Eiyon

From Mizahar Lore

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Eiyon

Gnosis
Death is Inevitable.
Granted by	Dira
Positive marks	Death Attunement, Soul Harvesting
Negative marks	None, you’re dead.
Pos. mark appearance	A scythe
Neg. mark appearance	N/A
Mark location	Palm
First mark	After a display of respect for the true nature of death
Champion	Once known as Simon Nezvar, now Death's Steward

Eiyon pronounced eye-on, is the gnosis of Dira, the goddess of death. Eiyon is the mortal name given to the abilities displayed by those who have been marked by Dira (also known as Eiyons). Death’s mark became known as Eiyon since those possessing it epitomize the idea that none can hide from death. Those possessing Eiyon enjoy a unique sensitivity to death and all things related. With this sensitivity Eiyon allows a wide range of potential abilities. These abilities range from being able to sense the presence of death and interact with ghosts to becoming the embodiment of death in order to bring it to those who seek to escape it.

Overview

All Eiyons possess the ability to sense the presence of death and death related elements. This sense most often takes the form of an enhancement to the Eiyon’s existing senses of sight, smell, taste and touch. For example, an Eiyon may feel the presence of a ghost before it presents itself. They may smell the scent of death in the air even if it is otherwise too old to give off an odor. They may taste death in the air in a way similar to smell or may taste whether or not death has come into contact with an item by touching it with their tongue. These enhanced senses allow an Eiyon to recognize a nuit or any other form of undead through any of the five senses. The sense of sight is unique in that it allows an Eiyon to view the final moments of one’s life by standing in or near the spot in which a person died. In addition, on occasion and when it suits her, Dira will sometimes grant a specific vision detailing the final moments of one’s life even if the Eiyon is not standing in the place where that person died. This usually happens when such information would benefit the Eiyon in a way that also serves to further Dira’s own goals. For example, if an Eiyon were hunting down a ghost an attempting to move them on to the next stage of existence, Dira may provide the Eiyon with a vision of the ghost’s last moments in life to help the Eiyon with their task. Finally, the unliving; ghosts, nuit and any other form of undead feel a little off around the Eiyon. Those of superior skill, magical expertise or gnosis may react to the Eiyon with slight caution while those of equal skill and ability may feel nervous and uncertain. Those who are inferior in skill and ability to the Eiyon will actually feel physically ill and intimidated by the Eiyon. While the unliving feel these effects the most, the living will often see the Eiyon as something of a mystery; for better or for worse, as death itself is hard to wrap one's mind around. Unless of course you too are marked by Dira.

The more marks an Eiyon possesses, the more attuned they are with death. This increased attunement allows the Eiyon the ability to actually make physical contact with a ghost or ethereal undead such as a Desolate One. The ghost is still limited to its own manifestation ability when it comes to it being able to touch the world however. The Eiyon can only use this touch with their own body as it doesn't transfer to weapons or other items unless the Eiyon is has three marks from Dira. This increased attunement also begins to change the Eiyon in more profound ways. With such a close relationship with death, the Eiyon no longer experiences the detrimental effects of aging. While they still grow old and die, the Eiyon will not appear to age. Their body and mind will not break down as they get older, their health will maintain itself as if they were a young adult of their race and as they advance in years, they will not feel it. When they reach the actual age when they would otherwise die, the Eiyon will simply fall asleep one night and not wake up.

When the Eiyon has attained enough marks to be considered a priest or priestess of Death, they may be offered a chance to serve Dira as one of her Omens. The Omens are the city guardians of Black Rock. Wearing the masks of jackals, the Omens communicate through gestures only, they make no sound, nor give any impression of whether they are alive or dead, or male or female. After all, death is no respecter of persons - their faces and identities are known to Dira, but to no one else. They carry long staffs, with one end hooked like a shepherd's crook. Those who decline the offer of becoming an Omen are still allowed to continue serving Dira. The Eiyon’s attunement with death is enhanced significantly as they become ever bound to Dira. The Eiyon ceases to age as their existence is solely in the hands of their goddess; when she feels it is time, the Eiyon simply dies. When she sees fit to allow them to reenter the natural cycle of life and death, they will but until then they live to serve her or until they die from a cause other than aging. In addition, the Eiyon’s mark allows them to transform any weapon that they may be skilled in using into a Death Scythe.

When the Priest(ess) wishes, they may turn any weapon they may be proficient in using into a divinely charged weapon. The base weapon may be magical or mundane yet any pre-existing magical properties are replaced by those of the Death Scythe. In the hand of the priest/priestess the weapon itself changes in appearance to reflect its deathly nature though it still retains its overall shape and function. Thus a dagger is still a dagger though it takes on an ominous visage. The weapon may appear to be made of bone, adorned with skulls and or unnaturally cold to the touch. If ever the Eiyon is disarmed or otherwise loses contact with the weapon, it immediately returns to the form of the base weapon minus any other properties. When used against the undead, the Death Scythe will cut deeper and burn hotter than a forge fire. When wielded by one who has mastered their particular weapon, the true power of the Death Scythe is realized. The priest/priestess may cause immediate death to the living wounded by the scythe and send the souls to Dira. Simply touching someone with the weapon will not invoke the Death Scythe affects; one must cause a wound that would otherwise be considered serious. Ghosts, undead and the living all may be affected by the scythe. The only ones who are not susceptible are priests/priestesses of other deities (3 marks), ghosts who have attained at least a master level in one or more of their racial skills, champions, Alvina and above or other comparable divine servants and entities. Although their souls may remain intact, these higher individuals will still suffer grievous wounds that may ultimately end in their death. In addition, someone with an equivalent skill in Shielding may attempt to use their abilities to protect themselves from the Death Scythe. The only way this can hope to succeed is if the shielder somehow has possession of a physical piece of the specific priest/priestess such as a lock of hair, vial of blood, finger, etc. Such things only work when used in a shielding attempt.

When Dira chooses to mark someone with her fourth and final mark, this individual becomes no less than her extension. Infused with significant portion of death’s domain, this individual becomes Death’s Steward or the Steward of Death. In addition to possessing all the abilities granted by their first three marks, the Steward no longer needs the Death Scythe to enact the touch of death. They are immediately surrounded by an aura of death that can extinguish the life or unlife of any who enter its radius. The aura extends 25 feet in all directions centered on the Steward and is not barred by any physical obstruction such as a wall and cannot be shielded against. Those within range of the aura will simply fall over dead, their souls sent straight to Dira. The Steward can raise or lower the aura at will and can even lessen its effects for times that they do not wish to kill. In situations like this, the Steward can cause immense weakness in the same area of affect to the point that even the strongest individuals are brought to their knees unable to do anything other than sit. They lack the strength to lift their arms and can barely lift their heads. Speech is difficult and even breathing feels labored.

Threats that begin outside the aura such as someone attempting to fire an arrow at the Steward will find their attempts actually open them up to the Steward’s aura. So an archer firing an arrow at the Steward opens themselves up to being slain by the Steward as if they were actually standing within the aura itself.

There is no escaping death and this notion is never more realized than in the Steward’s ability to travel across great distances. Wherever there is death, the Steward can appear. At will, the Steward may “step” into a corpse and exit out of another no matter the distance. The Steward need not have previously encountered the corpse they wish to travel to as their connection to Dira provides them with the location; they intuitively know where the corpse is. To those viewing this form of travel, one would see the Steward take a step into a corpse sink into it before vanishing completely. When exiting a corpse, the Steward appears to rise up from the body before taking a step forward. Corpses that are buried will leave the Steward rising from the burial site while corpses that are otherwise obstructed will leave the Steward rising from the closest open space to the corpse.

Marking Process

Dira only marks those who have gained her attention through the display of respect for the natural cycle of life and death. Thus the undead and/or those who would otherwise reject this cycle will never gain her mark. An example of one who respects life and death would be someone who sees themselves as a part of that cycle, who do not seek to escape death’s grasp yet at the same time do not seek to hurry toward the end. They do not seek death for death’s sake nor do they necessarily enjoy causing it. They view death as a part of life such that it gives context to the living. Dira usually marks those who have gained an appreciation for death either by having had a brush with it and survived or have otherwise come to the realization that they have a purpose in life, however mundane or difficult or impossible to understand it may be and that when they have finally served that purpose, death will be there to escort them to the next life. Because of this, none are born with Dira’s mark and she will not mark children or those otherwise too young or naïve of life and the living world. As well, she will not mark the old or infirm as they are already on their way to meeting her soon.

Of all the gods and goddesses in Mizahar’s pantheon, Dira is perhaps one of the pickiest when it comes to choosing who will bare her mark. She does not seek to increase her divine influence, expand her domain or create armies. Thus the occurrence of Eiyon’s is really quite rare with those possessing multiple marks from Dira being even more so. While an Eiyon’s motivation in life is to better understand death as it will help them to understand life, their main purpose as far as Dira is concerned is to seek out those who attempt to escape death and return them to her.

When Dira marks someone, she most often does so with a kiss on the palm of their hand. The kiss is a life-changing, intensely personal experience as it represents one of the living gaining the favor of death. On the palm, the mark manifests as a black tattoo upon the flesh in the shape of a scythe. There are no grand ceremonies or rituals when Dira decides to mark someone. She will however appear before them and often engage in conversation and decide then if she truly wishes to pass on her mark to the individual. She may even test them to see if they have what it takes to carry her will throughout the mortal realm. Such tests may involve sending the individual on a potentially impossible task just to see how they handle their own certain death. Success doesn’t always mean surviving or even dying. Success is measured in how one reacts to the certainty of death when it comes for them. Do they embrace it too quickly? Do they retreat from it? Do they fight it to the very end? Or do they learn something about themselves? Do they see something beyond themselves, something greater?

Mark Progression

Marked [Cursed] - 1 Gnosis Mark
	Those marked by Dira are known as Eiyons. They possess senses enhanced for the detection of death with their sight being particularly altered to allow viewing the last living moments of those who have died in the area where the Eiyon stands. Eiyons have the uncanny ability to sense and track the unliving. Marked Eiyons also find comfort in the presence of death such as in graveyards where they find things like meditation and sleep coming easier. The undead feel varying levels of unease in the presence of the Eiyon while the living may find them mysterious and somewhat alien. There are no cursed of Dira as she simply kills those who anger her to such an extent.
Favored [Despised] - 2 Gnosis Marks
	Favored Eiyons appear ageless in that they will never show signs of aging. They will appear youthful and healthy until the day they keel over and die. Their mental faculties will never fade from aging. The Eiyon may also physically touch a ghost or any other incorporeal undead without the need for Spiritism. They can only do so with their physical body as the ability does not transfer to weapons or other items. There are no despised of Dira as she simply kills those who anger her to such an extent.
Priest/Priestess [Adversary] - 3 Gnosis Marks
	Priests/Priestesses of Dira may choose to become an Omen and serve Dira in Black Rock or may continue traveling the world in search of those who seek to escape the cycle of death. These Eiyons no longer age and cannot die from growing old. They also possess the ability to turn any weapon they are proficient with into a tool of death known as the Death Scythe. Masters of a particular weapon can invoke this ability to cause their weapon to be able to slay any living or unliving being of a lesser status than the Eiyon. Even when unable to slay outright, an attack from a Death Scythe is a terrible thing and often leads to death anyway. There are no adversaries of Dira as she simply kills those who anger her to such an extent.
Champion [Nemesis] - 4 Gnosis Marks
	Known as the Steward of Death, this Eiyon wields a significant amount of Death's power. At will they may activate an aura of death that can significantly weaken or even outright slay those caught in its 25' radius. Those who attack the Steward from afar open themselves up to the same effects and the aura cannot be blocked by any physical obstacle or magic. This acts as an enhanced version of the Death Scythe. The Steward may also employ a strange mode of travel via stepping into and out of corpses in order to traverse great distances. There is no nemesis of Dira as she simply kills those who anger her to such an extent.