The designation "Eyashene", or more casually
"Mindsmoother", does not denote a particular group, clan, or guild of people,
but rather the bestowal and practice of a gods-gifted talent; Mindsmoothers are
those sentient beings who share a common ability to sense and sooth emotions.
They are marked by an early empathic sensitivity to others' pains and feelings,
and even as children try to comfort those who are crying or upset around them.
As they become adolescents, they often experience extreme emotional swings while
they try to adjust to their rapidly changing abilities. They can come from any
race, or level of their society, although they are more common in some races
than others. Most elves, for example, have some
faint mindsmoothing skills, while Therger’atene (dwarven
healers) are few and far between. It is not unusual to have a higher proportion
of female Eyashenes than males, in adolescence; however, the genders usually
rebalance by early adulthood. Some human males
have not recognized their Eyashene abilities until forty or fifty years old,
while mermaids, on the other hand, display
talents very early - sometimes as young as three or four years. In rare cases,
gifted individuals decide to employ their ability to affect emotions for selfish
or malevolent purposes. These so-called
“Mindmeddlers”, who do not heal and soothe, but cause harm and distress, are
discussed in their own Compendium
entry.
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Image description: An Eyashene Mindsmoother helping
a wounded fighter. Picture from
the game Magical
Empire™, used with friendly permission. Illustration
drawn by Faugar. |
Prevalence.
It is thought by some researchers that those with the gift of mindsmoothing are
rare, yet that may be a human prejudice as many
elves seem to have some limited talent for it. It is not known how many
there are in the world as this particular ability is little understood; likely
many Mindsmoothers either do not know they possess the gift, or that those who
do, care not to share it publicly.
Among the central areas of the Santharian
kingdom, such as the provinces of Manthria,
Xaramon, Sanguia and Enthronia, Mindsmoothers are readily accepted and revered
for their healing skills. The Eyashene are known to have loosely organized bands
that travel from town to town offering their services in these regions. Some
local populaces and barons grant the Eyashene with gifts and privileges such as
horses, free room and board or protection.
It is rare to find the Eyashene in any significant numbers in the cities of
Ximax or
Thalambath. The magi of Ximax particularly
find the Mindsmoothers to be a sort of mystery that even they cannot explain,
for the ability of a Mindsmoother cannot be easily dissected and labeled using
Ximaxian or even
Thalambathian scholarly logic. Magi of the
wind and water
element persist in claiming through the years that Mindsmoothing is not possible
without the knowledge and skill of elemental magic. Thus, many Eyashene in these
cities are treated coldly or even dismissed as charlatans.
Among the wilds of Northern Sarvonia, the numbers of Eyashene cannot be guessed
at. It is generally agreed among many scholars that Mindsmoothers are likely
born with the gift among the northern tribes of humans,
orcs and elves, though
doubtless known by entirely different names, if they practise their abilities
openly at all. The worship of the Goddess Eyasha is not common in the North,
except perhaps among the elven tribes. Unfortunately, there has been so little
study of Mindsmoothers in Northern Sarvonia that it is impossible to make any
sort of estimate of their numbers.
Belief
Outlines. Eyashenes do not think of themselves as
magic-users
(such as wizards and sages) but rather as healers. They don't overtly cast
spells, study books, or investigate "formal
magic", as
they call it. In fact, there is a sort of superstition that formal study will
invalidate their gifts! Eyashenes are not averse to learning non-supernatural
skills, such as art, dance, massage, and even some simple medical treatments -
anything that they believe will help them help their clients. They are
invariably good listeners, strongly pacifist, and, interestingly enough,
vegetarian. As may be guessed by their title, they tend to pay devotion to the
Goddess of Peace and Tranquility, Eyasha,
and sometimes wear her three-lobed clover symbol as jewelry. However, there is
an aversion on the part of Mindsmoothers to be seen as a faith, sect, business,
or even the most loosely organized guild association, so they avoid anything
that smacks of uniformity.
People - Appearance and Mindset. Mindsmoothers tend to be
plain-spoken, uncomplicated folk, who generally dress in common clothing so
that they do not stand out in a crowd. Often they gravitate, on their own
initiative, to neutral-coloured clothing; soft greys, pale greens and tans, or
off-white robes. Many Eyashenes travel extensively from place to place so it is
common to see them in well-worn boots, thick wander-capes, and the like.
In late adolescence many Mindsmoothers seem to feel an inner urge to seek out
others of their kind to learn from. A young Eyashene often apprentices with an
older, learning some practical applications of the craft, before traveling to a
community where he or she can be of use. A very few cannot stand the constant
emotional pressure and become recluses, living deep in the desert or high in
the mountains, dealing only with the clean, uncomplicated feelings of the
animals around them.
Those Eyashenes that do choose to live among society often make their homes in
small, utilitarian abodes with nary a flashy decoration or bright colour. They
often do not wish to call attention to themselves, and in fact, generally
prefer to seek out the folk in most need of them, rather than having 'patients'
come to them. Many can be found living in waterfront shacks or poorer sections
of cities and towns where they can move about discreetly utilizing their gifts
among the poor and needy.
Mindsmoothers are inevitably drawn to those with emotional distress, confusion
and elements of disorderly thought. It is upon those mindsets that they can
best use their gifts to soothe and calm. Many who live a life in constant worry
or anxiousness welcome the Eyashene's ability to set their thoughts at ease, if
only for a short while, so that they may experience clarity and peace.
Symbols. The Mindsmoothers do not organize themselves in a band
or group where a coat of arms would represent them as a whole. However, given
their common name of "Eyashene" after the
Goddess of Peace, Eyasha, the Mindsmoothers - at least many of the
human ones - have accepted the three-lobed
clover as their unofficial symbol. Many Mindsmoothers revere the goddess (some
say clerics of Eyasha number among them
as well) and they have openly taken to wearing her symbol in jewelry or even to
sewing insignias on their robes.
It is common in some areas of Santharia
to see the clover symbol displayed on houses or on the gates of
human towns so as to signify to passing
Mindsmoothers either that they are needed or that they are welcomed. In fact,
the upright clover has come to signify a place of healing or a gathering place
of Eyashene followers. A clover symbol upside down is seen as a sign of urgent
need or emergency. Small banners and flags are also hung outside of Eyashene
residences or meeting halls as further signs of welcome to weary and worn
travelers. The triparate clover symbol can most recently be found on the small
medicinal kits sold to travelers and adventurers, though whether they are truly
produced by Eyasha's devotees or
enterprising merchants is unclear.
Organization. Sometimes a small village
or town will jointly pay an annual retainer to their chosen Eyashene, so that
the townsfolk can consult him or her free of charge, but the Mindsmoother still
has a steady income. However, in large cities there may often be a
concentration of Mindsmoothers, and they are forced to set up shop on their own
(this unfortunately encourages charlatans, bringing down the general reputation
of the Eyashenes) offering a variety of services to attract customers. Some
highly skilled Eyashenes are widely-renowned and sought out for counseling,
while others have carved out their own niches by becoming entertainers,
masseuses, matchmakers, and so on.
Because of the similar powers of healing believed to fall within the realms of
Eyasha and her fellow wind god,
Nehtor, it is not uncommon to find
followers of both deities working together. While it would be simplistic to say
that the Mindsmoothers care for the mind and spirit while the
Nehtorians tend only the physical wounds
- for followers of each god are able to tend both mind and body - in general
Mindsmoothers derive their abilities from
Eyasha, while chirogeons, bloodletters, midwives, bonesetters, and other
such healers tend to receive their talents from
Nehtor. Thus, major houses of healing in
human cities are always comprised of both
Mindsmoothers and Nehtorians.
Myth/Lore.
A few wizards have had the chance to study Eyashene talents from a distance,
and speculate that they possess a passive form of telepathy as well as very
faint mood-altering abilities (soothing and relaxing emotional tensions). It
has also been observed by some people that threatening or physically harming an
Eyashene will result in instant illness, with symptoms ranging from nausea and
vomiting to violent headaches and even temporary blindness. Again, wizards
postulate that this might be a result of a defensive involuntary Mindlash.
Every fruit has a stone, as the plainsfolk say, and so it is that Mindsmoothers
are often respected and appreciated, but invariably treated with some wariness
by most people. In a few societies they are regarded with fear and suspicion,
and there have been cases of Eyashenes who were hunted down and imprisoned, or
even stoned to death. Although the story is not well-known, even among
Eyashenes, if you hunt through the judiciars’ records for Caelum, at the Bay of
Skies near Ximax, you can still find the name Miranna of Thalun[1]
inscribed in ink the colour of dried blood.
Origin.
The origins of the Mindsmoothers are not entirely
understood. There are many recorded instances throughout
Santharian history of Eyashene influence
and actions, or surmised Eyashene results, but it is difficult to know where
they came from or how they initially spread. The Mindsmoothers, we must stress
again, do not consider themselves a group or organization, and thus have never
kept organized records of their achievements or migration routes around the
continent. Generally, the Eyashene have no intention of making history or
seeking positions of high stature or power.
Since it is thought that Mindsmoothers can be born from any tribe or race,
contemporary sages have been unable to determine an exact point of origin for
the group. A study of various of tribal histories often reveals people of
extraordinary healing or leadership skills, but rarely does history reveal an
undoubted Mindsmoother. The term "Mindsmoother" is said to be a relatively new
one among humans, with the name not commonly
used among the elves.
One of the oldest human myths of Eyasha
herself says that she was once a gifted human
woman who lived in ancient times before the fall of the city of
Fá'áv'cál'âr during the Era of the Anvil.
She is believed to have been an extraordinary healer who brought order to many
years of chaos during early human history, and who was said to have been able
to heal an entire battlefield of wounded overnight, restoring them to their
homes with no evil memories of their suffering or even of the battle itself.
After the fall of the great city, the humans spread all over
Caelereth and in their need of a calming
goddess, Eyasha was deified and revered
as an actively soothing influence among the world.
A popular Eyelian story says that
around 28 b.S., a man named Be’allouf rose to power by brokering peace among
some of the tribes' infighting that almost led to a civil war. He also was said
to be a great healer who could "calm the wildest man into submission" with
merely a thought and a glance. Be’allouf left the tribe as an old man and
traveled to many nearby towns and regions sharing his gift. Be’allouf's
ultimate fate is unknown, since one legend says he died while attempting to
calm escalating hostilities among some warring barons, while another story says
he became a recluse and died atop Mount
Evermourn where Eyasha herself
carried his spirit away to dwell in a place of eternal peace. Many scholars
have come to agree that this is the first verifiable instance in recorded
history of a practicing Mindsmoother.
Importance.
Many people from all races and regions of
Santharia can claim to have been blessed by the work of a Mindsmoother in
their lives. The Eyashene are respected in many provinces of the south and,
despite their own wishes, the Eyashene are praised and honored greatly as
capable healers and counselors. Though they are not fully understood, even by
themselves, the Mindsmoothers' gifts cannot be denied and few question their
origins. The world is rife with uncertainty, anxiousness, fear and turmoil in
everyone's lives to varying degrees. We are blessed when we do not have to
search far for a Mindsmoother to calm those fears; like an avatar of
Eyasha in the flesh, the healer of the
mind practises the art of calmness, serenity, and tranquility. And for such
gifts there is no price.
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Footnotes
[1] "Miranna of Thalun and the Corrupt Regent
- A Story of Truth and Betrayal" [Back]
