It isn't far to Hushabye Mountain...

[Rhodes]

Rhodes spreads one arm, making his way down the staircase. "Thank you. It is something of a favourite, and a reminder, being as different as we are, that the Dream can be whatever we want, right from the outset."

"Please, sit." He gestures to the chairs. "Given the Onxy King has heard this before and your natural curiosity," Eyes glance to Cassandra, "I shall start with a more academic grounding. The Dreaming is... for simplicity, a realm where the collective minds of the world go while asleep and dreaming. What it actually is, we cannot be sure, only gather from our time within. If it is another reality, a path to Arcadia.... no-one is truly sure, save herhaps the deepest of Oneiromancers that have all but severed their mortal connections. Dreams are connected by the Skein, the web of memory and imagination. Oneiromancers can find ways across the Skein to specific individuals, or find dreams of a specific nature. They allow us to observe, inform, even harvest the glamour of emotions and heal, treat and learn from those who are sleeping."

The Autumn King's voice resonates around the room, causing pauses to be as still as the grave.

"Just as the Hedge, the Skein is constantly shifting and changing - but to an even greater degree, as the only waypoints are sleeping minds that dip in and out. As such, it is always changing and trods are impossible to form. As you both know, all changelings are possessed of the ability to perform lucid dreaming just as this, and just as all dreams are connected so too do they all follow identical rules that we can employ, harness, and apply."

"We do not have to become visible in the dreams of mortals - we can pass through them unseen, as wraiths, bringing about the changes we can. Fighting in the Dream, however, will always reveal you to the dreamer. Within the Dream, we can engage in may activities, but the primary tool to manipulate these rules is the same - Empathise with the dreamer. Interpret what is around you, for they are insight into the dream. Intuition and understanding are key - as is strength of connection to the Wyrd. Dreams are a human connection to the Wyrd, one of the easiest ways for the Gentry to interact with the waking world, and so our own Fae connection strengthens the ability to manipulate them. Seeing if a dream is tied to a specific Wyrd, the closest translation from the Nordic being "Fate" - but not just of a moment but a whole life or destiny - can tell us if a dream is prophetic. the moment we alter then environment, we remove that connection, as we are now a factor beside the Wyrd alone."

Rhodes pauses, leaves spinning gently into existence around him.

"In plucking the strings of the dream, one can see what manner of dream they are in - nightmare, memory, recurring, or a wishful dream; gain insight into the individual they are occupying the dream of; convince the dreamer of something over time, sooth a psychological condition, or search for the poison of dreams from the Gentry and Loyalists." The Dread Lord pauses, smiling. "Some of these skills are opposed by the strength of the dream - the Intensity - which is raised by the vividity of the dream. Vague, indistinct dreams are easy to bend, but strong ones more difficult. So I thought we might start small, I can gage your ability based on your experience. I would like you to reach into the dream. Shape it - make a small change to the environment - and tell me what manner of dream this is."

This is Analyzing the Dream from the Oneiromancy Primer. The intensity is 2, so anyone attempting to alter the dream-library can roll Wits+Empathy+Wyrd-2![/COLOR]

If you succeed the roll, the answer is in here

The Dream is a Wish. Rhodes has never been in a place like this, and those that successfully shape a part of the dream can feel hints of longing, desire and imagination from Rhodes that make up the dream around them.

[James Turner]

James gave a deep nod and sat as directed, the memories of the last time flooding back into him as Rhodes began the lesson. Though he noted the changes, less broad, more focused, clear lines instead of boundaries. It was interesting noticing the differences from what he could remember that particular one a bit fuzzier than other memories at the edges. His mijnd wondering on the connection between the Skein and Arcadia and then both the connection to the hedge. Though keeping his focus on Rhodes, giving him the full attention he deserved.


He grew quiet and still as he listened, he couldn't recall that bit about Prophetic Dreams from last time. He didn't think he had ever tried that, his mind usually on other things, trauma, rehabilitation, those were where he worked usually. Though now he thought he should add that to his routine, not one to ignore Omen and Prophecy himself. Being this was a lesson and he was a student here he didn't think himself exempt from the task even if he remembered the answer.

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-06-29 17:16:58	James Turner rolls 8 to Analyzing the Dream (Wits + Empathy + Wyrd -2 Intensity) (10 Again)	5, 5, 1, 5, 10, 5, 2, 5, 6	1 success

He reached out, maybe not giving it his best effort as he pulled back feeling that longing again. Feeling the same quote from last time form in his mind. He couldn't help but smile at the memory, then he wondered if Rhodes' had ever read the book in turn. The question burning at the back of his mind, it wasn't really the time or place but the question was unrelenting. He would wait for Cassandra to answer before giving his own but in the mean time he had to ask. "You ever get around to reading Stephen King's It? On a note more on topic though, do you think we should still allow for a natural dream cycle more often than not?"

[Cassandra Reeding]

Cassandra sits and once more, continues listening intently. Her expression is cool and calculating, focused. She takes in the terminology: the Dreaming, the Skein, and what it all means as they go along, how the pieces work together, the connection to the Hedge.


It gets onto that difficult thing for her - empathizing. Cassandra has always had trouble understanding why people are the way they are, why they do what they do. It's something that has troubled her since childhood and why she isolated herself away from her peers in favor of music. Music makes sense. People... not so much. But, to be able to shape dreams, one must be able to empathize with the dreamer. Even now, that connection with the human side of herself feels duller by the day. She works hard to keep it through socializing with coworkers, involving herself with the symphony, in her own business, however her life now is near entirely centered around being one of the Lost. Is that another reason she has trouble with it?


She can't help but gaze at John for a brief moment. He gets people. It makes a little pit form in her stomach. Oh god. I'm going to be bad at this. She can feel that anxiety welling up inside of her.


Rhodes asks them to make a small change. Analyze the dream they are in. All of this knowledge swimming around her. She gets it. She absorbs it. It makes sense, but now she has to apply it with her own hands. How? Her heart quickens a little bit and she reaches out her senses, trying to figure out how to do what Rhodes has instructed.

Analyze the Dream - Failure

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-06-29 17:56:07	Cassandra Reeding rolls 4 to Analyzing the Dream (Wits + Empathy + Wyrd -2) (10 Again)	5, 2, 4, 4	failure

She tries to enact a small change and she feels... nothing. She gleans nothing.


I'm doing it wrong. It's completely wrong.


The Emerald-eyed Artist's expression changes from calculating and focused to hints of confusion. John begins speaking and she can already tell he's got it. Of course he does.


She shakes her head, "I couldn't quite get it. I'm not sure what went wrong." Her prismatic colors shift in hues of pinks, yellows, and reds. She may be somewhat embarrassed, but she at least won't lie about not succeeding with something. She won't be able to apply knowledge properly if she did. "I could probably guess, but that wouldn't be helpful." Maybe it is the nerves? If she had to guess, this would be something about a want, right? Or, maybe it is something else. Maybe there is something she isn't seeing. "When you say manner of dream, do you mean what it is about at the base of it? Or am I misunderstanding?" Maybe it's a lack of understanding the material.

[Rhodes]

The Dread Lord chuckles darkly, shaking his head ad John's question. The memory of their last interaction in this place rising slowly. "Unfortunately not. With one thing and another, the Hunstman... dreams.... engagement..." He shrugs. "Ironic, I know, but when I read horror is somewhat low on the list of priorities. And.... it depends on your objective. Leaving the dream allows it to unfold naturally, but consider, if you can, your own mortal dreams. I doubt you will remember many specifics. Changing the Dream can help people learn from their subconscious, gaining insight. We can teach and heal through them, by shaping the dream for it to be easier for the dreamer to work through and this, understand. Leaving the dream allows us to see what is in their mind, but does not necessarily ease the path for them... or us, if the dreamer has something we require of their mind."

Rhodes watches as the colours of Cassandra's skin shift and change as she admits to struggling, taking note of them. She was like him in many ways. Appearances were crucial, pride upon how they were viewed, especially for their intelligence and skill. His deep green eyes, almost overly large in head, glance between the two of his guests, before settling back on Cassandra to reply to her question. "I do. Dreams of mortals are built out of the subconscious. While we have far more control over them, we are part-human and use the same fundamental blocks when forming them. Because they form of the subconscious, they form out of what the subconscious can access, meaning a dream, very generally speaking, takes one of four primary forms. Those of primal emotions - that is, fears and desires - and and those of the mind - memories, and recurring dreams where the subconscious grapples with some dilemma or other. Naturally, these spheres can overlap, but there is always a primary driver." Cassandra was an intellectual, that much from their exchanges had been clear. Perhaps breaking things down was more helpful.

"Making small changes can help us know, intuitively, which of these factors are in play. However, what is important to remember is we can keep making attempts and the dreamer is none the wiser. Patience is a key virtue or Oneiromancy." He gestures a hand to her. "Please, try again, until you know for sure."

[James Turner]

John had an easy time empathizing with people but a hard time connecting and communicating with others. He could turn it on when he needed to but there was always a disconnect there. Never able to find the words necessary to bridge that gap, awkward, shy, reserved, these weren’t usually traits given to Fairest, wondering if that’s why he was picked to become shadow. He could see Cassandra struggle, thinking her last question was merely a delaying tactic because she hadn’t quite grabbed hold of the dream yet.

John chuckled alongside the Dread Lord, his head slowly bobbing in understanding. “Makes sense. Priorities and all, definitely finding myself with less time to escape myself.” He shrugged, there were a lot of reasons to that, the crown, his studies, having to network now which even thinking about made his stomach churn, add on top of that the elephant that was quite literally in the room and it added up to be a lot though all of those changes were positive so he was more than happy to lose a little time reading, even a little sleep, for it.

“I use it for Treatment where I can. It’s an odd feeling and I’m still conflicted about the invasion, but it seems like it does more good than harm at least.” It was a complicated feeling and topic, sometimes their natures felt almost parasitic, a remnant left behind by their Keepers maybe. It wasn’t the time or place for that though. “I was mostly considering my own dreams, I try and let them run as intended so I can see what’s on my mind. Though I wonder if even the awareness of that alters the dream.” He shrugged, if anyone knew it would be Rhodes, but it was a bit further along than James had progressed at least.

He grew silent, slipping naturally into the background again as was so natural for him, and let Rhodes instruct. “I, uh, well, I try and find the undercurrent of the dream. It’s interwoven into everything, a common thread that binds the whole fabric together. You can’t subtract it without the whole thing crumbling.” He scratched at the back of his head, that was just how he saw it, how he felt and experienced it. It was like a great, woven tapestry intricate and interwoven. You could pull at the threads but pull too much or too hard and the whole thing came unraveled. John was tempted to reach out, to pull one of those threads for Cassandra to follow but he thought that defeated the purpose of the lesson.

[Cassandra Reeding]

Cassandra listens closely and nods. Patience. She needs to show patience. She can do that. So, the Fairest tries again, tapping into the dream, trying to figure out what works, what will get her there.

Analyze the Dream - Failure x2

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-06-30 09:31:34	Cassandra Reeding rolls 4 to Analyze the Dream (Wits + Empathy + Wyrd) -2 Dream Intensity (10 Again)	4, 7, 7, 6	failure

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-06-30 09:31:55	Cassandra Reeding rolls 4 to Analyze the Dream (Wits + Empathy + Wyrd) -2 Dream Intensity (10 Again)	5, 2, 1, 7	failure

It's hard at first. John is talking with Rhodes and all she can do is listen to his voice cutting through her focus. He is speaking in a way that should be helpful, give what feel like helpful hints with looking at it in a different way, in a different, possibly more tangible light. But to a degree, it is highly frustrating. She has to try again and again until she gets it. This is just the beginning, she has to remember, and practice is all she needs.


She begins to relax a little, focus, let everything else tune out.

Analyze the Dream - 1 Success

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-06-30 09:32:16	Cassandra Reeding rolls 4 to Analyze the Dream (Wits + Empathy + Wyrd) -2 Dream Intensity (10 Again)	5, 3, 10, 2, 3	1 success

It takes her until she has found a sense of calm for her to successfully get a feel on the dream, but once she gets it, it feels as though a burden has been lifted off of her shoulders. There is a little smile that comes to her lips, her prismatic skin less erratic.


Her instinct was correct, but somehow it really is more satisfying to know for sure. "This place is a desire, a wish. I can more than see why. Standing in this kind of place, the first reaction would surely be 'this place is a dream'." It would be nice if some of my dreams could look like this. Well, they could, but I don't often like to shape them. I let them happen... maybe that's part of the problem?

[Rhodes]

Rhodes nods slowly in agreement with John as he explains his own experience. "Many are.... apprehensive about shaping people's dreams. I am fond of the analogy of the blade. It can be used to extort, to threaten and abuse. But a blade can also be a medical tool, carving away the diseased flesh. Oneiromancy is neither good nor evil. It can harm, yes, but also do great good. The Oneirophysics can even accelerate physical healing through dreams, though that is a special power one must dedicate themselves to following." He watches the Onyx King, thinking carefully. "That is a valid approach, if one is prone to such introspection. Personally, I prefer to keep such things to the waking hours. The Dreams are some of the places we are the most magical, possessed of the ability to shape reality itself. I usually take that opportunity to exercise those skills."

He listens to John's pointers, clearing his throat. "Well... that is not precisely true. The final statement I mean. It is possible to replace the underlying current... but it requires much practice."

The Dread Lord's smile stretches as she correctly identifies the Dream. "Excellent! Yes, just so." He looks up around the room for a moment. "As John will have made clear, this place is one of my favorite places for hosting. It does not qualify as a recurring dream, because it is a place of imagination that I have created, though I have been here many times. And is, alas, not a memory."

He watches Casandra for a moment. "If you are finding it difficult to manipulate the dream around you, I recommend taking time to observe people. Watch their expressions, how they react. The first step in empathizing with a subject is recognizing what they are feeling. Only then can you connect that with your own feelings, expectations and understanding. This can be done anywhere - A summer coffee is a perfect time to watch the customers and passers by." There was something almost clinically practical in how he described borderline voyeurism. However, he was sure that as a courtier she would be up to the task. "Alternatively, it is possible to lower the dream's Intensity by a process known as Scouring. An oneiromancer can only try to scour each dream once, and if they erase the dream altogether and hold the dreamer asleep, can build their own dream from the ground up using Glamour in a process we call Dreamscaping. We won't be trying that today - if I did actually wake we would have to start the process of sleeping again from scratch - but I assure you it's very intuitive. Consider when you have a dream that abruptly changes tracks - it's likely a changeling altered the dream in some way."[/FONT]

"Still. Once you know the basis of the dream, you know how to change things to remain within the themes unfolding around you. Making things easier for the subject helps them gleam meaning from the subconscious. This is how mental treatment works, smoothing the unpredictability of the subconscious into a path that can be walked." He pauses, steepling his fingers and letting his voice reverberate ever so slightly in the space. "It also allows us to see into the individual, recognizing their strengths, weaknesses, or assets that reside within the mind. Do you follow so far?" He looks towards Cassandra at this point, John having done this before.

[James Turner]

It was hard to not listen when Rhodes was talking about the topic, there was weight to his words and he'd seen the Miracle Sera had performed on Anatole. He felt his talents didn't lie there but keeping with the mind for now. He just nodded along in agreement, keeping silent as Cassandra kept reaching out to the dream trying to filter through the undercurrent to a single specific point. "Finding less time for that in the waking hours of late. Gone is my hour for lunch or dinner in the park. I don't do it often but I try and do it regularly, see if I'm hiding anything from myself." He couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head at that remark; he knew he was his own worst enemy in that department, evidence in the room with them.


John always wondered if there was a subtler, less abrasive way to shift a core of a dream than scouring. Wondering if smaller changes over a longer period of time would naturally change the nature of the dream. Then as Rhodes described the way John essentially spent his small moments of peace in a day and he felt that strange otherness wash over him again. "Or a dinner in the park, watching the sunset. It's nice either way. Both of you are welcome to join me at a meeting sometime too, a good way to understand people is to interact with those who's experiences are vastly different than yours. It'll help you bridge that gap." At least, that's how he felt but he'd always empathized with the lost before.


Listening as Rhodes spoke on scouring only interjecting as he finished looking to Cassandra, "That's what happened in Ram's Dream. It's hard to have a light touch sometimes, so I had to hold it together or my change would have broken the dream." John growing quiet as the rest of the lesson continued, no further context to add though Rhodes had him thinking about his earlier thoughts.

[Cassandra Reeding]

Rhodes points out what is keenly obvious. She needs to spend more time observing people. Really, it's beyond that. She needs to spend time talking to people, figuring out what humans are about at the core of their beings. Or just at the surface would be fine too. It's a frustrating issue she has. Still, people watching could be interesting. It seems a little awkward too.


But he mentions understanding people is how we understand ourselves. That's not true. At least, it isn't true to her. "I've always understood myself better than I've understood people. I would even venture to say that I understand myself pretty expertly, it is just that I can't apply that to other people. I don't," she pauses, pursing her lips, "I don't understand people. I can't read them. I can guess based on context clues, but it isn't the same. Yet, I'm not socially inept."


"Still, people watching is probably a good idea, or, John, I would rather like to come observe what you do." Perhaps it would also do well to see how someone who does get people empathizes. Then she thinks of dinners in the park, watching the sunset and she wishes that was something they could easily do together. Maybe one day.


She continues listening. Scouring, lowering the dream's intensity. Interesting. And then Dreamscaping, changing the course of the dream or rebuilding it from the ground up. That's what John did with her, right? Reminding her that she is beyond glad her experiences in the Hedge didn't wind her up with Dream Poisoning. And then there was working with Ram's dream. John mentioned it and her mind latches onto it again. The steps taken are much like Rhodes had just mentioned. She imagines the ones who understood how it worked started with Analyzing his dream and then allowed it to play out. Then John had to keep it from collapsing when things went chaotic and sour.There are things in Ram's dream she assumes make connections with his Durance, but she can't know for sure. The constant feel of battle.


It's a wonder though. Her mind works best making connections to what she's worked with or what she's seen, observed physically. Yes. Observing should do her well. It just feels weird. Peering into people's lives like some random person lurking at a window, just watching from behind.


"Thus far, I follow." She says with a nod, "I have a feeling this will be something I'm going to have to work much harder at than others. Which is fine." She has a strong work ethic. I'll get there. It doesn't take much to admit it. It's going to be true. Is it why it has taken her so long to get a grip on contracts of Omen? They have more to do with people than she thought originally. So many threads of thought veering off into different places, different possibilities. At least her imagination isn't something that is lacking. But do I have any questions yet? Not really. Everything has been explained adequately and it makes logical sense.

[Rhodes]

There is a small nod. "A kind offer. I may take you up on it. I find cards is an excellent tool myself. Particularly those where your challenge is to read the opponent, so anything with a gambling element becomes marvelous practice."

Emerald eyes blink slowly. So. It appeared there were others looking into the dreams without calling on him. So be it. It was good they were practicing, and this saw the double-edged sword of Fear - one had to overcome reputation to be approached. To him, it was simply the first challenge. "Just so. One can have restraint, and need not use every inch of their will for every attempt. The careful Oneiromnacer will often seek to hold back, that they might weaken the dream but not break it completely. Scouring can be as important as manipulating, especially for a potently vivid dream."

The Dread Lord rises, nodding as Cassandra confirms her understanding. "Good. Now, everything I have described so far has been the domain of all Changelings. These are all things we can do, and anything else uses the same primary tools, as I said before. However, they are not the only tools...."

Rhodes strides into the middle of the chamber, feeling the power flow into his hands.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-07-08 09:07:01	Rhodes rolls 7 to Forging the Dream: Wits+Wyrd (10 Again)	6, 4, 7, 5, 8, 2, 9	2 successes

The books on the walls fold backwards and vanish, turning the entire walls around into clouds of leaves and vanish, revealing rolling snow-covered hills. Bare trees stand around and the snow drifts down gently from the sky. Icy winds brush through the air... though the table and chairs remain. A frozen river twists under a scenic stone bridge before them all.

"The contracts of Dreams," Rhodes announces into the biting cold, "can transform the dreamscape entirely as easily as breathing. Their power can also be as shield and sword letting a skilled oneiromancer fight even the most dangerous of dream creatures on a near-equal footing, or reach through the dreams themselves to shape the real world in tiny measure." He turns back to face his guests. "We can sculpt dreams making the dreamer see what we wish to see, giving warning or meaning to see what memories we wish from them. It does not harm, no more than a regular dream may. But never forget we may have complete control over the environment... an invaluable tool should conflict arise. Oneiromachy, or Dream-fighting in the more common vernacular, is the one form of Dream interaction that forces one to become visible in the dream, as one is seeking to afflict onto another rather than guide. Those involved in Oneiromachy will awake highly drained, possibly bruised, but little more than that. It is an are of the Fae - mortals cannot use it, but changelings can, drawing on their skills form the real world that they know to act as they may while awake, meaning fighting skills can be potent.... but so too can imagination and the mind over matter."

He gestures to Cassandra, smiling easily. "Care to try?" With a flick of his wrist a snowman grows out of the bank across the frozen river.