The Oerikan – True Children of Ymiris

“We were warriors bound to loyalty, and they made us thralls bound to service! They erased our history, our way of life! Do not forget who you were, my kin, nor the gifts you carry in your very flesh and blood. We are unshaped clay, the primal blood that gave birth to all, the children of Ymiris who would not bow.  One day we shall rest, but until the All-Mother is freed, rage!”

— Octna’s words, as told by shamans of the Primal Blood.

Among the Everlasting, it was Avakra who held the closest bond with Ymiris–and who would most deeply repent her part in the Great Wounding. In her dreams, she explored a world of the soul, and there came to meet with the All-Mother. So deep was their connection that, even after Ymiris’ imprisonment, Avakra could still feel her mother’s plight. Rejecting her brethren’s characterization as gods, she would travel north, beyond the great desert known as the Pale Expanse. There, on the continent of Oeri, she built a community with those of the First Children who refused to bend the knee to their new Everlasting rulers. She lived with them, not as a goddess or a queen, but as a spiritual guide to the true path of Ymiris. Communion with the All-Mother had been denied to all but the Everlasting by the Thorn of Olem, but through Avakra and her dream magic, they could once again be one with Her. They could feel the pain inflicted by the Thorn, the sorrow at the betrayal of Her children, and the wrath, held at bay only by the love she bore those who stayed true to her path. As the Echo of Ymiris flowed from her soul to theirs, using Avakra as a conduit, their bodies changed forevermore. 

Eventually, the people of Oeri, or the Oerikan as they would become known, marched back into Selejia in great numbers. They could no longer tolerate the abuse of Ymiris perpetrated by the Everlasting, especially the Triumvirate of Olem, and wished to free the All-Mother from her bonds. Without drawing a single blade, they rallied many subjects of the Triumvirate to their side, for their words rang true in many hearts. The Triumvirate could not tolerate such blasphemy and sedition and sent their armies to quell the flames of the burgeoning rebellion. However, the Oerikan were protected by the power that flowed from Ymiris. Their righteous rage, resonating with that of the All-Mother, reshaped their bodies into the perfect instruments of war. Unfortunately for the Oerikan, Avakra was killed, and their great guide and link to Ymiris was lost. Greatly weakened, their rebellion was quenched, and the remnants of their armies in Selejia were taken into captivity. Their children, and their children’s children, would be made to serve in Olem to pay for the sins of their forebearers. 

It would take nearly a thousand years, but a new Warrior-Prophet would be born to the Oerikan, one who could dream as Avakra could. To him, the Heart of Avakra revealed the old ways of their people, a culture erased by the depredations of the Triumvirate, and he shared this knowledge with his kin. The Oerikan rebelled, stole the Heart from their Everlasting masters and, through it, could once again commune with Ymiris. Some joined the coalition of forces that had turned on the Triumvirate during the Everlasting War, while others, led by Octna, absconded with the Heart to Paxos, narrowly avoiding death when the Fall occurred.

The Fall did not free Ymiris, but it allowed her to unleash her wrath upon the world. Even beyond the Wall of Galdrun, where the Malediction holds little sway, the Oerikan can feel the call of the All-Mother. They can feel her pain, and their forms still change, adapting to better answer that call. Their muscles swell to better crush their enemies, their bones harden to better support their massive frames, but it is their minds that have changed the most. Many have been lost to the rage that seeps from their Goddess, and the Oerikan people are now a shadow of what they once were. Still, many hold on to hope, trying to heal the wound the Everlasting have inflicted upon the world and the Oerikan people.