Primordial (AOS)

you might also check Primordial (disambiguation)

Primordial is the term applied to a group of incomprehensibly powerful Wyld entities who created the gods and first wrenched Creation from the chaotic stuff of their realm.

Overview

The Primordials originally formed in the Wyld, where they slumbered for eons until Cytherea's awakening, who then awakened the rest of her kin. Led by their first king, Mardukth, they created the now-forgotten realm of Zen-Mu, where they lived until their first king's existential crisis became too much for them to bear. A combined effort led by Theion, the Empyreal Chaos and the Dragon's Shadow led to the fall from power of Mardukth, and the rise of Theion as their king. Eventually Theion and the others created Yu-Shan as a new home for themselves. During his rule, the Primordials built Creation out of the Wyld's energies. The Primordials lived in Yu-Shan with the gods managing affairs from the Blessed Isle, until the gods engineered a revolt against the Primordials using the Exalted as their agents (due to a powerful Geas placed on the gods at their creation, the gods cannot themselves attack their Primordial creators).

With their death, the Neverborn cursed the Exalted with the Great Curse, leading to the corruption of the Solars and the end of the First Age. Only two of the gods are even aware of the Great Curse (Lytek and the Maiden of Secrets), and despite their efforts, the Great Curse is effectively unbreakable.

Only two Primordials survive intact: Gaia, who remains in Creation, and the Great Maker Autochthon, who fled into exile in the void of Elsewhere. The rest were either slain, becoming the Neverborn, or imprisoned, becoming the Yozi. Primordials created the gods as administrative assistants, to manage creation while they played the wondrous Games of Divinity.

Nature

Unlike the gods, who are somewhat comprehensible from the human perspective, and who can be bullied around even by a Terrestrial Exalted when necessary, the Primordials are a different order of being, closer to fundamental laws of the universe made manifest. The most basic difference between the Primordials and other entities is a simple matter of size and scope: Malfeas, first among the Yozis, is a giant city containing all the other Yozis in some fashion; Autochthon is a separate realm unto himself.

In addition, the Essence of the Primordials is too large to be contained in a single soul. Primordials subdivide their beings into 3 groups of separate souls, with a central soul, the Fetich Soul, representing the Primordial's central concept and identity. The Third Circle Devas/Demons represent different aspects of the Primordial's personality, while the Second Circle Devas/Demons represent the different aspects of their Third Circle counterparts. These Demons/Devas may themselves have subsidiary souls, the First Circle Devas/Demons. A Primordial/Yozi can have hundreds of souls. In Autochthonia, these souls form an additional pantheon of deities.

Finally, death for the Primordials is of a different nature than it is for other creatures. Before the Exalted existed, they believed it was impossible for them to be killed, but when a Solar killed Jheel-Khan, the Essence of her soul was too large to be recycled by Lethe, which broke reality in such a way that it created Oblivion and the Underworld.

There are few things that can kill a Primordial: The best known is the Ghost-Eating Technique charm used by the Solar Exalted, which can cleave into their very being. When a Primordial dies, his/her soul does not enter Lethe or reincarnate, as their souls are too massive to be recycled. Instead, a tomb forms in the Labyrinth, and the slain Primordial becomes a Neverborn. The Neverborn, in turn are capable of activity - not the least of which being the creation of the Deathlords and continuously plotting to bring Creation to Oblivion (AOS). Even dead and asleep, the Neverborn are power incarnate.

When a Primordial's Fetich Soul is slain, their being will be changed in unpredictable ways, as one of their Third Circle Devas/Demons will take the former's place as the new Fetich Soul. This has happened to several of the Yozis, including Malfeas himself. If a Yozi is killed, whether by the Solars' Ghost-Eating Technique, or by slaying all of their Third Circle Demons/Souls, they will become a Neverborn.

For example, before his Fetich Soul was killed, Malfeas was Theion, the Empyreal Chaos, and Ligier was one of his Third Circle Devas. When his original Fetich was killed, Ligier took his place as the new Fetich Soul, and Theion became Malfeas.

Personality

The exact nature and behavior of the early Primordials is open to debate; while the Yozis and the Neverborn are certainly malevolent, that is at least partly a function of their death and imprisonment. In contrast, Autochthon is portrayed as quite fond of ordinary, unenhanced human beings.

The reason given for the gods' revolt against the Primordials is fairly petty: the gods wanted to have the Games of Divinity for themselves. Given the state of Yu-Shan and the management of Creation, it is open to debate whether the gods are an improvement over the Primordials.

Known Primordials

These are not all existing primordials, but only some of the most important ones. Some primordials were slain so thorougly that they were actually eliminated from reality altogether.

In addition, at the end of the Primordial War one primordial remained unaccounted for, whose whereabouts and status is still unknown.

Below there is a list of known Primordials.

Survivors

A pair of Primordials who supported the Gods in the Primordial War, and remained mostly intact:

• Gaia, The Emerald Mother
• Autochthon, The Great Maker

Neverborn

The remnants of the slain Primordials, destroyed during the Primordial War:

• Gorool (Malfean)
• Abhorrence of Life (Neverborn)
• Mardukth, He Who Holds In Thrall (Neverborn)
• Perfected Principle of Consumption (Neverborn)
• Speaker of the Final Silence (Neverborn)
• Tears of Want (Neverborn)
• Whose Whispers Chain (Neverborn)

Yozis

The fallen Primordials, still alive, but bound to Malfeas for all eternity:

• Malfeas, the Demon City, formerly Theion, the Empyreal Chaos
• Cytherea, the Divine Ignition, the Mother of Creation
• Adorjan, the Silent Wind, formerly Adrián, the River of Torments
• Cecelyne, the Endless Desert
• The Ebon Dragon, the Shadow of All Things, formerly known as The Dragon's Shadow.
• She Who Lives in Her Name, the Principle of Hierarchy
• Kimbery, the Sea That Marched Against the Flame
• Oramus, the Dragon Beyond the World
• Hegra, the Typhoon of Nightmares
• Elloge, the Sphere of Speech, formerly known as He Who Bleeds the Unknown Word.
• Isidoros, the Black Boar That Twists the Skies
• Metagaos, the All-Hunger Blossom
• Sacheverell, Who Knows the Shape of Things to Come, formerly known as The Lidless Eye That Sees.
• Szoreny, the Silver Forest, formerly known as Szoreny, the World Tree.
• Qaf, the Heaven-Violating Spear

Dead

Primordials that were killed, but whether they became Neverborn is not known.

• Hunanura, the Heart-Frost Unending
• Jheel-Khan, She Whose Laughter Turns the Skies to Blood, the first Primordial to ever be killed.
• Ramethus, The Wyvern Between Now and Forever, slain during the Aftershock War during the Unfurling Horizon era.
• Lykkenan, the Cavern that Devours Cities
• Ta'akozoka, The Great Tentacled One

Unknown

There are Primordials whose status is unknown. Whether they live or not is not known.

• Cemunian, Constellation of Sinew and Dream
• Shadow Over Sun
• An unnamed Primordial that left Creation shortly before or during the Primordial War.

Trivia

• For Primordial Essences from Mage: The Ascension, see: Essence (MTAs).