Dream-Struck is a state similar to Bedlam that affects mortals and other non-fae who have been Enchanted
Overview[]
The nature of the Dreaming can eventually overwhelm mortal or kinain minds when they are exposed to it for too long. This occurs when an enchanted being spends too much time in a freehold or other place tied to the Dreaming. Like Bedlam, a victim passes through three thresholds of becoming Dream-struck, slowly losing themselves in the warm embrace of the Dreaming. Eventually, the victim lapses into a state like a waking dream, when they do nothing but sit and stare dreamily off into space with a silly smile on their face. The amount of time this takes to happen is generally based on the mortal’s Banality. Which mortals will become Dream-struck is difficult to determine. Some mortals live in freeholds for years without problems, while others become Dream-struck quite rapidly.
Mechanics[]
Just as with Bedlam, the Storyteller has complete control over the process of a mortal becoming Dream-struck (even more so if the mortal is not a player character). It can be used as a means to balance the power of enchanting and to make a changeling pay close attention to the status of their mortal retinue.
As a general rule, the Storyteller should make a Banality roll for the mortal for each month they are kept enchanted (difficulty 8). This includes time spent in a freehold. A failure indicates that the mortal enters the first stage of being Dream-Struck, while a botch indicates the they immediately fall into the third stage and become completely Dream-struck.
This means that, generally speaking, more Banal individuals are less vulnerable to being swept up and lost in their inner Dreaming. Exposure to great deal of Glamour or many chimera might require more frequent Banality checks; a mortal who is “insulated” from some of the more fantastic elements of life in the freehold may not need Banality rolls so frequently.
Thresholds[]
First Threshold[]
The first signs of a human becoming Dream-struck are an increasing amount of daydreaming and a distracted air. They may become enraptured watching a sunrise or studying the dew on the petals of a single rose, unaware of anything going on around them. The human is given to increasing flights of fantasy and a fascination with all things of Glamour.
While this is not unusual among enchanted mortals in a freehold, it can begin to interfere with the human’s ability to function. The mortal quickly snaps out of this dream state with a touch or a word to get their attention.
Second Threshold[]
The second level pushes the mortal even deeper into the world of their own dreams. They sleep a great deal and are difficult to awaken. They may notice elements of their own daydreams appearing in a waking state out of the corner of their eye or in mirrors and other reflective surfaces.
The mortal slowly loses the ability to distinguish between dreaming and waking states, and believes that they are dreaming even while awake. Things around them seem to take on an increasingly unreal quality, and the mortal begins to display a certain reckless courage regarding danger because none of it is quite real to them.
Some mortals make it as far as this threshold without their condition being noticed, especially if their changeling patron cares little about their welfare. Some such mortals are injured or killed because they take risks they shouldn’t; their normal fears and good sense no longer hold their impulses in check.
Third Threshold[]
At this point, the mortal becomes completely Dream-struck. They fall into a waking dream created from their own inner Dreaming, and from there into a catatonic state where they do nothing but sit and stare happily off into space. They may interact with people in the waking world, but even under the best of circumstances they are sluggish and nearly incoherent, viewing everything as part of their dream.
Mortals in this final stage have been known to spawn chimera from the depths of their personal Dreaming. Oftentimes, these chimera defend the mortal, allowing them to continue dreaming. Some carry out the mortal’s subconscious needs or desires, and may even appear as distorted versions of people and things from the mortal’s waking life. Most of these chimera disappear once the mortal has been awakened from being Dream-struck, but some have been known to persist for some time afterward, and a rare few have even been permanent.
Aiding the Dream-Struck[]
Once a mortal has been Dream-struck, the only cure is to remove them from the influence of Glamour and give them a chance to snap out of their dream state.
The usual treatment is to return them to their normal life and allow the Mists to fog their memories of the Dreaming, bringing them out of their dream state in the normal time given on the Mists chart. In time, they might be enchanted again, but this can sometimes lead to the point where the mortal becomes so Dream-struck that they lapse into a permanent coma and cannot be roused even once they have left the Dreaming. The more times a mortal has been Dream-struck, the more prone to this fate they become.
The other cure for a Dream-struck mortal is more severe; a changeling Ravages the mortal, ripping the Glamour from them in hopes that the sudden shock will snap them out of it, like a splash of cold water in the face. Unseelie often treat their enchanted slaves in this manner to acquire some quick Glamour in the process of “helping” the hapless mortal, but even they are cautious about the method because of the risks of acquiring more Banality from it.
If the Dream-struck mortal is successfully Ravaged, they immediately snap out of their dreaming state, but must make a Banality roll (difficulty 9). Each success results in the mortal suffering from one level of Bedlam, and three or more successes drives the mortal over the edge into permanent madness. If no successes are rolled, the mortal is returned to the state they were in before becoming Dream-struck. A botch on the Banality roll means that the mortal is also no longer enchanted and must be re-enchanted (risking additional madness).
Although this method is cruel and dangerous, the Unseelie find it more convenient than losing a useful servant to the mundane world. Many Unseelie believe if they’re going to lose them anyway, one might as well get something out of their worthless hides. Waste not, want not.
References[]
- CTD. The Enchanted, pp. 34-36.