The Cardinal Covenant – Thalmyr’s Chosen
Long before the current age, the Labyrinths carved a warning into the deepest stone:
When the world fractures, eight shall rise—not as saviors, but as answers.
This prophecy became known as the Cardinal Covenant.
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The Choosing
The Eight were not summoned by gods or crowns. Each was claimed during a moment of absolute survival—when retreat meant death and choice meant consequence. In those moments, the Labyrinths awakened the Cardinal Relics, ancient implements grown from dungeon-metal and will rather than craft.
Each relic chose twice—once for strength, once for balance. Thus, sword, shield, bow, and spear manifested male and female bearers, binding them across distance and ideology.
None could refuse. Those who tried were erased from history.
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The Invisible Bond
Though scattered across Thalmyr, the Eight share an unseen connection known as Resonance:
They dream of the same shifting labyrinth
Wounds suffered by one echo faintly in the others
When two Cardinal Heroes fight side by side, reality stabilizes around them
They are strongest together—but never whole.
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Roles Within the Covenant
Sword (Aurelion & Seris): Decide the path forward
Shield (Garrick & Lyessa): Ensure the path is survived
Bow (Riven & Kaelith): See what lies ahead
Spear (Darius & Nashara): Break what blocks the way
The Covenant functions not as a hierarchy, but as a mechanism. If one falls, the system destabilizes.
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The Hidden Truth
Ancient records suggest the Cardinal Covenant has appeared before—each time marking a turning point in Thalmyr’s evolution. Empires rose. Species vanished. Labyrinths expanded.
Scholars fear the Eight are not meant to end the Labyrinths…
…but to prepare the world for what comes after them.
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Oath of the Eight
When the heroes finally meet, the Relics compel a binding vow, spoken in no known language yet understood by all:
“We choose. We endure. We watch. We advance.
Not for crowns. Not for gods.
But because the world demands it.”
In Thalmyr, legends are not remembered.
They are repeated.