Everbound

The **Everbound** were the only nine survivors of the Fire Ritual of Londorwyn in 381 A.E, whose powerful souls were only partially destroyed and bound to the architect of the catastrophe, Emperor Amras Vorosaer.

With their imprisonment unknown to the world, they made a vow to find the ones that were fated to destroy the Emperor, and in doing so bring their souls to eternal rest. As such, for a thousand years they dwelt in well hidden tombs constructed by the enigmatic Wayseer Order and scattered throughout Arcadia, and acted as the authority which named an Everchosen in the absence of Heaven.

They found their champion in the young adventurer Emryn Ashbury, who eventually freed their souls with the help of her loyal friends in 1381 C.E.

## History

### The Nine Beyond the Wall

For a short while after the Fire Ritual of Londorwyn had decimated the Arcadian heartlands in 381 A.E, the nine individuals who would come to be known as the Everbound managed to retain physical form despite considerable damage to the integrity of their souls. During this time, they sought out the fragments of the prophetic Wayseer Order and the large magical tombs that they had constructed in preparation of the ritual.

Knowing all too well that harvesting the power of their souls was a crucial part of Amras' plans, the nine wasted little time. Each was sealed inside of a separate tomb, along with the last Wayseers that had originally carved out and created their final resting place. From inside the tombs, they finished the constructions with powerful magic and activated the sealing spells that would forever hide them away from Amras.

The tombs had been constructed and placed carefully in order to ensure that they would not be found for a millennium, preventing the immortal Emperor Amras from acquiring the power he needed. The Wayseers had constructed each and every tomb with the aid of their divine foresight, listening closely to directions from beyond the mortal realm, but they themselves did not fully comprehend the meaning behind such instructions.

Despite this, they succeeded in their mission. The Everbound were sealed away and hidden for centuries to come, and Amras was forced to slumber in an attempt to prevent his power from waning. Because of Amras' allegiance to the fallen Archangel Netheriel, the failure to acquire the souls of the Everbound prevented Netheriel from carrying out his own plans. He also would be forced into hiding while the forces of Heaven searched for him, making only the smallest gains until the later years of the Common Era.

### Mordant Sacrifice

The centuries would take their toll on the Everbound, with each tomb supporting their continued existence and prolonging their life but at a great cost. They became dependent on their imprisonment, and would inevitably pass on once released. The tombs themselves, however, also began to show signs of weariness.

The powerful wards that hid each tomb had held on for nearly a thousand years, but were finally beginning to fail without their creators to sustain them. It quickly became evident that intervention was needed. Thus in 1365 C.E, one of the Everbound, the Mordant dragon named Terminth, sent a message to another of his kin, Seregos, at great cost to the longevity of his soul.

Seregos flew with great haste to Arcadia, having lived in the guise of a mortal human named Seren Ashbury for most of his life, and was heartbroken at having to leave a human wife behind. With the aid of Terminth, who was able to communicate with him once closer to his tomb, he did his best to visit the nine vaults and renew their wards as best he could.

He was partially successful, owing to the latent power gifted to him by his draconic nature, but he could not match the mysterious powers of the Wayseers that had originally crafted the wards so delicately. The vaults could only remain hidden for a handful of years longer, a time which both dragons knew was all too little.

Ultimately, he joined Terminth in his tomb, sacrificing himself to devote the power of his soul to the wards protecting the Everbound. This would allow the nine souls bound to Amras to remain protected until 1381 C.E, at which time the former Emperor became aware of the souls he had been seeking for so long and awoke after a thousand years. By this time, however, most of their power had been spent in maintaining their presence, and they were no longer of use to him.

Instead, Amras sought power elsewhere. As the Everbound guided their chosen hero and the champions that aided her, Amras sought to augment Netheriel's power with the souls he had collected and worked towards the completion of a ritual that would shatter the world.