The Twilight Dreamers

The organization recognizes several levels of achievement:

Dreamers are essentially the acolytes of the organization. They have joined the order to learn how to understand the dreams they experience.

Dreamseers are those who have advanced sufficiently in their understanding of themselves and their dreams to be able to recognize which dreams are simply the "brain reshuffling" that every creature experiences during sleep and those dreams which are communications from the gods. This requires not only an understanding of dreams, but also an understanding of self, which is demonstrated by their mastery of monastic physical and mental rituals.

Dreamreaders are those who have progressed even further in their understanding. They have demonstrated the ability to see the true meaning behind the often nebulous and confusing symbols that are present in the dreams delivered by the gods. They have begun to understand the differences between the way the gods think and the way the folk thinks - an understanding necessary to know what the gods are saying in dreams.

Dreamwalkers are those - and there are very few - who have advanced in their understanding of self and the dream state to be able to insert themselves into the dreams of others. They have extreme mastery over their own physical being and abilities - mastery which allows them to do things that, to outsiders, appear to be magic-induced. They do, in fact draw upon the primal energies to perform these, but they do not rely on rituals, books, or magical devices to do so; instead they manipulate the primal energies that flow within themselves.

Dreamwalkers are considered to be the pinnacle of achievement, and are thus looked to by the rest of the organization for overall guidance of the order. There are always at least three Dreamwalkers resident in the The Temple of Twilight Dreams and who make up the Council of Dreamers that is the closest thing to an organizational head that the order possesses.

The The Temple of Twilight Dreams is the official home/center of the sect. This is a hidden complex that actually exists in its own demi-plane. There is only one entry/exit portal to this plane; it is located somewhere in the western foothills of the Iron Mountain. Its location is only revealed to members of the Sect that have advanced sufficiently to be recognized as Dreamreaders. In fact, gaining entry to the temple is the final "test" that an aspirant to that rank within the organization must pass. They must find the portal, the location of which is revealed in a series of dreams that the aspirant must interpret.

The order also maintains a number of Way-houses within various cities or larger towns all across Cartyrion. Way-houses are places where those who wish to join the order, or those new to the order, can go for training to achieve Dreamseer status. Dreamseers can continue their training to become Dreamreaders, though that rank cannot be granted in a Way-house. Typically, a Dreamreader will be placed in charge of a Way-House to oversee to the needs and training of any and all monks of the order that seek guidance or assistance there. A small number of training monks may reside in the Way-House for a period of time, but it is not intended to be a place of permanent residence - a Twilight Dreamer is expected to travel the world to experience all that the gods have provided, so that they can better understand the symbols that appear in their dreams.

Known Way-houses, and the Dreamreaders who maintain them include:

The Way-House by the Lake (Street of the Lesser Gods, Karnstown, Feywood) - Dreamreader Sioranna Valrior

Half-elves have existed on Cartyrion since not long after the Humans first encountered Elves, but the exact time when priests of one or both of these races began to teach that it was a mating of their gods - in particular Aurelana of the Alevar and Somnion of the Humanar - that was responsible for the ability of half-elves to be brought into the world. The basis of the faith of the Twilight Dreamers is that it was these two deities that permitted Half-elves to be brought into the world, that these two deities have a special place in their hearts for the Half-Elves they caused to be, and that they communicate wisdom and guidance to Half-elves that understand how to interpret the dream messages they can send.

The precise origins of the Twilight Dreamers as an organization are lost to time. What the order does teach its acolytes is that, at some point long ago, a small cult of Half-Elves that dedicated itself to the two Dreamer Gods took up a monastic lifestyle. Their intent was to maintain purity of body and mind so they could commune with the gods through their dreams. It was this transition to a life of purity - a transition that took many generations - that ultimately resulted in the monastic sect that exists today.

The monks believe that in order to properly receive and interpret the wisdom and guidance of the Dreamer Gods, they must maintain purity of both body and mind. To this end, they began to develop ritual exercises to keep their bodies in proper condition, adopted dietary practices to maintain purity, and established a series of taboos to help ensure this purity could be maintained.

The exercises involve ritualized movements that were gradually refined and developed into styles that could be easily adapted to effective unarmed fighting. Several "forms" or "stances" were developed, and the most devout monks are encouraged to master as many of these as possible.

The monks believe that a proper diet consists of a variety of foods, including fruits, leafy and root vegetables, and meat in small quantities. There is no stricture against cooking, though raw vegetables are considered "purer" than cooked ones. Any forms of meat taken from a non-sentient creature is permissible. (There are some monks who believe that most furred animals are sufficiently sentient that they are to be avoided, but these are in the minority within the community.) Dairy products are permissible as well - and are even encouraged. Mushrooms and other fungi are also acceptable, provided they are not of varieties that induce altered states of mind.

The smoking of any vegetable matter is prohibited. The use of incense and other aromatic materials (most notably cinnamon and lavender) are permitted to help calm the mind and spirit, but substances such as tabac and canna, which chemically affect the brain, are taboo.

The consumption of alcoholic beverages of any form is to be avoided, as these alter the mind and reflexes.

The use of alchemical elixirs, mutagenic draughts, or magical potions that alter form, or perception, or physical ability is also prohibited. This stricture extends to healing draughts as well, unless they have been prepared by the monks themselves according to formulas known only to apothecaries of the order.

In the event that any of the dietary strictures is violated, the monk is expected to undergo a ritual cleansing that involves consuming nothing other than clear water for a period of seven days.