(The following is a copy of a real book found within Templehelm, made to fit the format of this forum post)
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Within The Dream's Eye
Volume 1
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Written by June Nieroi, Guardian of Dreams
°˖✧✿ Glossary ✿✧˖°
✿ Introductions:
Pages 3 - 6
✿ Flora:
Pages 7 - 17
✿ Fauna:
Pages 18 - 46
✿ Other Discoveries:
Pages 47 - 52
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Introductions
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The Dream is a realm unlike any other. There is no other place where you will find so much warmth and beauty, so much hope and happiness within the core of it's being. The Dream is a world shaped by the thoughts and wishes of the people, governed not by rules meant only to deliver despair. As such, much that exists here is something unable to thrive anywhere else. There is all matters of life flourishing with the hope that only this wonderous plane can bring. By writing this, I wish only to offer you a glimpse of what this Dream has to offer, that you may experience the joy I have over my many years of wandering this plane. That with this knowledge, an understanding can be reached between all who share an open heart and mind.
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Flora
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✿ Onyx Tree ✿
Also known as a Black Glass tree. As the name implies, the leaves of this tree are made of thin pieces of black glass, a complete contrast to the stark white of the tree's branches and bark. Despite their composition, the leaves act much like the leaves of other trees seen within the waking world, blowing with the wind and slowly fluttering down once plucked from their home. The roots of the tree do not burrow very far under the ground, flourishing instead on the energy of the Dream, rather then sunlight or water. These trees have even been spotted growing in the waking world, when an active dream portal is left nearby to help nourish them.
The fruit the Onyx tree bears is strikingly similar to that of a pear, in terms of silhouette at least. With a dark colour and glass skin, in practical terms the two couldn't be more different. Surely I do not have to explain why this wouldn't be edible for most people? At the very least, the wood that can be harvested from these trees is much stronger then it's appearance would imply, a useful resource for any seeking to build within the Dream. Instead of the rings found within most trees, the Onyx tree hides black and white spots inside it's body.
✿ Evocation Flower ✿
A large purple and blue flower that only blooms once plucked, it's long petals fold themselves into magnificent patterns that capture the attention of any who peer it's way. According to the Esper, the petals of these flowers can be used to put any who ingest them into a heighted state of suggestibility. The smells these flowers emit once plucked vary, seeming to take on the scent of the dreams that surrounded them as they grew.
✿ Dream Threads ✿
Though many have been spotted deep within the Dream, these purple threads are most commonly found where the waking world and Dream both meet, seeming to thrive on the budding energy of hopes and desires newly realized. The people of New Solstice have taken to fashioning all sorts of clothing out of Dream threads, the warmth buzzing within each one providing comfort to all who wear it. Interestingly enough, the threads seem to bend rather easily to the influence of a skilled dream weaver and their magic, the rather large concentration of dream energy within their bodies perhaps being the cause of such a phenomenon. When harvested, pieces of these threads can be cut and placed back within the ground, causing more to flourish in their place.
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Fauna
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✿ Reverie Wisp ✿
These wisps are perhaps the most common of the creatures ones can find in the Dream. They come in a variety of colours, each burning as bright or as dull as the energy inside them allows. Fueled by fragments of desire, on their own these wisps hold very little power or sway over the world, but given time, they can transform into many of the other lifeforms I've written about here. In that sense, the Reverie Wisps are like a caterpillar, waiting until the moment they realize their true form as a butterfly. In order to reach such a state, the wisps must gather the necessary energy and more importantly, survive.
Much like the waking world, a hope or desire needs strength to persevere, lest it flicker out as nothing more then a passing whim. One such strategy these creatures implore is clinging onto the other fauna, using them as a means of safe travel throughout the lands. Those with wisps attached to them do not suffer negatively, although they may find the desires the wisp holds slowly bleeding into their own. With all but the largest of wisps, these feelings are never stronger then a small craving or a flicker of emotion.
✿ Esper ✿
This is the name I was given for some of the peoples that inhabit the Dream. While rather humanoid, most seem to take on characteristics not typically found in those of other realms. It's not uncommon to see ones with the ears of a cat, the eyes of a snake, or the wings of a moth. It is said that when one spends enough time within the Dream, their bodies transform into such shapes, a reflection of the persons heart and character. Many Espers share a special connection with their home, finding themselves able to tap into the magics of the Dream far easier then many, with enough practice and care given to such efforts. Beyond a change in appearance, an Esper's needs are rather different then the peoples of the waking world. Their bodies are not fueled by water, food or blood. Rather it is mana and the energy of the dream that truly keeps an Esper's heart beating. Those cut off from such sources will find themselves weakened considerably, even beginning to fade if removed from any energy or magic for a considerable amount of time. In dire circumstances, an Esper may shrivel into a Reverie Wisp, returning to the Dream to begin the cycle anew. If this is impossible for them, the Esper simply perishes, their hopes and desires forgotten by the world.
✿ Starlight Frog ✿
Named for the glowing white powder that many seem to carry on their backs, the Starlight Frog is perhaps one of the more interesting creatures one can find within the Dream. Besides their glowing white backs, these frogs have a skin that appears almost transparent, their innards able to be seen as if looking through a window. A very gross window. Often found in clusters together, their diet primarily consists of Reverie Wisps, making them one of the many predators such creatures face. With long purple tongues, they snatch the Reverie Wisps from the air, taking their desires for their own and allowing the dust on their back to glow brighter and brighter. Perhaps it is this light that lures their prey toward them?
To the other denizens of the Dream, the Starlight Frog is rather harmless, if you don't count the strange amount of adorable charm their eyes seem to hold. It does make me wonder why they aren't more commonly found as pets to the Espers that live within the Dream. They're simply too adorable.
✿ Detonation Slug ✿
A white slug with an explosion of black glass jutting out of much of it's body. It can often be found near forests of Onyx trees, their leaves a steady part of the Detonation Slug's diet. Despite it's squishy underbelly, this creature is surprisingly sturdy, the glass it eats and the broken shards it sheds doing nothing to tear at it's body, as one would expect. The slime it secretes is somewhat dangerous, causing those that come in contact with it to experience both visual and verbal hallucinations. These hallucinations tend to wear off rather quickly, though prolonged contact with the slime can cause them to linger for hours. If large quantities are somehow ingested, the slime becomes a potent poison, destroying the mind and leaving the victim in an endless state of delirium.
✿ Toy Fawn ✿
A tiny creature, reminiscent the deer of the waking world. At even their largest size, the Toy Fawn only reach the size of a small dog or cat. They are hard to spot within the Dream, due to their skittish nature and habitat in the deep forests of the realm. They typically graze on the mushrooms and grasses found on the forest floors, though with a particular interest in the Evocation Flower, the usual symptoms left by their consumption seeming to have little effect on the Toy Fawn. With a pig like snout, these animals can easily sniff out a meal for themselves, quickly discerning the foods edible and inedible to them within the Dream.
✿ Winged Mirage ✿
Found at the bottom of the Dream's ponds, lakes and oceans, these odd star-shaped animals have their bodies primarily covered in soft pink and orange feathers. The feathers seem to act as an amplifier of dream energy, warping a small area around the Winged Mirage and driving away any would be predators looking to grab an easy meal. Of course, such properties make the Winged Mirage highly sought after by the Espers and any interested in the study of dream magic. With the amplification of such energies, the feathers in particular make excellent stuffing for a pillow, plunging any who rests their head upon it into a deep slumber almost instantly. Despite the name, these animals do not have any wings or methods of flight.
✿ Night Terror ✿
Of all my time spent within the Dream, these savage animals are perhaps the most alarming sight I have ever had the displeasure of encountering. Their bodies seem to be made of a thick, tar like substance, with sharp white talons breaking through their flesh in odd and painful angles. On their backs, it is not uncommon for the Night Terror to have shards of darkened crystal and pieces of bone jutting outward, primarily used as a defense against any foolish enough to attack them. The true nature of these beasts is both unpredictable and completely unknowable, often changing from one moment to the next.
Their creation seems to stem from large quantities of hatred and fear, such negativity overwhelming the Dream until it lashes out, resulting in the beasts described here. Of course, such emotions rarely last forever, and as such the existence of the Night Terror is fleeting, but no less dangerous so long as it clings to the despair within itself. It is my hope that there will be a time where the Dream can be rid of them, and I hope it does not reflect badly on these lands as a whole. The Dream is a beautiful thing, not meant to be tainted by the hatred that many show. If there is one glimmer of hope, it's that the Night Terrors seem to be a rare sight within the Dream. I wish only to keep it that way.
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Other Discoveries
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✿ Reverie Crystal ✿
A crystalized form of dream energy, found growing wherever the Dream's influence is particularly strong. When fully formed, these crystals glow a bright purple, illuminating an area with as much light as a proper lantern would. They are quite potent when it comes to the matters of the arcane, their whimsical and potentially unstable nature doing little to slow the dream weavers of the lands. When held, the Reverie Crystal emits a warm glow, offering the hopes and desires that it contains if you only wish to see them. If given willingly, small fragments of sight and sound can be contained within the crystal's shell, kept preserved for as long as it's body remains intact.
✿ Evanescent Motar ✿
An incredibly reflective metal, birthed from a purified motar ingot that has been bathed in the light of the Dream. Despite it's resilience, under the right circumstances, the metal can transform completely, making it a valuable material for any smiths hoping to bless their craft with the whimsy and magic the Dream offers. This star shimmering ingot is often used by the peoples of New Solstice, as well as many of the Esper capable of finding such a rare material.
