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somapedia2012-01-16 02:38 am
somarium_lords) wrote in somapedia2012-01-16 02:38 am
Game Overview
Written in a summary format separated by major events, this is a large plot overview and details the major plot points of the game. Only the major important events are highlighted and thus serves as a more condensed (and easier to understand) version of the more detailed Event Timeline. Refer to that post if you would like links to specific posts as well as other notes about other random events that occurred.
In the beginning
August 1st, 2008 marked the first day that people from other worlds entered Somarium. It was a pretty bleak arrival as the city was in ruins. No one knew for how long, but it was evident that the city had been abandoned for years, possibly decades. The first "person" to greet the new arrivals was a ghost like woman who called herself the "Overlord" and she was not alone. Other ghost like figures inhabited the city, but only very little. They resided in the floating castle that hovered above the city. Any questions about the place proved fruitless as she had no memory of what had happened.
The months went by as more and more people from other worlds started to enter into Somarium at various intervals. The new residents slowly learned to adapt and make do with what was available. It helped that things were kept stocked and that despite the dilapidated state, living arrangements could be made.
The first nightmare
But in November, after a cold blizzard, the Overlord had a terrible nightmare, one where Somarium was twisted and overrun with creatures—noctaere. The then current residents were pulled into this nightmare and had to fend for themselves until it ended.
The noctaere that appeared in the Overlord's nightmare would return in January 2009 after a powerful earthquake and hard, heavy black rains. Again the residents had to fend them off, but one day the noctaere stopped attacking and disappeared. Immediately after that, a ghost ship "sailed" through the desert and docked just outside of Somarium. Those who ventured on it to explore later found themselves adrift in the desert sea where they were dropped off in an abandoned military base camp. Noctaere were also found there, and they were all eventually teleported back to Somarium.
Secrets of the tunnels and murder
In the middle of the summer, the fountain broke. It was then later revealed that the fountain actually hid a secret entrance to a series of tunnels that were beneath the village Espoir. Those who chose to explore it found themselves encountering a series of traps and even minotaurs. But more importantly, they found a broken portal as well as a room filled with computers and a super computer. The fountain was later replaced by a rabbit fountain and the entrance sealed.
In September a vicious sandstorm wracked Somarium. With the barrier also breaking down, the desert monsters took the opportunity to attack. This left the city wasted, but the Overlord made an appearance to fully restore the city—and more. The border extended by about two miles, revealing a lake by the Residential District. What had once been an abandoned old city was now a modern city that looked full of life. If only it had actual people other than the handful that currently lived there. But it was revealed that dream energy existed in this world and was a powerful resource.
The following month during Halloween, the residents woke up to find themselves in the floating castle. But to their shock there was a dead corpse—one of the ghost inhabitants of the castle. They searched to find any clue of her murderer (as well as wondered how it was even possible) but there was not much at all. The only real clue they had was a dream they all saw of a mysterious woman attacking what looked to be the girl.
The year ended with the arrival of the floating mountain which remained above the lake for some time.
Of moon, growth, and change
The year 2010 marked the beginning of the "Moon Cycles" where certain major events occurred during the Full and New Moon phases. During the first marked new moon, the residents had lucid hallucinations and delusions about their homes being destroyed and were cured either by an antidote or until the New Moon phase ended. In another New Moon event, the residents found themselves trapped in a warehouse located in a place called Noctaerium. Here they had to return to their rooms within a curfew time limit or face the threat of the noctaere that lurked within the warehouse.
Another population began to emerge, first as ghostly figures to later become more solid. This population was the start of the one that everyone is familiar with currently. Other changes were at hand. With the growing local population, things were no longer free and a currency system was established. Residents would later also feel more realistic and worldly needs such as hunger. Such things were not important before. One notable concept that was introduced was that of dreamwalking. For a brief period, residents found themselves able to enter other dreams and interact in them.
Somarium also went a variety of setting changes. One of the more important changes was the AU event which had affected residents believe they were living in Somarium during a time when it was active and bustling. More concepts about the world were revealed, such as the use of dream energy and the technology that revolved around it. The concept of people from other worlds coming in was also revealed to be common. This was through the use of dream gates.
The floating castle falls
In August, the floating castle fell and crashed into the desert. It eventually sank into its sands, forming a large sink hole. A large, black statue also appeared to hover above it. The statue housed a riddle, and eventually spoke out to them to check out the fountain. This revealed that the fountain had a secret panel that cold open the tunnels which had been sealed off all this time.
During the week of Halloween, a train arrived. Those who boarded it found themselves traveling down into the sink hole and towards the world's core. There they found the remnants of the floating castle that had sank previously. However, upon entering it they found themselves trapped in a nightmare-ish maze filled with nightmares and noctaere. Those still in Somarium could also dreamwalk again during this time. Eventually everyone was brought back with the Overlord's help.
Constantly under attack
The year started with disaster when a yeti attacked the city at the end of January. With the aid of noctaere, it focused on the floating mountain before going into the city and attacking the fountain. There the residents defeated it, though not without destruction and some casualties. The city went through a long period of restoration, though it would be naught later on.
The next large setting change was during April when it all changed to set back what looked like a time period similar to the American 1920s. Like before, there were those who believed they were actually living through that time. The major discovery made here was a set of ruins outside of the desert, which remained even after everything returned to normal. These ruins would later be explored again, and a secret chamber revealed a number of things: murals depicting certain events, a broken portal, a model of the floating mountain, and another room that looked to have a mural of the entire desert with strange dots and markings on it.
New arrivals
In July, a torrential rainstorm hit Somarium, causing it to flood. Noctaere also managed to sneak in, causing even more threat and danger. Eventually the waters broke through the barrier and drained out into the sinkhole. With the receding waters came the arrival of new people, including a Dream Tech Analyst named Ryan Tassit. He revealed and confirmed that people from other worlds arriving into Somarium was not new, but it was also unwanted and was not even supposed to happen. He also revealed the nature of the world, including dream energy and the dream gates—all of which only gave more questions than answers.
Soon after there was an outbreak in thecursed Industrial District (4th). Those that had still resided there seemed to be possessed, their eyes glowing purple and a strange purple gemstone implanted somewhere on their body. Along with a sudden invasion of a new breed of noctaere, the nycteren, they attacked in attempt to absorb dream energy. Eventually more military reinforcements arrived to help cure the affected, but they remained even after the incident.
Sylvani answers
During the now annual Autumn Festival, the Overlord returned and had apparently regained most of her memories. Her name was Sylvani and she explained herself to be a Dreamwalker and that the current out of world inhabitants were also dreamwalkers—individuals with the ability to enter dreams. Again, this proved to be more puzzling, but it confirmed the fact that those who were in Somarium were separate from their original bodies back in their home world. They were basically dream clones.
Dreamwalking sessions led by Aisling were made and soon everyone learned the ways of their newfound ability. During a demonstration by Sylvani, however, those who participated witnessed the mysterious woman who had appeared in a few previous shared dreams. Her name was revealed to be Nitiri and that she wished to harness the power of both dream and nightmare energy. The power of dream energy was fully made real as those behind in Somarium helped aid those stuck in the dreamscape by channeling their own dream energy to them. They were eventually returned to the waking world.
Things would only continue to prove dire when an illness struck through the city and during this time the black statue that had stood dormant above the sink hole finally moved and rampaged through the city. The residents were eventually able to defeat it, but again not without great destruction and loss of life. Once again, the city found itself in a state of reconstruction.
Strange occurrences started to happen early in the year of 2012. There were minor tremors and strange black shadows and pits would appear. In February, a mysterious broadcast made by someone called "Tim" appeared over the network. It was not the clearest connection, but from the feed it showed that he had landed somewhere dark, twisted, and dangerous. No one heard from him again.
Kidnappings, experiments, and the warehouse
Meanwhile, a traveling group of performers called Teviel Troupe made their appearance. However, a few kidnappings occurred, and during a circus performance half the audience was sent falling through their seats into a secret set of tunnels below. Through the exploration, a few more discoveries were made: a repairable dream gate portal, a room filled with scientific and experimental research, and a exit out to the desert from the tunnels. The Troupe disappeared soon after this incident. Some of those who were kidnapped made attempts to call for help, but no one knew where they were. The only hints were a warehouse. The kidnapped victims eventually returned, except for one. It was later revealed that he had died during his time there.
The following month in March, everyone was given a mysterious egg to take care of. Should it break, the individual found themselves suffering realistic and nightmare-ish hallucinations. But even if the egg was taken care of properly, it was later taken away at the beginning of April. A mysterious call was made across the network revealing the eggs in one room. The caller—a woman—thanked them for "incubating the eggs" and that they would see the results later.
Like the previous two years, Somarium experienced a great setting change. This time it was a crossover withvatheon. For a week, characters found themselves in an underwater dreamscape that mimicked that of Vatheon. Toward the end, some found themselves in a strange nexus that merged the old floating castle with Vatheon's cathedral. In addition, those in this location met those from Vatheon. However, the memories of this time were hazy at best and no one could remember the names or even the exact faces of these individuals upon returning to Somarium. As for the whole incident, it was later revealed to have been a malfunctioning dream gate that caused everyone to have the underwater dreamscape. So had it all been a dream?
In May, many residents found themselves in a warehouse. In fact, it was the same warehouse from February 2010, though with some minor changes, as well as the warehouse that had housed the kidnapped victims. The residents were able to leave the warehouse, revealing a small town similar to the village of Espoir in Somarium. Noctaere also lurked and prowled the area, and the curfew effect was still in place. There were also other locked rooms that housed other victims, but no one was able to break through the doors to save them. The fourth floor had also proven to be a restricted floor, but a group managed to break through it. There they found a mutated person—"Tim"—as well as all the eggs they had helped "incubate" before. These hatched to reveal a new breed of noctaere. With a little help from a mysterious caller, both those in Noctaerium and Somarium found dream gates that when activated at the same time brought back those trapped in the warehouse. They brought back with them several documents that revealed that the warehouse served as an experimental facility and that there were more of them out there.
Exodus
July would prove to be yet another turning point for Somarium. After a series of premonitions, the barrier suddenly disappeared—an occurrence that had happened a few times before. However, two days after that, a solar eclipse occurred rather than the usual new moon. With it came the attack of noctaere and a new breed: Nightwalkers. They emerged from the sinkhole and invaded both the city and dreams. Eventually the city had to be completely evacuated to a desert oasis city called Ob Holm. With the help of an airship and the ground transports, this took two trips, with the second being the most important.
As the last group left the city, there was one last message from Ryan:
"Whatever you guys do, don't turn back."
A few more words and then a loud explosion wracked the airship carrying most of the remaining survivors. The only thing that remained of Somarium was a thick swirling cloud that hid everything from view. The only things that were visible were the brightly colored sparks of dream energy as they targeted and destroyed every noctaere.
For a month the refugees had to stay in Ob Holm, waiting for the signal to return to Somarium. A new face, Dick Harding, appeared to give them news of what happened. The longer they stayed, the more restless and unwelcoming the locals of Ob Holm became. While they were there, a soldier from another city, Endouto, appeared with a plea for help. A group would venture there to meet a mysterious woman who would be later revealed as Anarya, Sylvani's successor. Another group went to visit Somarium to see the aftermath of the battle. Although many thought they would return soon, that would not be case. It would be Ryan, who had lived through the explosion, to instruct everyone to dream about Somarium and thus reveal that their dreams would have a concrete impact.
Returning home to fight Nitiri
Eventually everyone was able to return to Somarium to find the city completely rebuilt and with a few new buildings thanks to their dreams. The barrier no longer existed and they had to adjust to living with the threat of desert monsters always lurking nearby. Due to the high influx of dream energy, both dreams and the weather were also sporadic.
Things would return to normal and things remained peaceful for a short time until a mysterious caller by the name "Tom Marley" suggested they go out and find Nitiri on their own. He even gave them a clue to find the way to Noctaerium: under the bridge, through the tunnel, into the depths of the sea.
Those who ventured would find the entrance that would lead to a dream gate that took them straight into Noctaerium. There they would encounter Nitiri and after a hard battle, defeat her. With her death and a dream gate as a prize, everyone thought things would be peaceful.
A new threat rising
The next few months were relatively uneventful as everyone settled back down and came to terms that Nitiri, the threat that had plagued Hypnosia, was gone. But the first sign that things would not be just so came in February 2013. Without warning, dreams started to meld into one another. At first it was believed to be just a strange influx of dream energy, but the cause was unknown.
Things once again settled down, a month later, everyone found themselves trapped in a dreamscape connected by their own dreams. They could dreamwalk out of one dream and into another, but they could not get out. A machine hooked up to a man from another world named Caster was found and upon destroying it everyone was able to wake. REM launched a series of investigations which included questioning everyone not from Hypnosia.
The next major incident was in April when a dreamscape once again trapped unfortunate dreamers. This one was not as widespread, but it was stranger. For our AU event, those who participated experienced an alternate future set about a year and a half ahead. In this alternate reality, it was believed that in six months they would return home and be called back to Hypnosia a year later as noctaere started to invade their own worlds. Hypnosia had changed to only be a small fragment left. An unknown man named Nolan had effectively taken control of nightmare energy and destroyed the planet. His goal reached beyond the world, however, and was thus attacking all other worlds. Thus this AU required everyone to visit other worlds and help fight against the threats.
A team from REM was sent out to Noctaerium where they discovered a high influx of nightmare energy. There they found a machine that was causing the dreamscape and destroyed it—but not without cost. As Tom Morrison (not Marley) would later tell, he was the only one from the team to survive. He would also alert everyone that there were large and active research facilities in Noctaerium with more powerful and advanced noctaere guarding them.
A group would go down into Noctaerium and recover information that would hopefully help uncover who or what was behind the recent incidents. In the meantime, REM was performing their own tests to see how the dream energy from other worlds affected the dream gates in an attempt to hasten their repair.
Unfortunately, one test would cause more problems...
-- Last edited: July 31, 2013
In the beginning
August 1st, 2008 marked the first day that people from other worlds entered Somarium. It was a pretty bleak arrival as the city was in ruins. No one knew for how long, but it was evident that the city had been abandoned for years, possibly decades. The first "person" to greet the new arrivals was a ghost like woman who called herself the "Overlord" and she was not alone. Other ghost like figures inhabited the city, but only very little. They resided in the floating castle that hovered above the city. Any questions about the place proved fruitless as she had no memory of what had happened.
The months went by as more and more people from other worlds started to enter into Somarium at various intervals. The new residents slowly learned to adapt and make do with what was available. It helped that things were kept stocked and that despite the dilapidated state, living arrangements could be made.
The first nightmare
But in November, after a cold blizzard, the Overlord had a terrible nightmare, one where Somarium was twisted and overrun with creatures—noctaere. The then current residents were pulled into this nightmare and had to fend for themselves until it ended.
The noctaere that appeared in the Overlord's nightmare would return in January 2009 after a powerful earthquake and hard, heavy black rains. Again the residents had to fend them off, but one day the noctaere stopped attacking and disappeared. Immediately after that, a ghost ship "sailed" through the desert and docked just outside of Somarium. Those who ventured on it to explore later found themselves adrift in the desert sea where they were dropped off in an abandoned military base camp. Noctaere were also found there, and they were all eventually teleported back to Somarium.
Secrets of the tunnels and murder
In the middle of the summer, the fountain broke. It was then later revealed that the fountain actually hid a secret entrance to a series of tunnels that were beneath the village Espoir. Those who chose to explore it found themselves encountering a series of traps and even minotaurs. But more importantly, they found a broken portal as well as a room filled with computers and a super computer. The fountain was later replaced by a rabbit fountain and the entrance sealed.
In September a vicious sandstorm wracked Somarium. With the barrier also breaking down, the desert monsters took the opportunity to attack. This left the city wasted, but the Overlord made an appearance to fully restore the city—and more. The border extended by about two miles, revealing a lake by the Residential District. What had once been an abandoned old city was now a modern city that looked full of life. If only it had actual people other than the handful that currently lived there. But it was revealed that dream energy existed in this world and was a powerful resource.
The following month during Halloween, the residents woke up to find themselves in the floating castle. But to their shock there was a dead corpse—one of the ghost inhabitants of the castle. They searched to find any clue of her murderer (as well as wondered how it was even possible) but there was not much at all. The only real clue they had was a dream they all saw of a mysterious woman attacking what looked to be the girl.
The year ended with the arrival of the floating mountain which remained above the lake for some time.
Of moon, growth, and change
The year 2010 marked the beginning of the "Moon Cycles" where certain major events occurred during the Full and New Moon phases. During the first marked new moon, the residents had lucid hallucinations and delusions about their homes being destroyed and were cured either by an antidote or until the New Moon phase ended. In another New Moon event, the residents found themselves trapped in a warehouse located in a place called Noctaerium. Here they had to return to their rooms within a curfew time limit or face the threat of the noctaere that lurked within the warehouse.
Another population began to emerge, first as ghostly figures to later become more solid. This population was the start of the one that everyone is familiar with currently. Other changes were at hand. With the growing local population, things were no longer free and a currency system was established. Residents would later also feel more realistic and worldly needs such as hunger. Such things were not important before. One notable concept that was introduced was that of dreamwalking. For a brief period, residents found themselves able to enter other dreams and interact in them.
Somarium also went a variety of setting changes. One of the more important changes was the AU event which had affected residents believe they were living in Somarium during a time when it was active and bustling. More concepts about the world were revealed, such as the use of dream energy and the technology that revolved around it. The concept of people from other worlds coming in was also revealed to be common. This was through the use of dream gates.
The floating castle falls
In August, the floating castle fell and crashed into the desert. It eventually sank into its sands, forming a large sink hole. A large, black statue also appeared to hover above it. The statue housed a riddle, and eventually spoke out to them to check out the fountain. This revealed that the fountain had a secret panel that cold open the tunnels which had been sealed off all this time.
During the week of Halloween, a train arrived. Those who boarded it found themselves traveling down into the sink hole and towards the world's core. There they found the remnants of the floating castle that had sank previously. However, upon entering it they found themselves trapped in a nightmare-ish maze filled with nightmares and noctaere. Those still in Somarium could also dreamwalk again during this time. Eventually everyone was brought back with the Overlord's help.
Constantly under attack
The year started with disaster when a yeti attacked the city at the end of January. With the aid of noctaere, it focused on the floating mountain before going into the city and attacking the fountain. There the residents defeated it, though not without destruction and some casualties. The city went through a long period of restoration, though it would be naught later on.
The next large setting change was during April when it all changed to set back what looked like a time period similar to the American 1920s. Like before, there were those who believed they were actually living through that time. The major discovery made here was a set of ruins outside of the desert, which remained even after everything returned to normal. These ruins would later be explored again, and a secret chamber revealed a number of things: murals depicting certain events, a broken portal, a model of the floating mountain, and another room that looked to have a mural of the entire desert with strange dots and markings on it.
New arrivals
In July, a torrential rainstorm hit Somarium, causing it to flood. Noctaere also managed to sneak in, causing even more threat and danger. Eventually the waters broke through the barrier and drained out into the sinkhole. With the receding waters came the arrival of new people, including a Dream Tech Analyst named Ryan Tassit. He revealed and confirmed that people from other worlds arriving into Somarium was not new, but it was also unwanted and was not even supposed to happen. He also revealed the nature of the world, including dream energy and the dream gates—all of which only gave more questions than answers.
Soon after there was an outbreak in the
Sylvani answers
During the now annual Autumn Festival, the Overlord returned and had apparently regained most of her memories. Her name was Sylvani and she explained herself to be a Dreamwalker and that the current out of world inhabitants were also dreamwalkers—individuals with the ability to enter dreams. Again, this proved to be more puzzling, but it confirmed the fact that those who were in Somarium were separate from their original bodies back in their home world. They were basically dream clones.
Dreamwalking sessions led by Aisling were made and soon everyone learned the ways of their newfound ability. During a demonstration by Sylvani, however, those who participated witnessed the mysterious woman who had appeared in a few previous shared dreams. Her name was revealed to be Nitiri and that she wished to harness the power of both dream and nightmare energy. The power of dream energy was fully made real as those behind in Somarium helped aid those stuck in the dreamscape by channeling their own dream energy to them. They were eventually returned to the waking world.
Things would only continue to prove dire when an illness struck through the city and during this time the black statue that had stood dormant above the sink hole finally moved and rampaged through the city. The residents were eventually able to defeat it, but again not without great destruction and loss of life. Once again, the city found itself in a state of reconstruction.
Strange occurrences started to happen early in the year of 2012. There were minor tremors and strange black shadows and pits would appear. In February, a mysterious broadcast made by someone called "Tim" appeared over the network. It was not the clearest connection, but from the feed it showed that he had landed somewhere dark, twisted, and dangerous. No one heard from him again.
Kidnappings, experiments, and the warehouse
Meanwhile, a traveling group of performers called Teviel Troupe made their appearance. However, a few kidnappings occurred, and during a circus performance half the audience was sent falling through their seats into a secret set of tunnels below. Through the exploration, a few more discoveries were made: a repairable dream gate portal, a room filled with scientific and experimental research, and a exit out to the desert from the tunnels. The Troupe disappeared soon after this incident. Some of those who were kidnapped made attempts to call for help, but no one knew where they were. The only hints were a warehouse. The kidnapped victims eventually returned, except for one. It was later revealed that he had died during his time there.
The following month in March, everyone was given a mysterious egg to take care of. Should it break, the individual found themselves suffering realistic and nightmare-ish hallucinations. But even if the egg was taken care of properly, it was later taken away at the beginning of April. A mysterious call was made across the network revealing the eggs in one room. The caller—a woman—thanked them for "incubating the eggs" and that they would see the results later.
Like the previous two years, Somarium experienced a great setting change. This time it was a crossover with
vatheon. For a week, characters found themselves in an underwater dreamscape that mimicked that of Vatheon. Toward the end, some found themselves in a strange nexus that merged the old floating castle with Vatheon's cathedral. In addition, those in this location met those from Vatheon. However, the memories of this time were hazy at best and no one could remember the names or even the exact faces of these individuals upon returning to Somarium. As for the whole incident, it was later revealed to have been a malfunctioning dream gate that caused everyone to have the underwater dreamscape. So had it all been a dream?In May, many residents found themselves in a warehouse. In fact, it was the same warehouse from February 2010, though with some minor changes, as well as the warehouse that had housed the kidnapped victims. The residents were able to leave the warehouse, revealing a small town similar to the village of Espoir in Somarium. Noctaere also lurked and prowled the area, and the curfew effect was still in place. There were also other locked rooms that housed other victims, but no one was able to break through the doors to save them. The fourth floor had also proven to be a restricted floor, but a group managed to break through it. There they found a mutated person—"Tim"—as well as all the eggs they had helped "incubate" before. These hatched to reveal a new breed of noctaere. With a little help from a mysterious caller, both those in Noctaerium and Somarium found dream gates that when activated at the same time brought back those trapped in the warehouse. They brought back with them several documents that revealed that the warehouse served as an experimental facility and that there were more of them out there.
Exodus
July would prove to be yet another turning point for Somarium. After a series of premonitions, the barrier suddenly disappeared—an occurrence that had happened a few times before. However, two days after that, a solar eclipse occurred rather than the usual new moon. With it came the attack of noctaere and a new breed: Nightwalkers. They emerged from the sinkhole and invaded both the city and dreams. Eventually the city had to be completely evacuated to a desert oasis city called Ob Holm. With the help of an airship and the ground transports, this took two trips, with the second being the most important.
As the last group left the city, there was one last message from Ryan:
"Whatever you guys do, don't turn back."
A few more words and then a loud explosion wracked the airship carrying most of the remaining survivors. The only thing that remained of Somarium was a thick swirling cloud that hid everything from view. The only things that were visible were the brightly colored sparks of dream energy as they targeted and destroyed every noctaere.
For a month the refugees had to stay in Ob Holm, waiting for the signal to return to Somarium. A new face, Dick Harding, appeared to give them news of what happened. The longer they stayed, the more restless and unwelcoming the locals of Ob Holm became. While they were there, a soldier from another city, Endouto, appeared with a plea for help. A group would venture there to meet a mysterious woman who would be later revealed as Anarya, Sylvani's successor. Another group went to visit Somarium to see the aftermath of the battle. Although many thought they would return soon, that would not be case. It would be Ryan, who had lived through the explosion, to instruct everyone to dream about Somarium and thus reveal that their dreams would have a concrete impact.
Returning home to fight Nitiri
Eventually everyone was able to return to Somarium to find the city completely rebuilt and with a few new buildings thanks to their dreams. The barrier no longer existed and they had to adjust to living with the threat of desert monsters always lurking nearby. Due to the high influx of dream energy, both dreams and the weather were also sporadic.
Things would return to normal and things remained peaceful for a short time until a mysterious caller by the name "Tom Marley" suggested they go out and find Nitiri on their own. He even gave them a clue to find the way to Noctaerium: under the bridge, through the tunnel, into the depths of the sea.
Those who ventured would find the entrance that would lead to a dream gate that took them straight into Noctaerium. There they would encounter Nitiri and after a hard battle, defeat her. With her death and a dream gate as a prize, everyone thought things would be peaceful.
A new threat rising
The next few months were relatively uneventful as everyone settled back down and came to terms that Nitiri, the threat that had plagued Hypnosia, was gone. But the first sign that things would not be just so came in February 2013. Without warning, dreams started to meld into one another. At first it was believed to be just a strange influx of dream energy, but the cause was unknown.
Things once again settled down, a month later, everyone found themselves trapped in a dreamscape connected by their own dreams. They could dreamwalk out of one dream and into another, but they could not get out. A machine hooked up to a man from another world named Caster was found and upon destroying it everyone was able to wake. REM launched a series of investigations which included questioning everyone not from Hypnosia.
The next major incident was in April when a dreamscape once again trapped unfortunate dreamers. This one was not as widespread, but it was stranger. For our AU event, those who participated experienced an alternate future set about a year and a half ahead. In this alternate reality, it was believed that in six months they would return home and be called back to Hypnosia a year later as noctaere started to invade their own worlds. Hypnosia had changed to only be a small fragment left. An unknown man named Nolan had effectively taken control of nightmare energy and destroyed the planet. His goal reached beyond the world, however, and was thus attacking all other worlds. Thus this AU required everyone to visit other worlds and help fight against the threats.
A team from REM was sent out to Noctaerium where they discovered a high influx of nightmare energy. There they found a machine that was causing the dreamscape and destroyed it—but not without cost. As Tom Morrison (not Marley) would later tell, he was the only one from the team to survive. He would also alert everyone that there were large and active research facilities in Noctaerium with more powerful and advanced noctaere guarding them.
A group would go down into Noctaerium and recover information that would hopefully help uncover who or what was behind the recent incidents. In the meantime, REM was performing their own tests to see how the dream energy from other worlds affected the dream gates in an attempt to hasten their repair.
Unfortunately, one test would cause more problems...
-- Last edited: July 31, 2013