans spend a third
of their lifetime there, drifting through its
misty corridors and shadowy forests. This is
not a place of logic, it is a place of symbols
and abstraction. It is a place of mischief,
politics, danger and adventure.
Who lives in the Dreaming?
There are four races which players can
choose to play: Visions, Dead Gods, Fae, and
Lost Souls. These races are collectively known
as Dreams. The Dreaming also contains wakes
(humans who are asleep) and shades (spirits
without a body).
Visions
Visions are the natural-born inhabitants
of the dreaming. Visions usually look just like
humans themselves - humans are the most
common thing to appear in a dream and the
easiest thing to manifest.
Visions are varied in personality and
motivation. Many possess magical abilities
which can affect the Dreaming. One thing that
all Visions share in common is a custodianship
for the Dreaming. They know that the
Dreaming and the Waking World have a symbiotic
relationship. As such they try to keep the
Dreaming pure - this often involves slaying
monsters and repelling invaders.
Fae
Fae are mythological creatures who come
from realm called Faerie, an enchanted place
where water runs backwards and stories become
real. There are many different kinds of Fae,
including elves, leprechauns, goblins, dryads, and
redcaps. Fae used to spend most of their time in
Faerie, but would occasionally journey into the
Waking World. Now their plane is overrun by
monsters, and the Waking World makes them sick,
so they've take refuge in the Dreaming. In January
2010, the Fae made a mass exodus into the
Dreaming where they now reside.
Many Visions are happy to give the Fae a
home, as there is no lack of space in the
Dreaming. But there are also many Visions who
do not like outsiders populating their homeland
and influencing the Dreamscape.
Dead Gods
The Sumerians and Babylonians, the
Egyptians, the Native Americans, worshiped
literally thousands of Gods, many of which have
been forgotten. When a God loses all his
followers and belief, he passes into the
Dreaming and waits for his return to Earth.
When an ancient God regains a following
the mortal world, it will become real again. Until
that time, the forgotten Gods wait in the
Dreaming, vying for power and respect.
Each God has an altar
somewhere in the Dreaming. An
altar is the God’s resting place,
and is sacred to that God. The
Gods followers can meet at the
altar and receive blessings.
Lost Souls
When a mortal dies, their soul passes into
the labyrinth, the cosmic mystery at the center
of all existence. From there, it is guided to the
afterlife it has earned. Certain Fae took the
responsibility of guiding mortals into the next
life, threading a holy path through the Labyrinth
to that mortal's destiny. But since the fall of the
Fae world, more souls have been know to
become confused. Many pass into the Dreaming.
There, they are called Lost Souls, mortals who
have lost their way to the afterlife.
Wakes
The Dreaming looks just like the Waking
World. The residents of the Dreaming can sense
that real-live people (nicknamed wakes) walk
through another version of their world which
often overlaps with it. When playing the game,
we regard people who aren't playing as "Wakes" -
people who are just having a dream. You can still
· Visions: Natives to the Dreaming
· Fae: Faerie refugees from war
· Dead Gods: Forgotten deities
· Lost Souls: The restless dead
interact with Wakes, but they're not really a
part of the game. You can light their cigarette,
give them directions, ask them if they saw
someone come running this way, et cetera, but
they cannot have any other influence on the
game.
Shades
The Dreaming is home to countless spirits
who lack a body, called shades. They cannot be
seen or interacted with, but
some characters can feel their
presence. Their spirits drift
aimlessly until they find a body
which they can occupy.
Dreams and wakes may be
possessed by a shade spirit who
will use their body for its own purposes. Some
characters, called Summoners, can call a shade
into a dead character's body and command it as
a minion. Shades also appear during Dream
Walks, where they must possess characters in
order for the adventure to progress.
Monsters
Some shades are neutral spirits with no
specifically ill intention. They are native to the
Dreaming and are fairly benign. However,
shades from beyond this realm have begun to
arrive too. Most of these shades are monsters,
hostile creatures which cannot be reasoned
with. Monsters have only begun appearing in
the Dreaming recently. Some believe the
monsters' goal is to corrupt the Waking World
by filling the Dream World with violence and
suffering. If this takes place, the wakes will get
no respite or inspiration from their stay in the
Dreaming, and the Waking World will begin to
fall apart.
Monsters come from a variety of sources,
including Faerie, the Labyrinth, and the Void
between planes. These monsters are not open
to alliances or negotiations. Most people,
especially Visions, feel that monsters are a
blight on the Dreaming and should be
destroyed.
 Visions
Visions are the natural inhabitants of
the Dreaming, and are thought of as dreams
themselves. Visions guard the Dreaming
against outsiders. They take an additional
wound when struck by essence damage.

Beginning as a Vision
If you are playing a Vision, your
character will either be a wanderer who has
just come here from some other part of the
country, or a newly created Vision who was
just given birth by the Dreaming. New Visions
do not know the current events of the
Dreaming and must learn in-game about the
presence of Fae. Note that many Visions
dislike Fae and view their presence in the
Dreaming as a kind of intrusion, though they
are for the most part willing to put up with
the Fae until they can reclaim their homeland.

The Dreams of Visions

It is assumed that most of the time that
a vision spends off-stage and out-of-game,
they are in a sort of between-worlds zone
where they become the Dreams of the waking
world. What exactly does this mean?
On Visions
JULY 23, 1852. JOURNAL OF ARCHILINO DULCINARI, (D. 1836) FORMER MEMBER OF THE ROMAN
CATHOLIC CHURCH, OFFICIAL SCRIBE OF THE ITALIAN HIGH SHAPER.
Visions are an interesting specimen, perhaps the most interesting specimen that I have seen in this new
world. Visions are not born like you and I, in our home plane. They are brought into being by the will of the
Dreaming itself. Sometimes they are born for apparent reasons, like decay within the dream country, sometimes
for no perceivable reason at all. It is their function to maintain the dreamworld. It is necessary for the Dreaming
to continuously modify and reshape itself, as this plane is far more malleable than ours, and the agents through
which this is done are the Visions. They serve a secondary function, as well, depending on the vision, in the form
of quantifying, experimenting, and interpreting the vast amounts of data that they receive from the dreams of
"wakes". Recently, they have adjusted to fit a third function, a function much like the antibodies in our body,
fighting impurities in the Dreaming itself.
All Visions are shapers of the Dreaming, and the individual dreams of "wakes". Thus, visions are known
from time to time to fabricate dream visions in the subconscious of other inhabitants of the Dreaming.
All visions are made of the Prime Material of the Dreaming, called Essence. If one can refine the metals of
the Dreaming into a weapon crafted of Essence, it will severely damage a vision.
All Visions tend to share a custodianship for the dreaming, and most will support a Shaper. However,
Visions are frequently xenophobic and will demand that this Shaper be a Vision, or at the very least a Dead God.
 When a wake goes to sleep, their mind
drifts away from their body. Seemingly
effortlessly, it crosses through the mists and
into the Dreaming. There, it wanders aimlessly
through the Dreamscape, eternal visitors and
tourists incapable of resting or staying in one
place for too long. Despite the tireless travel, the
mind is not fatigued, but rather, invigorated and
rejuvenated by its glimpse at the Waking World’s
sister plane. Most of this voyage is unfortunately
not remembered upon return to the familiar
shores of consciousness.
While in the Dreaming, wakes often
encounter Visions and other dreams. Visions
have the talent of stepping inside a Wake’s
consciousness and briefly crafting their reality.
This can take place in two main ways.
A Vision is capable of walking with the
Wake and describing a scene in a way that it
becomes real to him or her. The Vision shares
the point of view of the Wake for a time, and
then departs. They will walk together for a while
as the Vision narrates: “There is a bucket by
your bed and a bat at the bottom of it. The bat is
covered with ants. You are horrified.”
Occasionally this narrative takes place in the
first person.
While “phased out”, the vision is
incorporeal. While in this state, he or she will
skip from mind to mind, sometimes merely
keeping pace with one wake, sometimes jumping
from dream to dream like a stone skipping on
the water. Within a mind, the Vision is the
master-painter, a psychedelic director, and for a
short time, a part of the Wake’s internal
consciousness.
While within the dreams of wakes, a Vision
has a fleeting glimpse of that person’s mind. This
glimpse leads to curiosity, but Wakes do not stay
in the Dreaming long enough for to satisfy a
Vision's questions. The way that Wakes
experience the world is entirely different from
Visions. For a Vision, it’s somewhat like looking
into a kaleidoscope, but in addition to seeing
colors and shapes, the Vision sees contradictory
opinions, memories and emotions all blended
into one strange impression. It is a much more
contradictory mode of experience than a Vision
can imagine. When retracting from this image
and returning to the Dreaming, the Vision must
return to a world with fewer rules, less
structure, and less tangibility. This can be
frustrating, but it often provides a sense of
purpose and direction.
The way that a Vision interacts with
Wakes is often a component part of that
Vision’s personality. Some visions are called
nightmares, and feel the greatest fulfillment
from Dreams filled with horror and adrenaline.
Some call themselves incubi or succubi, and
enjoy dreams of an ‘indulgent’ nature. Most
visions prefer to pick a specific emotion or
concept to center a Dream around.
It is thought that Visions who spend too
much time in Dreams can become trapped
there, staring abysmally into the confusing
mind of wakes. Meanwhile, Visions who do not
spend enough time in Dreams find themselves
without direction, without motivation, and
occasionally, without emotion. These Visions
seem to have lost a part of themselves and can
often benefit from an extended meditation
within the Dreamscape of foreigners.
Some Visions wonder if they are
necessarily the “top level” of unconsciousness.
Dreams lose consciousness too, and when they
die, their essence is temporarily in Void. While
they slumber, are the spirits of Visions being
explored by some beings in the Void? None
remember long enough to tell.
 Dead Gods Dead Gods were once worshiped in the
Waking World, but their followings have been lost.
With few earthly worshipers, they are sentenced
to wait in the Dreaming until The End of the
World.
Dead Gods take an extra wound of damage
from either silver, iron, or essence damage. You
must choose which one at character creation.
(Indicate your vulnerability in the biography
section of your profile.)

Beginning as a Dead God

If you are playing a Dead God, come up with
some background information about your life. You
were worshiped in the Waking World at one point,
probably by a long-lost culture such as the
Babylonians, Sumerians, the Celts, the Native
Americans, or any number of African or South
American cultures. Or perhaps you're a newer
God, someone who was worshiped in more recent
times. Once you were no longer worshiped or
believed in, you lost your power and drifted into a
long coma. Some time later, (could be a year,
could be a few millennia) you awoke in the
Dreaming.

On Dead Gods
 This place is a kind of purgatory to you -
you're waiting for someone to worship you
again, or Ragnarok, the time when all Gods will
walk the Earth again. You do not need to be a
historically accurate-god; you can make up a
God, but the culture you come from must be
real, or at least sound real.
The Divine Brotherhood
The Gods of the waking world thought
themselves to be without rival until they learned
that their power was equivalent to their
followers’ faith in them. This sudden
vulnerability came late in life. Much like a
football player who receives a back injury and
must forsake his destiny, the Husks of Gods
have a sense of greatness that circumstance has
whisked from them.
One of the most daunting thoughts that
most Gods have is the notion of unimportance.
For their entire existence in the Waking World,
the Gods thought themselves the masters and
creators of the universe. They may have known
of other pantheons, but each God regarded them
as false – mere pretenders and false idols. Most
Gods believed that their pantheon was unique,
cosmically important. Many believed that
members of their pantheon did indeed create
the universe.
And though all these nations may be true,
in the Dreaming, the graveyard of the Gods,
they face threats to their own faith in
themselves. Gods are suddenly confronted with
others of their previous stature. They see
mortals who outrank them, and beings which
do not fit into their models of the universe
(“Who are all these foreigners in Morpheus’
realm?” some Greek gods ask themselves with
a combination of frustration and disbelief).
The universe seems to be a strange and
alien place to a God who has freshly woken
from the Sleep of the Forgotten. Furthermore,
there are other gods which could not possibly
exist! There are even Gods who now walk the
Dreaming which were momentarily worshiped
by school children, the insane, and fictional
characters in books! If Gods are actually the
lords of the universe, how is it that every time
 mortals meet in mass, they have the with the other divine beings of their extended
potential to spawn another deity, another family.
seemingly omnipotent being who, if even Until a God belongs to a pantheon, they
temporarily, seems to them to be the One are permeated with a feeling of
Powerful Essence in the sky? meaninglessness and a sense of being out-of-
As such, many Gods regard humans with a context.
mix of confusion and awe. These creatures are
clearly more powerful than the Gods first
thought – powerful enough to craft a being as
perfect as the Gods themselves! And on the
other hand, it is almost humiliating to take
orders from them. They are mortals, after all.
Gods are often struck with pangs of desire
to belong to a pantheon. The Gods, over time,
can learn to see their peers in the Dreaming not
as competitors, but as members of the same
family. The interactions and relations with that
family, no matter how mundane, are an
important part of that God’s personality – a
living mythology.
Some Gods take it quite personally when a
mortal worships a god that they don’t consider
part of their pantheon. When receiving faith
from this mortal, it will feel dirty and impure.
The faith will also feel tainted if the mortal’s
heart was not into worship when praying to that
God.
Gods in many Dream Countries have
created a ritual which welcomes a god into the
pantheon of that Dream Country. This usually
involves a sort of initiation rite in which the god
is given the faith of the mortals of that Dream
Country and then slain by the other Gods. If the
neonate God returns to the Dreaming and is
reborn in a day’s time, it means that the God is
accepted into the Pantheon. If the God fails to
materialize, it means that fate has chosen that
this God should move on.
Other Gods form smaller pantheons,
consisting of only a few of their divine brethren.
Everyone in the pantheon must select a mentor
(or parent), an ally, and a nemesis from within
the pantheon. These relationships often do not
make sense, but their existence is crucial to the
Gods notion of purpose. These Gods then try to
play out mythology and maintain these relations
 Fae
Fae are a magical and mysterious people
displaced from their homeland, Faerie. Fae are
refugees in the Dreaming, hiding here while
their homeland is consumed by war. Fae take
an additional wound when struck by iron
damage.

Beginning as a Fae
If you are playing a Fae, you are a
stranger in a strange land. You are an exile
from your homeland, the realm of Faerie. You
may have lived in the Waking World during
the time the Fae call the Great Fade, when the
last magic in the world faded out and all Fae
went color-blind. You might have lived in
Faerie, the Fae’s homeland, when the Fae
were forced them out of their homeland. Or
perhaps you were born in the Dreaming and
have never known either Faerie or the Waking
World. Now you wander the Dreaming,
looking for a place to call home.

The Story of the Exile

There have always been two houses in
the realm of Faerie, the Seelie court and the
Unseelie court. The two courts have been at
On Fae
Welcome friend, sit down and chat with me. The world of the dreaming is a rough place - sometimes it seems so drab and
bleak. This place makes me miss my home more and more every day. But this is our home now, and I suppose all we can do is
defend this, our last stronghold.
I am Tak, a Fae. I used to be called a Satyr, but after we came through the Rift to the Dreaming, our forms ended up
being a bit more mundane. Now none of us have horns or wings or hooves - you can barely tell any of us apart! Me and my kin
live in the woods here.
We tried to live in the Waking World for a while, but it's all black and white and it smells like oil. It's been like that since
the Industrial Revolution. Humans still see the color for some reason, but I don't think it's there, not like it used to be. And when
color went, we couldn't use our glamour, either. Our kind used to love traveling to the Waking World, but it was too sad to stay.
So we left. Now we live in the Dreaming.
It seems like so long ago. Once upon a time, we lived in the land of Faerie where everything was bright and colorful, the
world oozed magic, and what humankind viewed as impossibilities were everyday occurrences. Those days are gone now. We
were driven from our home by war, a war between the Seelie and Unseelie courts. The Unseelie brought the monsters to Faerie,
and eventually the monsters overcame us both. Now our great land, once an endless paradise, is a desolate desert. It is less our
world now then theirs. After the invasion, many of our kind died. Those of us who survived escaped through the Rifts to the
Dreaming only to fight amongst ourselves.
 each other's throats for as long as anyone
can remember. A long time ago, these courts
once stood for something - the Seelie court was
associated with light, beauty, and goodness,
while the Unseelie epitomized all that is dark,
foul, and evil. Over centuries of warfare, each
court took on some of its opponent's properties.
By the 1800s, the difference between the two
courts was in name only.
In the mid 1800s, magic in the Waking
World began to fail. Advancements in science
and technology resulted in a plague among the
Fae. A widespread color-blindness and
subsequent depression spread through the Fae
as they began to wither and die. This was called
the Great Fade.
Around the time of the Waking World's
Industrial Revolution, something happened to
the Unseelie Court. They began to fight with no
regard for their own survival. They began to
employ unnatural creatures which had no place
in existence. The Fae were consumed by their
mission to destroy their enemies. History would
reveal that the Unseelie leader's attempts to tap
into the Void of Nonexistence had corrupted
them beyond measure.
Eventually, the void creatures were no
longer under the Unseelie's control. They began
to slaughter wantonly, no longer fighting for
one side or the other. The Seelie and Unseelie
courts were not able to fight a two front war,
and began to lose ground to the monsters.
The war drew to a close in the year 2010,
when the Unseelie Court succeeded in its
ancient goal of repelling the Seelie Fae from
Faerie. Spread thin, they were unable to hold
their ground, and were exiled as well. In their
victory, they had also destroyed themselves.
The outsiders had taken the realm, and its
natives were displaced. Many members of the
Unseelie Court still roam Faerie, which is now a
deserted wasteland, overrun by hordes of
ravenous monsters.
With the exile both from Faerie and the
Waking World, the Fae had few places left to
go. In mass, they traveled through large rifts to
the Dreaming, where they made their home.
The Fae found that though they may have
appeared as tiny leprechauns, intimidating
giants, or any number of dazzling creatures,
when their world was lost, they also lost their
ability to enhance their appearance with
glamour. Now all the fae look quite mundane.
The members of the Unseelie court have
turned up in the Dreaming looking for a place
to stay. Some members of the Unseelie court
have followed their ancient adversaries
through the rifts to make trouble. Others are
guilty for their deeds, or are unhappy with how
the war was resolved. Many simply become
monsters, wandering the Dreaming in search of
the next fight.
The Distant Horizon of Faerie
The Faerie ffolke have many things about
them which seem strange to those that know
only the Waking World. There are many
traditions, rituals, and ideas that are bafflingly
foreign to mortals, their gods, and their
dreams.
 For one, there are many diseases which
plague Faerie. Humans are used to diseases
which physically attack the body. The Faerie
have diseases like these – the (un)common cold,
hayfever, tourette’s syndrome, and the bubonic
plague, to name a few in common. They also
have an entirely different family of diseases
which are affective in nature. These diseases
effect the mind and the emotions, not the body.
One example of this disease is the Scarlet Rage,
a sickness that is perforates the mind and
agitates it towards violence. Much like one might
catch a cold by not putting on a coat before
going outside, people catch the Scarlet Rage by
feeling overwhelmingly frustrated or hopeless.
This disease is common especially among
Redcaps. When affected by extreme cases of
Scarlet Rage, the sick Faerie sees everything
with a red filter over it. People seem to be
indistinguishable black silhouettes. Only those
that the Faerie really trusts seem to be in focus,
and then only briefly. When confronted with one
of these hateful black shadows, the Faerie is as red as his anger. This is a spiritual and
unable to withhold from violence. The Scarlet personal moment characterized by pride, glory,
Rage is only curable by deep focused meditation, hubris, and a sense of communion with oneself.
spread out over a long time. Violence, The Fae have no notions of many things
unfortunately, only inflames the disease, but that are natural to the joyless people of the
with the brief-lived satisfaction of scratching Mortal Realm. Fae do not dream, and Fae do
poison ivy. not think about the Afterlife. They do, however,
When the Faerie came to the Dreaming, it have a few emotions that mortals do not have.
seemed apparent that other races could get the One particular emotion is called amaloom. This
Scarlet Rage (as well as other affective diseases, feeling is a sense of distance from home and
such as Sadarrhea, the Inappropriate Giggles, deep homesickness which words cannot
and Chronic Goth Syndrome) as well. Many describe. When a Faerie notices that another
beings laughed at this notion – those silly Fae Fae is feeling particularly amaloomful, they will
were thinking that people’s natural emotions try to help out. The most common way of doing
were a contagious disease! --And perhaps that is this is by giving the amaloomy Fae a gift that
true. But still, the Fae Elders warn against being reminds them of Faerie. Leaves and flowers are
consumed with violence – it does not cure the common, but poems, drawings, kisses, and dirty
Scarlet Rage, it only makes it worse. You may limericks are also popular choices. Many Fae
destroy yourself, in time. Ffolklore tells a few report feeling Amaloom in since they moved to
stories of Faerie that succumbed to this rage the Dreaming. Oddly enough, some think this
and became beasts themselves. emotion may also be a disease which can be
The Redcaps instead hold that this disease transmitted to the youth. Many Fae who were
is a sacred tradition called Bloodlust. When at born in the Dreaming feel Amaloom as well, but
the height of Bloodlust, a redcap will drink the have difficulty identifying or explaining it.
blood of his foes and dip his cap in it, making it
 Lost Souls
Lost Souls once lived in the Waking World,
but died and got lost on their way to the
Afterlife. Now they reside in the Dreaming. Lost
Souls take an additional wound when struck
with silver damage.

Beginning as a Lost Soul

If you are playing a Lost Soul, you were
once a mortal that lived in the Waking World.
After your death, you wandered towards a
distant light-- usually, mortals are guided to the
afterlife, but since the Labyrinth has been
overrun, you had no guide to bring you there.
You wandered off the path and ended up in the
Dreaming. You have fragmentary memory of
your life. There are large holes in your memory.
You may sense that you may have some purpose
to fulfill, but you can’t remember what it is.
Some Lost Souls see their time in the Dreaming
as another chance to live. Some, however, are
very depressed that they cannot be where they bizarreness, coincidence, and nostalgia. They
belong- their afterlife. Lost Souls do not always are finally seeing with fresh eyes a realm which
look like they did at the end of their life- so you they only know by intuition and fragments of
could have died at age 75 but appear as a 22 memory. Humans spend a third of their lives in
year old. Dream, but few have the presence of mind to
look around. Now that they are here, they can
finally take a close look at what has been in
Dreams of the Dead their peripheral vision for decades. They find
Many humans who have found themselves
that they often hear voices, feel intuitions, and
between worlds have a difficult time adapting to
get flashes of knowledge or memory that would
their new plane. It can be a confusing and
have made them think they were crazy in the
disorienting place. Many ideas such as eating,
real world. They also have trouble
sleeping, and dreaming are things which mortals
distinguishing between internal and external
think is essential and universal, but are in fact
monologue, so many humans find themselves
are only facets of their home plane, the Waking
speaking their mind or babbling without
World.
noticing.
The most striking differences between the
Mortals spend much of their time pacing
Dreaming and their old hometown is the
the vaguely familiar fields and halls of the
distorted sense of time. Days seem to drift by
Dreaming. They like to observe people’s lives
without notice, and at the hour when people
played out in dream. Many Lost Souls notice
first start going to sleep, the Dreaming slows
that Wakes have the same dream every night.
down as if it is magnifying its focus. At no point,
These are people who haven’t died yet, of
however, does time actually seem to slow down
course, but seem to act like they have. These
or speed up.
people go to sleep every night and have another
Upon entering the Dreaming, Mortals are
dream of class, work, an uneventful night at
struck with a frustrating sense of simultaneous
home, partying with friends, and an eventual
 sleep which transitions perfectly into them
waking up in the Real World.
This is a troubling notion. These poor
wakes seem to have little ambition – even their
wildest dreams just take them to their job in the
morning. Furthermore, they don’t ever notice
that what they are living is dream. Lost Souls
wonder how much of their past life they have
spent in a similar haze.
Lost Souls also pick up on cultural
undercurrents and archetypes that they were
previously unaware of but were vastly
influenced by in life. The natural cycles of the
seasons, the unconscious cultural energy behind
popular music, the themes and emotions of each
holiday – these things are enormously present to
Lost Souls. They in many ways replace the vague
sense of purpose and pack-mentality that many
of them had before Death. Most Lost Souls find
themselves getting really deeply into the
Christmas spirit, the Easter spirit, and even the
Rosh Hashanah spirit, even if they didn’t
previously belong to a religion which celebrated
it.
The presence of the Dead Gods in the
Dreaming is a wholly unsettling notion to the
Lost Souls. The gods cause the Lost Souls to
question their mortal faith, and thereby
question what really was in store for them in
the afterlife.
When talking to gods, Lost Souls are filled
with a sense of wonder and awe, like they are
staring into a pool that is far deeper, older, and
more mysterious than they can fathom.
Simultaneously, they often feel compelled to
follow the advice of the gods. The gods’ wisdom

On Lost Souls
When the car hit me, I died, though my "life" never ended. I believe that while on Earth, my name was
Jacob Cadmire, I walked with my wife along a...beach? Now I walk along side gods and walking dreams. They
call me Drathor. This is my story, though the details are foggy and few ever since entering this country.
Let me start over.
You're hungry for something other than food. You're restless but you can't physically sleep. Welcome to
your new home.
You came here through those mists. That cloudy, immeasurable road filled with cold, still air and the echoes
of horrific laughter? You didn't hear it? Maybe it was just me, then. And they call us Lost Souls. As if we had
any other place to go. We're here. Call it trapped, call it blessed, but there's no getting out.
You've come here just like I did. That stuff about the car? I'm not too sure - I just kind of hope that, you
know, the car was what killed me rather than who ever it was that was chasing me. Look, I don't know about
the afterlife, I've never seen Heaven or Hell, and whenever I mention it to one of my new comrades, they give this
sly, sarcastic smile, like they know something that we don't.
I don't know why there are dead humans wandering this...dreamscape thing. Think of it as you will, but
whether this "place" is the end of your journey as humans, a punishment for what you've done, or your last chance
at redemption, you're not leaving the same way you came in.
If we die here, we stop "being" for a while, but then we come back. Immortality's a sugar-coated
imprisonment, I'd say. In the transit between the Waking World and this one, I lost something - my hopes, the
memory of my wife's face, the sound of my favorite song. We keep killing these... Monsters, and they can kill
us...but then we both come back.
I think maybe it's some kind of games that these Visions are playing. They're an odd bunch, like ants that
are never out of touch with their omniscient queen. The Gods? Pompous manipulators, but at least they're
comforting, I'll give 'em that. The Fae are okay, I guess.
So, anyway, call me Drathor. I'd shake your hand, but there's no real feeling in either of us. Don't mind all
those fuzzy images of people walking around - they're still alive. I think. Well, see ya 'round, watch your back,
because there's some crazy stuff to look forward to.
 resonates inside a Lost Soul and can cause
him to become enthralled by the gods’ words.
Some Lost Souls are angry with the gods,
seeing the gods as challenges to their world-
view. These Lost Souls have difficulty giving
faith to any god that they do not personally
commune with through intimacy, discussion, or
suffering. When a Lost Soul falls in love with a
God, it can be one of the deepest and most
profound feelings the Lost Soul can feel. Gods,
unfortunately, rarely return the favor.
 ARRIVAL
The Realm of Sleep is constantly in flux.
Between March and May of the year 2010, the
Dreaming experienced a full cycle of creation and
destruction. It began as an empty Dreamscape,
but with the coming of Spring, hundreds of beings
manifested in the dreamtime of North America.
While many Dreams remained solitary, a few
Dream Countries did manage to come together.
The largest groups were in Connecticut, Ohio, and
Long Island. Visions and Fae bristled over
territory, while Dead Gods and Lost Souls tried to
find their place in this realm.
This chapter chronicles some of the things
written by the Dreams who lived during this
period.

Waking Up
By Cardinal of Southport, Connecticut

I find myself living in a house by the edge of

the woods. Things seem very hazy. The Dreaming
is still coming into focus - I think I may be the only
one here.
My name is Cardinal, and I am a historian by
trade. I enjoy researching the Dreaming and the
various stories and affairs which take place here.
As Dreams appear, I'll be glad to talk to them
about this strange place in which we live.
So where IS everybody? I have all these
vague memories which I can't quite put together...
I think something happened to the Dreaming and
it became empty. Well, empty except for the
wakes, walking around in their trances. Now the
Dreaming is beginning to come together again and
more Dreams are showing up.

19
 Twang!
They will NOT take my Taram's stone hits the thing in the back
Glade of the head, giving it pause long enough for it
to lose an arm by my blade as I spin about,
From the journal of
then it's head.
Torlain, Satyr of
Where did it come from? This I wonder as
Farlim Glade, scribed
I look around the Glade.
through Glamor in a
More and more beast's burrow beneath
recording of his
Amanara's barrier, and worst yet, I can see her
thoughts...
struggling so very hard to maintain it. I clear
the distance between her and I quickly,
Zzzzzzam!
knowing that my presence shall give her
strength, knowing that if I can only giv...
A screaming arrow whizzes past my head
CRUNCH!
as I dive behind the stone dais in the center of
My vision swims as something comes
the Glade.
down hard on the back of my head. Rather
So...they have finally made it here, and the
than stopping short of Amanara, I crash into
small army of forest defenders has failed. If I
her, and hard. I am aware of her soft, supple
let my Glade fall...where shall I go? Far too few
form beneath mine as my vision does dark.
still stand against the terrible Void creatures
our Unseelie kin have unleashed. My family
Days later...
shall not fall to these beasts!
Terribe things continue to attempt to
Something is wrong...this place feels
crash through the trees surrounding the Glade.
wrong- mundane, cold, uninspired.
I can see my lover, Amanara, straining as she
As I climb to my feet, something is wrong,
weaves her Glamor to keep them out, forming a
my back legs will not work, and worse, I cannot
solid wall of Glamor around the Glade.
feel them. Not the numbness of injury- I feel
SLOSH!
nothing. No pain from my lost horn, nothing.
As a smaller beast tunnels underneath the
Putting a hand to my head, it is different- no
wall, my blade finds what looks to be it's neck,
horns, and the hair is different- softer, thinner.
and indeed, it stops moving, blocking it's tunnel
Looking down, I realize that I am no
with it's own body, We are vastly outnumbered,
longer the same. I have only two legs, for one.
yet we were prepared for their coming.
Also, my hooves are oddly shaped and covered
Trotting over to my frightened children, I
up by boots. Removing the boots reveals that I
see that Taram holds his slingshot bravely,
have feet, much like the ones some other Fae,
acting to protect his sister Elynsha.
such as Amanara, had.
"If you see one, be brave for your father-
It takes me a while, yet I eventually get
may your aim be true."
the hang of standing on two legs. This is not
Touching his forehead, I weave the
the forest I know- there are artificially created
enchantment, sharpening his eyes and readying
trails, which I follow for a time as I get used to
his reflexes.
this strange form which I have taken. As I come
Small bits of earth are strewn behind me
out of the tree line, I see a large stone building,
as my hooves dig into the soft earth. In the
reminiscent of a very small and poorly
clear, clean pond I catch sight of my own
decorated castle. I know now where I am, yet it
reflection- anger fills me as I see the scar
is clearly time to learn about this place, and
where I lost a horn to the beasts assailing us, a
how I came to be here.
small trickle of blood trailing down the side of
my face. If there is one thing a proud Satyr will
never forgive you for, it's damaging his horns.
Wait... what is that reflecting in the pond?

20

Apologetics
by Erekiteru Roen of Ohio
Let me be very clear on this: I am not your
friend, nor am I your enemy. I am both, yet I
am neither. At times, you will see my hand
extended to you, offering healing,
companionship, safety. An hour later, my blade
may be pressed against your neck, a coldness
in my eyes that chills your very soul.
...do we have souls? Certainly the lost
ones do, or so we say. But what comprises such
a thing? Can it be seen, touched, heard? Or is it
just a name?
Forgive me, I have detoured. I am
Erekiteru Roen, Erek to those who know me
well. Very few call me Erek. You now stand in
my homelands, a place I have guarded and
tended for...
Hm. I cannot remember this piece of
information. Of course, it stands to reason. You
see, we Visions are a sort of embodiment for
dreams, touching upon the minds of the Wakes,
bringing them the inspirations that the
Dreaming holds for them. The touch of some
brings peace and pleasure. Others bring fear
and wrath. My own touch is something a bit
more...subtle. Please let me explain.
Have you ever experienced the sort of
dream that never seems to end? Perhaps you
encountered the sensation of falling down a
bottomless well, or climbing a staircase that
had no ending. Maybe you experienced the
elation of flight, soaring towards the heavens,
or the rush of an eternal battle, facing and
downing foe after foe. Even after awakening,
that sense of -- incompletion -- remains with
you. You realize that although you have left the
dream, the Dream itself continues, and will
continue always.
Eternity, that's what I embody. If I had a
beginning, I do not recall it. Nor do I forsee any
ending in my future. It's this concept of the
everlasting that I visit the Wakes with. To most
of them, the infinite is a terrifying concept.
What does one do with themselves for
eternity? Yet to some very few, the ideal of
everlastingness isn't an obstacle: it's a
21
challenge. I
have bested
this goal,
what is my
next? I have
climbed this
mountain,
and lo, a
taller one is
on the
horizon.
With my
visits, I
challenge
the Wakes to
be more
than they
are, always.
These
challenges aren't restricted to the material
plane. The denizens of the Dreaming can stand
to improve also. The Dead Gods have a flock to
return to, the Lost Souls have an Afterlife to
explore, the Fae have a homeland to reclaim,
and us Visions have a world of our own to
improve upon. Thus, we've come full circle: I
am not your friend, nor am I your enemy. I am
simply what I am -- one piece in eternity's
puzzle.
Now, Eternity isn't static, mind you. Going
on and on forever may *sound* boring, but
you've kept yourself occupied for some twenty-
odd years, haven't you? There's nothing
keeping you from making the next twenty
interesting, or the twenty after that. In fact,
that's part of the very nature of the Dreaming -
- being interesting, so the Wakes have some
color to take back into their gray world. There's
many ways to be interesting, I suppose, but my
own tried and true method is through the use
of conflict.
And that's why I may help or harm you.
Whether I'm patching your wounds or making
more, I'm honestly helping you out. Eternity is
about change, about discovery, about learning
and growing. Every failure, every success you
achieve is tied together to make you what you
are, and it's my job to aid you in that. Granted,
my motives aren't entirely altruistic: I'm an
 aspect of eternity after all, and beginnings and
endings fascinate me. Forbidden fruit, and all
that.
So let's cross blades, cross chasms, cross
words, cross eyes. It's all about rising to the
next level, and I'm here to help the both of us
reach it, one way or another. Be it physically,
mentally, socially, or otherwise, I'll do my best
to challenge your way of being. If you're lucky,
you'll improve a bit when I'm done with you.
If you're not lucky?
Well, there's always tomorrow.
The View from Squire's Castle, a territory
which many would die for in the coming months
22
Mercenary for Hire
by Rill of Ohio
I'm a Fae, living in the Dreaming and
looking for work.
Seelie or Unseelie? What does that matter
now. Our homeland is lost, not because of the
dark court of Unseelie fae or even the
monsters they brought. It was lost due to our
blind devotion to a cause that we simply
followed because it was our legacy to do so.
What we lacked was individualism and lack of
free through. Sure, we all looked different on
the surface, but deep down we did what was
expected of us.
No more will I be limited in these ways. I
have taken the Faerie accords upon myself as
my personal guidelines to life. Ones that I use
to get by in this mysterious place. It's no longer
about Good or Evil, Seelie or Unseelie. It's
about survival, and I plan to survive.
Will we ever get our homeland back? Do
we even deserve it back? Only if and when we
have served sufficient penance will we know
for sure. In the mean time, I am prepared to
adapt to my new home.
So, if you're interested in learning about
the accords in which I live, or even just wish to
hire me and my sidearm, you'll be able to find
me at the Inn of Doors.
The Long Sleep.
by Khai of Connecticut
"Glory in life, and death." - "May he grant
us protection, and be ever watchful of our
enemies."
"To the victor go the spoils." - "May he
show us the way to victory, in this life, and the
next."
I heard those words over and over, every
day. I heard them, I sensed them, I felt them.
They were as much a part of me as anything
else... until the day that I stopped hearing them.
Once I could no longer hear those prayers, I
stopped hearing everything else as well. My
throne, my halls, my whole world crumbled
around me.
And I slept. It was a rest unwelcome, and
yet I was unable to stop it from happening. I
slept for what felt like forever, severed from
myself, severed from my followers, severed
from the world.
My name is Khai, and I have risen again.
Though... this place is not how I remember
things. My head is foggy, and nothing is as it
seems. I feel out of place, and I feel as if my
own faith has been shaken.
Though I find myself in unfamiliar
territory, I do sense conflict, and other Divine
nearby. Maybe this place isn't as foreign as I
originally thought. For as long as my brethren,
battle, and glory await me, I feel my purpose
again.
I know this is not my destiny, but I could
think of worse fates.
23
Well, shit.
by Zed Richter of Providence, Rhode Island
It didn't stop.
When I died, I mean. The idea of
nonexistence didn't bother me before I was
aware, so I wasn't sweating about it after my
death. If that was the end of the run, so be it.
I ended up here. No reason, no quest, not
especially needing anything, but still existing.
An old memory from life, a philosophy
professor explaining the basic question behind
philosophical inquiry was "How then shall we
live?" I'm not exactly "living", but it seems I'll
be existing a bit longer. I might as well figure a
few things out.
I've met others. The natives, dreams
themselves (they call themselves "Visions").
Faries, and other souls like me too. Even old
gods. Weird, those guys, to look at them, it's
like they ought to know what's happening, and
ought to have an answer for you. "Where's that
afterlife then?" Never got a good answer to
that. Kept getting asked to pray to them too.
Celestial salesmen. No thanks. The others are
OK, expected portions of decent folk and
assholes. Still people (people-esque), just with
some new quirks.
So I've set up here, for now. Drop by if I
know you, drop a line if you don't. We'll see
where this all goes.

Nightmare Sky
by Miztemah of New York City
I am very proud to be a Vision. I feel
an enormous affinity to the images and
emotions I create and, as pathetic as I find
most Wakes, I am forced to feel a certain
appreciation for them as well, as a child
may appreciate his ant farm. Every now
and then, my Vision pride and my "fond
disdain" for Wakes get the better of me,
and rather than creating something
awesomely terrifying, I just create
something awesome.
I had been working on a nightmare in
which terrorists (what a great name, eh?)
dropped chemical bombs over the Lower
East Side, illuminating the night with a
ruddy haze and warping the sky with
poisons until it became a blanket of
distended, noxious clouds.
Unfortunately, I became so caught up in
the details, that I neglected to really instill
the fear. The result was a little ominous,
but without the panic to close the deal. The
Wakes were fascinated by the bubbling,
toxic sky, but they did not associate it with
a threat. They just... sort of... stared. And
took pictures with their phones. (I swear, it
would be a veritable Nightmare feast if all
these losers were to dream at once that
they had lost their phones.)
I thought about fixing it. About
lowering the clouds so they could feel the
lack of oxygen. So they could watch their
fellow man collapse, blue and gurgling. I
could have sent in planes. That almost
always works. But instead, I didn't do
anything. I watched them gape and whisper
with each other about it, and I enjoyed a
phenomenon I haven't seen since I was
created: a bunch of NYC Wakes staring and
pointing up.
But lest you think my indulging of
them was overly affectionate, rest assured:
several Wakes did have nightmares about
poisons in the air, about aliens invading,
and about their world coming to an end.
24
THE ICE Meeting of Dreams,
Southern Connecticut

HOUSE
by Cardinal

Last night, Asher and I gathered all the

Dreams in the area to meet each other.
Cardinal, Asher, Zed, Agitato, Marl, Sarumil,
Stig, Jayce, and Tepes were in attendance.
Cardinal, a vision, and Asher, a Lost Soul,
Sadly, there were a number of last minute
found themselves living together in a house in
cancellations, but we still had enough people to
Southport, Connecticut. As Dreams began to
go on the Dream Walk.
appear in the Aether, they decided to hold a
We had three Visions in attendance:
gathering. Asher wanted to Dreamscape the
Myself (Cardinal), Jayce, and Marl. The three of
house into a feast hall. And Cardinal wanted to
us got along quite well, and have begun talking
turn the strange ruins behind the house into an
about forming a Dream Country.
arena. Dreams arrived from all over New
There was only one Fae in attendance,
England.
named Stig. He came down from upstate New
There was a matter to attend. In the woods
York. He was not pleased that we were going to
behind Cardinal and Asher's house, near the
be closing the portal and agreed to guide us
ruins, there was a portal to the realm of Faerie.
through.
Both faeries and monsters occasionally came
There was only one Dead God, Tepes, who
through, seeking their fortune in the Dreaming.
has quite the temper! He's quite prone to angry
Cardinal wished it closed. But some people
outbursts, but quickly says he's sorry.
would not like this decision...
There were a number of Lost Souls: Zed
and Agitato came down from Providence. Asher
lives with me. Sarumil seems to have just
Beginings
by Zed Richter of Providence, Rhode
Island

Within the hour I'll be off to a

gathering of beings I've only met
peripherally through the aether.
Another local soul, Agitato, will be
coming with me. I can trust him for
the moment, but he's got ambition
behind him. I'd prefer to know what
that ambition IS before I stumble in
it's way.
Our host I can trust so far, but
the rest will be certainly dangerous.
Hiding at home won't help me find
anything out, though.
 allowed people to give their
champion's boon to somebody else
if they won more than one contest.
There was also a contest to
find a number of glowing rods I
had hidden in the woods. The first
person to hand me one of the glow
sticks would receive my boon. As
Tepes wandered towards one of
them, Agitato ambushed him and
tried to take it from him. Tepes
quickly turned around and pushed
Agitato back with a gust of wind.
He struck down Agitato and
captured the lost soul as his shade.
At the end of the
Zed and Marl had an excellent battle, with Zed emerging as the victor.
tournaments, Stig, Sarumil, and
arrived in the Dreaming and didn't know where Zed were declared the winners, and received
he was. It took a while to explain to him that he the Champion's Boon for the evening.
was in the Dreaming, and I'm still not sure if he
believed us. After the fighting was done, we headed
We began with a party, dreamscaping the back to the Feast Hall for more burgers and
residence as a Feast Hall. We fired up the grill the long awaited Dream Walk.
and made sure everybody got a bite to eat. As Stig did not want to join us on the Dream
the ritual came to a climax, Asher led is in a Walk, as it would seal some of his brethren on
toast. Everybody felt a little bit healthier as we Faerie, but was courteous enough not to
left the hall for the ruins. prevent us from going. He, Asher, and Sarumil
decided to Guide us through the Dream Walk.
There are ancient ruins in the woods (Midway through, Sarumil and Marl would
behind the Feast Hall. They predate the Native switch places).
Americans - nobody is really sure where this The Dream Walk was tough! We needed
part of the Dreaming is from. Unfortunately, the help of a Vision named DeRocha, who lived
the ruins were flooded by the recent
rainstorms, so we had to duel outside of
them. The area is enchanted as an Arena,
with Cardinal as its Warden.
There were several duels. My favorite
fight out of the set was Zed vs Tepes. Zed is
not overly fond of the Divine, and Tepes has a
knack for saying the wrong thing at the
wrong time. The tension between the two of
them got pretty intense!
Zed and Marl had an excellent battle,
with Zed emerging as the victor.
Stig vs Zed: Both are excellent fighters,
their duel was a pleasure to watch.
After the three duels, we had a three
way tournament between the winners. I Stig vs Zed: Both are excellent fighters, their
duel was a pleasure to watch.

26
 in a very dangerous
part of the Gathering
Dreaming. He told Followup
us the name of by Zed Richter
the path which
leads to the The gathering
portal (Samesoom was a success.
road), and guided Asher and Cardinal
us along the way. are gracious hosts,
We were lucky he hold a fine
stayed with the tournament, and their
party to heal us, lands are secured
because we got our forma Faerie portal that
asses handed to us by imps. was leaking monsters into their area. Two Fae
There were just too many imps, and they are lost to us, a fact which set Stig, another
respawned very quickly. It took us a few tries Fae (and at least my match with his quick staff)
to get across the jump stones and find the and I against the idea. Still, it was Cardinal's
portal. right to secure his lands, and at least returning
When we got to portal, it manifested into the favor of his hospitality to assist.
a beastly creature (inhabiting Stig's body). Lots I met a Dead God there, Tepes. Anyone
of unseelie Goblins had already come through, who asks why I dislike fallen deities, spend five
infesting the area. The Portal is a really minute with this example. In some
fearsome fight - save your strongest attacks disagreement he killed and summoned my
for it! I declared it as my nemesis and managed friend Agitato as a shade, the only time he
to hit it with my slay, but it just kept coming at added deeds to his otherwise inflammatory
me. At one point, it backed off and began to and self - reversing words.
catch its breath, so I had to rush up and stab it, There were many other worthy folks too.
even though I was heavily wounded and also I'll be pulling their names form the aether as
trying to catch my breath. time allows.
We eventually put the creature down, and One fact that may lead to confusion;
the goblins guarding the gate fled the area. I'm throughout the aether, and in other travels, I
sorry that we had to seal away the fae, but I'm am known only as Richter. this may be
glad we kept some of those monsters out of my confusing to some. I have no difficulty
back yard! respondign to Zed, a name which struck me as
a way to be hailed in Dreams, but if there's any
doubt, or in a hurry, it's fine if you just call me
Richter.

Stig, Zed, and Sarumil won the tournament at

the Ice House
27
An Oath
by Stig of Hudson, New York

It was a fine beginning to the evening. The

conclusion of astral magic always is.
The arena of course being my forte, I was
awarded a boon from one of our gracious hosts.
I met many new faces, but no other fae...
we are, alas, a dying breed. I must thank one
Zed von Richter for his loyalty and
understanding of my plight. I wanted to stop
them, they were sealing our escape routes... but
to do so would be against my word, the word of
our house, and perhaps the word of the fae
altogether. I sought out this Derocha, vision, he
knew of the gates. I ran ahead determined to
widen it before it closed... it appears though,
that they know when ill will is intended.
We have lost our chance to save fae souls,
and I swear it, next time I will make no
promises, except that which will save my
people.

(from left to
right) Marl,
Sarumil, Zed,
Agitato, and
Cardinal decided it
was time to Close
the Portal.

28
 At the Inn of Doors....
by Althryoth of Ohio

THE
It came to pass in the last few weeks, that a
man named Benedict offered me an interesting
business deal. "Three Fae" said he, "can be
rescued from the portal that connects to your

INN
establishment. One of them, an old man, may have
had something to do with the building of that
door.”
As this is my home, and a place I hold dear,
and due to my general philanthropic tendencies, I

OF
shook his hand on the deal. When however he
returned for his payment, the amount that he
demanded was far in excess of what we had

DOORS
agreed upon. I was forced to break our deal.
Benedict became angry and told me that if I would
not pay for their release, he would make me pay
another way. He took the Fae back through the
portal. Then my barkeep disappeared, which is
highly unfortunate because he was a valuable
asset. In addition I was feeling quite morose over
the information that was lost from not getting to
question those 3 surviving
Fae.
So I got it into my
mind to call together some
of the locals of the
dreaming to venture forth
and rescue those three,
stranded Fae. As it turns
out the call was received
quite well and on the day
that I set seven doughty
warriors of various races
arrived at my bar. Where I
plied them with food and
drink and requested that
they assist those poor
unfortunate Fae.
Throughout the evening
there was much coming
and going through my Fae
door in the basement of
"At the Inn of Doors, I met a Lost Soul named Alvaros the Red. He had only my inn. They did end up
newly arrived to the Dreaming, thus, I took it upon myself to teach him returning two of the three
about this new world he lived in. Unfortunately (or not), I didn't have a Fae in quite good order,
chance to tell him how death works in our world, and he took it upon they failed to return the
himself to avenge my own death at the hands of Wampa. Lose one ally, one that I really wanted to
gain another...funny how that works." -Erekiteru
question but beggars cannot be choosers.
I did not venture into the door, Fae is a
dangerous place and my door seems to come out
into a particularly nasty little maze. So I merely
heard their stories as they came in and out,
stories better heard from the lips that first told
them. I am told there are some photographs and
videos of what they saw their, I will be trying to
track those down as well.
Journal of the Accords,
by Rill
This evening, I traveled to the Inn of Doors,
hosted by Althryoth in hopes of spreading the
ideals of the accords. What was expected to be a
simple gathering with food and drink, where I'd be
free to converse with others about the accords,
turned into something different.
For whatever reason, Althryoth had a door
that lead to Fae in his bar. While I long for Fae,
the door actually lead to a sinister terrible part of
Fae which was most feared before the monsters
came.
I'm speaking, of course, of the maze of
convolutions. A prison that the unseelie used to
trap beings for extremely long periods of time.
While it still seems sinister in nature, it seems like
the function of it has changed some since the fall.
The portals that normally guide through the
maze are now activated by talismans that you find
in the maze. If you run out of talismans, it simply
takes you back to the door in the Inn. I avoided the
maze at first, not knowing whether you'd ever be
able to come back. Since others had come back, I
figured there'd be no problem in investigating
further.
Two Fae were rescued, and while I wasn't
there for their liberation, I seem to recall it in my
memories. I did not catch their names, as they
were taken to someone’s estate before I once
again became conscious. There is still one other
Fae that appears to be trapped in the maze,
although it is unknown if he is still alive at this
point.
On two separate occasions, I traveled into
the maze. In my first adventure, we stumbled
30
upon a vampire that could not be killed
permanently by conventional means. Were it not
for Kal's quick delivery of poison, we may have
perished in that very room. As the vampire
regenerated, we escaped through a portal,
stumbling into a room with a pond filled with
clear blue water with extraordinary healing
powers. After taking a rest, the group decided it
would be best to dip our weapons in the water, as
vampires generally don't take kindly upon healing
effects. The strategy worked, and as far as I know
the vampire is dead for good, unlike most of the
denizens of the maze which keep coming back. We
then stumbled upon the man named Benedict,
who others can tell more of the story about. My
second trip with Mr. Red was simply an attempt
to collect talismans so another group could catch
Benedict. We were successful in our task,
however small it was.
While that is all well and good, the real goal I
had for this visit was to generate interest in the
Accords. I had a chance to recruit several
individuals (Kal, Althryoth, Thomas, and Gwen,
each given an Ace in accord with their
background), I was unable to provide more
information to Erek, Wampa, and Mr. Red, as I
met them shortly before Wampa killed Erek and
Mr. Red killed Wampa. Perhaps the Accords
would have prevented such a base killing of Erek,
but that is now the past.
I still seek to speak with Erek and Mr. Red
about the accords, but now that we have 5 people
involved, we can start to draw up the contract of
the Accords. More on that in a separate journal
entry.
Doors, Dungeons, Death,
Danger...Delightful!
by Erekiteru Roen
It would seem that I have the dubious honor
of being the first Vision to perish since the
Dreaming returned to itself. Allow me to share my
recounting of the events at the Inn of Doors:
Owned, operated, and hosted by the
Sumerian Dead God Althyroth, the Inn of Doors
functions as a sort of miniature nexus, connecting
Faerie, the Dreaming, and perhaps even the these two hapless individuals, applied an
Void and the world of the Wakes. Magical items antidote to them, and spirited them away to
and various objects d' arte adorned the safety.
illustrious inn, and its owner gave us free run There were more events that took place
of the place to explore at our leisure. that night, but I am afraid that they are not my
This being my first time venturing into story to tell. After rescuing the Fae, I decided
another's territory since...I can recall...I brought to search for more clues inside the Inn, where I
along an ally of mine, a Dead God named encountered a statue whose presence threw
Wampa. The taciturn Slayer hails from an me into a trance. While I was laying
ancient African religion I knew little about. He unconscious on the ground, Wampa -- who
was not very forthcoming with his own past, turned out to be an evil god -- slew me. The
which should have given me warning about rest of my memories of that night are seen
what would come. As the two of entered the through the eyes of Wakes and Shades, thus, I
Inn, we met another visitor, a Lost Soul named shall leave off at the tale here, and hope that
Alvaros. He had only just arrived into the another shall continue.
Dreaming, and although he was brave and
daring, he knew little of his current plight. I
invited him to join our party and see what
fortune would bring to us.
As it turned out, the proprietor of the Inn
was having some problems of his own, and
"encouraged" us to help him solve them (he
was kind enough to let us into his Inn, after all.
It was the least we could do). It seemed that a
servant of his had gone missing, and I, my
companions, and several others that we met
quickly became caught up in
a mystery revolving around
a murder and
disappearance. Signs
pointed to the assailant
escaping through one of the
Doors into a convoluted
maze, and we decided to
give chase.
The construction of
this maze was an ingenious
design, if one can call the
workings of chaos ingenious.
Each room led to two more,
leading to various dangers
and puzzles, twisting in
upon itself over and over
again. During my travels in
this maze, I happened upon
two Fae that were chained "The Inn of Doors is a strange place, filled with danger and mystery.
to a wall and poisoned. My As I studied a statue that seemed to twist the Dreaming around it, I
colleagues and I rescued fell into a state of trance. Thus incapacitated, I was defenseless
against the killing blow of my "ally", Wampa." -Erekiteru

31
A RECORD
OF THE
WAR IN
FAIRIE
By Thayis of Phillipsburg, New Jersey
3/9/10
I have decided, finally, that it is time to begin
cataloguing my experiences for the sake of those
who come after. I watched the Children of Men in
their youth, I survived the Great Fade, and I
escaped the sack of Faerie. I have lived too long,
as have all of those that see such times.
I feel that my time is short. One does not
walk with Death and not know when He is fast
approaching on one's heels. The War will claim
me, I can see through Second Sight, but the exact
time is shrouded. And so I am pressed to chronicle
my War with the Void, what I have done and
where I have been, in the hopes that perhaps
someone will pick up where I leave off.
I was a fool in my political dealings. I decided
to remain neutral in the Court Wars of Fairie,
preferring to focus on my responsibilities guiding
souls through the Labyrinth, regulating portals
between worlds, and in what little spare time I
had, wandering the secret ways of the Universe. I
could truly not be bothered with the petty
maneuverings of the Sidhe. I spent too much time
away, and only came late to the knowledge that
there were too many passages being opened to
the Void. Even then, I was indifferent. I felt that
this was merely the ebb and flow of the Universe;
when you preside over Death in all its forms, you
become acutely aware of the dual nature of
existence, and you accept that negative will
sometimes overcome positive, and tides will shift.
I should have investigated more closely. I should
have taken a side. I should have done something.
And then there was the Great Fade. My
frequent excursions to the Mortal World put me
on the forefront of this plague. I sickened early
on, retreated to the far corners of Space, and
fought the disease in a fevered dream.
When I returned to myself, much time had
passed, even in the considerably slow continuum
of Faerie. The war was full blown. The Void
beings had gained momentum, and it was too late
to stop them. I frantically attempted to fight were
I could, soon becoming exhausted by the
Devouring of the Void that knows know sleep. I
saw all of our sacred sites taken, defiled, and
changed. At this point, I knew that to survive, we
must abandon our homeland.
At the edges of Fairie I created several large
rifts to the Dreaming, and did not distinguish
between my kindred. Seelie and Unseelie alike
were allowed to pass, although I knew of some
who created rifts that purposely left their
antagonists behind. I considered this a betrayal of
the cruelest kind.
There is one great Death that I cannot bring
myself to let be. I and my the Silent Brother have
finally parted ways, and now turn toward each
other in hostility. I cannot let him take Her. My
home. My Love. My life. And so I have committed
to the fight which no one wins.
3/13/10
The War that I record, many say is lost. We
are not talking of the same conflict. This is MY
War. And it's conclusion has yet to be seen.
I speak rarely to other Dreams. I have little
use for Visions. They are infuriatingly short-
sighted and self centered, caring only for the
upkeep of a homeland that they cannot or will not
see beyond. In my travels I have tried to gather
their motivations, and they are profoundly
limited. Intrinsically experienced with Travel, they
will not see that the holistic nature of the
universe is such that if one plane is misbalanced,
others WILL follow. I have explained this time and
again to these creatures, and I am finished. I have
been harassed, questioned, and in some cases
assaulted. I advise them simply not to interfere
with my doings. Go about blindly doing whatever
it is you do, and leave me alone. I am not here
more than I am here, and my people simply need a
temporary holding facility. Then we will leave you
in "peace".
 I have never spoken to Mortals, and I doubt
that I ever will. Simply because, in all my Travels,
they have never had anything profound to say.
Their irresponsibility resulted in the Great Fade,
and I doubt even the contention that they have an
ability to function at a higher spiritual level. It is in
part, my failing that they are even in the
Dreaming to begin with, and I am aware of that
and take as much responsibility as is necessary.
They are easily frightened, Profoundly unwise,
and without exception base. When they have
something interesting to say, then perhaps I will
respond. Until then, I will remain silent.
What are called dead gods here I have
sought out, and they have been very helpful. heir
information has been useful and their stories
enthralling. Many seem to understand the plight
of the Fae, as they themselves have been
disenfranchised and are strangers in this strange
land. I do not ask anyone outside the Kindred to
assist in our War. It is ours to fight, but I am
thankful with my whole being when others do
provide assistance, be it great or small.
I must return again to the Labyrinths. I have
been cataloguing Goblin movements in and
around Avalon. Momentary lapses are all that I
can afford.
3/22/10
I stand upon a barren hill, a shadow in a
dusty haze. The dark tatters of my robe flutter
and snap as the sand harshly tears at my back. My
great scythe has now become a crutch, that holds
the weight of a broken heart. I gaze out over a
great plain in the center of Fairie, where once the
Immortal King held his court. The infinite expanse
of the plain that was once a lush and beautiful
forest is now something completely Other.
At the center of my home plain there now is
an undulating mass of darkness. The event
horizon shatters the vivid light of Fairie into a
thousand brilliant colors, colors that pulse with
the essence of my world. In the middle is a vat of
absolute darkness, spinning ever so slowly like a
drain, dragging the world down into its horrific
nothingness. One can almost hear it churning, like
the vile acid of some cosmic gut, lazily devouring
reality. Standing so near, I can feel its pull. It is
33
morbidly beautiful, and for all its horror I would
be a liar if I said that it did not carry a seduction
of its own. The Void is always calling. But here it
is screaming at the top of its lungs, a passionate
crescendo of destruction that one must arm
against to not be mesmerized. This is the primary
gate to the Void.
I have traveled to the gates of the Afterlife. I
am not allowed to venture beyond. And Here I
now stand at the gate of Unlife.
The void is the only other place that I am
forbidden to go. The Void is not truly a place,
after all. The Void, or so it is as I understand it, an
emptiness without limit. The Void feeds on other
planes out of necessity, out of intrinsic design.
Imagine if you will, your home world as a great,
heat filled balloon. The effect that the Void has on
other worlds is the same as the effect that a hole
has on that balloon, causing the heat to leak out
of necessity from the area of high concentration
to an area of low concentration. Not only does the
Void draw out the essential vitality of the plain,
but through some eldritch mechanic the plain is
drawn to the Void, much as in nature it is
perfectly sound for the heat to rush towards the
hole in said balloon. Therefore, the void not only
creates fear and loathing, but a euphoric
attraction that even now gnaws at the very
threads that keep the universe together. The
Universe, it can be argued, wants to be devoured.
And therein lies the true horror of the Void.
I can bear its presence no longer. I must
return to the Dreaming, and rest.
 The 21st of March found me returning to Squires
Castle to witness the "invitation" of one Torlain, a
Fae refugee, to his new home. Roughly ten of us
gathered together that evening to explore the
charming estates -- I provided a brief story about

FROM SQUIRES the final touches put on the castle, as a sort of

subtle hint for what was to come.
CASTLE TO Aside from Torlain, there were two other
Fae -- sisters named Kitanya and...Aedrila? Or
ARCADIA
by Erekiteru Roen of Ohio
something. I'll have to check the Aether. There
was another Vision named Icarus, only newly
born, as well as a Lost Soul who had just arrived
in the Dreaming by way of falling off a cliff. There
were Dead Gods in abundance: Exarkin of the
British Isles, Tier of the Norse, and Hades and his

I was in the mood for sharing my company

so I appeared at the gathering. I found that I
quite enjoyed the company of all in
attendance. We fought many duels, of
which I won all I participated in. In fact i
was awarded a boon for my fighting
prowess. After this small but entertaining
tournament the gathered individuals went
off to attempt to save some friends. I
thanked our host by guarding his lands in
their absence. Perhaps, in a month's time or
so, I will hold my own tournament. What a
grand event it will be.

Exarkin, Champion
wife Persephone of the Underworld. We began the
get-together with a sort of informal tournament.
Exarkin stood undefeated amongst his peers, and
was awarded the Champion's Boon by Torlain.
After the bout of duels, Torlain announced
that we would be having a Dreamwalk to rescue
his Faerie brethren. Up to this point I had only
insinuated that the Castle was not actually his,
but when the Fae decided to make my home his
base of operations for releasing monsters into the
Dreaming, I had to speak up. I challenged him for
control of the Squire's Castle, letting everyone
know that the lands we stood on were rightfully
mine. Torlain contended that when he arrived in
the Dreaming, the Castle was empty, and Exarkin lands a hit on Erekiteru
remained that way for a good amount of time. I
responded that I had been away -- just because I to atone for your pasts and seek to prevent the
wasn't home for a month didn't mean the place mistakes that overran Faerie, I urge you to help
was no longer owned. His counter was that he had me prevent one of your greedy brethren from
made the effort to restore and defend his new keeping what does not belong to him.
territory, and having been forced from one home, I remain,
he was not likely to leave another. Erekiteru Roen
He accepted my challenge and proposed that
we have a match that demonstrated not only our
prowess in combat, but also in strategy and
leadership. Therefore, in two week's time, we will
A Word from a Healer
by Adeira of Ohio
be having a game of living combat chess. It is our
duty to muster whatever forces we can, which will
The Gathering that I and my sister attended
represent pieces on our respective side of the
the night of last was...interesting. There seemed to
board.
be a consistent clash of egos, especially having so
The challenge accepted, we then moved on
many Dead Gods in attendance. I really hope that
to the Dreamwalk. As he was still Warden of
these minor divisions in the venturing group will
Squires, I could not prohibit him from his mission,
be quickly patched.
but I certainly was going to do what I could to
I noticed that though many were fighters,
keep the Dreaming safe. Thus, I offered to serve
they did not protect their healers. It may simply
as a guide on this Dreamwalk. As I was only a
be too dangerous for I and my sister to travel with
guide for this part of the evening, I will leave the
them. Many parties that I have traveled with in
tale telling to the actual heroes. Suffice to say, 2
the past worked together and protected the ones
Fae have been rescued, and there are more
who would save their lives. Perhaps this party is
monsters in the Dreaming.
not in the need of my services and it was only
Now I present my call to arms: Visions of the
trying to inform me of this in a very negative way.
Land, if you are nearby, give me aid. Dead Gods --
I know not.
we Visions can assist in your return, we ask only
It was very nice to find one of my own again
that you help us in our own quests such as these.
in Master Torlain. I wonder which of my kin he
Lost Souls, you who wander without purpose,
was once upon a time. Now it seems that my kind
come to me, and I will give you a cause. Fae of the
has changed so much. We have none of our
land: beware. You are refugees in the dreaming,
distinguishing features anymore. And much of our
and my heart goes out to your plight, but I will not
Glamour has gone in the face of so much
let your war destroy a second world. If you wish
mundanity. It hurts my soul to think of it.

35
 I hope that those we rescued are feeling
all right in this new world we have brought
The Squire's Arena
by Torlain of Ohio
them to. I remember my first days. They were
full of confusion, fear and much pain and
Yesterday was March 21st, in the year
anguish. I hope that I can help them ease their
2010. It has been shortly over a month since I
grief, for I am sure that they do indeed grieve,
was forced out of my homeland, and the
not only for their lost homeland, but also the
thought still gnaws at my heart.
lost people.
How I miss the lands of my birth.
I hope that next gathering goes a bit
The beauteous glade that was my home.
smoother, and that this challenge is settled if
The woodland creatures that lived there. The
not peaceably, then without bloodshed. I have
brilliant blue pond, of a brilliant hue which is
never liked the sight of blood. It is something
simply not duplicated in this land called The
that should not be seeing the light of the sky,
Dreaming…
and being touched by the air we breathe. I have
…my beloved
many hopes.
children, born, sadly,
into a war torn world
which I fear claimed
them in the end..
…my wife…tall,
lithe, serene,
mysterious, and
hauntingly
beautiful…a beauty
I fear I may never
know again.
I now call
this place
home…it is not
a beautiful as
my last, however I
shall defend It from every
threat which befalls it. The Visions claim
that with each of my kin we rescue from my
homelands we bring more monsters to
theirs…my allies and myself are prepared,
however, to stand against them, and the more
of my kind are freed, the more there are to
combat this world’s threats.
Thus I invited all who wished to join us
for an evening to meet each other and test
their skills in combat.
To my Arena came a number of new
faces, amongst them the Dead Gods Exarkin of
the British Isles, Tyr of the Norse, and Hades;
and his wife Persephone; of the Underworld.
We also saw two Fae, Adeira and Kitanya,
fellow refuges from our home.

36
 There were two Visions, the natives of The and an unmatched martial prowess. While the
Dreaming, The quiet Icarus and the outspoken minons which he called to him were no match for
Erekiteru Roen. the group, who had become accustomed to slaying
There was, finally, a Lost Soul who’s name the cretins, this Goblin King took a concerted
eludes me at the moment, who suffered an effort to slay. Eventually, however, when we were
unfortunate cliffhanger in the story of his life, and all but beated and broken, a great blow fell the
found himself lost in The Dreaming. beast and two of my kin appeared, freed from the
The strength of my allies, and those of twisted glamour that held them captive, and I am
Erekiteru Roen, was proven through a series of proud to say that 2 more Fae are free!
competitions in the Arena, of which the champion
was the Dead God Exarkin.
Soon after the tournament was concluded, I
told everyone of a portal to my homeland within
the Castle, and found that the assembled group
was willing to aid me in rescuing some of my kin
from Faerie. Within the portal was a twisted and
sick landscape, nothing like the Faerie I
remember, twisted by the Void beasts and the
Unseelie, where the brilliant light of Faerie all but
failed us, plunging us quickly into darkness.
Goblins swarmed upon us from all angles, battling
with untold ferocity, however we eventually
dispatched the countless waves of twisted beings.
As we celebrated our victory, however, the
most monstrous goblin I have ever seen appeared
out of nothingness, brandishing terrible weapons

37
 KNIGHTS OF THE OCEAN TOWER
by Eckhart of Long Island

Six of us gathered in late March to rescue

some of the Fae we knew to be trapped in the
realm of Faerie. Sorcha, the only Fae among us
currently, was growing unhappy without the
presence of her kin and was very eager to lead us
through the portal to her homeland, ravaged by
war though it was.
Once Shy'acky, Ishamel, Vucub, Thuul,
Sorcha, and I crossed through, we were presented
with bedazzling and bizarre world of Faerie. We
crossed a violent black river into the land where
we would do battle. Vucub and Thuul wandered
off, and I couldn't tell you what they did while we
were there, but shortly after they left we were set
upon by many Goblins. Though weak, there was
no shortage of them and it was all I could do to
persuade my allies to stay near my Circle of
Healing, for I had a sense that they would need its
power once our true enemies found us.
After the hordes of goblins were handily
fended off, their king approached us and offered
us a deal. I'm still not entirely sure what his
bargaining position was, because his arguments
seemed to consist of pointing out that Seelie Fae
are tasty and that goblins are not. Negotiations
were cut short by beating him up once he got
bored with talking and started hitting things.
The two Fae we rescued were, as one might
imagine, very grateful to be released from goblin
captivity and were eager to step through the
portal, though it would take them away from their
home for who-knows-how-long.
In the end, I feel we did a good thing here.
The world of Faerie was a most interesting place,
if indeed perilous and at times frightening. I have
seen some of the Dreams the Wakes inhabit, and
it pains me to think that mortals, people I might
have known in life, are having such dull dreams.
The Fae are a fascinating people and their
presence in the Dreaming is something I support,
for the sake of those still living.
LAND WAR
There are certain places in the Dreaming
Thus, I entered the dreams of the Wakes and
urged them to think of the eternal flame, the all-
consuming force of fear that brave men and
where power concentrates. If one travels to one of women fought against every single day, across the
these spots and meditates, he can collect some of globe. I inspired them to remember those who had
that power. During this incarnation of the fallen in the service of safety. The Wakes
Dreaming, there were three key power grabs. responded, erecting a memorial to the firefighters.
Though these investitures, the Visions maintained That monument now stands in the front
their control over the Dreaming. courtyard of the Great Lakes Science Center -- an
edifice to the power of the mind. The Center itself
is situated between two other structures: the
Cleveland Browns Stadium (an edifice of the
body) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (an
Visions Claim Cleveland edifice to the soul). Body and Soul, power and
by Erekiteru Roen of the Fiefdom of Cleve passion, joined together by the forces of the mind.
Brought into action, these three powers can do
The longer I reside in the Dreaming, the great things, and I think it is fitting that such a
more of my memories return. shrine has been erected in the center of these
I remember when I first met Patrick. There buildings.
was a lot of smoke in the Waking world that day,
and I followed its trail to the Stockyards of
Cleveland. One of the freight boxes had caught
flame, and a brave crew of firefighters were doing
their best to put it out. The fire had weakened the
support structures, however, and one of the walls
collapsed, pinning two of the men. I could only
watch as the falling debris sent them to their end.
And then one of the men was standing next
to me. As near as I can recall, it was the first time
I had met a Lost Soul, and both Patrick and I were
at a loss as to how he had come to enter the
Dreaming. The two of us set about unraveling the
mystery of his appearance, learning about the
Labyrinth, the Guides, and how certain Souls
sometimes didn't make it to where they were
supposed to go.
Patrick took the news hard. He had a wife
and child in the world of Wakes, and had no idea
if they'd end up where he was, or pass on. He
determined to find a way to get to the Afterlife, or
return to the waking, and set off on a journey. I
haven't seen him since.
This was over fifty years ago, yet I still
remember the bravery and conviction that shone
in that man's eyes. He knew the dangers of his
job, but the chance to save lives outweighed the
risks to his own safety. To the very end, he fought
for a city he loved, and I decided that sort of
loyalty ought to be remembered.
 Southampton Windmill
claimed by Lost Souls
by Eckhart of Long Island

This windmill out here on the island almost

seems out of place in the Dreaming. Since I lost
my way to the Afterlife I have tried to grow
accustomed to the idea that things which were
necessary in the world of the living no longer
have relevance in the Dreaming... and yet here is a
windmill, a construct of necessity, built by mortal
humans for reasons which only matter to those
living.
It's a reminder of the life we used to have,
where we needed to work to get the things we
needed, like food and manufactured goods. What
purpose could a wind-powered rotary device have
in world like this, where anything it might be used
to produce could just as easily be conjured up out
of nowhere? It seems like a whimsy built by the
Visions for their own amusement, but it reminds
me of the living world, so I claim it for the Lost
Souls.

Visions Seize Key Territory

by Shy'acky Strotas of Long Island

As a Vision it's my responsibility to protect the

dreaming, this spot is perfect for a defensive line
to protect the dreaming. It will not fall to anyone
so long as I'm alive. I've held onto this place since
the beginning, and I have no intention of losing it.
The bench is a new addition it's for those who
aren't on sentry duty. Those on sentry duty may
use it but only if they wish to be removed from
duty. As such I claim this place in the name of the
Visions.

40
 From left to right: Cardinal, Vinny, Juppa Wup, Tepes, Todash
I'm sorry that I have to do this.
I stand on the back porch of the feast hall,
facing the forest, my eyes searching the shadows
for movement. There is something back there, and
it's been watching me. It knows that I know it is
there too, so now we've been playing a waiting
game.
SLAYING There are ruins in the woods behind the
house, ruins which predate the Native Americans.
ANOTHER I used to walk back there every day, but ever
since the portals opened, I don't dare go back
PORTAL there without a party.
The goblins don't worry me too much. I can
by Cardinal fell them in a single swing. But there is something
else back there, something biding its time and
waiting. I am worried that it is a demon. And I am
worried that it is waiting for reinforcements.
The portal must be closed, before this gets
worse. It pains me to do it, because I know there
are still innocent fae who still refuse to leave their
 world. I wish them no harm. I wish they could
come through the gate so we could protect
them. But I can't leave the door between the
worlds open when such beasts keep coming
through.
Last night, I gathered up a few of the
Dreams I know so that we could put an end to
this.
So we hiked through the Dreamscape,
until we came to that old hermit. He reminded
us of the path to find the portal - Unterwatch
Road.
So many creatures infest this area now.
As we traveled along Unterwatch road, we
The Shades use your friends' bodies like a marionette.
It did not want to be closed, and it would try to slay us.
42
Vinny landing a hit on the portal
fought imps and goblins. Pesky little creatures
with murder on their mind.
Our Guides shuddered as the shade
spirits took over their body. It's always strange
fighting your friends during these journeys,
but they aren't really your friends. Your
friends spirits are hidden somewhere while the
Shades use your friends' bodies like a
marionette.
I much prefer fighting the goblins to the
imps. The only challenging thing about the
goblins is that there are so many of them. The
imps, however, know a little sorcery, a little
archery, or have figured out a decent weapon
style. They're tricksy little creatures.
Eventually, we came to the portal. I could
hear it hum as the gate sensed our hostility. It
manifested into Tepes' body and stood before
us, powerful and unwavering. It did not want
to be closed, and it would try to slay us.
Vinny landed some good hits on it, but
the portal is incredibly strong.
When I think back on this fight, the only
sound I remember is the hum of the portal and
the snickering of the goblins in the woods all
around us. They thought the gate would make
short work of us.
I squinted at the portal manifestation,
declaring him as my nemesis. My mind burned
with anger at this entity. As we circled around
each other, something clicked. This fight was
for keeps - him or us.
My friend Asher didn't join us on the
dream walk; he was documenting our journey
for the Archive. As the fight
climaxed, he looked at the
camera with confusion - it was
as if he could see all of our
emotions on our skin.
Apparently, sometimes
dreams photograph in odd
colors. This is one of those
times.
Todash and I managed to
pincer the entity. I hacked at it
with my pole arm while todash
peppered it with spell and
sword. As we struck the final
blow, the entity let out a final
gasp. It sounded like a
hurricane blowing through an
open window, suddenly shut.
Victory!
We said a few quiet
words for the Fae, and made
our way back, in silence, to the
feast hall.

43
THE
BATTLE
OF
OHIO
Two armies gathered in Cleveland, Ohio. One was led
by the Satyr Torlain, the other by the Vision Eriketeru. They
would battle over possession of Squire Castle, a powerful
fortress situated at the heart of the Dreaming. All eyes were
on the castle as Visions and Fae jockeyed for position. Their
dispute would be resolved by a game of chess...
A call to arms
by Torlain
Erekiteru Roen claims that these lands are
his. I respect that he has a good and valid reason
to challenge me for it. I stated the terms of the
challenge- a contest which befits the leader of any
territory- a contest of skill, intelligence,
perseverance, patience, strategy, martial prowess,
and, most of all, leadership.
The challenge is chess.
Chess, however, hardly befits the transition
of ownership of an Arena as large and imposing
as Squires Castle.
Thus the challenge is- Living Combat Chess!
That’s right, come to my banner, downtrodden
Fae, overlooked Lost Souls, forgotten Gods, and
generous and understanding Visions.
To my people, the Fae, I hope that you would
come to my aid to champion our cause! We must
rescue our brethren from the evil clutches that
hold them, and a portal to Faerie stands right here
in the lands we fight over!
To the Visions of this world, I know that
there are those of you who are sympathetic to our
plight! Know that we mean The Dreaming no
harm- we will defend these lands, as they are the
only home we have left. Fight beside us, not
against us, that together we may make a
difference in this world.
To those Lost Souls who wander these lands,
be lost no more! There is a just and righteous
cause to follow, the rescuing of innocent Fae
trapped in a war torn land! How long before you
are no more welcome in these lands than the Fae
seem to be? Show the Visions that we mean to aid
these lands, not harm them, and that my kin
deserve a chance at a new life! We will fight the
beasts and monsters of these lands, along with
the aid of my fellow Fae still trapped in Faerie!
To the Gods in the Dreaming, I ask you to
consider your stance in this contest, if any.
Erekiteru Roen claims that his people can
offer you much worship and strength, but have
they? If they have, then why, oh why, have you
not yet returned to your former glory? My people
are sick, downtrodden, and lost, and they would
treat us as they do? Perhaps, it would seem, the
same way they have treated you? Your people
and mine have a commonality- we seek the
chance to become strong again. We seek a second
chance.
My people shall look for sheppard’s,
protectors, and strength in these new lands. I
beseech you, stand glorious upon the battlefield,
and remind our foes that YOU ARE GODS! Not
former Gods, lost Gods, forgotten Gods, or dead
Gods, but GODS!
All who would stand behind my people in
their attempt to survive, please, come to Squire’s
Castle when the call to arms is raised. We need
capable men and women of all races, and our
people, myself especially, shall never forget your
support.
I am here now,
Torlain of the Fae
The Arrival of Icarus Songline
by Icarus
of the
I awoke outside squires castle to the Butcher
unexpected noise of visitor to my homeland.
The first of many I met was someone that in which the
shared the same life force I was created from. Vision
He taught me of the fae and the monsters they Erekiteru
bring to our land from their own which is seeks to be
currently war torn. If they could not stop slain by the
protect their own land what gives them to right monster
to claim my land for themselves. I also met 4
called the
Butcher, to
dead gods, one that called himself god, and Tier complete a
a self claimed god of battle, then Hades and ritual of
Persephone. power
The one that called himself god and Tier
faced off in a duel the tension rose and it was a Butcher...
standoff for a few minutes or so until the one can you hear me?
calling himself god made the first move and it
went back and forth for a bit but god was I have an
victorious in the end. There were a few of the offer for you...
monster bringers called fae that had arrived
there as well. I spoke into the Aether, and the Butcher
One of them, Torlain, had claimed the came. The deal I was prepared to make was a
castle as his. The other of my kind eventually simple one: I wished to perform the Ashes of
stated that the castle belonged to him. Eriiteru the Phoenix ritual, and he (she? it?) wished to
said he had owned the castle since before he kill. In exchange for performing, from what I've
arrived in the Dreaming. There was a challenge been told, a very painful, agonizing murder, he
over the territory and the terms of the would aid me in the completion of the ritual. All
challenge was a live combat chess match, I ask he had to do was say the words.
any of those that not wish monsters in this May you rise from your ashes.
land join our army. The deal was struck. I set about preparing
the ritual, enchanting the weapon that would
deliver the killing blow.
As I cast the necessary runes, I stole
glances at the individual who stood mutely
before me, and saw...nothing. No hatred, no
malice, no love, no fear. The shadows gathered
around the Butcher, and for all my years of
observations, I could sense, could percieve not
a single thing about this killer. I've only
encountered one similar entity: the Void. The
person who stood before me seemed to
embody it.
The ritual was finished, and I handed over
the weapon, then lay on the ground. The
Butcher did not hesitate in raising the blade,
driving it through my gut.

45
 me when I least expected it, and when I did not
want him to. As he could not do that the first
time, he chose to kill me twice so he could have
the satisfaction of surprise.
So I was painfully disemboweled twice. At
least I got what I wanted out of it.

Stand ready, Torlain. I will take back what

is rightfully mine.

I lay there dying, expectantly awaiting the

next words. But I didn't hear them. Instead, the
sound of soft laughter floated in the air -- the
sound of a madman playing the cruelest trick
of all.
Sure enough, the death was a painful one,
and I did not rise again till the next day.
I was understandably upset at my bad
luck, and spent the next day in a foul mood. I
had kept my end of the bargain, the Butcher
did not. But I was wrong before, and I was to
be proved wrong again. That night, I awoke
from my slumber to see him standing over me,
a twisted grin on his lips as he completed the
ritual, before driving the blade deep into my
body. And this time, as I died, I heard the words.
May you rise from your ashes.
A word to the wise: The Butcher how he
sees fit, and when he sees fit. He desired to kill

Torlain found aid amongst his people. Erekiteru

ritually strengthened himself. Both armies gathered forces
for several weeks, until the fateful day of the Chess
Match...

46
 - When two pieces met at the same square, a
The Chess Match duel was fought. The winner kept the square. This
by Erekiteru Roen
meant that sometimes the piece attempting to
claim the spot was not always the victor. It also
And so it came for Torlain and I to struggle
meant that the kings (who were moving the
against one another for control of the Castle.
pieces) had to be judicious in who moved where.
Weeks ago, we agreed to meet on the field of
- Less combat-oriented players still had a
battle, pitting our might and our minds in a game
chance to shine on the board, as they were
of living combat chess. The day arrived, we
permitted to use their healing and buffing skills
assembled our forces, and the competition
on pieces adjacent to them. Likewise, zone
commenced.
barriers (such as the Vision's ability to Sunder the
Roughly sixteen denizens of the Dreaming
Dreaming and the Shaman's power to set up a
arrived for this event. Approximately eight of us
circle of Force) were also permitted. If a player
took to each side of the board, playing non-pawn
could not traverse the distance from one square
pieces. The pawns were played by Shades -- a
to the next due to these powers, the king had to
troop of weak and simple-mind Goblins who were
select a different piece to move.
eager for a chance to deal even one blow to those
- Any defending piece could ask for a
assembled.
champion to fight in his or her stead. However, if
The format for the game was as follows:
the champion was also playing a piece still on the
board and lost, then both his piece and the
- Standard chess rules applied, with the
defending piece were removed. This meant that
noted exceptions.

47
pieces that were already removed were called in
as champions a great many times.
- The game ended when the king of one side
was defeated, not simply put in checkmate. This
meant that a properly equipped king could
conceivably take the entire board by himself, with
a bit of skill and luck.
I employed the use of Tyr, the one-handed
Dead God, to the fullest extent. My initial strategy
of using him as the Queen and putting him
immediately within range of the king after two
moves was effective, but alas, he was not able to
actually take Torlain. After Tyr's fall, he spent a
great deal of time championing other members on
the board -- there were many who were not able
or willing to engage in combat.
Many Fae and Lost Souls joined Torlain's
side of the board, where my side saw a number of
Dead Gods and Visions. Battle after battle ensued,
48
but ultimately, my side managed to persevere,
thanks in no small part to an as-yet-unnamed
Vision Slayer who expertly wielded a great
weapon.
Squire's Castle is now mine once more, and I
will Shape it to tell the tale of the legends that
surround it. Though I did not think to announce it
before, it is my intent to name Torlain as
Guardian of the Castle. He showed great courage,
skill, and might in our conflict, and as he has
already set up his home at Squire's, I could think
of few other I would have to defend the place.
Whether or not he will accept this position
remains to be seen.
Still, that which was taken from me is mine
again. The Dreaming seeks its own balance.
 With the conclusion of the living chess match,
Torlain and Erekiteru's dispute was settled. Erekiteru took
the throne, but Torlain was content to live in the castle
garden. This compromise illustrated that perhaps Fae and
Visions could coexist.
There was still grim work to do. Two portals to
Faerie remained. One stood at Squire's Castle, in Ohio, the
other was near Cardinal's House in Connecticut. Demons
had been sighted lurking around the portals. The Visions
were of one mind - the portals must be closed, no matter
the cost, lest the Dreaming be corrupted like the Fae world
had been.

49
REBECCA SQUIRE
by Erekiteru Roen
As we gathered together again at the Castle,
a howling, unearthly shriek echoed across the
lands, sapping away the health of everyone who
heard it. It seemed as though Rebecca was awake
again.
In the world of the Waking, Rebecca Squire
was the wife of the castle's owner. According to
legend, she tripped and broke her neck in the
castle's trophy room, and has haunted it ever
since. This is not actually the case -- she died
several cities away -- but legends have a habit of
becoming reality in the Dreaming.
What (even who) Rebecca was remains a
mystery. She should be considered a Lost Soul,
but behaves as though she were a Shade. Her
powers are unlike any other I have seen. Indeed, I
vaguely recall facing off against her some
thousand years ago, long before the actual
Rebecca Squire was born. This is the form she has
chosen, however, so Rebecca she will be called.
Although I do not remember how I dealt with
her those many ages ago, I did keep a journal of
my experience, and managed to locates several
pages out of that journal, which I shared with
those gathered. Based on hints and riddles, one
Fae Shaman puzzled out a cryptic message: "With
the lizard, she watches over the castle."
Before we set off to find Rebecca, it was
decided that a new territory -- a feast hall --
would be set up. There was a picnic area next to
the castle, and we grilled some burgers there,
enjoying each other's company as we ate. At the
end of our feasting, Torlain offered up a toast,
and we felt our lost health come back to us. It was
decided that this new territory would be his.
There are several trails behind Squire's
Castle, and there is a map that marks each trail
with an icon. The party found one trail marked
with a picture of a lizard, and we set off to find
our nemesis. When we arrived at the marker, we
did not find Rebecca. Instead, we found a bag,
containing a silver locket, which the Fae Shaman
picked up.
As soon as she did so, she passed out, stood
up again, and shuffled about, her head tilted to
one side as though she had a broken neck. Calling
herself Rebecca, she began throwing magic spells
at us. We fought back, but it appeared our
weapons and magic simply passed right through
her. The Shaman's sister, a sorceress named
Kitanya, did not want to leave the possessed Fae
behind, but we did not want to die at her hands,
either.
I drew a line on the ground and declared
that the Dreaming was sundered there. This kept
Rebecca from coming any closer to us, but she
could still throw magic auras our way -- we
continued to dodge them while deciding what to
do next. Unfortunately, when I drew the line, a
Dead God named Tyr got stuck on the other side.
He had already been knocked out by Rebecca's
magic, and when he came to, she stood over him,
demanding he kneel before her and receive her
mark. We watched Tyr start to kneel, then quickly
spring away, retreating down the trail and back
around to meet up with us.
The onslaught of magic became too much
for us, so we decided to retreat into the castle
itself. It seemed that Rebecca was unable to
follow us inside, so we took to looking for clues on
how to defeat her within and around the castle.
We found none, and while we searched, Tyr was
knocked out again -- and this time he was slain.
Rebecca infused his lifeless corpse with that of a
Shade, which we saw kneel before the specter
and receive her mark.
This mark seemed to give the Shade some
new and unusual powers. First, he was able to
enter the castle -- a safe zone -- and fight us.
Second, his swings became more damaging.
Thirdly, because he was able to fight us in the
castle, Rebecca gained the ability to throw magic
auras through the castle windows. She still could
not enter, but the zone somehow became a Haunt.
The Shade chased us through the castle, forcing
us near windows, while Rebecca attacked us from
without. Some Wake children happened by during
all of this, and Rebecca commissioned them to join
us as Shades, granting them the mark also.
Things seemed bleak for our crew, as we
were low on health and the young Shades were
much too energetic for us to run away from.
Luckily, Rebecca's hold over the Shaman was not
a permanent one, and a half hour after being
possessed, she regained her senses. The Fae did
not remember the events that transpired, and we
quickly filled her in on what had happened, and
how she slew Tyr. Mysteriously, the locket she
had picked up before had vanished.
Shut the Portal
The portal we had visited to rescue the Fae
needed closing. I convinced those gathered that
since we did not find any more Fae the last time
we went through that particular portal that it
would be wise to close it now, lest more monsters
travel through it. There would be other portals, I
felt, but this one had served its purpose.
So the party set off to find the Portal
Cleaver. He was a Vision with a grand and
majestic-sounding name that was hard to
pronounce. If I can remember how to spell it I'll
mention it later. We just called him Steve-O. We
had to fight our way through three waves of Imps
to get to Steve-O, who told us that the node that
powered the portal had to be destroyed in order
to close said portal. To get to that portal, we had
to travel along Griswald's Edge.
As we walked along this road, we
encountered a strange area. The ground seemed
to sap the life out of us. There were rocks we
could jump across, but they lead to
nothingness...for now. There were also two boxes,
one that contained keys, and one that was empty.
We determined that we needed to move the keys
to the other box so that we could move forward.
As we stepped onto this field, Imps appeared and
began to attack us -- they did not seem to be
affected by the ground, so it was difficult to avoid
them.
We needed to finish our task quickly. Since
we could only hold one key at a time, we came up
with the idea of forming a line across the rocks.
One person would grab a key and hand it off to
the next person. In this fashion, we could carry all
four keys quickly to the other box, without having
to come back and forth. We took our lumps from
the Imps (the spell casters slowed and rooted the
Imps so they could not get to us very quickly), and
soon a new part of the road appeared. We set off
towards our final destination.
51
The Portal hummed with energy, and as we
approached it, it turned into a person! It called
forth Imps to help defend it. The Portal Defender
must have been watching us as we worked on the
zone with keys, because when the Shaman slowed
the Imps this time, the Defender simply killed the
imp, so it could come back and move quickly
again. Likewise, the sorceress was unable to root
the Defender, as he was comprised of skills that
allowed him to sidestep magic auras twice! This
foiled our plan of rooting him with the
expectation that he'd sidestep, and then rooting
him again. Kitanya the Sorceress's lightning spell
did not go to waste, however, nor did our Slayer's
use of her Nemesis power. When we had taken a
great deal of damage, we gathered close to our
Shaman, who put up a circle of force around her
circle of healing, enabling her to heal us quickly
and safely so we could return to the fight.
Soon, the Defender lay dead. Steve-O came
out to congratulate us, and we headed home.
When the big people came
by an Imp
Hey, big person! Listen to story Tuk-Toni see
with Tuk-Toni eyes! It about other big people
come through big shiny shiny and kill us! We not
like die, but we come back! Now not go back
again, cause no big shiny shiny to walk into and
go other place! We find new big shiny shiny, we
hope!
We safe-makers of big shiny shiny, tuk-tori,
lum-din and ugg-thom. Big shiny shiny swirly
shiny that walks into new place, green leafy place
with cold grey tall thing hear people call " Squares
Casele"
We being eye closed and loud sound making
when big people come down long path and make
eyes open. Tuk-Toni say we wait and jump out
when they not think us there. Tuk-Toni lot mindy-
er than others and others listen to Tuk-Toni's big
thinker.
Tuk-Toni hit big people real good, but had
bad time when big people start making talky and
throwing weird bright that make safe-makers
heavy or not move. Soon all safe-makers die so
many times Tuk-Toni think we run, let them think
they win. We go back to big shiny
shiny and hope big people not find. If
they find, they need get past burny-
CARDINAL RULES
by Cardinal of Connecticut
dirt, so we be safe.
Not long before big people find
Tepes and I were going to attend the
burny-dirt, and safe-makers make
gathering in Rye, but couldn't get in touch with
things harder when we say boo and
Xidian Pan. So instead, we gathered some
jump out, cause Tuk-Toni big thinker
dreams to make progress towards our
and tell safe-makers to. Tun-Toni big
respective goals.
thinker had nother smarty thing -
Anybody who knows Tepes knows that he
killing other safe-makers is good!
is an angry god. But he is also a god of
When other safe-maker get heavy or
forgiveness. Something had been brewing
not move, Tuk-Toni kill it, cause we
inside Tepes for a while now, and I'm still not
not stay killed long and come back
sure whether it was rage or temperance. Tepes
good and fast!
can tell the story better than I can, but his
Had run soon, though. Big
temperament has roots in ancient times.
people mindy-er than Tuk-Toni and
Once upon a time, when Tepes reigned
kill all so many times we run to big
over the waking world, he had a small but
shiny shiny again. They find us and
savage tribe of followers. He would grant them
big shiny shiny change to be big
his rage during battle, and they were always
deathy-maker and help safe-makers,
sure to raise a glass to him at every meal. But
but too many big people - we almost
over time, they began to forget this tradition.
kill, but then shiny bubble of no-pass
One day, Tepes finally snapped, and sent
come up near big people until they
wolves to devour them. Only his last follower,
feel better, and they kill us.
who is now known as Thompson, remained.
We wait for new chance,
Tepes appeared before Thompson, and
though! Find new big shiny shiny and
I'm not entirely sure what was exchanged
make dead big people! Big thinker
between them, but it ended with Tepes striking
ouch from too much talky now, big
down his last follower. With no mortal
people go way!
worshipers left, he was forgotten, and passed
Wait...put way big stabby
from the Divine Spheres into the Dreaming. I
stabby...
imagine he felt very remorseful.
To this day, Tepes carries around
Thompson's skull. Tepes uses it as his altar, his
last point of contact with his former glory.
Tepes feels weird about it. I can never tell
what's going on under the surface with him.
But something needs to be resolved.
 The Enemy Divine
A fae named "Bob", (who used to be called
Juppa Wup) and a god named Vinny arrived to
help out. Vinny and I would be guides. I
volunteered to host Thompson's spirit in my
body.
When the Dream Walk began, my mind
was replaced by Thompson's. I immediately felt
angry - how could Tepes betray me? Now I had
an opportunity to pay him back. Traditionally,
we would drink to Tepes in thanks for a good
battle. But I was slain by Tepes in my last battle,
so clearly I would not be toasting to him. The
shade besides me took a knee, and I poured out
the libations which I would have normally
dedicated to Tepes. Because fuck that guy!
In the distance, I saw the deity I used to
worship. Since my defeat, my skull has been
dropped, kicked, spilled on, and even sexually
defiled by Tepes' enemies. So I definitely wanted
to kick his ass.
Tepes gave Bob his blessings, and they
prepared themselves for the horrible beatings.
And then we clashed. I declared Tepes as
my nemesis and slashed at him with my pole
arm. He parried the blow and laid into me with a
flurry. Bob peppered me with arrows while
backpedaling, using his pinning shot to keep my
follower rooted in place.
After a grueling battle, I was cut down by
Tepes. My follower made a valiant last stand,
but was felled as well.

The victors walked over to the libations I

had spilled and smashed the chalice. My altar
destroyed, I was released from the Dreaming.
Tepes and I spoke briefly, but when I became
Cardinal again, I couldn't remember what we
said. I'd like to think that Thompson was
forgiven.
Tepes has two sides, anger and
forgiveness, and I wonder which one summoned
Thompson that day. We may never know
whether the two reconciled. But at least Tepes
feels a bit more closure regarding his exit from
the Waking World.

53
 Close the Portal
The sound of goblins surrounded us. The
forest was filled with a mischievous
snickering. Another portal must have opened
near by.
Vinny and I set out to close it. Bob, being
a fae himself, would not assist us, so he and
Vinny became Guides. They waved goodbye to
us and wandered off, where they would be
possessed by the Goblin spirits.
Vinny and I fought our way through the
goblins and eventually found the Vision who
could point us at the portal.
We trekked through the dangerous
swamp, hopping from rock to rock as the
Goblins rushed at us. In the distance, we could
hear the humming of the portal.
As we approached the gate, we heard the
all too familiar sound of it manifesting. The
portal spirit entered Tepes' body and he
squared off with us.
Luckily, I had saved my energy for this
battle. I called out the portal, declaring it as
my nemesis. Vinny handled the Goblins and
kept the Portal Manifestation from pincering
me. As my divine companion engaged the
portal and drew him back, I circled around,
flanking him with a flurry of fierce blows. I
lunged forward with my strongest attack, but
the portal deftly parried it. Him and I swung at
each other over and over again, but I finally
dropped him with a solid thrust to his shoulder.

As the portal lay dead on the ground, the

maddening din of goblins was finally silent.

54
Capture the Flag
We decided to lighten the mood a bit with
a round of capture the flag. A wake wandered
in who thought this dream looked like fun, so
he allowed his body to be the vessel for a
forgotten god.
Bob and I teamed up against Tepes and
the wake. We decided that the stakes for this
match were that the losers would have to
address the winners as WARLORD for the rest
of the day.
Bob had retrained as a sorcerer, and used
his gun to fire bolts of magic. He cast an
evocation called Tanglefoot on our foes, which
prevented them from running. This turned out
to be an excellent attack for a capture the flag
game. Without being able to run, our opponents
needed to play a very defensive game.
We all needed to respawn a few times,
during the match, but it was a good game. Bob
and I were victorious, and accepted the title of
WARLORD.

55
 THIS CONCLUDES the events of the
Dreaming's 2010 Alpha Test. I hope it
was nearly as fun to read as it was to
experience. The Dreaming is not
running at the time of this publication
(August 2010), but there are plans to
give it a new coat of paint and run it
again soon.
I wanted to create a game which
was very accessable, and I was very
pleased with how well technology could
facilitate new kinds of gaming.
Traditionally, Live Action Role Playing
Games require you to seek out an
established group in your region. You
may have to buy a costume and commit
to a weekend of camping before you
even know if it's fun. Many people
would love to play games like this, but
no group exists nearby. By
coordinating the game via a social
networking site, people were able to
meaningfully affect plotlines no matter
where in the world they lived. There
are even a few "LARP Solitaire"
adventures if you haven't got an
adventuring community in your region
yet.
If you're interested in the
Dreaming, feel free to contact me at
dan.comstock@gmail.com. I haven't
secured a permanent website yet, but
in the meantime you can find
information at http://cramul.us, my
blog. If you just want to start playing,
you can check out the rulebook at
http://principiadiscordia.com/cramulus
/index.php?title=DreamingTOC. Keep
me updated, I'd love to hear about your
adventures.

Dan Comstock, August 2010