Dreamwalker

South of the Ironhill Delve of the Dwarves, at the point where the Elvenring mountains meet the Iron Mountains, there lies a secluded valley. Somewhere within that valley, hidden from the sight of most of the Folk by powerful magic, lies the Temple of Twilight Dreams. This temple is the home of a monastic sect dedicated to the devotion of two of the Astralar gods: Aurelana of the Alevar and Somnion of the Humanar.

The Half-Elves that comprise this sect believe that these two deities often work in unison, and convey their desires to the Folk of Cartyrion in the form of dreams. Indeed, To the sect, which calls itself simply, Those Who Walk in Dreams, dreams are sacred, and powerful. In fact, it is only by gaining mastery over one's dreams that one can become a Dreamwalker and gain unaided passage into and out of the Temple.

Qualifications

The only true qualifications are that one must be a Half-Elf, and one must be willing to devote one's life to the service and understanding of the teachings of the deities Aurelana and Somnion. Individual Dreamwalkers, who must select potential candidates, often have their own list of qualities that they look for in a particular candidate, but these vary.
Type
Religious, Special
Form of Address
Dreamwalker
Alternative Naming
Master, or Master Walker
Source of Authority
Aurelana and Somnion
Length of Term
Once earned, for life, or until renounced.
Related Organizations

Requirements

Those Who Walk in Dreams is not a well-publicized sect. In fact, the vast majority of the Folk have never heard of it. Even among the Half-Elves, there is little more than speculation about "some strange group of monks that believe in dreams".

Thus, in order to become a member of the sect, and start the training needed to attain the status of Dreamwalker, one must first be deemed potentially worthy by a current Dreamwalker. Many Dreamwalkers travel all over Cartyrion looking for potential candidates while doing what they silently can to promote belief in the importance of dreams.

Once a likely candidate is selected, the Dreamwalker will approach in friendship, and over time will build a bond while also beginning to subtley introduce the most basic elements of monastic training. If the potential continues to develop, the Dreamwalker will ultimately reveal the details of the order and ask the candidate if they wish to pursue it. Candidates are free to decline, though only a small few ever do.

From that point onward, candidates are not only provided with physical training to enhance their unarmed and unarmored combat skills; they are also begin mental training to first fully experience their dreams, then interpret them. Eventually, they learn how to share dream experiences with others, and finally how to manipulate the dreams themselves within the limits that the gods permit.

Appointment

The final instruction is a shared dream experience in which a mentor provides the candidate with a mental image of the Temple itself and its location. The The final test for a Dreamwalker is to use a dream trance to physically change their location to awaken within the temple.

Duties

The duties of a Dreamwalker are not anything more than those they should have already been trained for: to look for guidance from the gods in their dreams... to interpret the dreams they have, and help interpret the dreams that the gods may send to others. Immediately upon entering the Temple as a Dreamwalker for the first time, one is expected to spend time in the Temple libraries reading the accounts of those that have gone before to sharpen their skills of interpretation and become more familiar with the history of the order.

Responsibilities

Once achieving the Dreamwalker status, the monk is expected to spend at least a little time within the Temple learning more about the history of the order and its ultimate goals. Eventually, though, it will be time for them to leave once more, heading out into the world to seek new candidated that they will then shepherd through the training required for to produce still more Dreamwalkers.

Benefits

Once a Dreamwalker, an individual is welcome to enter and leave the Temple at will. Many use the Temple as a place of retreat after particularly harrowing experiences in the world, or simply to provide a quiet place to meditate, dream, and "recharge". The Temple Libraries, which have tomes, scrolls, and tablets that date back thousands of years, are also available to any Dreamwalker.

Accoutrements

Dreamwalkers do not identify themselves in any special manner via the clothing they wear or the equipment they carry. While usually recognizable as a monk of some sort by other Folk - especially adventurers - they do not have any sort of uniform or insignia that announces them as members of Those Who Walk in Dreams, much less as a fully fledged Dreamwalker.

Removal or Dismissal

One is a Dreamwalker as long as one is able to use dreams to enter and leave the Temple. Thus, the only way one can be involuntarily stripped of the title is to have their mind sufficiently altered or destroyed as to prevent them from controlling (or having) dreams. The order itself would never do this.

In the extremely rare circumstance that one wishes to voluntarily step down, there is an elixir that may be prepared and consumed that will forever block one from recalling their dreams. The secret to preparing this draught is closely guarded by the order. To date, in all the history of the order, only three Dreamwalkers have ever taken this path - all three after receiving dreams from the gods at the onset of the Great Strife in which they were shown the horrors that were to come, and what the order would have to do to combat these horrors.

Credits

Banner Image by David Mark from Pixabay

Page background cathedral Image by 5163451 on Pixabay
Page background manor house image by Josef Pichler on Pixabay
Page background hut image by PamelaAndrey15 on Pixabay
Page background forest image by Waldkunst on Pixabay
Character portraits by RPGDinosaurBob on Hero Forge®

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