Tel'aran'rhiod
From A Wheel of Time Wiki
Where all the possibilities of the Wheel of Time connect. A world which any can enter but few can enter at will, and where thoughts make reality. Tel'aran'rhiod, the Unseen World or the World of Dreams, exists between the possibilities that existed for each choice made, making it touch the whole of the Pattern.
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[edit] History
Since training ter'angreal for the World of Dreams exist, it is likely that they were used or studied in some way in the Age of Legends. The White Tower had a dreamer named Corianin Nedeal who died years ago; Egwene al'Vere is the only other known Dreamer in Tower history. Aiel Wise Ones also make use of Tel'aran'rhiod frequently, and the gift of Dreaming, or Dreamwalking, seems to be very common among them.
[edit] Entering Tel'aran'rhiod
Anyone can enter the World of Dreams, and those who brush up against it in their sleep often do not know what they are doing. Many people awake with pains and bruises that they cannot explain, caused by taking small injuries in Tel'aran'rhiod. Dreamwalkers can enter the world at will, as well as those who hold certain ter'angreal. Some ter'angreal do not even require channeling to activate them, and thus Tel'aran'rhiod can also be accessed by those who do not channel. Another way to access the World of Dreams is to create a gateway into it. Aiel Wise Ones, however, have warned against this several times, stating that anyone who does this loses a piece of their humanity. One final way to enter Tel'aran'rhiod is only accessible to Wolfbrothers; these individuals can enter through what is known as the Wolf Dream.
[edit] Characteristics of Tel'aran'rhiod
The first thing to remember in the World of Dreams is that what happens is real, so if a person dies in the dream, that person also dies in the real world. Some people who go to sleep perfectly healthy will die, this happens when they die in Tel'aran'rhiod, and you do not even have to channel to be in danger there. Along the same lines, people who are wounded there will awaken with the wounds.
The world is malleable; one can project thoughts to make creatures and buildings. Larger things that are made in this fashion are more difficult to maintain and control than smaller ones. The key to mastering the World is to always remember it is a dream; if a person accepts something happening as reality that person becomes trapped in the dream.
[edit] Reflection of the Waking World
The World of Dreams is a mirror of the waking world, except that it is a nonpermanent one. Objects such a geographical formations, forests, and mountains exist. Buildings exist as long as they have been around the real world long enough to create an impression on Tel'aran'rhiod. An item such as a bowl of food may flicker in and out before the viewer's eyes. Wild animals are also part of the World, however domesticated animals are not. Some people believe this to be because of their relationship with humans -- that their connection to nature has been severed.
[edit] In between Place
There is a place between the waking world and Tel'aran'rhiod, which has no recorded name. There one floats and can find the dreams of others, to speak to them in their dreams or to enter their dreams directly. Entering the dreams of another this way is very dangerous, as the dreamer becomes part of the other person's dream and it is often controlled by them. It is possible for a dreamer to get pulled into someone's dream against their will if the the dreamer has exceptional feelings of hate or love towards them.
[edit] Dreaming
This is a Talent that seems somewhat like Foretelling, which is the ability to see the future somewhat, with interpretation of course. Dreaming seems to be connected to Dreamwalking as the Aiel Wise Ones also seems adept at "reading the dream" as they call it. They also train Dreamwalkers to remember every dream they have when they sleep, which allows them to sift out the ones that are just ordinary dreams and interpret the rest.
