The Trouble with Dreams

Queen Aisling was among the kindest, wisest, and strongest of rulers - before she broke a statue of the Dreaming King. Now cursed with nightmares, she hasn’t slept for more than a half-hour for weeks. Irrational judgments, belligerent confusion, crumbling sanity: the Queen’s insomnia threatens total ruin for us all.
Yet a Wise Queen has wise advisors. The Duchesses have hired a small team of hardened mercenaries, and a Somnomancer to send them into the Realms of Slumber. Their mission is to lift the Dreaming King’s curse, by any means necessary. The payment is substantial: 700gp each.
The Trouble with Dreams is a dream-delve for four sixth-level characters. Be warned: those who die while bodily within the Realms of Slumber never fully awaken again. They experience a half-life as permanent sleepwalkers. Also, taking a Long Rest in the Realms of Slumber will return you to the World of the Waking. Do not return before your work is done.
The Trouble with Dreams is a fiction one-shot ran by Keiran.

Party

Ballantine

Krusk

Dinah Venjor

Cal

Synopsis

The party begins at the Landing Zone, where they see a line of dreamers waiting to be admitted into The Realm of Dreams. There’s a rainbow rhinoceros named Hornelius asked rather inane and longwinded questions. It’s going to take them a long while to get through the line, and when they attempt to cut the line, they are berated and eventually it breaks out into combat. The party successfully subdues the dreamers and Hornelius, and make their way into The Realm of Dreams.
They have entered in the Snail Jousting Arena, where two weretigers are riding atop giant snails, shouting at one another, and talking about how they will fight each other to the death. The party takes a seat within the mushroom stadium, and makes bets on who will win. The snails are slow though, and they quickly get bored and continue on their way through the Realm of Dreams.
From there, they head Home. It’s their home, as well as Yours, even though you all grew up in different places. Their parents are there, as are Your Parents. The parental impressions are rather nice to the party, and although the party is unnerved, they continue forth into the next segment of the adventure.
The party ends up at the Bathtub Graveyard, where a girl is crying because her brother hasn’t answered her. She gestures to the giant dead octopus that is her brother, and the cleric Dinah assesses him for life. Finding none, she tries to break the news to the girl, but the girl’s brother is not happy about that! He lashes out, and the party ends up in combat. They protect the girl’s innocence on the off chance her brother gets hurt, and she offers them some potions of healing as they leave.
In the next segment of the Dream Realm, the party finds themself at a giant door, and there are mice wandering around, chanting like soldiers. They try to open the door, and find 1) that it’s locked and 2) that there’s some hefty magic on it. Some of the party members are paralyzed and frightened as they enter combat, facing off against the Brave Mice who are “hunting some scaredy cats.” The party breaks free with mental fortitude and are able to make their way through the door, after dealing with the lock.
There, they find themselves in the realm of Falling Teeth. Ballantine’s teeth begin to fall out, just like those nightmares, although this time they begin to grow into small creatures that are intent on killing the party. The party fends them off, and then continues on their journey.
They find themselves in the Realm of Sir Knightmare’s Hunted Hall, where Sir Knightmare acknowledges and mocks them, digging up the things they’re most insecure about and afraid of. The party, opting not to fight Sir Knightmare and his sandmen for much longer, head towards the next door where they come out of their dream…
Or so they thought, initially. They “awaken” to find themselves accosted by the gnome that had sent them to sleep into the Dream Realm with the shocking news that Queen Aisling is dead. However, Dinah is able to discern that this is a type of illusion, and that it’s likely they’re still in the dream. They hear skittering noises from outside the door, and when they open it, they find two spider ladies cuddling on a couch taking a nap. Instead of waking them up or fighting them, they head towards the door where they find themselves in the Dreaming King’s Throneroom.
They have a lovely conversation with the Dreaming King, who decides that since he doesn’t really remember Queen Aisling, it’s probably fine because these adventurers roughed up some of the problem players in the Realm of Dreams, which is what he probably would have asked them to do anyways. Krusk gives the Dreaming King some very old deviled eggs, which he loves, and they head on their way out of the Realm of Dreams. They find that they have been successful, and Queen Aisling is finally able to sleep

Trivia

• Written by Mara the Restless, the character of Queen Aisling is a loose representation of her feelings about Queen Nayeli Lavandin: irrational, belligerent, and not suitable for rule.

NPCs

Queen Aisling

(she/her)

The fictional queen of an unnamed country, troubled with insomnia because she broke the Dreaming King’s statue. She is representative of the author's thoughts on Queen Nayeli Lavandin.

The Dreaming King

(he/him)

Presenting as a young boy, he’s the minor god of all dream realms though he holds very little power. He is attended to by sandman servants.

Hornelius the Rhinocerous

(he/they)

A rainbow colored gay rhino who guards the gates of the Dream Realm and asks nonsensical, rambling questions.

The Weretigers

Two weretigers riding giant snails, jousting, who hate to be interrupted.

Parental Impressions

Very large creatures that are Your Parents; they reflect the relationship you have with your parents.

Brave Mice

An army of mice that guard the door to the Nightmare Realm; they only attack “scaredy cats”

Falling Teeth

The creators of teeth creatures, based entirely on the recurring nightmare of your teeth falling out.

Sir Knightmare

(he/they)

A wolf-headed knight with rolling dice for eyes; He speaks in the inner doubts of nearby mortals.

Mrs. and Mrs. Cobweb

(she/they)

Two beautiful spider women who will send you into a nightmare spiral all while taking their little nap before they eat you.