Dream-Keeper
Context
This character is an original creation. We often call these “homemades” or “homebrewed” – think home cooking or craft beer.
Many of these characters were created to take part in tabletop role-playing game sessions. Others were invented as a creative writing exercise, often as part of a community event.
This specific character was part of our Spring of 2015 Random Magical Character Creation event.
Advertisement
Background
- Real Name: Unrevealed.
- Marital Status: Single.
- Known Relatives: None.
- Group Affiliation: Inhabitant of Grand Arabia in the Dream Dimension.
- Base Of Operations: Dimensionally mobile.
- Height: 6’5” Weight: 160 lbs. Age: Around 1400 years.
- Eyes: Red Hair: Unrevealed (always covered in shadows).
Powers & Abilities
The Dream-Keeper has access to numerous weapons through his magic symbols of office: the Golden Scepter and the Chain weapon. Through his transmutative powers he can:
- Heal the injured and lame.
- Rebuild and enhance the size and durability of any object and building or people.
- Grant wealth and equipment.
His sensory powers include seeing through the eyes of animals and to sense the right path for him to follow as well as the emotions of those around him.
He can crash buildings, curse those carrying bad karma and reflect any attack back against an attacker. He often moves around the world unseen to the mortal eye and can also bring others with him in this state to where they are needed. He sometimes chooses to appear as a fragment of the dreams of those who are part of his current mission.
The Dream-Keeper is a fair combatant if needed. Being a dream persona he is not easy to injure by any means. The weapons must regularly be charged with powerful energies to continue functioning.
There is one such energy source in the Dream Dimension, which is always his starting point when charged with a new mission on Earth. Should he ever be exiled on Earth he will therefore suffer a power reduction until an alternative energy source can be employed.
Advertisement
History
The Dream-Keeper was born a mortal man, a patriotic weapon smith, in the Arabic lands of the mythic old called Grand Arabia.
When the Grand Ruler, the Khalif of Baghdad, vainly struck a deal with the Lord of Dreams to immortalize the grandeur of his magical kingdom the essence of everything. Every living being, every building, all culture and all magic – forever became a part of the Dream Dimension.
Its grandeur would only be granted the land of the living through dreams of hope for everyone around the world. Nobody in the world could any longer remember Grand Arabia (Neil Gaiman’s Sandman v1 #50: Ramadan).
Only a few of the inhabitants now in the Dream Dimension sensed this change, which included the man who would be known as the Dream-Keeper.
He humbly requested an audience with the Lord of Dreams, and being granted that, boldly declared that the disappearance of Grand Arabia deeply saddens his heart and that the natural balance in the waking world had shifted due to the Lord’s actions. Grand Arabia could no longer live through its destiny and so something would be amiss in the world – missing culture, technology, influence, magic and karma.
The Dream Lord replied that the deal would hold forever and that Grand Arabia would grant the dreams of hope forever, but he also reluctantly agreed with the man’s plea.
Putting actions to his words the Lord of Dreams thus exalted the man into a dream persona, and charged him into becoming the physical representation of (Grand) Arabic dreams come true. He now held a Scepter and a fitting Chain in his hands as symbols of his office and role.
With his newly granted abilities came a new name, the Dream-Keeper, and the mission to wander the Arabic lands righting wrongs, or wronging rights, lifting up Arabia and granting wishes as a balancing act to the disappearance of the mythic lands.
The Dream-Keeper, when on Earth, is most often encountered in Arabic or Persian nations, or in dreams.
Description
The Dream-Keeper originally looks like a tall, dark-skinned Arabic male with a moustache and short, stubby beard.
However, everybody sees something different when looking at him, since he is always under a glamour spell altering his looks into whatever is appropriate for invoking trust in those he meets.
Alternatively, when on a mission of death or destruction he may appear as a menacing, devilish threat. In whatever form he may appear, which is beyond his own control, he will always appear quite mysterious and almost unreal.
His voice is also altered by this ability into what appears to be a memory from a fading dream.
Personality
The Dream-Keeper’s main mission is to adjust the karmic debt of lost Grand Arabia in the real world. Famine, disease, pain, poverty, greed, gluttony, militancy and evil must be eradicated, but only when linked to old Grand Arabia.
However, good things not meant to exist must also be destroyed and this part troubles his consciousness, and yet he is duty-bound to always do it whenever required.
The Dream-Keeper is relatively limited and bound in his actions on Earth. When sent to the Earth for a balancing act he sticks to the mission and then vanishes back to the dreamworld (through a set of active Rituals available to him whenever keywords related to the last mission are spoken).
On occasion he stays for a series of acts of importance (which is when he likely would be encountered in a game).
Back in the Dream Dimension he lives a relatively trouble-free existence, still as a weaponsmith, with the other residents of Grand Arabia, but he is subconsciously disturbed by that none of it is real. Consciously he believes his unease arises from misplaced patriotism, but it is actually genuine care and concern for all Arabic peoples.
A decent and nostalgic man, his heart is still saddened by the loss of Grand Arabia in the world, and he does his best to inform those he meets about the history of the past, which is now considered legends, whenever appropriate.
He is troubled by not being allowed to help anyone in need, which is easily within his power, and when he must do acts that could only be considered evil or destructive in nature. However, due to his glamour none who sees him can see any of these emotions or the kind man inside.
The Dream-Keeper’s actions have indeed brought balance to the world, more so than he himself knows, and behind it all there is actually a plan hiding of the Lord of Dreams, to which the Dream-Keeper is not yet privy…
Quotes
“It is now time to right a wrong. Thy fondest wishes are now granted reality, O’ deserving one. Great health, housing, foods and riches to everyone you know.”
“There is a tale told among human bartenders, O’ undeserving one. When the Devil chooses to visit you, you should offer him his pretzels. Perhaps then you’ll get your tip. Otherwise you’ll get your damnation. It is now time to wrong a right.”
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Dream-Keeper
| Dex: 05 | Str: 04 | Bod: 08 | Motivation: Responsibility of Power |
| Int: 06 | Wil: 05 | Min: 03 | Occupation: Balancing Force, Living Memorial |
| Inf: 05 | Aur: 05 | Spi: 08 | Resources {or Wealth}: 007 |
| Init: 016 | HP: 003 |
Skills:
Occultist: 06, Weaponry: 06
Advantages
Familiarity (Desert Survival, Dreams, The History and culture of Grand Arabia, Weaponsmithing), Omni-Connection, Scholar (Dream Magic).
Connections:
None.
Drawbacks:
Authority Figure, Distinct Appearance (looks like their personal “dream guide” to anyone that encounters him), Guilt (the loss of Grand Arabia in the real world; the necessary wronging of rights).
Equipment:
- Chain [BODY 08, EV 03 (05 w/STR), Reflection/Deflection: 10, Damage Transference: 06, Gravity Increase: 06, Gravity Decrease: 04, Invisibility: 08, Enlarge: 06, Diminution: 10, Bonuses: Damage Transference can ALSO heal old disabilities and handicaps (+1), Invisibility is ALSO Useable on Others and its effects are durable as long as the Chain has not completely ran out of energy; continuously recharging it before that point will thus ensure a permanent Duration if desired, Limitation: Item must be recharged from a huge energy source (electrical, magical, etc.) once a week to continue working; one such source exists in the Dream Lands where he thus returns once a week, and if hindered chopping up a body part of ethereal energy from the user as energy source would also do the trick, which would likely also start a Subplot involving the Lord of Dreams (-1), Notes: Reflection/Deflection simulates whirling the chain around to counter enemy attacks. By spinning the chain around the user or another person that target immediately becomes invisible. By quickly whipping somebody, including the user, the chain can enlarge or shrink any target to a size determined by the thoughts of the user. Further, the chain can also cut through space-time thus increasing or decreasing gravitational effects. The Chain weapon and the Scepter share a combined mystic link with each other. Whenever the Chain weapon is recharged the act wakes the attention of the Lord of Dreams, which thus allows for the Scepter to curse opponents, R#2].
- Golden Scepter [BODY 08, EV 03, Transmutation: 08, Eye of the Cat: 07, Unluck, Bonus: Unluck does not affect the user but rather a target (thus cursed) for a duration of 20 APs of time, Note: The Scepter can be connected or disconnected to the Chain through a small hook ring at the foot of the Scepter. There is another ring hook at the middle of the Scepter allowing the user to tie up the Scepter to his back using the Chain as a belt. In addition to the normal power useage, Eye of the Cat also allows the user to impractically see everything from the angle of the Scepter as it is thrown like a spear (its head is shaped like a sharp half moon), but this requires of course fetching it later on as it has landed. A more practical approach is to drop the Chain down somewhere with the Scepter attached, thus allowing one to see what’s going on down there. Transmutation changes a target into anything in the user’s mind as he looks at the target through the blue star-shaped jewel at the head of the Scepter kept in place by a half moon of gold. Limitation: Unluck is only available as a curse during the first day that the Chain weapon has been recharged; this is due to the extra attention of the gods during this period of time. Attempting to curse someone after the first day or a really good-hearted person will either have no effect at all or could even instead affect the one trying to cast this effect (more likely as the Chain starts to loose its energy after a few days), R#2].
Alternate Stats
While the rules of the contest did not allow for heavy modifications of the results my wishlist for this character, should he ever become a Player character would include:
- He would have a Low Level Connection to Morpheus the Lord of Dreams.
- As a dream made flesh and an agent of Morpheus the Dream-Keeper would naturally have the Immortal advantage.
- He should be a fluent speaker of Farsi and many different forms of Arabic.
- His MIND should be around 6 APs.
- In fact, all of his Mystical Attributes should be 2 APs higher.
- His Golden Scepter should also have the Fabricate and Empathy powers.
- His Chain weapon should also have Stretching 02 limited to stretching effects only.
- His knowledge of the history and culture of Grand Arabia, as well as Weaponsmithing knowledge should both be full Scholar advantages.
- The Dreams Familiarity should be an Expertise.
- He could also use a powerful Charisma Skill for dream communication as a dream guide.
Design Notes
The character, my contribution to the contest, is a Magic items user with all Energies available within the Desert-theme. From a total of 3 Skills, 2 were exchanged with a fitting Weaponry Skill. Two rolled Drawbacks were exchanged with three better fitting ones.
The Chain and the Sceptre are mystically linked weapons: the Chain weapon got the Witchery Mastery while the Scepter remarkably got the curse power the strength of which is decided by the current attention of the Lord of Dreams!
Source of Character: Homemade – Early Summer Character Contest 2015 using the System for Magic DC Character Creation.
Helper(s): Well, my System for Magic DC Character Creation.
Writeup completed on the 19th of April, 2015.