Idea Info Name: The Dreamer Awakes Index: Secondary Category: RPG Submitted: 7/19/2003 8:09:50 AM Written By: Kecantu

There was a time, now forgotten, when people could freely delve into their mind, and lose themselves in their own eternity of dreams.  All that is left is a pale reminder of that age.   Modern scientists have proposed that it is the evolution of humanity that has taught us to recognize only what we perceive with our five senses as real, but the past suggests otherwise.  Legends tell of a deceiver that has blinded our eyes to this mystery, one who possessed such great intelligence as to limit humanity's access to the Plane of Dreams.  He became jealous of the sages who grew rich and powerful through the manipulation of such dream energy, tokening it with the term magic, and claiming it came from the gods, when in reality they channeled it directly from their dreams.  He started a riot, leading people to believe the sages' power came from the devil, a symbolic figure of hate that was perceived to be real at the time, and very much feared.  The people brutally slaughtered the sages, and while the people where in an uproar, the deceiver toiled endlessly.  Countless times he traversed the mysteries of his mind, until he found a way to dwell in the Plane of Dreams permanently, and hinder humanity's passage in the process.

Here is where you come in, being a boy or girl (your choice at the start).  You have always been an avid dreamer, actually looking forward to sleeping each night.  You have experimented often with finding ways of increasing the vividness of your dreams.  One night, however, you witnessed a horrible vision.  It was what modern science would call a "nightmare," but there appeared to be more to it.  Instead of waking up like most people would, you remain calm until it subsides.  It is then you saw a man dressed in medieval robes (the deceiver), appearing to be agonized by loneliness, as if he is constantly searching for something.  Then he looks directly in your eyes, and his face lights up.  He entices you to come to him, and curiously you follow.  When you are close to him, he touches you on your brow with the palm of his hand, and you feel weaker and weaker until you black out.

You snap to reality, or is it reality?  You are in your room, in bed, at what appears to be late at night; you don't know because your clock is randomly displaying numbers.  It is then you realize that the man in robes has traded places with you, exchanging his dreamlike immortality for your (what you think) meaningless life on earth.  You decide to explore around a little, seeing as you might be here for awhile, but will eventually try to find a way to leave.

There is a whole lot more to this story, but that is the Prelude, which although may seem long is not if put in a movie format correctly. 

I imagine this game with Cel-Shading graphics, but I suppose it could also be done with polygons. 

Overall the story should be slightly non-linear in Part 1, but then pick up in pace by the time Part 2 comes around (after you escape from the Plane of Dreams and emerge in your world only to find that the deceiver has done something beyond what words can express).  It is then you figure out how to deal with the problem.

Controls could be 3rd person or 1st person.

Gameplay would combine traditional elements of action-rpgs with dream-energy to perform special techniques.  Traveling will also be a big part of the game; especially in Part 1 where you must find your way through the Plane of Dreams.