The Petitioners entered the Great Hall of Judgment in the House of Karma, Their respective retinues spreading out at the back of the Hall.
Enthroned on the dais ahead sat KOROS, God of Life and Death. On the left arm of the throne were balanced a small pair of golden scales, in which He/She weighs the worth of souls for reincarnation. In His/Her right hand was the Staff of Life, with which He/She gives, and takes away, that most precious of all gifts: life itself. The God Him/Herself had assumed His/Her usual form in this Aspect: an androgynous young man/woman, extremely fair of face and with long hair of the most platinum blond(e). He/She was garbed in formal robes of black and white, and crowned with a simple circlet of black and white fire. He/She relaxed in the basalt and marble throne, and contemplated the approaching Demons.
The Dream Demons halted at a respectful distance from the throne, spreading out into a line, and bowing low.
On this ceremonial occasion They too had adopted formal shapes, in keeping with Their respective Aspects. KASHAT, Demon of Nightmares, stood out. His form is not to be described, for to perceive it can cause madness in any lesser Being. Just beyond His leftmost excrescence shimmered HALCYON, of Daydreams, manifested as a golden shower at the periphery of visions of rainbows. KASHAT had no right side, but beyond where it otherwise would have been stood SURGAT, Demon of Prophecy, as a blind old seer clutching the heavy tome of oracles that never leaves His grasp. Behind His right elbow hovered a full-length mirror, in which was to be seen the back of a naked female form (Who would have been facing the throne in line with the others if ORORO, Demon of Imagination could have been perceived normally). To HALCYON's left a little girl in a nightdress sucked Her thumb and dragged along the teddy bear which represented the Orb of Dreams, the bearer of which is MELLIA, Demon of Fancy.
These are the Dream Demons, and it is rare indeed that all five should manifest together in the Waking World. But KOROS was of course as unsurprised at the sight as He/She was to see that They had been joined by a number of other ambitious Demons, no doubt petitioning for the same incarnation. He/She sat impassively, and waited for the Petitioners to speak.
"Oh Mighty KOROS, Giver and Taker Away of Life, Judge of Karma, and Mightiest of Gods!" KASHAT made the formal address, no doubt because for such a Thing as He to utter it could only sound blasphemous, though all the rituals were scrupulously observed.
"We stand before Ye", lied ORORO, "humbly to beseech Ye to grant this, Our unworthy Petition."
SURGAT's book was now open, and from it He read, His fingers tracing the words:
"Whereas the following facts may be assumed:
"First: that MERLO, Demigod of Dreams, has disappeared without trace;
"Second: that it is vital to the stability of the Dreamworlds, and to the sanity of all sleepers, that there be direction and control over, and responsibility for, Dreams;
"Third: that such direction and control is not presently exercised; and
"Fourth: that One such as MERLO would not abdicate His responsibilities, or fail to explain a prolonged disappearance to His loyal servants;
"Therefore it may be assumed:
"Either: that MERLO, Demigod of Dreams is dead or destroyed;
"Or: that He is indisposed for an indefinite period;
"And in either of the aforesaid cases it follows, for the aforerecited reason, that it is meet that a new Demigod of Dreams be appointed;
"And so it is that We, Your Humble Petitioners, with all due respect, and observance of the proper forms and ceremonies, do humbly beseech Ye to judge which amongst Us, the candidates assembled here before Ye, is most worthy to be re-incarnated as MERLO, Demigod of Dreams, the Third of that Aspect, Lord of the Dreamworlds and Master of the Subconscious."
So saying, SURGAT tore the page neatly from His book, knelt and proferred it to KOROS as a formal Petition. KASHAT ululated in a manner which might perhaps be conceived appropriate (from Him), MELLIA giggled, HALCYON hung suspended in midair, and ORORO now reflected the words of the Petition.
KOROS let them wait a few minutes before He/She deigned to speak.
"I thank Ye for Your Humble Petition, but regret to inform Ye that it is misconceived. For MERLO of Dreams is not due for reincarnation today. We are sorry that Your coming here should have been in vain, but perhaps You would care to avail Yourselves of Our hospitality whilst here in the House of Karma?"
ORORO was first to respond: "Great KOROS, You have spoken," the words were spoken in a pleasant female tone, as if by ventriloquism from in front of the mirror. "But may We perhaps be permitted some elucidation of Your Judgement? 'MERLO of Dreams is not due for reincarnation today.' But is that because He is not dead, and may return? Or is it, if I may presume to be so bold, because He will be due for reincarnation tomorrow?"
At this KOROS stood. "MERLO lives!" He/She stated. Then, still clutching the Staff but leaving the scales, He/She descended the steps from the dais. Standing now before the Demons, He/She eyed each (a token gesture towards KASHAT) before responding.
"You Demons of Dreams face a crisis. Thus We speak to Ye now, not as God of Life, Death and the Karmic Order, but as Goddess of Neutrality and the Balance that is to be Maintained in All Things. We have informed Ye that MERLO cannot be reincarnated, because He still lives. You have stated Yourselves that the Dreamworlds must have direction. You do not have the power or the co-ordination to provide that direction Yourselves. Therefore You needs must resolve this crisis, either by restoring MERLO, or by eliminating Him, so that He can indeed be reincarnated on the morrow."
MELLIA now spoke. "Thank you kindly, Uncle, but Teddy want to know if You knows where Daddy is?"
"MELLIA", replied KOROS, "Sometimes Thou takest these aspects too far. But no, We can provide You with no further help, other than that MERLO lives, and is not known to any of Our followers, either in the Waking World, or in Dreams; so far as they may be so perceived, which is to say, poorly."
"KOROS", mocked KASHAT, "You have spoken fairly, as ever, and We all thank You. We are aware of the risks. It is indeed as SURGAT foretold. We must embark upon a difficult and dangerous Quest, from which One amongst Us shall emerge triumphant. If My worst nightmares are not realised, it shall be Me. I look forward to re-presenting My Petition at a time when You shall look upon it more favourably."
"One more thing;" tinkled HALCYON, "may We have the use of a Conference Chamber, freely to discourse as to Our next course?"
"By all means, Golden One. And may all Thy Dreams come true."
"My Blessing to You, Sleepless One", replied MELLIA to KOROS' formal farewell.
As the Dream Demons and Their companions left the Hall, They motioned to Their cohorts that they were dismissed. For the Demons had much to discuss before They left the House of Karma. Assuming conventional human forms, They headed for the Conference Chamber.
Left alone on His/Her throne, KOROS closed His/Her eyes and daydreamed. The Powers of Dreams always brought a fresh perception to events. If anyone could resolve this Chaos, it would be Them.
Welcome to "Dream Demons", the fifth in an occasional series of one-off adventures set in the Anarea FRP universe.
In the third 1-off, "Ten Kings in the Triangle", the Demon Summoning system was introduced, and a person was (possibly) reincarnated as a Demon. This time around we look at such matters from the opposite perspective: the players are Demons, and are liable to be Summoned. The Karma system (hidden to all but the Higher Powers) is introduced, and the players strive for possible reincarnation as a Demigod.
In the fourth 1-off, "Breaking the Law", ChaosMastery was (or should have been) explored, and the limitless new worlds of Chaos opened up. Now we enter the new worlds of the mind, rather than of matter, as we explore the Dreamworlds.
Previous 1-offs have addressed (or challenged) the problem of presenting the players with a quest which they must work together as a team to resolve, whilst allowing competition between players so that a "victor" can be assessed. The interaction between Higher Powers is different from that between people, and calls for a different approach to the issue in this 1-off.
Demons do not have personalities as such. They are Their Aspects and Their Alignments. However, the relationships between Higher Powers are extremely political. Their Aspects compel them to work together to run the universe, delicately balanced in its diversity. Their power is such that They cannot readily be killed or destroyed, but Their Alignment and nature compels Them to conflict and the inbuilt incentive of karmic advancement encourages Them to compete. A loose code of conduct sometimes referred to as the Divine Intervention system governs their interaction with lesser beings. A similar honour system regulates Their interaction with each other. In general Higher Powers are extremely civilized and practical in Their dealings. Some, of course, are uncouth by Aspect, and there are times of open conflict when plots reach their climax. But such is the sophistication and level of defences of Higher Powers that most victories over One's rivals are gained by stealth, rather than force of arms.
This 1-off presents a simple political situation: a joint crisis which the Dream Demons must resolve as a matter of mutual interest. It also offers the possibility of competition: an opportunity for reincarnation on the next step up the ladder.
Victory will be assessed by total karma of each player's Demon at the conclusion of the quest. The highest score wins, with the rest ranked accordingly. As the players represent the candidates for reincarnation as MERLO, it may be assumed that if a vacancy does exist for that incarnation at game-end the winner will take it as his prize.
This is not a simple experience-earning exercise. As you will see from the Karma system, the value of souls held is crucial. To succeed in the quest it may well be necessary to trade away souls to other Higher Powers for information or services. Players will need to balance such trades between themselves and any NPC Dream Demons, and any player going it alone may pay dearly for private advantage. There will also be the opportunity to earn new souls during the game, as player Demons are Summoned. Trading will therefore be an important factor to success.
In contrast to "Breaking the Law", this is not an elaborately designed scenario. The nature of the Dreamworlds and the almost limitless possibilities open to Higher Powers call for a different approach. The power of Dream Demons to shape dreams means that players will have a fair degree of control over the designing of the worlds explored, with the DM regulating the influence of Chaos and other factors outside their control. Hopefully, the central problem will present an appropriate challenge.
The design of the Demons played by the Players has been standardised in the interests of playability. The enclosed workbook includes spreadsheets for each of the Dream Demons plus a pro forma spreadsheet for a Demon Lord of equivalent level. The total karma of each has been adjusted so that they all total 132,000. All players will therefore start with exactly the same "victory points". The only differences are the individual Demon's Powers (as to which see the enclosed Grimoires), and how you customise and play Him. You may choose your own Demon, and customise Him to your own design. You may make any changes to His spreadsheet and Grimoire specification that you wish, provided they are consistent with His Aspect (equivalent to "character" for people), and that His total karma does not exceed 132,000. The scenario allows for Demons other than the Dream Demons to take part, and you may choose and design such a Demon if you wish. But bear in mind that only the Dream Demons have power over Dreams, and you may therefore be at a disadvantage to Them in the Dreamworlds. A list of known Demon Lords is provided from which to choose, but you will have difficulty creating a design for a Demon King or Prince with only 132,000 karma. Please note that all character designs must be approved by the DM before play begins.
You may negotiate with other players prior to the 1-off re which Demons who will play, in order to avoid conflicts. Please do not discuss specifics of your character design. Once you have committed yourself to a particular Demon, you may discuss strategy prior to the 1-off with other Players who have so committed. Once you have agreed your souls with me, you may also make trades if you wish. Such discussion and trades may be conducted with NPC Dream Demons (i.e. with the DM) prior to play on the same basis, but not with other NPC Higher Powers until play commences. All such pre-play negotiations are assumed to take place in the secure Conference Chamber in the House of Karma.
I wish you sweet dreams, unless of course you have chosen KASHAT!
P.R. Wild, 14 August 1993
"Dream Demons" was a big disappointment to me. As you can see, I put a lot of effort into designing it, and addressing the playability problems of previous 1-offs. But again it was over-ambitious. Players had difficulty playing Higher Powers, rather than humans. However, they did at least manage to solve the puzzle this time, and prevented Mheldegrin's dream from coming true.
But what I found disappointing was the attitude of most of the players. They took it far too seriously, and were badly behaved, towards me and towards each other. As a result, I decided not to run any further 1-offs, and even considered calling a halt to mainstream Anarea.
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