Dreamscapes

While the bastards did not create the universe, they altered it on a fundamental level. One of there most enduring legacies is the dream layer, also known as the dream dimension. This multi dimension brane is contagious with the known universe, but normally invisible and unreachable. When a sentient being dreams, their mind reaches out to the dream layer and creates a small pocket universe inside it. Here, reality is shaped by the whims of the unconscious mind. Travel to and from these realms is possible, either through mental projection or by actually physically entering the dream. Most dreams are dim and vague, confused recollections and passing fancies. They begin and end suddenly, and for this reason travel is not advised. However, if a sentient being can remain in a dreaming state, either through mental discipline or psychoactive chemicals, a more permeant and stable realm can be created. All three bastard factions created dream realms, though the obelisk dreamers were the most skilled and prolific. They used neural nets made out of crystalline computronium  to create somnambulist AI's with hyperreal dreams. The Gnomics used similar techniques except with distributed processing. A gnomic infosphere is a virtual space created by the collective dreams of all Gnomic hardware in the area. By comparison, the methods of the floozies were prosaic but effective;  engineered organisms that live their lives asleep and dreaming.

As a dream ages, it begins to grow in size and complexity. Large dreams deform the dream layer around them and begin to pull in nearby dreamers. The effect starts as something known as dream bleed, where themes and motifs from large dreams bleed into normal dreams. As the dream grows stronger, all sleepers in the region are sucked into it. In rare cases, old and powerful dreams can spill into the waking world in a phenomena known as dream overlay.

System

The following uses the cipher system. Every dream has a level from one to ten representing its strength and size. The dreams of a non sapient creature are level one. Normal sapient dreams are anywhere between levels two and four, depending on the intelligence and will of the dreamer. The dreams of the psychically gifted are usually stronger than ordinary sapients, between levels four and six. If a dream lasts more than a night, it grows larger and stronger, increasing in level. The Time between levels increases exponentially, so while it takes a day to go from level one to level two, it will takes a year to go from level three to four. All Obelisk dreams have all reached level ten in the eons since the Bastard War.

Entering a dream.

Dreams can either be entered psychically, through the mental disciple known as astral travel, or they can be entered physically though dimensional travel. To learn how to astral travel one must first know how to lucid dream. Entering a dream through astral means requires an intellect check of ten minus the dream's level (level 10 dreams "suck in" all nearby dreamers automatically).Being in physical contact with dreamer reduces this check by five. Conversely, add one to the check for each astronomical unit between the traveler and the dreamer. Astrally projecting into a dreamscape means you are subject to the whims and moods of the dreamer. It requires an intellect check of the dream's levels to act against the mood or narrative of the dream. Additionally, all damage sustained to a traveler is done to the intellect pool, and all checks must be made with intellect. If the intellect pool reaches zero, the traveler is ejected. It takes an intellect check against the dream's level to leave. If the dreamer wakes while the traveler is still inside, they are ejected and their intellect pool is reduced to zero.

Certain technological devices and psionic disciplines can open gateways directly into dreams, allowing travelers physical access. To open a portal with the appropriate means requires an intellect check against the dream's level. While physically inside a dream the traveler is not subject to the dream's narrative, and has access to all their pools. However, if a traveler dies in the dream, they are in fact dead in real life. Also, if a dream ends while the traveler is still inside, they are smeared into the dreamer's subconscious, killing them instantly. A dreamer with a dead traveler in their mind will notice alien feelings and memories . Something resembling the traveler will manifest in future dreams, but this is a mere simulacrum

Example dreamscapes

The eggs recursive lv5 - The eggs are three dreamscapes nestled into each other used by the power fetus race in order to educate and contain their dangrous children. The eggs are created by the proctors, power fetuses who sleep forever in order to create a safe space for their progeny to learn and grow. Young power fetuses matriculate by finding the secret paths from the inner dreams to the outer dreams, and then the real world beyond.

The Galaxy Vine lv7 - The dream of a single floral organism that has spread to multiple planets. It is an endless vista of churning landscapes and fearsome phantom herbivores. While very dangerous, it makes a tempting shortcut across interstellar space.

The hateful fluid lv10 - An obelisk dream of a ruined city drowned in a thick yellow ocean. It is controlled by the prime strain who send voyages into the hostile ocean, searching for relics of the vanished Obelisk Dreamers. Most Obelisk Dreams are in a similar condition due to the years of neglect they suffered.