A Dream-Burrow is a pocket realm in the Near Dreaming dug by a Pooka changeling to hide from Banality.
Overview[]
Some pooka tried to ride out the Interregnum, but with the advance of the Industrial Revolution and the loss of forests and meadows, the polluting of rivers and lakes, and the introduction of mechanical flying machines to the air, others lost heart and skulked away. The entire process took several decades, but by the end of it many of the world’s pooka had jumped ship. Nestled away in their Dream-burrows, the pooka hibernated or created extensive reproductions of Arcadian society. Only a few stayed in the mortal realm. This lasted until the Resurgence.
Of those remaining in the mortal world, the majority were cat, dog, rabbit and rat pooka. These faeries, either too independent, too attached to their mortal families or too territorial to leave, became the norm and over time, many changelings forgot that other types of affinities existed. As the world changed, people’s dreams changed, and thus, so did pooka. This most strongly affected those faeries that had chosen to remain in the mortal realm. They had daily contact with the ever-more urban dreams of humankind.
Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, as humans shaped the world, earth-bound pooka evolved too. Vehicles went from buggies to crank-start models to sports cars that could accelerate to 60 miles per hour in a matter of seconds. The skies filled with airplanes, then jets. Human population exploded and nature took a hard hit. Pooka found themselves surrounded by concrete and fences. They adapted or died.
Although the Pooka Exodus, as some have called the evacuation of so many pooka from the mortal realm, could easily be considered an act of cowardice, the truth is much more complicated. More than any other kith, pooka felt the bite of advancing technology. Mortal machines and constructions stabbed directly to their hearts: the forests, the fields, the rivers, the seas and the air. It worked in absolute opposition to animals, subjugating them and relegating them to last place in both myth and reality. Suddenly animals were nothing more than expendable nuisances. Their dead bodies became trophies to hang on the walls. Mortals had lost the wonder they had once felt with regard to animals.
The exodus of the pooka occurred so suddenly, so secretively, and lasted for so long that many changeling scholars speculated that the creatures had died out. The mysterious nature of it intrigued many faeries to the point of obsession. Others found it terrifying and wondered if they would be the next to disappear. Another theory, that pooka had found a way to return to Arcadia and not bothered to share it, added to growing resentment against the pooka.
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...[]
Many different Dream-burrows house diverse pooka in varying numbers. Isolated from one another, they have each evolved in their own special way. The burrows range in size from small havens for single families of rabbit pooka, to fantastic forests of varying species. Each has its own unique flavor and landscape, depending on the changeling or changelings that dreamed it into being. Many still exist, hidden and thriving, even after all this time.
Life in these pockets of the Near-Dreaming has never been and still isn’t idyllic. The faeries that lived and continue to live there have many problems, from political conflicts among themselves to attacks dealt by raging chimera. Mini-wars have broken out between factions, Seelie and Unseelie often pitting themselves against one another to ease their boredom. Complicated political structures have developed, mirroring the governments of modern mortal society, mimicking the feudal system of Arcadia, or combining both. In most of these places, the changelings continue to embrace the Escheat, though not everywhere. Some have devolved into chaotic, primitive societies where might makes right and death lurks behind every tree.
As diverse as the Dream-burrows are, it’s not surprising that each developed with its own laws and etiquette. Pooka make up the majority of the population of these havens, though some allow other changelings in. Others refuse any kith besides pooka, and a few accept only those changelings with the same animal affinity as the faerie Dreamer of the realm.
Glamour collects in these pooka havens. It has built up over the decades to the point where some have had their entire populations fall into Bedlam. These realms are extremely dangerous to the poor trod-traveler that accidentally stumbles into them. Few changelings ever leave their burrows by choice. They fear what they will find, literally terrified of stumbling into a giant sea of Banality. Because of this, the trods leading to these realms have faded, making it difficult to find them from the outside.
Known Burrows[]
So many Dream-burrows popped up during the Shattering that no one could ever hope to count them all. As pooka dug into the Near Dreaming to hide, they created their own little worlds. The list below describes a few that have found their way into modern changeling lore.
References[]
- CTD. Kithbook: Pooka, pp. 18, 22.