Dreamspeakers

*I'm speaking to the end of silence. Can you hear the thunder yet?*

Earth has a voice. Not many folks can still hear it. Long ago, all people listened to that voice – the beat of Life and the song of Spirit. Pride, however, has driven wedges between our world and the spirit realm. It takes strength and vision to hold on to that primal connection in spite of all the distractions of modern life… even more so when that modern world has tried everything in its power to break you. And yet, this Tradition and its people refuse to be broken.

Endurance is perhaps the best word to summarize the Society of Dreams. Its vision has endured. Its people have endured. The Tradition itself has endured ignorance, slavery, division, oppression, betrayal, marginalization, stereotyping, and a simplistic view from outsiders that has likewise endured long past all reasonable expectations. Aside from the group’s staunch allies in the Verbena and Ecstatic Traditions (and often including them as well), the Council’s view of the Dreamers has remained paternalistic and patronizing for over 500 years. And yet, they endure.

It’s appropriate that this Tradition had not one founder but two. Naioba and Star-of-Eagles both heard the call of their spirits in very different lands, yet they transcended their differences to fall in love with one another. The sacred marriage between these female and male devotees inspired a diverse confederation of African, Native American, and Asian visionaries, for while that marriage was a ritual, the love involved was real. Although their romance ended with Naioba’s assassination by a Vision-Mocker, that love, with its many symbolic ties, still holds the group together.

With few exceptions, the Kha’vadi (“those whose vision shapes the world”) come from indigenous cultures or their technological descendants. Some embrace modern fashions and technologies, whereas others favor their ancestral ways. Though the Tradition holds a handful of European, Oceanic, and Asiatic spirit-workers, the vast majority of the group hails from Africa or the Americas. Often referred to by the Siberian word shaman, they’re more properly thought of as medicine-people: folks who use natural healing gifts rather than selfish magick. Instead of bending reality to their will, the Kha’vadi work with reality… not the twisted reality of the Technocratic world but the deeper reality of the World Spirit in its many forms.

Thanks in part to its healer nature, this Tradition gets stereotyped as a bunch of bongo-beating throwbacks. That impression is absurd. Kha’vadi are spirit warriors fighting to save a sick world from itself. Especially in recent years, the Dreamers have become more militant than they’ve been for centuries. Groups like the Red Spear and the Ghost Wheel Society defy the Tradition’s “stoic savage” image, with a newer faction, the Akinkanju (“Unbroken”) even lobbying to toss out the Council’s “slave-name” and replace it with a self-determined title. This age, after all, is a “White-mare,” and the ’Speakers have had enough of it. Some wounds need to be cleansed with fire.

These days, a new vista offers fresh hope: the Internet – a global connection network with its own spiritual aspect. Computer-minded Kha’vadi realize that the Digital Web has a consciousness… and by extension, a soul. The practical tools of social media allow Dreamspeakers from across the world to meet up and reconstruct their roots, and the spiritual side of the Digital Web nurtures a growing technoshamanic movement whose possibilities and repercussions reach further than anyone, even the ’Speakers themselves, can imagine…

## Organization

Although the shamanic Path tends to be solitary, medicine-people can be quite social. And so, this Tradition combines a respect for autonomy with the supportive network of a tribe. For centuries, many Dreamspeakers preferred to wander their own roads; in recent years, however, the group has returned to the community-centered focus of many pre-imperial cultures. Separation, after all, has been a liability. With stronger bonds between them, the ’Speakers share a greater voice

In previous ages, Dreamspeakers met in distant corners of the spirit world – even forming Realms where the Old Ways remained untouched. Recently, however, the Unbroken Folk have turned their focus to the material world, meeting in both rural and urban settings, often gathering at powwows, hip-hop shows, block parties, and neotribal festivals. Social media groups, too, provide meeting grounds for the new breed of Dreamspeakers. In all cases, the previous solitude has shifted toward a more social focus.

Even so, Kha’vadi remain distinctly informal. Elders are respected by their younger peers, but youthful vigor feeds the future and earns its own sort of respect. The longwinded titles favored by “the White Council” sound stupid to the average ’Speaker. Deeds and wisdom speak louder than laws.

## Factions and Societies

While many Dreamspeakers are solitary, they tend to view others within their Tradition as extended family. Thus, while they rarely organize and may have conflicting customs due to different upbringings, there is a common bond that keeps them together. The Tradition has also experienced many centuries of persecution from the world and their supposed allies in the Council of Nine, so its leaders have learned that they must present a unified front if they are to protect their interests. Once a year the majority of Dreamspeakers gather either physically or spiritually in the Nevada desert to share news and discuss positions for the Tradition to take as a whole. All members are allowed to speak, though elder shaman are given the greatest deference.

### Balamob

Descendants of the shape-shifting warrior-priests of the Mayans, the Balamob continue to practice the bloody sacrifices of their ancestors. The Balamob practice totemic magic, often adopting the shape of jaguars, but they are also skilled at astrological divination and using hallucinogens and blood-letting to contact Xibalba (the spirit world). While some Balamob have immigrated to the United States, most remain in the jungles of Mexico and Guatemala to protect their people, even affiliating with Zapatista militants. They were only recently recruited by fellow Native Americans amongst the Dreamspeakers who had travelled to Mexico to study the lost magic of the Aztecs, Mayans and other Mesoamerican civilizations.

### Baruti

Originating in Africa, the Baruti are wandering storytellers and performers. They memorize, preserve and teach the (often mutually contradictory) oral traditions of hundreds of different cultures, including those believed lost to history. When two Baruti meet, they often exchange tales. The Baruti also maintain old ties with the Eshu Kith. In more modern times, some Baruti have also turned to writing science fiction, horror, fantasy, comic books and even ethnographies. Their magic revolves around storytelling; legends of heroes can inspire the masses, while myths of creation tap into primal sources of power or rouse the spirits of the elements themselves.

### Contraries

The Contraries began as societies of 'sacred clowns' amongst the Indians of the Great Plains and Southwest. Following Coyote, Raven and other trickster spirits, the Contrary way is much a lifestyle as it is a magical faction. Members do everything backwards, dress as members of the opposite sex, and speak the opposite of their intentions. By challenging expectations, they bring laughter into the world and teach others through their comical behavior. Other Dreamspeakers are divided in their opinion of the faction. Some admire the Contraries for their dedication, while just as many Dreamspeakers view them as misguided at best and outright lunatics at worse.

### The Four Winds

Members of the Four Winds Society spend most of their time exploring the Spirit World. They place little value on material possessions, instead trading secrets for secrets. Most eventually adopt spiritual landscapes that suit their personality and attune themselves, effectively becoming guardian spirits. Over time they even forget their mortal lives altogether. This was likely the fate of the entire faction after the appearance of the Avatar Storm.

### The Ghost Wheel Society

The Ghost Wheel Society are urban techno-shaman who commune with modern elementals of plastic, glass, metal, and electricity. Born out of the Ghost Dance movement, the Ghost Wheel Society believes that the old ways are dead and they must adapt to the modern world. Bohemians, entertainers, and even con artists, members often operate on the wrong side of the law. Their magic tends to involve negotiating with various urban spirits, trading favors, and creating high-tech Fetishes.

### Independents

Independents are Dreamspeakers who Awakened, often traumatically, without being trained by another mage. Some were taught entirely by inhuman totems, while a few are guided by disreputable spirits that want to use them as pawns. Some degree of madness has long been common among Independents, but they tend to be far stabler than Marauders. Because they often come from cultures without a tradition of shamanism, they tend to improvise their magic haphazardly using pain, drugs, and music to enter trance states. What separates them from Orphans is that Independents eventually seek out other Dreamspeakers, either on their own or at the urging of their spirit mentor.

### Keepers of the Sacre Flame

One of the most visible Dreamspeaker factions, the Keepers focus on preserving as much of their cultural traditions as they can, even when the battle against invaders and foreign influences has already been lost. They accept that societies change, but believe there is wisdom in a people's history and stories. Keeper magic is highly traditional and well-defined, with most spending many years learning from an elder practitioner.

### Kopa Loei

The native mages of Hawaii, the Kopa Loei, once made up the largest and most organized faction in Polynesia. Their numbers included both kahuna and ali'i chieftains, as well as commoners skilled in navigation and travel magics. Their ties to the gods and sacred mana of their homeland was legendary, and some are said to maintain ties with the Rokea or Menehune. While they have fought for native sovereignty, by the late 20th century many Kopa Loei realized that the only way to preserve their magic was to join the shamans of the Dreamspeaker Tradition. They bring with them extensive knowledge of the spirits of the South Pacific.

### Red Spear Society

The Red Spears are aggressive warriors who believe that the spirits are angered at the modern world. Eco-terrorists and indigenous rights activists, their raids seek to reclaim tribal lands, artifacts, and heritage. Unlike other Dreamspeakers, the Red Spears are highly organized with a strong hierarchy and single leader.

### Sheika

An all-female faction, the Sheikha serve as wise women to the nomadic Bedouin and Berber tribes of Arabia, Egypt, and North Africa. As soothsayers, healers and exorcists, their magic helps their tribes to survive the harsh desert environments of their homelands. A Muslim sect, the Sheikha are members of the Web of Faith and still maintain contact with the Ahl-i-Batin and other Middle Eastern groups. At one point a Sheikha delegation even invited the lost Hem-ka Sobk to join the Council of Nine. In recent years, the Sheikha have become concerned with the efforts of Saudi Arabia and other governments in the region to forcibly settle their tribes.

### Solitaries

Solitaries are hermits and eschew many of the trappings of humanity, retreating into the wilderness to practice their magic in solitude. Here their magics tend to become slower but powerful, following the cycles of nature. Some transform their bodies so that they can survive in the depths of the deep seas. Others adopt animals as their new tribe, following the same Totems that guide wild beasts. Dreamspeakers of other factions respect Solitaries for their deep wisdom, but worry about their non-human outlooks.

### Spirit Smiths

From Väinämöinen and Ilmarinen in the Finnish Kalevala epic to modern techno-shaman, there has always been a mythical link between shamans and smiths. The Spirits Smiths exemplify this link, crafting some of the most powerful and exquisite fetishes known to the Dreamspeakers. Members of the faction are comfortable with high-tech devices and many work on commission. Spirit Smiths greatly admire well-crafted tools, and will go out of their way not to destroy them unless they are absolutely corrupt. Most instead prefer to "liberate" such items from unfit users and instead give them to someone they view as more responsible.

### Uzoma

One of the largest Dreamspeaker factions in Africa, the Uzoma are the traditional priests and diviners of the Yoruba people. Each Uzoma follows a particular Orisha as their patron. As intermediaries between humans and the spirit world, the Uzoma serve their people as soothsayers, advisors and healers. They were invited to the Grand Convocation by Naioba, but returned to their homeland after her murder and avoided contact with non-African mages. Many forgot they were ever members. Only after the events of the Reckoning have they decided to return to the Traditions. In recent years, an increasing number of Uzoma have left Nigeria to live amongst immigrant communities in America and Europe.

## Initiation

Like his Tradition, a Dreamspeaker survives apparent death. Part of his initiation involves ritual (sometimes literal) demise; that passing brings the shaman into the spirit realm, where he faces trials and challenges. Assuming he survives that ordeal, the kaimi (“initiate”) becomes a so-cha (“disciple”) and returns to the mortal world with fresh insight and greater vision.

## Focus

Medicine, not magick, is the essence of Dreamspeaker Arts. An avatar is Howahkan: the mysterious voice that speaks to those who are ready to hear it. Sorcery is an egotistical and ultimately destructive Path that leads people away from the Good Road of harmony with the World Spirit. To reach past the illusions of mortal life, one must listen to Creation’s heartbeat, face death, and remain open to the voice through which all life speaks.

Practice-wise, ’Speakers favor medicine-work, craftwork, shamanism, crazy wisdom, and faith. A few pursue cybernetics, yoga, Voudoun, and witchcraft, but their companions often shun them. Common paradigms include A World of Gods and Monsters, Creation’s Divine and Alive, Bring Back the Golden Age, and sometimes Might is Right.