Kimus

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Eternal of Day

Sobriquets

The most common name for Kimus is the Unblinking Eye, a name of which the Eternal apparently approves.

As with many Eternals, especially those of the Realm of Day, Kimus has no true gender. It is often referred to as female, but concepts such as this seem to have minimal relevance for this being. It is sometimes called The Celestial Eye, She Who Watches, the Thousand Eyes of the Sun and Moon, the Glass of the Heavens, and the Seer Clad in Veils of Light

In Asavea, it is often called "del sátrapa de la aurora", or 'the satrap of dawn.' Some texts refer to Kimus as the High Mandarin, the First Minister or the Grand Vizier and suggest that it is a subject or agent of Sinokenon. These texts usually reference a very old Asavean scroll called ''A chave e o portão" which claims to detail secrets of the Eternals of the Realm of Day. There is little evidence for the claim that Kimus is in any way subservient to Sinokenon, and modern scholars largely discount these claims - although all such claims are made in texts that reference A chave e o portão - no copies of the original scroll are known to exist outside the archipelago. .

Appearance

Kimus is usually perceived as a statuesque figure wrapped in white and lemon-yellow veils. It is invariably blindfolded, or it's face concealed by a featureless mask. Rather than being blind, Kimus sees through it's thousand eyes - globes of glass, crystal or fire that burn with an unequenchable light and can move independently of their mistress. Whenever it is encountered, it is always surrounded by an aura of piercing white light that can damage the eyes of the unwary, or those who look directly at it.

Kimus rarely moves; the Dawnish Enchanter Rasiyon de Tiron suggested that it may simply be a construct or image created by the floating eyes that are the true form of Kimus. It's voice is described as calm, clear and piercing. The only emotions it seems to manifest are anger and curiosity - magicians who have interacted with it claim that it tends to speak in statements, as if describing how the world was, is or will be if the one it is speaking to does as it is instructed.

As with many of the Eternals of the Realm of Day, Kimus has a number of Heralds and attendants who are usually referred to as viziers. When they visit the mortal realm they are invariably accompanied by a scrying device through which Kimus can observe their surroundings. When encountered in the Realm of Day, audiences with these Viziers will invariably be observed by one or more eyes of Kimus.

Concerns

Kimus proposes a two-fold philosophy. First, only those things which are directly observed can be proven to have occurred, but that the act of observation changes both the events observed and the observer itself. Second, it claims that that only the existence of the self (in this case, Kimus) is sure - the existence of all other things is unsure. It does not attempt to conceal this philosophy, and encourages mortals to think about, explore and challenge the implications of it's belief.

The thousand eyes (the exact number is unknown) allow Kimus to observe multiple events simultaneously, and from multiple viewpoints. It has an insatiable desire to observe events, especially events of significance (although how Kimus defines significance has yet to be determined), but it also sees value in 'experiencing' individuals who have perceived such events - through audiences and discussions. Second-hand information is much less interesting to Kimus; only personal, first-hand accounts truly interest this powerful Eternal.

According to the stargazer Ilitan of Mirrorfalls, Kimus repeatedly demonstrates the ability to perceive events before they happen - in his treatise The Moving Moment he claimed that Kimus does not see existence the same way other beings do, and simultaneously perceives a short distance into both the past and the present. She tried to explain this perception in more detail, but her treatise is considered entirely incomprehensible apart from some references to the idea that it is easier to observe something when one is apart from it, rather than within it. Other scholars suggest Kimus' uncanny ability to predict important events stems more from a it's ability to perform thousands of calculations simultaneously, extrapolating potential future scenarios from present conditions with superhuman capacity.

Of further interest to Kimus is the way that individuals (which may or may not be extensions of Kimus' own mind) are changed by or react to the events they observe - or do not observe. An individual who sees a loved one killed and hunts down the killers fascinates Kimus, but so does one who does not directly witness the events and acts on second-hand knowledge.

This Eternal is also fascinated by the idea of understanding. By observing, studying, experimenting with and thinking about something, an individual can understand that thing - and gain power over it. An individual that understands the whole of creation can set itself ultimately apart from and above creation, assuming a new order of being. Kimus claims that the first step to understanding is perception - that an individual can only ever hope to gain true understanding of (and thus wield true power over) something they can perceive clearly.

Both the Empire and the Commonwealth are of special interest to Kimus because they actively aspire to understand the truths of creation. Older nations, such as Asavea or the Principalities of Jarm tend to try and find shortcuts to true undersatnding - they seek power for it's own sake, or accept received wisdom, rather than striving for true understanding.

Ultimately, Kimus' deep concern with ideas of perception and understanding, and fostering them in others, means that it often serves as a patroness of magicians, especially the more restrained members of the Unfettered Mind order. It is known to have little patience for the Shuttered Lantern order; in the past it has expressed frustration at their tendency to pursue 'knowledge rather than understanding' and 'power rather than clarity'.

Unlike many Eternals, Kimus has an interest in practitioners of the Way, especially those who meditate on the virtues of Wisdom and Vigilance. Rasiyon de Tion suggested that ultimately Kimus wishes to understand the nature of the soul as much as any pilgrim of the way, and that it forms a key piece in this Eternal's wider scheme to understand and encompas the whole of existence.

Boons

Kimus is a powerful diviner. It can perform potent acts of scrying, observing distant events as they are happening. It often has first-hand knowledge of significant events from all over the world. It has little interest in the future or the past, except as they are extensions of the present. It can provide boons that empower divination; most commonly in the form of a sphere or ball of glass or crystal which focus the mind and allow the performance of rituals such as Eyes of the Sun and Moon or The Eye of the High Places. Boons from Kimus can also enhance understanding - rituals such as Clear Lens of the Eternal River and Bright Lantern of Ophis allow magicians to observe and gain information using senses normally denied to mortals and Kimus may occasionally grant boons associated with them or with similar powers.

Divination is not the only concern of Kimus however; it is closely tied to concepts of light and force, and claims to have great understanding of the physical forces that make up creation. As a consequence, it is capable of directing large amounts of focused magical energy to harm or protect. It can cause blindness, for example, as well as removing that condition. It can repel or paralyse mortals - indeed, the ritual Kimus' Glaring Eye makes good use of this ability, and it's name is sometimes evoked when casting Revelatory Light of the Empyrean Spheres. The ability to focus the revelatory light has also been used several times to perform an extremely potent version of Piercing Light of Revelation - Kimus is said to despise glamours, obfuscation and illusion, burning them away with the irresistible light of it's gaze.

The crystalline spheres that Kimus lends to magicians might actually be a form of it's thousand eyes. On the few occasions when one of the spheres was broken or shattered there was often an explosion of magical energy that threw those nearby to the ground, stunned them or blinded them.

Very occasionally Kimus will grant a crystalline rod or staff to one of it's agents that grants mastery of violent energy such as that used in the repel incantation. Such implements are considered powerful boons and are often given only in return for a significant gift of weltsilver, a substance which Kimus appears to value very highly.

Rasiyon de Tiron recorded in his journals the experience of 'focusing' the light of Kimus during a battle against the Druj in the Malum. In his account, Kimus agreed to help remove a shroud of madness and nightmares woven by the monstrous Ghulai Tithuman but requied Rasiyon to seve as an "anchor" for it's power. At a key moment. the Dawnish enchanter evoked Kimus' name through a rune carved into his forehead, and a shaft of blinding light struck the magician and every living thing nearby, blinding them and tearing assunder the potent ritual Ghulai Tithuman had created. According to Rasiyon, he lost consciousness and did not recover for three weeks during which time he apparently suffered inexpessible visions of alien vistas. His Druj opponent was apparently likewise stricken, even though he was half a mile from the battlefield. The stargazer Ilitan of Mirrorfalls made a study of the area fifty years later and discovered lingering (though slowly fading) effects that would make it exceptionally difficult for any magician to work certain forms of Night magic in the area for decades to come.

Viziers

There is a strict hierarchy among the viziers of Kimus. The most powerful are minor Eternals in their own right, and do not leave the Realm of Day. The least powerful are actually Heralds, and these are the entities that serve as Kimus' eyes and ears - and hands - in the material world.

Viziers often appear with many of the trappings of the merrow, although their skin colouration tends to be paler - often bone white, ivory or lemon-yellow. They are almost always dressed in sumptuous pale-coloued robes, and invariably carry a crystal sphere, orb, staff or rod. Most are competent magicians, and often possess magical abilities related to scrying, detection and the release of crushing force. They are always marked in some fashion with a symbol associated with Kimus - the rune Ophis, the unblinking eye or the constellation of the key are most common.

Both Rasiyon de Timon and Ilitan of Mirrorfalls agreed that Kimus is aware of everything that it's Viziers are aware of, although they disagreed on the specifics. Rassiyon claimed that Kimus knew only generally what was going on with her viziers, while Ilitan claimed the Eternal had complete understanding of everything the Vizier perceived or experienced.

"O, man of Dawn, how I admire you.

"You perceive barely one fraction of one fraction of what happens in a limited arc to the front of your head. Your hound knows more of the world than you do; it's nose is keener; it's ears keener; every moment it senses a hundred things you cannot imagine; it knows the world around it in a way that would utterly overwhelm you, leave you crying, begging for it to stop.

"The birds that soar in your skies sense the currents of the wind; they can see a mouse creep through the grass from where they hang amid the clouds; they encompass the invisible threads of your world so profoundly that you do not have the language to understand even if I were capable of expressing it.

"The spider ... the tree ... the fish ... you are surpassed in every sense by creatures you consider barely aware ... and yet you aspire to master the lore of the heavens, strive to enfold yourself with true understanding of the nature of your existence.

"O, man of Dawn, you are truly a wonder of creation."