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*The Dreamscape*
*A
little history*
This story was originally
written by Maria Alexander.
You have entered the world of
Morpheus, the enigmatic god of dreams. Oh,
yes, the Greeks and Romans
once worshipped him as such, and Ovid, that
rather droll poet, wrote
about him and his dream-giving brothers
Phobetor and Phantasus. At
that time, Morpheus was known as the bringer
of dreams about people
and many greatly revered him as an omen giver.
(Actually, Morpheus and
his relationship to humanity was greater than
anyone could imagine,
but to this day his true role in human affairs
remains a secret of the
Oracles.) Today, although many people have heard
his name, few
individuals know just who Morpheus really is and what
happened to him
after the ancients stopped worshipping him.
Long ago, just after
the fickle Greeks turned to Roman gods and the
Golden Age drew to an
end, Morpheus decided that he’d had enough of
being a deity and
decided to depart from humanity once and for all. A
child of Nyx,
goddess of Night, and Hypnos, god of Sleep, Morpheus had
two brothers:
Phobetor, bringer of dreams about beasts, and Phantasus,
bringer of
dreams about objects. Being quite fond of his brothers
(particularly
Phantasus), he asked them to retire with him to the
Dreamscape, the
magical terrain where the dream deities were born.
Unbeknownst to
Morpheus, his brothers—who were quite jealous of their
more-famous
brother—hadn’t had their fill of godhood yet and were
reluctant to
leave humanity and the rest of our world just then.
Seething with
envy, Phobetor couldn’t wait for his high-profile sibling
to leave the
realm of mortals so that he and his brother could steal his
dwindling
worshipers and therefore his command over dreams on earth.
Phantasus
was not originally as hungry for influence as Phobetor, but he
was
eventually convinced that, with Morpheus out of the way, a great
opportunity was at hand for the two of them to seize power. The
brothers
then tried to convince Morpheus that he alone should retire
to the
Dreamscape, secretly plotting to then seal him into the sphere
forever
once he entered it.
Learning of his brother’s
treacherous plans, Morpheus was outraged. He
was also rather saddened
because Phantasus was his favorite brother and
he never believed
Phantasus was capable of such betrayal. Phobetor, on
the other hand,
had always been untrustworthy: As the keeper of dreams
about beasts,
he frequently unleashed Nightmares and other horrible
creatures on
unsuspecting dreamers.
To foil his foolish siblings' plans,
Morpheus gathered all of his
Oracles (who are his dedicated priests
and priestesses) and devout
followers early one morning, fleeing
between the rosey fingers of Dawn,
and retreated to the divine
Dreamscape, the ancient sphere of Reverie.
Created by Nyx and Hypnos,
the Dreamscape is a radiant world, full of
great danger and incredible
beauty, its dazzling terrains beyond the
wildest dreams of human kind.
With jubilant followers trailing after him
on dream-sewn wings,
Morpheus led his oracles and devotees to his
personal holy island of
Kymer, located in the Dreamscape. There he built
a city for them to
dwell within and then sealed the Dreamscape from his
brothers so that
they could not enter there ever again. Grieved at the
loss of his
once-favorite brother, Phantasus, Morpheus named Kymer’s
main city
after him, but never made any mention of Phobetor to anyone
ever
again.
The Dreamscape contains one major continent, known as the
Plains of Nyx,
and the island of Kymer. Separating the two land masses
is the Sea of
Io, who shelters a number of smaller, uncharted islands
in her cold
arms. The Plains of Nyx are where we humans go in our
sleep to dream;
many parts of Nyx are quite beautiful, but thanks to
mischievous
Phobetor, all sorts of terrible beasts roam these plains,
namely
Nightmares and other, more horrid, creatures with unmentionable
features
and unspeakable purposes. Humans are the only other beings
allowed to
enter the Plains so that they can search for their dreams
each night.
(What? You say you never dream? I don't blame you. The
Plains of Nyx are
quite dangerous and occasionally they discourage
even the most
courageous dreamers.)
Kymer is, on the contrary,
a wholly blessed island, protected by
Morpheus from any sort of
danger. Morpheus detests Nightmares and all
such under the rule of
Phobetor, so none are to be found in Kymer.
Part 3 continues next
Wednesday!
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