[spoilers] The Fleshless

[Casper]

do we think the high-ones are some new form of life born of the destruction of a civilization, or the collective consciousness of traumatized individuals, who watched their entire civilization burn all at once (which would explain why they are so primitive, they have completely shutdown and reverted to survival mode), or something completely different?

[Makesin]

Life born out of consciousness, instead of the usual consciousness born out of life? I like that. I also honestly have absolutely no idea. I am certain that if they reproduce by the Cleansing, that the first Cleansing must have happened before their creation (the egg predates the chicken in this case), but how exactly they are born from the Cleansing, hmm, truly no idea. But I like that idea that they're not really a life form, merely a collective consciousness that formed its own identity.

[DevilSauron]

Maybe the first human civilisation created the beacon directly for the purpose of ascending to a higher plane of existence. Firing it was responsible for the first "cleansing" that created then first High One...

[Chiobe]

We know that the Emissaries has requirements or the veiled woman choosing the main character, would have been pointless. He/she is haunted by the past in the dreams, so maybe thats the requirements for prophet? Same for Tealor and dreams of an empire and so on.

As for the high once being powerless, it could actually be true. If the only once that can see them, are the Emissaries, so would there influence not be more then what those people make it to. Assuming the black stones and the red madness, dont let them influence anyone directly. Granted, the Emissaries cant be killed by normal means (if they are already dead), but we have seen means to seal people into objects, so that means there influence is not guaranteed.

The bigger question might be, who the veiled woman is? After all, she effects the main character almost as much as the high once, if not more. My guess is that she is a high one that where created a bit differently (maybe even the first one) and seems intent on nudging events towards the high once being banished. Why else would she do things like taking the main character to the black guardian (one of the few people with the knowledge needed to set things right)?

[Casper]

maybe the veiled woman is simply the replacement for fate, or fate's messenger? and she just does things differently... (ok, i was kind of kidding here, though in retrospect it doesn't seem too far fetched)

---edit
because when you take fate out of the picture, who replaces it? -- Chance?