Eldinar

The Eldinar were the ancient predecessors to the Inar, or elves. According to fragmented pre-Purge texts and oral traditions that survived the Great Purge, the Eldinar were androgynous, immortal beings made from pure Soul Stray (known as omnifex in some magical traditions). They could wield magic and travel unimpeded between all the Overlay Realms.

Origins and Nature

According to Grellism, the Eldinar predated the original gods, with the exception of Grellis, the sentient primordial stone deity responsible for creation of the world. To make them, Grellis used pure essence of itself, or Soul Stray, which made them purer than even the later gods, who were not made as pure. It is said that they were placed on top of Mount Ulfinai because it is "where the land meets the sea and sky."

Most detailed knowledge of the Eldinar was systematically destroyed during the Great Purge (4626 EE), when magic and its practitioners were eliminated across Galwyndor. What remains are mostly oral traditions, religious texts preserved by hidden occult enclaves and the Arkaeni, and fragmentary archaeological evidence that scholars still debate.

Creation

Main article: Creation Myth (Grellism)

According to the ancient religion of Grellism, the Eldinar were created by Grellis as the fifth and final primordial creature, after the etherwood tree, nurlworm, espitris, and flidfish, but before it made the gods. The Eldinar were unique in being granted the ability to contemplate existence itself, making them Grellis's most prized creation.

Creation of the Palanem

Perhaps the most remarkable achievement of the Eldinar was their creation of the palanem, a race of sentient beings made from pure gernafex (Skin Stray). The palanem resembled what later cultures would describe as nymphs or fairies, possessing an intrinsic connection to the natural world and exhibiting an almost zealous protectiveness toward it.

This act of creation was particularly significant because the Eldinar accomplished it despite lacking the Outward Ember that Grellis had bestowed upon the gods specifically for creation. The existence of the palanem challenged the gods' understanding of the natural order and their presumed exclusive right to create sentient life.

According to the Codex of Primal Sources, the palanem lived in harmony with the Eldinar, inhabiting sacred groves and waterways where the concentration of natural magic was highest. They were said to speak the language of plants and animals, serving as intermediaries between the Eldinar and the non-sentient natural world.

The creation of the palanem is widely regarded by scholars as the catalyst that prompted the Brother Gods—Drend, Orend, and Helirend—to create their own races in competition. This divine rivalry ultimately led to both the demise of the palanem and, indirectly, to the fall of the Eldinar themselves.

Archaeological evidence of the palanem is virtually non-existent, though certain pre-Purge artistic depictions in remote cave systems show diminutive, luminous figures alongside taller beings presumed to be Eldinar. The fate of the palanem remains unclear, though most scholars believe they were among the first casualties of the gods' jealousy, disappearing long before the Great Purge.

Powers and Abilities

Pre-Purge texts suggest the Eldinar possessed several extraordinary abilities:

• Immortality: Being made of pure Soul Stray, they did not age or die naturally.
• Omnirealm Travel: They could move freely between all the Overlay Realms.
• Universal Magic: They could wield and manipulate all essences of Grellis.
• Creation: As evidenced by the palanem, they possessed the ability to create sentient life, a power thought to be exclusive to the gods.

Most Eldinar magical artifacts are thought to be either destroyed or hidden in the Vault of Wonders.

Fall of the Eldinar

The Eldinar were powerful beings who even predated the gods themselves. Their downfall came through divine jealousy and deception.

The non-elf races possessed only lesser essences, while the Eldinar possessed pure Soul Stray, which made the gods jealous, as they were made with half Soul Stray and half lesser essences. The creation of the palanem—a feat the gods believed impossible for the Eldinar—further intensified this jealousy and concern about the Eldinar's true power.

It came to pass that the gods Drend, Orend, and Helirend sought to banish the angel M'ranin and the Fouled Seven to the Shadow Lay, but to do so they needed Soul Stray to trap them there. Rather than take any Soul Stray from celestials, which would weaken them, they conspired to take it from the Eldinar. Since they did not have the power to steal it directly, they used the angel of deception, Fethylden, who tricked the Eldinar into giving up some of their omnifex. This caused them to lose their immortality, transforming them into the Inar, or elves.

The exact nature of Fethylden's deception is lost to time, though some hidden Grellist texts suggest the Eldinar were told their sacrifice would prevent a cosmic catastrophe. The transformation was reportedly gradual, occurring over seven generations, during which the Eldinar slowly lost their ability to traverse the Overlay Realms and their control over magical essences became limited.

The Great Purge and Extinction

While the Meralian Accord (4626 EE) primarily targeted active magic users and practitioners, its consequences for inherently magical beings like the Inar (descendants of the Eldinar) were far more profound than initially anticipated by the architects of the Purge.

The creation of the Eari Stones—eight magical artifacts made from demon glass derived from the scorched blood of the cosmic vorwyrm Dekilia—fundamentally altered the magical ecology of Galwyndor. These stones were designed to absorb and trap magical energy, preventing its use and circulation. It was intended to outlaw sorcery, and the Purge was intended to kill sorcerers. It was believed that creatures who simply had magic by nature would be exempt. But this was wrong.

"The Inar and Meninar did not perish by sword or flame as did many human vormongers, but by the slow starvation of their very essence. As each generation passed, fewer children were born, and those that were came into the world diminished, lacking the vital spark of their forebears." — Fragment from the Forbidden Chronicles of Jarl Almaryen

When Inar or other inherently magical beings died natural deaths, the omnifex that composed their being would normally be released back into the world. However, with the Eari Stones actively absorbing any uncontained magical energy, this cycle was broken. The essence that should have sustained future generations was instead trapped within the stones.

The Moontreaders—elite Inar who could access the Moon Lay—attempted to escape this fate by retreating to that plane, only to become trapped there, transforming into Nightwraiths when attempting to return.

"Within three generations after the implementation of the Eari Stones, Inar births had declined by over eighty percent. By the seventh generation, no new Inar were born, and by the ninth, the last of their kind had passed from the world, their essence claimed by the stones that had unwittingly been designed to eliminate not just magic use, but magic itself." — Fragment from the Forbidden Chronicles of Jarl Almaryen

Archaeological Legacy

Physical evidence of the Eldinar is virtually non-existent in modern Galwyndor. The most tangible remnants are ancient crystalline ruins found in remote regions of Scurn and Averia, though their Eldinar origin is purely speculative among the handful of scholars aware of their existence. These structures, composed of materials that have resisted both decay and analysis, bear no obvious markings or inscriptions that would conclusively link them to the Eldinar.

Any artifacts with demonstrable connections to the Eldinar were either systematically destroyed during the Great Purge or sealed away in the Vault of Wonders beneath the Shrine of Tesh by Saent Dothen. This vault, while technically owned by the Tethuric Church, remains inaccessible even to its keepers and is heavily guarded by the Hand of the Gale. According to certain whispered accounts, the vault contains numerous magical artifacts dating back to the time of the Eldinar, though no official inventory exists.

Archaeological expeditions to sites potentially associated with the Eldinar are exceedingly rare and conducted under pretexts unrelated to magical investigation, as such research remains discouraged or outright prohibited by both religious and secular authorities.

Cultural Memory

In modern Galwyndor, nearly 8,000 years after the Great Purge, knowledge of the Eldinar has been almost completely erased from common consciousness. The vast majority of the population has no awareness even of the Inar or the Great Purge outside of distorted folk tales that have lost all historical context.

Among common people, debates occasionally arise about whether magic itself was ever real or merely an elaborate fiction from ancient storytellers. The Tethuric Church actively discourages such discussions, dismissing them as superstitious thinking that contradicts the Church's teachings about Teu and the Trine.

Knowledge of the Eldinar exists only in extremely limited circles:

• The Arkaeni Order: This secretive society of occultists, established in 885, preserves what little knowledge of the Eldinar survived the Purge. Their studies at the Atheneum in Umstrad and their research expeditions to the Immortal City occasionally uncover fragments of Eldinar lore. The Order's interest in restoring magic makes the Eldinar particularly significant to them as the original wielders of pure Soul Stray.
• The Tethuric Church: Within the heavily guarded Archive of Enen, certain high-ranking clerics may have access to pre-Purge texts mentioning the Eldinar. However, the Church carefully controls this information and presents any such references as allegorical rather than historical. Their possession of magical artifacts in the Vault of Wonders suggests they may know more about the Eldinar than they publicly acknowledge.
• Select Imperial Advisors: Since 1331.7, Emperor Vralius has employed three Arkaeni as advisors, suggesting that some knowledge of ancient magical beings like the Eldinar may influence imperial policy, albeit secretly.
• Fringe Academics: A small number of scholars at institutions like Linsingram College or Yace University may encounter obscure references to the Eldinar in ancient texts. Most dismiss these as mythological constructs, while those who take them seriously typically keep their research private to avoid ecclesiastical censure.

When Eldinar are mentioned in sanctioned historical texts at all, they are presented as symbolic figures in primitive creation myths, carefully stripped of any suggestion that they possessed actual magical abilities or predated the established religious narratives.

The few scholars who have attempted to present the Eldinar as historical beings have typically found their work discredited, their academic positions threatened, or in some cases, have simply disappeared from public life entirely—likely due to intervention by the Hand of the Gale.