Life's Gift
Death regarded Laken with her dark, ethereal gaze, then walked to the Condemned. She took his right hand and gently laid the spear in his palm. His fingers reflexively closed over the broken shaft.
“You’re my Champion. That hasn’t changed. The Evenacht’s Redemption rests in your hands.”
Laken met Death's eyes, questions swirling.
Life's Gift
by your confused scholar,
Lorgan the Bewildered
by your confused scholar,
Lorgan the Bewildered
All images by Shade Melodique unless otherwise stated
Featured image background: devmarya, Adobe Stock Images
Featured image background: devmarya, Adobe Stock Images
Long-ago Death
I don't quite know what to say, so I'll start at the very beginning.
Ga Son, to seal the agreement with the Death who granted syimlin the Gift of Life, gave a gift in return; Life's Gift. It was a plain wooden spear, with an iron head that flared into wings before sharply tapering, and a red cloth tied around the socket, a decorative touch.
Scholars have attributed many meanings to the weapon throughout the years, attempting to explain away why Ga Son did not decorate such an important item. Why did he not embroider the cloth with meaningful symbols? Why did he not imbue the tip with a special Sun spell? Why did he not carve meaningful words into the wood?
I can tell you, now that I've seen the relic, it needs no elaboration.
A sense of deep power rests within the spear. There is no need to dress it up. An odd thing, as Ga Son is known for his extravagance, but in this spear, he chose simplicity over show.
Simplicity. The depth of magic reserves in that object is anything but simplistic. It, after all, seals a syimlin-to-syimlin pact. I'm not a religious scholar, but I do know, if the spear was ever broken, the Gift of Life Death bestowed upon the syimlin would disappear. Our deities would once again revert to being mortal, which would, in all likelihood, trigger the Divine Wars again.
The Divine Wars were brutal, as faelareign sought to inherit a syimlin's mantle. The power the ambitious and psychopathic could achieve after winning one made them the most sought-after relic in those long-ago ages previous (I say relic; a mantle isn't physcial, it's magic energy). Millions died, and religion was a terrifying, arduous aspect of life.
Syimlin, before the Gift of Life, lived mortal lifespans. They either passed their title on to a chosen follower before they died, or a more powerful magic user killed them and claimed it.
After the Gift of Life, syimlin became immortal, in that they did not age. That did not mean they could not die, but it became harder to end them because another thing happened alongside the Gift of Life; Ga Son created mantles. The mantles, divine magic energy, made syimlin almost invincible.
It's my understanding the mantles collected power from each previous holder, so the syimlin nowadays are nearly untouchable by mortals (though I'm certain powerful mafiz or whizen could be stickers on the ass if they banded together and attacked). In all likelihood, it would take another syimlin of equal or greater power to strip them of their mantle.
Broken
If the spear was ever broken. What am I thinking? IT IS BROKEN! Laken holds the spear point in his right hand, and the shaft rests with his left hand's sundered essence, and I'm pretty certain it's in the Sunderlands.
The Sunderlands! The land of constant ice and snow because the Beast cursed it. I think it's in an old elfine tower there, but I'm not certain. We need to find it before the Knights of the Finders, because we know what happens when a corrupt being like the Beast controls Life's Gift. His reign proved it.
Syimlin did nothing about his depravity because the Beast, on a whim, could have taken away their immortality by breaking the spear. Unless they wanted a repeat of the Divine Wars, they had to weather his rule and mitigate the damage in slyer ways. That fed his ego, to have the syimlin debased before him. Otherwise, I've no doubt, he would have killed them all and sucked up their power. That would have been the end of living, sentient beings on Talis, and likely the rest of Sensour.
If Erse Parr broke the spear and hid it with Laken, then a threat as dire as the Beast has risen. If Ga Son knew about her breaking it--and he had to, so the pact did not fracture along with the wood--why could he not have done the same thing when the Beast threatened the syimlin with death? Why let the chaos continue?
What are the syimlin hiding?
What an interesting spear able to give immortality and I love the lore and history you have designed.
Thank you :)