Iolan dream crystals
From Ardesia
Iolan dream crystals are a luxury item from a distant land in the south, brought by Coster traders to Tayel. A crystal is a thumb-sized, irregularly faceted, clear gem. Their depths flicker with colours and hinted imagery.
Dream cyrstals are prized for the visions they can produce. When placed in an appropriately-prepared bowl of water, oils, and salts, the flashing colours and images fill the bowl. A dreamer dips her face into the bowl to enter the dream. A dream is unique to each crystal and is experienced the same every time.
Scholars are divided as to the nature of the visions within dream crystals. Some believe that they are the merely the product of whatever process creates the crystals, and that they are mere entertainments. Others speculate that the dreams are visions of events past, or perhaps future, and that much historical knowledge can be gleaned from a dream if only its context can be discovered. Some, like the monks of the Minoman Temple, believe that they are revelatory visions from which deep lessons can be learnt.
The danger of Iolan dream crystals is simply drowning. Though the time spent within a dream is mere moments outside it, how long the dreamer is unaware of their surroundings corresponds in some way to the length of the vision. Because the events of a dream are the same each time for a given crystal, the time a dreamer's face is submerged is predictable, and such "known" crystals are generally considered safe to dive into while alone. When diving into an unknown crystal, it is safest to have an attendant who knows well how long the dreamer can hold his breath and can pull him from the bowl in time.
Crystals are generally sold with an assurance of the length of the visions they produce. Even so, it is safest to explore a new crystal with an attendant. Connoisseurs of dream crystals who have a private collection that they know well can delve alone safely.
The longest visions can be explored to their fullest only by those with the greatest endurance. The monks of the Minoman Temple train their bodies to increase their endurance, so as to be able to view the entirety of the longer visions. They train their minds similarly to be able to notice and understand the myriad details of the dream.
