Credits

Written By: JL Williams

Interior Art: J. Edward Tremlett

Wraith: The Oblivion, Guildbook: Sandmen and all related Storyteller Games are trade-
marks and copyrights of White Wolf Game Studio. The mention of or reference to any of
those products is not a challenge to the trademarks or copyrights concerned. This book is a
free online resource for players and storytellers, and does not garner a profit in any way. All
original materials are © JL Williams, 2004. All rights reserved. Reproduction without express
permission from the author(s) is prohibited.
Master:
I submit to you my monthly report, which I hope reaches you safely.

You may be pleased to know that Opus is safe and well, guarded fiercely by the Night Terrors that keep it from waking. Those
Somniatora who managed to get out of the storm in time are recuperating as best they can, myself included. It brings me great pleasure
to inform you that we did not suffer as badly as the Necropoli, and anything lost in the havoc is easily replaceable, in time. We did suf-
fer the loss of any major holdings we may have had in the Shadowlands, but it is no matter. Those, too, were temporary setbacks.
Nonetheless, I regret that there will be no productions for a time, at least until we can take an official census of our numbers (a
daunting and tedious endeavor - one better suited to the Usurers), and reassess what resources remain at our disposal. We know that we
have lost most of our sand, and many of our resources and artifacts have been swept away, but our power lies not in what we build, but
rather in what we do. If we continue to provide those services that only we provide, I am confident that we will not suffer the same fate
as the Minstrels (though the Underworld seems better off without them; the Symphonists' Guild seems a more than adequate replace-
ment).
As for the aforementioned, there are always going to be wraiths who wish to contact their living relatives without fear of breaking
the Dictum, and we are the only guild who enables them to do so. They have always paid handsomely for our services in this regard, and
I doubt that will change. We have even come across an increasing population of Quick who are rather adept at crossing the Shroud in
their sleep, with little to no assistance on our part. We have made these "Lucids" a major focus of our work, and those among them who
seem intent on hunting us down have set an example for the rest, such that the only visitors we get are the innocent, the curious and the
mentally impaired (all of whom are enlightened in their own way). They visit, accompanied by our emissaries, and leave when we decide
to escort them back through the curtain.
Our dealings with the dreamers among the Quick have increased dramatically, as the wake of the Maelstrom has wiped away many
wraiths that had special skills not usually found. We have found ourselves gathering ever more temporary workers, and having to expend
a lot more resources to fade the memory of these "dreams" from their minds. It would seem that many of them are far stronger than
they used to be, almost to the point where attuning ceases to be necessary... a relief in terms of our Pathos expenditure, but we should
stay on the side of caution where such things are concerned.
As far as the guild's growth, we have continued our constant tradition of recruitment from all walks of life, and the focus has for
the most part stayed the same: artists, teachers, philosophers and poets from all over the globe are joining our ranks, but our psycho-
analytical population is increasing more and more, which is taking the guild in directions that should prove most interesting.
A final note that you should be aware of is our recent alliance with the Mnemoi and Monitors (a curious mix, I know, but one that is
necessary) in something called the Interguild Drone Reactualization. This program is dedicated to remapping the minds of the Unfettered,
such that they might have the opportunity to become productive members of our society. It is a worthwhile endeavor, now that soul-
forging has fallen into disfavor (something you shall have to take up with Nhudri upon your return).
If you receive this message, if you happened to be in the 'Scape when it was sent, then please, my liege, come home. The guild cannot
function in any capacity without your wisdom and guidance, but more to the point, we miss the pleasure of your company, and Opus is not
the same without you.

For the Symphony,

Pavell
 ACT ONE:

ONEIROGENESIS
"The world is your exercise-book, the pages on which you do your sums. It is not reality,
though you may express reality there, if you wish. You are also free to write nonsense,
or lies, or to tear the pages."

—Richard Bach, Illusions

In the beginning, all dreams were one, and all dreamers

dreamt the same. All was one place, where men walked with beast, Epic -- A History
and was at one with his universe, calm, naked and trusting. There A history of any guild is difficult, because like the
was no death, and land and spirit were one as well. The Dream dreams that we wander, all things are entirely subjec-
was good, and all who dreamt were a part of it, and so too were tive. Ask any guild member to recount a history of
good.
their guild, and they will tell you that they existed be-
In time, men began to distrust one another, and bore heavy
fore any of the other fifteen, and reality itself sprung
emotions; hate, envy, malice and spite... and from these emotions
sprang conflict, and from conflict came death. The world was torn from their founding like a geyser. This is even more
into pieces, and the barriers between dream, life and death were true of the Sandmen, whose penchant for melodrama
summoned into being. Mankind imposed rules and disbeliefs upon and puffed-up exaggeration makes it virtually impos-
himself, and those who did not fit within those molds were forced sible to get any accurate information out of them.
in their own directions. This isn't entirely true of all members, though; I,
The Faefolk, who had infused the world of men with ideas and myself, have been a Sandman for over eighty-five
fantasies, were forced upward, into the clouds and mists of the years, and I boast a fair amount of lucidity, though I
Dreaming, where they remained for centuries. Likewise, the spirits
do have my moments. The romantic aspect of a Sand-
of the dead were forced downward, into the foggy shadows of the
man's nature is, admittedly, a sad stereotype to bear,
Underworld. Man was separated from these things, and so did not
think of them for a long time. as many wraiths find it bothersome to be in the pres-
Desperate to hang on to the living world, the restless enfet- ence of those who glamorize the doom-and-gloom of
tered themselves to those things among the Quick that were holy the Shadowlands, but it isn't entirely inaccurate, ei-
to them, and the fae found their own means of access to the living, ther. Every Sandman has an inherent flamboyance to
and the two did not cross paths for a time. When it became clear himself, usually prominent when immersing himself
that the only way for both to re-enter the world would be to ally, in what he does and this is, I think, a psychosis that
some of the fae who had learned to catch sight of the Shadowlands comes part and parcel with the Arcanos we study.
made brief visits to some of the restless souls who dwelt there, and
It is not proven, but it is widely theorized by our
taught them the ways of dreams, and how to walk in them.
more psychoanalytical circles that Phantasm carries
In return, the restless passed on their knowledge of souls and
possession, and it is said that the fae would use this knowledge to with it a whiff of faerie "taint", which is why so many
reincarnate themselves into the world, at the cost of their immor- of us are often met with such an unfortunate social
tality. In turn, those restless with the power of Phantasm could stigma. It could be worse, though; at least we aren't
not access the Dreaming directly, but would have the power to completely mad, like the Haunters and Oracles, or as
inhabit the dreams of one mortal at a time. profoundly malicious as the Spooks and Puppeteers.
From then on, wraiths and Faefolk did not speak often, prefer- In comparison, I'll gladly settle for occasional eccen-
ring to go on about their work patiently and quietly, and when tricity.
they chanced to meet, they would greet each other as friends, and
However, I am getting off the point. My objective
observe each others' works of beauty.
here is not to judge anyone. It is to provide for you,
dear reader, dear reader, a coherent account of the his- that the first sins entered the world. Greed, Lust, De-
tory of the Sandmen, or at least some theories on the ceit, Wrath, and Envy flooded the world, and culti-
subject. I will begin by addressing the above mythos, vated a mistrust that changed everything. The entire
in order that you may understand the archetypal universe as it was known ceased to exist, and any-
Sandman's way of thinking. Forgive me if the text is a thing which held power over man, such as faefolk,
little dry, but it only serves to explain the uniqueness wraiths, and the spirits of nature were banished from
of our guild in relation to its fellows. I am an alienist, the physical world.
not a bard. I shall leave it in their hands to convey the Though they still existed, they did so in a way that
beauty, as they have afforded me the task of the his- appealed to the self-righteousness of man, such that
tory itself. they were no longer above mankind on the "food
As an aside, I should mention that with the recent chain"; they were simply outside of him, and he could,
shift in paradigm concerning the societal roles of with the right tools, gain control over those spirits, or
women in the world, many members of our guild allow them to gain control over him.
have coined the term "Somniatorus" in place of In ancient times, anyone who could contact these
"Sandman" or "Sandwoman", and so any use of the spirits, whether they be natural, animal or ancestral,
word in this piece is meant as an androgynous title for was described as a seer, medium or oracle. All three of
anyone of the guild, analogous to both genders. these titles came with certain rites and rituals, most of
which involved entering into a trance-like state, in or-

The Dream Before der to better bridge the gap between one realm and
another. It is here where we begin to see the signifi-
I have yet to meet a wraith who can testify to the cance placed on dreams right from the onset; dreams
way things were in the world prior to the Sundering, served as a doorway to the heavens, where one could
and no Epiphanies exist which can clearly indicate the gain wisdom.
specifics of this era for us. I will say that apparently, it More importantly, though, is the fact that as the
was a time in which there was no such thing as disbe- power of these gifted men grew stronger, the symbols
lief, nor any accompanying fear of the unexplained. they developed to define this new "science" pushed
Hence, the only thing one can know for sure is that wraiths away from everything else; it forced them to a
not only did the Underworld not exist in any form, level below that of the higher spirits, because while
but neither did the Shroud, the Tempest, or the Fog. naturae are all-encompassing and can function inde-
Popular belief among my fellows is that the spirits pendently (as could fae at the time, I am told), ances-
of all living things existed together in a kind of utopia, tors only held significance to those who loved them in
where there was ultimate acceptance of all things, re- life, and so outside of the occasional summoning,
gardless of form. This meant that the things humanity wraiths had no power, and only possessed Pathos
now discounts as myth and folklore were common- when it was offered to them.
place, though they were not equal. Any anthropolo-
gist will tell you that ancient man ascribed a spiritual
significance to anything found in his environment, Wraiths and Fae
and placed a great deal of honor in the spirits of na- Immediately following the Sundering, it is theo-
ture, as well as the memory of his ancestors. Since, in rized by many of us that a meeting took place between
those days, the spirit world was not yet divided into those spirits who were desperate to cling to the living
our modern cosmology, it is safe to assume that an- world, at which an exchange of information and
cient man put his ancestors on the same level as he power was made. The fae held great power over the
did the forces of nature. These beings had many human consciousness as it was, because they existed
forms, but all were closer to the Heavens, because before mankind, and so in some fashion were more
they had powers that Man did not. "alive", but they lacked the experience of being hu-
If that is true, then it stands to reason that all spir- man, and because of that alienation, they could not
its could associate regardless of nature, and likely did. easily traffic with them. Wraiths, on the other hand,
When Man began to ascribe importance to the knew all too well what it was to be mortal, but were
concepts of territory and wealth, he realized that in trapped by humanity's own subjectivity. They could
order to gain, someone else must lose, and it is here not contact people unrelated to them in some way
(blood relation was always optimal, but not entirely whole, and so it was a disturbing and chaotic place to
necessary), and could not return to the physical world be. Many of our number were lost to whatever machi-
altogether, because they were no longer alive. nations the dreamer's mind conjured to protect itself,
Mutual benefit made the deal a fair one (if such a and some of us were stolen by the Haunters' Guild,
deal was actually struck); wraiths would learn to re- who saw Phantasm as a means of destroying the
move sleeping souls from their bodies, and to alter Shroud by driving people mad with dark visions,
their dreams, for which they would pay with an in- without breaking the Code of Charon. An ingenious
ability to permanently exist in the physical world idea, but one which would not last, for it is said that
(regardless of what the Proctors and Puppeteers may the Haunters suffered terrible losses after the break-
say to the contrary-resurrection is, as yet, an impossi- ing; a fate that we did not share with them.
bility).
In exchange, the fae would be given the power to
inhabit the bodies of newborn children, and exist as a The Breaking
sort of "hitchhiker" on a human life. This would en- Charon's banishment of the Heretics, Renegades
able them to reap the energy they needed, but it and Guilds was a blow to all wraiths, but one which
would also mean that they would lose their sentient impacted us all the more. For what is a dream, but a
immortality. Their "lives" would fade after a time, and vision of the ideal, and that which shapes our belief?
they would pass back out of the world. Are we not all heretics? If not, then why not? "Heretic"
Once the agreement was made, the meetings be- is a word that has come to refer to anyone whose be-
tween wraiths and fae would become less and less fre- liefs differ from the Emperor's, and was Stygia not
quent. There are some fae, called Sluagh, who are able built on Charon's own dreams?
to speak with our kind when they choose to, but they We lost so many of our number during the Hierar-
seem more interested in historical information and chy's crusade against us that it is surprising that we
individual dealings rather than becoming a central have a guild left at all. When the horns sounded,
part of Underworld politics. In the Dreamscape, we many of us escaped into the dreams we fostered, and
are fortunate if one dream in ten yields a chance meet- hid. This is where many of our arts come from; the ne-
ing with a "changeling", and even then, they are usu- cessity of staying hidden versus the need for compan-
ally on their way somewhere else, and have no inter- ionship gave rise to Lingua; a form of symbolic com-
est in wandering through the individual dreams of munication that allows us to tap into the human sub-
our relations. For all intents and purposes, we are conscious long enough to use common symbols to
largely unaware of each other. convey ideas, and the Nexus; a phenomenon which
allowed us to connect several dreams together

The Dark Ages through the creation of common details. This process,
often called "Contagion", is what formed the founda-
Up until Charon's Dictum Mortuum, a great deal tion of our entire philosophy, which I won't get into
of our time as a guild was spent mapping the Dream- here. That is for a later chapter.
scape. While other wraiths were concerned with Sty-
gia's economic growth and the collection of souls for
recruitment or forging, we were busy with the task of
The Maelstrom Cycle
defining the nature of a dream, and how better to One of the fortunate things about maelstroms is
communicate with those mortals we wished to with- that they destroy everything, without discretion or
out being forced out by exorcists, or driving the mor- favor, which means that everything must be rebuilt
tal insane. We learned an important lesson during this stronger than it was before. I say "fortunate", because
time: the moment we enter a dream is the moment we the fact that a maelstrom is always more intense than
control it, simply by being there. It was decided that the one which preceded it, and so as they become
we would be very careful with whom we chose to more destructive, the methods employed to rebuild
contact, and anyone we lifted from their bodies would Stygia must be better, more efficient, and more lasting.
be sure to forget the phenomenon afterward. Since wraiths are not beings who learn or adapt
As far as our knowledge of the Dreamscape, we quickly on a vast scale (this fact is evident in the fact
knew very little about the nature of dreams on a that many of our tools and devices are throwbacks to
the medieval era, even now), the skills with which to mortals in realizing their own mental setbacks sooner,
better fortify the empire had to come from a more prevent an individual from becoming a wraith at all,
modern population; i.e. humankind. since anything he might have had to cling to upon
We were very well paid in the time periods sur- death would have been pre-emptively resolved. So
rounding each maelstrom, because the ability to lift a many souls have been spared the anguish of this dark
soul out of its sleeping body and bring it into the and gloomy existence because of us, and while the Ar-
Shadowlands as a willing observer meant that we tificers disagreed with our work (mostly due to the
could employ temporary workers from the Skinlands, lessened plasmic resources at their disposal), we were
who used their skills for free, believing it all to be a commended for our effort.
dream. We collected far more Oboli than many of the Jung's research into the idea of archetypes in-
other guilds, mainly because we were the only ones creased our power over dreams even more. We
who could do this, and since we have never had any learned a great deal more than any of the other guilds
real material needs (since Phantasm allows us to cre- knew about the Eidolon, which we share whenever
ate temporary items for virtually any purpose), we asked to, and the information on the pre-mortem
became very wealthy in times of turmoil. Shadow served our reputation well as far as the Par-
Between maelstroms, we did what we could to doners were concerned. Further, we learned how to
lighten the moods of those around us, in the hopes divide the Dreamscape into its various classifications,
that we could prevent the storms from happening as and armed with this new wisdom, we actualized our
often. Working with the Chanteurs, Masquers and purpose, and the Opus became a dream of our own.
Harbingers, we created elaborate and detailed shows
in the Tempest, which we provided for free (having
no need of money). This was a joint effort, and many The Fall of the Empire
of us grew very fond of these productions, which is Stygia's destruction came as no surprise to us. We an-
where the stigma of flamboyance originates. We never ticipated the sixth Great Maelstrom, if it ever hap-
confessed to doing anything else during these times, pened, would likely rip apart the Underworld as we
and so we were viewed as simple, inconsequential knew it, and any efforts made to restore its former
and harmless. glory would be an exercise in futility. However,
Charon's return (and his passing of the torch to those

The Modern Era wraiths who remained behind) have put the power to
govern in the hands of the once-forbidden Guilds,
Before the rise of psychoanalysis in the Victorian who have formed a multiparty system of rule in many
period (which was then referred to as "alienism"), Necropoli, that is largely democratic.
there was little to be known about dreams, and so the We are pleased about the fact that soulforging has
Dreamscape was turbulent, at best. Had we then the become questionable, but we have no qualms with the
knowledge we now possess, things would have been Artificers, and are enlisting them wherever we find
easier on humanity, because we would have known them, employing their forges in an effort to maintain
how to prevent so many of our relatives from being and continue our work (a subject that will be brought
"cured" through electric-shock therapy, or being to light in due time, I assure you). Due to the recent
carted off to asylums as lunatics. addition of the Symphonists to the Council, we have
Freud's belief that dreams reflected the thoughts found that our efforts in the entertainment industry
of the subconscious led us to the awareness of our are being rendered obsolete, but one only has to at-
own power as therapists, in that by participating in a tend one of their grand performances to understand
dream and manipulating its elements, we are chang- why we have no quarrel with their affairs, either.
ing the psychology of the individual, and altering the With that, we come to the end of this account. As I
way in which he deals with his innermost issues. The have fulfilled my obligation to the guild in attempting
sexual overtones of his work gave us insight into the to relate this history for you, I shall take my leave, and
Shadow as well, which has led to a healthy alliance I wish you well. May your Epiphany, whatever it is,
with the Pardoners' Guild in treating psychological make the Dreamscape an ever more beautiful place to
illnesses, but the important part of our research was visit.
the discovery of a major truth: we could, by assisting
 ACT TWO:

DREAMSCAPE
"Among the symbols thus employed there are, of course, many which constantly, or all but con-
stantly, mean the same thing. But we must bear in mind the curious plasticity of psychic material."

-Freud, Interpretation of Dreams

Welcome, welcome, welcome. "pancake", you not only understand what I'm saying
(even though I can't speak a word of Cantonese), but
It seems we have found ourselves together at last, you can see a stack of pancakes in your mind, oozing
and it's wonderful to see you all. I hope that your trav- with syrup and buttermilk, can you not? Does it not
els were safe, and my condolences on your families' look and smell appetizing? I know - for I see it, too.
loss, if you had one. Hopefully, if all goes well, you You see, mankind has what's called a "collective sub-
may see them again, in time. conscious", and every word that mankind uses to rep-
You have come here today from all over the world, resent a concept is stored within that collective mem-
because you all share a talent. I look around the room ory. When I say a word, I tap into the well, so to
and I see faces from every country I can think of, and speak, and a concept representing that word transmits
the first thing that comes to my mind is that we're go- from the subconscious through my mind, and then is
ing to see a lot of different ideas, and a lot of different broadcast outward, to the ears of whoever I am speak-
styles. That's good. The more diverse and open- ing to. The picture forms in your mind as well, and so
minded we are about what we do with our time to- we understand each other.
gether, the better our work is going to be. All of you are going to learn how to use the Lin-
Speaking of working together, you might be won- gua, so that no matter where you are, you'll always be
dering what language I'm speaking, or if it's really a able to communicate with someone. Those who don't
language at all - because all of you can understand know how to prepare for the input may be startled at
what I'm saying, even though you all speak different first, because the first time can be a bit overwhelming,
languages. The truth is, I'm speaking English, but but you'll know a fellow guildsman right away if you
you're not hearing English. You're hearing what is sort meet one, because his Lingua won't be awkward or
of like your native tongue, but somehow more clear, clumsy. The words will come naturally and smoothly,
as though concepts your language has no word for are like salmon in a brook.
being inserted seamlessly into your brain, and it might That's one of the things you're going to learn here,
seem obvious that the words I'm using are the perfect but first I want to talk to you about the things we do.
words, and you may then wonder why no one in your Basically, we study dreams, and how those dreams
country thought of using those words before. affect the people who dream them. Most wraiths can't
The "language" you're hearing is called "Lingua", dream, because the Shadow tends to do a lot of dam-
and it's a little like speech, a little like telepathy, and age during the wraith's slumber, so natural dreaming
very much like the kind of flowing, conceptual im- in the freeform sense doesn't exist for us. Usually, if a
agery one has in dreams. It's not a language, it's actu- wraith has a "dream", it's either because he paid some-
ally bigger than language itself. I don't know that one of our guild to give him such an experience, or the
there is a Cantonese word for "pancake", but when I Shadow is playing games with his mind.
look over at you, my exotic friend, and I say the word Mortals, however, dream all the time. They need
to, because their minds have to refresh themselves or Of course, the occasional "out of body" experience
they suffer hindrances to their motor function, concen- isn't always something that is forced upon mortals, ei-
tration, and sanity. Our guild, which is called the Sand- ther. Some people, such as the yogi and the bodhistava,
men (or Somniatora), studies dreams and uses them to are able to transcend physical existence on their own,
benefit humanity and the Underworld in a number of through various means, and astrally project themselves
ways. into the various layers of reality. Oneiromancers
We're going to talk a little bit about the seven dif- (people who can manipulate dreams) do so in the
ferent kinds of dreams, and the various "Orbs" within Dreamscape specifically, and it's not uncommon for us
the guild that manage them (and the other services to bump into them and their workings from time to
they perform for the rest of wraithkind), and then we'll time. We can't always sense that there's anything
break for a bit, and get some fresh air. wrong with their dealings, but they usually have the
best intentions in mind for the dreamer they're affect-

Anxieties ing. If they don't, we tend to get in the way, and then
there's a little friction, but not often. Mostly, when we
All mortals hurry, and bother and worry,
meet someone in the '(r)Scape who isn't there through
in truth this cannot be denied,
our means, we tend to observe them, and try to trace
And the things that they feel the most strongly about
are the things that they bury inside. them back to their physical origin in the Skinlands. If
The Alienist knows of the symbols in those, we can do this, we can closely monitor their activities,
and he knows where those symbols collide, and the casefile is stored for future reference.
And prevents the poor schmuck from becoming a wraith, though he
tends to be snobby and snide.
Echoes
Some people thrive on stress, and believe that if the Sometimes it occurs, in a flurry of blurs,
that an unwary dreamer is cast
world isn't hard, then they aren't working enough, or
With a plop and a fizz, in a dream not of his,
there's something bad around the corner waiting for
but of someone who lived in the past.
them if they stop to relax. These people are workahol- These are dreams which are meant to in some way prevent, but the
ics, overeaters and druggies, and use their addictions Swooper must act hard and fast,
(regardless of what they are) to escape from the full For the dreamer is trapped, in a crumbling place wrapped, and if
and complete life that they were meant to lead. This left there his mind will not last.
kind of situation is one which almost always creates a
wraith when the mortal dies, usually far before his Think of an echo as a kind of ghost. An Echo is the
time. relic of a dream, belonging to someone who died, but
The Orb of Alienists dedicates its time to helping didn't become a wraith. Or, perhaps they did become a
these mortals to resolve their personal issues, so that wraith, but they didn't accomplish the goal that the
they can get on with the business of living, and not be- dream involves. The dream itself is not a sentient be-
come wraiths at all. We find them overanalytical at ing, but it exists as an unfulfilled Passion, and will of-
times, and they are a bit snobbish, but they are a very ten slam itself into someone who can best resolve it,
useful part of the guild, because they keep the wraithly often at the expense of the dreamers' sanity.
population from growing too large, in such a way that Echoes, like all relics, are temporary, and begin to
no one needs to be forged, and there are less souls to be fade the moment that a dreamer is paying attention to
claimed by Oblivion. them. The Echo's goal is to play itself out, and then ex-
In some cases, these mortals are given an outlet for tinguish when completed; usually this is a recurring
their workaholism, and recruited to perform tasks in dream, that gets longer and longer the more it is ex-
the Underworld where other wraiths lack the appropri- perienced. The dreamer becomes obsessed, driven to
ate skills. The Alienists allow this to be possible, by re- discover the secret contained in the dream, and the end
moving the souls of the living from their bodies for a result is the resolution of the conflict, usually killing
time, and returning them safely when their work is the dreamer when the Echo snuffs itself out.
completed. A Swooper is a Sandman who specializes in find-
ing the victims of Echoes, and trying to assist in the re-
solving process as much as he can, so that the
dreamer's life and sanity are spared. Echoes are rather Truly terrible, the Armorers' Orb needs to be ruth-
rare, so when they are not in the Dreamscape, Swoop- less and vicious when it comes to combating the mon-
ers tend to act as scouts (finding new members for the sters of nightmares. I shudder to think of them, for
guild), spies and messengers. They usually have at they have some of the most horrifying illusory mecha-
least one level of Argos, to make travel through the nisms known to us. It is a wonder that they are not
Tempest as efficient as possible. mistaken for Haunters in that regard, but we respect
The downside to working with Echoes is that if them and their work, for to become a Drone or Spectre
the Swooper takes too much of an interest in what's by letting your self-hatred get the better of you is
going on, he can be unwittingly woven into the fabric more horrifying, by far.
of that dream as a peripheral detail, and can be eroded The Armorers have a secondary service to the Un-
away with it. Having a little Argos helps, I assure you. derworld as well; when they cannot prevent the crea-
tion of Drones, they work to hunt down those Drones,

Fantasies and deliver them to other wraiths who can properly

"rehabilitate" them, or who can pay the most, depend-
There is a dark place, a shadowy space,
ing on the ethics of the Armorer in question. Also,
where the deepest desires are hid,
they hunt down Spectres, and are among the finest
Some say it is here where the Shadow resides,
or if you're a Freudist, the Id. Doomslayers down here.
Most people contain, or attempt to restrain
those impulses that squirm like a squid,
But some of them falter, and it's up to the Crafter
Omens
to quietly tighten the lid. The oldest of dreams is the one which most seems
to be focused on ill consequences,
For its goal, t'would appear, is to cultivate fear,
Even mortals have Shadows, so says Jung. The
through the subtle restriction of senses.
deepest, darkest and most carnal of desires are played Where a dreamer is found and corruptions abound,
out in fantasies, which don't have to be during sleep - the Terror's demonic pretenses
daydreams are fantasies too, don't forget - and it's up Fill the poor sinner's head with madness and dread,
to the Crafters' Orb to find these impure thoughts, and and waste no time in sitting on fences.
quell them before the Psyche becomes obsessed with
fulfilling them in reality. Truthfully, most fantasies are Normally, when we come across a potential psy-
harmless, but some aren't. These dreams create some chopath, our Crafters attempt to quell the instinctive
truly blessed people - but they also create murderers, lusts that produce such a mind. However, we can't
pedophiles and rapists. win them all, as they say, and sometimes we must ap-
Crafters are those who physically sculpt the peal to those who can stop the continued criminal ac-
dreamstuff known as Gossamer, as well. They are tivity. This is the function of the Orb of Terrors. They
among the finest artists and builders in the Under- bestow dreams of possible consequences of allowing
world, on par with the Masquers in terms of their ver- the madness to continue, which is why many mortals
satility with their materials. They are also the largest who specialize in detective work or criminology are
Orb in our guild, which is why you are likely to find often sociopathic, prone to alcoholism or other vices.
more of them than the other types. Sometimes dreams must be painful to be of any moti-
vational use, and the Terrors understand that all too

Nightmares well.
The Terrors are also in charge of keeping tabs on
The cruelest of dreams, if you get past the screams,
the Sandmen as a guild, and ensuring that none of our
is the nightmare most gruesome and scary;
activities are against the will of the guild as a whole.
More often than not, the Psyche is caught
in the web of an old adversary. They are our infantry, our guards, and our best
To face this alone would result in a Drone, friends during a maelstrom- because remember that
so the Armorer, ready and wary, the Malfeans, deep in their tunnels, have dreams of
Boosts Psyche's courage, to better discourage their own - and the Terrors are the only Orb among us
the terror from getting too hairy. brave enough to attempt walking around in those vast
hells.
 Why do they do it? Some say as an effort to reha- deed, Charon himself issued a decree that all great
bilitate them, or destroy them, but others say it is be- works of the Quick are to be preserved, and we are the
cause the Terrors are double agents. Who knows? first to defend the honor of that proclamation. Art, re-
They have never betrayed us, and have never broken gardless of its form, is where most Pathos comes from,
their word. because its mere presence invokes Pathos. Remember
that, young neophytes, for it serves well when you are

Prophecies running out of energy to know that you need only

visit the nearest museum to rejuvenate yourself, and
It is murky, at best, to embark on the quest
remember to thank the Muses for that gift.
of spying on those who can peek
Muses inspire people, better or worse. It's their job
Into what is to be. For the future, you see,
is shrouded in quiet mystique. to wander through the dreams of a prodigal, and
There's no guarantee that what he will see judge whether that idea is one which will change the
is tomorrow, next year or next week, world in a beneficial or necessarily damaging way.
And the Traveler's cost, if he doesn't get lost, They are one of the only Orbs that takes an active role
is emerging both tired and weak. in the "steering" of mankind, although they can't cre-
ate ideas out of thin air; they can only influence a pre-
Some mortals are gifted with precognition, and existing concept, and allow the dreamer to wake up
while we carry no powers that allow us to gift mortals with more creative energy than he had before.
in this way, it does allow us a chance to observe what In the Underworld, Muses are the poets, bards
the future may hold without suffering the delusion and scribes of our guild. They record anything worth
and detachment of the Oracles. The Orb of Travelers remembering, and store it in Epiphanies of their own,
does just that; they seek out the dreams of what is to where anyone may view and appreciate them. While
be, and observe them, to gain a possible clue into the they have no functional purpose, these Epiphanies
workings of the future. Truth be known, I don't know serve as excellent educational tool.
if the Travelers have any merit; they seem to be a bit

Oneiroplasm
more suited to the Harbingers' Guild, I think.
In any event, this small Orb is fond of the idea
that events can be predicted. Their logic (scattered as So what does all of this mean, neophytes? I see the
it is) dictates that if a Prophecy occurs, the event sur- question burning in your minds, like question marks
rounding it has to be of some importance, or Prophe- glowing on your foreheads. The reason we wander
cies would not be rare. Hence, any important event through dreams the way that we do is this, and only
among the Quick can lead to repercussions in the Un- this: Dreamstuff.
derworld, which means that maelstroms, and other We refer to it as Oneiroplasm, or Gossamer; the
naturally occurring phenomena down here can be pre- very fabric of dream-reality. We collect it, and use it to
dicted. I see their point, but they seem... un-Sandman- turn our illusions into artifacts of lasting value. Each
like. Perhaps better suited to even the Alchemists. type of dream I touched on earlier carries with it a
given kind of this stuff, so it can be used to make
Revelations something of that type.
As an example, say that we are devilishly rooting
To be blessed with ideas, and to be so inspired
is a jewel most treasured and hoarded, around in a nightmare (something I do not recom-
Such dreams are diverse, some good and some worse, from the mend unless you have an Armorer to back you up).
truly divine to the sordid. When we leave, a bit of that nightmare seeps into our
A Muse's prime goal is to cultivate that Corpus, and we may use it later to create anything we
which the Dreaming has nicely imported; desire, molding it like clay. However, its aspect is
To foster invention and memory retention, nightmarish, and so too must the thing we make be
so the world is, by virtue, rewarded. scary or violent. The exception to this is Prophetic
Gossamer, which has no aspect, and so can be molded
Inspiration is a beautiful thing. It is a founding into anything at all. It is extremely versatile, but also
principle of our heritage, and we rely on the ideas and quite rare.
works of mankind in order to progress ourselves. In- Anytime one of our Phantasm arts requires us to
invest some of our Corpus, we may instead use Gossa- a journal of the Sandman's adventures. The benefit to
mer. The effect is the same, but we don't have to waste creating such a place is that it takes a very long time to
Corpus, and if we're using it in the Dreamscape, all fade away, because so many different mortals and
things created are permanent until we leave. Other- Sandmen contributed to it that until all of those indi-
wise, they become Relics-which means we can't create viduals cease to exist, the Epiphany maintains itself.
anything bizarre - it has to be an item that the human Hence, it acts as a safehaven for the Sandman, and he
subconscious already recognizes as commonplace. thus has no need for a haunt in the Shadowlands. As a
The downside to Gossamer is that we can only rule, most Sandmen have functioning haunts anyway,
collect so much of it, and it isn't a thing that we carry because they need to interact with others of their kind
with us; it's rather like an infusion of dream energy, and be close to the Quick just as any wraith does, but
that manifests when we need it. We can only store so the Epiphany is where the Sandman feels safest, and
much of it within us at any given time, and if unused, most inspired.
it slowly begins to crystallize, and turns into Sand. Since the collective subconscious of humanity is a
You'll notice the pouches on my belt; both of them are single entity, all dreams are connected in some way,
full of Sand, which we can use to fuel our illusions for and the Epiphany functions as a doorway to them.
very short periods of time, but we mostly use Sand to From here, the Sandman may travel to the dream of
make people fall asleep. You only need a pinch of it, any mortal he has dreamrode before, without the need
and we have so much of the stuff stored away that it's to seek that individual out, but his Epiphany is a pri-
free. You can take as much as you like, because we'll vate place; no one may travel there unless the wraith
never run out. allows it.
It's also important to remember that an Epiphany
is what's called a "subjective reality", meaning that it is
System: When a Sandman leaves a dream, he may based not on universal laws or conventions, but on the
perform an extended Simple test with a Narrator. personal worldview of the Sandman who creates it. It
Each success allows him to glean 1 trait of Gossamer is a realm made of the wraith's Passions, his attitudes
from that dream. Anytime an art of Phantasm requires toward his existence, and is aspected toward his na-
an investment of Corpus, the wraith may instead use ture (meaning that nothing can happen there which
Gossamer. goes against the archetype's grain, so to speak).
However, doing so will cause the art's effect to The Shadow plays a part in the Epiphany, too. If it
resonate with the kind of Gossamer used. Such effects has ever been active in the dreamscape, it can collect
always work, but how they will manifest are not al- its own Gossamer out of nightmares and omens; it
ways predictable. In its Sand form, it loses its aspect, cannot collect Angst in a dream, and so does this in-
and so may be used in place of Corpus to create illu- stead. In the Sandman's Epiphany, the Shadow can
sions as desired; however, there is no permanence to craft its own rooms and illusions, though luckily
them, and Sand cannot be used in the Dreamscape. enough, any items it creates are not accessible to the
Sandman, unless he happens to be overcome by his
Shadow while in his own space.
As far as raw Gossamer is concerned, you may
wonder why we go to all the trouble of collecting the
System: A separate Background trait called Epiphany
stuff, and what it's used for aside from minor illusions
is available only to Sandmen. The wraith has a small
and run-of-the-mill Sandman trickery. Why, we use it
pocket universe, as big as a Haunt with the same rat-
for Epiphanies, of course!
ing. He may weave any permanent items or decora-
tions he wishes while there, out of a set amount of
Epiphanies Gossamer (5 per level of the Background). However,
he may not remove these items from the Epiphany,
An Epiphany is a small pocket of dream-reality,
which a Sandman creates in order to express the full- nor may he create any sentient chimerae; the Epiph-
est extent of his talent. The Gossamer used to maintain any is a subjective reality, and so is attuned to one
such a place comes from the dreams of the mortals he sentient being: the Sandman himself.
has helped or hindered, and so there is a wealth of in- The Shadow may also store Gossamer in the
formation there about those dreams, and it is a bit like Epiphany, and use it for whatever it wishes; however,
such Gossamer can only come from Nightmares and vested by each wraith determines how long the Nexus
Omens (though the Gossamer gleaned from Prophe- will last (in hours), during which the dreamers will
cies is still considered "wild" and can therefore be not awaken.
used as well). Entering one's own Epiphany is a Sim- If one of those Sandmen leaves the Dreamscape
ple test. for any reason, the Nexus lets go of the dream he was
The Sandman may spend as much time as he wishes in, and it is no longer connected. The dreamer imme-
in his own Epiphany, but if he is in someone else's diately awakens.
(usually requiring permission, but not always - if the
wraith who created the Epiphany no longer exists, the
Sandman may enter it by spending 1 Pathos to find it, Convergence
and then performing a Mental test to access it), he will At times, we creative types embark on group pro-
be able to spend as many hours there as the Epiph- jects, because we want to create something of a larger
any's rating, after which point he loses 1 Corpus level scale than we can afford individually, and we want to
per turn until he exits (Simple test). intertwine a number of different styles into a piece.
Rather than go through the expense of Corpus, we

Nexus prefer to amass a larger amount of Gossamer, and use

it as a group in a Convergence. We link our Epipha-
A Nexus is a point in the Dreamscape where two nies together, and create a much larger space that can
or more dreams meet at a specific point, allowing be entered and left by all parties who are connected.
them to be connected and traversed. Sandmen use this This is a very worthwhile venture, because it's not
as a means of working together, and binding the just about group effort; it gives us a chance to get to
dreamers in a kind of subconscious harmony. The know each other on a level that most don't have access
dreamers are joined, then, in such a way that they ex- to. A Sandman's Epiphany is made of his deepest and
perience the sensations of all connected dreams, and purest self. It is where his Eidolon is closest to him,
therefore are affected by what the Sandmen do in the and it is where he is the most honest and forthcoming
same way. about what and who he is.
This, though, is actually more of a side effect than
anything else; primarily, Nexi are created as a way of System: A Convergence is like a Nexus, but it con-
meeting outside of the Shadowlands altogether, so nects wraithly Epiphanies rather than mortal dreams.
that the affairs of the guild are kept in the guild. Al- These are created in much the same way that Nexi are,
though most of our goals are for the benefit of wraiths but any Pathos invested in the Convergence gives a
as a whole, the others would not understand at this duration of one week, rather than one hour. If a per-
point what we are trying to do, and even if they did, I manent Willpower is invested in the Convergence,
doubt they would agree with it. any wraith who so invested may keep his Epiphany
Dream Nexi are created by a number of Sandmen sealed from the collective unless he is in it, which is a
first deciding what details a given set of dreams will permanent effect.
have. Then, the Pathos invested in the Nexus will fire
itself into the collective subconscious, and attach itself
to dreams that share those details. Then, it magnet- Opus
izes, and sucks the Sandmen into the connected And so, we have come to the end of the orienta-
dreams, and the Nexus exists until those wraiths leave tion. I'm sure you all have a lot to soak in, and it's
the Dreamscape again. been a very big day for all of you. I want to see all of
you here tomorrow, and we'll talk a bit about the
System: Each Sandman invests an equal number of skills you'll be learning. And by the way, in case I
Pathos to the creation of a Nexus, and then each per- never said it before, welcome, all of you, to Opus. Feel
forms a Mental test. If all are successful, a number of free to look around, and stay as long as you like.
dreams equal to the number of wraiths will conglom-
erate, allowing each Sandman to enter one of them,
and perform as many Phantasm arts as they wish,
which affect the collective. The number of Pathos in-
Opus fordable (one semester will usually cost about ten
Oboli, or fifty Pathos, however you like), and once
The High Guildhouse of the Sandmen is called you graduate, your options are presented to you, and
Opus, and it is actually much more than a large meet- you are free to choose any of them you like, in what-
ing place; it is where most of the guild's affairs take ever order you like (because it isn't as though you're
place, and you'll notice that it has a few quirks that going to become too old to qualify).
separate it from not only the other guilds' houses, but The first is, of course, to learn more. We have a
from the Underworld itself. state-of-the-art campus facility, and since we spend
The first thing you probably noticed is that the very little to build it, we can expand its capacity as
sun is out; you can see its glorious light, and feel its needed. If you can pay, you can stay as long as you
warmth on your face - and it's a nice day. Birds are like, as long as your grades are sufficient.
chirping, fish are playing together in the brook, and The second, if you choose, is to teach. We have educa-
the only think missing is a baby deer and his faithful tors that come from all walks of life, and hail from all
bunny companion. Seems very Norman Rockwell, the guilds (with the exception of the Haunters - we
doesn't it? don't have one on payroll, as yet). We even have ex-
Opus is like that. It's a school, a church and a mili- renegades and Legionnaires teaching combat tactics
tary base. It's a safehaven, but more importantly, it's and martial arts.
an idea. A very big idea, but just an idea, that comes Speaking of which, there is the opportunity, if you
partly from us and the Sandmen of the past, but partly like, to learn how to be a soldier. We have a definite
from you guys. By being here, your part in the Dream- edge when it comes to military training, because we
scape (and whatever pieces of it you take with you can create very lifelike simulations for any possible
into your Epiphany as inspirations) help to shape situation, and they can be utterly spooky to anyone
Opus, all the time. This place is little more than a gi- who doesn't bear in mind that it isn't real. Shadow
ant, sprawling illusion, perpetually maintained by picking on you in the Labyrinth while you're trying to
anyone who has a subconscious mind. If you dream, do a search & rescue? We can help you. Got Spectre
Opus feeds. It doesn't need regular maintenance or trouble? Learn to turn your Corpus into a graceful and
repair, because it doesn't really exist. It doesn't crum- deadly weapon. Want to know what Charon felt like,
ble away into the Void, because that would never hap- and take on Gorool? We have a simulation for that.
pen unless all of the wraiths in existence did as well And, finally, you can always leave, and we don't
(or at least all of the Sandmen). frown on anyone who does. Phantasm (which is what
You'll notice that I said something about Opus be- the school strives to impose on you) isn't for every-
ing a church. That's true, so I suppose in some way, body, and although anyone can learn the right-
Opus could be classified as a Far Shore, if anyone brained applications of the Arcanos, for most Sand-
cared to classify it. It isn't in the technical sense, be- men it isn't a job or a craft - it's a calling.
cause it isn't in the Tempest, and has no central relig-
ion, but rather it believes in the idea of "Otherness":
any belief system is valid, so long as it accepts the va-
Epiphany Archives
lidity of everything else. We don't have monks or From Opus, a Sandman can gain access to any
priests, nor any set codes of belief that we perpetuate, Epiphany Archive he wishes, allowing him to experi-
other than creativity. You don't have to believe in any- ence the full creative energy of any Sandman who has
thing except for your own ever-growing potential. Transcended or fed the Void. These archives are
We are also a school, and we have within our hal- meant as inspirational tools, and are a means by
lowed halls some of the finest teachers ever born. which other Somniatora may learn of their origins, the
There are classes for philosophy, fine art, dance, creative motivations that led to Opus, and in some re-
drama and social sciences, and thanks to some wraiths spect, the history of the guild itself. Epiphany Ar-
who have long since left their guilds, we have teachers chives are free to use by any Initiates of the guild, but
of Industrial Ed., History and Economics as well. Even they require a Pathos to "open".
if he decides that the Sandmen aren't for him, a wraith
can always use the resources at Opus to further him-
self, in almost any form he likes. Tuition is very af-
Phineas: Master of Dreams more feasible that he is indeed a restless soul, since
only wraiths have access to the 16 powers of the Un-
This is going to sound odd, but the leader of our derworld. He seems to mix his Phantasm arts with
guild, the Grand High Sandman, isn't really a wraith elements of Moliate and Keening, and has a little
at all. He was never alive, you see, and yet somehow Mnemosynis and Castigate up his sleeve as well.
he is more alive than any of us will ever hope to be. A Phineas does have one flaw, though, and it's
great many theories have been tossed around regard- something that only the Mentors know about: Phineas
ing the nature of Phineas' existence, and he has admit- can't leave. He's unable to be outside Opus for any
ted to most of them (even those which contradict each length of time, because he needs it in order to survive.
other), but the most current line of thinking is as such: Since he fuels his Arcanoi with Gossamer (something
Opus, since it is a product of the collective sub- many Sandmen are working to master, with no suc-
conscious, is a place that is made of pure ideas and cess), he would undoubtedly plunge into a Harrowing
dreams. Since it needs to remain stable in order to ex- the moment he set foot in the Shadowlands, for com-
ist the way that it does, it requires something that all plete lack of Pathos.
dreams must have in order to survive: a dreamer. Phi-
neas, then, could be defined as the Psyche of Opus, if At least, that's the running assumption, if he is a
anyone cared to define him. Any permanent changes wraith at all...
to Opus are impossible unless Phineas initiates them,

Policies
and he does not seem to run out of energy once he
spends it. Therefore, it is widely believed that Phineas
is a being of pure Gossamer, since he seems to have an Opus maintains itself as a place of free expression
endless supply, and no need for Sand... because of a few rules that Phineas set down when
Aside from his very strange nature, Phineas is in- Opus was founded. These are laws that cannot be bro-
herently likable to anyone who meets him. He seems ken, and those who attempt to bend them are met
able to communicate with anyone pleasantly, and it's with fierce opposition; those Terrors that are not occu-
rare that anybody who visits Opus goes away with pied with Omens act as the facility's guards and po-
any ill feelings toward him at all. He is warm, gregari- lice, swarming on anyone who abuses the freedom
ous, intelligent, charismatic, and genuinely - perfect. Opus lends them, or threatens the safety or privilege
That's probably the one thing that gives him of anyone else. The Laws of Opus are as follows:
away, though. He's the ideal being, and if he were a
wraith, he would have Transcended already - unless
Opus happens to be his fetter (but that theory is To Each His Own
flawed, because while Opus in some respects could be Everyone, regardless of race, color, language or
considered a physical place, it isn't in the Skinlands). guild, or even past misdeeds, has the right to freely
He has no discernible flaws, and so it's obvious almost express himself, and is valid, provided he accepts that
from the beginning that he isn't real, and the sadness everyone else is valid as well, and entitled to the same
that brings makes it difficult to approach him, because freedom.
despite how charming he may be, he's always a little
bit creepy to anyone who isn't used to him already. Make Love, Not War
Phineas does have what appears to be a personal- Violence in Opus is not allowed. If you must dis-
ity, though, with all of the wraithly accessories one agree, then debate. If you cannot agree, separate.
would expect. He has a Shadow, which manifests Working against each other negates working together,
briefly from time to time, but only when the rules he and violence begets violence.
has set down for Opus are violated. When this hap-
pens, his Shadow sends reverberations through the
entire plane of reality Opus occupies, so when Phineas
To Each His Own
When in your Epiphany, you are its king; to vio-
becomes angry, everyone in the area can feel it. It's a
late another's kingdom is to deny your own. This also
very intimidating and unsettling phenomenon, but
includes the malevolent use of Gossamer in a dream,
thankfully, it takes a lot to get Phineas to that point.
to bestow insanities or "triggers" in the mind of a
He also knows a few Arcanoi, and this makes it
dreamer. It's called Dreamreaping, and no Sandman While the Shadow cannot destroy you in this
would dare get caught doing it. state, nor damage any of your passions or fetters, it
can torment you all it likes. This period of stasis is

Punishments meant to serve as a reflective period, where the wraith

can ponder what he has done, and consider the path
If a Sandman takes too many liberties with his he has chosen to walk. Consisto can last anywhere
craft, and infringes upon the rights and freedoms of from a week to years, depending on the severity of the
his peers, he is brought to a jury of his peers, where act.
Phineas presides. He is given a fair opportunity to
present his case, and defend himself if he so chooses,
but it may be required that he volunteer his Epiphany
Nobilito
Another, more severe punishment is to have your
as evidence.
misdeeds circulated throughout the Dreamscape,
Everything the Sandman does, because of the ob-
which then marks you as a criminal. When Nobilito
vious link between his subconscious mind and his
occurs, you lose all access to Gossamer and Sand, un-
memory, seeps into his Epiphany and changes it. If
able to use it for any purpose.
others are given an opportunity to witness another's
Others will notice this, and assume that you are a
Epiphany, then it could be that any crimes he has
criminal. During this time (which can vary), you are
committed are stored there as a manifestation of one
expected to perform community services in Opus, or
kind or another. Remember, too, that the Shadow
in the Dreamscape.
wants the Sandman's misdeeds to be exposed, because
he wants the wraith to be discredited and isolated
from that which he loves. Nocturnus
The most severe of punishments, Nocturnus is a
Consisto process by which Phineas banishes you from Opus
altogether. It is a great shame to be punished in this
One common consequence of breaking these laws
way, and while it is not always permanent, anyone
is to be sealed inside your own Epiphany, which is
who works with you while you are exiled is consid-
sucked dry of all its Gossamer. This is rather like a
ered a traitor, and is banished as well (for a shorter
mini-Harrowing, in which you are left alone with
period of time).
your Shadow, and denied the opportunity to escape.
 ACT THREE:

DREAMSTUFF
"When we traded the results of our fantasies, it seemed to us - and rightly - that we had proceeded
by unwarranted associations, by shortcuts so extraordinary that, if anyone had accused us of really
believing them, we would have been ashamed."

-Umberto Eco, Foucault's Pendulum

And so we come to the inevitable Systems Chapter, • Conversely, changelings cannot enter the Dream-
where we discuss the various ways in which dreams scape, though they do come close to it in the
can be messed with. Dreaming. If you are in a dream, you might see a
fae walking by on a path called a Trod, but you
You should know, before I continue, that the rules can't access it, and they can't leave the Trod to en-
presented here are applicable to Mind's Eye Theatre, ter the dream you're in.
because I don't know enough about the Storyteller sys- • Jumping into the Dreamscape takes time, and
tem to accurately reflect the immersion of this material can't be used as a Fair Escape.
into those rules. For those of you who prefer the table- • In order to enter the Dreamscape, you must first
top version of this game, feel free to adapt these sys- 1) Use Sleepsense on a sleeping mortal, to see if
tems as you like. they are in "dream sleep" (Simple test), and 2) En-
ter the dream using the same Ability (second Sim-

Dreamscape, Dreaming and Fae ple test +1 Pathos). Each of the above requires 1
action or turn to perform, so Fair Escape is impos-
Given that the Somniatora have found it necessary sible.
to revolutionize themselves, they've been paying a lot • Additionally, one may travel to Opus from any
more attention to the Dreamscape, and have deter- location in the Shadowlands by spending one Pa-
mined how to better navigate it. There are some basic thos, and engaging in a Mental test. This requires
rules that apply to this layer of reality, which Storytell- a full five minutes of concentration, so it can't be
ers should be aware of: used as a Fair Escape, either.

• The Dreamscape and the Dreaming are not the

same thing, nor is Gossamer the same as Glamour. Gossamer and Resonance
They are different. You cannot seek out the fae, nor When you use Gossamer in place of Corpus in
do you know anything about them unless you be- your illusions, the Gossamer you use will resonate
gin play with Fae Lore 3. You cannot learn can- through the creation, regulating it to the dream the
trips, nor are you immune to their effects. You are Gossamer came from. Prior to spending the Gossamer
not immune to the Mists, so you will not recognize you've collected, you suffer no effects from this per-
a fae if you see one. If you do happen to have Fae sonally, because Pathos is your prime energy source,
Lore, this does not automatically mean that you but the illusions orient themselves to the Gossamer
have a relationship with them, or know anything once they are snapped into creation.
about the Dreaming. Below are the seven types of dreams, and the ef-
fects their respective Gossamer will have on an illu-
sion. On Alienism; Alternate Arts of Phantasm
Anyone who wishes to use the alternate arts of
Anxieties: Anxiety illusions will linger as long as they Phantasm provided in this book should be aware that
can, and will repeat themselves as many times as they the theories that gave rise to them did not come into
are allowed to. It's almost as if they don't want to being until the Victorian Age (meaning that if the Sto-
leave, and when they do, they go down with a bang; ryteller wishes to use them for a Victorian Wraith
they don't crumble or dissipate - rather, they will kick, chronicle, they will be considered fledgling arts, possi-
scream and wail. A Sandman must perform a Mental bly shunned by the older members of the guild, or
test with the illusion to banish it, and the illusion wins not, depending on where the game is set and what
ties. mood the Storyteller is in).
Freud and Jung's work on dreams and psycho-
Echoes: Echo illusions function the opposite way that analysis form the basis of these arts, and many who
Anxiety illusions do: they fade away quickly. If such use them are referred to as "Freudists" or "Jungians"
Gossamer is used, the illusion begins to lose its integ- by their peers.
rity immediately, at a rate of one Gossamer or Corpus Psychoanalysis in the 19th Century put forth the
trait per round. It appears, visually, to erode from the idea that an individual was not "insane" if his ideas
outside inward. strayed from the status quo, and was not necessarily
certifiably mad if he acted on any of his innermost
Fantasies: Fantasy illusions are very attractive. They urges, regardless of how vile or grisly they might be.
appeal to anyone who can see them, who must spend The theory was that all thoughts and motivations
a Willpower trait to avoid becoming captivated by the within an individual could be traced back to events
illusion every ten minutes that the illusion is present. that occurred in the patient's childhood, and could
therefore be rationally explained, and treated. This
Nightmares: Nightmare illusions have the power to theory of subjective reality was called "Context", and
terrify people, causing them to run away in fear. Any- is the leading authority on the below arts.
one who sees the illusion, whether mortal or super- Anyone who possesses these arts knows what that
natural, must engage in a test of their permanent Will- theory is, and though they may not necessarily believe
power vs. the amount of Gossamer or Pathos spent on it, they know how to use its principles to treat pa-
the illusion. If they lose, they will flee. tients, if that is what they choose to do for a calling.

Omens: Omen illusions are similar to Nightmare

ones, in that the objective is to cause fear, but the illu-
Special Ability: Seek Insecurity
With a Simple test, a Sandman may peek into the
sion tends to be more area-specific, giving the impres-
dreams of a sleeping target, and determine by observ-
sion that the surrounding area is being destroyed by
ing the dream one of the target's Negative traits, or
something, such as locusts, balls of fire or floods.
Shadow traits. The traits so discovered should fit
Heretics are fond of these types of illusions.
within the context of the dream.
Prophecies: Because of their unpredictability, Pro-
phetic illusions can take on any form the Storyteller 0: Anxiety
wishes, either something completely original or from This art, which requires one Pathos and a Mental
one of the other six types. test, allows the wraith to determine one of the target's
Flaws. The Flaw discovered should fit within the con-
Revelations: Illusions created from Revelation Gossa- text of the dream being viewed.
mer are inspiring in some way, or helpful. They can
light the way to somewhere dark, or they can manifest
as an ally or assistant of some kind. 00: Regression
With a Mental test and one Pathos, the wraith is
now able to call forth a shard of memory that merges
with the dream being viewed, allowing him to trace a
negative aspect of the target back to a source "trauma". be used to compel a target to "buy off" his flaws or
He then understands where the trait originated, and Negative traits (which can only be mental in aspect if
can gain insight into how that trait factors into the in- the patient is mortal), which they will do with their
dividual's worldview. Each additional Pathos spent next few experience traits.
keeps the memory linked to the dream for one turn,
which is woven into the Gossamer of that dream as
though a central part of it.
00000: Rehabilitation
This art encompasses the entire goal of the Alien-
ists; the wraith may force the Psyche and Shadow to
000: Diagnosis resolve each other in a series of dream sessions. This
Once the wraith has learned this art, he is able to art cannot be used on wraiths, but if used on a mortal,
probe deeper into the mind of his patient, and dis- it ensures that the target will not become a wraith or
cover the source trauma that created his Shadow Na- Spectre upon death.
ture (remember that Jung said that all humans have The system is as follows: Once per dream session,
Shadow archetypes as well, so this art can be used for the wraith performs a Mental test with the target. Suc-
mortals and wraiths alike). While it does not allow cess will nullify one of the target's Shadow traits (the
him to know what that Nature is, it gives enough Shadow traits are equal to the total attribute traits of
clues for the wraith to make an educated guess as to the dreamer). The wraith may continue these sessions
what it might be, and make inferences about the way (in which the target is the one facing his buried pain,
that archetype influences his conscious behavior. Each with the help of the Alienist) until the Shadow arche-
Pathos spent after the Mental test is one minute that type has one trait left. If the test fails completely, the
the trauma scene plays out. Alienist's Shadow gets a Catharsis test.

0000: Prescription
The wraith is now armed with enough tools that
he may alter the elements of a patient's dream, and
create scenarios in which the patient is forced to face
his anxieties, and find resolutions for them. This can