Fandom [MULTIFANDOM] 𝕃𝕦𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕚𝕗𝕥 (Lore)

[Forevermore]

Where everything began...

Before the tribulations of Morpheus, there was a sole deity who looked over the Land of the Unconscious. Hypni, the deity of sleep. They had been overseeing these lands for a millennia, and they felt the great beyond calling to them. They knew it would soon be time to pass the torch onto another. And so, Hypni created two individuals, a boy and girl, to replace them and rule together once they were prepared enough. The boy, Hypni created of sand, the girl, from ashes. Morpheus, the boy of sand, followed Hypni's instructions to the letter, and was most interested in the process of dream-making, and the wonder said dreams could bring to all who slept.
Somnia, the girl of ash, however, had little interest in these things, and placed more attention onto things some may call ominous, like the creatures that lurked in the darkest corners of the Land, as well as how dreams- including nightmares- could spark different reactions in people. She wanted to push the boundaries of dreams and reality.

Hypni felt concern for Somnia's interests, so when the fated day came, of the twins' coronation, Hypni interrupted to give a speech about how they must put the well-being of all parties before anything else when choosing who to rule over Lullendrift and oversee the Land of the Unsconscious. At the end, they chose Morpheus to be the sole ruler of Lullendrift and the Lord of Dreams.

Somnia, furious that she wouldn't receive the honor she was promised for so long, swore she would get revenge and Lullendrift would fall to her hands. She left the ceremony, ignoring Hypni's and Morpheus' pleas to be civil about the matter, full of nothing but rage.
Not even a week after the incident, Hypni disappeared, without a trace.

Slowly, over the span of a few decades, the nation of Lullendrift began to convert, out of Morpheus' control. Places that were once bright and peaceful became treacherous and dim. Beasts of shadow roamed the land, some so terrifying it was said you would be paralyzed with fear if you even glanced at them. Nightmares, which used to be a rare occurrence during the process of dream-making, appeared so often that Morpheus couldn't produce enough good dreams to balance them out, let alone overpower the amount of bad dreams. Morpheus, of course, knew that Somnia was behind it all.

One evening, as Morpheus was preparing to try and create some more pleasant dreams, one of his servants ran up to him and gave him a letter, out of breath, covered in ash. Morpheus recognized Somnia's handwriting at once. It proclaimed Somnia as the Empress of Nightmares. Somnia wrote that she now had an army that none could defeat, and that she was more than prepared to seize Lullendrift for herself, as she had been doing with the Land of the Unconscious for a while now. She finished off the letter by saying that if Morpheus surrendered to her, she would let him and what remained of his people live. But if he didn't, she would fulfill the promise she had made at the ceremony all those years ago and defeat Morpheus, destroying Lullendrift and all he held dear.

Enraged, the Lord of Dreams had a letter sent back to wherever Somnia was that declared war on her and her army. Morpheus had never fought a war before, but he wasn't about to let Lullendrift succumb to the Empress that easily. Morpheus gathered what troops he had and told them to prepare for battle.

Somnia was, unfortunately, a woman of her word. The Empress of Nightmares and her shadowy creatures slowly began whittling away at Morpheus' re-inforcements, and the strange darkness began to nibble away at Lullendrift, one chunk at a time.

As Somnia gained on them, the Lord began to panic. What remained of his army was weak, what remained of his people were terrified of what appeared to be a certified destruction, and what remained of his kingdom wasn't even half of what the old Lullendrift used to be. The Lord of Dreams was desperate to find a way to stop his sister, before it was too late.

One restless morning, however, he was looking through his temple's library, searching for something, anything, that could aid him in his darkest hour. After a while of searching, he stumbled upon a tattered old book of Lulladrift legends. One chapter had a bookmark left in it from who knows how long ago. He opened the book to the chapter that was marked, and he read of a mythical artifact of great power. It was called the Relic of Desire. Ancient powers that had existed before even old Hypni did crafted the Relic out of a chunk of the Evening Wishing Star. It is said that a native of the Land of the Unconscious, when they laid hands upon the Relic, could wish for anything, and the Relic would grant it. However, the Ancient Powers hid the Relic in fear of it falling into the wrong hands. Fortunately, a map leading to the hidden location of the artifact was created, although its pieces where scattered all over the Land of the Unconscious.

Morpheus knew in his heart that this was his only chance at stopping his sister from succeeding. Without it, certain doom was in store. He spent what little free time he had in between his royal duties researching as much as possible. At the end of the lord's studies, he had this information:

1) The Relic can only grant one wish every 100 years.
2) The Relic can only be used by a native of the Land of the Unconscious.
3) There were four map pieces that worked like puzzle pieces. When they are put together correctly, they will showcase something like a GPS that will show where you are in relation to the Relic's location.
4) There is a famous, old poem popular among the people of Lullendrift that is said to be about the map pieces:

A wish, a wish, hidden from those;
Who's devious desires they wish to impose;
A map, a map, can show us the way;
Can unfog the path, as clear as day.
One piece rests in the cavern's hoard;
One piece swims in the lagoon's shore;
One piece hides in the forest's chest;
One piece lurks in Desolate's breast.
All together, all together, then your path will shine;
We found the wish, we found the wish;
What I desire most will soon be mine.

5) Assumedly, the locations that the poem spoke of were the Caverns of Longing, the Pools of Slumber, the Forests of Regret, and the Desolate Plains.

All that was left was to go find the map pieces, and then the location of the Relic of Desire would be revealed. Unfortunately, that's where Morpheus hit his first problem- he couldn't go off on this expedition himself, as he had a nation to look after. And he couldn't send off his already frail troops either.

There was only one thing for it: he would have to select champions from the Come-And-Gos.

 

[Forevermore]

Geography

Spoiler: A very, very, very detailed map drawn by [USER=99753]@A_Hazy_Clarity[/USER] :]

The gray areas are controlled by the Nightmare Empire, and the white areas are under Morpheus' control. Go compliment Hazy's expert mapmaking skills.

--Lullendrift: Where out heroes start. Lullendrift is a peaceful, flourishing kingdom that is one of the only locations still under Morpheus' control. It's a good place to start and a nice place to return to due to it being the only place with businesses like pubs and medical centers.

• Morpheus' Temple: This is where the Lord of Dreams resides. In its courtyard is where our characters regain their senses.
• Medical Center: There are many places where you can go and get medical attention. Don't worry though- the injuries are only real in the Land of the Unconscious.
• Bazaar: Want to stock up on remedial items? Rations? Head to the bazaar, where anything you can dream of is on sale.

--The Come-And-Go Region: This is the small territory of Lullendrift where all beings that aren't native to the Land of the Unconscious experience their dreams. Most of the people of Lullendrift work here, making sure everyone drifts in and out accordingly. Unfortunately they can't control what dreams- or nightmares- the visitors experience. Only the Come-And-Gos' consciousness (which takes the form of the person or creature it belongs to), resides there while they dream. This area will not play a big role in the RP.

--The Pools of Slumber: These giant lagoons are sacred and are said to be the birthplace of Hypni themself. If your eyes come in contact with the water, you fall into a deep and sometimes irreversible coma. Many creatures reside in these waters, however, resistant to the water's powers.

• Icelus Cove: The largest of all the pools, where most of the creatures live, and where a map piece lies.

--The Peaks of Fate: In the middle of the Land of the Unconscious lies the Peaks of Fate. It is said that whoever climbs to the top of the tallest mountain will be faced with a riddle, spoken by the mountain itself.

• Mt. Phantasus: The tallest peak of all. It is the only one that can speak, but all it will say is the same riddle, waiting until someone answers right.

--The Forests of Regret: These forests are known to have a dense "mist" that, once inhaled, puts the individual under a spell that makes them revisit the times they have done something they wish they have done differently, hence the name.

• The Forest's Eye: Right in the middle of the expansive forest lies a clearing bountiful with flowers and vines, This wildlife is supported by an overflowing fountain, at the top of which is a statue of a lady crying into the fountain, presumably over her regrets. She cradles something near her chest...

--The Desolate Plains: This is the most mysterious, darkest corner of the Land, where nothing but shadow flourishes. The most horrid of all Somnia's creatures, the Sleep Paralysis Demons, are native to these plains alone. The capital of the Nightmare Empire is located here.

• The Empress' Fortress: Somnia had a feeling that Morpheus was up to something, and having her precious raven companion, Apnea, lurk and listen in long enough in Lullendrift, she learned of the Come-And-Go champions who were going to find the Relic of Desire. She then went out of her way to find to find a map piece herself and hid it in the heart of her fortress, knowing that without all the pieces, Morpheus would never get his hands on the Relic.

--The Caverns of Longing: These caves, if you go deep enough, contain crystals, large and exquisite. However, if you stare deep into them, instead of a reflection, you will see the things you desire most in life. Many creatures waste away in these caves, entranced by their desires displayed on the crystals' reflections.

• Cave Artemis: This cave is the deepest and darkest of all. Some say that inside Artemis lies the biggest, most marvelous crystal to ever exist, but nobody has seen it and managed to leave the cave to tell the tale.

 

[Forevermore]

Species
There are many different types of beasts and beings in the Land of the Unconscious, but these are the most predominant.

--Lullendrift:

• Drifties: These are the people who call Lullendrift their home. They all admire Morpheus and live under his protection and guidance. They are short, squat individuals who appear to be made entirely out of clouds. They are capable of speech. They have the ability to shapeshift and are very malleable.

--The Come-And-Go region:

• Come-And-Gos: The beings referred to as such are those who are not native to the Land of the Unconscious. They are anyone or anything that dreams. Normally they leave and return to the region frequently, hence the name.

--The Pools of Slumber:

• Bubblefish: These appear to be pufferfish, except they look like they're made out of bubbles. They produce big bubbles of oxygen when they are spooked, since they begin to hyperventilate. They also puff up, still spiky despite their bubble-like appearance.
• Phindols: These are green, dolphin-like creatures that are capable of speech. They have their own tribe, and are constantly sacrificing things to appease the apex predator of Icelus Cove, where they live.
• Rocktopus: This giant kraken dominates Icelus Cove. Enormous and covered in a tough, rocky exoskeleton, it is one of the fiercest creatures in all the land. It seems to like eating valuable things, which is what the Phindols provide so the Rocktopus won't eat them.

--The Peaks of Fate:

• Pegagoats: Native to the Peaks, these winged goats are nearly impossible to tame. They often fight amongst themselves for food and try to steal from anyone who stumbles upon them.

--The Forests of Regret:

• Sporeshrooms: The sporeshrooms produce spores that cause the hallucinations the Forests are known for. Giant, self-aware fungi with one eyeball, no visible mouth, but many tentacle-like vines, they trap people with their spores of regret, then with their vines, crushing the intruders in their grasp.

--The Caverns of Longing:

• Dragonites: In the deeper parts of the caves are where Dragonites, humanoid, dragon-appearing beings, mine the best crystals for their hoard of treasures, which is overseen by their leader, Lady Lazuli. They are quite docile for dragons.

--The Desolate Lands:

• Sleep Paralysis Demons (SPDs): These are the most frightening monsters under Somnia's control. Able to paralyze anyone with their gaze, they are the key asset to the Empress' tyranny. They tend to take on the form of whatever the person facing them fears the most.
• The Corrupted: These poor souls used to be Drifties, but the stare of the SPDs corrupted them into dark, hazy creatures of ash, now forced to do Somnia's bidding. They can melt into shadow and are what the Empress uses most to spy on her enemies. They are very sensitive to bright light.

 

[Forevermore]

Will and Will-Nots: Things that can happen to your characters in the Land of the Unconscious

Will: Your characters can...

• Feel hungry, tired, sore, ill...a lot of things you wouldn't feel if this was a normal dream.
• Remember the 'dream' once it's over. Again, proof it isn't an ordinary dream.
• Be able to have the weapons and abilities they would have were they conscious.
• Feel pain. A lot of it. The brain really is an amazing thing, isn't it?
• "Sleep" or be "knocked out". It's more of a simulation of the real thing, and it has much less affect on a person's awareness (i.e. You can clearly hear what is going on around you).

Will-Not: Your characters can not...

• Die. It's a dream, duh. However, they WILL wake up if they are "slain", and once they wake up, they can't return to the campaign.
• Lucid Dream. This would obviously make them OP in this regard, if they can control stuff going on around them. They can only control themselves.
• Use the Relic of Desire. Only people or creatures native to the Land of the Unconscious can wish upon it.
• Wake up. Don't worry, a lot is happening in the span of a few minutes, per Morpheus' supreme power. It's not like the characters will be asleep for weeks on end or anything. They will sleep normally as if they were experiencing a normal sleep cycle, except they won't wake up for the whole duration of it, unless your character is "slain".