Chapter One: The Dreaming
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They had expected to see the grey, heathery slope of the moor going up and up to join the dull autumn sky. Instead, a blaze of sunshine met them. It poured through the doorway as the light of a June day pours into a garage when you open the door. It made the drops of water on the grass glitter like beads and showed up the dirtiness of Jill's tear-stained face. And the sunlight was coming from what certainly did look like a different world — what they could see of it. They saw smooth turf, smoother and brighter than Jill had ever seen before, and blue sky, and, darting to and fro, things so bright that they might have been jewels or huge butterflies.
— C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair |
The World of Darkness
Fast food debris and crumpled newspapers skitter along the street, pushed along by the gray day schill wind. Sales clerks and secretaries, released by the late hour from their cubicles, scurry out into the streets, navy and slate coats pulled tightly around them as they make their way to their high-rise boxes. Traffic stalls at each light, fuming clouds of exhaust half-hiding the plodding pedestrians. A vagrant skulks near a dumpster, his thinning hair plastered to his scalp by dirty snow. Meanwhile, high above the city, secure in glass and metal fortresses, captains of industry count their coins, greedy eyes shining in their sterile boardrooms. Arms dealers chuckle, waving fistfuls of money, little caring for the slaughter brought about by their sales. Goth children, swathed in black, pale faces searching for something to believe in, gyrate desperately to the music pounding away the emptiness. Gliding through concealing shadows, vampires smile sardonically at these wannabe dark souls, awaiting the feast that is to come. A beaten, abandoned child moans in her nightmares, pulling her cardboard box closer around her as she cries. Cityscape in early winter, the World of Darkness. Like our mundane world, but made a little darker, a little more terrifying.
The Enchanted World
Brightly hued wrappers and balloons dance in the wind, tumbling and rolling along the street. Pale and dark dolls march in time to music unheard as they enter their many-windowed homes. Vibrant metal bugs maneuver through elaborate rituals, their breath puffing merrily. An old satyr peers around the corner, laughing at the twinkling snowflakes that softly fall around him. Dreams take shape, born of hopes and fears. Greedy-eyed dragons soar aloft on the brisk winter breeze, alert for shiny coins dropped in the darkness below. An artist, inspired by the freshly fallen snow, begins to paint a scene of ancient snow-capped towers set amid a land of fantastic beauty. Pushed to the wall by terror, a child creates an imaginary tanged horror that stalks and frightens, always on the verge of pouncing. Children dance merrily in the snow. sharing rides on sleds as they whisk down steep hills, their screams of joy echoing throughout the park. Changeling city scape in winter. Like, yet unlike, the rest of the World of Darkness, it is a little brighter. a little more colorful, but sometimes no less frightening.
To touch the Dreaming is to access the fountainhead of creativity from which all stories, dreams, arts and crafts spring. Changelings are part of those stories — though their bodies are of mortal flesh, their souls are formed of dreams. Every changeling who undergoes the Chrysalis brings a tiny part of the Dreaming back into the world. Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, her discovery of her changeling nature sets her soul aloft.
This transformation allows a changeling to see beyond the mundane facade and glimpse the infinite boundaries of the Dreaming. Gifted with the ability to see both what is and what might be, a changeling occupies a world of ever-widening possibilities, limited only by her own imagination and creativity. This difference in perception is no simple overlay like a rainbow oilslick atop a puddle. A sparkling otherworld of faerie magic exists alongside and within the mortal world, a very part of it. It is within this chimerical reality that changelings live.
Chimerical Reality
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...once having tasted the lips of excellence, once having given oneself to its perfection, how dreary and burdensome and filled with anomie are the remainder of one's waking hours trapped in the shackled lock-step of the merely ordinary, the barely acceptable, the just okay and not a stroke better. Sadly, most lives are fashioned on that pattern. Settling for what is possible; buying into the cliche because the towering dream is out of stock...
— Harlan Ellison, Introduction, The Sandman: Season of Mists |
Before their Chrysalises, changelings hover in a half-reality, seeing the world as others do, but touched by flashes of otherness. They experience momentary visions of chimerical reality without understanding what they see, or hear strangely compelling sounds without recognizing their origins. Sometimes it is a smell or taste or even a tactile difference that is incongruous with what is experienced by everyone around them. Children, too young to know that these alterations are not normal occurrences, simply accept them. Teens and adults, more rooted in the "real" world, often dismiss these experiences as hallucinations, frequently denying the occurrences so they won't be labeled as "weirdos." Some respond to the stimuli that "isn't there" and end up in counseling or a psychiatric ward. But what they experience is real — for changelings.
This illusionary fantasy world is called chimerical because unenchanted mortals cannot normally experience it. Although they occupy mortal flesh in order to stave off Banality, changelings' true selves lie within their fragile, englamoured souls. As changelings, they see the world around them from within a chimerical shell. The whole world has a chimerical reality for the fae. They do not shift viewpoints back and forth from the banal to the chimerical, seeing first a street with broken pavement and sagging storefronts, then changing with a blink to a vision of a golden avenue lined with palaces. Instead they normally see the true magic anima that exists within every object, place and person. They pick out the inherent nature of persons, places and things, weaving those perceptions into a greater whole.
Thus they do not see the tattered old book of fairy tales with the torn cover, but the warmth and pleasure countless children have derived from reading it. Each child has left some imprint on the book, some tiny spark of imagination or inspiration that the book evoked for her. Changelings see and revel in that residue, which may cause the book to appear new and crisp, with freshly painted colors. Likewise, they may smell luscious strawberries on an "empty" plate, feel the weight of velvet on what looks like a school uniform, and dance to a symphony played on crickets' legs.
Changeling Perspective
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Nothing but recipes and worthless junk; greasy old records of paid and due; But down in the depths of a battered trunk, a queer, quaint valentine torn in two. — Ruth Comfort Mitchell, "The Vinegar Man" |
When imbued with Glamour, changelings experience the world as a magical, mystical place filled with amazing and exciting things. They see things from a fae perspective that colors everything around them. Trees are not merely a collection of wood and leaves, but glowing green-topped pillars shot through with golden, life-sustaining sap. Moreover, should a changeling use her faerie sight to look deeply within the essence of the tree in search of its faerie nature, she might find the tree to be a resting dream-being, arms thrust skyward, feet planted within the warm earth. Butter knives might be silver daggers, and an old stuffed animal a prancing faerie steed, while an old raincoat becomes ornate armor. As most people cannot perceive such things, they dismiss changelings' reactions to their chimerical environment as playacting, miming or just plain craziness.
There are those who argue that chimerical reality is really a greater or more expanded reality. Neither compartmentalized nor tightly tucked into a common consensus of what is "real," this altered state of sensibility welcomes stories, tall tales, legends, myths, childhood playthings, imaginary companions, hopes and dreams. It also incorporates fears, monstrous horrors and the darkest imaginings of humankind. All exist within chimerical reality, and all are as real as any objects found within the boundaries of the mundane world. This "reality" is all that remains of the age of legends — the fragment of Arcadia still on Earth. As a faerie king once said, "Anything is possible within the Dreaming."
Interacting with the Real World
Changelings may live in a chimerical world of their own, but this is not to say that they don't realize that they also exist within a more constrained reality. If this were so, they wouldn't even be able to drive a car without running off the road. Kithain respond to stimuli that more mundane people cannot see, but this does not mean that they are unaware of real-world objects, people or dangers. They don't ride their faerie steeds along airport runways oblivious to the aircraft taking off and landing all around them, or ignore a mugger with a gun.
This is not meant to say that they have some sort of double vision that lets them see mundane and magical at the same time. Rather, the magical aspect becomes paramount, superseding the mundane reality of the objects and people with whom changelings interact, but not eradicating its presence. It is almost as if changelings' bodies remember the worldly details while their minds see beyond the ordinary to the essence within. A car is still a vehicle to be driven along streets, even if it appears to changelings that the car is glowing orange and fitted with spreading antlers on the hood.
Solid objects exist in the mundane world and must be accounted for. This often causes problems for changelings whose faerie bodies encompass more mass than their mortal selves. This is especially true for kith such as trolls, whose chimerical bodies may take up far more space than their mortal shells. In such instances, a changeling who is imbued with Glamour will always defer to his faerie mien and will make every attempt to compensate for the larger mass; to do otherwise would be an act on par with disbelieving the existence of chimera. It is therefore possible for a seven-foot tall troll to climb into the back of a Volkswagen Bug, but in doing so he denies his faerie existence, thus giving in to mundane reality. Such acts can be dangerous for any changeling, for falling back on the mundane brings with it the inherent Banality of such an act.
Chimera
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Dreams are but interludes which fancy makes; When Monarch-Reason sleeps, this mimic wakes; Compounds a medley of disjointed things, A mob of cobblers and a court of kings: Light fumes are merry, grosser fumes are sad; Both are the reasonable sou! run mad: And many monstrous forms in sleep we see, That neither were, nor are, nor e'er can be. — Dryden, "The Cock and the Fox" |
Sometimes creative thoughts and dreams take on solid form or are deliberately shaped into objects, places or creatures. The unreal given reality, these fanciful creations are called chimera. Birthed by changelings or other beings touched by the Dreaming during particularly intense moments, chimera may be either animate or inanimate.
Some are formed deliberately, while others spring into being at a thought. Others seem to come to life almost against their dreamers' wills. Chimera are seldom what their creators expect; some may be beautiful and friendly, while others are dark, twisted and inimical. Chimera may even be dangerous to changelings, especially those given form through unresolved fears or vivid nightmares.
Regardless of how they come into being, chimera created within the confines of reality must relate to that world in some fashion. Inanimate chimera have little choice concerning that interaction. Animate dreams-come-true often take on lives of their own. On rare occasions, they can even become real to humans.
Inanimate Chimera
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They are better than stars or water, Better than voices of winds that sing, Better than any man's fair daughter, Your green glass beads on a silver ring. — Harold Monro, "Overheard on a Saltmarsh" |
While few chimera could be said to possess sentience, inanimate chimera have even less chance than animate ones to develop intelligence. Most often, inanimate chimera are found as objects that are used by changelings. These might be weapons or armor, clothing or jewelry, fine furnishings, golden tableware, even games and toys.
Some of these have a mundane reality as well, such as when a changeling creates a shining chimerical blade from an old stick or a wooden practice sword. She might also create a chimerical gown for a fancy dress ball using her skirt and blouse as a pattern over which to lay her dreamcloth. Certain changelings have an affinity for creating chimerical objects, utilizing their skills to forge chimerical blades or craft fanciful armor.
Personal Adornment
Chimerical clothing is probably the most common type of inanimate chimera. Whenever a changeling undergoes her Chrysalis, and discovers her fae mien, she usually finds that she is already clad in chimerical garb suitable to her new persona. It is as if part other remembrance of who she truly is becomes more real through dressing the part. Somehow she remembers and recreates the garb in which her faerie self is most comfortable. Such clothing is known as voile.
Jewelry is often included with chimerical garb as part of the accessories, especially if it is used as a neckpiece, waistband, belt or hair adornment. Some voile sparkles with hundreds of chimerical gems or pearls strewn throughout the cloth. More often, however, jewelry is an afterthought, added when the changeling needs "a little something" to set off her finery. Those who have no access to treasures can still adorn themselves with inanimate chimera in the shapes of jewels, crowns, hairclasps, chains of office and the like. A little dreaming, a little Grafting, and a new chimera is born.
Some changelings find that they emerge into their faerie selves clad not in finery, but in chimerical armor. While unusual, this often denotes a changeling whose martial abilities (and the need to use them) are extraordinary. Armor and weapons are the second most common chimerical items, and almost always need to be crafted rather than just appearing as part of a Kithain's garb. Armor may be worn over plain mundane clothing or paired with chimerical garb. As with chimerical clothing, the chimerical garb that is worn with armor is still usually laid atop real clothing. Some changelings prefer modern dress, and some voile is extremely modern, even futuristic.
Voile is not evident to mortals, nor is chimerical armor. Naked people walking to a ball create a stir; naked people jumping about and swinging imaginary swords while yelling battle cries upset the mundanes, and usually get changelings locked up in the nearest psychiatric ward. This can be easily avoided by wearing mundane clothes in addition to the voile.
Chimerical Weapons and Damage
Chimerical weapons such as swords, battle axes and the like are in a class by themselves. They have reality only to changelings and those mortals whom changelings have enchanted. Most are created wholly of dreams, having no reality outside their chimerical existences. They cannot be seen or felt by mortals. Some chimerical weapons are the result of weaving Glamour into real-world items in much the same way chimerical clothing is created. These items can be seen by mortals, who may wonder why someone is waving a wooden stick over her head and "pretending" to fence with it. The damage that both of these types of chimerical weapons inflict is chimerical (or "unreal") damage. While it feels very real to the changeling struck by such a weapon, and may even convince her that her arm or leg has been severed, her spine broken or her head crushed, the damage is not real in the same sense as deadly damage inflicted by real-world weapons.
Rather than bruising, cutting or penetrating, chimerical weapons slice away a changeling's Glamour, tearing pieces of her faerie mien asunder and rendering her unconscious from the shock. The pain is just as devastating as any caused by mundane weapons, but what the changeling feels is actually the temporary murder of the fae spirit within her mortal flesh. Many describe the sensation as a deadening of their senses, a tearing pain and a cold numbness seeping into their very bones — all feelings engendered by inrushing Banality.
Upon awakening, changelings "killed" with chimerical weapons recall only their mortal lives. They have no remembrance of their lives as Kithain or the existence of such things as changelings. Stripped of their Glamour, they have forcibly reentered the mundane world. They cannot see or interact with chimera — even their own chimerical clothing and weaponry — until they have become infused with Glamour once again and remember their fae heritage. A changeling who is so suddenly stripped of his Glamour may awaken to wonder why he is lying on a lawn in an unfamiliar area of town and clutching a butter knife.
When a real-world object serves as the basis for constructing a chimerical weapon, it is often not a dangerous object in and of itself. Thus a stick, string and feather might be chimerically crafted into a bow and arrows, or an unsharpened pencil might be recreated as a scimitar. Likewise, a carpenter's hammer could be a war hammer in its chimerical aspect, or a pen-knife could be a deadly sharp dirk.
It is rare, but not unheard of, for changelings to place a chimerical aspect over an actual mundane weapon. Chimerical damage is the accepted norm among Kithain, however. Those who kill other changelings gain Banality when they do so, for they have robbed the world and the Dreaming of one of its dreams. A real sword can kill a changeling just as easily as it can slay a mortal. A chimerical aspect appended to a real sword simply inflicts chimerical damage atop potentially deadly real damage (i.e., chimerical damage strips the fae other identity while the sword's physical damage harms her body). Since a changeling may assert her will to cause real damage with chimera anyway, there is rarely any point to adding a chimerical aspect to a mundane weapon, unless the chimerical aspect has some additional effect. Carrying around six-foot swords that everyone can see usually attracts unwanted attention from law enforcement anyway.
Items, Objects and Places
Household items, such as luxurious pillows and draperies, fancy utensils and tablecloths, intricately patterned carpets and comfortable chairs may all be chimerically created. While these may be given chimerical aspects to hide the more mundane objects underneath, many are no more than the stuff of dreams given shape. So long as changelings are the only ones to use them, it makes little difference if these items are "real" in the mortal sense. If changelings can see and feel these objects, they can sit on, lie on, wrap themselves in and eat with them.
Likewise, entire buildings may be enhanced by fae Glamour, taking on the trappings of chimerical abodes, welcoming havens and friendly gathering places. More fanciful places, such as a castle under a lake, may be made up entirely of Glamour, dreamed into existence and sculpted by masters among the fae craftspersons and architects. Such dwellings cannot be seen or felt by those who have not been enchanted. They are not often constructed in places where mundane foot traffic is frequent, lest a Banality-laden mortal stroll through, bringing them crashing to the ground.
Most chimerical structures are laid over already-existing buildings, many of which are old, abandoned properties that attract little attention. What looks like a run-down bookstore with a sign that always says "Closed" might be a snug fae pub or the home of a fae noble. To changelings, the building looks freshly painted, with shining, newly washed windows. Going one step further, changelings sometimes form entire towns or villages, though this has become increasingly uncommon in the modern era. Still, what looks like a ghost town to mortals might be a thriving Kithain community.
Old ruins can take on new life as they are rebuilt with the stuff of the Dreaming, and mushroom rings can be transformed into faerie dancing grounds. Such places may hold a sense of the otherworldly within them long after changelings have left, or their chimerical aspects may be dispelled by the disbelief of a single skeptic.
Chimerical conveyances are some of the rarest of inanimate chimera because they often have limited use. Like other objects, changelings can give their skateboards, motorcycles and cars chimerical aspects, changing their looks to impress, frighten or amuse other changelings. Such uses are far more common than imbuing a vehicle with powers from the Dreaming such as flight or the ability to climb sheer walls. Traffic jams are fairly banal events, meaning that the chimerical aspects of conveyances can disappear in a flash, and mortal disbelief must be overcome or the area flooded with Glamour to allow a Kithain to ride a magic carpet through the air.
Should mortal disbelief overcome a changeling's Glamour while she is flying on that magic carpet, she is immediately removed from the real world (as if Banality were protecting itself from the intrusion) and deposited somewhere within the Dreaming. Since the changeling is then effectively lost — for hours, days or even years — as she struggles to discover exactly where she is within the vastness of the Dreaming, most rarely chance such blatant shenanigans. Nonetheless, there are plenty of enchanted coaches and the like created to convey Kithain nobles to court in the style to which they are accustomed.
Chimerical Trappings
When creating or reawakening a freehold, a changeling must invest permanent Glamour (see "Freeholds," pg. 43). He may then shape the freehold to some extent, altering it to suit his needs and desires. Thus a duchess might create an aviary filled with chimerical birds, while the duke who rules after her might decide that the space could be used more enjoyably as a kennel. A third changeling might utilize the space to create a rock garden. It all depends on the owner's mood and preferences. Some never change things, feeling that what was good enough for the ruler 600 years ago is good enough for today. Even these traditionalists leave some imprint of their personalities on the freehold, however. Though they may leave things exactly as they found them, the freehold's current residents will find the contours and colors of chimerical objects often shift slightly to be as pleasing as possible. Such effects can be the flatware changing patterns, the garden's deep pink roses becoming lighter, or an uncomfortable chair "acquiring" a better cushion.
When several changelings band together but cannot find a freehold of their own, they may still use their Glamour to place chimerical trappings over a mundane site, be it a house, room, forest clearing or playground. This gives them a place of their own where they can feel comfortable. Because each changeling gives a tiny bit of temporary Glamour to the undertaking, the enchantment is stronger and more resistant to being canceled by banal mortals who walk through the vicinity. The changelings can derive no Glamour from the site, as it is not an actual freehold or glade. Nonetheless, it provides those who visit with a home, workplace or amusement area where they can relax and be themselves away from prying mortal eyes.
Of Tunnels and Doorways and Chimerical Dungeons
While it is possible to construct chimerical tunnels, doorways and even castles out of thin air, the open space for such things must exist. Solid reality must always be accounted for while in the mortal realm. Chimerical doorways cannot be placed in real walls and used to pass through them, though the illusion of a doorway can be made to appear. The wall is still solid despite the addition of a chimerical "decoration." Likewise, chimerical tunnels or dungeons cannot exist in solid earth. An underground freehold is possible only if it lies within an existing hollow space, such as a cave or mine, or because entering through the doorway of the freehold actually leads into the Near Dreaming. In the Dreaming, almost anything is possible. Chimerical dungeons within solid ground, staircases made of moonlight spiraling upward to the clouds, and flying houses made of candy canes are among the less fantastic structures found there.
Crafting Chimera
Nockers are master crafters when it comes to making chimerical objects and items, though boggans are also noted for their skill. Both kith take great delight in creating chimerical objects, but they are not the only changelings who can do so. Any changeling who possesses the skills can create chimera from the raw materials of the Dreaming. Creating exactly what she has in mind is sometimes harder than it sounds, though, and many misshapen or partially formed chimera arise from practice sessions.
Many inanimate chimera are extremely short-lived or called up only at need. Exceptions to this are chimerical buildings or items that are in frequent use, such as clothing. Such chimera serve the purpose for which they were made and never grow beyond the control of their changeling masters. Others may take on sentience and escape into the Dreaming.
Animate Chimera
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Since ever and ever the world began They have danced like a ribbon of flame They have sung their song through the centuries long, And yet it is never the same. — Rose Fyleman, "The Fairies Have Never a Penny to Spend" |
The other side of the coin is animate chimera. From imaginary friends and invisible playmates to animated teddy bears, childlings are especially fond of animate chimera that they consider safe and controllable. Of course, they are also fearful of chimerical monsters, which definitely are not cozy or friendly (except in the rarest of circumstances). Chimera do not take human form, though humanoid shapes such as gossamer-winged folk are popular — again, particularly among childlings, who thus "acquire" a brother or sister willing to play with them.
Friends and Helpers
Animate chimera are almost never created deliberately. Rather they spring from a changeling's unconscious mind. Many changelings create counselors for themselves, speaking to human-seeming, animal-like or fantastically shaped creatures, and revealing their problems and aspirations to them. Some of these chimera have the power of speech, which they may use simply to be reassuring or, in the case of sentient chimera, give good advice. These companion chimera may travel with those who dreamed them into being or may act as servants, entertainers, guards or decorative residents in changeling's home.
A very popular form of companion (especially among the sidhe) is the fairy steed. These beasts are usually depicted as beautiful horses with flowing mimes and tails. Decked out with chimerical finery, such as bejeweled bridles and saddles and covered with embroidered velvet saddle cloths, chimerical beasts provide proud mounts for the nobility when they ride to the hunt or the joust. Some few may be unicorns, griffins or other fantastic creatures rather than horses, but these are far less common and usually do not last long as Banality erodes their delicate fae natures. Some among these chimerical beasts achieve sentience. These may assume the roles of counselors or leave their Kithain creators to travel into the Dreaming.
Adversaries and Foes
Some animate chimera become foes or adversaries to the changelings who birthed them. Whether given human, Kithain, animal or fantastic forms, they basically serve as cannon fodder for fae who want to practice their swordplay, jousting or hunting skills. Tracking a "wild and dangerous" chimera through the woods is a favorite pastime of some nobles.
Chimerical Monsters
While mortals scoff at Japanese monster movies, tales of clawed and fanged beasties, or the bogeyman, changelings do not have that luxury. Chimerical monsters not only exist, but can seriously harm Kithain. Chimera can interact with the real world, opening doors and using objects from the mundane environment so long as mortals are not present. This means that changelings cannot escape inimical chimera simply by slipping through the nearest door and shutting it behind them — unless the room they enter is full of mortal humans. Of course, fleeing into a room of highly creative mortals (such as might be found at an FX studio or in an artists' colony) may not prove to be as effective. Chimera thrive on Glamour just as changelings do, and can sometimes project themselves into the mundane world in the presence of creative mortals.
Like chimerical weapons, a chimerical monster's claws and teeth can rip away a changeling's memory of her true self while rending her faerie mien. Though this may seem a small penalty compared to a hero's "death" within the jaws of a dragon, the changeling still feels the pain as if it were real and loses her faerie identity. She might recover it given time and an infusion of Glamour, but it is also possible that she may never remember who she really is. Creatures of fantasy monsters may be, but they pose serious threats to changelings.
Possibly the least controllable and most dangerous of foes are the chimerical monsters known as nervosa. Born from madness, these frightening beings may look like normal humans, animals or strange alien creatures — or they may have no bodies at all. By the nature of their very creation, these chimera are insane. Their actions make no sense, their powers may well be unfathomable, and the rules under which govern their existence often change from moment to moment.
Like the madness that brought them forth, nervosa rarely fit any recognizable patterns or shapes. They cannot be classified according to what sort of madness formed them or how they might react to different stimuli. Some have been known to develop intelligence beyond that granted to them by madness. Such rare creatures may become even more dangerous, or fearful of having their existences ended. Many disappear into the Dreaming soon after becoming self-aware.
Among of the most feared chimera are the noctnitsa, which take their forms from a changeling's nightmares. They usually assume shapes that directly or symbolically echoes a changeling's greatest and most debilitating phobia (such as becoming a gigantic poison-dripping spider to those who are pathologically terrified of arachnids). Endowed with obsessive malice, noctnitsa are mostly mindless, but driven to torment their creators. Some believe noctnitsa are a form of nervosa, though both the sane and the mad can birth them.
Many monsters take the form of mythical or legendary creatures, such as dragons or griffins. Other possible shapes are goblinoids, feral animals or things that never existed beyond the realm of human imagination. Whether these were created by changelings or from the collective subconscious of humanity, they are not usually under anyone's control. Many are truly fearsome, gigantic and terribly old. Some chimera claim that they are the remnants of fantastic creatures that existed before the Shattering. Others claim they were created by the sidhe to test their knights, and keep the peasants in line and begging for protection.
Seen and Unseen
Which is worse, the monster you can see or the one you can't? Some changelings fear nervosa who have physical bodies, because they can cause deadly injuries. Many changelings, however, believe that nervosa that have no bodies are the most dangerous and potentially the most unnerving. Imagine a creature that you know to be insane is following just behind you wherever you go. You can hear its footsteps, feel its breath upon your neck, smell its reek and sense its malevolent intent, but you can neither see nor touch it. Of course, it can't touch you either — unless the rules that govern its behavior abruptly change, and it decides to rip your head off when you aren't looking.
Banality and Things of the Dreaming
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The child next door has a wreath on her hat; her afternoon frock sticks out like that, All soft and frilly; She doesn't believe in fairies at all (She told me over the garden wail) — She thinks they're silly. — Rose Fyleman, "The Child Next Door" |
Banality is disbelief, pure and simple — disbelief in what people cannot see and hear, disbelief in magic, monsters and faeries. Disbelief in the extraordinary. It deliberately cuts off the mind from anything that might challenge preconceived notions. It is the stamping-out of individuality and childish whim, which kills creativity and denies that anything exists beyond what is evident and explainable. Intended to insulate mortals from the terrors of the World of Darkness, Banality erases beauty and vibrancy and dulls fears.
Just as humanity's beliefs and dreams created the Dreaming, its disbelief shattered the magic, ripping the Dreaming apart from the mundane world. That same deadening force continues to plague changelings. It can erode a changeling's sense of her fae soul, and harm those objects and creatures made from Glamour, sometimes destroying them altogether. Inanimate chimera possessed by a changeling (such as her clothing or weaponry) may be a little better protected. Those not actually among a changeling's accouterments, however, may be disrupted when exposed to too much Banality.
Because so many people carry the seeds of Banality within them, animate chimera avoid humans whenever possible. Most fade from sight whenever any humans are about, hoping to preserve themselves. These chimera can also be dispelled by the touch of Banality, which wounds them, ripping away the Glamour of which they are made.
Some mortals have no creativity at all. These deprived beings, known as Autumn People, actually suck the Glamour out of whatever they touch, leaving grayness and Banality in their wake. Autumn People are greatly feared by changelings (and intelligent chimera), for they are the antithesis of everything the Kithain hold dear. Persons with very high Banality, such as Autumn People or Dauntain (changelings who have rejected their faerie natures), can sometimes destroy chimera merely by being nearby. Chimera are fragile and ephemeral in the face of Banality, as they usually have only a small bit of Glamour to sustain them. This is another reason wliy sentient chimera often desert the mundane world in favor of the Dreaming.
The Mists and Enchantment
Banality has other effects as well. One of these is known as the Mists, When disbelief banished most of the fae from this world and destroyed much of the Glamour that sustained them, it also erected a "curtain" between the magical and the mundane. This nebulous, invisible shield keeps changelings from remembering Arcadia, causing their former lives as true fae to fade from recollection. The Mists also veil the activities of Glamour from mortals, destroying their memories of any supernatural occurrences they may have witnessed.
Places of Glamour
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And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills, Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree; And here were forests ancient as the hills, Enfolding sunny spots of greenery. But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover! A savage place! as holy and enchanted As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted By woman wailing for her demon-lover! .. .And all who heard should see them there, And all should cry, Beware! Beware! — Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "Kubla Khan, or A Vision in a Dream" |
Though changelings are creatures of the Dreaming, they are barred from their homeland. Arcadia lies beyond their reach, both through the closing of all gates and roads that led to the realm (at least those from the Earth side), and through the Banality that changelings assume when they don mortal bodies to shield their faerie essence from the cold tides of disbelief. With Banality a constant threat to their physical essence, changelings have great need for places to which they can retreat. They also crave mental respite from the rigors of the mundane world, which threatens to eat away at their personalities at every turn. They must have some place that is tied to the Dreaming, a site that allows them to be what they truly are without hiding behind the mortal masks they wear in public. Changelings who have no havens of their own often find at least temporary shelter and companionship within a variety of refuges.
Many such places exist (though far fewer now than before the Shattering), all holding Glamour within them. Their ties to the Dreaming are closer than the rest of the mundane world's, and they maintain far more chimerical aspects than less "magical" spots.
Freeholds
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I wander o'er green hills through dreamy valleys And find a peace no other land could know I hear the birds make music fit for angels And watch the rivers laugh as they flow. — Richard Farrelly, "Isle of Innisfree" |
Over the centuries, Banality has eroded the natural places of faerie power that once proliferated the world. Gone are the enchanted forests, sacred groves, secret glens and faerie rings. Vanished are the great faerie castles and troll fortresses. The magic isles have disappeared beyond the Mists, hidden from even faerie sight by the clouds of forgetful ness. Most of the faerie roads, or trods, that once connected these faerie sites to Arcadia now lie closed by the weight of human disbelief.
Despite their rarity, some few places in the world still retain their original Glamour as well as their connections to the Dreaming (see "Trods," pg. 45). Changelings may find refuge from the incessant barrage of denial and rationality at these sites. Banality has little purchase here. Because of their freedom from the taint of disbelief, these Glamour-filled areas are called freeholds.
Touched by Glamour, freeholds exist within the real world. They have a mundane identity just as changelings do, appearing in the mortal realm as normal houses, storefronts or wayside inns. Many of them are shielded by wards of faerie magic that render them inconspicuous to the eyes of the unenchanted. Humans may routinely pass by a faerie tavern and see nothing but an abandoned building, dusty and in need of repair, and altogether unworthy of their attention or interest. In the same fashion, a duke's chimerical palace may have the "mortal seeming" of a spooky old Victorian house, causing feelings of uneasiness in any humans who come too close.
Freeholds form the underpinnings of Kithain society, and provide the basis for the feudal structure under which modern changelings live. The Glamour of a freehold provides power and influence to the nobles or commoners who claim dominion over it. Freeholds sometimes cross the boundaries between the worlds to have a chimerical existence within the Dreaming itself. Often these freeholds serve as gateways leading to the Near Dreaming.
Freeholds also serve as the heart of changelings' faerie existence. While most changelings still live in the mundane world, they usually consider a particular freehold to be their true home, the place in which they feel most comfortable and where they can be themselves without fear of attracting ridicule or denial from disbelieving mortals. A few changelings, particularly nobles, live full-time within the confines of a freehold, although such constant exposure carries with it the danger of becoming unable to cope with the "real" world.
Because freeholds have such value, changelings are deeply loyal to them. Many become obsessively concerned about every detail, sometimes turning trivial disputes over how to furnish their homes into major confrontations. Threatening a changeling's freehold is tantamount to a personal challenge. Defending a freehold is a changeling's most sacred trust.
The greatest concentration of Glamour within a freehold lies in its balefire, or Ignis Vesta. Considered the heart of the freehold, this chimerical flame is the focus of magic within the structure. So long as the balefire burns, a freehold remains in existence. Should the balefire ever burn out, the freehold may be lost to Banality. When the sidhe left at the time of the Shattering, many closed their freeholds, but left the balefires lit. The embers often smoldered, awaiting their return. During the Resurgence, many such freeholds reawakened, welcoming their sidhe residents back to the land. The source of all balefires in North America is the Great Balefire that burns in the sacred well under Tara-Nar, the stronghold of High King David. Ireland claims as its Great Balefire the ever-burning heart of Emain Macha, freehold of King Finn of Ulster.
Incredible effort is expended to create a freehold. After the site has been carefully chosen (a task that may take years or decades), the creator must bring balefire from another freehold and blend into it her own Glamour, which is permanently sacrificed to the effort. More often nowadays, freeholds are simply reawakened. These "sleeping freeholds" lie empty, abandoned at the time of the Shattering, with their balefires left as mere embers, awaiting the touch of changelings to fan the flames to life again.
Many changelings discover freeholds or are given them (either as a reward for services or as a part of vassalage to an overlord, or as an inheritance). When a changeling discovers or is given a freehold, she is required to swear an oath to protect the freehold and invest Glamour in the site. Once a freehold has been so claimed, no other may lay claim to it until the owner's death, unless she herself chooses to give it away. The owner of a freehold may gain Glamour from it or grant that privilege to someone of her choosing. Some changelings steal the Glamour from a freehold through a process called Rearing, but such conduct harms the site and could even destroy it.
The chimerical aspect of a freehold may have little to do with its mundane appearance. One duke's castle might be a run-down mansion set back amid moldering trees, while a duchess might create her palace from a disused warehouse or an abandoned church. To some extent the taste of the ranking changeling, who presumably owns the freehold, determines what its chimerical appearance will be. The Dreaming recognizes the changeling's right to make this determination and enforces it with Glamour.
One amusing aspect of freeholds which almost always astounds newly fledged fae is the "space inside versus the space outside" question. Whereas a freehold may have a mundane aspect similar to a railroad flat (so called because each room opens off the one in front of it like cars on a train) with 10-foot-wide rooms sandwiched between two other buildings, it need not be so crowded within. Indeed, walking through the door may lead a changeling into a grand foyer with a sweeping spiral staircase and a ballroom off to one side. Of course, to somedegree the size of the freehold is determined by how powerful it is. A small freehold with only a little Glamour in it will never be as big as one with legendary power. Such space-bending is only possible if the entry to the freehold is in fact a doorway into the Near Dreaming, in which case nearly anything is possible within the bounds of the freehold. Freeholds that exist entirely within the real world are limited in space and size by the space that really exists.
Strangely, changelings who own freeholds have a similar effect on the Near Dreaming that provides an immediate backdrop for their structure. Thus, a theme of white and gold used to decorate a freehold in the real world might carry over into the Near Dreaming, where not only the freehold's chimerical aspect is white and gold, but so are the trees, grass, birds and animals that live nearby.
Freeholds are vital to changelings not only for the refuge and Glamour they provide. Most changelings consider a particular freehold their home. Though they may not actually live within the structure, they claim it as a place they can go to in time of need, where the other changelings will care about and defend them. Freeholds provide structures within where changelings can meet with one another, either formally or informally. Some of them serve as noble courts, and by extension, function as the seats of government for changelings in the area. Finally, freeholds serve as repositories for knowledge and treasures. Without a freehold, a changeling community may slowly wither like plants dying for water.
Glades
Whereas freeholds are constructed, glades are naturally occurring wells of Glamour. Some freeholds are created within glades, but not all glades are freeholds. These sylvan places are used mainly for retreat, quiet contemplation and the replenishment of Glamour. Found only in the most hidden parts of the world, glades exist because they were dreamed into existence. Such tiny pockets of paradise have been longed for by almost all of humanity, described by pulp writers and serious novelists alike, and occasionally "discovered" by religious sects. When found, they are cherished like no other spots on Earth, and their boundaries are fiercely protected.
Glades need not be small, nor are they always found within woodlands. They might be grassy hillocks, open fields, small orchards, mountain meadows, even pebble-strewn beaches beside rushing streams or hidden lakes. Whatever form they take, all have one thing in common: the sacred stone from which they derive their magic. Somewhat like balefire, the sacred stone serves as the heart of the glade, acting as the repository for Glamour. Less open to being claimed by a single individual, glades bestow their Glamour onto whomever dreams within them first (at least for that night).
The sacred stone is not always the most eye-catching feature of a glade. In fact, though some glades boast circles of menhir (lofty single standing stones or altarlike table rocks), these are usually not the actual sacred stones. Such stones are impressive and attract a great deal of attention, but this is not to say that impressive stones are never the sacred stones of glades. The Lia Fail of Ireland is one such example, but these are less likely to be the true source of power simply because they gamer so much attention. They are too obvious, and by that, they can be too easily stolen, robbing the glades of their power. Far more likely candidates can be found leaning against trees or nestled among roots, gathering moss.
Hiding the Sacred Stone
Most sacred stones are usually hidden entirely, or at least made less conspicuous, to preserve glades from plunder. A legend from Cornwall tells of Merlin's search for a great stone to act as the center of power for Stonehenge. As Merlin traveled through the British Isles in search of such a stone, he discovered that the keystone for a sacred site was not always the one on display. The legend says that the priests of a stone circle in Ireland watched with amusement as Merlin studied the great altar stone which formed the center of their site. The priests' amusement turned to grief when the great magician bypassed the altar stone in favor of a smaller, lesser stone that lay to one side of the great circle. Some say that the other stones wept before crumbling to dust when the sacred stone was taken from them and sent across the sea.
Trods
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The road was going on and on Beyond to reach some other place. I saw a tree that looked at me, And yet it did not have a face. — Elizabeth Madox Roberts, "Strange Tree" |
Like a web of highways, trods once connected freeholds together and served as links to Arcadia and other points within the Dreaming. These magical paths, though far fewer in number than of old, still provide Kithain with a means of travel from one holding to another. For 600 years after the Shattering, few trods functioned. When Banality slammed the portals to Arcadia shut, most paths into the Dreaming sealed shut along with them. Those that remained open were often difficult to find, nearly impossible to open without the proper rituals and timing, and exceedingly dangerous to use. Nor did any of them lead to Arcadia anymore. Those seeking that wondrous land often found themselves trapped somewhere within the Deep Dreaming instead.
Roads of the Dreaming, trods (at least those within the Near Dreaming) allow changelings to travel from place to place and use their Arts freely without fear of Banality. Even when traveling from one freehold to another, changelings leave the real world when they first step onto a trod. The path leads through the Near Dreaming and emerges back into the real world at another freehold. Some trods suddenly end at particular locations within the Dreaming. Such locations may hold grave dangers for changelings unused to traveling the Dreaming after being cut off from it for 600 years.
Rarely does a trod lead directly from one place to another, and travelers do not appear instantaneously at their intended destination. Instead, those who use trods must undertake an actual journey, one which usually involves some sort of adventure. The Dreaming is made up of stories, after all.
The journey may be quick and easy, with the changeling arriving almost immediately, or it may be arduous, challenging and quite lengthy. Most travels via trod seem to take the same amount of time it would take to travel to the destination in the real world, though cantrips and other magical means can be used far more easily within the Dreaming to speed along travel. Also, particularly brave (or desperate) changelings can journey into the Far Dreaming to seek out shortcuts. Occasionally Kithain find that what seemed like a journey of several days or weeks took only moments in the real world. Such is the nature of time in the Dreaming.
Some trods are not always accessible. Many open only upon the utterance of a mystical phrase; others only allow entry during certain seasons or times of day. Some require some sort of sacrifice or a riddle to be answered before allowing themselves to be used. Whatever the conditions are that must be met before the trod can be traversed, there will usually be more riddles, puzzles or distractions along the trod itself.
When the sidhe returned upon the Resurgence, they moved to take over the trods that had blown open in response to the influx of Glamour that had allowed them to leave Arcadia. Quick to realize their potential, the sidhe secured trods to their newly reopened and reclaimed freeholds, assuring themselves of secret paths on which they could move troops, send secret messages, conduct trade and explore the Dreaming.
Some sidhe lords have encouraged certain of their subjects to set up homesteads within the Dreaming at points where trods terminate. These serve as homes, workshops where Glamour is more available and more easily used for crafting, markets for fae goods, secret rendezvous points and playlands where a Banality-ridden changeling may go to replenish her Glamour. Other homesteads have sprung up as well, peopled by changelings who have no ties to the nobles at all. Many of these commoners took up residence in the Dreaming in response to the return of the sidhe. Still other changelings have been in the Dreaming all along — and many of them resent the intrusion of this new wave of Kithain.
Trods come in all shapes and sizes. They may parallel roadways in the real world or ignore terrain entirely, drifting out over the sea or up into the sky. Some twist through mountain caverns or lead down to the bottoms of still, crystalline lakes. Once on a trod, changelings are hidden from the real world and do not interact with it. They have entered the realm of the Dreaming, and are now subject to its peculiarities.
Each trod has a different feel to it. This may be something as tangible as a sense of great coldness and a wintry aspect, or as nebulous as an almost-inaudible tune that hangs in the air. Trods often (but not always) reflect facets of those things or people who can be found along their length or at the end. Thus a trod that leads to a motley of pooka may have aspects that resemble colossal jokes and pranks, such as chimerical pies in the face for failing to answer riddles, or questions required for passage that only allow those who lie to go forward.
The Silver Path
The one aspect of every trod that remains constant is the Silver Path. Like a lifeline stretching the length of the trod, this silvery pathway becomes visible to travelers when they first step onto a trod. The Silver Path is a changeling's guide to his destination and affords him some protection from the dangers of the Dreaming. So long as a traveler remains on the path, chimerical monsters find it much more difficult to attack him. More intelligent monsters understand this, and many devise lures and cantrips to fool unwary changelings into leaving the path or believing that they have already strayed from it. As if this weren't difficult enough, many places exist in which the path seems to disappear or becomes extremely hard to follow. Often travelers discover that they must solve riddles, piece together puzzles or overcome guardians if they wish to remain on the Silver Path.
Those who become discouraged or believe they can find shortcuts through the Dreaming are almost certainly doomed. Nightmare realms and horrific creatures lurk within the Dreaming, longing for the taste of faerie flesh. Terrifying traps and horrible fates await the changeling who strays from the Silver Path. He may become lost somewhere in the otherworld, losing his mind in the process and becoming one more denizen of the Dreaming. Worse, he may be found (who knows how much later) huddled in mad terror near the entrance to the trod, his fae nature temporarily (or permanently) lost.
Wild Portals
Discovered only recently (or rediscovered), wild portals open onto paths that appear at first to be trods complete with Silver Path. In reality, they lead only to the wildest parts of the Far or Deep Dreaming. Such gateways betray their true nature in various ways. They may seem particularly crooked or shoddily built, be overgrown with foliage in a color unlike anything else in the vicinity, or have an odd smell. A careless changeling who steps through a wild portal (believing it to be the opening to an actual trod) quickly finds that she is lost in the otherworld. Stranded with no idea how to reach a true trod or return home, she can expect days (or years) of wild adventures as she tries to make her way through the chaotic realms that constitute this least understood part of the Dreaming.
No one is quite sure how wild portals come to exist. The Seelie claim that they are the work of the Unseelie, while the Unseelie blame it on the Seelie. These reports claim that powerful fae deliberately created wild portals to entice their enemies, hoping to strand them in the Dreaming at particularly dangerous spots. Others maintain that wild portals are a creation of the Dreaming itself, a defense mechanism brought into play at the time of the Shattering. Wild portals were the last gasp of magic attempting to remain in touch with the mundane by creating new openings into the Dreaming when the old ones failed and closed.
The Dreaming
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A flower has blossomed, the world heart core, The petals and leaves were a moon white flame. A gathered the flower, the colourless lore The abundant measure of fate and fame. — W. B. Yeats, "A Flower Has Blossomed" |
The Dreaming is a realm that is separate from, yet tied to, the mundane world. Created by the dreams, creativity, fears and hopes of mortals, it has exceeded its original dimensions and become a realm of infinite possibility. Anything that can be imagined may be found somewhere in the Dreaming — the catch is one has to know where to look for it. The Dreaming exists alongside the mortal realm, interwoven with it, penetrating it in places and reflecting some aspects of its less magical neighbor.
Once the home of all faeries, over the last several centuries the Dreaming has become a place of strangeness to most commoners. Cut off from most of the realm since the Shattering, many are just now rediscovering it. Others, who had access to those few trods that remained open, are now exploring the Dreaming more fully. Most never move beyond the Near Dreaming, which retains some echoes of the nearby mortal realm. Almost all changelings enter the Dreaming through a trod. Some positively revel in their newfound homeland; others are beginning to understand that it poses as many dangers for them as the real world does.
The Dreaming and the mortal plane were once the same. The Sundering separated the two, creating a separate homeland for the fae. The Shattering isolated Arcadia and most of the Dreaming from the mundane world. The true fae, great faeries of old whose powers were legendary and whose bodies were made up of the very essence of the Dreaming, fled the mortal realm. Those who could not (or would not) escape remained, but were forced to undergo the Changeling Way in order to survive. Trapping their faeries souls within mortal coils was the only way they could survive the onslaught of Banality.
Whereas the greatest danger to changelings in the mortal world is Banality, the Dreaming exposes them to new threats that ironically are brought about by the lack of Banality. Monstrous chimera, able to exist in the Glamour-rich environment of the Dreaming, threaten changelings who deviate from set pathways. Shifting realities, which are possible only because there is no Banality to control them, confuse and disorient many travelers in the Dreamlands. Where changelings face the loss of their fae selves to Banality in the mortal world, the lack of Banality in most areas of the Dreaming can send them into Bedlam from an overload of Glamour. Their faerie souls must struggle to live in the mundane world, hut their mortal essences suffer while in the Dreaming.
Those who study this magical realm have yet to even begin discovering the many and diverse places to be found within it. The nature of the Dreaming, with its shifting terrain, chaotic weather and unexplainable phenomena, makes such categorizing an impossibile task anyway. "Unlimited possibility" is often simply another term for "hopelessly confused." Despite the difficulty in determining just where one part of the Dreaming leaves off and another begins, fae scholars generally agree on a three-part division of the realm. These are known as the Near Dreaming, the Far Dreaming and the Deep Dreaming.
Near Dreaming
The Near Dreaming is that part of the other realms that lies closest to the mortal world. It overlaps parts of reality, and in places even mimics certain features of the Earthly realm. Thus entering the Near Dreaming via a trod in the mountains may very well place the changeling in a Dreaming environment similar to the one she just left. jagged peaks and cliffs make up the immediate terrain, and the trod itself conforms to a road or stream that cuts through the mountains found on the mortal side of the curtain.
Those parts of the Near Dreaming that do not echo the nearby mortal realms are sometimes shaped by the rulers of those lands. As the personality and well-being of the ruler affect her holding in the mortal world, so too they affect the part of the Dreaming that abuts her freehold or kingdom. Most freeholds have a chimerical existence within the Near Dreaming, allowing Kithain to enter a freehold from the mortal side, cross through the freehold and exit the dwelling into the Dreaming. Because of this two-sided existence, the freehold responds to the emotions and health of its ruler in both its mundane and magical aspects.
Other areas of the Near Dreaming may be shaped by various forces. Some respond to human-made items, taking forms similar to single buildings, parks or even neighborhoods. Generally, for this to happen, the construct in question must be the result of a great amount of imagination and emotion. A small clinic funded with money gathered by families of critically ill patients might call forth a chimerical building in the Near Dreaming, especially if the clinic becomes a reality after years of scrimping and dreaming by those who fund it. Not only have they made it a reality in the mortal world, they have created a dream of it within the otherworld as well.
The Near Dreaming can be entered through trods, which often run from one freehold to another. Since many freeholds exist within the Near Dreaming, even commoner changelings have become accustomed to using these real-world entry-and-exit paths since the sidhe opened them up for use.
Though the time it takes to travel remains approximately the same whether using a trod or more mundane means in the real world, many changelings have discovered that there are other modes of travel in the Dreaming. The lack of Banality makes using Arts such as Wayfare much easier, allowing quick travel from place to place within the Dreaming. Then there are magical beasts, some of whom have their own Arts or possess wings. These too may speed a changeling on his journey. Most importantly, however, the Silver Paths of the trods in the Near Dreaming are almost always safer, wider, easier to spot and follow, and better kept than elsewhere within the Dreamlands. It is only near the furthest edges of the Near Dreaming that the Silver Path begins to fail.
Many areas of the Near Dreaming play host to freeholds or homesteads. The presence of changelings who watch over these areas tends to make them more stable and resistant to some of the weirder effects that plague the farther reaches of the realm. Despite this static aspect, however, the Near Dreaming cannot be mistaken for mundane reality. Colors are more vivid, scents sharper, tastes more tangy and weather more pure. A thunderstorm in the mortal realm cannot begin to compare to the flashing lightning, booming shocks of thunder, sheets of rain and driving wind that is the very essence of a storm in the Dreamlands. Everything chimerical is brought into sharper focus, while objects of Banality become hazy or fade away altogether.
Emotions are much purer here as well. Anger becomes a bright burning flame almost given a physical body, and gladness manifests as a tangible feeling that spreads from one person to another. Romance blossoms from the slightest gesture, and passions run hot; likewise, pleasure is far more enticing in the Dreaming. Unfortunately, the reverse is also true. Fear cuts like a white-hot knife, and hatred chokes with a taste like bitter ashes. Pain is also enhanced in the realm of Dreams, and damage inflicted on Kithain, whether by Arts, beasts or chimerical objects, becomes real upon entering the mundane world again.
Dangerous, but compelling and delightful, the Near Dreaming and its oddities are more recognizable and more easily assimilated by changelings than other parts of the Dreamlands. This is because some Banality seeps through from the nearby mortal realm, helping shape the chaos into patterns. Banality usually loses its power before having much effect on the farther reaches. Thus, the Dreaming becomes stranger and makes less sense the farther Kithain travel into it. Few attempt the trek beyond the Near Dreaming. Those who do are often deemed mad. If they return, they have often earned that label.
Far Dreaming
The Far Dreaming begins where the Near Dreaming leaves off, though the boundaries between the two are sometimes hard to judge. This part of the Dreamlands can only be reached through traveling along a trod, but even this can be perilous and confusing. Here the Silver Path becomes harder to follow and sometimes seems to fade out altogether or skip from place to place. Travel through the Far Dreaming is dangerous even along trods because of the realm's chaotic, unpredictable nature. Only very powerful trods extend this far into the Dreaming.
Among the many perils of this realm are the nightmarish creatures that lurk in the hidden places within the Far Dreaming. Strange things from Arcadia may be found here as well, released by the weakening of Arcadia's gates since their closure 600 years ago. Predicting their general natures, thought processes or reactions to changelings who might interact with them is almost impossible. While some might offer counsel or refuge, others could desire changeling slaves or see visitors to their territories as fair game for their own version of blood sport.
If experiencing the Near Dreaming is like being in a story, traveling the Far Dreaming is like falling into a myth or legend. Some changelings come to the Far Dreaming to escape the rulership of the nobility, though this can backfire as it is the sidhe who claim the most knowledge of this realm. Furthermore, those who remain too long within the Dreaming eventually succumb to Bedlam. Few but the most powerful fae or chimera can survive this mysterious realm long enough to set up residence within it. Those who do reside in the Far Dreaming leave their imprint on the surrounding territory. Sentient chimera roam many parts of the realm. It is difficult sometimes to tell whether the land responds to the needs of the chimerical beasts or the beasts gravitate toward comfortable terrain. Nothing is ever certain in the Far Dreaming, except that uncertainty underpins the whole region.
Nonetheless, Arts seem more effective here, with some classic cantrips evincing special effects rarely seen in the mundane realm. Wayfare cantrips may be accompanied by puffs of smoke, a clap of thunder or the sound of whooshing air; Sovereign effects may include a subtle halo of light or a just-audible fanfare when used. Whether this is the result of the presence of so little Banality, a property of the Far Dreaming itself or the result of changelings' overactive imaginations has not yet been determined.
This chaotic realm can be used to travel the world much faster than would otherwise be possible. Of course, getting lost is a distinct possibility as well. Some changelings who have traveled the Far Dreaming tell of experiencing what seem to be years of arduous journeys only to once again step through into the Near Dreaming and back to the mortal realm a few moments after they left.
The Far Dreaming is also the starting point for ancient gateways to the Deep Dreaming, though these gateways are almost always guarded either by magical beasts or traps and tests left behind by the sidhe to protect their realms. Here might be found a sphinx whose riddles hold the key to opening a gateway — or to a changeling's death. The riddles, however, need not make sense. Logic breaks down this far from the mundane world, and two and two do not always add up to four. Traps might only be sprung by those who actively search for them, and tests might be more concerned with evoking a reaction than doing the right thing. Then again, doing the wrong thing could lead to disaster. Creatures such as dragons and unicorns abound in this realm, many with powers never conceived of except in the oldest tales from which they sprang.
Deep Dreaming
The realms of the Deep Dreaming are the least structured. Only a handful of trods reach all the way to the Deep Dreaming, and those few can only be used by those who know the secrets of their opening. Insulated from Banality, the realms of the Deep Dreaming are in constant turmoil, responding to the needs of the moment. Rarely do these needs take into account visitors to the realm. Rather they serve to protect the hidden places within the Deep Dreaming from intrusion, covering the routes to them with illusion or shifting realities to confuse those who do not belong there. Some residents may be caught within these fields of chaos as well.
It is believed that Arcadia lies at the center of this realm, but that may well be another illusion. None have managed to get that far, or at least none who began their journey from the Earthly realm have returned to say so. Arcadia may not even be the true homeland of the fae, but a shared illusion conjured by the Mists. There are many paradises within the Deep Dreaming, and a number of nightmare-inspired realms of hellish cruelty and nauseating ugliness.
Literally anything can happen here. The less logical things are, the more likely they are to occur. Dream logic (if there is such a thing) prevails within the Deep Dreaming because this realm is the physical and spiritual manifestation of the deepest well of the creative unconscious. Powerful mortal dreams that conflict with one another find expression here, sometimes within the same space. Like the landscape visited in dreams, seemingly unrelated places overlap one another with little reason for their juxtaposition. Things happen that in the waking world would have no connection to one another. There is almost no cause-and-effect here. Some actions have no consequence or related reaction, others come in response to consequences for what hasn't happened yet. People merge together into symbolic representations and assume relationships to one another that don't actually exist.
In a bizarre fashion, the Deep Dreaming is held together by "cosmic" connections, its essential patterns given meaning only by their proximity to each other. Some creatures and objects exist within the realm independent of the fae. They are a part of the area, and cannot be dismissed from it simply because a changeling doesn't wish to encounter them. On the other hand, reality is somewhat subjective after all. Changelings often find in this realm what they expect (or fear) to find. Whether or not those things existed before the changeling entered the area is open to debate. If someone can think of something, she can find it in the Deep Dreaming, almost as if it has been called into being in response to her thoughts. The scary part is that this welling up of creative Glamour doesn't always conform to its creator's expectations and conscious wishes. Instead, it takes on a life of its own, responding to a changeling's hidden wishes, deeply buried fears and illogic as much as to her desires. If the Near Dreaming is a story and the Far Dreaming a myth, the Deep Dreaming is the embodiment of dreams themselves, and dreams can rarely be controlled or directed — that's a function of Banality.