Dreamweavers

Dreamweavers

Dreamweavers are beings who can literally weave dreams. They do this by utilising the basic elements which make up a dream (dreamstuff) which exists, in its raw form, in the barrier between the Dreaming and the mortal plane. They are the only beings which have the ability to use elements from a barrier between worlds and this alone makes them unique.

History
In time immemorial they were kinain (fae kin) who were bred specifically for the task of finding glamour (the dreamstuff) for the fae. Eventually, knowing they were indeed little more than slaves, they rebelled and did so successfully, separating themselves from the fae by 'cursing' themselves. What exactly this curse was, nobody actually remembers, but between this and millenia of breeding, the fact remains that dreamweavers now have a very specific magical ability. And no love lost for the fae either.

Weaving Dreams
A dreamweaver is able to gather raw dreamstuff and separate it into 9 colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, white, and black), which can be further subdivided (lights, darks, metallics, gemtones, etc.) depending on what the dreamweaver wants for a particular dream - the further the colors are subdivided, the more specific a dream will be. A dreamweaver knows instinctively what colors will do what, how they will mix, what will happen if they're woven together, and so on.

When dreamstuff is brought over to either the Dreaming or the mortal plane, it exists as a thick, stringy, colourless liquid. Dreamstuff is mildly caustic to all but dreamweavers (ie, it stings like a bitch) and if it gets into the eyes of any but a dreamweaver it will amplify their emotional state and create hallucinations based upon this state. As well as being one of the tools of the dreamweavers trade, dreamstuff is also their primary weapon if they're ever cornered.

A dreamweaver can gather dreamstuff from anything and from there can separate it out into colours - the older an object is, the more varied the raw dreamstuff will be and how many colours it can be separated into. This also holds true for the stories connected to it. So, for example, Excalibur would practically drip the stuff. A newly made crayon would have much less variety. On the other hand, dreamstuff can be gathered from people as well. Newborns (through dreaming potential) and the elderly (through experience) have much more then your average suburban housewife.

Both raw and separated dreamstuff can be stored in glass bottles which must be sealed with plain corks and wax.

The actual weaving of dreams is done on a loom. A loom is specific and built for one person and a dreaverweaver will generally build their own loom from spontaneous inspiration. Building a loom is not something which can be taught and a dreamweaver who already has a loom will not be able to tell you how they made it. of course, if that loom breaks then, sooner or later, they will get inspiration to build another one. In theory, a dreamweaver can use another's loom, but the dreams that are produced are somewhat substandard and in some circles using another's loom is frowned upon. Some dreamweaver families don't weave dreams at all, but concentrate on collecting and separating dreamstuff.

Once a dream is woven and removed from the loom, it appears to liquify and it is placed in something for the person receiving the dream to eat or drink, but some sucessful dreamweavers have put it in massage oil, homemade soaps etc.

A dreamweaver who actively works at their loom does not require sleep - when they are working at their loom, they enter a trance-like state. Every hour in this state is equal to an hour's sleep. Of course, if they don't get in their eight hours work a night, they'll need to substitute or supplement with real, actual sleep.

Experiencing a Dreamweaver Dream
Not all dreams are woven - most people will simply have 'normal' dreams - those produced by their subconscious. A woven dream is different from your average dream in that it is more steady and it makes sense and a woven dream is always remembered upon waking.

For dreamwalkers, they can tell when they walk in a dreamweaver dream because their very presence will start to unravel the dream - they are an intruder. Where the walker walks, they will leave behind them frayed holes in the fabric of the dream. Also, because a woven dream is a whole from beginning to end before it is given to the dreamer, a dreamwalker will not be able to take control - there is no key to a woven dream. Unravelling a dream doesn't hurt the dreamer and it doesn't hurt the dreamwalker - but it is incredibly weird...

Of course, because dreamwalkers unravel woven dreams, dreamweavers don't really like them very much - spoiling their hard work as they do!

General Character Traits
Dreamweavers are, by appearance, human - save for the fact that every dreamweaver has two different coloured eyes.

Dreamweavers are heavily family-orientated. Dreamweaver women marry early and always marry dreamweaver men. Dreamweaver men occasionally marry outside to humans however they are compelled only to marry human females who have different coloured eyes. Dreamweavers tend to have arranged marriages, however they are very good at relationships and these marriages usually work out quite well.

Dreamweaver men outnumber dreamweaver women 4 to 1.

They can see through fae seemings.

The sexes are very much treated differently in dreamweaver culture. Women are 'protected', female children are 'coddled' - women are expected to be homemakers, to marry young, to be subservient to their men. Female children are expected to be dutiful, quiet, to not date until they are 16, to be virgins on their wedding night. The higher education of dreamweaver women is not encouraged, unless it's the kind of thing that would make life easier for their husbands (cooking, childcare, gardening etc). For dreamweaver men, well, as children they are encouraged to be outgoing, stay out until all hours, to be independent. As adults, a large number of them are doctors, dentists, CEOs - professional people i high powered jobs.

Most dreamweavers are highly religious and dreamweaver homes generally contain a shrine to the family's chosen god of dreams.

Dreamweavers can also glow-dance. This is always done in the dark or near dark and done by dipping their fingers in different colours of separated dreamstuff. The dancer will then dance, weaving their hands around them, leaving coloured traces in the air. The dance can be further complicated by applying the separated dreamstuff to the hem of a dress, or the dancers hair before dancing. During these dances the dreamstuff (which is normally invisible to all but dreamweavers) is visible to all, but nobody knows why - the current theory is that the hypnotic music used, together with the movement of the dancer ut the watchers in a trance-like state and lifts the veil of sight so that the dreamstuff is visible. Glow-dancing is also the one time when female dreamweavers are allowed to show more skin than would normally be acceptable and, in fact, glow-dancing is usually done by female dreamweavers.

General Character Weaknesses
-A dreamweaver is constantly moving between in the space between the mortal plane and the Dreaming, which means that they often see things that most cannot. Schools often suggest that dreamweavers get tested for schizophrenia, ADHD etc.
-If a dreamweaver doesn't associate with the dreamweaving process (collecting, separating, spinning) in some way, they become mortal. They can no longer see dreamstuff - it's like a human loosing their sight.
-They may once have been kinain, but those days are long gone. Dreamweavers are absolutely mortal, with a human lifespan to match.
-Dreamweavers have no abilities for magic of any description, nor can they have psychic abilities.