Sandy petersens cthulhu mythos (1) 17

Dreamlands Cats
Everyone knows about cats. They’re small, sometimes-

beauty to their humanoid families—at least on their

obnoxious predators that people often keep as pets or

own terms. And during their languorous periods of

exterminators. Cats are not a sentient species. Like

rest, they can walk the Dreamlands with enhanced

humanoids, they have a dream life, but unlike most

mental acuity and reason.

people, cats are aware of this dream life. Furthermore,

Occasionally, a cat decides that it wants to spend its

while in their dreams, cats are as intelligent as people,

waking hours as a fully

sometimes more so. Of course, they are still cats, with

sentient

cat personalities and traits.

well

Even more remarkable, cats are able to freely
the

when

it

happens, it becomes

Dreamlands

what is known as a

and back again. This

Dreamlands cat, and

means that a cat can

is, in effect, a player

either transfer between

character. Any cat may

the dream and waking

decide it wishes to be

state

a Dreamlands cat and

in

the

normal

humanoid way, by

then take on that role for

falling asleep and

a period of time: sometimes just

waking up, or it can

a few days, sometimes the rest of its

physically move to the Dreamlands and back.

History

Cats traveling the Dreamlands run the full gamut from
feral to domestic. However wild they might be, almost
all player character cats have lived or currently live

in and among humanoid communities because such
cats are likeliest to get along with other species and be
willing to adventure with them.
Unlike other companion animals, cats almost
certainly took the first step toward domestication, so
it is arguable that cats actually mastered humanoids,
rather than the other way around. It has certainly been a

life. Likewise, a Dreamlands cat may decide
to return to its normal status of being just a cat. For
those who know cats well, it will come as no surprise
that such decisions seem to be made capriciously.
Humanoids cannot tell whether a particular cat
is a Dreamlands cat based purely upon outward
appearances. Typically, either the cat has to inform
them somehow, or the humanoid has to figure it out by
watching the cat take on tasks that would be impossible
for a normal cat of animal intellect and awareness.

Playing a Cat

Cats are pretty much a “love ‘em or hate ‘em” type of

successful partnership. In return for protection, shelter,

creature. While some people can’t stand them, others

and food, cats keep down the population of rodents

can’t live without them, but few are neutral on the

and other pest animals in humanoid areas, which

subject. Some people are even ailurophobes, making

helps ward off both disease and famine. In addition,

them neurotically afraid of cats. Even those who dislike

cats provide affection, companionship, elegance, and

10

as

as

sleeps. When this

pass physically from the waking world
to

being,