Irewethain

“Please don't vomit on their sacred ground.”

Man or Myth?

That the world itself has a conscious soul was a matter of debate ever since its creation. Even more outrageous were the claims that a fragment of it walked amongst the living with its own agenda. A world should not—or can not—be capable of its own thoughts or feelings. Such sentience could be disastrous to all existing life within it.

To most, Irewethain as a person is a metaphor. And much like the other elemental spirits that shaped the world, is a primal force directed only by the gods.

According to the writings of Cimadir Itharia contrary to everything else from his time, Irewethain appears as a living, breathing person. But that much like the gods and other living things, his power and thoughts are limited to the form that he takes. So any naysayers who disregard even the idea on the belief that such a person would be too dangerous to be roaming wild, are simply overreacting.

A Sundered Soul

When Ithraën shattered the Heart of the World, the cataclysm that followed tore the world apart. Only a ruined fragment of its former glory remained in the end. The destruction was meant to be complete but the execution had been rushed and sloppy.

Thanks to various efforts from the opposition, the foundations keeping Haran together could not be shattered. And like all other souls intent on weathering the end, Irewethain hid deep underground. There, where the veil between the physical and nonphysical blended and rippled together, it would be impossible for the gods to find him. To them, anyone beyond that veil was considered dead.

In a way, they were right. As the world healed, any pocket realms shielded from the destruction became isolated and traversing between the two became near impossible. Irewethain was trapped. Safe for a while.

But like an open wound left untreated, his sanctuary grew infected. Hungry entities drawn to suffering found a feast amongst the displaced inhabitants. Souls turned on souls, and soon what had been his sanctuary once again became a battleground. Irewethain, weakened but in his element, could either fight his way up and risk gaining a reputation or remain hidden.

Hiding had not done him any good so far however. And with nobody there to keep tabs on him, he could easily play roles on either side. It could of course put some cracks in his carefully nurtured identity and lead him in the very opposite moral direction he fought to maintain. Haran had already seen so much death, if Irewethain himself would get a taste for blood and destruction, what would become of the world once he returned?

Appears in