The Tal Calar, sometimes referred to as "the Cullers", were an order created in the time of the Befores for the Great Purge to wield and safeguard the Eari Stones for all time. The name literally means "Sacred Eight" in High Vinthish. Since the Eari all perished in the making of the relics, they left instructions called the Codex Antifexa that gave details for the stones' usage.
Because the stones were created to trap magic, the guardians could not be spellcasters. One sect was originally going to be created from each of the eight races, which would be charged with continuing the work of hunting down magic users, however, the elves refused to participate and the humans were chosen to keep two eggs for themselves. The merfolk were also not given any stones, as they were not considered to be part of this conflict. The stone to represent them was given to dwarves, but the helimer (merfolk) were never given the option or even consulted. A third stone, the Meninar-stone (to represent the half-elves), was also given to humans.
Currently, only two stones remain in possession, one by the Attawa, and one by the Vurg. How the Vurg came by the artifact remains a mystery, and theirs is kept locked in a vault on Vir. The rest have been lost to antiquity, all thought to be located on other continents.
The Stones
The Eari made 8 stones, one to represent each of the races (humans, inar, drendivar, helimer, jrel, attawa, molordyn, meninar), but not each race was given a stone to look after. The 8 stones were distributed thus:
- Dwarf-stone - housed in the Hall of Deranon after the Purge; lost to time
- Giant-stone - taken to Ranat; lost to time
- Attawa-stone - taken to Morin; lost to time
- Jrel-stone - housed in Gell; lost to time
- Inar-stone - given to the humans and to be kept in Meralia; this stone was stolen by Atury, and was the one used to eliminate Cecian the Calm.
- Meninar-stone - given to the humans, used against Atury; lost within the Vault of Wonders at the Shrine of Tesh by Saent Dothen
- Helimer-stone - given to the dwarfs and kept in Krenvia; lost to time
- Man-stone - housed in Gadonia and stolen by the Meninar; lost to time
Original Tal Calar
In preparation for the creation of the Eari Stones, the Eari first accepted applicants from each of the races that would be given stones. Initially there were 32 candidates. The Eari conducted a series of interviews, similar to the way they judged potential candidates to their academy, in order to select the best of their number to serve as the first of the Tal Calar. A second, who could act as reserve, was also chosen. Following this, each unit was to carry on with training and selection of future candidates however they saw fit.
These were given limited instruction on their duties and how to create and maintain a legacy that would last thrive the ages. Eventually, once the stones were made, they would receive final instruction via written manuals. The first Sacred Eight were:
- Olendram Broadcloak, keeper of the Dwarf-stone
- Zoser Hardbeard, keeper of the Giant-stone
- Bubo, keeper of the Attawa-stone
- Godro the Drab, keeper of the Jrel-stone
- Rednick of Lencin, keeper of the Inar-stone
- Essendera, keeper of the Meninar-stone
- Magdael, keeper of the Helimer-stone
- Drendon Stillbolt, keeper of the Man-stone
Wraighs
In addition to keeping the stones, the Tal Calar are tasked with the caretaking of the creatures known as wraighs, which are used to sniff out magic in the Material Lay. These creatures are not flesh and blood, but ethereal shadow. For this reason they are sometimes referred to as shade hounds. They are also not from the material plane but the Shadow Lay; however, those kept in service of the Tal Calar were relocated to the Moon Lay by the Eari, and they can be summoned here by the Tal Calar in order to carry out their task of finding and drawing magic from a wielder so that the Egg can absorb the energy.
Procedure
Whenever a sizeable enough amount of magical energy is released or contained (as within a body) in the physical world, the wraighs can detect this. They literally smell it across the Moon Lay, and alert the Tal Calar keeper. The keeper becomes aware that a disturbance has been made because the ethereal shadow surface of the cauldron in which the wraighs are kept (which acts as a portal) begins to bubble and roil. The keeper then summons the wraighs to the material plane, where the wraighs then use a new portal, such as a starglass, to travel to the location of the disturbance. This allows the keeper to view the disturbance from their location. The wraighs can enter the starglass and form a connection to the location, similar to a wormhole through the Moon Lay, and they can exit on the other side using any reflective surface there. Once there, they attack the source of the magical energy, goading it into releasing more magic or by making it "bleed" magic from the spirit wound. Once any amount of energy is released, the Eari stone can then latch onto it and draw it out from the source, trapping it within forever. The source, of course, dies in this process. Then the wraighs return to the cauldron where they are housed and the doorway is closed. A Tal Calar can also travel through a portal if it is large enough, but they rarely ever do so.
If a magic user were to die through any means, the magical energy within their material body would be released into the world, and this can also be detected. The wraighs can also lead the keeper to the location, where the Eari Stone would then proceed to soak up all the freshly released energy. This is the only time the stone does not need for the magic to be drawn out first.
Kobuka's Egg
The Attawa race is in possession of the last remaining Eari Stone in the known world (as the Vurg's home of Vir is considered beyond the known world). The others were lost to antiquity. The Attawa call it Kobuka's Egg, and it is protected by a guardian called the Dabimbula. They believe the Egg has unimaginable powers. Only the Dabimbula knows for sure what it is, and the secret is always passed down to the next.