The Primals

== The Primals are the component forces that underlie reality in the Mythos and allow for the existence of all things. ==
The Primals existed before anything else that can currently be imagined. Some theorize they are the shattered remnants of some form of elder divinity or even a previous cosmos, but at the moment this is not substantiated. The Primals are not gods or elements. They are the energetic framework on which all reality lies, and the basic energies from which everything arises. They correspond as well to basic emotions and aspects of sentience, making it possible for beings to become sentient and sapient. The Precursor itself emerged from the combined energy of all fourteen Primals, and created the Planar Cosmos from them. Gods and other Spirits are made up of more or less pure Primal energies, and can wield them in specific ways suitable to their basic natures.
=== The Fourteen Primals ===
There are fourteen Primals. No individual one is more important than the others, and by default they remain balanced against one another in the universe. The Primals are: Altruism, Courage, Doom, Fear, Fury, Greed, Grief, Hope, Ignorance, Joy, Patience, Pride, Shame, and Wisdom. They are generally grouped into opposed pairs such as Altruism and Greed, Hope and Doom, Patience and Fury, etc. Most scholars further divide them into two lists corresponding to "positive" and "negative" traits:
Positive -
Hope, Joy, Pride, Courage, Wisdom, Altruism, and Patience
Negative -
Doom, Grief, Shame, Fear, Ignorance, Greed, and Fury
While the equal and opposite pairs do to define how the Primals interact, their "positive" and "negative" status is an artificial distinction. Each one is equally necessary. Example: Hope is generally considered the positive end of the spectrum, but it can lead to as much damage as Doom (also known in academic circles as "Pessimism") when unbalanced. Hope without balance leads to laconic behavior, unrealistic expectations, and aggressively empowers Ignorance and Courage beyond their usual limits. Ignorance because the overly hopeful do not bother to look think things through, and Courage because they are then too Ignorant to be frightened when it is reasonable to be so.
==== Wielding the Primals ====
Primality, the concentration of Primal energies and the ability to wield them, is the province of spirits and gifted mortals. The ability to channel one or more Primals allows abilities similar in effect to, but distinct from, magic. Mortal Primalists are rarer than Magic-users on most worlds, but the ability has existed on almost all worlds in some form or another. Annarion was notably deficient in "traditional" Primalists, but the re-born Vahlan and LeShay on that world were Primalists of a sort; they channeled and embodied the Primal essence of the their respective spiritual ancestors. Dorhaun had a comparative abundance of Primalists, until the Celosene Purges began. These conflicts, taking place between the late Age of Rebirth and Middle Age of Sistona, made Primal abilities virtually unknown except among Aberrant beings until the Imperial Incident unexpectedly triggered a resurgence on the surface.
Category:Primal
Category:Deity
Category:Annarrion