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Timeline: The Second Era

The Age of Domination

Year 1 2E IT - The kherai make contact with the other races. Many are enslaved, others travel east across the desert, and make their home in the uninhabited wilds of Kohanon. A new era begins upon the discovery of this race.

Year 434 2E IT - A kherai uprising breaks out in the elven capital, Tharelar. A district of the city burns down, but the kherai fail at their attempt at gaining freedom.

Year 437 2E IT - A kherai named Iseul arrives in Tharelar. She frees over fifty kherai slaves by duelling elven soldiers.

Year 439 2E IT - Iseul infiltrates the elven castle and petitions king Rhyhal directly. After some effort, Kherai are officially considered a free people, and enslavement of them made illegal (read Historic events - Tale of Iseul).

Year 441 2E IT - King Rhyhal Arvelle passes away. Healers claim it was due to stress. The eldest daughter, Taelia, is crowned queen regnant.

Year 474 2E IT - Failed assassination of queen Taelia. The event leaves her paranoid, and the citizens suffer under her new, strict rule.

Year 479 2E IT - Rebellion of Tharelar. The citizens rise up against the queen to end her rule. A fire breaks out in the city, and the queen disappears without a trace. Her younger brother, Velryn, is crowned king once things settle down. Taelia’s fate is never discovered.

Year 701 2E IT - The ruler of one of the bigger clans, a man named Almar, starts bringing other clans under his rule - either by forging alliances, or by force. He starts turning their lands into a proper nation.

Year 706 2E IT - The humans band together as a united nation and wage war upon the elves to expand their territory. The elves retaliate.

Year 710 2E IT - Fall of Tharelar. The human conquest is successful, and the elven capital is razed to the ground along with its king being murdered. The elves admit defeat and retreat, and Carathil stands without a ruler. Peace negotiations between the two kingdoms take place.

Year 711 2E IT - A peace treaty between the elves and humans is agreed upon. The humans keep their newfound territory, but there will be no other demands made of the elves. Marks the end of the second era.

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Timeline: The First Era

The Age of Mortals

Year 1 1E IT - The War of Black Feathers officially ends. Historians call it the beginning of a new era, where the remaining races had to rebuild what they lost. History starts being recorded in texts and images.

Year 137 1E IT - The dragons journey north, across the mountains, to establish their own nation outside of Amerone.

Year 468 1E IT - The aasrim people start building their cities inside the Tal’kharen mountains and settle down below the surface.

Year 746 1E IT - The humans establish several independent settlements spread across human territory, later becoming the land of Fearlon. They wage war against each other for centuries over territorial disputes.

Year 821 1E IT - The last year of the first era. The kherai are created around this time.

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Timeline: Before the First Era

Year unknown - The eight deities band together to breathe life into the world.

Year unknown - The dragons appear to serve as guardians of the realm of mortals.

Year unknown - The Kindred races are created; first the elves and vaesir, later the humans and aasrim appear.

Year unknown - The first Kindred kingdoms begin to form, albeit with fluctuating borders.

Year -25 1E IT - The War of Black Feathers begins (read Historic events - The War of Black Feathers).

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Historic Events: The Ebon Throne

Year 3064 DT - The Ebon Throne

Mysterious, deformed and mutated creatures appear, starting in the northern mountain range. The aasrim name them “Uza’lek”, meaning “Those living below” (Lit. “Under-dwellers”). People start disappearing around villages in the northern part of the continent.

The Black Falcons start investigating disappearances of caravans in the northern parts of Fearlon.

The Order of the Seers dispatch several of their members to investigate rumours of dragons in the Tal’kharen mountain range.

The king of Carathil, Luviaes, passes away due to illness. The kingdom is left in a state of unrest as the heir’s whereabouts are unknown.

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Historic Events: The Ralnera War

Year 676 DT - The Ralnera War

In year 676 of the Deltharen (Elven: “New Age”) calendar, the Ralnera War (Elven: “Red Sky War”) broke loose. After the dragon population had gradually increased, the creatures had grown more hostile over the years and eventually sought to expand their territory. The dragons sought to claim the Tal’kharen mountains, the home of the aasrim, and ended up driving the race back underground, fleeing their villages on the surface.

The war went on for years, dragging the humans and kherai into the conflict by harassing the villages. Some elves joined forces with the dragons and were cast out as traitors while others joined the other nations in their defence against the dragons.

Year 680 DT, four years after the war had begun, one final battle took place on the open plains between the human kingdom and the elven lands. Although the united nations lost many during the battle, the dragons were driven north, past the mountains, and it was considered a victory. The plains on which the battle took place came to be known as “The Flame Wastes”  or “Blazing Bone Plains,” named after the terrible dragonfires that caused the entire area to become desolate. Barely any life has grown there since.

The elves who had allied with the dragons ventured into the mountains and have rarely been seen since; they took on the name of ‘mountain elves’ and could be told apart from their kinsmen by their darker skin tones.

The dragons have shown little interest in wanting to return, but the war left a huge impact on the Kindred races. Scholars claimed the dragons were acting on behalf of the deities - that it was divine retribution because the Kindred had strayed from the path the deities had set them on. Others believed the dragons had been forsaken by those they were meant to serve, and now acted entirely on their own. With no word from the deities, they could only speculate.

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Historic Events: New Age

Year 0  DT  - New age

Deltharen (Elven: “New age”)  calendar system begins, the Iltharen (Elven: “Old age”) eras end after fifteen millennia. After centuries of conflicts between the races, the hostilities were put to a stop due to a peace treaty -  Amerone was divided into the nations that exist today as a result, and the rulers put effort into maintaining the fragile peace. An alliance between the kingdoms was formed, and has persisted ever since. The elves introduced the new calendar in commemoration of these new times, and it was soon adopted by the other nations.

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Historic Events: Tale of Iseul

Year 437 2E IT - Tale of Iseul

When the kherai made contact with the other races, it marked the start of a new era; but not necessarily a good one for the kherai. The people were enslaved and used for labour, and those who escaped that fate journeyed to the far east, where they settled down in Kohanon - unable to help their kinsmen.

Several centuries after their enslavement, in 437 3E IT their salvation came in the form of Iseul, a young kherai carrying the spirit of a fox. She arrived in the then elven capital, Tharelar, and started challenging soldiers to combat. She bet her own freedom against that of the soldiers’ slaves, and preached the teachings of Severian, who she claimed was their creator. She freed over fifty kherai this way before she was finally caught and imprisoned, withstanding years of torment and humiliation without her willpower breaking.

Two years later, in 439 3E IT, she escaped from prison in the form of her spirit; a beautiful fox. She managed to charm her way into the royal family, where she warned the king; if he did not free her people, his own family would suffer greatly. With the king denying her, she set her plan in motion. At first they were subtle rumours, spread amongst the citizens. Then, they turned into threats. Minor at first, but they escalated and grew more obnoxious and up front - his own family members were soon harassed in the streets. The king grew more and more paranoid, especially when Iseul continually showed up in her true form within the castle, and disappeared just as suddenly. A faction of elves within the kingdom came to support Iseul’s cause after hearing of her deeds, and it only kept growing as they started doubting the words of their king; would their patron god truly have created these creatures for them to enslave?

With the threat of a civil war, the king finally decreed: Kherai were officially to be considered a free people, blessed by Severian as one of the Kindred. Iseul took many of her people east, to Kohanon, where she was hailed as a hero and champion of Severian.

For many years, slavery was still conducted in secret, but the majority of the kherai could finally live their lives the way they saw fit.

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History Events: The War of Black Feathers

Year -25 1E IT - The War of Black Feathers

25 years before the first era, where history started being recorded, the mythical War of Black Feathers began. It’s been verbally passed on as a legend from parent to child through the ages and has since been written down, but many details surrounding the events that took place during the war have been lost.

The war began as a result of racial tension between the elves, humans and aasrim. The three had, at the time, very tense relations and rarely dealt with each other in a positive way. The aasrim made the first move, trying to expand their borders into the elven kingdom and further south. Their battles ended with a peace treaty, however the humans saw it as a provocation and proceeded to attack the aasrim.

After skirmishes came too close to the vaesir kingdom, the winged people joined the war, considering it an opportunity to further their own goals; ruling the whole land. Having been blessed by the gods in the past, the vaesir saw themselves as being above the other races, and felt they were the rightful rulers of the continent. The other three nations suffered heavy casualties from the vaesir attacks. They were powerful people, had the gift of flight, and their magic was so ancient, it could withstand the vast majority of what the other races could come up with.

It is said that Thelassia, the deity of spirituality and mother of magic, descended from the heavens during this time, and granted the mortals a gift; magic that would let them fight the vaesir as equals. The people she bestowed this gift upon became known as the Seers, able to envision both the past and the future. They drew upon the natural flow of aether in the world, and targeted the soul directly; completely bypassing the magical wards of the vaesir.

The vaesir ultimately lost the war due to Thelassia’s interference, though much of their ruler and generals survived and retreated to their underground capital. The gates to their city was shut and the entrance to their cave system sealed by the magic of the gods, who then distanced themselves from mortal affairs.

The remaining free vaesir were killed, or fled into the mountains and were left to their fates. They were rarely seen, and even then, were often mistaken for aasrim. Their race gradually faded from memory, save for mentions in texts, and now, they seem no more than a myth.

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Organizations and Factions: The Order of the Seers

An Order of gifted individuals said to hold the power to take down even dragons. They were crucial in the War of Black Feathers, as their magic was capable of bypassing the magical wards of the Vaesir, and again in the Ralnera War, where many of their numbers aided the Kindred in their fight against the dragons.

The Seers are comprised of golden-eyed people gifted with clairvoyance. They hold the power to see into a creature's soul, catch glimpses of the near future, and journey into visions of the past. While their magic is not unique in their way of drawing power from the sun and moon, their techniques target the soul of living things directly. As such, they're well suited for handling living beings, but less so with inanimate objects.

Seers who overuse their ability to look through time eventually lose their sight completely; they go blind, and can no longer see the events of the past, though they may still hear and sense them. No Seer can pick any moment in time to look back on; they require a focus to anchor them in time, whether it be a person, an object or even a place, and enter a trance to let the aether around them recreate past scenes in their minds, as if they themselves stood there.

The Order disbanded shortly after the War of Black Feathers, but was brought back by Lyall the Exalted in the second era of recorded history. It remains to this day.

Seer Neutrality

When Lyall brought back the Order, it was on the condition that it would remain neutral in the political matters of the four nations of the continent. The Order’s purpose would be to maintain the balance and safety of the realm, not meddle in the inner workings of the kingdoms. As such, Seers tend to make a wide berth around any political issues, for a power like theirs should not be allowed to be misused to further the agenda of a nation’s leaders.

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Dragons

The dragons were created before even the first Kindred appeared. Children of Armaran, they were set upon the land to watch over it as its guardians. The dragons are, in their true form, huge, scaled, lizard-like creatures, often with wings. Some have horns, and others are suited for living underwater, or even deep underground.

Dragons are immortal; they do not die of old age, though many end their days once satisfied with their accomplishments in life. Although they can take on Kindred form, they cannot mimic the appearance of others - their form is unique to themselves, and grants them a sense of identity. They are more intelligent than the other Kindred, their minds working in ways the Kindred cannot fathom.

At first, there were eight dragons. Impressed by Armaran’s creation, the deities agreed to make them their heralds and each chose one upon which they offered their blessing; these dragons founded the eight dragon clans that still exist in present time. Meant to watch over the mortal realm, the dragons worked together to ensure that life thrived and balance was upheld, but when the first Kindred walked the land, the dragons grew curious; these creatures exhibited intelligence they had not yet seen among the other living beings aside from themselves, and they were capable of feats that intrigued them greatly. As they grew more and more interested in these creations of the gods, they started to wish to walk among them as equals, and to learn from them as fellow beings. The deities sympathised with this wish, and granted them the ability to take on other forms, including that of the Kindred; thus, the art of shapeshifting was discovered.

Finally walking among Kindred, the dragons started being influenced by their way of thinking; morals, ideals, hopes and fears. At some point, they desired more than simply being the tools of the deities and caretakers of the Kindred. They wished for their own lands and cities where they could walk among their own kind, without the pressure the deities placed upon them weighing them down. Some of the dragons journeyed north, across the Tal’kharen mountains, and eventually more and more followed. They settled down in these northern lands, mostly untouched by the Kindred, and left the inhabitants of Amerone to fend for themselves. The deities never interfered, and the dragons took it as a sign that they were free of their age-old burden.

The Eight Dragon Clans

The deities each blessed one of the original eight dragons, and imbued them with a fragment of their power - this manifested itself as unique attributes in the respective dragons. They became known as the ‘Keepers’ of their clans and passed on their gifts to their children. The Keepers are the forefathers of their clans, and are gifted with a natural sense of premonition due to their strong ties to the deities. They often know when their own deaths are approaching, and though they do not attempt to change their fate, they take precautions to ensure they will one day return to their clans; they prepare for reincarnation.

The clans understand that it is impossible to know when their Keepers will return. Whenever a Keeper remains with their clan, it is known as their ‘Golden Age’; a time of prosperity within the clan, as their magic is at its peak when their Keeper’s presence is near.

The Keepers, upon sensing their aether weakening, choose something to become their Beacon; it can be anything, so long as it contains traces of life. They infuse it with a small fragment of their souls, and within it, seal away most of their powers. The Beacons thus exist for the purpose of one day returning those powers to the reincarnation of their Keepers. Each clan has their own type of beacon; Demmiente of the Jade River infuses a certain plant each time, while Eovas of the Golden Ember chooses a person close to him. Some Beacons’ fragments are passed on from one being to another, while others remain within the same being until their task is fulfilled - an immortal body, so to speak.

Immortality of the body does not come without consequences, however; the Beacons may not actually perish, but each time they ‘die’, and as time goes on, they start either losing their memories, or the fragment of their Keeper starts to wane. Should the Beacon fail to find its way to a Keeper’s reincarnation in time, not only is the Keeper lost forever, but depending on what the Beacon is, it could end up becoming a hollow shell of what was once a living creature. Fortunately, this has not been observed to have happened yet.

Golden Ember Clan Their Keeper is Eovas, the Dragon of Dawn, chosen of Luceria. Their powers are based on ‘rebirth’. Has reincarnated two times. His last passing was in the third era, 233 IT.

Onyx Crown Clan Their Keeper is Selyrth, the Dragon of Dusk, chosen of Ihraen. Their powers are based on ‘disintegration’. Has reincarnated five times. Remains active.

Crimson Blaze Clan Their Keeper is Arnath, the Dragon of Challenge, chosen of Armaran. Their powers are based on ‘repose’. Has reincarnated four times. His last passing was in 689 DT.

Jade River Clan Their Keeper is Demmiente, the Dragon of Foundation, chosen of Severian. Their powers are based on ‘origin’. Has reincarnated five times. Her last passing was in 2462 DT.

Violet Ghost Clan Their Keeper is Metyra, the Dragon of Perception, chosen of Kharsela. Their powers are based on ‘mortality’. Has reincarnated four times. Her last passing was in 358 DT.

Cerulean Snow Clan Their Keeper is Phoenyss, the Dragon of Augury, chosen of Thelassia. Their powers are based on ‘incarnation’. Has reincarnated six times. Her last passing was in 2845 DT.

Ivory Blade Clan Their Keeper is Thendos, the Dragon of Truth, chosen of Maevira. Their powers are based on ‘reflection’. Has reincarnated  four times. Remains active.

Silver Shield Clan Their Keeper is Promaes, the Dragon of Faith, chosen of Gahrisan. Their powers are based on ‘consequence’. Has reincarnated four times. Remains active.

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Races: Vaesir

As ancient as the elves, the vaesir stand amongst the eldest of Kindred in the world. Though nearly forgotten, their legacy has influenced the modern society of the nations.

The vaesir were said to be immortal in the sense that they did not die of old age. Aasrim are said to be descended from these people, and they supposedly share many features, such as their  vibrant eye colours. When vaesir are nearly mature, markings start to appear on their bodies - these are called ‘ethereal veins’, and are said to contain magical energy in its purest form. For this very reason, vaesir are regarded as some of the most powerful spellcasters, due to their easy access to this energy. These beings are also said to have been able to gain wings at will, a unique ability passed down by blood.

Classified as extinct ages ago, not many know of these creatures - the amount of books about them are limited, as history was barely even recorded from the time they existed.

Legend has it the vaesir waged war on the other nations, considering themselves above the other races, and thus saw fit to rule the continent. It was a time of great turmoil, where most nations were at war with each other due to territorial disputes, which the vaesir took advantage of. It is said their plan backfired; the other nations banded together and nearly eliminated the whole race. The survivors retreated underground, and they have not been seen since; the memory of them left to vanish through the course of history.

Although they have not been seen in ages, the aasrim did deviate from these people. Those with vaesir ancestors might carry the vaesir genes, which is the reason some aasrim are born with vibrant hair. The vaesir were also the  creators of the dark arts, which many have utilized in the modern days.

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Races: Aasrim

The aasrim culture is not very known to outsiders. As an old race in the mountainous Tal’kharen, the people have been relatively excluded from the neighbouring nations; other than trading, they rarely interact with the outside world. There are, of course, some who abandon the traditional lifestyle of seclusion and seek fortune south of the mountains, most often in the human lands.

Their average height is about the same as the humans’, though these creatures are generally a bit taller. Their skin ranges from pale to dark in a variety of grey hues, and their hair often creates contrast with their usual white or dark hues. Although they have pointy ears, they’re shorter than those of elves, and they do not grant them any increased sense of hearing. Their vibrant eyes, on the other hand, grant them better vision in the dark than any of the other races have without the use of magic.

The aasrim maintain a warrior culture - the majority grow up following their parents’ footsteps, most often turning into decent smiths or soldiers. They have no monarchs, instead letting a council of five members take care of matters concerning law, war and the state of the nation and its people. There’s also little to no discrimination regarding genders - the aasrim value efficiency, and they care little about who does the work so long as it’s done.

With their open worship of the Goddess of Guidance, often associated with death, these mountain-dwellers have been at odds with the Kherai many times over the course of history. They also have no issues with the use of the Shadowarts - magic infamous for its many harmful spells, both towards the user and the target. This has, however, given cause for suspicion and distrust among the other races.

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Races: Elves

The elves of Carathil are among the oldest inhabitants of the continent of Amerone. Their race traces back to the time of Genesis - the creation of the world. Their capital is the enchanting city of  Lanathel, and it is one of the most advanced cities, both in technology and the arcane, and has therefore seen an influx of aspiring mages and mechanics. Their language, elven, is the most ancient - both spoken and written - and is therefore taught to many children from the other nations as a means of communication.

The most prominent features of the elves are their long ears, as well as their height, often higher than the average human. They can live to be up to a thousand years old, though many elves lose their lives before the age of 300 - most often due to illness or meeting an untimely end.

Elves count themselves among one of the two races that are sometimes, though rarely, born with vibrant-colored hair. These people have been proven to be gifted with a talent for magic, and often pursue a life working with the arcane. Some elves theorize that the vibrant color is due to the concentration of magic in the air being drawn to the child and affecting its genes - the color is therefore a side effect, and not the cause of the magical energy within the child.

While the elves revere magic, they were created by the god Severian, who is more associated with the general term of ‘life’. He remains their patron, but the majority of the elven population also worships the creator of magic, the goddess Thelassia.

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Races: Kherai

Legend has it that when the elves were still young, the spirits of the forest envied their way of life; they wished for a way to walk among these people and experience the world, rather than be bound to the forests they live in. Severian, God of Creation, took pity on these spirits, and while he could not alter their shapes to take on physical, elven form, he created vessels for them; the Kherai. The spirits would live in these vessels as part of them, and experience the world through their eyes.

The Kherai are Kindred creatures with beastly attributes. They make their home in the wilds of Kohanon, settling down in communities based around their tribes. They do not breed, and as such have no blood-related family; instead, new kherai are ‘adopted’ and raised by the older kherai in the tribes, and they form familial ties this way.

The kherai are known to be skilled hunters, as they live surrounded by nature. They’re not as technologically advanced as the elves or humans, but fare no worse in life due to having adapted to living in the wilds.

Their appearances range from human to elven, except they have tails and either horns or animal ears. These beastly attributes represent the animal form these creatures are able to assume, as well as the spirit residing within them. It is unlike regular shapeshifting, in the sense that it comes natural to the kherai and their transformation is almost effortless. Because of their spirits, all kherai have two names; The name of the ‘vessel’, the physical form that interacts with the world, and the name of the spirit within them. When a kherai dies, the spirit returns to the forest until a new vessel is available for them. As such, a kherai can share one name with a previous member of their tribe, but also have their own, unique name. Despite this, it is not possible for kherai to obtain memories of a spirit’s past life. In fact, they cannot communicate with the spirit at all - it simply resides within them as a part of their soul.

Kherai are rather small, and their bodies are slow when it comes to aging, resulting in the majority not looking like adults before the age of thirty or fourty. This slow aging also allows them to live long lives; the eldest Kherai are almost 300 years old.

For fear of corrupting their spirits, Kherai who stray from the set of rules within their respective tribes undergo a ritual to have their guardian spirit separated from them, and are then exiled. As the Kherai were created with the spirits in mind, living without one will have dire consequences for these people. Without a spirit watching over them, it is easy for them to lose all sense of reason and turn into beasts. There are, however, stories of spirit-less Kherai who have lived many years without a spirit. Other stories have the exiled simply remain in their animal forms and make a new life that way.

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Races: Humans

The humans of Amerone are, despite their short lifespan of roughly 100 years, greatest in number among all the races. These people are not only known for their skill in trade, but their prosperous kingdom as well. Mirhaven, the capital, is home to Queen Eleanor and the King Consort Lionel, and despite their relatively young age, the couple has managed to lead their kingdom with a gentle hand.

The capital itself is split into five districts - each named after one of the five founders. The noble families of the humans can all trace their family line down to at least one of these founders; the first middle name of nobles reveal which founder they’re related to. While these noble families have branched off many times, the capital’s current ministry consists of three representatives from each of the five bloodlines.

Humans possess no significant natural abilities - they do not have the intellect of the elves or the strength of the aasrim. Instead, they rely on their knowledge of trade and politics, which has been passed down through many generations; Fearlon is home to a great amount of merchants and diplomats. However, there are also other opportunities for these people; The land is ripe with farming and fishing villages, and the military is a good choice for an aspiring soldier.

The Founders of Mirhaven

Aelisia Theunis. Quintus Vasari. Galeria Melrynne. Julian Callahan. Gaius Calderon. The five founders of Mirhaven, each giving name to both a district of the city, and a branch of nobility.

After the human victory over the elven kingdoms, the race had taken its first steps into establishing a nation. When the leader of their armies perished at the start of the third era, five of his generals stepped forth to take charge of their people.

The construction of the capital of Mirhaven was thus planned, and each of the generals was involved in the construction of a district. A sixth district was planned as a great plaza - a place for the people to come together, and a Keep was constructed to serve as the seat of the ruling body.

They felt the need for a single person to step forth as the symbol of the kingdom, however. Galeria, niece of the man who banded their race together, was chosen to become the voice of the people, and was crowned the first Queen.

The title of royalty is merely formality, as the laws and politics of the human nation have been and still are decided by the Council of Five - a Council with three people from each of the Founders' bloodlines to represent the interests of the people.

Nobility of Fearlon

After the foundation of Mirhaven, the families of the Founders became the social elite of their people, having power, wealth and influence. Today, all noble families can trace their lineage back to at least one of the Founders; their middle names indicate which bloodline they descend from.

As the noble families grew in size, it came to a point where nobility meant very little in name alone. The most respected and powerful noble families are those with wealth and the ability to influence matters in the city, and the least powerful equate to little more than glorified commoners.

It is not uncommon for two noble families to join their hands together and merge their bloodlines; this trend grew as more and more lower-standing families wished to form alliances with those who held power. In these cases, it is tradition for the children born of the marriage to take the Founder name of the family with the highest social standing.

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Artifacts: Oathbearer

An ancient sword said to have been forged in the dragonfire of a Keeper. The exact Keeper varies depending on who tells the legend, but they all agree that it imbued the blade with powerful magic. The most widely accepted theory is that Thendos, the Keeper of the Ivory Blade, left a small fragment of his powers within the weapon -- not enough to consider it a Beacon, but enough to let it imitate the clan's unique magic, "reflection."

The blade itself was crafted in the hybrid style that developed after a portion of elves settled down amongst the dragons; it has the ornamental traits of old elven weaponry, but is inlaid with precious gemstones to bolster its magical potential. When the gems are given a burst of aether, the blade itself is engulfed in fire akin to that of dragons, capable of cutting through considerably tougher material than regular steel.

Despite the apparent power of the relic, the sword has rarely been wielded due to the downsides prolonged exposure to its magic can cause; it feasts on a person's innermost thoughts and emotions, potentially leaving them with little but outward apathy, despite their best attempts to express their true feelings.

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Magic and talents: Beastbonded

Scholars remain uncertain as to whether the phenomena known as "beastbonding" is a rare type of innate magical talent, or a case of a beast and a Kindred holding fragments of a single entity of the past that allows them to bond.

The Beastbonded beast and Kindred share an ability to understand each other and communicate, giving the beast a heightened sense of sapience and intelligence, and the Kindred an opportunity to glimpse into the world of beasts through their partner's eyes. The bonded beast is commonly observed to live with their Kindred partner, though the bond remains regardless of distance and time spent apart.

Because of their ability to look through the eyes of their partner, Beastbonded have in the past been used for scouting and spying jobs for military organisations, though due to their rarity, the trend stopped not long after it even started.