Artifacts of Dreaming
Two artifacts are known to exist which open wide the dream-paths into the Dreamlands. They are described below.
CRYSTALLIZERS OF DREAMS
Abd al-Azrad, in his cursed tome the Al-Azif, speaks of strange egg-like items which he refers to as the Crystallizers of Dream. These devices are yellow egg-shaped objects about a foot in diameter which
emit a “strange, intermittent whistling.” These eggs sound hollow if tapped, and are relatively fragile, yet weigh almost twenty pounds. These devices have the power to project a person, while asleep, into other dimensions including the Earth’s Dreamlands. They also have the power to bring objects from the Dreamlands back to the Waking World. To use one, a dreamer need only go to sleep within a few yards of the Crystallizer. When he wakes up from a visit to the Dreamlands, everything he wears or grips in his hands returns with him. Even living creatures can be brought through, if they grip him tightly enough.
The stability of such dream things is incomplete. Within 1D20 hours (roll separately for each object brought to the Waking World), dream things begin to fade, and soon slip back to the Dreamlands. This can be delayed if the dreamer bringing objects through expends one magic point per object or creature per 1D20 additional hours.
Alhazred cautions his reader from using the Crystallizers with total abandon. He warns that the Crystallizers have a “hungry guardian” which may catch the scent of any who use a Crystallizer. Any investigator who is unfortunate enough to be detected by the Guardian of the Crystallizers of Dreams will be stalked and finally devoured by it.
THE KEY TO THE GATES OF WONDER
This is a large key fashioned of precious metals and studded with rare gems. It allows its bearer to enter Earth’s Dreamlands while sleeping. It resides in the keeping of the Captain of the White Ship. Once the Captain has bestowed the key upon someone, that person need no longer seek out any of the other entrances to the Dreamlands. So long as he retains the key he is able to enter the Dreamlands. He may pass into the Dreamlands at any desired point simply by sleeping normally. If the bearer of the key becomes unable to enter the Dreamlands he is considered to have lost the key and it will return to the Captain of the White Ship. The key itself does not physically exist outside of the Dreamlands, but could be brought into the Waking World through the use of a Crystallizer of Dreams. This item is unique.
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