< The Dreaming Pledge | Onieromancy | Onieromantic Effects >
In addition to Recurring Dreams, Memory Dreams, Wish Fulfillment Dreams, Prophetic Dreams and Nightmares there are other - stranger - dreams that Changelings sometimes experience. Some of these are unique to their condition, others are only for the human mind. All are - in their own way - interesting and worthy of discussion. And, so, here they are discussed.
A shared dream is common amongst those with dreaming pledges which feature the Reciprocal sanction, bringing the members of the pledge together in their dreams just as they are bound together by their pledge. There tends to be no rhyme or reason for when these dreams manifest, and they borrow liberally from both (or all, if part of a Circle) individuals involved in the dream in order to form the dream imagery. These dreams are also more intense than normal; when determining their Intensity, use the highest of the Wits+Resolve pools and add one die for each additional dreamer in the shared dreamscape. For all practical purposes, the shared dream that results is the product of all relevant dreamers and 'belongs' to all of them.
Sometimes consider similar to the Wyrd Dreams that reveal memories of Arcadia, Mythic Dreams seem to introduce elements bigger than the Changeling into his dreamscape or even take him into wholly archetypal environments. These dreams are extremely rare in most humans, but can be very varied. In constrast, Mythic Dreams encountered by Changelings are only rare and unusual, but always follow a theme that closely hews to the Losts seeming and kith. A Gristlegrinder has conversations with mythic archetypes of hunger and cannibalism, a Gravewight strolls down various incarnations of the lands of the Dead, Bright Ones sometimes encounter angelic beings or environments colored with beauty and cruelty yet unquestionably different from Arcadia, and Elementals can encounter primal archetypes related to their nature. Many changelings have reported venturing into what can only be described as fairy tales, often playing key roles that suit their seeming in some fashion. A Fairest is the Wicked Witch in a dream rendition of Snow White, while a Beast finds himself playing the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz. A few Changelings who have made Dreaming Pledges with Mages report that these dreams can become almost common, in some cases. Many Changelings who attempt such, however, go irrevocably insane or simply lapse into comas as if they died from the inside. The lucky ones simply annoy the Wizard in question and find their pledge severed.
In all cases, Mythic Dreams are not generally able to be shaped as normal dreams. Small changes to the scenery are possible (as if the Dream was Intensity 3, in most cases), but one can't introduce new characters or erase ones already present. Any attempt to contest with such creatures, whatever they may be, involves Onieromachy and generally it's best to be diplomatic. Similarly the consequences of such dreams tend to be more 'real' in some fashion. While one will seldom wake up to find strange cuts on ones person, those Changelings that have experienced this phenomena often report other strange occurrences or changes in their environment. The most skilled onieromancers posit that wherever these Mythic Dreams gain their power, it is a place now foreign to them, which they can at best briefly touch.