The Isle of Dreams is the place in the Waking World where one enters the Palace of Dreams, which is the Citadel of MERLO, Demigod of Dreams. Of course the Palace itself exists largely in Dreams, but a Portal which may be considered its main entrance manifests in various locations on the Isle. The Palace may also be reached directly from Dreams, but this does require a certain degree of control over one's dreaming. So MERLO maintains this Portal as a matter of courtesy, though its existence should not be taken as implying that He welcomes visitors to the Palace.
His principal servants, the Dream Demons, also dwell often within the Palace. They are KASHAT, Demon of Nightmares, MELLIA, Demon of Fancy, ORORO, Demon of Imagination, HALCYON, Demon of Daydreams, and SURGAT, Demon of Prophecy. Each of the Dream Demons also has a Temple to Him or Her on the Isle. Like the Portal to the Palace these are of mutable form (save that of SURGAT, Who is Lawful and prefers a classical temple) and location, as they are built of Daydreams, and appear and disappear in the mists that shroud the Isle. The Temples are places where worshippers and supplicants may commune with the Dream Demons without a Summoning. For they are Daydreams of the respective Demons, who therefore know all that transpires within them, and have total dominion over the same. They could in theory steal an entrant's soul (though not with its associated karma, which must be given voluntarily by Pact: such a theft would be akin to a Silver Halo). But they encourage worship, and therefore give hospitality to Their guests who enter freely, and offer communion to further Their respective cults, and Their own devious ends.
MERLO Himself is not so hospitable to casual visitors. He encourages worship of Dreams through the Demons, but does not seek direct worship of Himself, though He does not discourage it either. He is commonly believed to be satisfied with His dominion over the Dreamworlds, and to seek Godhead in due course through recognition of His vast power, importance and respect. MERLO is a Demigod of some dignity.
The Dream Demons have less decorum, and are constantly engaged in endless plots for Their own advancement, either generally or over each other. MERLO generally stays aloof from such conspiring, no doubt approving of a certain amount of healthy competition.
The Isle itself lies in the Sea of Mizzin in the Underworld. It is the larger of the two main islands in that shallow Sea of Mists (to translate the Orcish). The other is the Isle of the Lost, which is the domain of YHWRC, Demigod of Madness, and is another story. The Sea is usually covered by mists, to varying degrees, even when it is windy; the wind itself seeming to whip up new fogs. Often the peak of Mount Endeavour is all that is to be seen of the Isle of Dreams. The Isle of the Lost, being flat, is rarely to be seen at all (fortunately, it is said, for to look upon it brings madness).
Into these mists are woven daydreams (and delusions around the Isle of the Lost). For the Powers of Dreams seek to discourage casual and unworthy visitors. Only those who are firm of purpose or accomplished in dreaming are likely to navigate the dreamy vapours, and set foot upon the Isle itself.
But there have over the years been many such, some of whom have been permitted to stay. These Dreamers make up the small population of the Isle, and are mostly concentrated in the villages of Mirage and Phantasm, the former being located on the shore of the bay on the South East coast of the Isle, the latter on the summit plateau of Mount Endeavour. A few hermits and recluses dwell elsewhere on the Isle and/or in Dreams. Most inhabitants worship one or more of the Dream Demons, and revere MERLO. Worship of the Clerical Gods is not forbidden, but They have no Temples or active Clerics on the Isle. Instead the Cults of the Dream Demons prevail.
The Cult of KASHAT, Demon of Nightmares, is E/C. His is a fiendish and unpleasant Cult, dedicated to spreading horror to thrill-seekers and the fearful alike.
The Cult of MELLIA, Demon of Fancy, is G/C. Hers is an optimistic and hedonist Cult, concerned with the enjoyment of good dreams and pleasant notions.
The Cult of ORORO, Demon of Imagination, is N/C. His is a diverse and artistic Cult, devoted to the exploration and appreciation of all manner of dreams and ideas.
The Cult of HALCYON, Demon of Daydreams, is G/C. Hers is a wayward and trivial Cult, delighting in all manner of trickery and illusion.
The Cult of SURGAT, Demon of Prophecy, is N/L. His is a profound and arcane Cult, committed to the forecasting of important events through the analysis of the ideas of those influencing or caught up in them. It is this which is the most widely-known of the Cults of the Dream Demons outside the Isle. The Oracles from the Isle of Dreams are famous for their mysterious and prophetic appearances, which are precursors to important events in the Underworld. Oracles are also sought by those who desire advance knowledge of events of importance to themselves, and this is the most common motivation of those who seek to visit the elusive Isle of Dreams.
Such petitioners must first penetrate the daydreams that guard the Isle. They must then locate the Temple of SURGAT. The priests of the Cult are known as the Seers, and it is they who dispense Oracles. But they do not do so to just anyone who asks. They seek always to further the ends of their own Cult, their own knowledge of events, and the importance of their Oracles. There is therefore always a price for Oracles. This can vary widely, and can be quite disproportionate to the significance of the matter concerned. As a matter of principle, no Oracle is ever refused, but trivial and wasteful requests are discouraged by the setting of impossible quests as their price. On the other hand, where the Cult is particularly interested in a matter of great import, they may only require the imparting of an apparently insignificant piece of information. Sometimes they pose questions simply to gauge the reactions and attitudes of persons of influence.
The Oracles themselves are invariably cryptic. The style depends on the individual Seer, but all Oracles of the Isle of Dreams are derived from the analysis of Dreams, and are both a Lawful and a Chaotic means of prophecy. At first sight this may appear paradoxical, but it derives from SURGAT's unique position as the only Lawful Dream Demon, when Dreams are by their very nature Chaotic. All prophecy is concerned with the analysis or recognition of underlying trends. These may either be Lawful, and are usually discerned by direct precognition, or Chaotic, when they are usually discerned in the form of Omens, or simply by intuition. Dreams are a method of freeing the mind so as to access all these methods of prophecy, and the skill of divining Oracles is to analyze all the signals so received. This is essentially a Lawful discipline, though it does (or can) have a substantive intuitive aspect, which is Chaotic in nature. Thus SURGAT is a Lawful Dream Demon, and His greatest Seers are perhaps the closest one might come to a Lawful ChaosMaster.
Oracles are the main source of the island's commerce, but the Cult of SURGAT does not dominate the Isle of Dreams because seekers after Oracles come and go, whereas true Dreamers tend to stay. Many of them spend most of their time asleep, lost in daydreams, or in drug-induced trances, but the most accomplished physically enter the Dreamworlds. Both mental and physical entry of Dreams are equally valid. The former is easier, particularly to escape, but risks the physical deterioration of the body in a prolonged dreaming. However, the acolytes of the various Cults are charged with preserving the bodies of dreamers, usually by means of life-sustaining potions.
To the waking visitor, the Isle of Dreams may therefore seem somewhat dead, lacking as it is in most normal commerce, agriculture and social activity. What is not readily apparent is that it draws on Dreams to survive. Commerce does exist, but much of it is with the Dreamworlds. Indeed, several notable Dreamers affect the title of "Merchant of Dreams".
This, then, is the Isle of Dreams: gateway to worlds of infinite imagination, home of strange Sects, source of obscure Oracles, and rendezvous for all manner of Dreamers.
P.R. Wild, 18 July 1993
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