The Endsworn

"Mourn the Fallen, for their souls weep also. Guard against the Dark-Taken, for their eyes are blind to all light. Slay the Endsworn, for their hands work ruin."

- old saying of Zefiru

All things beneath the sun and moons can be twisted. The land can be laid waste to or rendered barren, plants and animals can be corrupted, cities and nations fall prey to pride and fear... but what happens when the soul itself is warped beyond recognition? The Endsworn are the result - humans who, willingly or not, were exposed to the Ending, and kept in its service forever after. Old age harms them not, and the wyr that animates all the world shuns them. Behind their fractured black eyes lie only the horrors of isolation, pain... and fury.
Tragedy. Aberration. Power. The Endsworn embody them all.

Obsidian Eyes

A Curse Unlifted

"If the eyes bring understanding of the soul, what does it mean that their eyes turn fully black?"

- notes from a 'witness'

The Endsworn were all originally humans. Ikayal simply die when overwhelmed by the Ending, as the magic they need to live deserts them. Humans can still be killed by the Ending, but as the corruption overtakes them, many will eventually "turn" - hence why, during the Endwar, battlefields were purged by mages after the fighting ended, to prevent the Ending from lingering. In those long-gone days, many senior Endsworn placed "seals" upon those they killed to ensure that they would "turn". The exact manner in which "turning" occurs is mysterious, but one thing is clear: a new-risen Endsworn has already lost all that they once were.
The majority of Endsworn did not become so willingly, but there are a few who chose to reach out to the Ending, seeking power or embittered by the world. The most notable of these is the Fall Herald, who is widely believed to be the first and eldest Endsworn. Given the malignance of the Ending, it is likely that Endsworn-by-choice have greater inherent control over their power, and reach greater heights, than those who were forced into this twisted fate.

A Fate Unnatural

At the heart of that glade of shadows sat a young boy with a snake's tongue, shackled in place. The sixth Daughter of Man asked who he was and how he came to be there, putting her blade at his throat.
"Each day," said the young boy, "I wrestle with the World Beast, to preserve my soul and will. It is my sole companion, and my greatest enemy. Can you sever our bond?"
The sixth Daughter sighed. 

An Endsworn does not die of old age, needs little food, and rarely tires - they are not truly alive, and so in some way have escaped the pull of decay that all living things are subject to. It is the Ending itself which sustains them, with constant pain, from the beginning of their un-life to the end. They cannot act directly against it, despite its apparent lack of will and direction. When they finally fall, the Ending which animated them is always the last to leave the body.
But although the Ending can dominate the flesh, it cannot fully subdue the will - at least, at first. During the Endwar, many initiate Endsworn managed to throw themselves off cliffs, or persuade others to kill them. It would apear that in the beginning, the Ending's malice is inconsistent in its compulsion, allowing windows where these new Endsworn can act for themselves. But as the years wear upon them, and the pain pierces their souls, and the isolation from the world hardens their hearts, a veteran Endsworn's will twists on its own...

A Cry Unheeded

Although the Endwar resulted in a defeat for these cursed souls, it was a failure in that very little information about them survived. The process by which a human "turns" to the Ending is almost as mysterious as the origin and nature of the Ending itself; likewise, the Endsworn's weaknesses are poorly documented despite how vital it must have been to the people fighting during the Endwar.
Nevertheless, any sufficiently strong mage can repel the Endsworn, regardless of which Wyrpath they use. Ocean and storm mages have particularly effective powers in this regard: storm mages can directly manipulate and weaponise wyr, while ocean mages can use the absorbant nature of water to purify regions - albeit briefly. All mages are inherently at a disadvantage, however: it is far more difficult for a mage to purge the Ending than for an Endsworn to purge wyr, and many old techniques have been lost.

Alternative Names

The Dark-Taken, the Fallen, the Mistwalkers

Demonym

Endsworn

Related Historical Events

• 1 BE
  The Fall