The Beginning
The Three Golden Goddesses created life, earth, and order when they descended upon the chaos that was existence. But there were others, aside from the three.
The Windfish and Dethlivaan were two of these; gods, whose powers were vast and beyond the comprehension of mortal minds, though they could not be compared to those of the Golden Goddesses. Rather than focusing on life, or flame, or the fundamental buildings blocks of reality, these two had powers closely related to illusion, and surreality, closer to the original chaotic miasma than to the ordered world of the Goddesses.
When the primordial chaos of existence was changed and structured, and the world created, these two mourned its loss. At this time, they were close in friendship, and could be considered kin, brothers of a sort, though deities measure such things differently.
These two brothers, as they beheld the new world of Hyrule and grieved over the loss of the old, conceived a plan. The creations of Farore spent a large amount of it's time in sleep, a deep, dreamless sleep of complete inactivity.
They thought they had found a way to not only add their own touch to the Sisters' creation, but also gain something resembling the chaos they sought. Thus, they set to work.
At this point, when the world was young and newly made, and time itself had not yet set into its patterns, it was impossible to measure time. Nevertheless, it is known that the brothers labored for a long time, though whether it was days, or months, or years, no one knows for certain.
Then it was finished: A separate world, a surreal world, one where the natural order of things was twisted and strange, and subject to unexpected change. This reality, this dream world, was insubstantial, for the most part, twisting and changing, responding to the thoughts and experiences of those within it. It had no name, for names imply a certain permanence, and permanence was a concept foreign to it.
The last touch of this great work was to give others access to it. They did so via the sleep which was so necessary to the life of Hyrule. When the living slept, rather than a deep unconsciousness, they would find themselves within the dream, where their thoughts could control the world around them, and where everything was possible. Upon awakening, they would rarely remember any of it for long, but the knowledge that it was there remained.
The Windfish reveled in this dream. It was different from the chaos of before, but it had its own qualities, and was superior to the chaos in many ways. He acted as a kind being to the dreamers, though he was also aloft, and rather alien in nature. Dethlivaan, though at this time he had yet to descend into darkness, was disappointed, taking more note of the differences, the things this dream lacked that the original chaos had had.
Over time, this disappointment grew into something more. Where once Dethlivaan had been nearly identical to his brother in nearly every way, his disappointment festered, and grew into a dark and brooding resentment. He grew to hate the Golden Goddesses for removing the primordial chaos, grew to hate their creations, even Farore's life. He even grew to hate the Windfish, for his acceptance of the changes, for his delight in the dream.
He grew dark, turning cruel and evil. Thus, nightmares were born, and the current titles of the two gods of dreams were created: The Windfish became known as the God of Dreams, and Dethlivaan, the God of Nightmares.
The Windfish was not unaware of the changes within his brother. He knew that occasionally the once blissful dreams of the dreamers began to turn dark and terrifying, and seemingly at random. Nevertheless, he still saw his brother as the same one he had created the dream with, the same one he had mourned the loss of the chaos with, and he did not see, or refused to believe, the extent of Dethlivaan's corruption.
Dethlivaan, spiteful and hateful demon that he had become, was still cunning, still capable of reason and planning. He actively encouraged the Windfish's shortsighted-ness, masking his darkened soul behind a façade of kindness.
The Dreamwalkers
It was at this time that the brothers of the dream became aware of a new development within their realm, one that had the potential to change everything.
Certain people, mostly Hylian but some from other races, were beginning to be born with a special potential, inborn power. These individuals, who came to be known as Dreamwalkers, had more control over the dream then others. Others, when they dreamed, they created their own surreal world, their own dream, in which their thoughts, memories, and experiences controlled and shaped everything. Upon awakening, they rarely remembered it, and even during the dreams, they were seldom truly aware, and were not lucid.
Not so with the Dreamwalkers. They were lucid, always aware of everything that happened in the dream, and they could recall it upon awakening, just like any other memory.
But, most importantly, they could step outside of their dreams, and roam the dream world at will, something that was previously impossible unless the person was purposefully brought out of their dreams by one of the brothers.
They could also enter the dreams of others. While there, they were powerless, trapped in a world fully under the control of the dreamer.
In of itself, Dreamwalking was almost entirely devoid of any real use, but it also signaled another thing… those who could Dreamwalk were receptive to the powers of the brothers. The Goddesses established links to their clerics through a ceremony held at the Temple of the Triumvirate. The Gods of the dream did so in the dream, when the Dreamwalkers encountered them there.
These worshipers were not clerics in the same sense as the followers of the Goddesses… rather than giving them magical powers though a spiritual link, these Dreamwalkers' natural abilities were merely enhanced many times over.
Dreamwalkers who had gained one of the brothers as their patron gained much. Their control over the dream, which had previously required intense concentration in order to shape to their will, now did so almost without them thinking. They could enter other's dreams, without becoming powerless dolls for the dreamers. Instead, they could exert some semblance of control themselves… though the dreamers with strong wills were impossible to control, and even the Brothers would find them difficult.
Even outside of the dream, they could do many things. Make those who are drowsy or willing go to sleep with a touch. Those also skilled in magic became masters of illusion, able to weave incredible images and mirages across the minds of their subjects.
There were never many Dreamwalkers at one time, no more than twenty and usually less… and the brothers were never worshiped widely due to this.
The Tower of Kibeth
It was the Dreamwalkers themselves who discovered that they, the Dream, and the Brothers had an affinity for music. The powers of the Dreamwalkers could be amplified even further by the use of music; humming tunelessly could aid in controlling the dream. The magic of the illusionists was most effective when created via music. The power of the dream shared a kinship with music.
In perhaps the last time they would ever work together, Dethlivaan and the Windfish conceived another plan, though not quite so grand as the last. Gathering their Dreamwalkers, of which there were eight, an enormous tower was constructed on a plateau high in the Conclave Mountains. Before it was built, the Brothers gathered their formidable power, and struck at the fabric of reality there, the basic wall separating the Dream from the world of the Goddesses. Though they did not break through, as they intended, they did enough. The world was… thinned, there.
This thinning allowed the distortion of some of Nayru's laws, allowed some aspects of the dream to seep through. This distortion allowed the tower to be designed strangely, allowed it to be built taller and thinner than would have otherwise been possible. It lacked the support a tower like that would have needed, but… it didn't need it.
And, most importantly, the Dreamwalkers could enter the Dream there, physically, rather then just mentally. The Brothers were not exactly sure what would happen if this were to take place, for the chaotic nature of their realm made it almost impossible to predict.
The Brothers intention had been to create a portal to their dream world there, allowing normal people, even non-Dreamwalkers, to enter en masse. Or that was the Windfish's intention, at least.
When Dethlivaan suggested the plan, he had a different intent altogether. His goal had been to get larger numbers of worshipers, increasing his influence and power. His reasons for wanting this were unknown even to himself; but he knew that more followers could only further his aims.
The second part of the plan had been to finally allow their Dreamwalkers full links to the powers of the brothers, similar to the conduits that were established with the Goddesses' clerics. The brothers together created eight instruments, and imbued them with the ability to draw from their power, and the power of the dream. They did this within the dream, where their power was strongest, and then the Dreamwalkers entered the Dream physically and took them from it.
When they were taken from the Dream, the Dreamwalkers discovered that they lost their power, for it was based in the Dream, and couldn't be brought out of it.
So, finally, the Brothers created the Bell of Kibeth. At the very top of the tower, where the fabric of reality was so thin as to be almost nonexistent, the Dream and the world of the Goddesses intermingled and became one, a strange combination of dream world and waking world. This was where they placed the great bell, where it's great peals could be heard in both worlds, where it's sorrowful, mesmerizing voice could be heard through the tower and the plateau. The original purpose of the bell was to draw power from the Dream and send it in turn to the eight instruments, enabling their use… but, during the making, the brothers each wove touches and purposes of their own into it's magic.
Those who heard the otherworldly, sorrowful voice of the bell would feel a great sense of calm, of peace. Anger would melt away, heated emotions, strong emotions; all of it would cease to exist, as it was replaced with serenity. That was a gift of the Windfish. But Dethlivaan's own powers tainted this gift. If one were to listen to it long enough, the peaceful, never-ceasing peals would begin to grate upon the mind, eroding the minds of the victims. Unless a strict control or powerful magic protected them, those who listened to the sound for too long would be forever changed, would walk through their lives as if in a daze, without coherent thought or meaning, lost in the peaceful, tempting, maddening sound of the bell.
It was said that the Windfish put more effort into the creation of the bell of Kibeth and the eight instruments, and it was that which left him vulnerable.
The Imprisonment
Wearied by their great works, Gods of Dreams and Nightmares returned to their Dream. But Dethlivaan saw a chance to become sole master of the Dream after the Windfish's weakness.
The Lord of Nightmares confronted the Windfish. It is said that the Windfish, even knowing the disadvantage he was in, refused to fight, instead trying to turn Dethlivaan from the path of evil and corruption.
Contemptuously, sure in his triumph and his power, Dethlivaan exiled the Windfish from the Dream, into the normal reality, and at the same time imprisoned him within a dark sleep.
The Windfish drifted in this sleep, dreaming on. His dreams produced something, an island deep within the Great Sea. This mystical island, called Koholint, was incredibly strange, and it's creation is still a enigmatic mystery. Even the God of Dreams should not have been able to dream an Island into being, not outside of the Dream. But he did so.
In the meantime, horror reigned. With Dethlivaan as sole master of the Dream, nightmares and things of evil terrorized the dreams of the sleepers.
The Dreamwalkers, four of which served Dethlivaan, were thrown into disarray. Without the Windfish, the Bell if Kibeth grew dark and evil, and the Belltower of Kibeth fell to the power of Dethlivaan.
Three of the Windfish's followers were killed by Dethlivaan's Dreamwalkers, slaughtered while their minds were hammered into dust by the full force of the Dethlivaan powered Bell of Kibeth. The fourth, and last, a Dreamwalker woman named Tessalyn and known as the Siren, reached the top of the Belltower, with all eight of the instruments.
Apparently the nature of the instruments, the way they drew their power from whichever of the Brothers the user worshiped, allowed them to draw power from the Windfish even while he was trapped in his prison.
Tessalyn used them, used their power to quell the Bell, and then, as it slowed, she bound herself to it, and to the Belltower. The Bell stopped, Tessalyn's noble life-force, now entwined inextricably with it, forcing it to stop, forcing it to respond to her will.
With the last of her strength, she used the power of the Bell to destroy Dethlivaan's Dreamwalkers and send the eight instruments to Koholint Island.
It is said that Dethlivaan's wrath was terrible to behold, as he hammered at the mind of Tessalyn. She used the bell to shield herself, but nevertheless she was altered, changed. Still a servant of the Windfish, she was no longer truly human, the powers coursing through her, both good and evil, leaving their mark.
The Awakening
The Windfish stirred within his dream, unconsciously resisting his imprisonment. A fragment of his consciousness broke free, not enough to affect anything directly, but, in the form of an owl, it could watch events as they unfolded.
Dethlivaan was wary of this activity. Fearing that his brother might break free, he sent several of his minions, crafted within the Dream at great effort, to the Koholint Island. Last of all, he sent a manifestation of himself, a shadowy being called Dethl, to act as a last guard upon the Windfish.
It was at this time that one of the legendary heroes of Hyrule was traveling along the Great Sea, after a journey of enlightenment. His ship was struck by lightening, and he lost consciousness. When he awoke, he found himself on Koholint Isle.
Under the guidance of the small fragment of the Dream God's mind, he gathered the eight instruments of the Sirens and killed Dethlivaan's creations, and used their power, the Windfish's power, to gain access to the giant egg where the Windfish had dreamed himself.
After battling with and defeating Dethl, the Windfish woke, and Koholint Isle disappeared, vanished like a bubble on a needle, the dream ending as the dreamer awakened.
Or so it appeared. None were sure of the exact nature of the island, and therefore none could be sure of it's fate. Some have speculated that it, and it's inhabitants, were absorbed into the Dream, while others hold that it was merely covered with an illusion, and left within, but separate from, the rest of the world.
The Devastation
Dethlivaan was caught by surprise by the awakening of the Windfish, and this time they were more evenly matched. The battle waged across the Dream, a battle between two gods, a catastrophic event.
None were able to dream that night. Those who slept, slept in a deep, dreamless sleep, much like the time before the Dream was created. Tessalyn, the only living Dreamwalker, may have been able to enter the Dream, had she not been caught in the embrace of the Bell of Kibeth.
As it is, there are none who can even speculate on what such a confrontation must have been like, or how it was finished.
In the end, the Windfish was victorious, but the price had been terrible. The world of the Dream had been damaged beyond repair, the realm of the brothers now a shadow of it's former self.
From that day forward, it was no longer a certainty that those who slept would dream. Sometimes, they would slip into the dreamless sleep that the Goddesses had originally conceived.
No Dreamwalkers has been born since, and Tessalyn, transformed into a different sort of being, is the last of the Dreamwalkers.
The power and influence of both Gods was diminished. They no longer had absolute power within the Dream, and now had limits which had not existed before… Dethlivaan, though he still existed, got far more of them. Neither God could leave the Dream at will, any longer.
The Aftermath
Nevertheless, the world continued. With the aid of the Windfish, Tessalyn built a new order of followers, all of which served the Windfish. Though none were Dreamwalkers, the eight Instruments of the Sirens still functioned, and Tessalyn herself still controlled, and was bound too, the Bell of Kibeth.
Though Dethlivaan had been defeated, the Windfish had been unable to destroy him, even had he wanted, and so the God of Nightmares could still touch the Dream.
And so things have been ever since, the Gods of Dreams and Nightmares ruling together, crafting their dreams and illusions.
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