How can a city survive in which you can't walk or drive from one end to the other without harm? Only through the combined efforts of the residents of that city.
But what if even in such an aggressive environment, conflict is ripening between the residents? They have given each other a head start to get back on their feet, but now they have gained enough strength to start blaming each other.
What if this conflict is caused by the environment itself? It wants one part of the inhabitants to wipe out the other part of the town already and be able to lead things its own way, instead of hanging on in this perpetual tug-of-war and weak state of peace.
There's no point in beating around the bush. The First was the first to wake up after Nightmare Fuel. As a consequence, he saw a little bit more than everyone else.
It was that "little bit" that dictated the rest of the Sleepers' lives. He created the first mirage. He was the first to learn the art of Sleepers - to mistake dreams for reality and reality for dreams. He taught other Sleepers to erase this distinction with their hands. He created the Steps - the way each Sleeper learns their craft. His level of craft is beyond the reach of any other.
His dreams sound and smell, they envelope you, and show you whatever you want. And then you will hear an ingratiating whisper that is equal in volume to a million voices and you will not be able to refuse him. He doesn't have to be near you.
Every Sleeper hears the First and the First hears every Sleeper who has passed at least one Step. The First wants to erase the line of worlds completely, which would inevitably lead the physical version of Ayyon to collapse.
The only thing holding him back is the Agreement. But the First's real plans are unknowable. Only one thing is clear right now. The First is waiting.
Time is not on your side when you find yourself in quicksand. After just a minute, every unnecessary movement will only make you worse.
Her real name is not so easy to find out - for that, you'll have to find someone who survived the question. Well, ask it yourself, if you consider yourself the lucky one.
Quicksand has used her mastery of the Sleepers' illusions to become Ayyon's siren - she commands the gaze, she commands the thoughts of men and women, and every next word of dialog with her is like a minute in mental quicksand. You can't get out.
Quicksand can often be seen walking leisurely through the streets of Ayyon, in any neighborhood, Slum or Polis, followed by the poor souls who have spent too much time in contact with her, holding onto the hem of her cloak.
Those who knew her before her transformation say that there is a reason in her past - terrible things happened behind the closed doors of her family home, but whether that justifies her behavior now is not even a question.
We live in a complex time of gray morality, my friend.
The townspeople say, that they saw one day how the bright, clear, blue sky of Ayyon spilled into her eyes. No one has seen such a sky overhead or her eyes since. The sky is draped in heavy, yellowish clouds, and her eyes are covered with a purple bandage.
But that doesn't mean she can't see, not at all. She sees far more than the rest of the city combined, but she does nothing on her own will with that knowledge. Once you feel her gaze on you, you won't mix up the feeling with anything else.
She knows who is right and who is wrong. Mere Sleepers, and sometimes even Insomniacs, go to the Old Round Gate, to her for advice, and children come running to hear stories about the clear sky.
Vigilant Commune is putting its all into overcoming the aftermath of the Nightmare Fuel and moving forward as a civilization.
Rider is not like that. She's not interested in the distant, bright future of humanity. She's interested in her motorcycle, the navigation drone she built by herself, and how to bring back more goods to sell from her next ruin trip in the rocky wastes.
Others avoid her - she seems too down-to-earth and material, but time will tell - maybe this is the right way.
Looking at Circe's extravagant appearance, one might think that she is an ancient witch from the pre-dreadful times, drinking the blood of babies to keep her eternal youth. And her demeanor, at first glance, only confirms this thought.
Only it's not quite true - this headdress she collected, and the eyes on it are depicted with special paints, which she makes herself. These same paints are used throughout Slums for ritual tattoos and eye symbols.
Rumors and her extravagant appearance are just the coloring of a butterfly...I guess. One of the most popular rumors says that those who want to become her apprentices or her admirers all stay to live with her and then hardly anyone sees them, they spend all their time in Circe's house. Her social importance prevents people from openly confronting her - all they can do is wonder and gossip behind her back.
Polis shows how hard the Vigilants are trying their best to change things. The current generation doesn't remember what the Ayyon looked like before the Nightmare Fuel - but they believe in the Dogma and are building Polis into what you see now.
No doubt - there is still a lot of work to be done. The air is still musty and smoke-soaked in most neighborhoods. Not all of the planet's scars can be repaired with current levels of technology. And trees, unfortunately, only grow in the Domes. But it's a big step for now.
We can discuss the humanity of their methods as much as we want, but looking at the lights in the center of Polis from one of the Domes, we can imagine that this is what the future of the planet could look like without the later.
City of Ayyon - the only inhabited place left on the planet after the Nightmare Fuel also known as Great Conflict.
Miles away there are just wastes and wrecks of the past under faded blind sun.
As a reminder of the conflict, in the very middle of the city, you can see the lonely skyscraping Agreement Tower, which divides Ayyon into two districts: Slum and Polis.
Original Soundtrack for Sleepers. Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the Slum
Swim across the river. Don't let go of the mask. Go through the alleys to the tower of Agreement. Turn to the First. Run to the cliff. Drop the robe. Swim across the river.
The Fanatic repeats his set of actions day after day, a ritual known to no one. Sometimes he is seen in other places - he runs to his boat by other routes.
His mask has his eyes wide open, what's under the mask is unknown. The old men say he was just a simple young lad - and he seems to be stuck in his age.
What the First whispered to him or what he saw in his dreams remains to be seen. Fanatic does not stop. Maybe if he does, something terrible will happen to all of Ayyon.
The Sleepers are a faction of mystics who inhabit the world of Morpheus. They draw their powers from sleep and reject all things physical and mundane for the intoxicating power of the mind and the dream world.
The Vigilantes are a faction of technicians and scientists who inhabit the world of Morpheus. They put all their energies into developing science and technology to rebuild the world and return it to its past appearance.
pifours
ZHUKA
Keep building pifours, I've been a follower since you started and this was my first ever NFT collection
Villain
But what if even in such an aggressive environment, conflict is ripening between the residents? They have given each other a head start to get back on their feet, but now they have gained enough strength to start blaming each other.
What if this conflict is caused by the environment itself? It wants one part of the inhabitants to wipe out the other part of the town already and be able to lead things its own way, instead of hanging on in this perpetual tug-of-war and weak state of peace.
What if the city's the villain here?
The plot thickens! 7777 $EnjoyFirst
It was that "little bit" that dictated the rest of the Sleepers' lives. He created the first mirage. He was the first to learn the art of Sleepers - to mistake dreams for reality and reality for dreams. He taught other Sleepers to erase this distinction with their hands. He created the Steps - the way each Sleeper learns their craft. His level of craft is beyond the reach of any other.
His dreams sound and smell, they envelope you, and show you whatever you want. And then you will hear an ingratiating whisper that is equal in volume to a million voices and you will not be able to refuse him. He doesn't have to be near you.
Every Sleeper hears the First and the First hears every Sleeper who has passed at least one Step. The First wants to erase the line of worlds completely, which would inevitably lead the physical version of Ayyon to collapse.
The only thing holding him back is the Agreement. But the First's real plans are unknowable. Only one thing is clear right now. The First is waiting.
Perl Special Edition
Quicksand
Her real name is not so easy to find out - for that, you'll have to find someone who survived the question. Well, ask it yourself, if you consider yourself the lucky one.
Quicksand has used her mastery of the Sleepers' illusions to become Ayyon's siren - she commands the gaze, she commands the thoughts of men and women, and every next word of dialog with her is like a minute in mental quicksand. You can't get out.
Quicksand can often be seen walking leisurely through the streets of Ayyon, in any neighborhood, Slum or Polis, followed by the poor souls who have spent too much time in contact with her, holding onto the hem of her cloak.
Those who knew her before her transformation say that there is a reason in her past - terrible things happened behind the closed doors of her family home, but whether that justifies her behavior now is not even a question.
We live in a complex time of gray morality, my friend.
Law
But that doesn't mean she can't see, not at all. She sees far more than the rest of the city combined, but she does nothing on her own will with that knowledge. Once you feel her gaze on you, you won't mix up the feeling with anything else.
She knows who is right and who is wrong. Mere Sleepers, and sometimes even Insomniacs, go to the Old Round Gate, to her for advice, and children come running to hear stories about the clear sky.
Rider
Rider is not like that. She's not interested in the distant, bright future of humanity. She's interested in her motorcycle, the navigation drone she built by herself, and how to bring back more goods to sell from her next ruin trip in the rocky wastes.
Others avoid her - she seems too down-to-earth and material, but time will tell - maybe this is the right way.
Circe
Only it's not quite true - this headdress she collected, and the eyes on it are depicted with special paints, which she makes herself. These same paints are used throughout Slums for ritual tattoos and eye symbols.
Rumors and her extravagant appearance are just the coloring of a butterfly...I guess. One of the most popular rumors says that those who want to become her apprentices or her admirers all stay to live with her and then hardly anyone sees them, they spend all their time in Circe's house. Her social importance prevents people from openly confronting her - all they can do is wonder and gossip behind her back.
Vigilant OST
No doubt - there is still a lot of work to be done. The air is still musty and smoke-soaked in most neighborhoods. Not all of the planet's scars can be repaired with current levels of technology. And trees, unfortunately, only grow in the Domes. But it's a big step for now.
We can discuss the humanity of their methods as much as we want, but looking at the lights in the center of Polis from one of the Domes, we can imagine that this is what the future of the planet could look like without the later.
Sleepers OST
Miles away there are just wastes and wrecks of the past under faded blind sun.
As a reminder of the conflict, in the very middle of the city, you can see the lonely skyscraping Agreement Tower, which divides Ayyon into two districts: Slum and Polis.
Original Soundtrack for Sleepers.
Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the Slum
Fanatic
The Fanatic repeats his set of actions day after day, a ritual known to no one. Sometimes he is seen in other places - he runs to his boat by other routes.
His mask has his eyes wide open, what's under the mask is unknown. The old men say he was just a simple young lad - and he seems to be stuck in his age.
What the First whispered to him or what he saw in his dreams remains to be seen. Fanatic does not stop. Maybe if he does, something terrible will happen to all of Ayyon.
Sleepers
Vigilant
Morpheus