The Adventurer

Date: 2/13/2024

I feel like this dream was heavily influenced by my playing Baldur's Gate 3 and watching the episode of Dungeon Meshi where the party has a meal with orcs -- and maybe by the fact that I went back to sleep in the morning with a horrible headache. A man was traveling with what seemed to be a found family, a group where everyone was just barely starting to mutually adopt each other. The dream started with him in a wooden cage inside a cave with a large, circular wooden table in the center of the room and some other cages that may or may not have been empty next to him. Several orc were women doing tasks around the cave/room. They were preparing to meet some kind of human envoy, as far as I can remember, but I'm not sure if the envoy was entirely peaceful. The orc women wore thin, flowing, layered clothes and partial or full hair coverings. Their hair and the coverings they wore seemed important to them, along with their clothes and the muscles and strength of their bodies. Shortly before the envoy arrived, the oldest orc our protagonist had met yet. Her wavy hair was completely grey and she was slightly hunched over. He guessed that she was the elder of the community. She acted like she had power in the community, too. She teased him about his lack of power, being trapped in the cage, but seemed to think he was a good person. It seemed like she would probably release him. Then, on that center table, she saw a head covering that was like her own but clearly too tight and stiff to fit any hair. It was meant for a shaved head. She snatched it up off the table, almost desperately, confirmed that she recognized it, and cried out in a mourning wail. She tore at her own head covering, almost removing it entirely, and foe some reason the adventurer was sure she was going to rip out her hair or shave her head and go offer herself up to the human envoy in grief. She didn't, but that hardly eased his tension. Somehow, the man in the cage put together that this covering had belonged to a woman who had been sent out as a sort of guardian -- her head shaved and her body covered in some sort of cloak or veil. When he put together that the cloak was part of the guardian outfit, he realized that an orc dressed that way could look a lot like a deadly monster every adventurer knew to fear and kill on sight because it would start with the weakest members in a group and work its way to the strongest. A monster he himself had run through with his spear. He had made a mistake. He had made an assumption, acted rashly, and in the cage he braced himself for the verbal abuse this elder would throw at him. He braced himself against the knowledge that it would be much harder to escape now, since there was no way the orcs would let him free willingly. When the orc was finished crying, she held the covering close to her chest and laughed softly. Fondly. Remembering something, maybe. Then she walked back over to the adventurer's cage, explaining that when a woman reaches a certain age/status (I never found out what that status was, I feel like I could build on it if I wrote this as a story, though) she has her head shaved and wears a covering where she used to have hair. Over that, she wears a veil that obscures her body just enough that she can see her prey... and they can see the creature adventurer's are taught to fear. It's been orc women this entire time, and it's been so rare because only one woman in the community can "become" this monster at a time. These women are sent out to create an illusion of greater danger around orc homes, or for some ritual sacrifice, or both. They're expected to die. It's part of the job. The others only hope it's a worthy death. They mourn when it's too early, and when they have fond memories of the woman sent to become a creature -- which is always -- and this time was too early. The adventurer listened without relaxing, understanding but still feeling guilty. Then the elder leaned against the cave wall right next to his cage and lightly punched the bars the way someone might punch thr shoulder of a friend when they're proud of them. She said something about the "monsters" being ruthless and terrifying. Then, with a wide and sharp-toothed grin, she said "But you defended your little one, didn't you? You kept your family safe." The adventurer changed from human to gnoll (more D&D player character type than BG3 ravenous monster type) -- to always having been both human and gnoll, somehow -- and remembered the human toddler with his group and the people who were all just barely starting to think of each other as "belonging to" each other as family. He felt flattered and relieved that his family was safe and guilty and grieved that he'd taken someone else's. He thought to himself that protecting the child -- whether the child was "his" or not -- didn't change the fact that he'd killed a person when he'd thought he was killing a monster. He thought to himself that he should still apologize for that murder. He also thought that it might be an insult to the orc women to hear an apology for the sacrifice of their purposefully sacrificial friend. So he shrugged and looked down, thinking of his family being held in some other room, and said nothing. I can't clearly remember whether the human envoy arrived at this point or was standing there for the whole interaction, but I do know they were present. At some point. The elder told the adventurer that she admired his defense of his family and the importance he placed on them, and that she thought he was impressive for having killed one of their own "monsters" when many were forced to flee at the sight of the thorny veil. She implied that she would release him and his family before long. After things were done with the envoy, I imagine. There was a section after that where things got more abstract. Characters traveling through sand dunes and hallucinating that they were walking on clouds, rejecting unclean sources of water until they couldn't anymore. Characters in loft beds talking to characters on couches in a living room below about a fluffy cat who likes their loft. Characters finding a doorway down into a cellar and debating whether it was safe to enter. Some kind of undead doing... something I can't remember. The rest of the dream is fragmented now, but I most clearly remember the adventurer and the orcs and the sacrificial monster. Until next I wander.

AI generated interpretation Dream Analysis: The dream seems to be influenced by your recent experiences with playing Baldur's Gate 3 and watching Dungeon Meshi. This is reflected in the dream's setting and characters. Dream scenarios often incorporate elements from real-life events or activities that have left a significant impact on our psyche. The dream starts with a man trapped in a wooden cage within a cave, surrounded by orc women. The presence of a wooden table suggests a gathering or meeting is about to take place. The orc women are portrayed as strong, with a focus on their hair, clothes, and physical strength. This may indicate that they represent a sense of power and femininity. The introduction of an older orc, possibly the leader of the community, implies a shift in power dynamics. Despite being trapped, the man senses that she sees him as a good person and might release him. However, her reaction to a head covering that belonged to a deceased woman reveals her deep grief and mourning. This triggers the man's realization that the orcs, disguised as monsters, serve as protectors and create an illusion of danger around their homes. The man feels guilty for having assumed the orc disguised as a monster was a threat and killed her. This guilt intensifies as he learns more about the sacrificial nature of these women's role and their mournful rituals. The elder orc acknowledges his defense of his own family as commendable, causing him conflicting emotions of relief and grief. He contemplates apologizing, but fears it might insult the orc women further. Silent and contemplative, he thinks of his family's safety and waits for the impending arrival of the human envoy. The abstract section of the dream, with characters travelling through sand dunes and engaging in disjointed conversations, represents a shift in focus from the specific orc scenario to a more abstract and fragmented narrative. These elements may symbolize unresolved thoughts or emotions that are mixing with the main theme of the dream. Overall, the dream appears to explore themes of assumptions, identity, guilt, and the complexities of familial bonds. It reflects your interests in fantasy realms and storytelling, incorporating elements from your recent sources of inspiration. The dream may be prompting you to reflect on the importance of understanding others before making assumptions or passing judgment, and the potential consequences of our actions even when driven by good intentions. It may also be highlighting the power dynamics within relationships and the delicate balance between protecting loved ones and causing harm in the process.