Tales Of The Dreamer - Blog Posts

From the writings of Lady Chandra of Alagadda, on the events leading up to the Second War of the Masks.

The children of the Dream are no longer mortal, although at first they remain creatures of flesh, they have always been and always will be. Mortal and immortal, human and inhuman, those we call Dreamers live in a fragile balance, always on the run, always on the go, always hunted down, yet infinitely free. The first Dreamer I met was (and I hope still is) the Honorable Nian Zhen, Chief Archivist of the Library, my friend, benefactor and Master. The name by which he is best known outside the city , however, is the less flattering name of Mad Dreamer. In the Lands of Kouranes, and among the Dreamers who roam the Darklin Plain, they call him the Lost, the Fool, the Forsaken, the Prisoner, yet he is one of the greatest of his kind, having pushed himself to the limits of the Dream, to the Void beyond Being. His are the words with which I have described the Second Birth of the Dreamers, to him we owe all our little knowledge of this elusive species. Only after her disappearance, by sheer coincidence, did I meet the Dreamer. Arual was her name. It was the day of the 3345 Carnival of the Red Lord and the City throbbed at a frenzied rhythm under a scarlet sky, lost in ecstasy. The last time I saw her, the city was burning and destruction was following in her footsteps. Much of what happened after that day was because of her, yet while I hate the consequences of her actions, as I hate what they led me to do, I can't hate her, because I know she had no choice. Or perhaps, if she had, every other decision would have led to unacceptable consequences. For my part, I acted in good conscience, with honor and diligence, always pursuing the interests of the City.

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Dagli scritti di Lady Chandra di Alagadda, sugli eventi che portarono alla seconda Guerra delle Maschere.

[I sognatori] Non più mortali i figli del Sogno, pur restando in un primo momento creature di carne, sono sempre stati e saranno sempre. Mortali e immortali, umani e inumani, coloro che chiamiamo Sognatori vivono in un fragile equilibrio, sempre in fuga, sempre in viaggio, sempre braccati, eppure infinitamente liberi.

Il primo Sognatore che abbia incontrato era ( e spero che sia ancora) l'Onorevole Nian Zhen, Capo Archivista della Biblioteca, mio amico, benefattore e Maestro. Il nome con cui però è più conosciuto fuori dai confini della Città è quello, meno lusinghiero, di Sognatore Folle. Nelle Terre di Kouranes, e tra i Sognatori che vagano nella Piana Oscura, lo chiamano il Perduto, il Matto, l'Abbandonato, il Prigioniero, eppure è uno dei più grandi della sua specie, essendosi spinto fino ai limiti del Sogno, fino al Vuoto oltre l'Essere. Sue sono le parole con cui ho descritto la Seconda Nascita dei Sognatori, a lui dobbiamo tutta la nostra scarsa conoscenza di questo specie così elusiva.

Solo dopo la sua scomparsa, per pura coincidenza, ho incontrato la Sognatrice. 

Arual era il suo nome. 

Era il giorno del 3345 Carnevale del Signore Rosso e la Città pulsava a un ritmo forsennato sotto un cielo scarlatto, persa nell'estasi. 

L'ultima volta che l'ho vista la città stava bruciando e la distruzione seguiva le sue orme.

Buona parte di quello che è successo dopo quel giorno è stato per causa sua, eppure nonostante detesti le conseguenze delle sue azioni, come detesto quello che mi hanno portato a fare, non posso odiarla, perché sono consapevole che non aveva scelta. O forse, se l'aveva, ogni altra decisione avrebbe portato a conseguenze inaccettabili. 

Per parte mia ho agito in buona coscienza, con onore e diligenza, sempre portando avanti gli interessi della Città.

Arual the Dreamer leaves Alagadda as she begins the Metamorphosis of her Third Birth.

Arual the Dreamer leaves Alagadda as she begins the Metamorphosis of her Third Birth.

Still learning to use Krita, still very confused.

Quick sketch of a VERY young, very scared and still quite human Mad Dreamer.

The Woman of the Waters, worshipped by the People of Franagr. She appears in the mists around the many waterfalls, where the many rivers of her lands plunge in the Sea. She is full of a terrible knowledge, as she sees and hears anything, be it past, present or future, that was ever reflected in a waterdrop.

It is to her that the man that was Menes asked for advice, at a terribile price.

It is to her that the Dreamer that was a man asked for a way to save his people.

And it is to her that Arual, our Dreamer, will come eventually, after her mad flight between the worlds.

Quick painting in Artflow (abt 3/4 hrs)

Lineart and color thumbnails.

The Mad Dreamer, chief Archivist of the Library of Alagadda, Master of the Alchemic Arts. Sworn to the White Lord, Albedo of Alagadda.

The Dreamers that freely roam the Darkling Plain and the people of Celephais and Serannian, who live under King Kuranes call him by many other names :The Lost One, the fool, the forsaken . But more often he is known as the Prisoner, because in his folly he bartered for his life and the scraps of his sanity with his freedom.

He was a Dreamer on a leash, a political advantage to the Faction of the White Lord . He was a cherished tool for his master, feared and respected, until he vanished from the City, leaving behind his citizen's mask and rumors of betrayal.

For Chandra however he was mentor, friend and father all in one, and she would not forsake him.

Concept sketch/ WIP for the Mad Dreamer.

@amyma-ymamy feel free to add.

No exams until september means more time for painting.

The Dreamer arrives in Alagadda on the day of the Red Lord's Carnival.

(That is why the sky is red and not its usual color)

The Dreamer in Alagadda.

This sketch is still far from finished but i love it and I can't wait to paint it.

I hate having to sketch with so much detail but 3 point perspective is a b***h.

Another question because I just noticed this, are the twin suns in your version of Carcosa black holes? In your art the sky looks like it warps around them and they seem to have that ring of light around them that black holes do. If so, that's another really cool idea!

Thank you! Yes, they are black holes, beacuse that's the only way my brain can imagine black stars. Besides black holes are cosmic horror stuff in my opinion... the whole concept of them is positively unsettling. In a good way.

The Mad Dreamer, chief Archivist of the Library of Alagadda, Master of the Alchemic Arts. Sworn to the White Lord, Albedo of Alagadda.

The Dreamers that freely roam the Darkling Plain and the people of Celephais and Serannian, who live under King Kuranes call him by many other names :The Lost One, the fool, the forsaken . But more often he is known as the Prisoner, because in his folly he bartered for his life and the scraps of his sanity with his freedom.

He was a Dreamer on a leash, a political advantage to the Faction of the White Lord . He was a cherished tool for his master, feared and respected, until he vanished from the City, leaving behind his citizen's mask and rumors of betrayal.

For Chandra however he was mentor, friend and father all in one, and she would not forsake him.

Concept sketch/ WIP for the Mad Dreamer.

@amyma-ymamy feel free to add.

I just could your Dreamer stuff and I absolutely love it as a fan of the Carcosa mythos and SCP. My question is, what are some of the differences between Carcosa as and Allagada in this world, as one is very inspired by the other?

I am so happy you like it! I'll try to do my best to answer your question.

When I started the project I knew that I wanted to include both Alagadda and Carcosa, despite their strong similarities (I just had to paint them both, their aesthetic is just so perfect), so I ended up making some... bold choices in the matter of worldbuilding.

Carcosa exists as the lost city from the "King in Yellow". Once a thriving metropolis ruled by the sister-queens known as Cassilda and Camilla, now it's the place where Hastur lies dead-dreaming like the other Great Old Ones.

Alagadda has no direct ties to the Great Old Ones, nor with the Outer Gods, though it still is part of the Dream of Azathoth (or rather its equivalent in this story). It is an inversion of Carcosa in many ways, its mirror image. Alagadda was created (I think I borrowed the idea from Theology of a Snake, by Sunnyclockwork) when a man tried to reach apotheosis under the guidance of a mysterious entity, but was tricked and failed, becoming a negation of godhood, a "god-shaped hole". Everyone else paid the price, of course. Through this failure and from the binding of this Anti-god, Alagadda became what it is now, the city of Alchemists. Alagadda is to Carcosa something like what antimatter is to matter. The Great Old Ones and the Outer Gods cannot enter its dimension because it would mean mutual destruction.

One of the main themes of this project is the struggle between the overwhelming forces of the universe and the desire of mortals to become their own gods in order to free themselves. Carcosa and Alagadda in a way represent a worst case scenario for both sides.

Carcosa is now mainly uninhabited. Only the servants of the King in Yellow, and what remains of the fallen dreamers the King snatched from the Dreamlands remain (there is a reason why the Great Old Ones are kidnapping dreamers, I swear). It is visited still, by madmen and artists, that chase it in their dreams. Most of those who reach it never leave. Those who manage to return are broken. Mortals were never made for godhood.

Alagadda is as we see it in the SCP article by Metaphysician, but there are some changes that I had to make for the sake of the story, for example when the Dreamer first arrives at Alagadda, the Black Lord hasn't been banished yet. I and @amyma-ymamy also made up quite a lot of random lore to try and pull off some Alagaddan politics (because politics is fun).

I hope this makes some kind of sense, because the whole thing is still a work in progress.

(Also apologies for any spelling mistakes or weird syntax, English is not my first language.)

The Dreamer in Alagadda.

This sketch is still far from finished but i love it and I can't wait to paint it.

I hate having to sketch with so much detail but 3 point perspective is a b***h.

The Dreamer returns to Alagadda looking for a way to escape her fate.

Just some pretty lineart for a bigger painting, always for "Tales of the Dreamer".

Right now med school is killing me (I have two exams in as many days, just let me die), but, as always when I am stressed and sleep deprived, I am also quite inspired ( meaning: I have a LOT of weird ideas), so... silver linings am I right?

The empty shells of fallen Dreamers, those caught by the servants of the King in Yellow, tormented and used for horrible experiments still wander the lost city, always seeking for what they lost.

The Dreamer finds herself in Lost Carcosa, and is saved by a cat of Ulthar.

@amyma-ymamy

There is a girl that travels between worlds.

She is not a girl but, for now, it doesn't matter.

There is a girl that travels through the multiverse, with a golden compass at her neck.

It is not truly a compass, rather an armillary sphere. Anyways, it is a gift.

There is a girl that is also a dream and an idea. And if what I just said puzzles you, you can imagine how it puzzles her.

What she truly is, is a Dreamer.

There is a woman that is also a snake, and a Vessel, but first and foremost an Alchemist.

The Alchemist has become a captive to win her freedom, but she doesn't mind the exchange.

There is a lost mentor and a flight without end but, really, the story is not about that.

Always remember: in the beginning there was the Dream.

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C'è una ragazza che viaggia tra i mondi.

Non è veramente una ragazza. Forse un tempo lo era, ma questo per ora non conta.

C'è una ragazza che viaggia tra i mondi e porta al collo una bussola d'oro.

Non è veramente una bussola, ma una sfera armillare. In ogni caso, è un dono.

C'è una ragazza che è anche un sogno e un'idea. E se questo confonde voi, potete immaginare come se la passi lei.

C'è una donna che è anche un serpente, e un Ricettacolo, ma prima di tutto è un'Alchimista. 

L'Alchimista è diventata prigioniera per essere libera, ma la cosa non la turba. Neanche questo è importante.

C'è un Maestro scomparso e una fuga senza fine. Ma davvero, non è questo il punto della storia.

Ricordati sempre. 

In principio c'era il Sogno.

Draft prologue for "The tales of the Dreamer", plus concept sketches of the main characters, Arual the Wayward Dreamer and Lady Chandra, Alchemist and Noble Citizen of Alagadda.

The whole project is meant to be a tribute to all the pieces of media, music, literature and art that inspired me through the years.

excuse me but I am aggressively interested in your Tales of the Dreamer project. Is there anything more u can say about it at this time? Is it a comic or a story? (Also as a former med student who also occasionally draws or writes I would like to express medschool artist solidarity because it makes a lot of us take up either smoking or drawing. Your work is awesome!)

Thank you! I am so glad someone likes my crazy ideas! Tales of the Dreamer should be the illustrated story of Arual, the Dreamer, as she travels the multiverse, trying to remember who she was before the Great Old Ones snatched her from her reality. I imagined it as a tribute to all the pieces of media, books and music that inspired me to make art.

It is mainly inspired by Lovecraft's Dream Cycle,expecially the Dream quest of Unknown Kadath, but with some twists.

I must say that the whole thing was born from what was left of my brain after my Anatomy exam, so I feel like the weirdness is justified.

The true impossibile nature of Carcosa as glimpsed by the Dreamer in her visions, as she wanders the lost city.

Work in progress (these are just the backgrounds) for my project with @amyma-ymamy .

The Dreamer finds herself in Carcosa, and is saved by a Cat of Ulthar.

Work in progress that is taking me way too long, for my pet project with @amyma-ymamy.

Along the shore the cloud waves break,

The twin suns sink behind the lake,

The shadows lengthen

In Carcosa.

Strange is the night where black stars rise,

And strange moons circle through the skies,

But stranger still is

Lost Carcosa.

Songs that the Hyades shall sing,

Where flap the tatters of the King,

Must die unheard in

Dim Carcosa.

Song of my soul, my voice is dead,

Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed

Shall dry and die in

Lost Carcosa.

—"Cassilda's Song" in The King in Yellow Act 1, Scene 2

It may be that I saw the Yellow Sign, but... this is the first of a series of paintings for a project I am working on with @amyma-ymamy. Hope you like it, it is the first city I paint.

As usual, I know nothing.