Eternals

A generalized name for a type of creature that seems to have spawned from perspective.

Eternals are not Mono.

"Anything is an Eternal nowadays. Can't take too big 'a dump and the townsfolk will say a Greenich ate a bad child and it's now stinkin' up the place!"

— Carymockian Citizen

Summary

Eternal have gone by many names from the moment the Dawn broke by the hands of the Lifter of Spirits.

In time, people got tired of calling them different names everywhere, and the moniker of "Eternal" was homogenized, given what supposedly connects all of their legends are the Ruined Lands in the Barbosian continent, as well as the myth of their immortality.

These creatures are said to have been the first Describers of Heir. Which would mean anyone who's able to manipulate the Eternal Link does so thanks to the Eternal, and the disciples they've taught since.

Some believe it was Ar 'Umon, the first Eternal, who created all of the ones that came after. While Wetch is said to protect the Eternal that abide by their Code.

Historical Basis

Legend says the Eternal fought alongside the Berbulig and Aunarssian hunters to protect the Efratic continent during the The Spread. However, the Eternal's involvement was sought after even past the calamity, leading them to develop a code to keep them away from other people's conflicts.

These events even speak of Eternal that lead battalions into the Battle of the Beasts. Yet, nowadays many do not believe they exist, while some think they still hide in the forests, waiting for the estranged and the lost to fall into their everchanging traps, never to be seen again. They are seen as nothing more than mysterious predators and mystical tricksters.

Spread

The Eternal are reffered to by different names in different cultures, but rumors of their existence are mostly heard of in the Efratic continent.

There are also whispers of Eternal in the continent of Barbosia, but proof of these claims is yet rarer than in other places.

Variations & Mutation

These beings were often called by different names within the same communities, but not without reason. It is believed that at the beginning of an Eternal's life they are mostly amorphous, but given an event, or enough time, they will take to a form of their choice, maybe for the sake of familiarity, comfort, or other unknown reasons, and as they assume these shapes, they also take on particular roles of which the purpose is theirs to know.

Very few stories have ever sung of Eternal abandoning their chosen appearance or reverting back to their unreadable configuration.

In Literature

Books like The Hidden Axis of the Aaran and The Eternal War of Malbwenia which were written by Tassa Ha 'Byrden have questioned historical records, by considering the existence of these beings as well as their impact, assessing the life-changing truths that might've been omitted from the annals.

While philosophers like Ahim Karab have well worded the experience of meeting an Eternal in their poem Lonesome Company, others like Meyadan have investigated the myth to no solid conclusion in the best-seller The Technicalities of Uniform Change.

Scholars to this day try to understand the importance of these legends when related to the power of Descriptions and other influences of the Eternal Link.

In Art

Few artists have ever dared to tackle the challenge of not only depicting an Eternal but doing them justice. Some of the most known pieces, however, come from the artist Mire, who showed their mastery of mystery in their unique mural carvings, all of which are supposed to represent the experience of being lost in a forest. They would originally carve these pieces in homage to their Patron Emanation, Wetch. These carvings were so detailed, that it would take the beholder a while before they noticed that which stalks the wooden canvas.

Songs that embezzle half-truths have been sung everywhere as well as tavern tales. But one of the most renowned theatrical responses to these legends is the musical The Darkest Tree, which was first imagined by someone whose identity has been either lost to time or hidden by those who have played their parts in its execution. This show has been widely presented in the Kingdom of Jarlausia since 1015 ER.

Date of First Recording

12 ES | After the Spread