Editing Kingdoms: Creating the Court (section)

==The Dreamform==

Every Court has a '''Dreamform''' based on the way that each King visualises himself and his kingdom. This ''Dreamform'' creates a unifying style and theme for the entire Court.

The Seelie White Kings normally dream of unified kingdoms with strong hierarchies and rigid societies. Often, their peoples will be of a single race, and with a single shared culture. For example, a Seelie White King might dream of a desert kingdom where he is the Undying Sun Pharoah, and where legions of skeletons serve him. Alternatively he might dream of a theocracy land ruled by its Church, where he is the Godhead to a million human worshippers.

The Unseelie Black Kings usually reach into the wilder and uncontrolled depths of the Dreaming for their visions. Their people will be diverse, passionate and prone to wildness. One Unseelie Black King might see himself as an Orcish Warlord, with a feral horde of trolls, nightspawn and greenskins at his command. Another might see himself as a Giant Spider, controlling a sprawl of "independent" city states through blackmail and influence.

Because the Dreamform shapes the King himself, and because Seelie or Unseelie nature plays a part, there is little reason for the two brothers to be similar in any way. Genetics and inherited traits have no place in the Fae Realm - the imagination of the subconscious mind is the only limit. Note also that the fact that this dream kingdom is newly formed is no reason for it not to have a history - as far as the Kingdom and its inhabitants are concerned, history is just about perception and can be formed at the same time as they come into being. So, for example, if you want to create a jungle kingdom that has been inhabited by elemental spirits for ten thousand years, thats absolutely fine - the fact of the matter is that it will only have existed for mere moments, but the elemental spirits that are dreamt into existence within may have all the memories of ten millennia, and will act like what they perceive to be true is incontrivertible fact.

All in all, the King should write at least a paragraph about his Dreamform and himself. He should establish what he looks like, how his kingdom appears, and should aim to mention the mood, the values and the structure of his kingdom.

Consider the following:

* '''Common Themes in White Courts:''' Order and hierarchy; Sun; Daylight; Codes of honour; Discipline; Technology; Science; Monotheism; Self Control; Beauty;

* '''Common Themes in Black Courts:''' Chaos and broken societies; Moon; Nighttime; Do-as-thou-wilt; Passion; The natural world; The supernatural; Animism; Rage; Freaks and misfits;

* '''Common Themes in All Courts:''' Strong leadership from the king; Each piece clear in its role; Strong thematic unity; Limited scale - a medieval European country is a good reference point; Real world history or fantasy tropes as a theme (e.g. Egypt and the Pharoahs, Land of Dragons, etc.);

* '''Things to avoid generally:''' Attempts to power-game; Excessive focus on one Season or strategy; Poor thematic cohesion; Weak or uninteresting descriptions; Deliberate attempts to break the game or de-rail the setting; Unimaginatively plaigirising another game's setting ("...and these are my Skaven Plague Monks...");

As the King-Player defines his ''Dreamform'', he should complete the character sheet for his King piece. This Dreamform will determine the theme and nature of the rest of his Court, with one small exception...
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