Xerilyth, Aspect Of Time

Birthed from the abscess of Chromus, cut from its body into two pieces and cast down to the mortal realm, the infection landed in a meager forest. as it fell, it fell upon a pair of mating deer, shifting their bodies and turning them into a new entity altogether. They kept their mortal flesh but took on a new path. The buck shriveled up rapidly in age, and the doe, now pregnant with a fawn, followed behind the buck.
As the tale goes, Chromus gazed upon what it had made and was pleased with its creation and blessed the entity with immortality. Due to their new ties, the entity, named Xerilyth by Chromus, was gifted the aspect of time, and now they are linked.
Many a mortal fool has attempted to hunt the beast, only to be killed. The most famous of these hunts was by that of general Talobyrn of the Three Head Army of the Avalorian kingdom. Though the story has spread by mouth and not much is known to be factual, the most told version goes as follows.
"Another day had passed in the beautiful kingdom of Avalore. One of the high kings, Bylstarim, had recently had his third child, a girl named "Mimarin". In celebration, he ordered his trusted friend and general, Talobyrn, to hunt the legendary Xerilyth for a magnificent feast. Talobyrn accepted the challenge and set out on the morrow with a small accompaniment of 5. And so, the experienced combatant embarked on the morrow, and the hunt began. They made camp in the Najimara Forest, and hunted every day for a week, with little to no real success. And then, on the 8th morn, Talobyrn embarked on his own in the earliest peak of dawn. His efforts were quickly rewarded as he was greeted with the odor of an almost rotten meat. Perched high upon a tree, with a bow ready, he spotted a pregnant doe, following almost blindly behind an elderly deer, with antlers that appear to be made of fickle dust. He calmly knocked an arrow and set his aim upon the doe. He could feel the sweat bead up and leave thick rivulets down his face as he readied up his shot. He released the string with a sharp breath, and let the arrow sore, hoping to pierce the tender flesh of the young deer. His arrow was destined for a different path however, as it shriveled to dust on its journey to its mark. In that instant, Talobyrn had realized that he had come across the creature he was searching for this whole time, the Xerilyth. The being turned its eyes to Talobyrn, and before he knew what had happened, the branch was gone, leaving him to the element of gravity. He fell and hit another branch hard, ricocheting him to the ground with a hard thud. He regained his composure after a few moments, but before he could pick himself up, the elder deer was upon him. He could feel the soft, gruff puff of air blow against his face. The deer let out its dry, shriveled up tongue and lapped at the general's face, pulling at his skin, but leaving no saliva behind. And just as suddenly as the deer was upon him, it turned around and made its way back into the wood, with the doe following close in tow. Talobyrn quickly made his way back to his accompaniment and hastened them to pack up their belongings and make their way back home. They confusedly asked him of the reason, but before he could respond, his face began to turn to stone, starting at the cheek where the entity had licked him. They made haste and were back to the kingdom within the day, but it was far too late for the general. By the time they had made their way back, his legs, torso, and arms were turned to hard stone. The only thing left natural of him was the right side of his face. Bylstarim made his way to Talobyrns quarters as quickly as he could, so he could see his friend one last time. As he gazed upon his friend's horrid body, he mourned for what he had asked of him. He asked Talobyrn what had happened, and his friend simply stated: "I have gazed upon the birth and end of time, and it leered back". A moment passed, and the rest of Talobyrns face caught up to him, leaving a stoned visage of remorse, and sorrow. Bylstarim cried deeply for his fallen friend and ordered his remains to be buried in the royal cemetery. And any known hunting of the Xerilyth was made illegal."

This myth is based on the mysterious death of general Talobyrn Von Redwood, in which he returned from a hunt reportedly dead. His corpse wasn't allowed to be viewed by the general public, and very few were allowed to visit his funeral procession.

This tale spread moderately through the lands. For months after Talobyrns demise, the city of Avalore was running amuck with this tale and many slight variations of it. It also spread to bigger cities such as Worm City, and Redwood. There are a few hush tones that speak of the rumor in villages and hovels, but they're found far few and in-between.

Shortly after the myth began its long circulation, many humble peasants took up bows and attempted to hunt the legendary entity. Despite the influx of people attempting to slay the creature, all of them returned empty-handed. There are rumors that a few villagers simply didn't return at all as well.

There were many ballads made by bard colleges to praise the brave hunt of Talobyrn Von Redwood, and how he gave his life to stop the Xerilyths terrorizing of the forests of the land.