Dreaming
From Grimmwold
In his Aeneid, Vergil wrote:
“Two gates the silent house of sleep adorn;
Of polish’d ivory this, that of transparent horn;
True visions thro’ transparent horn arise;
Thro’ polish’d ivory pass deluding lies.”
It is your spirit, your essence that enters Grimmwold. Your physical body stays behind, but you are not just dreaming. Your spirit has traveled and when in Grimmwold you have a corporeal body. You can become tired, hurt, thirsty and all other sensations, however you can not die. When you "die" in Grimmwold you wake up back in the Kingdom.
It can be said by those who understand the Gate of Horn and Ivory, that most dreamers are closely connected with the Gate of Horn, while some dream darkly which is associated with the Gate of Ivory.
Those dreaming in the town of Hamelin are much less likely to remember their dreams upon awakening in the Kingdom. Dreaming in Hamelin represent a more subconsious style of dreaming then the more active and lucid dreaming of the rest of Grimmwold.
Contents |
How the Dream Happens
There are a few ways that a person or creature (aka Dreamer) can begin to dream and pass thru the gates of Horn and Ivory. But there is ONE core component to the process of entering Grimmwold that must be in every application:
The character must have a nature that would be influanced by, attracted to, or otherwise accomodating to the concept of entering a dream world. This means that the character in the Kingdom lives a rather suck ass, boring, harsh or uninspired life.
The Books
The most common way is thru exposure to Grimmwold: The Book at a very young age. The stories in the book stick with the person until some important event in their life, an event where they would wish to "escape" happens, and then then dream of Grimmwold and their spirit passes thru the gates of Horn and Ivory and they enter Grimmwold.
There are currently three editions of Grimmold, the first been the original, the second two being Grimmwold: Tales of the Gold Coast and Grimmwold: Adventures on the High Seas.
Used by:
- Acceptable for ALL dreamer applications.
- Pirate Dreamers should use Grimmwold: Adventures on the High Seas.
- Arabian Night Dreamers shoudl use Grimmwold: Tales of the Gold Coast.
Oral Tradition
The other way to enter Grimmwold is thru hearing of tales and stories of myth and legend that would have been likely content in the books. This method is most common for otherkin and changeling dreamers, but is also acceptable for gypsies and those playing humans who do not have access to books or are living in a culture that is more influanced by oral tradition.
Again the stories must be heard at a rather young and impressionable age and the time of dreaming traditionally coincides with some difficult, tramatic, upsetting, etc time in the characters life.
Used by:
- Acceptable for Otherkin dreamer applications.
- Acceptable for Changeling dreamer applications
- Acceptable for all other dreamer applications if the story is good, we reserve the right to deny the story.
Spirit Quest
The last way is a spirit quest to the Gate of Horn and Ivory. This encounter or journey leads them into understanding that there is another world that they can enter in their dreams. This way is MOST common to otherkin, and specifically wild (non-domestic) otherkin, however it is acceptable for other types of characters as long as the application team considers it acceptable.
Used by:
- Acceptable for Otherkin dreamer applications.
The Maguffin
As part of certain story lines introduced on the shard there maybe situations in which a dreamer may enter Grimmwold due to interaction with some special or magical object which has been left/found in the Kingdom and causes player characters to dream.
At this time, there is only one MacGuffin story line active and available for applications. That story line is for the Dreamer Pirates on the Red Witch.
Used by:
- Acceptable for Pirate dreamers (who have joined the Red Witch in the Kingdom) applications ONLY.
Death Dream
At some point during a shades mortal life in the Kingdom, they had a powerful recurring dream. A dream that meant everything to them. It could have been a dream of a better life, a lost love, an unfulfilled fantasy, a desire for power or riches, but it was their dream. Unfortunately, far too often in the Kingdom dreams die before they ever have a chance to come true. When their dream died, unfulfilled and unrealized, somewhere across the Gate of Horn and Ivory, in the vastness of Grimmwold, a dream crystal was formed. At the time of their death in the Kingdom, instead of going on to the afterlife, they come here to Grimmwold -- to find and reclaim that lost dream.
They are dead, they are gone from the Kingdom, and only shades/ghosts here in Grimmwold. They do not return to the Kingdom, they do not awaken. A good portion of them know nothing of Grimmwold and never encountered Grimmwold The Book during their mortal lives, but they all know why they are here, and what the lost dream is they search for – always hoping that the next dream crystal they find will be the last.
Used by:
- Acceptable for Shade dreamer applications ONLY.
