Dreamsleep
Transmission & Vectors
Dreamsleep is brought on from the consumption of dreampollen, either inhaled (Dreamdust) or imbibed (Dreamwine).
Symptoms
After consuming Dreamdust, an individual falls into a deep sleep of incredibly lucid dreaming, full of images and events reminiscent of the Faewylde. Some surmise that taking dreamdust allows an astral projection into the heart of Faerie, rather than a mere representation of it.
The effects, both of the strength of the sleep and the dreams, are heavily influenced by dosage. Small doses of diluted dreamwine can induce mild euphoria and small audio-visual hallucinations, while an overdose will place a user into a full coma, with the possibility of never waking.
Treatment
For most, time will allow the body to purge the dreamdust narcotic, but alchemical mixtures of quicksilver and sulphur exist to allow faster recovery. Both are only effective against small or moderate instances of dreamsleep, with dreamdust overdoses very difficult to break out of, relying solely on the will of the dreamer, not on any outside force. Very little, if anything, will awaken a dreamsleeper in deep sleep.
Prognosis
Dreamdust typically lasts based on the dosage and the metabolism of the dreamer, but in extreme cases, can force the body into a long-lasting or permanent coma, before resulting in eventual cardiac arrest and death In some rare cases, a sleeper's body will not suffer from natural decay, remaining locked in statis until awakened or killed by external forces.
Sequela
In rare cases, an overdose and recovery of Dreamdust can leave a Bediz as a Boermerzh, capable of sensing magik and using the Arkane. In other cases, users have developed extreme depression as a result of withdrawal, as well as schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder, making them extremely dissociated with reality.
Affected Groups
Dreamdust was first introduced to Bedouar by the Korrigan of the Goblin Markets, a narcotics trade taking route in the Kingdom of Logres before spreading outwards to the Western Realms. Still largely favoured by the nobility and Arkanists, the drug has become popular with the increasing number of Time-Maddened Fae, who seek a return to their lotus-eater existence before their condition manifested.
Epidemiology
Dreamdust is expensive, obtained only from the Goblin Markets or collected in Faerie itself. It is popular among the nobility as Time Maddened Fae, but has rarely made it into the general population. The exception to this is thieving guilds and assassin orders, which use packets of dreamdust as a powerful sedative or poison against targets.
Cultural Reception
Dreamsleep is seen as an "mind-opening" experience, which has become popular with scholars, arkanists and bored nobility. As with many things of Faerie origin, Dreamdust is banned by the Church and several Sovereignties. The Faith preaches of it as a poison and corruption to the minds of men, while the Arkanist cabals all but require it use for entry.
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