Istari - Council of the Wise
Originally, the Istari were five Maiar sent to Endor in response to the shadow of Morgoth. While the Valar had vowed never again to wage war in the lands of mortals, neither did they wish to leave their children to fend for themselves. The Istari were selected of all Maiar for their loyalty and wisdom. They took physical form and walked among the world they had helped shape.
While they were very long lived, they were not indestructible. When a body was destroyed, they reformed after a time by bonding with a new host. Sometimes, during their period of renewal, they may be asked to serve a new Valar so that their loyalty would not always be just to one and so that their skills would continue to evolve.
After the betrayal of Saruman the White, it was decided that there would no longer be a leader amongst them. They picked a new symbol of the pentacle to show the balanced equality of the Council of the Wise. None had authority over another, yet all were accountable to each other.
The Istari exist now as spirits whose host bodies can change. Through death or being called home by their patron Valar, Istari may be reborn as bonded to a Maia or one of the races of Endor. For a newly bonded Istari, the host will be dominant with the Istari buried deep in the subconscious. As the host grows in power, the bonding with the spirit becomes stronger, until ultimately the memories and knowledge of both are merged.
Regardless of host, The Istari spirits are undying, unchanging, and always the Five.
Istari Currently active in Endor:
- Radagast the Brown (Aiwendil) (Yvanna)
- Neven the Blue (Aulë)
- Alatar the Green (Morinehtar) (Oromë)
- Taelynn the White (Oromë)
- Evonnia the Blue (Varda)
