Dream Route Omnibus: the Universal Bus Pass

The Multiversal Metro System has existed for as long as dreams have, magic buses capable of traversing the starlit roads of the astral to bring travelers to destinations far and plenty. All it takes is some frogcoins, or for the luckiest few, a golden omnibus pass, which is just the item you are saving up for. Complete quests for frogcoins, earn your ticket to the stars, meet bizarre individuals from strange worlds near and far, and maybe even fight the Cosmic Nightmare, while you're at it.

The story starts in the Frogzaar, the famous Bazaar of the Frogkin. Among the many tents full of wondrous goods, some dastardly do-no-good-er has pilfered your return ticket, leaving you stranded in the markets until you manage to get enough coins for a bus home. Will you rely on the charity of others, earn your pass, track down the thief, or steal your way back home? Once you re-secure your bus access, your world opens up to a number of other Omnibus stops, each with their own story options and unique atmosphere.

Buzzburbia: Homeworld of the Bezzith. The Omnibus stop in Buzzburbia is located between two of the Dream Route’s famous buildings: the Posthive, which handles the mail and parcel delivery between worlds, and The Daily Buzz, a newspaper that deals with the interconnected worlds of all the Dream Routes. While important structures, the city of Buzzburbia has never drawn much tourism or trade, ever stuck as the great suburbia in the eyes of the other realms.

• The Posthive: The Postal delivery service of the Dream Routes.
• The Daily Buzz: The newspaper of the Dream Routes.

The Clownival: Once a land ruled by normal Vampires, this magical stop was forever altered when a wandering circus appeared from the Dream Routes. The Vampires promptly bit the traveling clowns. Now, Clownpires run this world, with their tiny cars that hold far too many people. Luckily for those visiting the Clownival, all clowns, even those afflicted, take the safety of their guests most seriously.

The Bigtop: Clownpires entertain guests at these circus grounds, right next to the world's only Omnibus stop. Here, visitors are in the least danger, so long as they buy and keep hold of their tickets. The games here are quite rigged, but anyone able to outsmart the rigging insists the prizes are worth it.

The Freak Slopes: A mountain range named for its odd shaped ridges and not the odd creatures that inhabit it from this world's past. The Gargoyles, Werewolves, and other Gothic horrors that reside here are sometimes trained by the Clownpires to put on shows, and thus are able to support their cave villages.

The Frogzaar: The fantastic Frogzaar, an endless bazaar that is one of the finest markets in all the Dream Routes. Accepts all frogcoins! There are simply too many tents here to list them all, and they are randomly meshed together with no themesor planning involved. It is quite easy to get lost in the endless, colorful Frogzaar. This important world also has an omnibus hub in it, where one can buy bus passes or get on multiple different Dream Routes. There are six routes that connect to the Frogzaar.

The Great Swamp: With an Omnibus Stop at its central Tavern (aptly named the Shroom Room), the Great Swamp is home to Mothims, Flickerfolk, Bayou Elves, and a number of Frogkin, who enjoy the damp and muggy atmosphere. The jazz of the Shroom Room fills the swamp, and many luminant mushrooms light up to the sounds, shooting spores out as if jiving to the rhythm.

The Shroom Room: Come for the fizzy fungi, stay for the stories of the Mothims, keepers of the lanterns.This tavern is the heart of the swamp, its jazzy tunes synchronized with the spore-filled fungi and lotuses of the Great Swamp. Lampbert, the owner and bartender, serves mostly Fizzy Fungi drinks at this tavern, alongside shroomcider, brewed by the witch Hazelleaf of the potion shop next door. Music and service is always ongoing in the shroom room, and when Lampbert needs sleep, one of his children will operate the bar. Local bands often perform in the Shroom Room, and to do such is considered a high honor in the swamp. Famous headliners include the Thunderbugs, Croaky McSmokey, The Dankness, and Sporehome, among other less multiverse-recognized performers. Music producers are often found lurking in the Tavern searching for talent.

The Junklands: The ooze ocean and isles of trash that make up the Junklands are a byproduct of other worlds using this world as a junkyard. Here, Goblins evolved from alchemical waste and fungi, and they have grown to use the garbage of other peoples as means to raise up their own people. One man's trash is another's treasure, after all. The air here is toxic to most non-Goblin species, and as such, the Omnibuses that pass through the town of Wasteron are equipped with complimentary breathers.

Lownest: Lownest is a city in the world of Birdtopia. It is populated by various Birdkin (such as Flamingans, Vulturans, and Penguinos), alongside a handful of other avian-adjacent folk and numerous visitors. The city is built around the Nesting Bays, a series of three circular, saltwater inlets (Eastbay, Midbay, and Westbay), all of which face the Southern Ocean.

• Eastnest: Built around Eastbay, Eastnest is a mid-to-high-class residential district of Lownest, and is more Suburbs then true city.
• Midnest: This district is largely commercial zoning, with lower-to-middle-class Housing. Midnest is home to the only Omnibus stop in Lownest, located near Hatchingway Mall.
• Westnest: Westnest is home to industry and low-end housing. The air in Westnest is smokey, and the locals are nice, but not kind.
• The Streets of Lownest: Dodo street races are aplenty in the land of lawless birds…and many others, too, given time and resources.

New Vegetaria: The Streets of New Vegetaria are home to many varieties of Veggiekins. This metropolis has grown from the earth into a city of hustle and bustle, with huge corporations run by criminal enterprises. New Vegetaria is a world with much frogcoin imbalance, which is unfortunate, considering there would be more than enough resources to go around if it wasn't for the Green Families' hoarding.

• The Big City: The Big City is named New Vegetaria, but often locals just call it "the City," so as to not confuse it with the entire realm.
• The Greens District: This rich district is where the Green Families live.
• Potato Bay: The largest port in the city, and the name of the bay on which the port is situated. It is largely industry-focused.

Sealantis: The watery world of Sealantis is home of the Undine, as well as some Crabkins, Lobsterans, Merrans, Octofolk, and rarely, Frogkins that have taken a liking to saltwater. It is the planar home to the Crawdandy Dome, an underwater stadium built and enchanted for non-lethal blood sports. This dome is one of two Omnibus Stops on this world, the other being Jalola, the Chains of the Goddess, which is a series of volcanic islands that make up the world equator and serve as the bus stop for air-breathing visitors.

The Crawdandy Dome: Built in ancient and primal Sealantis, the Dome was once a place for Undines to fight to the death for their freedom against their fellow people. Nowadays, such bloodshed is considered quite barbaric and wasteful, and the arena has been enchanted so that volunteers can fight to their heart's content without perishing, a change the Undines praise as cathartic. Being able to fight without consequence has led to the Undines being hailed as some of the most fearless (and slightly deranged) warriors the Multiverse has to offer, for many of the species’ legal issues are settled in this magical arena instead of in court.

Jalola, Chains Of The Goddess: The only surfaces to reach above the waves in Sealantis are this belt of islands across the equator of the world, which host a number of hotel chains and other accommodations for land dwellers and air breathers. Here is where those that can afford Brinebreath Pearls for underwater breathing watch the fights and where the pearls can be purchased.

The Sugar Sands: The great candy desert consists of endless sugar dunes and ruins, with a single Omnibus stop near the Maple Oasis, where the Candyfolk live under a bright, lemondrop sun. Settlements tend to be towns and villages located near soda springs. The once great Candy Empire, the government that used to rule this world, is a chocolate coated shell of its former self.

Frogkin: Frogkin are the most populous species across the multiverse, or at least in the parts of it that have  been connected via the Omnibuses so far. Their amphibious nature plays no small part in their spreading across a variety of biomes, though their widespread and varied biological advantages are bigger secrets to their success. Frogkin are a highly mutable people, and over time, Frogkin inhabiting various worlds have adapted to their new homes; the time it took them to do so is mind-boggling to most other species.

• Toadberto: The reliable bus driver of the Dream Routes, and a relatable family Frogkin.
• Zelbuzz: A Bezzith down on her luck, Zelbuzz needs help delivering letters.
• Lampbert: The Mothim bartender at the Shroom Room.
• Madlad Mareea: A Flamingan dodo racer with a chip on her shoulder.

Lampbert the Bartender in the Shroom Room.

Madlad Mareea riding a racing dodo.

Frogcoins: The universal currency of Dream Route Omnibus.

Many Species Unique to the Setting: Mentioned above are the Merqans, Frogkins, Mothims, and Flamingans, but within the vastness of the Dream Routes, anything can exist!

Multiversal Madness: There are endless possibilities for weirdness.

Fungi, Flora, and Fauna in the Great Swamp: When you travel to the Great Swamp, you will encounter the many unique species of fungi that call it home, each with mystical abilities:

• The magically occurring saxoshroom.
• The sprinkle-spored birthday toadstools, with conditional wish-granting powers.
• And the sought after ghost truffles, glowing lumishrooms, and cider shrooms, which are used in the making of shroomcider.

In addition to all of the above and countless other possibilities, the Dream Routes are under attack by the Cosmic Nightmare, the Undoer of the Dreams Between. They were likely to show up sooner or later; they appear wherever major changes or events happen on the Dream Routes, and travelers often cause chaos. When traversing other worlds, it’s your responsibility to clean up any nightmares you cause, though locals will have plenty of reasons to help in the defense of their homes. Storytellers can use the Cosmic Nightmare as a vaguely defined malignant force that fulfills any purpose their stories need... after all, one person’s nightmare might be another's normal dream! This entity (or perhaps entities) is known to have many strange plots in many worlds and a vast amount of power at its disposal.

For even more information about Dream Route Omnibus, visit https://www.worldanvil.com/w/dream-route-omnibus-gooserune