Eidolon

Eidolon
Biological Information
Type	Elemental
Subtype	Spirit of the land
Parent race	Primordial
Abilities	Influence nature around them
Sociocultural Information
Also known as	Elemental eidolon Demithore eidolon (in the homonymous valley) Spirits of the land Eidolon spirits Elemental spirits
Planes	Material Plane (Exandria)
Locations	Demithore Valley Other points of Exandria

Eidolons (sometimes called elemental eidolons) are entities worshiped as spirits of the land in certain places of Exandria, such as the Demithore Valley where they are called Demithore eidolons. The term "eidolon" is Issylran in origin.

They are said to thrive in natural places untouched by the interventions of gods, supernatural forces, or mortal authorities as extensions of the primordial titans.

Description

Demithore eidolons appear as mists in which they reveal the forms of natural creatures, including bears and horned beings.

The ghostly eidolons found by the Re-Slayer's Take looked like jellyfish.

When Joan Abaddina summoned an individual wind eidolon to guide Bells Hells, the spirit presented itself as a cougar made of air with glowing golden eyes, a semi-ethereal elemental or "wisp of opaque wind".

The spirits in the Serratus Wilderness took the form of sprite-like beings.

History

According to Joan Abaddina, the eidolons were the children of the Primordial titans, and they were present in Issylra before and during the Founding, allegedly protecting the few pockets where the four elements found balance, allowing mortal life to develop. While other elementals ended up facing the gods, these entities hid from the divine judgement, surviving and hiding in different places across Exandria.

At some point the eidolons started being worshiped by the mortals in the Demithore Valley, due to their connection with the land. In Hearthdell, a village in the region, the people started following a form of "pagan" life called The Loam and the Leaf, trusting the elementals to take care of them and their land, and entrusting the elders of the settlement with the task of communicating with these spirits. The elemental eidolons favored the local population when they were respected, having a symbiotic relationship with them, but let their discontent be known when they went too far in taking advantage of nature's resources (cutting down too many trees for firewood, for example). Around 823 PD the Sunrise Sanctuary was built in Hearthdell using the land owned by the Silvercall family (wealthy lumberers with bonds with Othanzia), and little by little the cult of Pelor began to gain presence in the locality; although most villagers remained faithful to the local spirits, they were not pleased with the cult of the Dawnfather, according to Elder Abaddina.

In 839 PD, while the Re-Slayer's Take were crossing the Utesspire Mountains, they got alarmed when their magic weapons detected the presence of undead nearby, until they discovered that the undead in question were ghostly eidolons: a swarm of beautiful jellyfish that moved through the sky without bothering them.

In 843 PD, with the arrival of the apogee solstice, the presence of followers of the sun god and guards increased in Hearthdell, stressing its inhabitants and encouraging them to revolt against the temple and its defenders. Elder Abaddina encouraged this sentiment, stating that it was what the Demithore eidolons, empowered by the solstice, wished for. That night, either obeying the elder's wishes or by their own will, these spirits of the land began to influence the night mist and the vegetation near the Sunrise Sanctuary, causing it to grow on the walls to make easier to climb over them. During the attack the eidolons empowered the Earth Guardian summoned by Joan, and when she lost control of the elemental, the spirits kept influencing it so it would still help in the battle; they greeted the villagers and their allies once the temple was destroyed.

Fan art of Orym and the spirits, by Maddy Marshall.

The following day, as Bells Hells prepared to leave for the Irriam Canyon, Elder Abaddina offered to send an eidolon with them to guide them, and when the adventurers agreed, the goliath summoned a wind cougar who set off with the group, animalistically, but affable with them. While crossing the Serratus Wilderness, Ashton Greymoore sensed the presence of the local elementals while trying to meditate the first night in the forest, and the spirits kept watch with them; the second night, several sprite-looking eidolons approached Orym, playfully sharing the space with him, and the halfling danced with them, doing weaponless Zeph'aeratam poses on a Bigby's Hand summoned by Prism. When the adventurers reached the shrine they were looking for, the wind cougar bade them farewell with a head bow and vanished, having fulfilled its mission.

Abilities

These spirits are capable of influencing the nature around them, accelerating the growth of plants and imposing their will on other elemental beings, empowering them. In addition, they are capable of giving strength to those who collaborate with them, such as Elder Abaddina, although it can be taxing for the person.

Archdruids can form bonds with these spirits, connecting with the land they protect and slowing down their aging process.

Appearances and mentions

• Campaign Three
  • "Faith or Famine" (3x60) (first appearance)
  • "Crisis of Faith" (3x61)
  • "A Long Walk of Reflection" (3x62)
  • "A Haunted Past" (3x63), mentioned only
  • "Reunited" (3x64), mentioned only
  • "A Path of Vengeance" (3x65), mentioned only
  • "For The Tempest" (3x68), mentioned only
  • "Reconciliation" (3x102), mentioned only
  • "The Cradle's Convocation" (3x104), mentioned only

Trivia

• In Ancient Greece an eidolon (εἴδωλον, meaning "image", "apparition" or "ghost") is a spirit-like image that looks like a living or dead person. Sometimes they were interpreted as ghosts, but in certain Greek legends a powerful illusion or shade (such as the one that, according to some versions, took the place of Helen in Troy) could be considered an eidolon.
  • In Dungeons & Dragons an eidolon is a type of devoted undead spirit that protects a sacred area, possessing special statues whenever it needs to physically defend that place.
  • In Warhammer 40K, Eidolon is an ancient lord commander rumored to have served as a lieutenant to Abaddon the Despoiler, whose name is similar to Abaddina's.
• The way Demithore eidolons are described as nature spirits is somewhat reminiscent of fey entities such as nymphs.
  • Interestingly, some of the spirits can take the form of fey creatures. It is possible that both types of entities are related, but it is not confirmed.
• Eidolons seem to be able to become undead, but even as ghosts, they can retain a peaceful and gregarious behavior.
  • Since these spirits are bound to nature, it is possible that even as undead they feel a connection with their environment, or that they can be reborn as new living elementals.
• According to Joan Abaddina the Demithore eidolons aren't scared of Predathos.
• Although Elder Abaddina only mentioned wind, fire, and earth eidolons, it is presumed that water eidolons exist too, but probably in areas close to the coast or to rivers and lakes, not in a town on the mainland.
• The wind gibbons might be connected to the local wind eidolons, given that they share a region and air-related powers.
• There is at least one book about these spirits, Compilled Knowledge of Eidolon, which consists of a dense tome written in Druidic.

References

Art: