Myth Touched
The Myth Touched are the result of humans and Mythics bearing children together. While these children appear to be human, they may possess a connection to the element(s) of their Mythic parent.
In human culture, the myth touched are seen as tainted beings. While their birth was no fault of their own, their mere existance is an abomination of life. This is the official standing of the Order of the Discerning Gaze, but not necessarily the public opinion. Over the years that the Children of Radiance have lived on Oabos, there was always some intermingling with the elemental denizens of the world. It is unknown if there are any bloodlines that are still fully human at this point.
The only time a human is labeled as a myth touched is if they display some form of elemental ability, or a family member does. People are naturally suspicious and will single out an entire family line if one person shows signs of an elemental ability. In the capital, this othering causes the family to be cast out of the spires and into the Fog Zone; a slum of the city comprised of everything that falls below the fog line. Only families that are considered fully human can live in the spires.
The further you travel from the capital, the less discriminations there is against the myth touched. In the further reaches life is hard and having a touch of elemental ability is often what can keep a village alive. So far out, there is little influence from the Discerning Gaze and many myth touched live openly. These individuals fill all roles in village society but are the first to be blamed if anything catastrophic happens. Many myth touched chose to bind themselves to the local dragon in their region. The Order of the Discerning Gaze considers a dragon kill successful when the Myth touched in the area start dying of the Withering.
In Elementine culture the myth touched are seen as half-formed, wayward children. It takes these partly human beings so long to mature and addapt the the world without aid that they are seen as forever stunted. While the myth touched show some elemental affinity , it is nothing compared what an elementine child of the same age could accomplish.
Despite the inherant condescention toward the myth touched, there is not descrtimination or ostrisization. Myth touched are easily brought into an Eldyr's Ruling. Having this connection stabilizes the myth touched by offering a tether to the World Core. While this connection supports the myth touched and helps them to grow in their power, if the connection is cut they do not have enough strength on their own to support their own core. That is why when a ruling Eldyr is killed, all of the myth touched in their rulling destabilize and die.
Due to their social status as similar to a stunted child, the myth touched are seen as needing extra protection. If an Eldyr knows an attack is coming for their region, they will often try to pursade as many myth touched as possible to flee to another region. If the Eldyr of that new region is willing to shelter them, a new connection can be formed to the World Core. The first rulling a myth touched is part of will usually offer the strogest connection, due to being more emotionally connected to that Eldyr, but a weaker secondary connection can be enough to keep moderately strong myth tou ched alive. The emotional connection to their Eldyr will lead many stronger myth touched to stay even when encouraged to leave.
Myth Touched in Human Culture
In human culture, the myth touched are seen as tainted beings. While their birth was no fault of their own, their mere existance is an abomination of life. This is the official standing of the Order of the Discerning Gaze, but not necessarily the public opinion. Over the years that the Children of Radiance have lived on Oabos, there was always some intermingling with the elemental denizens of the world. It is unknown if there are any bloodlines that are still fully human at this point.
The only time a human is labeled as a myth touched is if they display some form of elemental ability, or a family member does. People are naturally suspicious and will single out an entire family line if one person shows signs of an elemental ability. In the capital, this othering causes the family to be cast out of the spires and into the Fog Zone; a slum of the city comprised of everything that falls below the fog line. Only families that are considered fully human can live in the spires.
The further you travel from the capital, the less discriminations there is against the myth touched. In the further reaches life is hard and having a touch of elemental ability is often what can keep a village alive. So far out, there is little influence from the Discerning Gaze and many myth touched live openly. These individuals fill all roles in village society but are the first to be blamed if anything catastrophic happens. Many myth touched chose to bind themselves to the local dragon in their region. The Order of the Discerning Gaze considers a dragon kill successful when the Myth touched in the area start dying of the Withering.
Myth Touched in Elementine Culture
In Elementine culture the myth touched are seen as half-formed, wayward children. It takes these partly human beings so long to mature and addapt the the world without aid that they are seen as forever stunted. While the myth touched show some elemental affinity , it is nothing compared what an elementine child of the same age could accomplish.
Despite the inherant condescention toward the myth touched, there is not descrtimination or ostrisization. Myth touched are easily brought into an Eldyr's Ruling. Having this connection stabilizes the myth touched by offering a tether to the World Core. While this connection supports the myth touched and helps them to grow in their power, if the connection is cut they do not have enough strength on their own to support their own core. That is why when a ruling Eldyr is killed, all of the myth touched in their rulling destabilize and die.
Due to their social status as similar to a stunted child, the myth touched are seen as needing extra protection. If an Eldyr knows an attack is coming for their region, they will often try to pursade as many myth touched as possible to flee to another region. If the Eldyr of that new region is willing to shelter them, a new connection can be formed to the World Core. The first rulling a myth touched is part of will usually offer the strogest connection, due to being more emotionally connected to that Eldyr, but a weaker secondary connection can be enough to keep moderately strong myth tou ched alive. The emotional connection to their Eldyr will lead many stronger myth touched to stay even when encouraged to leave.
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