Inevitables
The term "Inevitables" - a customary translation of the Draconic phrase "nakutonae" (literally, "those which cannot be avoided") - refers to a class of entities which act as enforcers of certain specific metaphyiscal, ethical, or mystical laws. Though rarely used, the Celestial term collectively refer to the Inevitables, "g'amerel dwra-yok'an" (literally, "officers of the gods by authority of their sight"), is sometimes said to be the provide the ultimate etymological source of the word "dragon".
Their existence is not widely recognised, for it is extraordinarily rare for mortals to encounter them - or, at least, for any who have encountered them to live to tell the tale - and the study of these creatures is thus generally the preserve of a very small number of scholars of magical ephemera.
One of the primary difficulties in establishing the truth of any matters in relation to the Inevitables is that most gods and spirits, who might be assumed to have a deeper understanding of these enforcers of cosmic law than mortals, are either unwilling or unable to discuss them. Summoned celestials and elementals questioned on the subject typically fall silent, or simply answer that they are forbidden from discussing the topic; demons and the fey have been generally observed to either plead ignorance, answer with superficially-plausible lies, or darkly hint that pursuing the topic further will only lead to the questioners learning things that they later regret knowing. It has been theorised that there may be some manner of powerful oath or geas - potentially enforced by the Kolyarut - which binds the tongues of many immortals against disclosing anything that they might know of the Inevitables to mortals.
Nonetheless, certain facts have been generally established as true: that the Inevitables are divided into six main classes known as "Primary Clades"; that they are sworn to uphold specific principles which were put in place by the Oath-Dragons; that they are at least somewhat intelligent, albeit extremely single-minded in their interests and without self-awareness or individuality; and that whilst the members of the different Clades greatly differ in form, they all tend to appear mechanical and deliberately-constructed.
One source speaks of "fallen" Inevitables which were "corrupted" by the Ab'yrit, and implies that they alone among the Inevitables may be sentient and have some sense of individuality. It has been theorised that these "fallen" Inevitables may be somehow connected to the enigmatic beings that empower the pacts of Hexblades. It has also been suggested that there may be some connection between the Inevitables and the demons known variably as "Vylok" or "Kytons".
The Inevitables are sometimes associated with a particular symbol: three intersecting black chains, glowing green, surrounded by an encircling chain of the same kind, all on a black background scattered with stars. The meaning of this symbol is not well understood, though it could perhaps be seen as relating to the six Great Gates.
The Inevitables in the Dawn War
According to Morning Owl of the Auditors of Artifice, the Inevitables were originally created by the High Gods prior to the death of Yrilu. After Yrilu's death, the structure of reality became destabilised and permitted the Ab'yrit - strange creatures from the void beyond the Great Gates, including the Aboleth - to enter creation, and that it was this which ultimately triggered the Dawn War. Morning Owl claimed that during the Dawn War, the Inevitables were sent to enforce a divine command to destroy the Ab'yrit and all that they had "corrupted", and that as this "corruption" included such phenomena as self-awareness, had they been successful it would have resulted in the annihilation of all sentient life. Morning Owl claimed that the end of the Dawn War was eventually ended by the ascension of the Oath-Dragons, which she claims were five Gem Dragons which achieved the status of Great Wyrms - supposedly at terrible cost - and were, along with one other entity that has so far eluded identification, able to seal the Great Gates and seize control of the Inevitables. Following this point, she believed that the Inevitables ultimately served the Oath-Dragons, not the High Gods.The Oath-Dragons
Thus spoke Zelek:The Oath-Dragons are not said to be Inevitables as such, but to be ultimately responsible for the creation of the Inevitables as they currently stand. Regardless of whether Morning Owl's account of the Dawn War is truthful or not, most scholars have concluded that it is the Oath-Dragons, not the High Gods, to whom the Inevitables ultimately report. Some scholars have remarked that if there is indeed a geas that forbids the gods and their servants from speaking of the Inevitables, that Geas does not appear to apply to the Oath-Dragons themselves; nonetheless, whilst the Inevitables themselves remain nameless, the six Oath-Dragons do have names and - rather verbose - titles, on which all sources appear to be in agreement, there is relatively little that has been firmly established about them beyond this:
“By my Infinite Will I bar the First Gate: Let justice be done!”
Thus spoke Anhydra:
“By my Infinite Will I bar the Second Gate: Let nature be preserved!”
Thus spoke Qar:
"By my Infinite Will I bar the Third Gate: Let causality be maintained!”
Thus spoke Varakha:
“By my Infinite Will I bar the Fourth Gate: Let divinity be honoured!”
Thus spoke Mara:
“By my Infinite Will I bar the Fifth Gate: Let death be meaningful!”
Thus spoke Kolyara:
“By my Infinite Will I bar the Sixth Gate: Let oaths be upheld!”
From the Fragment of Storms
- Anhydra, That Which Thrives Amid Ruination
- Kolyara, That Which When Spoken Becomes Truth
- Mara, That Which By Necessity of Unbeing Defines Being
- Qar, That Which Precludes All That Which Follows
- Varakha, That Which by Virtue of its Nature is Justified in its Existence
- Zelek, That Which to Every Action Provides Reaction
Primary Clades
There are generally agreed to be six primary clades of Inevitables, relating to the similarly-named Oath-Dragons:- First Clade, Zelekhut - described as appearing as winged mechanical centaurs clad in golden armour. They are said to uphold the principle of Justice, and are said to be primarily concerned with pursuing creatures which evade the "divine law", rather than the laws of any mortal society; the details of their ethical system are unclear and seemingly arbitrary, and the Zelekhut appear to have no interest in explaining their judgements to mortals. Of all the Inevitables, they have the strongest association with the Citadel of Judgement and the god known as the Pitiless Eagle, Tzanga'ash.
- Second Clade, Anhydrut - described as appearing akin to mechanical scorpions of great size, lacking legs but moving by a complicated array of wheeled belts. They are said to uphold the principle of Nature, with a particular focus on preventing large-scale disruption to "unspoiled" wilderness - though as with many of the other Clades of Inevitables, their decisions often seem strange and arbitrary to mortals. Some Druidic sects are said to revere them as guardians of the natural world, though the Anhydrut themselves appear to be unconcerned with what the druids may think of them, and indeed have been known to directly oppose the work of those same druidic circles on occasion.
- Third Clade, Qarut - described as appearing as large clockwork automata, taking on an approximately humanoid shape. They are said to uphold the principle of Temporality, with a particular focus on preventing the formation of temporal paradoxes; whilst many forms of chronurgy carry the risk of attracting their attention, they are said to be particularly implacable in their pursuit of those who create self-nullifying paradoxes (the classic example being a chronurge travelling backwards in time to kill their own grandfather). It has been noted that they are somewhat willing to tolerate ontological paradoxes that involve retroactive causation (such as a chronurge travelling back in time to teach their younger self the secrets of chronurgy) up to a point - but that failing to properly close a time loop of this sort, or attempting to genuinely create information or objects ex nihilo will immediately attract their attention; it is likely that the "Supreme Oraculum" referred to in Insight's Chronurgy Notes refers to a chronurgic ritual which results in this particular situation.
- Fourth Clade, Varakhut - described as appearing as monoliths of blue-green metal with trapezoid-shaped "arms". They uphold the principle of Divinity, and are believed to be particularly concerned with creatures which attempt to achieve apotheosis outside of certain premitted methods, particularly those who attempt to do so through the direct consumption or destruction of souls. Some sources also speak of them as being the enforcers of certain fundamental limitations on the power of the gods.
- Fifth Clade, Marut - described as appearing as cyclopean automata forged of black iron, the Marut are perhaps the most powerful and most feared of the Inevitables. They uphold the principle of Mortality, enforcing the inevitablity of death and mercilessly pursuing those who would seek to cheat the ultimate fate of all beings. It has been suggested that the act of bringing a soul back from beyond the veil of death immediately brings down the attention of the Marut upon all involved parties, as does the act of attempting to extend one's life far beyond its natural course, and that any such violation of the natural order will eventually be punished - and that the observation that any individual act of resurrection may not result in immediate retribution should be not be taken to show that there are gray ares in which the revival of the dead may be acceptable, so much as it might imply that the Marut are capable of prioritising the most egregious breaches of the principle of Mortality, such as the pursuit of Lichdom.
- Sixth Clade, Kolyarut - described as appearing as armoured humanoid automata, typically heavily armed and garbed in red robes. They uphold the principle that is referred to as Truth, but which appears to specifically concern the breaking of certain forms of sacred and solemn oath. According to Morning Owl, the most reliable method of attracting their attention involves attempting to renege on one's "Immaculate Will" once it has been declared; other sources imply that they are also particularly concerned with the misuse of the legendarily-powerful spell known as Wish, and that they are sometimes called upon to regulate certain formal contracts and pacts between powerful entities.
Secondary Clades
There are said to be a number of other Clades of Inevitables, which exist alongside the Primary Clades, though the precise details of these Secondary Clades are even more obscure than the already-niche lore of the Inevitables. There is some disagreement between scholars as to whether these Secondary Clades are subsets of the Primary Clades, or if they represent other Principles which pre-date the Oath-Dragons. Attested Secondary Clades include:- Aevarut - said to vaguely resemble mechanical spiders, these are said to be somehow involved in the maintenance of fate and destiny. Some scholars have speculated that they may be related to the Qarut, though the truth of the matter is unclear. They are not believed to leave the Elemental Apex of Fate outside of extraordinarily rare circumstances. It has been suggested that Sha'asek may have some manner of connection to them.
- Hykariut - there are a few extremely ancient references to a Clade of Inevitables by this name which were tasked with preventing rebellion against "divinely-ordained" rulers. Some scholars believe that it is possible in principle that such entities could exist - potentially as a subclade of the Varakhut or Zelekhut - but there have been no reliable accounts of them being encountered for millenia, and divinatory evidence for their existence is ambiguous.
- Kastamut - a single fragmentary reference to an entity or group of entities known as "the Kastamut" appears in the Chronicles of Vash Edom, in a passage discussing attempts by the dwarves who would later become known as Dvergar to resist or reverse the reforms of Alavar Scriptorum after his death. Whilst the majority of Tevashi scholars agree that the Kastamut was probably one of a number of counter-revolutionary secret societies that emerged to fill the power vacuum following Alavar's death, it has on occasion been suggested that the Kastamut may have been a subclade of Inevitables that sided with the Dvergar for some inscrutable reason.
- Some have speculated that there exists a Clade of Inevitables which are concerned with violations of the laws of mathematics; this is an area of some controversy and has never been proven either way, though there are rumours of scholars vanishing in mysterious circumstances whilst working on particularly esoteric mathematical concepts.
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