When the Spheres were first created, people did not dream. They still slept, to rest and recuperate, but they did not dream. For indeed, to dream is to welcome the unknown, and in the beginning all that was known was Hallow. The Bathysphere of Hallow, first of its kind and forever greatest, contained all that was needed for humanity to survive. All that was needed to survive, yes, but not needed to flourish. For three years, the people of Hallow lived in peace and comfort, spending their days caring for each other and the Sphere. Humans, Elves, Dwarves and all manner of humanoid creatures resided in Hallow, living in peace and comfort with little care or want of the outside sea. Indeed, people would only leave the bathysphere to gather resources, and the idea or concept of other bathyspheres in the Sea was scoffed at and scorned. Why would the Bright King make other, inferior spheres when Hallow already existed?
But after three years, there came two. The first natural births since the Sea was Shattered were by Lumen's Grace twins, a boy and a girl. The Twins grew up living a life of luxury, revered and cherished by those around them with every need cared for and every wish fulfilled, except for one. The twins were unlike the rest of the people inside the spheres, they desired for something more. While the populous was more than content to out their lives entirely within the confines of Hallow, the Twins wondered about the Sea outside. Surely the Bright King made more to the world then just Hallow?
As the Twins grew, they did all they could to learn about the world around them, both inside Hallow and out. The sister was a naturally gifted orator, and was skilled in persuasion and storytelling. Conversely the brother favored actions over words, and his favored method of communication was writing and art. The girl was kind and caring, chatty and boisterous and would spend hours at a time talking to any who would listen. By comparison, her brother was anything but. Dour and brooding, he rarely spoke to anyone other than his sister. Naturally, the sister was the more popular of the two, but being the kind soul she did her best to make him feel accepted.
When the Twins were 15, a plague struck Hallow. A catch of fish had unknowingly contained a few specimens corrupted by the Trench's foul waters. Those who ate the fish soon found themselves crippled and sickly, unable to leave their beds for more then a few hours at a time. The corrupted fish were thrown out and a new catch reeled in. Unfortunately these fish too had been tainted by the Trench, and soon after all the fish living near Hallow had been touched by the dread Song of the Trench. The people despaired for the loss of fish was a heavy blow to Hallow, despite the insistence of its elders that they had plenty of resources inside the Sphere with which to sustain the population.
In the midst of the plague the Twins shared the first Dreams. Tired from a long day of study, the sister fell asleep in the temple library. In her vision she saw before her a vast track of ocean floor, teeming with aquatic plants and animals, ripe for the harvest. She saw the bounty of the sea that could be, and the resources that she knew Hallow desperately needed. As she slept, she spoke aloud to the mystified people in the library. When she awoke, they told her of the resources and promising future she had murmured about while she slept.
At the same time as his sister the brother received a vision as well, but his was far from pleasant. In his vision he saw Hallow fall, the sphere's walls ruptured and rusted from years of neglect, the population starving and dwindling, dying out from lack of resources. When he awoke he found himself standing at the docks, a graphic depiction of the horrors that would unfold painted on the street around him. His actions had drawn a crowd, and the pointed stares and mutterings of the onlookers were rife with fear.
Confused and worried, the twins left their respective scenes and met in their home to discuss what had happened. Unsure of what to do, they decided to see the elders before rumors could spread. They made their way to Pieced Hall to talk to the Hallowed Elders. The elders were incensed, the people were under enough duress from the plague and now the Twins had thrown more fuel onto the fire. The elder’s main issue was with the brother, for his actions has stirred a wave of terror within the people. Silent as ever, the boy said nothing to defend himself, for he knew that his actions had instilled fear within people and disrupted their lives. Ever kind, his sister came to his defense. Skilled with diplomacy she managed to convince the elders that the Twins’ visions had been omens of what was to come. She proposed an expedition to find the bountiful region she had seen, for she feared that her brother’s vision would otherwise prove true. While the elders debated and squabbled amongst themselves, one man made the decisive call to trust the siblings and helped convince the other elders.
An expedition was proposed, and a team selected to man it. The sister was asked to accompany the voyage, as it was her vision they were following. The brother was told to stay behind, as a vision of ruin would do little to help the trip. The journey was long a brutal, but after two months they returned with a large catch and tales of the wonderous ocean beyond Hallow’s small sphere. Hailed as a savior the sister was praised by all. The people grew upset with the Elders for their lack of action before and the system was abolished. The man who had sided with the twins was elevated to the position of first ever Godsworn, Chi-Tong Ra.
After the expedition returned, the people saw the Twins in a different light, and treated them as such. At night the sister would sleep in a temple, open to the air and the public on a large ornate bed. The sister was hailed as a prophet and elevated through the ranks of the government to Oracle. It was believed that her utterances were direct guidance from Lumen himself. Large crowds would gather around her sleeping figure, listening and waiting for when she would speak. As she slept, prophecies and guidance would flow from her mouth for the listening crowd to hear. The people began to call her “Dreamtalker”, after the family name she and her brother shared: Dreamer.
While his sister was worshiped and attended by many, the brother would sleep alone. The sister’s bountiful vision had proved true, while the brother’s horrific one had not. In an isolated part of the city where only the desperate would seek his guidance he did reside. While his sister provided words that would delight and comfort listeners, the brother's actions while sleeping would shock and terrify watchers. The most shocking of these were when he would Walk. The brother in his slumber would make his way throughout the city to deliver omens to unwilling recipients. Whomever the brother interacted with would soon suffer some tragedy, or an unfortunate happenstance. The brother grew to be fear and shunned by the people, for his appearance on a homes’ doorstep would spell grave tidings for those inside and he became known as the “Nightwalker”.
The people quickly became reliant on the sister for her guidance, and Hallow began to flourish like never before. Emboldened by the first expedition, many other soon followed, but still the people dared not leave Hallow to live in other spheres, despite their discovery. As the sister was worshiped more and more, the brother was shunned just as strongly. Eventually, he realized that his dark tidings were unwelcome in a world so full of light, and decided to leave the sphere on his own. His sister foresaw his departure in one of her visions, and being the ever-loving soul she was decided to leave with him.
The people were devastated. No one had ever left Hallow to live outside before, and to lose their guiding light in the dark depths was unthinkable. Every person in Hallow, from the smallest child to the hunched elderly begged the sister to stay. But she simply smiled and departed on a small ship with her brother, saying that the people of Hallow’s destinies lay outside the sphere. As their submersible sailed out into the sea, a blinding flash of light illuminated the dark waters, and the ship vanished.
Soon after the Dreams began. People all over Hallow experienced visions while they slept, and disciples head the gentle, promising words of the Dreamtalker and saw the imposing silhouette of the Nightwalker and felt his advances. Following the example and the words of the Dreamtalker people started to leave Hallow, to colonize new lands and expand their influence under the watchful eye of Chi-Tong Ra, the first Godsworn.
