Guide to Enhiarg

1.2 The Nae

The Infinite endowed the Nae with the ability to manifest one aspect of his life, to join as one with a particular element and gain the kind of supreme mastery over it that not even the most powerful gods could rival. In return, each of them assumed a series of obligations, while the three whose spheres of influences were most closely tied to souls of creatures—Alasais, Tialianna and Veindor -- even gave a portion of their own minds in service of the Infinite.

Alasáis is the Nae of Feelings and Emotions, though some priests opine that her function would more correctly merit the title of the Nae of Self-Knowledge and Self-Acceptance. Indeed, Alasais' primary role in harmonizing the Infinite is to assist creatures in manifesting and accepting the unique peculiarities of their souls (deep-seated aspirations, wants, affinities and aversions), and recognizing their freedom and responsibilities. Emotions, feelings, dreams and the like are merely her operating tools.

Tialiánna is the Nae of Pathmaking, helping creatures find their individual Path, that is their calling and place in the world.

Veindór the Merciful is the Nae of Crossing Over (Death and Birth). It is he who chooses new incarnations for the departed creatures, and helps to match the living with bodies that best suit their souls. For instance, for creatures with ageless (powerful, capable of abiding in a single incarnation infinitely long) souls, he makes their bodies similarly immortal. He fights creatures that force souls into unsuitable skins and excise them from the natural cycle of births and deaths: necromancers and sorcerers that raise the dead, mine souls for energy for their spells or amulets, as well as world creators that confine souls of "sinners" to all manner of postmortem dungeons or coerce them into incarnating in incompatible bodies, like those of unthinking animals.

The Nae's primary mission is to make the Infinite such that the creatures comprising him (and it is the totality of the creatures that he feels above all, rather than inanimate objects) could live in congruence with their souls (irrespective of their particular properties!), formulate and express their opinion on various issues, actualize their potential while pursuing their personal happiness and cultivating the Infinite. (For more details on the roles on each of the Nae, as well as the other participants in the harmonization process, click here.)

The Infinite is always learning. Every soul is a sensory organ through which the Infinite's memory is enriched with new knowledge. The accumulated information is then processed and utilized by the Nae for his betterment.

The Infinite's transformation with the Nae's arrival was not instantaneous. Their influence spreads gradually, enveloping more and more worlds. The domains subject to them are often referred to as Naeric, whereas those who understand the essence of the changes taking place and know the true order of the universe are called Naerites.

All the Arrivals reside in Enhiarg, or rather in Naeria, its central part (in the interest of clarity, we will refer to residents of this part as "denizens of Naeria").

The majority of heroes from the books are the "children," i.e. spiritual kin of one of the Nae.