Illyrians

The Illyrians are the race of immortal and powerful beings who control the forces of nature in the World of Mythos. Only a handful descend from the Seed of Vitality, which brought life to the first Illyrians and Mythos. The race is ruled by the Illyriads, a council of twelve Illyrians who have major roles and domains in Mythos. There are many other Illyrians who serve smaller, but necessary purposes in the world.

## History

Before life was proper in Mythos, when the world was barren as a planetary rock, when the only creatures that walked its surface were the First Ones and their hellion hordes, there was the first storm. The storm struck Mythos with a powerful bolt of lightning which penetrated the body to its core, where it planted the Seed of Vitality. For an immeasurable allot of time, the seed took root at Mythos core, and when it was ready it sprouted and unleashed a powerful life force known as estus. With the energy being a life force, it touched the flesh of Mythos and manifested into the first Illyrians, and when they came into age and learned of the foreign hellions on their home, they use the power granted to them by the Seed of Vitality and drove the hellions and their forces out of Mythos.

After their victory over the First Ones, the Illyriands divided the necessary roles of Mythos amongst each other. Having learned the mistake of working as individuals from the First Ones, the Ilyriads elected their eldest brother, Malchor, to be their king. Malchor sought to end the lifelessness of Mythos, and so he touched the flesh of the world with his estus, and from it new Illyrians were born. In the eons to come, more Illyrians were born, some from estus and flesh, and some from natural occurances, and the world became full of life. Every time a new Illyrian was born, Malchor created a new aspect of nature: plants and landforms were the first to be made, but then Malchor wanted someone other than his brothers and sisters to share his land, so he created a new animal with the birth of new Illyrians. And then, a nobler creature was wanted, so Malchor created man.

## Overview

Each Illyrian has a strict role to play in the World of Mythos. Every time a new Illyrian is born, a role must be made, therefore a new aspect in nature is created. For example, there was a time in Mythos' history when there weren't any trees, until trees were created due to a new Illyrian being born. Only important Illyrians receive names, whereas ones of less importance are named after their domain. There are many aspects in nature, so it's safe to imagine that there is a countless amount of Ilyrians in the world, therefore there is a strict hierarchy, far too complicated to put into words. Many lesser Illyrians fall under several umbrellas of authority. All umbrellas of power fall under one of the twelve Illyrians, and they fall under Malchor.

Though the first Illyrians were born in Mythos, the race has a home outside of it in a dimension called Illyria. Illyria is connected to Mythos through seven portals known as rifts; these rifts are the only access points to Illyria. Illyria is another dimension, but it is also the Illyrian's home country with many locations and domains for its inhabitants. There is a single city called Anor Londo where all Illyrians are welcome and have a home and a seat. Many lesser deities do not however live in Anor Londo because they have duties in Mythos.

## Appearance

The physical appearance of Illyrians varies greatly among the race. Illyrians with immense estus have golden-bronze skin which stylized blue runes which can appear anywhere on the body. Their hair and features can come in different natural colors and fashions, but with a metallic look. Most eyes of the Illyarians are the same, but some are blue like their runes. Illyrians of lesser importance, those who live in Mythos, appear more human like and are very beautiful, often having a golden aura around them.

## Abilities

The Illyrians draw their individual power from their estus reserves. When it comes to mortals, estus reserves are permanent and cannot lessen nor grow, however in the case of an Illyrian, their estus reserve is dependent on the amount of worship they receive from mortals. The more worshippers and prayers and acts committed in an Illyrian’s name there are, the more estus they are sent. It works like a tax; every time a prayer is said in an Illyrian’s name, they are sent a small amount of estus from the one who prayed. If one is a dedicated worshipper who meditates throughout the day in the name of that Illyrian, they receive more estus from the meditator. This gives immense power to Illyrians of importance, who are constantly prayed to for fortune in mortal’s life.

With these large reserves of estus, Illyrians can create magic in the same manner as mortals but on much larger scales. The blue runes they wear are the written form of their language from which they can draw higher power from the Seed of Vitality. They also hold power over their domain. For instance, an Illyrian who work with rivers can draw the natural estus in the rivers and increase their reserves for a small period.

Other Illyrians who aren’t frequently worshipped draw their power from their domains. Such as the Chaos, who draws his power from the amount of chaos the world is bestowed with. Moreover, Illyrians are vastly stronger and faster than mortals and are better in just about every way imaginable.

## The Illyriads

The Illyriads are the twelve Illyrians who oversee everything in Illyria and Mythos. They are the most powerful of the Illyrians and possess the most important roles.