Nature Giants

Characters:
"The Crew": Me, Mysterious Mischief Man(Henceforth called Erik), Groot-type character (a nature giant-forests/trees), Older wise man (Henceforth Called Obiwan), and a side kick (henceforth called Strax.)

"Supporting Roles:" Erik's lost love, henceforth called Lisa. Some old woman left behind after Lisa disappears again. The Band of Men, eventually encompassing Obiwan.

The Band of Men: Comprised of five men (six after Obiwan goes back to them)

There is a race of what I would call "Nature Giants." They have one foot in the corporeal world and one foot in a more ethereal place where they can access power and knowledge related to nature. Most are wild and act as nature guardians, they are fierce, territorial, protective, and powerful. They live amongst themselves and within nature in harmony but are unfriendly to humans. Each ecosystem has its own unique guardians, the tundra, the mountains, the forests, the waters, plains, etc. There are some who have formed cults and immerse themselves in "sorcery," the raw untapped power of nature. This is considered part and parcel of some Giants' way of life. These also do not like humans, but think of them more or less as insects, pesty sometimes but overall ignorable and pointless. The last class are those that live among humans for whatever reason. They are friendly (hence Groot).

In this world, towns are isolated by nearly impassable wilderness guarded by the giants. We travel safely by air but our vehicles don't go very far. My town looks much like the city from Howl's Moving Castle, vaguely 18th-century with cobblestone streets and german/victorian/rural american architecture. I am a "modern woman." I have a job and my own apartment in a farmhouse stone building but I am lonely, with no family to speak of nor any interest in the boring men in my town. One day, I find a man in my apartment, just poking around. I'm like wtf who are you but he is charming and handsome with sparkling eyes, a mischievous grin, and this enigmatic presence that completely intoxicates me(this is Erik). I ask him where he came from and he offers to show me. I take his hand (I think, it's something I would do) and step through a "slip"(portal of sorts) and onto his "ship"which exists interdimensionally, I guess? As far as I can tell it is round, at least the room I'm in, with a huge wall-sized screen or window. It looks a little like Titans Tower (Teen Titans). Anyway, I'm completely blown away: filled with awe, wonder, and also a little excited. He introduces me to Obiwan, who is doing techy stuff with the screen. I think Groot and Strax are at a pit stop somewhere and Erik/Obiwan are on their way to pick them up. They offer to take me for a spin and I think, why not?

There was no interval in the dream, but the spin turned into a lifestyle. I develop an infatuation with Erik, our relationship is not dissimilar from that of my friendship with Jack or Brinkman. We are close and have a strong affection for each other but I don't know if he shares my feelings. Sometimes I doubt it, although occasionally, when we're alone, we curl up together. The rest of the crew think it's just because Erik has a soft spot for women and I am the only woman on board. They are a little disdainful but they believe it will pass and he'll drop me off eventually. My omnipotent self outside the character I inhabit in the dream knows that it's more than that, that he cares for me and won't just let me go, but he has a lost love that he can't let go of so he only has so much room for me in his heart, no more than close friends. Very Brinkmanish.

While we're on our "adventures" or whatever they are, we become aware of something stirring, a phenomenon or series of events that doesn't smell quite right. They seem to revolve around the nature giants; someone has a vision of an Arctic Nature Giant weilding a staff and freezing things. Involved in that vision is a Band of Men working behind the scenes, investigating, etc. They have some sort of special knowledge about these events. I think we go somewhere to investigate and lo and behold, Erik's lost love is there. She's involved somehow and that leads to a dangerous situation for her, death/capture/bait for a trap, etc. She is lost again (we're not sure if she's alive or not). We continue to look for her and the situation escalates when Groot gets trapped within a tree. I actually think the power of the nature giants sucks him in through a nearby tree and that's how we discover that it has something to do with the Giants.

Somewhere along the way, we discover a Nature Giant sorcerer has gone rogue and wants to dominate the world or whatever. He wields ice/winter powers (Arctic Giant) and is very destructive. We are put in danger, probably on the run from whoever captured Lisa, and have to abandon our ship. We take shelter in this bunker thing, Old stone built on top of an even older complex. It has no power, we set up shop with lanterns and a hot plate/bunsen burner. We all sleep in the same room. Obiwan leaves shortly thereafter to join the Band of Men. He was once one of them and feels an obligation to go. The bunker/complex has ruins underneath with passages that lead to the wildlands. The night Obiwan leaves, Erik makes me dinner and I am squish, even though I know he's too bereaved to be anything to me. This is our last scene in the dream.

Cut to the Band of Men, they are young and healthy, I'm pretty sure they were nature giants in disguise, perhaps the guardians specific to human life. They have journeyed from mountains which are densely populated with nature giants, these lands are completely unpassable for humans. They are approaching the mud-plains where Strax just happens to be hiding. In the dream, they do not see each other, Strax does not recognize Obiwan and keeps on his way. The Band has come to ask the aqua guardians (fishlike beings) for passage through their swamp. There is an argument and the aquagiants tell the human guardians that they must leave behind their "weapons of destruction," their staffs, as put forth by an ancient peace proclamation. The band acquiesces and open up a rift in the ground, the inside looks like swirling eroded sediment, light gray, cerulean blue, quartz-pink, iridescent white. The band places them in and they are buried/sucked away to a safe place. The Band enters the swamp.

Infinity Stones

It was an ancient society, reminiscent of Judea. Children were sometimes born with a stone inside them correlating with a different universal process. Our society revolves around these people, they are our spiritual elders, they have control over their element and work in harmony to channel all the right energy in a balanced way. 

Once or twice a generation, we travel to the ancient city on the ocean (reminiscent of Jerusalem) to  "elect" elders to the counsel. The city has high stone walls made of huge blocks. the layout is a little bit labyrinthine and reminds me of the cities of the indus valley.

My little sister was born with a purple stone inside her and so we must go, all families with stone children must. She is very young, less than ten, and the city is across the sea. Our family will take the trip alone. We swim there and as we pass a structure (looks like one of those really big power line things, pylons) my sister stops, We keep swimming but I turn back after a bit to check on her. When I reach her she is awake but unresponsive, transfixed by something. I see a little bit of polished green stone/enamel in the sand and dig it up. It is a green pendant/plate/shield with silver workmanship depicting a woman with long hair, my thought is Medusa. I bury it again and help my sister catch up.

Once we reach the pier on the outskirts of the city, we are greeted by disciples with warmth and kisses. The pier looks crappy, like it was slapped together by people who don't know what they're doing. Te boards are old and warped, some of them dark with rot. We know the people somehow, perhaps they are cousins or friends of friends, and there is one person, a Jesus figure, who is famous. We are awaiting his arrival. 

The man arrives soon and It is not long before we go to the city center to "elect" the elders. It's not an election exactly, the counsel chooses a person and a secular force must approve. Nobody says no. The elders are chosen and we go to the feast hall to celebrate. Chaos and violence erupts over something and several of the newly elected elders are killed. My sister is now the only one who can serve in the purple spot but I am concerned about the pendant thing. I communicate this to the high counsel woman and she blows me off, too much going on. I learn that my sister's stone, the purple one, is associated with chaos, violence, and destruction. I cannot imagine my baby sister channeling such energy.

We shelter from the chaos in a tiny room somewhere but there is a monster in there (reminiscent of Dr. Who's Weeping Angels). I tell them to keep their eyes shut, to not look at the creature, and I manage to get out and run away. I run to the abandoned part of the docks, they are falling apart. In the water there are redstone platforms like giant stepping stones that I have to jump onto to keep running.  I fall in the water. I don't know who else survived, I fear I am the only one.