DRAUMRS - Dreamweavers Among Us

4 - The First Circle

Wherever they actually were, the summoned members of the Draumrs First Circle were asleep. One was in a fine old bed, set high in a modern castle above the Rhine. One was in a glass-enclosed penthouse at the crossroads of commerce in New York City. One was in a First-Class sleeper high over the Atlantic. Another slept on an unadorned pile of pine boughs, deep in the Canadian Carolinian forest. One slept with dusty streamers of sunlight penetrating the shaded window above a well-worn sofa.

They slept and, as only Draumrs can do, they dreamed as one. In their shared dream, they came together in a great hall, under banners that flapped gently on an imperceptible breeze. Fine carved marble and polished oak provided a backdrop to well-upholstered chairs and the silky gloss of the multi-colored, six-sided meeting table between them. Overhead light without a source spread from the center outward, lighting each of them at their place but leaving pools of darkness beyond the small gathering. The hardness of the room was softened by the gentle sound of nearby rippling water and the peeps and buzzes of forest fauna; this was a meeting gift from the real forest surroundings of one, shared with the others. It had seemed a better alternative to the more ominous drums of war that could have crept in.

The clothing of the participants stood in sharp contrast to the setting. This was a working meeting of just the Elders; nobody to impress allowed individuals to choose to just be comfortable. At other times, business dress might be needed or, at infrequent events for awards and promotions, something more medieval in embroidered silk could be called for. Today was just comfortable.

Each of the Elders beamed with the peak of health and only slightly-aged attractiveness; although some, in their sleeping bodies, were far into old age in calendar years. Appearances here were the choice of the individual. As there was always the possibility of a romantic liaison outside the meeting, but still in the dream, most Elders and certainly all younger Draumrs, chose to be as attractive as possible, without overdoing it.

The group had been summoned together in the dream via a shared sense that is deeper than any other. Among human potential abilities, it ranks highest in usefulness, but possibly lowest in prevalence. Many do have it; only a few know that they do. The Draumr deep sense defies understanding to those who chose to only share in sight, hearing, touch and smell. For sentient species on earth, it is a powerful ability if one has the knowledge to apply it. Very few humans have the patience or attention required by this ancient skill in a noisy and over-stimulated world. In other, quieter species, it emerges among the old ones, many of whom leave their physical body quietly asleep on the final approach to death.

Skilled Draumrs can step in and out of the dreams of others. They can change the setting and can interact with the dreamers. When connected together, they can share a common dream with precise control and perfect consistency. In earlier times, Draumrs had regularly used the dreamscape to collaborate across great distance. Today, they use their Iphones most of the time. A command-appearance meeting, in this dreamed place, was an ominous throwback to earlier, more hazardous days.

These Elder Draumr sleepers were the highest masters of the deep sense, but to a person, they felt sadness and trepidation as they engaged it. Decades of peaceful times had allowed them to raise families and to extend their lines. The eldest had considered themselves nearly-retired from the First Circle. Some had an offspring fully groomed to take this place, if only a little more time had passed. Considering the dark undertone to the room, it was clear that this meeting wasn't for reminiscing, wishing or enjoyment.

"Let's get going." A gruff, actually-old voice commanded, as the designated Senior Elder entered the room. The others now brought their full attention to the shared dreamscape. The forest sounds stopped, leaving an ominous sudden silence.

"I have called us together again," announced Armand Grau, who was appointed as the Senior Elder, by agreement of the others, "because there is a growing problem in our practice that must be addressed. We have the responsibility to deal with it, even if our old bones argue otherwise."