ANDERS MAGE PAGE 2.0

Being a good little SoE, I went out and bought the Tradition book. Yes, it was wonderful, and possessed both genuine personality and a number of bright (and weird) ideas, but it was insufficient. This is to be expected — if White Wolf did everything, what would we need a mailing list for? So, I'm submitting a Paradigma article on one of the many things I think needs to be explored further in the Sons of Ether.

Dr. Eliza Goldsmith

In the views of certain Technocratic investigators of the mind, dreams are mere mental hiccups, neurological spasms without meaning, much less power. Those "scientists" within the Consensus who disagree with this theory still go no further than to expound on the symbolic importance of dreams. We of Science can go further still.

Etheric Science knows of the true power of dreams. Through electronic devices, we can cause dreams to be displayed on a monitor, to facilitate study. I personally have connected my own mind with a dreaming one and immersed myself in those dreams, participating in them and interacting with the dreamer. Though this is nothing more than an illusion, the effect is still dramatic and convincing to the Scientist involved. And there are even those who claim that our dreams take on a life of their own in the infinite worlds beyond the mathematically induced veil of single-state reality. Though I have not been able to confirm the stories of these brave Ethernauts personally, I believe that we can allow the copious evidence to stand on its own.

There is still another dimension to be explored in the study of dreams. I have found that a dreaming mind creates an actual, measurable force, which I call oneirokinesis. Oneirokinesis can actually be converted to electricity, allowing a machine to be powered on dreams alone! This is not without consequences. It seems that, as oneirokinetic energy is utilized, the dreams themselves are lost. Subjects reported that they could not remember dreaming and, over extended periods of oneirokinetic draining, begin to display personality changes. Imagination and compassion withered. The subjects began to behave in an inhuman, mechanical manner. In short, without dreams, people become Technomancers.

This Science is not entirely without benefit, however. Just as oneirokinetic energy can be converted to electrical energy, so can the reverse be true. With nothing more than a simple device and a wall socket, dreams can be intensified! The results of oneirokinetic intensification cannot be understated. If dreams are what provide us with imagination, personality and creative ability, those aspects of the self most important to Science, then intensifying dreams can only improve a Scientist. And if this Science were to become accepted by the Consensus, then more might Awaken to become Scientists! In short, through oneirokinetic technology, we can change the world!

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Here are a few rotes associated with oneirokinetic Science:

Oneirovideo (Mind 3, Forces 2)

Displays a subject's dreams on a monitor. This traditionally involves a bulky helmet with wires leading to a television set.

Oneirocerebric Linkage (Mind 3)

Allows a Scientist to enter and participate in a subject's dreams. This is an entirely mental process and will not result in physical effects to either dreamer or Scientist. Well, not usually, anyway. This traditionally involves a pair (or more) of bulky helmets linked by wires.

Oneirokinetic Conversion (Mind 3, Forces 2)

This can either convert oneirokinetic energy to electricity or vice versa. The effects of this are totally subjective and up to the Storyteller but it's probably a good way to get the Chantry tangled up in Chimerae politics. This traditionally involves a bulky helmet (surprise!) with lots of wires.