Oneiros Option

Overview

     Delta Green learned a good deal about the Dreamlands in the 1980s and 1990s. Given the nature of the Dreamlands, a number of agents proposed an escape plan for the human race.
     There were two options proposed. The first was to train a large part of the population in true dreaming. This would allow a good percentage of the population to survive whatever disasters were to come, by living on in the Dreamlands. If all of humanity was destroyed, at least a portion would survive in this other reality.
     There was no real contingency on exactly how humans would return to the waking world. Many agents felt that, if this plan became necessary, the waking world would be best avoided in any case. By the 2020s, it was also felt that exposure to the Dreamlands could conceivably mute the growing insanity of the world.
     The second option was to transport people physically to the Dreamlands. Information from ghouls and other agencies indicated that it was possible to directly travel between the two worlds. In the early part of the 21st century, explorers helped map some of the safer and more useful routes.
     On May 2nd, 2039, a number of agents from various groups, all tacit members of the rebellion, set Oneiros plans in motion.
     Virt addiction and reality-chips were prevelant. Skilled reality artists began putting suggestive images and concepts into the Virt and reality chipset projects they were involved with. Such propoganda efforts were nothing new, but these messages were intended to lead the audience toward true Dreaming.
     To a large extent, the efforts were remarkably successful. By the final wars of the 2050s, a good 20% of the world population had at least moderate levels of Dreamlore and Dreaming. The chance of a given Dreamer living on in the Dreamlands was significantly worse, given the troubles and horrors of the end. Even so, large numbers survived the transition.
     Efforts to open gateways were much less successful. The Dreamways were unreliable and took great practice to use. Though many skilled Dreamers and elite groups were able to use Dreamways to escape events in the Waking World and coordinate actions, the Ways were not stable enough to transport a large proportion of humanity.
     Beyond the Oneiros options, the Dreamways were significant in the events of the Endtimes. King Kuranes had grown aware of events in the Waking World. A wide variety of groups had presence in the Dreamlands, including the Machine Intelligences. King Kuranes assisted groups he felt had good intentions. In 2044, the King's forces performed vital services in transporting equipment and troops to Russia, to fight Shub-niggurath and Her Young. By 2045, his help was instrumental in the destruction of the Goddess.

The Dreamlands

     Events in the Dreamlands did not pass unaffected by the Waking World. Both nightmares and hopes of Dreamers funneled into the fabric of the Dreamlands, causing small but significant changes. Though technology remained projected into the past, dreams of technology had an effect.
     Regions of the Dreamlands began to bear a resemblance to Victorian periods. Some areas became an odd fusion of huge, gray, impersonal cities as characterized in 1950s Europe and US. Other strongly identified periods, like the Wild West, also grew in various regions.
     These new regions tended to grow in the edges. Regions far from other regions often grew new locations between them.
     The New Places, as other dreamlanders called them, were unusual in that they appeared more suddenly than dreamlanders expected. The Dreamlands itself began to absorb the concept of progress, and change. Still, this progress and change was within the reality of dreams. Progress was the dream of progress, the looking forward, rather than the actual change itself.
     Riding on the heels of the New Places was Science. The concepts of gadgets and special items slowly spread from Hlanith and other regions close to the waking world. Though similar to Waking World science in a few respects, this new force was still subject to the reality of the Dreamlands.

Science!
     Dreamland Science is a new skill for Dreamers. Native dreamlanders can gain an occupation of Inventor, based on Sage occupation with Science! skill instead of Occult. For dreamers, initial Dreamland Science may develop when the character first enters the Dreamlands. This is based on two skills.
     The highest artistic skill is compared to the highest scientific skill. Whichever is lower is rolled and, if successful, becomes the Dream Science skill. If this fails, the character has no starting Dreamland Science skill.
     Dreamland Science allows a character to design a variety of devices. The art and science that contributed to Dreamland Science often flavor the creations of the character. A metal worker/physicist may create steampowered gadgets, with spinning brass balls, springs, and clattering components. A singer/chemist may use crystals with chemical and musical qualities, creating concoctions of shimmering tone.
     To design a device, a character must describe the principles the device works on and the general characteristics of the device. The difficulty is calculated as the number of magic points the item would normally cost to dream up, as per Dreaming rules. Difficulty is minus one or two for truly innovative or descriptive principles, minus another one or two if the character engages in interesting research that involves the other PCs. Each week or so of dream-time spent researching the device allows the character to remove Int from the difficulty. When difficulty reaches 0, Dreamland Science is rolled. If this roll fails, all the research is wasted.
     Once designed, the character spends MP as the device is constructed, often over many days. The rules of this construction is identical to Dreaming, but with Dreamland Science as a limiting factor. The prime difference between Dreamland Science and Dreaming is that Dreamland Science is performed within the Dreamlands and is more commonly possessed by Dreamland natives. The rules of such items are also identical to dreamt up items. Devices vanish by the next dream, requiring Pow to make permanent. Designs are permanent, even if the character forgets what happened during the Dreamland visit.

Nightmares
     The death of so many in the Waking World, particularly the death of almost all humans in Africa in 2034, caused a number of far reaching effects. A good half of the dreamers who lived on in the Dreamlands became twisted nightmares, monsters filling the dark underworld. The surge also caused many to become lost, scattered away from the world that could not assimilate their lives quickly enough. Other Dreamlands benefitted from these populations.
     These results were never fully perceived by those working on the Oneiros Option. The upsurge of monsters in the Dreamlands was generally attributed to the Endtimes, and it was impossible to accurately account for migration of Dreamers.

Other Dreams
     Carcosa and the dreams of Hastur also came closer to the Dreamlands. Or, perhaps, Hastur's thoughts had grown closer to Earth and the Dreamlands were simply in close proximity. In any case, there were a number of locations in the Dreamlands that, by the 2040s, lead the unwary to Carcosa and the black stars which eternally set.
     In the Endtimes a number of spirits learned how to migrate between the Dreamlands and the Waking World. Taking their cue from the ghouls, gaki of several types found refuge and fresh victims in the Dreamlands.
     Dreamland natives who leave the Dreamlands become spirits themselves. Those experienced in the ways of spirit can easily conjure or take new forms. Spirits with Dreaming skill can instantly transport themselves into the Dreamlands with a Dreaming roll. This is actually what happens, instinctively, to Dreamers when they die. Spirits leave any physical form behind. If they had a natural mortal form, a possessed mortal form, or vessel in the Dreamlands when they left, they are transported back into it. Dreamland bodies are destroyed when transported out of the Dreamlands.

Character Options

     With Keeper approval, characters can begin the game as experienced dreamers, with hobby skill points put toward Dreamlore and Dreaming, plus the normal defaults. It is possible for a character to have Dreamlore and no Dreaming, though unusual.
     A Keeper may allow a character to be a professional Dreamer. Only available to members of groups affiliated with the rebellion, Dreamers trade two skills on their occupational templates with Dreamlore and Dreaming. Also, professional Dreamers may elect to trade a third skill for Dreamlands Science.

New spells
Oneiric Transcription
     This spell is performed only in the Waking World. Outlines and figures are drawn around and upon the item that is to be Transcribed. One magic point is used per Siz of the item, and the spell costs one SAN per five magic points used toward the spell. The spell may be halted so that the caster can rest and recuperate, but the caster must then roll an Idea roll to continue, or the effort is completely wasted.
     If an item with Transcription is brought into the Dreamlands, it does not transform into a compatible form. Rather, the item transforms into a single sheet of parchment. This parchment has a sketch and a poetic description of the transcribed item. The parchment is unaffected by water and takes 3 HP of damage before being torn and rendered useless. Assuming the parchment is not destroyed, when it is brought out of the Dreamlands it reverts to the full item it had been. Transcription is only good for one trip through the Dreamlands, but the spell can be cast long before the trip. So long as the item isn't significantly altered, either due to damage or maintenance, the spell will work when the trip is made.
     It is said that an agent discovered this spell while exploring the far Dreamland reaches of Sarrub.