Oneiromancy
Imagine a crimson apple. Amplify the color. Let it envelop and swallow your mind whole.
That is the color of the Sylvan Reverie, where dream magic was born.
Summary[edit]
Oneiromancy, or the dream magic, is a high-tier druidic magic gifted by the spirit Sylva. Practitioners of it act as guides, healers, and researchers of history. They are also rumored to be able to astral project themselves into the Sylvan Reverie in order to commune with the slumbering spirit. Druids of Sylva are firm believers in the Cycle of Souls. All things must eventually end in order for new beauty to be born. It is through The Dreaming that we understand the beauty of the past and better appreciate what is to come in the future.
It is not often that the druid themselves takes an active part in such dreams. Their role is to maintain the dreamscape and ensure the safety of those they are guiding through dreams.
The magic of the Dreaming is done by the weaving of mana. It can be done between a druid and a single individual, a group of individuals, and even powerful relics and weaponry. Souls bound together fall into unconsciousness and experience a unified vision.
Notes[edit]
Because the process involves the interweaving of mana, it is not advised that oneiromancy is performed on entities from other realms such as Demons or High Faerlan. This holds a high risk of injury and mana corruption. It is not advised that corrupted oneiromancers perform dreaming services for others, as there is a chance of injuring those that they guide.
Death is still a possibility within Dreamscapes. An unskilled oneiromancer could lose touch with someone and leave the body of that individual permanently braindead. Death of the oneiromancer themselves will result in all minds tied their theirs being lost.
Dreaming is centered around memories. They are prone to being biased or even warped, and are not accurate representations of history. The more individuals within the Dream that share the memory, the more accurate it can be. Taking drastic actions to alter the Dream can have unforeseen events on individuals involved.
When traveling into memories, those who were not a part of the event itself will take on the position of someone who was. Their appearances may remain the same or even change depending on the dream itself. Empyrean and Hedera will experience reality around them with bodies made of flesh and blood, being able to experience heat, cold, touch, and many other sensations.
An Oneiromancer takes a serious risk upon themselves should they choose to delve into the dreams of a being or construct vastly more powerful than themselves. There is a chance that control of the Dream will fall under the realm of them rather than the Druid itself.
Onlookers who stumble upon a Dreaming session should not seek to intervene, lest they risk injuring all those involved. At the same time, those within a Dream should never, under any circumstances, attempt to force their way out of a dream, lest they lose their own mind in the process.
There are three forms of dreaming magic that the druids of Sarea have used in the past.
Dreamscapes[edit]
The druid focuses on a memory and creates a temporary demiplane which those they guide astral project within. Such ventures are centered around the concept of discovery. Learning things from the past that one might have missed before. They can also be used to visit those who have been lost, however, these are not the dead themselves. The Dreaming can not bring anyone back, only reflect what you remember of them.
This method of oneiromancy has been used to speak with ancient beings such as the demon general Karrador, to simpler tasks such as locating books within a destroyed library. As long as the source of a memory exists within an oneiromancer's reach, they are capable of creating a dreamscape from it.
Quarantine[edit]
The druid manifests not a memory, but a moment in time, often lasting only a few seconds but existing as a repeated loop. It often represents a point in history where the patient feels their most safe and secure. It can be used as a hub that exists between jumping between multiple dreams, or as a point within one's mind where mental maladies can be sealed.
Quarantine is not a permanent solution to sealing mental trauma or disorder. It only exists as long as the patient believes that it is working. Though it has been used several times as a way to seal foreign or multiple personalities, no attempts of this method of quarantining have succeeded as a long-term form of treatment.
Delving[edit]
Delving is the most complicated form of oneiromancy. The druid collects a group of individuals and jumps from dreamscape to dreamscape, aiming to discover a universal truth that the group is seeking. Due to the extreme concentration needed to open dreamscape after dreamscape, it is suggested that the druid's own quarantine space is used as a hub to connect them all.
Due to the dangers involved in this form of oneironmancy, not much has been done with it. Perhaps in time, we will understand more of how this inception style of druidic magic works.