Society

Government

Dreamwalkers have a monarchy based government, with the monarch at the head and his/her elected officials beneath. Their positions do not grant them any in-vulnerabilities from the law or special benefits and they do not possess an unchecked level of power over society. However, each position is entrusted with specialized duties.

The monarch's job is to ensure balance among herds is maintained and that their existence as a species does not become threatened (especially in the case of a dreamwalker accidentally revealing themselves to a human). The monarch's presence is expected during times of despair or notable celebration, and it is believed that the monarch has a stronger spiritual relationship to the Mother Star (covered in "religion"), though none can say for certain.

The monarch tends to be larger than average and is especially impressive in their sand-based powers. They must be compassionate, benevolent, and charitable. They are elected as necessary and will serve their position until death, resignation, or if they are overthrown by the herds. The monarchy family is not permanent as a result and can shift depending on who the current monarch is, and the offspring of the monarch are not guaranteed a position of authority.

Ancient dreamwalker tradition saw a new monarch annually, elected during a still-practiced congregation where herds from all over the globe come together for a full month of festivities. This had all herds gather in one location in order to determine their monarch for the following year. Votes were cast based on presentation, ability, intelligence, and disposition, and all adult dreamwalkers were welcome to compete, including the past year's monarch. This annual event was usually held in winter. It was a time for peace and merriment, a time for enemies to be friends, and a time for disputes to be cordially settled. While this tradition is still practiced for all other purposes, they no longer change monarchs on a yearly basis due to the nearly consistent state of chaos having a new leader every year brought. Having a single monarch for an extended period of time allows for clear direction and balance of ideas. Today, elections are based on ability to effectively govern and overall intentions as a leader for the herds rather than superficial qualities, and in the case of election, the congregation may last up to six months.

A similar competition reminiscent of the traditional election is still hosted, and winners receive prizes and bragging rights for the rest of the year. "King/Queen for the Week" is one such possible reward/privilege one may earn, among many others.

The current monarch is King Makonah, sworn into position several years ago.

Beneath the monarch exists their advisers, as well as supervisors, authoritative positions, treasurers, peacekeepers, and members of the census bureau, among other necessary positions.

Advisers aid the monarch in making decisions and will relay information from the supervisors to the monarch. They do not have any power over society except to advise the monarch.

Supervisors are spread across the globe in different regions in order to govern in the monarch's place and send reports back to the monarch's advisers. They can make decisions directly related to their region unless it is a higher concern, and direct all other positions beneath them. All final decisions are reported to the monarch, and may be altered or revoked depending on herd response.

Authoritative positions maintain and uphold the law, as well as discuss the ideas of new or updated laws before passing them on to the monarch and their advisers for review. These then go on to the herds to make a final decision.

Peacekeepers work alongside supervisors and authority to ensure conflicts remain controlled and they work to resolve them as quickly as possible.

The census bureau keeps record of population, birth rates, and death rates, as well as gathering and organizing information regarding individual herds, such as location, size, alliances, movements, etc. They'll take surveys from individuals and herds to help improve the lives of all herds, and will relay information either to supervisors or directly to the monarch in order to help the governing bodies determine what needs are most important to prioritize.

Treasurers keep track of economic flow and respond to shortages or potential overabundance of dream sand in contrast to population, in order to maintain a healthy economy and population.

All of these positions are elected or promoted based on ability.

Classes

Dreamwalkers exist across the planet, with a tendency to be very spread out, existing in family units or on their own, despite being naturally social creatures (but as with many species, there are exceptions to the rule). All dreamwalkers are considered equal, but there are still varying levels of authority and social class.

Like humans, dreamwalkers are made up of an upper class, middle class, and lower class. Each class seems to follow common patterns associated with that class.

Before we cover classes, it is important to note a vital substance to dreamwalker life known as "dream sand." Dream sand is harvested from other creatures through a process called dreamstepping. It functions as the dreamwalkers' currency, and is used not only for trade, but it is also what enables them to use special abilities. It is measured in ounces.

Now we can explore dreamwalker class.

Class is determined primarily by "income," that is, how much dream sand a single dreamwalker makes on an average annual basis. Harvesting a minimum of 160000oz (or 10000 lbs) of sand annually would mark a dreamwalker upper class, for example. Middle class may harvest up to 5000 lbs of sand and lower class up to 3000 lbs.

Since sand is the source of power for dreamwalker abilities, it is common to see the lower class with limited "magic" while the upper class may take advantage of their abilities to make daily life easier. Likewise, since sand is their currency, lower classes are less likely to have expensive items, treasures, or lifestyles.

Most dreamwalkers rely on natural resources that they can find on their own, but others rely on whatever is available at their local market (especially those who don't have the time or capability to explore/hunt/forage/work/etc).

UPPER

10000lbs of dream sand
Able to enjoy the finer things in life
Many upper class dreamwalkers do not need to hunt / gather / forage
Tend to be the most magically inclined
Expected to be charitable and hospitable
May have more permanent and impressive homes
Are almost always incredibly skilled
Commonly older

MIDDLE

5000lbs of dream sand
Live an average, comfortable lifestyle
May have larger families
May not have to hunt / gather / forage, but it is still common
Mindful about using magic / wasting sand
Can afford to take extensive breaks every now and then
Moderately skilled
Common to be merchants
Commonly middle-aged / young adults

LOWER

5000lbs of dream sand
Live an average, comfortable lifestyle
May have larger families
May not have to hunt / gather / forage, but it is still common
Mindful about using magic / wasting sand
Can afford to take extensive breaks every now and then
Moderately skilled
Common to be merchants
Commonly middle-aged / young adults

PRIMARY ROLES

Provide
Feed the economy (spend)
Reproduce (if young enough)
Teach
Skilled work (ie. government, authority)

Feed the economy (sell and spend)
Work
Reproduce
Gather resources
Hunt

Work
Learn
Feed the economy (dreamstep)

Class traits and expectations are not set in stone and can certainly vary between individuals. Class is also not necessarily a recognized distinction among individuals and has little to no impact on their treatment within society. All dreamwalkers, regardless of class, are expected to contribute to their fellow dreamwalkers and maintain the overall health and stability of the entire population. They are a very "people-help-the-people" type of species, and the importance of community and contribution is stressed and prevalent in their culture and tradition. No dreamwalker should be suffering regardless of class if all conditions are met and maintained accordingly throughout society, and this is often entirely possible under the right leadership due to the millennia-old attitudes conditioned into the species. Exceptions certainly apply, but the current state of the Earth population under Makonah's rule has remained steady and mostly optimistic.

Class and wealth aren't necessary to acknowledge in dreamwalker character creation, but exist to explore as desired. Class and wealth can typically be decided by the individual designer/owner of the character, and is not based on strict guidelines. *The only exception will be within the official Dreamwalkers Discord server once completed, as there are plans for a functioning economy and shop within the server for participating members, as desired. These conditions do not have to translate over to the overall intention of the character outside of the server. Ie. If your server balance is considered lower class, but you want your dreamwalker to officially and canonically be a higher class individual, then that's entirely acceptable and up to owner discretion!

In Times of War

Dreamwalkers are generally peaceful creatures and function as one whole society despite being as spread apart as they are. Whenever they run into conflict, it tends to be more like a "neighborly dispute" rather than actual war. Different herds may fall into rivalry, some dreamwalkers will start disputes over territory, and some have petty reasons to start trouble (and some are simply sour). Whatever the cause, drama can and does break out, but peacekeepers work to resolve conflict appropriately and in short time. On the other hand, if a dispute does not pose a direct threat to their security as a species, feuding dreamwalkers are usually left to work things out on their own. Heated disagreements will be carefully monitored in the event that intervention becomes necessary.

Usually, dreamwalkers are a very generous, understanding, and forgiving species; therefore they are capable of resolving, if not avoiding, conflict all on their own. Good morals tend to be taught from birth onward, since they are so thickly woven in their society, but this is not always the case.

In the rare case that they DO fight, dreamwalkers tend to be incredibly strategic, relying on organized tactics, tricks and trips, mind over matter, and operating in small herd-formations that focus on blending skills and levels of experience. This provides balance and creativity among teams. They are also likely to take advantage of the natural world around them if they believe it will give them the upper-hand. They will only resort to full-scale fights if compromise doesn't work.

Conflicts cannot be large and/or loud among dreamwalkers since they must remain mindful to avoid human attention. As a result, full-scale wars are mostly unheard of. They are not usually a confrontational species anyway, so even when being threatened by other creatures (such as being assaulted by humans centuries ago), it is not uncommon for them to eventually, and quickly, withdraw. This, however, does not mean that they admit defeat.

Law

Sometimes a dreamwalker will let their personal lives interfere with their dreamstep. As a result, they might let their emotions out on an undeserving victim (an angry dreamwalker giving a good person a nightmare, for example). If caught, they will receive a sand fine. If they are repeat offenders, they will be issued a sand probation.
Human interaction is forbidden without prior approval, with the exception of routine dreamstepping. On average, the only dreamwalkers who are approved to interact are those who can shapeshift and blend in without drawing attention to themselves.
Murder is forbidden.
Most common sense laws apply to dreamwalkers, such as forbidding stealing, assault, public indecency, abuse, trespassing, harassment, etc.
The excessive hoarding of supplies and materials is greatly discouraged, and while not necessarily against the law, individual herds and communities are entitled to make votes and decisions about how they would like to handle the situation. This often results in the reallocation of materials, but is subject to government interference. Ie. reallocating food is expected and accepted, but reallocating personal and unnecessary materials such as toys, art, and the like is likely to be denied in favor of the owner of these materials. Ensuring all individuals have the basic necessities to not only survive but thrive is a societal priority.
More to come.