Nezumi Magic

[Vutall]

Nezumi Magic
Dreamers are the closest thing nezumi have to shugenja, but they function differently. Dreamers are attuned to Yume-dō, the Realm of Dreams. They commune with both Transcendents, the nezumi ancestors who dwell there, and with dream spirits known as baku. The former offer guidance and wisdom, which is usually vague and difficult to interpret. The latter lead Dreamers through the invisible barriers between dreams, granting them access to the dreams of other nezumi, animals, people, and even divine beings. As the Taint does not spread through dreams, there are scholars who question whether it is these abilities that grant their race resistance to corruption.

The abilities of Dreamers can include the following:
Dreamwalking allows Dreamers to communicate with each other as well as with the residents of Yume-dō. It also lets them visit dreams of other creatures and people to learn, communicate, inflict nightmares, or even assert some limited control over them.

Dreamshaping allows Dreamers to divine and change the identities of things within Yume-dō. The spiritual ramifications of such change can be permanent. While Dreamers cannot change the physical form of something or someone, it is possible to alter a destiny. This is usually used to aid allies, but there are stories of selfish Dreamers who steal destinies for them-selves, shortening the lives of others to extend their own.

Dreamseeking allows Dreamers to enter into Yume-dō bodily, find someone immersed in a dream, and return to the Mortal Realm through their dream, effectively tunneling through Yume-dō and being pulled out at the other dreamer’s location. Normally, they can only make this leap across realms if the other dreamer grants them permission to exit through their dream—at which point, awakening pulls both back into Ningen-dō. Use of this ability can be quite taxing, but has allowed Dreamers to escape otherwise-certain death on many occasions. However, failure to make contact—or convince the dreamer to assist them in returning to the Mortal Realm—can leave a Dreamer stranded in Yume-dō with no clear path by which to return

Third Whisker Dreamer
Many legendary Dreamers often come from the Third Whisker, and nezumi look upon even their apprentices with awe. These Dreamers sometimes serve other tribes. Unfortunately, their pride may prevent them from integrating, and their peculiar habits, such as spending hours dreamdwelling, set them apart. Third Whiskers live near Shiro Kaiu, and their Dreamers observe the dreams of their human neighbors. They are fascinated by the rituals and invocations of shugenja, and they spy on them, making off with robes, texts, or magical items unattended even for a moment. Any Dreamer wearing ill-fitting shugenja robes is likely to be of the Third Whisker.

Renegade Dreamers
A Dreamer who has forsaken the well-being of their tribe and works only for personal benefit is extremely dangerous. Their talents can extend their life indefinitely, as they steal destinies via Yume-dō. This leaves victims like sleepwalkers, void of purpose or memory—a nezumi’s nightmare, since they consider history so important. If such a Dreamer is killed, the death releases stolen destinies back into Yume-dō. These might eventually return to their original owners if no other Dreamer intercepts them. The Dreamer can also induce vivid hallucinations in an individual, though the effort drains the Dreamer for a time