Overview
Eshmir is an ancient atraxi survivor from Atraxis Prime Alpha and a devoted companion of Jorhan. She remains with the atraxi remnant through the fall of their original world, their arrival in Xalmyrra, the building of Atraxis Prime, and Jorhan's final journey through Durakarn.
In Atraxis Prime, Eshmir is Jorhan's quiet guard, healer, escort, and field companion. Around Eira, she is both caretaker and captor: she heals Eira, guides her through the settlement, controls her movements, and keeps her within Jorhan's control. She dies beside Jorhan when he spends his last power clearing the darkness from southern Durakarn.
Appearance and Demeanor
Eshmir has pale green, almost translucent eyes. Like other atraxi, she is taller and paler than humans, with dense visible muscle and essence running through her body like blood. She moves with dark, silent control and keeps close watch over Eira in Atraxis Prime.
Eshmir speaks plainly and rarely wastes words. Her calm is unshakable even among the atraxi, and she stays composed during panic, argument, captivity, and danger. Eshmir's devotion to Jorhan is absolute. After his defeat, she refuses a life without him, acknowledges that power consumed him, and stays with him to the end.
She can be cold toward anyone threatening Jorhan or the atraxi, but she also shows gentleness. She heals Eira's wounds, offers to return her home when ordered to do so, steadies her when she is exhausted, and holds her while she cries.
Abilities
Eshmir uses divine magic for healing and defense. She heals smaller injuries quickly, attempts to repair Eira's severed arm, and later tries to heal Jorhan as his body fails from clearing the darkness. Her healing has limits. After Arcanis defeats Jorhan and during Jorhan's final darkness-clearing work, her divine magic blunts his injuries as his body continues to fail.
She also channels golden essence. In combat or urgent movement, she can move in flashes of golden lightning and manifest radiant golden shields. During Jorhan's defeat near Dravemir, she shields him from an Arcanis strike, carries him from the crater, and knocks aside Zayren's attempt to stop her.
Eshmir can travel through gates and the void well enough to escort others, pursue Jorhan, and confirm the destruction of the Dravemir and Aethrendar gates. She can read essence traces in battlefields, track Eira's essence signature, and search for Eira after she escapes Atraxis Prime.
History
Eshmir comes from the atraxi civilization of Atraxis Prime Alpha. When a void-like destruction consumes their home, she is among the survivors who flee with Jorhan, Belanor, Amos, Jareth, and the remaining atraxi through a last gate. The crossing strands them above the sea in Xalmyrra, where fewer than two hundred survive the fall and swim to land.
In early Xalmyrra, Eshmir remains part of the atraxi remnant gathered around Jorhan. She trains to control essence while the atraxi adapt to local magic and their language spreads into Xalmyrran. The atraxi once lived among the Xalmyrrans, and Durakarn is one of the ancient places Eshmir knows from before the cycles began.
After Jorhan takes the spiral shard and builds Atraxis Prime, Eshmir becomes his trusted guard, healer, escort, and field companion. After Eira is brought to Atraxis Prime, Eshmir repeatedly guides her and controls her movements while Jorhan seeks her power for the atraxi. Eshmir remains loyal to Jorhan, the leader who brought the surviving atraxi from Atraxis Prime Alpha to Xalmyrra. She backs his plan to use Eira and the spiral shard against the darkness and the force that destroyed their original world.
When Eira severs herself from the shard and Jorhan leaves through the gate network, Eshmir tries to follow him. The Dravemir and Aethrendar gates have been destroyed, so she reluctantly takes Eira through the Irrathis route because Eira can keep the Irrathis mages from killing her on sight. After Arcanis defeats Jorhan, Eshmir returns with him to the ruins of Atraxis Prime and tries to keep him alive.
After Jorhan's defeat and return to himself, Eshmir accompanies him and Belanor into the Land of Darkness. She holds Jorhan upright as he uses the last of his power to clear corruption from old Durakarn, later traveling with Belanor, Aurion, and Lirien as Jorhan slowly burns himself out reversing the darkness. When Jorhan makes his final overload to clear more of southern Durakarn, Eshmir runs to his side by choice and dies alongside him.
Relationships
- Eshmir follows Jorhan from Atraxis Prime Alpha to Xalmyrra, Atraxis Prime, and Durakarn, and chooses to die beside him.
- Eira is both her charge and captive in Atraxis Prime. Eshmir heals her, keeps guard over her, escorts her, and eventually carries her through the void toward Xalmyrra.
- Belanor, Amos, Jareth, Kheran, Thirun, Aziran, and Dhalith are other atraxi in Jorhan's circle.