The Sandman

[torilen]

(heavy Italian NYC accent) Nice.

[cynthialee]

{Just dawned on me I have been doing GM duty for 32 years.} Wow.

Just thought of an element to add to the story:
Our evil NPC does not understand the true reach of his powers thus he has not completely mastered control of the Sandman. Good Ole has contacted the Heroes in their Nightmares and will be occasionally in contact with them similar to how Mentor has been doing things.
-----
{This is a good Campaign to introduce new spells or a way of increasing the importance of the Sleep spell.}
A dream land campaign with Spells only usable in the Dreaming Space, A land where dreams and nightmares rule.

Of course at the end of the entire enchilada the Heroes should be left wondering if it was all just a dream...

[Schmidt]

It's always a surprise to see Danish words in an English text. The 32 years of GM experience really shows through in your ideas!

[cynthialee]

:D It's always a surprise to see Danish words in an English text. The 32 years of GM experience really shows through in your ideas!

To be honest I had to Google the Danish for Ole Luk Oie. Looks cooler the native way.
I think we all grew up being read to or reading the tales of Hans Christian Anderson.

[torilen]

Preliminary description - this will need some rewriting - but this is a basic idea of what I have in mind:

The thin cloud of dust and sand enters the room a few moments before he does, with a dimness that cuts through all light around him. His face is pale, as if it hasn't felt sunlight for well over a decade, his cheekbones high and angular and sharp, and a nose that reminds you of the beak of a robin or cardinal. His hair, so black that it drinks in light and heat, would be to his shoulders if it hung straight, instead of wild as it does, out at length all about his head as if he had just been struck by lightning. .

A midnight blue cloak floats behind him, nearly ten feet long, with silver-embroidered stars covering the entire piece, with even a few near the shoulders that were created so as to appear to be shooting stars, flying from one shoulder to the other, the tails draping tiny silvery sparks down his back like a silver waterfall of stardust. Even as you watch, the cloud of dust and sand swirls around him, and you would swear that those embroidered stars shimmer and blink, if not for the fact that embroidery does not naturally move and blink with a light of its own.

The suit he wears is no less extravagant and wonderful - complete black from head to toe, straight and narrow, fitting tight against his thin, nearly seven-foot frame. Black leather boots, mirror-reflective from hours upon hours of polishing, cover him from his feet up to his knees, the black cloth laces pulled tight to ensure they do not rub against him wrong. His shirt is wrinkle-less and seamless, as if pressed with a great piece of hot iron. The black leather vest boasts three gold buttons which hold it tight against his chest, almost as if they would strangle the breath from his lungs.

He strides into the room with all the arrogance and pomp due his reputation as the Master of Dreams and Giver of Nightmares. His back straight, arms by his side, head held high and chin jutting out, he has no fear of the pitiful creatures that stand before him. His eyes, frosty blue circles with tiny points of black in the middle and long, tentacle-like lashes hanging above and below, seem to stare into nothing, though you know he takes in everything around him, catching the most critical of details with barely a glance.

The Sandman enters the room, and you shudder with despair, your dreams and nightmares coming to life before you in the body of one all-powerful, awful creature.

"So." He begins to speak, his deep voice echoing off the air itself, with what sounds like crackling glass underneath the bass tones, like tiny bells and ice crystals ringing across a frozen lake in the deep of winter. "You are the heroes who set yourselves against me. Look upon me, you poor, wretched and unfortunate objects, I am the one who controls your dreams and deepest desires. Look upon me as you would look upon your last breath and weep, gnash your teeth and rend your garments, for you should know that you and it will meet one another soon enough."

[cynthialee]

Release the Genie! Rend his flesh with weapons! Do something ... FAST!!!
Not going out like that.

[Big Bene]

Ole Lukøje (The Sandman of Folklore)

Ole Luk-øje (Ole close-the-eyes) is the Danish name of the Sandman, but the Sandman legend is an all-European, or at least, all-Germanic, tradition ("sandman" in English, "Sandmann" in German), so I would opt for staying with the term "sandman", wich is promptly recognizeable for most players.

As a detail information - there are stories of an "evil" sandman, as in the Sandmann novella by E.T.A. Hoffmann, but they were never part of the mainstream folklore, and to use such an unknown story would only confuse players. Plus, Torilen's figure is clearly based on Neilo Gaiman's ideas, wich have nothing to do with, e. g., Hoffmann's.
Moreover, I like Cynthia's storyline very much, so we already have an expantaition why to fight the "good" sandman.

[Anderas]

If it is german tradition or not... the concept presented here is like the "Black Man" from the Jack Frost animation film. Even the storyline of Torilen and Cyntia is partially matching with that film... certainly the pictures that have been linked.

This is pretty cool. Other than in the Jack Frost Film, the Heros would save the world from Nightmares. And the Sandman (the real Sandman) can stay on the good side.

[torilen]

Anderas gives me an interesting idea, something I should've thought of right off the bat.

You typically have good/evil...law/chaos...or some mix of those to create opposing forces.

If you create beings for the season...summer and winter/spring and autumn would oppose one another.

So...why not have an opposing force for the Sandman? The Sandman gives people good sleep and good dreams.
This opposing force could give people upsetting and sleep that is not restful, and nightmares.

What do you think? Would that work? Or should we just stick with some character who has managed to harness the
Sandman's powers?

[cynthialee]

I of course like the idea of a thieving power hungry NPC. Gives me an end boss.

The Sandman of legend did not only give good dreams. Those were reserved for good people....

I do like the opposing forces of nature idea.
Such a saga should probably end with the heroes recognizing that it is an endless battle and they should just walk away. Neither Winter or Summer are good masters.