Trance, Plane of Dreams

The Trance formed from the remnants of Al'Madoon, the Architect's subconscious. Without a celestial body to inhabit, Al’Madoon’s mind wanders forever dreaming in the Trance, a magical plane of beauty, grace, and peril. The Trance partially covers The Above, The Below, and Erenel, taking on the characteristics of each where they meet.
As Al’Madoon dreams, occasionally, a new species forms from his subconscious in an exciting turn of events. Unfortunately, the creation is not always of sound mind and spirit.

Before the Great Sacrifice, while the creatures of Erenel slept, they did not dream, merely resting in a light stasis. After Al’Madoon sacrificed his celestial body and the Trance was formed, the might of his subconscious not only created the Trance but now provides access for all living creatures to dream while they sleep.
Now, most creatures dream, some more intensely than others, but few realize the potency of Al’Madoon’s subconscious mind as it continues to exist from within. The Trance is a dream-like wonder, where flowers can suddenly grow in the blink of an eye or the grass shifts from shades of blue to red to green with each gentle breeze. Here, the whimsical fey and cruel hags first emerged, born from the Architect's fantastical dreams and horrific nightmares.

The dreamland is beautifully intoxicating and naturally dangerous. A plane of spontaneity formed by the Architect and bolstered by those native to the dream.

Dream Pearls

While a creature native to Erenel sleeps, their consciousness slips from their mortal body and enters the Trance. Upon arrival, the consciousness forms into an small but impenetrable dream pearl. The creature experiences a vivid dream from this pearl and feels refreshed after sleeping. When a creature awakens, its dream pearl vanishes as its consciousness returns to its mortal body.
A true dreamer's journey.
A dream pearl can also act as a way for powerful entities and deities to speak directly to a creature's consciousness as they sleep. While impossible to destroy, dream pearls can be viewed and even entered from within the Trance if a being understands how to slip inside.

by Dean Spencer

Additionally, where a dream pearl materializes in the Trance often dictates the creature's dream. A dream pearl appearing in the Summer's Dream could be a wonderful and memorable experience. Unfortunately, one that appears in Winter's Dream is called a nightmare and full of horror.

Lucid Dreamer

Some species of Erenel are gifted in dreaming. Known as lucid dreamers, they enter a meditative state, during which they remain semiconscious as their mind “floats” in the Trance. These Lucid Dreamers do not create a Dream Pearl while meditating; instead, they can quickly peek into the plane and still benefit from a restful sleep.
Most notably, all Elves not corrupted by the Fallen Elf are blessed with an instinctual ability to lucid dream. Others, like Dreamer Dwarves, also share a profound connection to the Trance providing them the ability to lucid dream. Creatures that do not sleep cannot lucid dream or create dream pearls. However, they can enter the plane with powerful plane-shifting magic.

Geography

The Trance is split into three distinct domains based upon how close areas of the plane come to the The Above and The Below. The domains are known as Summer's Dream, Wyld, and Winter's Dream.

Alternative Name(s)

The Dreamland, Eternal Glade

Type

Dimensional plane

Included Organizations

• Dreamwalker

Owner/Ruler

Al'Madoon, the Architect

Inhabiting Species

• Hyedal

by Dean Spencer

Druidic Language

Those who call the Trance home speak the Druidic Root Language, each of the three domains providing its unique dialect.

Frozen Court

Commonly spoken in the Winter’s Dream, this harsher take on Fey Speak represents the struggle of surviving in the Winter’s Dream. Guttural with long syllables made up of dense sounds, Frozen Court includes many inflections to showcase subtle meanings. Because of this, Hags often gravitate to the dialect.

River Court

Commonly spoken in the Summer’s Dream, to speak River Court is to embellish conversation. Much of the vocabulary comprises multiple words with the same meaning and are often strung together to emphasize importance.
Because of the number of words used per sentence, River Court is a quick, percussive dialect.

Wyld

Also known as Common Fey, Wyld has a smaller vocabulary than Frozen Court or River Court but retains its whimsical bravado. Creatures of the Trance, including the many woodland tricksters and treants, speak Wyld.

Summer's Dream

Where the Trance layers under The Above, the land is an awe-inspiring place too beautiful for mortal eyes to comprehend. Flowers bloom eternally and lakes sparkle as if made of sapphires. Lanterns seem to float in the air, which is alive with butterflies and other insects. The air is always hot in the lands of Summer's Dream, and despite the constant twilight, it is much brighter here.

Wyld

Most lands of the Trance are subject to the whims of the Summer's Dream and Winter's Dream. These middle lands are known as the Wyld, where Majestic fey castles and sunken mires dot the landscape, inhabited by various fantastical species with wildly varied personalities. In the Wyld, the mood of the most powerful denizens of a particular area can greatly impact its surroundings. Storms may appear at a moment's notice, or thick bramble engulfs a small fey kingdom that once floated upon a great lilypad.

Winter's Dream

Where the Trance layers above The Below, the lands are as harsh as winter itself. Icy cold temperatures howl into wind swept mountains and dead forests. Only the strong survive in this land, as deadly predators hunt one another in the snows and struggle fighting for survival. It is much darker here than in the rest of the Trance.

by Dean Spencer

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War of Wolf and Stag

The primal deity Hrólfr’s rage following the Great Sacrifice guided the Ancient Wolf into the Trance. Here, Hrólfr, the Ancient Wolf hoped to carve out a new existence, away from the other primal deities that betrayed their creator. Unfortunately for the denizens of the Trance, Hrólfr’s intense rage and sorrow filled the dream with overwhelming hatred, causing the denizens to lash out against one another.
To quell Hrólfr’s fury, the mighty centaur warrior and son of Thayriel, the Keen Eyed, Sodok Taran ventured into the Ancient Wolf’s Kingdom of Embers. Catching Hrólfr by surprise, Sodok Taran drove his greatsword through the Ancient Wolf’s maw and deep into the soil, silencing his tormented howls and pinning Hrólfr to the ground. The Ancient Wolf’s wrath consumed the greatsword for centuries, soaking its hilt with fury.
As fate would have it, a young Caelian warrior lay severely wounded and near death following the betrayal of his clan. Hrólfr reached out, promising to save the warrior by filling his soul with anger if the warrior would return the favor. A pact was made that would eventually lead the Caelian warrior, Magnus Darkshield, to free Hrólfr by pulling the greatsword from his mouth. In return, Hrólfr would aid Magnus in ascending as the Warlord’s Alliance leader.
Following Hrólfr’s escape, thanks to the Wolfheart Clan, Thayriel has sought retribution by eternally hunting the ancient wolf and slaughtering any followers who accidentally cross his path. Hearing of this hunt, Aymara the Foremother has attempted to intervene and find peace between her adopted children. Her pleas to Thayriel have fallen on deaf ears, and the war between the wolf and stag continues.