ManseRelay/StoneOfDreamEntrance
= The Stone of Dream Entrance
This Hearthstone allows the bearer to enter the dreams of another. It is a Level 3 Lunar Hearthstone. (Bo3C, p.116)
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Fivefold Paradise of Encircled Waters - Quendalon
- West
Somewhere to the south and west of the Wavecrest Archipelago, a tribe of dreamy, sun-browned islanders dwells on a vibrant green atoll. These folk seem ordinary enough, but they have a secret: when the moon is in the sky, their dreams bear their spirits beneath the waters to a palace of silver and marble in the shape of a four-pointed star, where gardens of night-flowers bloom beneath five domes of clearest crystal. There, in their dreams, the islanders live a secret life of decadence and intrigue among the time-lost relics of the First Age. Ancient spirits wait upon them; constructs whisper forgotten lore that they shall not recall on waking; and their passions and fears take lives of their own, wandering the halls in search of a fulfillment denied in the waking world.
The folk of the atoll do not dare swim down into the depths of the lagoon, for the palace’s defenses destroy all who make the attempt. But when the moon is full, sometimes a dreamer will depart from the palace and come to the surface. Children born of the union of a waking islander and a dreamer bear the mark of dream magic; they become witches and seers, forever set apart by their unnatural origin.
House of Omen - LeumasWhite
- North
In the mountains north of Diamond Hearth, at the end of a long, slim canyon, lies the House of Omen. A sloping, unobtrusive structure of onyx and feathersteel, the House has a fearsome reputation amongst the barbarians of the region; each member of the nearby tribe must enter it as part of the passage to adulthood, spending one night in each of the series of rooms it contains, apart from the last.
The halls of the Manse are as plain as the outside, but the rooms are a different matter; each depicts, in blood and metal, the journey of a Lunar-led expedition to recover an artifact from the Wyld. Named the Frozen Edifule, the properties of this item are unknown, though it is apparently greatly valued by the Lunar in question. Those who sleep in these blood-stained rooms are treated to the same horror as those depicted, though unlike the original victims they awake to find their souls intact. An Exalt who does so will take the part of the Lunar; a different, yet comparably horrible experience.
The pictures and dreams tell of his failure to protect his mortal companions from the fae, and his horror at watching the wyld-creatures walk through the humans’ minds, removing their selves and their souls. The rooms are roughly arranged in a spiral pattern, leading to the hearthstone chamber in the centre of the Manse; a chamber, like the halls, that is plain and uninteresting, serving only to hold the pedestal on which the hearthstone forms. The tale grows gradually more terrible as the expedition moves closer to their goal, but the story ends, unfinished, with the centre chamber.
All those of mortal blood who sleep in this chamber die, quietly and without fuss. Exalts experience wracking pain and nightmares, the memory of which disappears upon waking. The cause of this has not yet been discerned, as there are few willing to research it.
Everdistant Mirage - TedPro
- South
Lost in the dunes deep in the South, in a valley between them, is an oasis - a tiny white temple by a pond, shaded by palm trees. The pillars of the temple are simple and elegant, the water is clear and blue, and pathstones of serene white mark walkways around the pool. The temple lies at the bottom of a valley between shifting hills of sand, a cool refreshing spot in the hot winds.
Everywhere within ten miles of the temple, false visions of the temple can be seen, in the distance, over the next hill, in the next valley, at the horizon, reflecting the light of the sun. Those who walk these sands know the mirage, and know it is not to be followed. Even at their thirstiest, they ignore the mirages, for pursuing them would be a waste of effort. The only time the temple can be found, they say, is by an old hero, wandering alone, seeking a good place to die. They send their most honored to seek the mirage, to find a final resting spot in a tiny, quiet, dignified paradise.
The Moonblood Garden - Kalisara
- East
A tall, graceful mansion of white marble, with turrets at each corner and a high wall surrounding the whole. Within the wall, the moonblood grows - lily-like blossoms, deep red in hue, that only open by moonlight. From their petals rises a strange, intoxicating scent, that drives even the strongest mortal into hallucination and eventually a dream-tossed slumber. The flower is prized, but the garden has a protector - everyone who has entered it and attempted to gather moonblood, even those with no need to breathe, has felt the slowly growing sensation of shadows gathering behind them before falling unconscious and waking up, without flowers, some distance outside the wall.
Should anyone succeed in gathering moonblood, either by eluding the guardian or by attuning to the manse, the petals can be distilled by a skilled alchemist into one of two potions. The Red Moon Dreamer elixir, when drunk, brings powerful prescient dreams, while the Black Blossom Ward, used to anoint a sleeper's forehead, protects her dreams from supernatural influence.
The Grey Prophet's Tower - Sparrowhawk
- Center
Fourty miles south of The Heptagram, there is a small castle of gray granite, polished to a mirror-finish. Its design displays perfect symmetry, and one who is well-versed in geomancy will see that it is built on principles of sacred geometry. The castle is the property of the Heptagram, and is the private retreat and laboratory of some of its elder instructors.
Inside the castle, the rooms are richly appointed, but still tasteful. The dining room, lounge and meeting room are what you would expect to find in a dynasts vacation home. The library, meeting room, and alchemy lab are more obviously purposeful; showing that the house is meant for business more than for pleasure. Those with sorcerous knowledge might notice that all the furnishings are arranged in geomantically significant ways; or that the intricate geometric patterns in the walls (finely traced in moonsilver and orihalcum, no less) have a deeper meaning. But none of this is the real secret of the mansion. That would be the tower at the very center.
The tower is a cylinder fifty feet tall, capped by a domed roof of Chiaroscuran glass. At the top is a bedchamber, decorated with fine black-and-white silk. One who sleeps in the bed at the chamber's center will dream of his soul seperating from his body, flying out from the tower. In this state, the dreamer can move, invisibly and intangibly, wherever he wishes. He can use his state to spy on events happening far away. He can be seen by magic that reveals spirits, but his dreaming soul cannot be attacked at all. This power only functions when the moon can be seen through the tower's domed glass roof.
Comments
Does the person who picks the new theme post the first entry on it? -- Bira
If you want to. It isn't required. Once a theme is open anyone can post. - Telgar
I changed the Level of the Stone of Dream Entrance to 3, since it was 4 beforehand. It says 3 in Bo3C. - Seiraryu
- Thanks for the fix! - Quendalon
I was pretty tired when I wrote this, so be nice. - LeumasWhite
Here's my wrap-up for this relay. I'm wrapping up a lot of relays lately. If someone will archive this for me, I'll post the next theme. - Sparrowhawk
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