Lux Aeterna: Primals and Eidolons pt 1

I need to take a moment to explain what eidolons and primals are in the context of the Lux Aeterna setting because the next race I'm writing up relies on this section of the setting.  Keep in mind though, this is not the formal write-up (as if anything on the blog is a 'formal' write-up...).

Primals and Eidolons

In any other world these are gods.  I've taken quite a few ideas from Greco-Roman religion concerning how they're worshiped, specifically the idea that there aren't any monolithic churches that dominate the faith for a given god.  Instead, much like the ancient Hellenes and Romans, you have multiple cults (or mystery cults) that venerate a specific aspect of the god.  In the Lux Aeterna setting, the gods are called primals and the worshiped aspects are called eidolons.  The real reason for utilizing this setup is to create a richer setting and showcase how the different cultures of Lux Aeterna view a given primal.  I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this setup is not my own;  I took a great deal of inspiration from the Glorantha setting by Greg Stafford and company.  Which in turn draws heavily from Joseph Campbell's work on comparative mythology.  This is not the first time I've done such things with a campaign setting either.

In a very real way, the rites of a cult affect the eidolon, as if belief itself shapes the particular facet of a primal.  This is mechanically expressed in the Caller class, which can manifest magic related to the primal that an eidolon is associated with.  Clerics and Paladins, by comparison, do not necessarily draw their magical power from a given primal but divinity in general (known as Cosmos and Chaos in-setting).

Primals are never seen by mortals; they represent first principles and unseen forces.  Instead mortals see their eidolons in action.  While it is rare for an eidolon to manifest fully, it has happened.  Typically these moments of manifestation are during catastrophes and turning points in history, and the eidolons are always called by the prayers of the people themselves.  When the Palmecian Empire was newly formed, they were nearly subsumed by the now extinct Garlmande Imperium.  The Garlmande imperator managed to summon an eidolon of Bahamut called Bahamut Rex to lay waste to Londinium and deal the final blow to the young empire.  However, the people of Londinium managed to call the Hollow Bastion, an eidolon of Alexander, to fend off Bahamut Rex.  With their imperator dead and legions broken in the wake of the Hollow Bastion's defense, the Garlmande faded into history.

And now a partial listing of primals and their eidolons.  In parentheses are the cultures that worship a particular eidolon.  Obviously the list will expand as more races and cultures are explored.

• Alexander: Aleksandr Aeterna (Lunar), The Judge (Bhed), Lord Samarkand (Kirlian), The Hollow Bastion (Palmecian), Lawgiver (Lucien), Weltall (Liltian)
• Bahamut: Bahamut Rex (Bhed), Bahamut Zero (Liltian, Lunar), Dragon King (Drakon), Midgarsomr (Dwarven), Neo Bahamut (Palmecian), Urdr Bahamut (Kirlian)
• Chaos*: Exdeath (Lunar)
• Cosmos*: Hydaelyn (Lunar)
• Ifrit: Efreet (Lunar), Jinn (Lucien), Kary (Dwarven), Marilith (Palmecian),  Rubicante (Bhed)
• Odin: Ares (Palmecian), Cayenne (Liltian), Gilgamesh (Lucien), Raiden (Kirlian)
• Phantom: Anima (Elven), Charon (Palmecian), Diabolos (Lucien), Hades (Dwarven, Liltian), the Ghost Train (Bhed), Yuna Yevon (Kirlian)
• Sylph: Barbarricia (Bhed), Ramuh (Lucien), Tiamat (Palmecian), Titania (Lunar), Tritoch (Dwarven), Valefor (Elven, Liltian)
• Titan: Antaeus (Lunar), Gigas (Elven, Liltians), Gott (Dwarves), Hyne the Undying (Palmecian), Scarmiglione (Bhed)
• Undine: Cagnazzo (Bhed), The Kraken (Palmecian), Leviathan (Lunar), Shiva (Kirlian), the Shiva Twins (Lunar)
• The Warring Triad: The Tribunal (Liltian)
• The Weird Sisters: The Magus Sisters (Kirlian), The Morai (Bhed), The Norn (Lucien)

(* Though not technically primals, these beings seem to have eidolons.)