Kha'din (Kaeden, Nameless Old Ones)) (updated 2007/11/07)

  Akuma (Taint-Bearers, Kha'din Sorcerers)    Secrets: Kha'din Forms    Taint (Kaeden Corruption)    gallery: Kaeden 

Kha'din

In the end times, the silent enemy will arise again, and in its wake it shall bring oblivion.

The Kha'din are ancient spirits of unspeakable evil and eldritch power. These alien beings are said to exist outside time and space, slipping silently and unseen through the spaces parallel to our world.

The Kha'din are astral spirits that largely defy description and have no place within our reality. They have no mind or physical form as we understand such things. When a mortal perceives this nothingness his mind lends the Kha'din a shape of his own imagination, lest he go mad. In our attempt to place meaning upon the formlessness, we draw from primal and subconscious fears. Thus, some stories describe the nearly-formless shapes as gigantic squids, vine-wrapped trees, or insects of hideous size, although they are warped and distorted in nightmarish ways. Even if two men saw the same creature, each would likely describe it in his own horrifying way.

Not only are Kha'din alien to our world, but their presence is harmful, spreading spiritual corruption through what mortals perceive as faint droning whispers and dream-songs that resonate with the subconscious spirit. Those who fall victim to their corruption are said to be Tainted or "Kha'din-touched" and are doomed to wither away in mind and spirit, until they eventually vacate their corporeal form entirely, leaving an empty shell. What happens to the mortal soul at this point is subject to a great deal of speculation, but it is undisputed that the soul goes through some type of apotheosis rather than being consumed or sent to oblivion. The few witnesses to such events describe eerie singing.

While inimical to the soul, Kha'din Taint brings great power, and some power-mad individuals willingly seek out the Kha'din song. Known as Akuma, these men are essentially dark magi or priests of the Kha'din, carrying out arcane rituals that garner spiritual power and curry favor with the eldritch horrors. Like many wizards, Akuma are motivated by arcane power and place little value on mundane things and events of the mortal world.

However, the Kha'din are elusive and the Akuma are devious. Most people have never heard of the Kha'din, and the few scholars who do know of the ancient horrors believe they were wholly defeated by the Ithil'Rhi during the fabled Battle of the Thousandfold Curses. The Akuma actively look for individuals who know of the Kha'din, seeking to increase their own knowlege and stamp out any resistance to the practice of their magic.

Tentacles unfold
Now my fate is surely sealed
My watery grave

Akuma (Taint-Bearers, Kha'din Sorcerers) (updated 2005/05/02)

  gallery: Akuma    legends: Akuma Thrall 

Akuma are doomed sorcerers who seek to master the magic of the Kha'din. [ more... ]

Secrets: Kha'din Forms

The following information contains secrets unknown to most characters. [ more... ]

Taint (Kaeden Corruption) (updated 2004/01/25)

The touch of a Kha'din's form can corrupt reality itself, which the scholars of Ambar call Taint. Aside from the Kha'din, certain regions of Ambar and the "Astral Space" contain large amounts of Taint, as do certain forms of magic. Taint is a magical corruption that affects body and soul, initially causing unusual nightmares and a dark mottling of the flesh as if one had been splashed with ink. If left unchecked, Taint can progress through the body, marring the flesh, maddening the brain, and eventually transforming the afflicted person into a shattered husk in nominal control of the Kaeden.

Taint is externally visible as a dark mottling of the flesh, as if Taint were dark swirls and splashes of ink. If left unchecked, especially if the power of the Kaeden is accepted, the stains of Taint will spread and become more severe, perhaps causing odd mutations or magical swirling glyphs to appear, eventually transforming the afflicted person into an Akuma--a shattered husk in nominal control of the Kaeden.

It is [ more... ]

gallery: Kaeden

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