The ongoing Symphony is the means by which the gods created the Rhydia. There are 22 gods, each with a different instrument, that play in the orchestra. They are led by The Dreamer: the conductor at the root of All Things. Together they play an ever-changing, ever-flowing song that weaves the world and all its parts into being.
"At first, there was only The Dreamer. And he dreamt up a new stream of thought."
-The first line of The Oneiron
The gods were not all created at the same time, and most were not actually created by The Dreamer himself. There are seven generations of gods, with the oldest being Zhen and the youngest being Illioth. When The Dreamer began his dream, he created Zhen to be an agent of chaos: the source of inspiration needed at the root of all works of art. Zhen created three sisters: Korval, Phylestal, and Avengil. Each of them inhereted an equal fraction of his chaos. As the generations continued, each one contained less and less chaos until Illioth was created, who was born with none.
First generation. Zhen, Lord of Chance, was the first god created directly by The Dreamer. He represents the concepts of chaos, trickery, and deceit. During the First Movement, Zhen played the violin: a pivotal part in the melody. At the beginning of the Second Movement, the other gods decided that there was no longer as prevalent a place for chaos in the world any longer--that it would only cause havoc. He was moved to the triangle, so that he could only release periodic pangs of chaos every so often. Following The Suture and the dawn of the Third Movement, a great deal of chaos was reintroduced to the world as the Planes became connected once more. Zhen was moved back to the violin, where he stayed until his chaos was blamed for the horrific acts of war that closed out the Fourth Movement. By the beginning of the Fifth Movement, he was back on the triangle. Being one of two gods who have ever played two intruments, Devouts of Zhen will often learn both. Both are played depending on if they are reflecting on Zhen's chaotic beauty or his admirable restriant. In private, there is a clear preference for the former.
Second generation, created by Zhen. Korval represents the concept of nature. She plays in a trio of saxophones with her sisters Phylestal and Avengil in which she plays the alto saxophone. Korval seems to be very interested in groupings of three. It is said that many of the visions, messages, and dreams she delivers to her Devouts come in the form of three messenger animals.
Second generation, created by Zhen. Phylestal represents the concept of freedom. She plays in a trio of saxophones with her sisters Korval and Avengil in which she plays the tenor saxophone. It is said that Phylestal is at the heart of all true revolutions. She demands that each being that draws breath has the right choose, and that none may infringe on another's right to do so.
Second generation, created by Zhen. Avengil represents the concept of beauty. She plays in a trio of saxophones with her sisters Korval and Phylestal in which she plays the soprano saxophone.
Third generation, created by Korval. Durin represents the concepts of life, death, and fate. He plays the piano. Early in the First Movement, Durin requested that The Dreamer provide him someone to assist him in ushering the dead through to the Beyond. And so, Kees was created. Durin and Kees are closely tied. There are rarely depictions of one god without the other.
Created by The Dreamer at the behest of Durin, and therefore does not fit into a generation. Kees is the psychopomp of The Symphony, leading souls into the Beyond. Kees sings vocals in The Symphony. There are no temples dedicated to Kees, nor are there typically Devouts of them. Despite this, every so often a Chosen of Kees rises amongst the Devouts of Durin.
Fourth generation, created by Durin and Karla. Batrio represents the concepts of birth, maturity, and age. He plays the bass. Batrio is concerned with the natural wonder of age and growth that is found in each living thing. While Durin deals more in broad strokes and grand notions of fate, Batrio cares more for what happens in the space between two silences.
Third generation, created by Avengil. Karla represents the concepts of love and opportunity. They played the piccolo during the First, Third, and Fourth Movements and took Zhen's place on the violin during the Second and Fifth Movements.