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SANDMEN

ARCANOI

A Sandman can learn the following Arcanoi at initiate and common level

PHANTASM              KEENING                 MOLIATE

Any other Arcanoi a Sandman  learns is common level only

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The “closest” most of the Quick ever come to truly entering the Underworld is when they sleep. Their dreams — or nightmares — carry them away from the tangible reality of the waking world and into a nether region which they sometimes find comforting, sometimes horrifying, and sometimes just bizarre as their subconscious plays hob with them. While they exist in this shifting lands of dream they come near to the Shadowlands — so near that certain wraiths can work their will upon them. These wraiths, the Sandmen, use the Arcanos of Phantasm to manipulate dreams — and the dreamers who spawn them.

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Guildmarks

Just as a person who tromps through marshes gets wet and muddy, a Sandman who glides through the morphean landscape becomes marked by dreamstuff — and that marking never entirely disappears. At the lower levels of power, fragmented scenes from dreams currently experienced by nearby sleeping mortals play out across his eyes. As he becomes more powerful, the “screen” expands to cover first his face, and eventually his whole body. Additionally, most of the schools within the Guild (see below) adopt emblems or symbols that have special meaning for them. For example, members of the School of Guignol often paint a circle of blood (or at least blood-red makeup) around one eye, while the Dreamaturges use the traditional comic-tragic masques associated with theater.

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The Guild Dreams have always had something of a mystical quality for humanity, with shaman and priest alike using them
as a method of divination, spirit travel, and even attack. So, naturally, some of the first wraiths explored the relationship between their existence and the world of dreams in an effort to comprehend both. In time, these studies yielded the arts now known as Phantasm. Phantasm’s artistic potential attracted many likeminded wraiths. They gathered in appropriate Haunts and supportive Necropoli to practice their Arcanos, share techniques, and argue aesthetics and philosophy. Over time, these groups coalesced into circles often referred to as schools or “schola.” Despite the frequent, and loudly voiced, differences between schools, their shared love of art and appreciation for creativity drew them together. In time the Sandmen, as other wraiths called them, weren’t very different from the other Guilds. The centuries prior to the Breaking were a golden age of Phantasm. Every Deathlord, Anacreon, and wealthy wraith competed to hire the most talented Sandmen to create “Oneiric Theatre.” But some Hierarchy leaders realized that a Sandman who fooled an audience could just as easily dupe an unwary wraith out of his oboli or perform espionage missions. They persuaded or forced some Sandmen into these unsavory pursuits, and the Guild’s reputation was soon tainted by its association with theft and blackmail. But thanks to their newfound wealth and influence, many Sandmen didn’t care. When the Breaking came, it lived up to its name with regard to the Sandmen. The Guild splintered along aesthetic lines, as old rivalries led some Sandmen to join the revolt and others to help Charon and his Legions. Even after the turmoil passed, the Guild didn’t merge back into a unified organization; the Sandmen remained content to stay in their countless squabbling schools.These days, provided a Sandman restricts herself to satisfying her fans’ desire for entertainment the Legions pay no attention when she works. (For Sandmen who prefer not to restrict themselves, the realm of dreams provides a convenient place to meet and plan away from the Hierarchy’s prying eyes — usually.) And as every wraith knows, sometimes one has a need — personal or otherwise — that only a Sandman can supply.

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Factions

The Sandmen have always been highly factionalized, but over time the passing of key artistic figures into Oblivion, the falling out of favor of some styles of art, the evolution of aesthetic doctrines, and other factors have winnowed the vast number of “schools” that existed before the Breaking down to a much smaller count. Broadly speaking, though, all of them fall into two categories: the “aesthetic” schools, which tend to focus on art and questions of creativity and style; and the “practical” schools, which seek more… efficient… ways to use Phantasm to personal benefit. Into the former category fall the School of Dreamaturgy, whose members attempt to raise Oneiric Theatre to the creative heights and prestige it once enjoyed; the School of Guignol, known more commonly as “Night Terrors” or “Nightriders,” which specializes in the creation of nightmares and similar horrific dreams; and the School of Meditation, which explores the sacred and mystical nature of dreaming. The latter includes the School of Oneironmancy, or Oneiromancers, which engages in spying, espionage, and dream-based combat; and the School of Beguilement, Renegades kicked out of the Guild who claim they’re the real Guild. The Beguilers pretend to be entertainers but are really scam artists, con wraiths, and hustlers employing Phantasm for personal gain.

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