Eternals

The date is March 11th, 1490 APC. To all of those currently viewing the lecture transcript, please be aware that this may be in a separate time period than you are currently experiencing. For additional viewer interaction, the Storyteller has attached a copy of Professor Yeliah's quiz for this class.

Hello, and welcome back to General Magical Theory! This is class eight out of twelve for this semester and this week we are learning all about Eternals and Celestials. Eternals are the focus of this class because Celestials technically are Eternals. Not all Eternals are Celestials, but all Celestials are Eternals. Celestials are covered in other courses.
To start us off, let's go over our areas of focus for today as well as the information you should take care to remember. First, we’ll go over what Eternals are and the known details of how being an Eternal works. Then we’ll talk about some appearances in legend and the effect their existence has had on history. We’ll learn about a few specific groups of Eternals and some individuals, and then go over our homework.
Alright, any questions so far? Ah, yes, Gianna, right? Go ahead.

“Ms Yeliah, is there a specific course where we can learn more about Celestials? I know there’s History of Celestials, but are you teaching anything related to Celestials?”
“As you know, there is History of Celestials offered by Professor George Sarsand, as well as many History of Magical Arts courses currently taught by Mrs. Pauline Szkardza. I am, however, George's substitute in case he falls ill or has more pressing matters."

What Are Eternals?

As many of you may remember from our first class this semester, Eternals are beings with incredible magic who cannot die from illness or old age. These afflictions are termed "natural causes". Eternals are not immortal. They can be killed, albeit with magic, near-impossible strength,

or overwhelming numbers. Celestials are usually more powerful than general Eternals, but there are a few Eternals who are not Celestials but are still incredibly powerful.
The basic definition of an Eternal is such: a sentient being with magic and an unlimited lifespan. Let's delve into this definition a bit more. First, a sentient being. It doesn't matter if your cat doesn't die and is seemingly immortal, it is not an Eternal. Could it be an Eternal that can shapeshift? Possibly. But any true animal or monster cannot be an Eternal. Second, with magic. Eternals all have magic. There is no other option. Their magic is what makes them Eternal. One cannot live forever if one does not have magic. And last, an unlimited lifespan. This means that their life has no predicted natural end. Whatever their species' normal lifespan is, they far surpass it and are not limited by it. Question, Christopher?

"What about beings like vampires? They don't die normally, right?"
"You're correct, Christopher. Vampires do not die normally. However, they do in fact have a specified lifespan. This is assuming you are referring to vampires such as the ones at this school."
"Well yes, but what about the ones from legends? The ones turned by Vampira's direct descendants?"
"Oh, I see. Those vampires are in fact a type of Eternal. We'll get back to them later in the class, alright?"

Alright, back to the topic at hand. Eternals are defined by those basic characteristics. Of course, the easiest way to tell if someone is an Eternal is to ask another Eternal, but considering how most of the galaxy believes they do not exist, you may find it difficult. However, I have studied Eternals for a significant portion of my life and I believe my methods are rather failsafe.

Are Eternals Real?

Speaking of how most of the galaxy believes Eternals to be fictional, this is the question that has plagued historians, magic theorists, and mages for many, many years. Long ago, before our galaxy became so filled with politics, technology, and profit, the answer would have been a resounding "Yes" from anyone you asked. And yet, now, the best answer you will get is a "Maybe" followed by a debate on magical history.

by Lilliana Casper

What this question comes down to, of course, is "Could these beings with incredible power, many said to have powers beyond that of many mages combined, truly exist?" We've covered many types of magic during the first seven classes and most of you have first- or second-hand experience with it. You've all heard how difficult it is to use kinetic magic to create objects, and yet some Eternals could create weapons from nothing with barely a dip in their power level. Is it possible such a thing is real?
You know that I believe it is. There is too much evidence that they are real. There are too many stories and too many correlations to dismiss these beliefs. How is it that both Jaque and a nearly unknown planet in the outer rims could have the exact same name for the Celestial of Compassion ? How is it that every planet with legends about the Eternals mentions the Celestial War? Is the queen of South Geranium not still alive after centuries under the same name?

We'll talk about specific appearances later, but one thing that should be mentioned in this section is how many similarities the legends have with each other. Most if not all of our information comes from myths, so we should be sure that it can be trusted. Our first piece of evidence is that the rules that govern Eternals are universal across all mentions of them, whether the Eternals mentioned are Celestials or mysterious figures that rarely appear. Our second is that stories that appear on multiple planets still include the same people and places, even if minor details are changed. That appears to be the end of my notes on legends in this section, but we'll reiterate them later on.

Governing Rules for Eternals

The focus of this section is age-shifting and the way one's mind, body, and emotions work as an Eternal. Considering that Eternals practically live forever, this question is often raised: are Eternals old men and women trapped in the bodies of their younger selves or eternally in the mindset of the age they appear? The answer is that there are several levels of age as an Eternal and the mind shifts to adapt accordingly.

Age-shifting is the ability to choose to remain a specific age for some time, while also changing when it conveniences them. One can only age-shift within the age they truly are. For example, an Eternal who has lived for a hundred years can shift from eighty to twenty but cannot shift to two hundred. Eternals who appear younger than twelve cannot shift at all, regardless of how old they truly are. Take note of that number, it's very important when discussing the rules that govern Eternals. To shift past twelve, an Eternal must allow themselves to age normally up to twelve before they can age-shift. If an Eternal wishes to shift younger than twelve, they can only remain that age for a short time. Here's an old quote about age-shifting.

The main restriction, of course, was that one could not age-shift older than their true age. If a Celestial was fifty years old, he or she could shift to any age up to fifty, but not a day older. If the Celestial was twenty, he or she could not shift to thirty. And of course, if any Eternal under the physical age of twelve wished to grow older, they had to spend those years as a mortal.

— excerpt from an old book

How does the age an Eternal physically appears as affect their mind and how it works? An Eternal under the age of twelve has virtually no changes to their mind. They are simply the age they appear. The only difference is the expansion of their memory as well as a certain resilience to trauma and mental tampering. Twelve to about eighteen or twenty is the age range when the mind and emotions truly begin to mature. After aging to twelve, an Eternal's mind will develop normally regardless of how old they appear. Although the Eternal will likely act like a teenager while at this age, their memory and emotions are far more stable than a mortal. Eternals who appear in this range are considered young regardless of how long they have lived because of the way their minds solve problems.

Professor Yeliah's slides by Lilliana Casper

After about twenty-one, Eternals become full adults both mentally and emotionally. Most Eternals appear somewhere in the range of twenty-one to forty-five, which suggests that this is the best state to remain. Their minds and emotions are balanced and advanced, their bodies are strong but not yet weakened by age, and mortals will take them more seriously than if they appeared younger. There are several Celestials who appear younger than twenty-one for that last reason specifically, but it's more likely that they prefer the resiliency of their youthful state.
The details of how exactly age-shifting occurs and how to do it are rather mysterious. For some reason, if an Eternal who has appeared as an adult for a long time chooses to shift younger, their memories remain intact but their mental and emotional functions seem to

revert to younger selves. Honestly, even the details I have told you were very difficult to discover. My final conclusion regarding age-shifting and how the mind of an Eternal works is that they truly are the age they appear, yet are also however old they have lived for, and every Eternal deals with it differently.

Magic of Eternals

Alright, onto the fun stuff. This section is all about the abilities Eternals have and what their major magical characteristics are. We'll start off very simple, I think. All Eternals have magic. We've gone over this before, and I'll continue to press this into your minds: Eternals cannot exist without magic. They are imbued with magic and it is what powers them. If one is an Eternal, one must have magic.

What types of magic do Eternals have? It varies from every Eternal, especially when it comes to the Celestials. But we're going to focus on their similarities rather than their differences. What types of magic can every single Eternal use? Considering how varied their powers are, this is difficult to narrow down, but Eternals appear to be able to use arcane, kinetic, and mental magic. Most Eternals can teleport, even if it isn't frequent, and many of them are able to contact each other mentally. Since many of them can create and control objects like weapons and clothing, they also have kinetic. I would say that all Eternals can use some type of magic that falls under those three categories.
My apologies, I see that some of you look confused. I was distracted while creating this slideshow and my thoughts are not in order. All

Professor Yeliah's slides by Lilliana Casper

Eternals appear to have some sort of mental magic, whether through illusions, empathy, telepathy, or the ability to gain knowledge. They are also known to be able to change their clothing with magic, which falls under a combination of arcane and kinetic magic. Most if not all Eternals appear to be able to use telekinesis as well as create weapons. Then, of course, with arcane magic, they have the ability to craft spells.
Alright, that's the magic all Eternals have. Now, several Eternals can use elemental magic, but it's surprisingly rare and appears to be reserved for Celestials such as the Elemental Celestials or those with similar domains. Animalistic magic is similar, although more Eternals can use

by Lilliana Casper

animalistic magic such as shapeshifting. The final category, life magic, with the types of death magic, life magic, love magic, and blood magic, are actually rather common among the most powerful of Eternals, especially the first or pre-generation Celestials. Since blood magic is a more versatile magic, I would say that all Eternals are capable of it but most would never use it.
That brings us to death, life, and love magic. Death magic is used by the Celestial of death, of course, but also seems to be channeled by her lieutenants regardless of what they are the Celestial of. Life magic is what is used by Celestials to turn mortals into Celestials and

can only be used by the most powerful of Celestials. As of currently, only the Celestial of creation and the Celestial of life are known to have created true living beings like the Crestantos. And finally, love magic has only ever found a true master in the Celestial of love.

Appearances in Legend

I know several of you have been waiting for this section. Most of the legends surrounding magic will be covered in upcoming classes, so there likely won't be as many as you hope. However, there are a few stories that I believe you will find interesting. Question in the back?

"I know most legends talk about the Celestials rather than Eternals in general, so what stories are we covering here? Are there stories that follow non-Celestial Eternals?"
"I was just about to mention that, thank you. There are unfortunately very few widely-known myths about Eternals other than Celestials, so we're going to have a fair mix between Celestial-centric legends and those without Celestials. Most of them will at least mention Celestials, but the focus should be on the other Eternals. Does that answer your question? Good."

We're going to start off with vampires today. Vampires, or at least most vampires, are descendants of a specific Eternal, who also gave vampires their name. Let's start at the beginning. Vampira and her sisters Sirena and Bansha were the daughters of the Celestial of romance. While the three girls were not Celestials themselves, each of them had special traits. Sirena was the oldest and her magic was channeled

through her voice. When she sang, her magic activated. Her descen-dants are known as sirens. Vampira's magic was in her eyes and teeth. She could hypnotize mortals with a look and when she bit them and drank their blood, she got stronger. Bansha, the youngest, also had magic in her voice. When she screamed, she could suppress magic and sometimes see the future.
Vampira and her sisters were Eternals, but their children were not. However, Vampira discovered something. If she bit a human and injected a certain kind of venom into them, she turned them into an Eternal as well, albeit one with certain restrictions. I'm sure you all know that vampires drink blood to survive, correct? That is not true. For common vampires like the ones at this school, they only need blood for their magic. But the ones that were turned by Vampira and

Professor Yeliah's slides by Lilliana Casper

her direct descendants required blood to survive. In fact, any vampire that is turned requires it to survive. The vampires that have been turned as well as those closest related to Vampira are considered Eternals. Common vampires have a slightly extended lifespan and far more regenerative abilities, but they are not Eternals. Oh, Lorcan?

"I have a question. Are sirens and banshees also Eternals? Or is it a similar thing to common vampires?"
"Neither sirens nor banshees are Eternals. All of them are descendants of Sirena and Bansha respectively. They are simply far more reclusive, as banshees prefer solitude or small family groups, and sirens rarely interact with non-sirens. We'll talk about sirens some other time."

Our next story features both a Celestial and an Eternal. In the southern forests of Geranium, a wolf pack is led by the Celestial of wolves. He has lived there alone for centuries after the Celestial War. In this legend, an Eternal named Tala comes to his forest. Tala is fleeing a group of enemies that have placed a spell on her, one that drains her magic. When she meets the Celestial of wolves, he agrees to help her. The two fall in love as they try to find a cure for Tala's curse. The enemies pursuing Tala reach them, and although Conri kills them, Tala's curse is worsened. The only way to keep her from dying is to bring her under the domain of a Celestial. Conri performs a spell to transform her into a wolf for at least seven days a month, and they live together happily ever after.

Professor Yeliah's slides by Lilliana Casper

The boys are looking rather disappointed. There are plenty of other legends featuring Conri and his wolf pack. Surely there's enough bloodshed there for you to read about and almost no trace of romance. So, it's a nice story, right? Now let's see what we can figure out from it. While the focus is on Conri and his powers, we also have Tala, the key character here. Tala is not a Celestial. She is an Eternal, but not a Celestial. So then, what kind of Eternal is she? The story doesn't say. This is one of the main legends that presents as fact the idea that there are non-Celestial Eternals. The story also tells us she is being pursued. There are no details about her enemies, but they are powerful enough to place a curse on her yet weak enough to be killed by Conri and Tala together. Conri is a strong Celestial though, so this is not surprising.

This next story is interesting to me in many ways. First, it's fairly recent, from about 800 APC or so, rather than before the Polaris Collapse. Second, only two of the people are named and the rest are referred to by titles and descriptors. Third, the story references Celestials who barely appear anywhere else. Overall, it's a mysterious legend without many connections.
The first people mentioned in this story are Elara and Brillo, the Celestials of elegance and brilliance. They are the only two who are named. The next two characters are also Eternals, but one is mentioned as the "Celestial of selfishness" while the other is only known as a "dark Eternal". The two couples each have a child but they soon face each other in battle. Elara, Brillo, and the "dark Eternal" are killed, while the unnamed Celestial has her body destroyed and her spirit sent to another realm. Left alone, the children of these Eternals fall in love and marry. Their love, however, is tragic. When the two have children, the children's powers are split between light and dark. Each parent has their favorites, their mother preferring her light children and the father turning all his attention to the dark ones. After many years, the father grows tired of his light children and imprisons them. His wife withdraws from the eyes of the public, cloistered in her room. The father builds an army and raises his dark children as soldiers for his cause.
Oh, it looks like you have a question. Go ahead.

"Does this story have any relation to General Karol of Visor? I'm sorry if I'm drawing false conclusions, I've just read a lot and thought I noticed a few similarities between his supposed backstory and this tale."
"You're very sharp, Marla. This story does in fact bear resemblance to those surrounding the general. While this one focuses more on the Eternals, Karol's myths focus on his rise to power and his family. Is this story about him? Let's see.

Interestingly enough, I was just about to ask if anyone could recognize similarities between this story and something from history, but Marla beat me to it. So let's skip that part and move on to answering if this story is about him. It is in fact... believed to be about him and his wife!

Karol's past is pretty hazy and there are a lot of mysteries surrounding him, but enough has been gathered about him in the years since the Visoran War to prove this story is about him. His wife's parents, Elara and Brillo, seem to have been almost wiped from history aside from this story and a few others. They are mentioned only in a few legends about the Celestial War. The Celestial of selfishness and her "dark Eternal" husband, however, is a far more interesting story.
Who are these unnamed people? There is no recorded Celestial of selfishness. However, this story states that Brillo and Elara were killed by her and her husband. In a legend about the Commander and the Celestial War, it is mentioned that Kendra, the Commander's second daughter, is "the one who would slay Brillo to avenge her husband". I'm not going down the theory pit about Kendra, but that

by Lilliana Casper

appears to be the "Celestial of selfishness" and Karol's mother. Her husband, however, remains a mystery. No matter how hard researchers look, there is no mention of this man or where he came from, which I will remark on later.

The Effect of Eternals

Oh, I'm going to have to hurry up. We've still got a lot of ground to cover with the sections after this. Luckily, I don't think this one is very long.
What effect have Eternals had on history and the world? In this day and age, you might not think much. With technology, starships, politics, and galactic connection, what role have magical beings from centuries ago played? Surprisingly, quite a lot. The existence of Eternals has

by Lilliana Casper

bolstered the culture of many planets and prevented many populations from dying out. Benevolent Eternals are almost always willing to guide and teach any who seek their help or live in their territories. The intervention of Eternals has not always been for the better, though. Anyone who has read legends knows how devastating the Celestial War was not only to Eternals but to everyone under their command. Other Eternals such as Lady Spider are well known for killing hundreds whenever someone offends, annoys, or even looks at them wrong.
All across the galaxy, there are stories about how Eternals have helped or harmed planets. Nicole is a particular favorite on poorer planets because of her unconditional kindness and generosity. Stelsa prefers stories about their own Eternals, most of whom appear nowhere else. Kersar, where we are now, has a lot of stories about Sirena and her descendants.
Other than stories, there are other signs of Eternals' existence. Some believe that the cause of Stelsa's dying yet still active sun is because of an Eternal. Anyone who knows the history of this school knows that it was built onto the library, which many believe was built by

an Eternal. The mysterious, now-lost planet of Crosteron was said to have been created by an incredibly powerful Eternal. Strange landmarks, ancient jewelry, mysterious books... Hundreds of thousands of relics remain from the age of Eternals and many more have been found in recent times. The mark Eternals have left on our world is substantial and strong. I look forward to discussing more of it with you soon.

Groups of Eternals

There are several groups of Eternals that have been mentioned in history. One of the most prevalent yet mysterious is a group known as the "Star Sisters", Eternals who supposedly guard the edge of the Janya Galaxy. These Eternals are only ever referred to as a group and never as individuals. However, Tala, the wife of Conri from our earlier story, is actually believed to have formerly been one of them. Many versions of her and Conri's story include her speaking of her "sisters". There is, however, no proof of this. The Star Sisters are incredibly mysterious. We don't know how many of them there are or even if all of them are women.

Another group of Eternals is one we've already mentioned: vampires. These vampires are the ones turned by common vampires. The first turned vampire was the—here's where it gets uncertain—lover? Husband? Friend? of Vampira, the first vampire. Supposedly, all of Vampira's children were from him, but he never truly appears in stories, much like Vampira's father. It is also widely known that Sirena and Bansha had multiple husbands over the course of their lives, so some scholars believe Vampira had multiple as well. Eternal vampires are extremely rare and most of them are very old, from the time of Vampira and her first generation of children. Vampira's first descendants lived very long, at least two hundred years, and most of them turned their spouses so they could remain together. Those turned vampires are likely still alive.

Professor Yeliah's slides by Lilliana Casper

Our next group is related to the vampires. Vampira and her sisters are not usually counted under other groups and are instead grouped together as the blood and voice sisters. All three of them have powers related to both their blood and their voice. Vampira drinks blood to gain power, Sirena and Bansha supposedly could get stronger by drinking or spilling blood, Sirena uses magic through singing, Bansha's screams are magical, and Vampira uses her voice to hypnotize people. When they appear in myths, they are usually together, and they are occasionally mentioned by Celestials since their parents are Celestials. Oh, a question from... Amie? Go ahead.

"So both the parents of the blood and voice sisters are Celestials? Who are they?"
"Their mother is the Celestial of romance and their father is the Celestial of... forces? It's uncertain what he is the Celestial of exactly, but he is mentioned in the Celestial War as a dark Celestial. He is older than his wife, apparently by several years, and they were one of the last Celestial couples to be married. We don't know much else about either of them. If you want to know more, look them up."

Okay, I think this is the last group of Eternals. This one is rather interesting. The "Treetop Knights" are a select group of elite assassins. Although most of their forces are mortals, the inner circle of about ten or twelve are Eternals. This group of assassins is known in obscure mythology as the forward guard of the dark Celestials, making their first appearance during the Celestial War. They are often confused with the Armies of War and sometimes considered to be a part of the Army, but are a separate group. The difference is that the Armies of War belong specifically to the Commander, while the Treetop Knights can be commanded by any of the dark Celestials. The Army of War is also not comprised of Eternals, but of soulless puppets created to fight.
Oh, there's actually one more group, I'm sorry. This group has two parts: the Nine Guardians of the Temple of Peace and their Helpers. The Nine and their Helpers are only mentioned in the Prophecy of Nine, yet careful analysis of the prophecy reveals many more details than one would expect. While the Nine are most well-known for their role in stopping the Commander's Return, they will become Eternals and go on to protect the galaxy for the rest of their lives. The full group numbers twenty-seven: nine Guardians and two Helpers for each of the Nine. There isn't any more information about them, so let's move on to some individuals!

Individual Eternals

Individual Eternals are harder to isolate from the rest but are more common. Many of these Eternals are descendants of Celestials or other Eternals and have chosen to spend their immortality in various ways. One of these individuals is the husband of Kendra, mentioned earlier, of which we know almost nothing. Everything about him comes from stories related to his wife, which tell us that he was killed by Brillo. An old tradition holds that he was the one to kill Elara, Brillo's wife. Two other individual Eternals would be Karol and Kassandra, the children of these four Eternals.
This next one is mostly speculation, but considering how little is known about Denironia even now, the fact that this detail has spread to us is telling. On Denironia, there are creatures called Bonehunters, which are roughly organized in pack systems. Each pack or hive is led by a queen and an area with several queens is ruled by a king. However, the kings are under the command and/or control of an even more powerful Bonehunter, the bonehunter empress. Legends across Denironia call this creature a goddess and we who know of Eternals and Celestials believe she is likely one.

"Ms. Yeliah, are we sure she's an Eternal? She could be succeeded by other empresses. And if she is an Eternal, is she not a Celestial?"
"Good question. We don't know. All we have are the stories that the few surviving visitors to Denironia brought back. There is a small bit of evidence in stories about the mysterious Celestial of archery that she is definitely an Eternal but likely not a Celestial."

Our next Eternal is a rather sad story. Felicia, the Celestial of food, is mentioned as having three daughters. Sadly, two of them died at some point after the Celestial War. The last one, the oldest, is known as Patricia. Patricia was a researcher for many years, traveling across the galaxy and interacting with many other Eternals. The one legend focused on her describes her as a sort of messenger between the Celestials, a neutral party like Felicia and Nicole who offers help wherever possible. Patricia disappears from all stories somewhere around the Polaris Collapse, leading many to believe that she is now dead, a theory supported by a planet heavily affiliated with Felicia displaying her name alongside her sisters' on a memorial plaque.

by Lilliana Casper

Was that not sad enough for you, Jeremy? Why don't you read the full version of After Grief? I'm sure there's enough heartbreak there for you. Or perhaps you can look into the stories about the dark Celestials and their origins. If the tragedy of Celosia and the Commander is too impersonal for you, why don't you try out the story of Tomas and his wife? I guarantee you will never look at him the same way again.
I'm sorry, I digressed. Next is Tala, the wife of Conri the Celestial. We've gone over her story already so there isn't much else I can add. Many people believe she is a former Star Sister, while others do not. I don't have much of an opinion, honestly. I do wish to add a few details about her, though. According to Conri's legends, her human form has curly dark hair and dark eyes and her face is lightly freckled. Her wolf form has dark brown fur and amber eyes. She is required to spend seven days a month as a wolf to keep herself under Conri's domain and safe from her death curse. There is a story I heard once that she doesn't have to transform into a wolf if she is pregnant, but I don't remember what it was called or where I found it, so we'll assume it's false.
Oh, I always forget about this one! Likaina, the Celestial of leadership, is often accompanied in artwork by an unnamed boy dressed in simple attire. No matter what time period the piece is set in, he is usually there. Scholars believe he is a friend or lover who helped her after she became a Celestial. His origin is unknown, but Likaina's legends mention a friend whose name is either Viver or River. Some believe he is the one she rescued during her rebellion.

Finally, there are two shadowy figures scattered across many stories, mentioned only in passing or in relation to others. They are the Storyteller and the Brother. Whose brother is he? Presumably, the Storyteller's, considering he is usually referred to in regards to her. The Storyteller... is very hard to explain. She is only ever mentioned, usually in relation to magic or to stories that other Eternals discuss. She is believed to be the only person in our galaxy who can control every type of magic perfectly. The Brother is even more shadowy, appearing only in four stories, three of which he is mentioned with the Storyteller. Although we know of the existence of these two Eternals, we know nothing else about either of them or where they came from.

Conclusion

And that's all for today's lecture! Thank you all for attending and being so involved. I'm sorry for going off at you a little, Jeremy, I apologize again. There's just something about Patricia's story that feels so lonely and desolate. In my mind, she pours herself out on others and offers her help and assistance to whoever asks, as if she fears that she will become useless and abandoned. I'm not a Celestial, I can hear her thinking, What other use do I have?
Alright, it's time to end the presentation and talk about homework! Marla, would you please hand out the quizzes? They're on that table over there. I don't remember how many questions there are, but, ah, let me end this recording.

End of lecture. Time Elapsed: 32:44:65
Professor Yeliah wishes you good luck. The test is linked below.