Dreamlands

The Dreamlands is a universe where H. P. Lovecraft's Dream Cycle series take place. It is an alternate reality that can only be entered via dreams.

Despite the name, Dreamlands is not imaginary; it has an independent physical existence, which is demonstrated by the fact that it is sometimes possible to physically enter the Dreamlands through gates and portals. However, the Dreamlands was also created by the minds of sapient beings, and its nature is constantly changing as our perception of the Dreamlands changes.

## Geography

The Earth part of Dreamlands is divided into several regions:

* The West, the best known and safest region of Dreamlands, a place where many dreamers enter the universe through the Steps of Deeper Slumber and the Enchanted Wood. Main western cities are Dylath-Leen, Ulthar, and Hlanith. Here also lies the Land of Mnar, where rise the ruins of Sarnath.
* The South, home of the isle of Oriab and the areas known as the Fantastic Realms.
* The East, home of Celephaïs and the dangerous Forbidden Lands.
* The North, location of the feared Plateau of Leng and the ruined city of Sarkomand. At the very north of the known world there is the Cold Waste and the city of Kadath. At the south coast of the region lies the city of Inquanok.
* The Underworld, a subterranean region underneath the Dreamlands inhabited by various monsters.
* Alcheringa

There were several attempts to create a map of Dreamlands; map from "H. P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands" table game (1986) is considered the most comprehensive and detailed one. It is often used by wikis and fan sites. Our wiki also uses this map as a reference. It should be noted that Lovecraft didn't provide exact distances and relations between his geographic objects, and thus all maps are mere estimates with varying precision.

It is considered that distances in Dreamlands are often vague, and some objects have undefined or non-fixed locations. The structure of Underworld is even less understandable due to the fact that it connects highly distant points on the surface with relatively short tunnels. All this suggests that universe in Dreamlands has unusual spatial properties, and probably is multidimensional.

> *"The Dreamlands are an inexact quantity. A cartographer’s and a demographer’s nightmare – or perhaps jobs for life – because the Dreamlands are constantly changing. Slowly, I grant you, but their tectonics are as hummingbirds compared to those of the waking world".*
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> Jonathan L. Howard, "Johannes Cabal: The Fear Institute"
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An interesting cosmologic theory is given by the Pathfinder roleplaying game. In the Pathfinder universe, Dreamlands is a dimension which overlays the Ethereal Plane, created and maintained directly by the dreams on the Material Plane. It consists of a finite, relatively stable core, which is formed from slumbering desires and the dreams of especially powerful entities, like the Outer Gods and Great Old Ones (according to Lovecraft, all of reality, apparently including Dreamlands, is merely a part of Azathoth's dream). Surrounding the core is a foam of transient dreamscapes, each the dream of an individual sleeping mortal, constantly forming and evaporating when someone goes to sleep or awakens. This explains the general vagueness of physical properties of the Dreamlands.

## Dreamlands Space

The Dreamlands are for the most part a mirror-image of our waking universe, having, as far as can be determined, the same planets, stars and other cosmic features. Usually the name "Dreamlands" is only applied to the Earth part of the dream world that is visited by humans, but the universe includes other planets as well. Such worlds as the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter and others, have their dream-reflections, which are visited by the respective denizens of those bodies.

Space in Dreamlands is ordered differently from the waking world. While dreaming, air is unnecessary when traversing space. A dreamer can fly to the Moon in a few hours, and perhaps he can fly to other planets in a few days. Such visits, however, may prove quite dangerous to the unprepared traveler.

Known habitable dream planets include:

* Moon, accessible via ship and inhabited by toad-like Moon-Beasts allied with Nyarlathotep
* Mars
* Jupiter
* Saturn, a home of alien cats
* Uranus, a home of alien cats
* Neptune
* Pluto
* Yuggoth
* Yaddith, a home of Nug-Soth
* Kynarth.

## Population and culture

Dreamlands is populated by the Dreamlands natives, a number of human and non-human civilizations. Their origin is not exactly known, but there's a theory that they are ancestors of ancient dreamers who either could not or would not return. Cities and countries in Dreamlands have a vastly diverse culture reminiscent of the European Middle Ages, ancient Greece, Egypt, Babylon, etc. At the same time, it is difficult to draw clear chronological analogies with the history of the waking world. Dreamlands has its own distinctive historical process.

In "H. P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands: Roleplaying Beyond the Wall of Sleep" and "Secrets of Freeport" Pathfinder campaign it is proposed that there are six major kingdoms in Dreamlands.

For the most part, the Dreamlands is limited to technology, devices, and materials from before 1500 CE. People of Dreamlands use much the same technology as the ancient civilizations of the waking world, although they have magic in addition to science. The use of sorcery, alchemy and occult rituals is widespread here. Due to the fact that centers of civilization in Dreamlands are spread across several continents, most of the Dreamlands natives are prominent shipbuilders and sailors. They've got developed international trade and stable relations between major port cities, such as Dylath-Leen, Celephaïs, Baharna, and Hlanith.

## Religion

The influence of Cthulhu and the other Great Old Ones in the Dreamlands is minimal, though these beings do possess some power over this realm. Out of all Mythos pantheon, Nyarlathotep holds the most power in this land. The main deities of the Dreamlands are the Earth Gods, or the Great Ones. Also some of the natives worship Elder Gods, primarily Nodens and Ulthar.