Of course, as usual with humanity, civilization has begun to re-emerge. The Nova Republic has founded multiple new cities and slowly expanded along the fringes. To maintain order they have fully disallowed all Dreamers, aside from those that are government sanctioned and trained to keep the peace. The Republic doesn’t hunt Dreamers down, but they do keep an open bounty system for Shards.

Naturally the Republic isn’t the only game in town, but they are certainly the largest and most recognized. Other settlements, especially due to the Republic’s intolerance of ‘unlicensed Dreamers’, crop up often. Of course, due to infighting and the instability of the powers of some Dreamers these settlements deal with their share of hard times.

Purplish objects of varying shape and size that house anywhere between one and a few million unconscious souls. Each shard contains a unique dream as it’s splintered from the whole. These days it’s quite rare to find one that hasn’t been claimed by a person or…something else. One can be traded at any Republic outpost for a pretty generous amount of supplies. So long as one doesn’t make direct skin contact, it cannot assimilate to their being. As a result, whole groups of Shardhunters have cropped up throughout the lands to support themselves.

Wielders of the souls found within the Old World Shards, Dreamers run the gauntlet between godlike power and perhaps being able to manifest a rubber duck. These abilities all depend on the souls within them as well as their own willpower and creativity. At minimum, each Dreamer has enhanced durability and strength, able to take blows that would kill normal humans and shake them off with some minor bruising. Of course this isn’t without its drawbacks as every Dreamer runs the risk of losing themselves to the Dream within and becoming a horrific abomination known as a Nightmare.

Each dream is unique and unending. One may contain a thousand souls dreaming about rubber ducks, or a hundred about nuclear armageddon. Each of them is essentially an entire realm that, with proper preparation, a Dreamer may explore while they sleep. Take caution though, if a Dreamer were to lose control of the collective unconscious they could very well become a Nightmare.

Each Host can take aspects of their Dream and manifest it into reality within their own predetermined range. Of course, it’s rather hard to steer a dream of that size to specifically give you exactly what you want. As a result, many Dreamers just kind of ask for something and try to make due with what they get…Though thankfully, Dreams can be a bit repetitive so they often get the same thing each time and eventually just learn to work with it. Of course one can go deeper and take the reigns to manifest something more specific or coherent, but if that’s done recklessly it will most certainly end in disaster.

Horrible abominations that are created once Dreamers lose control. The shared consciousness leaks into the world and transforms the host into a warped manifestation of their dream. They tend to be powerful chaotic beings with unpredictable powers and temperaments. More often than not they are hostile and are drawn to the Master Crystal as well as places that used to be densely populated.

These horrific monstrosities are why non dreamers are so afraid of Dreamers and typically oust them from society due to them almost constantly being at risk of transforming into these beasts. Depending on the original dream they can vary from being feral predators to sadistic monsters. Very, very few have been passive as most fight amongst themselves and anyone else for territory. And unfortunately they don’t seem to pass from age so unless they are actively killed the stronger ones will last for quite awhile and pose major threats.

There are very few cases of a Dreamer regaining control once they become a Nightmare and there is no known guaranteed method of doing so. And it is almost entirely unheard of for someone to gain control of this transformation since the very nature of becoming one breaks one’s sanity and individuality.

An entity which could only be described as a cobbled-together form of government, consisting of descendants of survivors of the calamity (the "old guard") and some new faces that emerged after other politicians disappeared to fill the power vacuum. The so-called old guard tends to harbor hostile attitudes toward dreamers, believing them to pose a threat to their power and legacy, while the newer members seek to use dreamers to their advantage. Neither party is particularly benevolent or trustworthy, and even the extremely anti-dreamer church considers them to be collectively fragile and unreliable, describing them as "iron mixed with clay" and other such derisive scriptural references. While Nova does allow some dreamers to live within their established territories, requirements for these dreamers are stringent, and those whose powers are not useful for any kind of labor or are "too dangerous" are unlikely to ever earn their stamp of approval, unless they are easily controlled or could manipulate the public perception in their favor. It's sadly not uncommon for dreamers to be granted citizenship as children only to be quietly ushered out of the country once they become a bit too capable for Nova's liking.

"The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many died from the water, because it was made bitter." Rev. 8:10-11
Believing themselves to be living in the end times, Nova's URC cites the above references as proof, claiming that a multitude of peoples and nations are often symbolically represented by "waters." Indeed, the process of absorbing crystals and attempting to become a dreamer often results in the death of many, when dreamers mutate into corrupt nightmares and slaughter innocents in their rampage. Those who survive are left in an altered mental state that the religious may describe as a "Great Delusion," which is also referenced in the increasingly popular Book of Revelation. Naturally, the church believes dreamers and their powers to be demonic in nature. Aside from those sanctified by the church of course. A few believe it is the church's duty to capture and attempt exorcisms on dreamers, but such activities are hidden from the public and most have given them up for damned. Different groups within the church debate about the great disappearing, some saying it was the Rapture, others saying it was the gathering of the wicked to be burned. Overall, however, the church is more united than in the past, as the name would suggest.

Government officials seeking to exploit the potential for cheap and effective enforcers of Nova's will are more than willing to exploit the sympathies of open-minded citizens to gain support for their agenda. As in every group, there are both true believers and grifters seeking undeserved trust and favors from dreamers simply trying to fit into "normal" society, making the organization as a whole unreliable. Experienced dreamers quickly learn to avoid this group if they really need help from a human within the Republic. True supporters are underground, unorganized, and unequipped to do much.

Most of dreamer society remains scattered into various small settlements outside Nova's reach. Might makes right in many of these places, and the names of rulers and their factions are quickly forgotten as blood is spilled and heads roll one after another. The Nova Republic is known to do what they can behind the scenes to keep these conflicts going and maintain the disorganized status quo, as a united nation of dreamers could easily topple the outwardly impressive but equally fragile human government. Because of these efforts, many dreamers are wary of non-dreamers, and they even more commonly treat Nova's dreamers like traitors. While there are some moves toward unity among dreamers, they necessarily take place underground, as those who support it too loudly tend to disappear, dying even younger than most, or, as some rumors suggest, being quietly ‘recruited’ by Nova.

While there do exist dreamers who seek salvation from their current state, a new spiritual movement has emerged and gained some appeal outside the Nova Republic. They see the meteor event as part of a new Turning, and dreamers as the next stage in human evolution. To them, it is only logical that the living would one day reconnect with the dead, and from there, both will someday connect to the gods. While not all of dreamer society spiritualizes the concept to the same degree, the fact remains that their ideas have gained traction, and DNA's recruitment efforts are often responsible for the creation of new dreamers. Those unfortunate dreamers who become nightmares are seen as unprepared or unworthy to ascend toward enlightenment and treated as unclean, rejected by the gods—perhaps for coveting too much power, as the transformation is often a result of absorbing too many crystals, and failing to adjust to the psychological chaos created by conflicting dreams. DNA's ultimate stated goal is to locate the original master crystal and return the shards. They see non-dreamers not as enemies, but baggage to be left behind. However, dreamers who seek shards for Nova are treated as thieves and fools that need reeducation.

A word that’s essentially lost its original meaning over the years, often shortened to Oneir, it is used to describe legendarily strong Dreamers. They aren’t unified, in fact plenty of them are naturally at odds with each other or have never crossed paths. Some of the most well known are the Nova Republic’s self proclaimed superhero Skeleton Man, and a woman codenamed Starweaver, her space Dream leaving destruction and misfortune in her wake.

Name: Karla

Age: Unknown

Gender: Female

Height: 5'5'' ~165cm

Weight: 54kg ~119lb



Dream — The Menagerie

A strange and shifting space, with the only consistent feature being its collection of creatures, both real and imagined. Sometimes it appears as an ancient and advanced laboratory, with creatures locked away in glass tubes of an indescribable sort. At others, it's a more rustic location, with proper enclosures, sometimes with accessible entrances Karla can use to get close to the critters. Sometimes, the enclosures are easy for the animals to escape from. Sometimes, there are no enclosures at all, with all of its fauna roaming free in an open field still being set up for construction. At the worst of times, it's an endless stretch of untamed wildlands with predators lurking behind every bush, or an indistinguishable black mass of varying body types pressing in on all sides—an inescapable and crushing nightmare come to life, threatening to consume and swallow Karla whole. Sometimes, Karla finds herself in an enclosure, usually with an inmate... but not always. Sometimes, she wonders if she is part of the Menagerie.

Personality/Bio:

Look into Karla's eyes, and you'll see the face of a girl who's used to disappointment. When your ability as a Dreamer results in the constant presence of animal companions, it turns out that civilized society has no place for you to belong. Sure, you might find a few apartment complexes that allow pets, with some caveats. You may even find one or two workplaces in the entire world that allow an emotional support animal—but summoning a common house cat or golden retriever is about as likely as winning the lottery. You'll never find the likes of, say, a starfish, an ostrich, or a whole-ass crocodile under that umbrella, either—and while there are plenty of places full of people "willing to work with animals," what they really mean is that they require their employees to be willing to work with their animals. Nobody is willing to work with hers.

One might think that her place to belong is obviously among other Dreamers, and while that isn't exactly wrong, it's not exactly right, either. Karla has zero control, more or less, over what is summoned, and whether or not she can command it. She's spent most of her life drifting from group to group, hoping to impress enough to earn a day's wage or at least a meal. Knowing that it's only a matter of time until she summons something as useless as a toy dinosaur or as dangerous as a saber-toothed tiger, she never allows herself to get too attached to anyone, least of all her animal companions which are largely responsible for her misery and don't even have the courtesy of sticking around to serve as substitute friends. They all eventually disappear, leaving her alone again. Even her mother abandoned her long ago, and she no longer remembers her family name or how old she is. The only silver lining is that no matter how disobedient her summons may be, the worst they'll do is ignore her. Most of the time she doesn't have to deal with the dangers of traveling alone, and for that, she's grateful.

Having spent all of her days surrounded by animals and most of her nights sleeping in the wilderness, she is pretty much numb to the inherent terrors mother nature holds over most "civilized people." She's used to the various howls and cries, and can easily tell them apart from the otherworldly noises made by nightmares. She has a sense for real danger, knowing when to pack up and go. If she awakens to the sensation of a snake or spider on her skin, she'll quickly go back to sleep. She naturally possesses many survival skills that other Dreamers have to be trained for, as well as some that they aren't, such as—mercifully—how to make soap. Whereas other Dreamers often forget these skills as they rise through the ranks, they are so ingrained in Karla that she'll never lose them. She has that impossibly practical and paradoxical nature of having the eye for details, but the personality type of not sweating the small stuff. She travels light, her greatest luxuries being the handful of multi-tools she's found and repaired while exploring the ruins of the old world—her finest treasures, if you were to ask her.

Name: Sarah Cordell

Gender: Female

Age: 26

Appearance:

Standing at 5'4", with soft features, Sarah would look unassuming if not for her typically unfriendly body language and near-constant scowl. She's learned from an early age to cultivate an air than makes people not want to get on the wrong side of her. She opts for practical, loose-fitting clothing that's easy to move in and that she doesn't mind getting dirty. Her light blonde hair is kept reasonably short at shoulder length. Her eyes used to be brown, but turned pink when she got her dream, making it difficult to hide that she's a Dreamer.

Personality: A no-nonsense pragmatist, Sarah is focused on doing what it takes to get by, and has no time for heroism or any nobler goal - at least, that's what she claims. Raised to be cynical, distrustful and ruthless, she never really had any childhood sense of wonder. Upon gaining her dream, however, she's developed more of a sense of idealism. Instead of merely being bitter about the state of the world, she's caught herself doing little things to make it a slightly better place for some people - all while denying that was her intent. Wouldn't want anyone thinking she's gone soft, after all.

Between having lost loved ones and being on her guard against betrayal, she tries not to grow too attached to people, and has a hard time getting close. Not helping is her gruff and grouchy demeanour. Once she spends long enough around others though, she does often develop more of a soft spot for them than she outwardly lets on.

Dream: Magical Girl
A cheery and colourful fairytale realm, where the stars shine bright. A dream of battling against monsters, taking down evil royals who dare invade, bringing hope and joy to civilians. A dream of clear-cut morality, where justice always prevails.

From this dream, Sarah can currently summon two things. One is a frilled and ribboned white costume with pink, blue and rose gold highlights, which replaces whatever she's wearing and gives a further boost to her already Dreamer-typical strength and toughness, as well as increasing agility. The downside is that it's about as practical as it looks, and can snag on things if she's not careful. It's most likely only thanks to the agility boost that she can even run in those shoes.

The other is a pink heart-shaped wand with a ribbon tied around it. This allows Sarah to use a basic smite attack which takes the form of a glittering energy blast, and also grants minor healing abilities. As she learns to delve further into the dream, she'll be able to summon different wands, granting fire, ice and lightning powers. Naming her moves, shouting them out, and posing adds to their strength.

Only she can use the wands, and she can only summon one at a time, although she can summon both the costume and a wand at once.

Bio: As the daughter of two Shardhunters, scraping by in the poorer outskirts of a Nova Republic city, Sarah grew up with no illusions of how unforgiving the world was. When they weren't away on perilous searches, her parents taught her to take what she could from life and give back as little as possible. A world like this was no place for kindness; it was best to look out only for oneself and one's immediate family. Anyone else was either not worth caring about, or a potential threat.

These words rang particularly true after her father passed away when she was 14, murdered by a group of scavengers while on a mission. After that, her mother doubled down on her self-defense lessons, as now Sarah would have to join her to gather shards and secure resources. For a few years, they worked together, but shards were few and far in between. One day, her mother also failed to return from a hunt - this time, it had been a rival Shardhunter who'd literally backstabbed her. At age 19, Sarah was now on her own, save for the tense alliances Shardhunters formed when necessary. Growing close to anyone was a liability - all too commonly, they'd either die, or betray their allies.

More years passed, and it was only a matter of time until one of Sarah's hunts went badly awry. She'd been lucky enough to find a shard, but as she and her group travelled back towards the city, a creature attacked. A mutated being that bore only the vaguest resemblance to a human. A Nightmare, whose territory she'd just stumbled into. In desperation, she tore off one of her gloves and grabbed the crystal with her bare hand. Images of a brighter world, starkly contrasting with hers, flooded her mind as the shard vanished into her skin. She mentally called out into the dream for something she could use to defend herself and her fellow hunters. In a flurry of sparkles, her shabby old clothes turned into - a frilly dress? And the "weapon" she now held was a pink, beribboned, heart-shaped wand?

For all her confusion, she found her physical skills significantly boosted, allowing her to evade the monster's attacks - until she tripped up in her high heels. As it made to lunge, she pointed the wand at it. The words "Sparkling Smite" echoed in her head, and feeling more than a tad ridiculous, she repeated them. A glittering energy burst knocked the monster back, giving her time to stand. A few punches and Sparkling Smites later, the Nightmare fell dead.

The immediate threat was gone, but now Sarah found herself faced with another problem - specifically, that she was now a Dreamer living in a city that hated and feared them. She couldn't exactly blame the fearful either, considering the non-infintessimal risk that she'd turn into the same abomination she'd defeated. So, she wasted no time in getting registered, in order to capture criminals and take down more Nightmares. Her intentions were more pragmatic than heroic; it was a matter of surviving and keeping her home. Even so, she found some of the dream's idealism rubbing off on her. There was something rewarding about saving people and bringing dangerous thugs to justice, and it wasn't just the money.

But as her view of the world slowly changed, so did her view of the job. She grew to despise having to represent the Republic as flawless beacons of morality, when they really only cared about power, rather than about their citizens. And some of the "criminals" they told her to go after were hardly that bad. Some were just desperate, like she'd once been - she'd committed her own petty thefts from richer folks when she was younger.

Which is why she ended up turning her back on the Republic for a Dreamer settlement, surviving on her wits and resources as she always had - while deep down, wondering if things really could change for the better.