progressive dreams

Higher Beings and Lower Beings
	The Higher Beings of this dimension are beings with inconceivable amounts of spiritual energy, known as Virya. This Virya can be used to create worlds, creatures, and even other Higher Beings. Lower Beings, usually created by the higher beings, can manipulate the Virya, though cannot create it directly. Most lower beings are not capable of manipulating Virya, so it is seen as a great gift by most. The most spiritually attuned race of Lower Beings are the Pantheonites of Relayer (see section 2), of which our character is.

	The known Higher Beings (according to the Pantheonites) are the Ancient Fish, the Star Child, the Crimson King, the Gentle Giant, the Aquastone Serpent, the River Wanderer, and Relayer, of whom the Pantheonites are controlled by and worship. The higher beings are made up of the excess Virya of the previous generation of Higher Beings in what we perceive to be a century. It is known by the Archivist (see section 5) that there are many more Higher Beings, though we will focus on the seven for this story.

Pantheonites
	The Pantheonites are humanoid beings with marble skin, matching their Homerealm Relayer, named for the Higher Being they worship. The Archivist believed them to be Golems of some sort with no intelligent thought, though he learned of their true nature when he ascended to his Higher Being state. They are kept alive by a small amount of Virya, though it is finite. This is why they have the highest aptitude for Manipulation among the Lower Beings. Age is not gauged the same as it is for humans, as Pantheonites are immune to aging. None truly know how old they are. Instead, they are divided into two “states” of life. The Dormant State, and the Awakened State. The Dormant State is the natural state of Pantheonites. In this state, they do not have a mouth. They communicate through a form of telepathy, though their language has no literal meaning. If directly translated, it sounds like unintelligible gibberish. Their words communicate emotion and intent, which can be somewhat translated into words we can comprehend. To achieve the Awakened State, they must present themselves to Relayer, judged for their aptitude for spiritual manipulation. If seen as unfit, they are stripped of the Virya which keeps them alive to be absorbed by Relayer, leaving them as statues of Marble. If not, Relayer brings them into the Awakened State. In this state, they gain the gift of speech, and a higher aptitude for Manipulation. Those who become Awakened are seen as superiors in Pantheonite culture, usually becoming teachers of Virya Manipulation.

Relayer and the Pantheonite History
	The Pantheonites have a troubled history that has been made unknown by Relayer. The Pantheonites came into being independent of any Higher Being. Relayer found the Pantheonites in their quest for more Virya.
	You see, Relayer is a being entirely made up of Virya, though they are  constantly expending it. They require a constant source of Virya, which is why they enslaved the Pantheonites in order to have a constant source of Virya, hoping one day to find the Realm of Topographic Oceans.

	Relayer warped the minds of the Pantheonites to serve only them. The Archivist discovered this, and attempted to alert the Pantheonites. Relayer attempted to kill him, though he escaped the realm. Relayer would hold a vendetta against the Archivist, as he was the only one to know of his plan. Relayer wiped the memories of the Pantheonites, all of them forgetting entirely of the Archivist. The only record of his findings is a book he left behind, called Jnana. It tells of a prophecy, where a Pantheonite would learn the truth of Relayer’s reign and hopfully put a stop to it. In truth, the Archivist never intended for this prophecy to come true, only hoping that someone would be influenced by its teachings.

The Archivist/River Wanderer
	As the Higher Beings continue to birth other Higher Beings, they become more and more erratic and different, only strengthening as more beings were created. This inevitable chaos came to a head with the two ends of the Pantheon Diamond (see section ?) with Relayer and the Archivist, later known as the RIver Wanderer. The Archivist started without any Virya to speak of, appearing to be a normal human, and Relayer, a being of pure Virya

	Later in life, the Archivist gained the ability to travel between the realms, a power exclusive to Higher Beings. He then dedicated his life to discovering and archiving all the creatures and realms he sees, mainly as an excuse to explore.

	After learning of Relayer’s plight, the Archivist fled the realm, only to return on an ill-fated quest to free the Pantheonites. His Virya was consumed, and he was cast into the realm of the Endless River, a realm that has had all of its Virya depleted. His ability to travel the realms no more, he traveled the Endless River searching for anything. Making a home out of a crashed ship bearing the mark of Sunhillow, he was given the name River Wanderer.

The Other Higher Beings
This section will discuss the other five of the Higher Beings. The first known Higher Beings were the Ancient Fish of the Realm of Topographic Oceans, a realm with completely untouched Virya, allowing the fish to swim through it like water. The first scene begins here, as the Pantheonites were experimenting with a ritual that could travel the realms known as the Interrealm Travel Ritual, of which they conceived. After the ritual fails, our character arrives in Realm of Topographic Oceans.

The Crimson King, though a higher being, existing to serve the Archivist, after being made in his debt. He vowed to challenge the Pantheonite, should they ever arrive in his hall.

The Aquastone Serpent (may be replaced) is an enigmatic entity, which wiped out entire populations, and is rumored to be able to transcend realms. The Sunstone Giant uses his immense Virya to create and preserve life in his realm.

That is, of course, excluding the Star Child. Born in space, this being is trapped inside a Spacesuit. Experiments were done by the Lower Beings in this realm, causing it great pain. They attached the being to a cross like device, extracting and experimenting with their Virya. These experiments are the cause of the mysterious disappearance of the entirety of the realm’s Lower Beings.