Mage/Theme/Legacies/Dreamspeakers

Dreamspeakers

Uncovering the Dreams of the World

Parentage: Thyrsus, Free Council, Children of the Tree

Background: According to the lore of the Dreamspeakers, their tradition is the oldest and most primal, coming from a time before Atlantis and the Lie, and as long as magic exists the calling that draws them to that tradition will exist. The reason for this, they insist, is that magic itself comes from the Dreamborn just as that calling does, even if most mages fail to hear the calling and simply channel the magic that enters the universe with it.

Appearances: Dreamspeaker styles vary wildly depending on the cultural affiliations and personal dreams of the Dreamspeaker in question. For Dreamspeakers whose backgrounds are in heavily community-oriented traditions or cultures, joining the Legacy tends to enhance those ties and push them to incorporate more visible signs of that culture in their appearances, but this is not universal.

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Mind 1, Occult 2, Astral Adept 3

Initiation: Rarely do any mages seek out the Dreamspeakers by choice, and those who do almost never succeed in initiating into the Legacy. The reason for this is simple: Dreamspeakers seem to be chosen by the Dreamborn, rather than choosing their path on their own, and very few mages desire the results of the Dreamborn's choosing them. The Dreamborn's attention applies the Chosen By The Dreamborn persisent condition, which functions like the Madness condition with a few differences: its Resolution is changed to "Join the Dreamspeakers", and any other method of resolving or removing the condition results in it returning the next time the mage dreams. While the mage has this condition they have difficulty differentiating between their waking and dreaming states and suffering from delusions and hallucinations that get progressively worse over time.

Initiation into the Dreamspeakers involves being guided, one way or another, by another Dreamspeaker, by the Dreamborn themselves, or by the mage's own mind, deeper into the mage's own cracking psyche until they reach the bottom of it and break through into an altered state of consciousness where they find understanding.

Those who don't manage initiation or resist it tend to fall into downward spirals that almost invariably end tragically.

Some few mages get initiated into the Dreamspeakers by choice rather than calling, but the process is similar. The primary difference is that their breakdown needs to be induced by their tutor, and the process is often far more difficult while also being more likely to end in disaster.

Organization: Organization is highly dependent on any individual Dreamspeaker's lineage within the Legacy, their own magical, religious, or personal traditions, and the needs of their own community. It's not uncommon for Dreamspeakers who share overlapping traditions to band together and develop their own structures that work for them, and this sometimes results in new lineages that carry forward their own sets of beliefs and practices, though these groups never seem to deviate from the same origin myths the Legacy always carries regarding the Dreamborn.

Theory: According to the Dreamspeakers reality and the Dream, their name for the Anima Mundi, were once one and the same, springing forth from the dreams of the Dreamborn, who have always existed. Eventually the Dreamborn tired of reality and retreated from it into deeper sleep, separating reality from the Dream, but their influence on reality never left. Dreamspeakers versed in Atlantean traditions believe that the Supernal Realms are these deep dreams or forbidden places. Spells call the Dreamborn into the world to unleash their creative powers. Dreamborn breathe, eat, and excrete power, and have no more control over where it all goes than a person can command the location of every stray hair or footprint. This is why even mages ignorant of the Dreamborn can make use of some of this power, using it without honoring its source.

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Mind

Yantras: Altered states of consciousness such as sensory deprivation, ecstatic experiences, or entheogenic drugs (+2), use of Expression relevant to the spell (+2), uses of magic specifically intended to better the community (+1), representations of the Dream (+1) or one of the Dreamborn (+2)

Oblations: Drumming, listening to drums or other rhythmic instruments, dancing, activities intended to bring on soul flight or other ecstatic or numinous states, use of entheogenic drugs, isolation in a sacred place

Attainments

First: Dreamseeing

Prerequisites: Initiation
There is meaning in the Dream, and proper interpretation of that meaning requires being able to recall the tiniest details later. Even the smallest difference in what was comprehended and what was later remembered can change the Dreamspeaker's understanding completely, so each of them learns to make recalling those details with perfect clarity an inherent part of their nature. By spending an Instant Action focusing on recall, the Dreamspeaker can bring back memories with perfect clarity a number of times equal to their Mind.

Optional: Spirit 1
As a prelude to understanding how to walk in Dreams and reality at the same time, the Dreamwalker begins to develop a twofold sight early on. This helps them to foster the focus required for that split attention, and also gives them a deeper insight into the nature of existence. Through this attainment, which is always active and cannot be turned off once learned, the Dreamwalker is able to perceive the presence of Spirits or the Dreamborn, as well as any other Goetic entities, that exist in the Twilight state around them. This works like Exorcist's Eye, with Reach applied to Duration and combined with Mind 1 to show Goetia as well, with the added drawback of never being able to turn it off, no matter how much they might want to.

Second: Dreamshaping

Prerequisites: Mind 2, Occult 2
Dreamspeakers see the importance in not just the details of the Dream, but of their own sleeping minds, and are so connected with their Oneiros that they become constantly aware of their presence in it whenever they enter. Any time that the Dreamspeaker is sleeping they are do so lucidly, without the need for any rolls to meditate. They are, in fact, incapable of non-lucid dreaming after learning this attainment. They also remember all of the details of their dreams, just as if she had cast Dream Reaching upon herself before sleeping, with Reach applied to both duration and being an active part, offset by the drawbacks of being able to use it only on herself, and also having it activate automatically any time she sleeps, whether that's her intention or not.

Optional: Spirit 2
The Dreamborn dreamed all of creation into existence, and that includes reality and the Shadow alike. Recognizing this truth, Dreamspeakers who have built their understanding of Spirit learn to transfers Essence between themselves, Resonant conditions, and willing Spirits or Goetia. When doing so they may change the character of that Essence, and they can do so for a number of points per turn equal to the lower of their Spirit dots or their Gnosis-derived rate of Potentia per turn. This works like Channel Essence with Instant Casting and Reach applied to working on Spirits as well as Resonant conditions, and Mind included to allow use on Goetia. The one extra reach is offset by an absolute inability to use this ability on any unwilling entity.

Third: Dreamwalking

Prerequisites: Mind 3, Occult 3
The Dreamspeakers are perhaps best known for this attainment. With it, the Dreamspeaker may roll to enter the Astral each round as an instant action, rather than with the standard meditation rolls. In addition, the Dreamspeaker is able to remain aware of both locations simultaneously. This functions in a manner similar to one mind two thoughts, in that the Dreamspeaker may make mental actions in either reality simultaneously, but social and physical actions require focused concentration on one reality over the other. This has the unfortunate consequence of making the Dreamspeaker appear to be speaking with or interacting with unseen beings and objects. In addition, the Dreamspeaker finds travel through the astral to be far simpler. Add their dots in the Mind Arcanum to their Astral travel rolls.

Optional: Spirit 3
Dreamspeakers rarely undertake dream travel for purely recreational purposes. When entering a dream or the shadow to resolve an issue for their community, they find they tend to attract Spirits and Goetia who will prove useful in resolving the matter down the road. These spirits are often tied back to the choirs of the Dreamborn. Spirits and Goetia summoned in this way have a good first impression of the Dreamspeaker by default, but still require convincing to assist the Dreamspeaker, often including payment.

Fourth: Dreamchanneling

Prerequisites: Mind 4, Occult 4
Once this attainment has been learned, the Dreamspeaker can travel deep into the Astral to seek knowledge from the Dreamborn there, or the ability to study a Daimonomikon in order to become a conduit for that knowledge to express itself in the world. Upon doing so the Dreamspeaker chooses a single Mental or Social attribute, and then maintains the ability to apply a bonus to that attribute up to her dots in Mind to that attribute for a scene, ignoring Gnosis-derived maximums. However, in order to choose a different Attribute, the Dreamspeaker must seek out wisdom from a different Dreamborn or Daimonomikon and replace the ability to enhance their currently chosen attribute. Doing so doesn't require paying the experience cost for this Attainment again, it merely allows them to draw on new wisdom by means of this attainment.

This functions like Augment Mind with reach applied to Duration and to exceeding normal limits for her Gnosis, with the drawbacks of being applied only to herself, as well as a difficult process to choose a different Attribute.

Optional: Spirit 4
With more advanced study of Spirit a Dreamspeaker becomes able to interact physically with manifestations of Spirit and Mind, providing a bridge to their own interaction with the physical world through the Dreamspeaker. With an Instant action the Dreamspeaker becomes solid to Spirits and Goetia, able to interact with them even while they're in a Twilight state. Anything the Dreamspeaker is carrying becomes physical to those entities as well, allowing them to potentially act on physical objectgs that were otherwise inaccessible. This works like Gossamer Touch with Reach assigned to instant casting, duration, and making objects the Dreamspeaker carries solid as well, and joins with Mind to make this ability work on Goetia as well.

Fifth: Dreamself

Prerequisites: Mind 5, Occult 4
Rather than split the attentions of their consciousness from their material body, this attainment allows the Dreamspeaker to become the stuff of dream entirely. Using the rules for Dream Forms found on page 249 of mage core, the Dreamspeaker's whole body, mind, and soul are concentrated into a single presence and point of being. When calculating the stats of their dream form, add their Spirit Arcanum to their Power, Finesse, and Resistance. While in this form, the Dreamspeaker may pass through one phase of being to another as an instant action. This means they can pass from twilight to manifested, twilight to an oneiros, and so on each as an instant action. Similarly, while in the Astral, travel may be undertaken each turn as a single instant action. It is possible for a Dreamspeaker to lead others through dream travel in this way. Dreamspeakers whose corpuses are destroyed while in this form can suffer one of numerous fates. They may simply drop to the ground in their physical form with 0 willpower, they may also lose their minds and wander the astral until their amnion gives out and the winds take them. The point is, it's almost always unpleasant and cause for future roleplay.

Optional: Spirit 5
The goetic dreamwalker can now travel into the Shadow as well. Their spirit form can claim up to five numen or up to five dots in influence, or any combination of numen and influences totaling five, which are set initially based on the Dreamborn that they're currently attuned to via the fourth attainment, and which can only be changed via the same methods as that attainment. Travel into and out of shadow takes an instant action of power+finesse-gauntlet rating.