Dreamwalkers

Dreams are said to be when someone is most intimate, most vulnerable. People let their guards down, allowing the dream to take them wherever it might, regardless of how dangerous it may be. Some seek to exploit that vulnerability, those who are able to blur the line between dreams and reality.
There exists a creature that is only heard about in legends, as very few have been able to interact with the being. Those who do typically do not live long enough to tell their tale. They are said to be able to go into someone's dream, hopping from head to head throughout town as they please. Some wreak havoc and destruction, while others spread joy and merriment.
To get into someone's dream, they create a magical portal within thirty feet of them, typically in the same room, and step through. The dreamer has no reason to believe that the individual is anything more than a figment of the dream and treats them as such. This is the fatal flaw when dealing with those malevolent Dreamwalkers, as they are lulled into a sense of security that allows them to easily dispatch the dreamer if desired. Some Dreamwalkers seek to help the dreamer along on whatever journey their mind is taking them on, ensuring that they make it to the next stage, before hopping into another's head and repeating the process.
History
Not much is known about the Dreamwalkers and when they came to this planet. As far as any records can indicate, they have been here since the beginning, always watching, always waiting, biding their time and influencing the course of history as much as they could.

The first known record of their existence dates back to the Primal Age, when a mage was able to channel some of their power into his own cloak. With the help of Corellon, this mage created a legendary cloak that allowed him to enter the dreams of others, the Dreamwalker's Shroud. With this power, he was able to act as the Dreamwalkers did, following in their footsteps and learning more about them, how they interacted with dreams and influence some himself. He even constructed a tower in the Maramis Forest to organize and conduct his research. However, nearly all of this knowledge was destroyed by a Dreamwalker shortly after the mage's death, helping solidify their mysteriousness.

Basic Information

Genetics and Reproduction

A Dreamwalker reproduces by creating a clone of itself whenever it kills someone inside their dream. Their body shrivels up, and the new Dreamwalker appears in its place, climbing out of the dead body, within a week. This new Dreamwalker looks extraordinarily similar to the one that spawned it, thought typically with a key characteristic difference that can help differentiate between them.

Growth Rate & Stages

Dreamwalkers grow astonishingly fast. They start off as a child that would be equivalent to a ten year old human, and within a year they are fully mature.

Ecology and Habitats

Dreamwalkers' desired environment, if it can be considered one, is a dream. While within a dream, they are at their full strength, allowing them to fully alter the course of someone's life. It can turn one's dream into their own, creating an idyllic paradise for themself and a hellish landscape for the dreamer.

Physical Characteristics
Dreamwalkers are slightly taller than the average human with mostly pale skin, though some may have dark splotches across their body. They appear genderless, and their hair is slicked back and draping down the back of their head in spikes akin to that of a porcupine. Their mouths are thin slits that disappear when their lips are closed, and their eyes are almost always small and dark, with ears that are pressed flat against their head. When looked at, they appear out of focus, as if being viewed out of the corner of one's eye, and they are difficult to keep a steady gaze on. They have claw like fingers that are able to slice through flesh with ease, even through a dream.

Lifespan
Very little is known about the Dreamwalkers, and, as such, their lifespan is unknown. Some have proposed that it is indefinite as long as they remain inside a dream, while others believe them to have a lifespan similar to that of humans.