#Inktober Day 21 - Drain / Fae

Soul energy and dreams keep spirit realms alive, they shape reality and fuel magic. This means that the energy is slught by many entities, and an entire economy has developed around it. Low ranking sprites and imps are assigned the task of harvesting the energy from dreaming mortals, while half-feral poltergeists patrol hospitals and nursing homes waiting for the elderly to cross over so their souls can be sold into slavery or distilled into spiritual fuel. The infernal and celestial bureaucracies run on taxes imposed on these harvesters, and those who dare to cross their checkpoints as they travel across the realms.

Harvesting a passing soul is a one-off event, but the draining of dreams can be a sustainable business lasting for decades. Careful fae go out of their way to inspire dreamers during the day, carefully concealing themselves, and if they manage to nudge the actions of a dreamer toward the goals of their nobles, then a little bonus might come tneir way too. At night, these careful fae tap the imaginatory energy of their dreamers, nurturing and keeping the dreams alive. Less careful fey rip the dreams from their dreaming victims, turning dreams into nightmares. The energy harvested by these less careful fey tends to be more raw, more dangerous, more volatile.