Dream Dimension

The Dream Dimension (also Dream World, Dream Realm, Plane of Dreams, Dreamscape, Dimension 2, or Place of Wishes) is an astral dimension separate from the material world, which is linked to and shaped by humanity's collective unconscious. The dimension is separated into finitely sized areas called dreamscapes, with each dreamscape being linked to and created by an individual dreamer.

Upon the start of an unconscious person's dream, a manifestation of themselves is transported to a location within the Dream Dimension, whether they will it or not. The edges of the Dream Dimension expand and contract with temporary dreamscapes as dreamers sleep and wake. The Dream World would exist even if there were no dreamers, though it appears as a white void without the wonders of dreams to fill it.

The many dreamscapes created by dreamers last but a short time, and they rarely impinge on each other accidentally. However, there are those who knowingly walk between dreamscapes, doing as they will. Sometimes, such lucid dreamers - and creatures native to the Dream World - pierce the very heart of the dimension, where normal dreams dare not roam.

There are few known natives to this dimension, but those who thrive in the Dream World are not mere projections of their material counterparts, but rather are material beings themselves.

Properties
Listed below are some properties of the Dream Dimension and the dreamscapes that lie within.

Creation and Traversal of Dreamscapes
Dreamscapes are most commonly created without the knowledge or consent of the person the dreamscape is tied to, as an inherent property of the dimension itself rather than any power of the dreamers'. For this reason, lucid dreamers are unable to create new dreamscapes or destroy existing ones.

Dreamscapes can be traversed and traveled between only by those cognizant enough to willingly do so. Oblivious dreamers are naturally drawn away from the edges of their own dreamscapes. Dreamers can however traverse between overlapping dreamscapes, creating a shared or mutual dream, but such an event is rarely experienced.

Curiously enough, beings native to the dimension appear to have the ability to create, manipulate, and destroy dreamscapes at will, and can transport themselves and other beings between dreamscapes with ease.

Subjective Directional Gravity
Within most dreamscapes, the strength of gravity is the same as in the material world, but each dreamscape can pull in a different direction. The subjective gravity of most dreamscapes appears to conform to normal gravity, but other dreamscapes may have wildly different gravitational traits. Native inhabitants and visitors who master the skill of lucid dreaming can choose how the gravity of a particular dreamscape affects them and other objects within.

Inconsistent Flow of Time
Time within the Dream World flows differently between dreamscapes, mostly occurring much quicker than in the material world. Jumps and skips of time occur with relative frequency, sometimes flashing backwards or forwards to suit the dreamer's narrative. Lucid dreamers and native inhabitants seem to have full control over the flow of time within dreamscapes.

Infinite Size
The Dream World is infinite, though individual dreamscapes are finite. Even a single dreamscape can seem quite large however, depending on the nature of the individual dream. Dreamscapes have been known to overlap on very rare occasions, allowing creatures and objects to pass between the dreamscapes at the intersection.

Tangibility of Objects and Mortality
Creatures and objects created within the Dream World are wholly intangible; unable to be touched, held, damaged, or otherwise interacted with. Interactions between objects in the Dream World are driven by the dreamer's own subconscious and preconceived notions of how such objects behave. If for example a dreamer knew how a given weapon would behave when thrust into another creature, that is how it would react in a similar scenario within their dreamscape; however if they did not know how that weapon would react, then the effect it would have would be either random or abide by their subconscious' best assumption about the object.

Natives to the Dream Dimension seem to have the ability to manifest tangible objects within the dimension (albeit at some effort), which can interact with both intangible and tangible objects alike, regardless of any dreamer's knowledge of the properties of said object. Objects created this way can even be brought back to the material dimension, further solidifying their actuality. Sensations, injuries, and even mortality directed at a dreamer's astral projection by a material object within the Dream World is mirrored to their material self, making it possible to be physically wounded and even killed by a tangible object within the Dream Dimension, although there is only a single recorded instance of this occurring.

Inhabitants
There are few creatures known to inhabit the Dream Dimension, the only known example of one being The Dream Spirit.

Inhabitants of the Dream Dimension appear to have nearly limitless control over the dimension itself as well as the dreamscapes within, however seldom do they interfere with ongoing dreams. They appear to behave as overseers or guardians of the dreams themselves, ensuring no malicious actions are taken to disrupt the flow of dreams.

Material beings have been known to find themselves transported to the Dream Dimension through powerful magic, poorly understood science, or by Dream Spirits themselves. These beings are highly susceptible to the chaotic nature of the dimension and are unlikely to return safely without the assistance of a native inhabitant.

A Graveyard of Dreams
The dreamscapes, in all their infinite numbers, are only the edge of the Dream World. They border the Dreamheart, an area where dreams go to die. The edge of the Dreamheart is a roiling boil of dream-born landscapes that melt, burn, grow, and dissolve without any rhyme or reason, born from dreamers who expired in their sleep; their dreams unable to come to a close. Balls of fire, pockets of air, chunks of earth, and waves of water battle against each other. Amid the chaos, half-melted dreamscapes drift, lakes, buildings, streets, strange creatures, and small islands float across the ever-shifting lands. The divergent dreams slowly becoming tangible and dangerous. These are dreamscapes that have been pulled into the Dreamheart, usually after their dreamers have died in their slumber.

The Dreamheart
Like the eye of a storm, so too does this chaos have a center. However, what lies within the Dreamheart - beyond all the chaos - is yet unknown. It is speculated the Dreamheart allows thoughts and dreams to become reality, and is the direct cause of the gradual tangibility of the abandoned dreams surrounding it.