Dreamlands

The Dreamlands or Dream Realm is a vast, alternate dimension or universe, accessible to earthly humans only through dreams and through which one can enter the Underworld. The waking world is our everyday or "real" universe.
  The Dreamlands are for the most part a mirror-image of our waking universe, having, as far as can be determined, the same planets, stars and other cosmic geographical features. However, there are numerous races, civilizations and beings existing in the Dreamlands that do not exist in the waking universe, such as the Zoogs, Gugs, moon-beasts, and others.  

While Randolph Carter's journey across the Dreamlands touched upon many points of interest in the Dreamlands it does not cover all such places. What follows is an overview of all the geography of the Dreamlands.

 

The Surface World

Vast continents span the Dreamlands, home to all manner of cultures. Together they, along with two seas and a number of islands, form the surface world of the Dreamlands. This surface world lies below the Moon and above the Underworld. This chapter divides it into five parts for easier reference: the East, the North, Oriab, the Seas, and the West. The North and the West are actually part of the same continent, but they are separated by a vast unknown land and a range of high mountains. The Seas covers all of the islands and seas of the Dreamlands, except for Oriab, which is of sufficient note to warrant its own section.  

The East

For the most part, the East is a barren wasteland. Only a scant few cities cling to the westernmost coasts. The continent stretches far to the East, at least a year’s travel, before it finally comes to the Land of Mhor, and the end of the world.  

The North

Along the Southern coast of the North, a small thriving civilization manages to subsist amidst the freezing cold. Beyond this narrow strip of life, the North is a dangerous place.  

The West

Of all the regions of the Dreamlands, the West seems to be both the oldest and the most populous. In its eastern portion are clustered the most civilized lands, including several members of the Six Kingdoms. Moving westward, one comes to various nomadic lands, and ancient Mnar. Along the southwest coast of the West are a number of Fantastic Realms, stranger and more dreamlike even than the rest of the Dreamlands.  

Oriab

An island located in the Southern Sea, Oriab is a small but thriving civilization. It has two cities: Baharna in the north, and Andahad in the south. The rest of the residents live in small hamlets or villages dotting the coast, and are concentrated on the northern end of the island.  

The Seas

There are two great seas in the Dreamlands, the Cerenarian Sea and the Southern Sea. They are dotted by all manner of small islands.   At one time, the Gnorri could be found throughout the seas of the Dreamlands. Undoubtedly, their knowledge of the hidden ways beneath the waves of the Dreamlands oceans is extensive. Now, however, their settlements are becoming fewer and fewer. Scholars are unsure as to why this may be, but some theorize that it may have to do with increased incursions by the servants of Great Cthulhu. At various points across the Dreamlands, ruins of their former settlements have been discovered. The greatest of these ruins are in the Bight of Benna, in the North.  

Other Places

Although the Surface World is the unobscured face of the Dreamlands, there is much that is hidden. Deep below the earth, non-human civilizations proosper. This is the realm of the Underworld. There are many worlds in the universe of the Dreamlands. Space is ordered somewhat differently, however. While dreaming, air is unnecessary when traversing space. An investigator can fly to the moon -assuming a suitable mode of transpiration - in a few hours. Perhaps he can fly to other worlds in a few days. And, there are other dimensions, separate from the Dreamlands, yet very near.  

The Underworld

There are many ways to enter the Underworld. One is beneath the Enchanted Stone in the Enchanted Woods. Passages from Mount Ngranak open above the peaks of Throk. A stairway from Sarkomand leads to the Plain of Ghouls. From the ruins of Karoth, one can ascend to Zura.   Far to the north, disconnected from this portion of the Underworld, is the realm of Luz. It has already been covered in the section on the North.   The Underworld is lit by the pale death-fire, which gives a ghastly gray luminescence to the upper parts of the Underworld, but gives out lower down, such as in the Vale of Pnath where the dholes burrow.  

On the Moon

Asyur's moons are widely known, but its third moon, and the moon of the Dreamlands, is not. It is inhabited by malign beings. Perhaps these beings have counterparts in the waking universe, but since there is no moon like this one, it is unlikely. The dream moon's atmosphere is breathable by humans, though the lunar countryside is wholly alien.   Asyur's cats frequently visit the moon, as do cats from planets of the Dreamlands solar system. The Light Side of the moon is bedecked with strangely unsettling ruins and crumbling temples of the moonbeasts. A number of prominent features can be found on the moons surface.  

Worlds Beyond

There are certain other worlds and dimensions which lie very close to the Dreamlands.