Eternity (Dayalis)

**Eternity** is the term used in Dayalis to describe Eltyrium poisoning.

## Eternity

Eltyrium poisoning, but called Eternity by the locals, after Eterna, whose name is unknown and unspoken. Long ago, Eltyrium acted as the lifeblood of Formarcha (and even exists in smaller quantities on Kalidene), with beautiful crystals decorating the landscape. But then it was corrupted by Eterna, and as such, Eternity soon came to everyone, should they not die before they succumb to it. Justo, by taking the Eltyrium into himself, is able to lessen the damage caused by Eternity, and those who form a pact with him turn to crystal, rather than Fraeth.

## Fraeth and the Paladin System

As humanity advanced and technology became more and more complex, the impact on the world around them began to decline. The world itself was beginning to die. But humans continued, unobstructed, as they fought their wars and battles, destroying the already collapsing world. In her grief and frustration, Eterna cursed humanity, that they would transform into the monsters they continued to behave like. These are the Fraeth, the mindless harbingers of humanity’s demise.

These horror-like beings quickly overran entire areas of Formarcha, effectively bringing to a halt the never ending war as humans began to turn their focus to stopping the monsters. Unfortunately, they quickly found out their weapons did nothing to the Fraeth, and gave up, just doing what they could to avoid the creatures entirely. But the nightmare continued, as they soon found out anyone could turn Fraeth at any point.

The alternative to becoming another Fraeth was becoming a Paladin, a warrior of Justo. Although it didn’t stop Eternity from overtaking their bodies, it did change the outcome from Fraeth to Crystal. At first, many people volunteered to become Paladins, just to escape the dread of turning into a Fraeth, but soon they realized there were drawbacks to this system, as well.

To become a Paladin, one makes a pact with another human, as well as with Justo himself. In return, they gain the ability to fight against and even destroy Fraeth, and turn to crystal rather than become a Fraeth themself, and the pact delayed the process as well. But the cost of making this pact was to make an “Oath” with Justo that they would stop the spread of Eternity, and in order to ensure that the humans would actually try to fulfill this Oath, Justo took whatever was most important to the Paladin (not including other living beings. An alternative or equivalent would be taken in their place). This was known as a “Retainer”.

In order to slow down the Eternity growth, Justo took some of his Paladins’ Eternity into himself, which has put himself into danger of transforming into a monster. And keeping in theme of this idea of “sharing each others’ pain”, the Paladins can borrow each others’ powers, and potentially fill in the gap that their partner’s Retainer might have left. Paladins can even briefly borrow the power of Justo, but it is severely limited and extremely rare for this to happen.

The sign of a Paladin is the mark on their face, which acts as a timer to show how long they have until they’re overcome by their Eternity. Those who fail to fulfill the Oath have their Retainer lost forever, while those who succeed regain their Retainer, while retaining their ability to fight the Fraeth. Their Eternity is also permanently stopped.

If a partner dies or turns to crystal, then the remaining Paladin loses the ability to share their power with their partner (or anyone else), and their Eternity advancement slows down further as their crystalized partner is repurposed into an Eternity funnel. They can’t make a new pact, but they can still defeat Fraeth, and should they somehow manage to fulfill the Oath, then their Retainer is still returned to them.

Because of the Retainer, and the seemingly impossible task required to reclaim it, most people simply chose to accept their fate of one day turning Fraeth.