Distant Cities
Distant Cities are a phenomenon of the Near Dreaming.
Overview
One common phenomenon in the Near Dreaming is called Distant Cities. These strange places are inevitably beautiful and almost always unreachable. They are places seen on the horizon, places of wonder and glory that shine bright as the sun on the first true day of spring. Sometimes, they appear to be only a few miles away, and other times they seem a hundred leagues away. But always, they are mesmerizing, filled with crystalline towers and bridges of gold, colorful banners and music that haunts the region of whispers. Even miles away, people see the inhabitants of the Distant Cities and long to meet them, for surely anyone that beautiful must know the way to Arcadia.
Sadly, these phenomena are elusive. They remain forever on the horizon, never going any closer, no matter how many miles a changeling might run or even fly. It takes a strong will to ignore the lure of the Distant Cites, where surely there must be a thousand pleasures to relieve every doubt. They call to the fae just as the sirens of old called out to sailors. While no one is absolutely certain, it is believed that the Distant Cities are just as dangerous.
No trod ever leads to a Distant City. The only possible way to get closer to them is to leave the safety of the Silver Path. Yet long before a changeling can reach even the threshold of the nearest building, the Firchlis seems always to push the City still further away. Fae who make a run for it are often lost in the Dreaming, never to be seen again, and Wayfare cantrips always fall short of the city itself. There are tales of Kithain who have indeed managed to reach a Distant City, though no one tells a tale of anyone ever returning from one. Perhaps the Distant Cities are too filled with wonders or even contain secret gateways to Arcadia. Or perhaps these cities are of a more sinister nature. No one can truly say.
References
- CTD. Dreams and Nightmares, pp. 25-26.