The Dark Dream

The Dark Dream is a Vastiarian cult of nightmare worshippers, who believes that fear is the ultimate power one can wield. It's members seek to gain new insight into fear and give birth to new nightmares by exposing themselves to terror and torture, resulting in that more than a few of them can seem a tad bit deranged. The Dark Dream has been around for many ages and is a highly morphic organisation, as its goals change along with its leadership. The only constant is their use of fear.
More than once, the organisation has made powerful enemies following the whims of ambitious or cruel leaders, resulting in what at the time must have seemed like their destruction. Yet every time, the Dark Dream returns with new leadership. Most guess that it is the nightmares that make sure to keep the dream alive, so to say. The membership is a potent source of fear and new nightmares, plus their worship means that the creatures has easy access to the waking world. As such, their vested interest means that they will always make sure the group survives in some manner.

Structure

Agonizer: Pain specialists. They learn magic focused on agony and use it at the organisations behest for interrogation, punishment and combat as the situation requires. Apprentice: New members entrusted with the barest hints of power. They serve under more established members, aiding them in return for education. Hypnotist: Skilled mind benders who use their powers to subtly shape society of the Dark Dreamers' benefits. Also occasionally aid in giving members "attitude adjustments." Inquisitor: Enforcers of the organization, who aid in maintaining ideological purity and devotion to the cults overall goals. Primus: The overall leader of the Dark Dreamers is the primus, selected from the most senior members when the previous one dies. The primus is responsible for deciding how the organization will operate and the Dark Dreamers can undergo major changes with each new leader.

Culture

The core belief of the Dark Dream is that the power of fear rules supreme. The cult uses their mastery of the mind and dark arts to control people, bend organisations and shape history. Those outside the cult are tool and the view of members can sometimes be little better. There's a sort of elitism to their thinking, that they have found the key to success and now deserve to use it for their own gain. Beyond that, they are heavily shaped by whomever holds the position of Primus.

Public Agenda

The Dark Dreamers wishes to acquire power. As for why, that answer depends on who holds the rank of Primus, as their personal beliefs direct the cult

Assets

The Dark Dream has acquired much lore on the summoning of nightmares, harking back to the time of their founding.

History

Back in 1643 AIT, Deborah Berwyk sought to expand her mind using a combination of magic, drugs and other methods, believing she could catapult her soul into the Ether, there to absorb the very knowledge the deities possess. She was succesful in most steps. But instead of landing in a pool of divine knowledge like she had expected, her defenseless mind landed with a flock of nightmares. The exact details of her ordeal are unclear, but when she finally awoke she was a changed woman. The creatures had provided her knowledge, one based on the inducing of fear and wielding terror like a fine dagger. Deborah gathered others of similar ilk, promising power in return for obedience. She pledged herself fully to serving the nightmares, calling them into this realm to aid the interests of the newly formed Dark Dreamers. She had little goals but to spread fear, the power the cult gained being almost an afterthought. Her successor, Primus Spiridon Barelis, had more concrete goals. He refined Deborah's methodology and improved the organisation, founding many of the ranks that still exist. He believed that fear was a tool, not a goal, and set out to make the Dark Dreamers the hidden mover and shaker of the realm. His successor, Primus Eoin Rex, was more ambitious and wanted the Dark Dreamers to be the leader of a country. Unfortunately for him, he was more ambitious than he was capable and the Dark Dreamers suffered devastating setbacks. This has been a continual pattern since then, the cult rising to prominence under a capable primus, only to falter, fade and seemingly vanish. Yet every time the group is though destroyed, it has always managed to come back.

Military

The Dark Dream has been know to rely on hired mercenaries, but also have their own dedicated forces. Agonizers, hypnotists and inquisitors and all capable of applying their skills to the art of warfare in defense of the cult.

Religion

The Dark Dream is centered around the worship and adulation of nightmares. Members will often subject themselves to deep, drug-induced slumber to send their minds into the Ether in order to commune with and experience nightmares. Most members hope to cultivate their very own nightmares from themselves and the most driven subjects themselves to various horrifying experiences in order to nourish new nightmares. The dream beings are seen as gateways to power and any nightmare summoned is regarded as a sacred aid.

Education

Prospective members are apprenticed under established members of low to mid rank. They are then taught everything they need to know to become full members.

Divine Origins

Deborah Berwyk's harrowing ordeal in the Ether lay the foundation for the Dark Dream's religious beliefs. That fear is divine power and that nightmares are the purest embodiment of that power. The most early teachings by Deborah herself was more about causing fear for it's own sake, with any gains only being to create more fear. Her successors had less esoteric goals, turning the idea to that fear was the ultimate source of power to gain whatever one could want. The veneration of nightmares continued though. Higher ranking members would bind themselves to these creatures to gain them as advisors and teachers, in turn giving the nightmare an anchor among the spheres and a source of fear.

Worship

Contemplation and meditation on fear is the most base level of worship. On special occasions, larger congregations will gather to collectively send their minds in the Ether in order to experience the pockets of nightmares up close and personal.

Fear is Power

Founding Date

1643 AIT

Type

Religious, Cult

Alternative Names

Nightmare Apostles

Training Level

Semi-trained

Veterancy Level

Experienced

Demonym

Dark Dreamers

Government System

Theocracy

Legislative Body

The dictates of the primus are, in theory, absolute,. though several elements of the organisation has become so traditional that even the most revolutionary leader would be wary about altering them.

Executive Body

Inquisitors enforce laws and dictates. They have the authority to search, interrogate and incarcerate as they deem necessary.