The Elemental Primarchs

Lesser Deities, Embodiments of the Elements

Domains: Forge, Life, Light, Tempest

The Elemental Quadrumvirate, more commonly known as the Primarchs, consists of Durnathar, Kyrion, Nerissa, and Velora. They were created during the Dawn War when fragments of Lyrael's fading divine essence were joined with four elemental spirits through the intervention of Feonar.

Durnathar became the first Dao, Kyrion the first Efreet, Nerissa the first Marid, and Velora the first Djinn. The genie peoples that followed trace their earliest forms to them.

During the Dawn War, the Primarchs fought the Primordial Titans and travelled among the peoples of Eldareth, urging divided nations and communities to stand together against them. That role remains central to their worship, alongside their connection to Lyrael and the four elements they embody.

Symbol

The Primarchs share a circular emblem containing four elemental marks around a common center. Earth is shown in green, fire in red, water in blue, and air in silver.

The complete emblem represents the Quadrumvirate together. Shrines devoted to one Primarch may use only that deity's mark or give it greater prominence within the larger design.

Cultural Names

• Durnathar: Yasir in Nurathar, Jìn'Long in Shen-Su

• Kyrion: Azar in Nurathar, Huǒzēn in Shen-Su

• Nerissa: Sana in Nurathar, Lián'Yu in Shen-Su

• Velora: Alya in Nurathar, Fēngzhì in Shen-Su

Origin and the Dawn War

The Primarchs came into being during the struggle against the Primordial Titans, at a time when Lyrael's power was already failing.

Feonar preserved fragments of her remaining essence by joining them with four elemental spirits. From those unions came four new Lesser Deities, each carrying part of the elemental power Lyrael had once held.

Their forms became the first of their kind. Durnathar emerged as a Dao, Kyrion as an Efreet, Nerissa as a Marid, and Velora as a Djinn.

They entered the war soon after their creation. Their power allowed them to contend with forces that devastated ordinary armies, but much of their importance came from what they did between battles. The Primarchs crossed borders, carried warnings, and pressed rulers who had little reason to trust one another to coordinate their defenses.

Later accounts often place them beside mortal armies during the worst years of the conflict. They became visible figures of resistance at a time when entire regions had been lost, and their survival gave many peoples a reason to believe the Titans could still be defeated.

All four survived the Dawn War. Their connection to Lyrael remained part of their identity afterward, and worship of the Quadrumvirate spread alongside the peoples and traditions that had known them during the conflict.

The Four Primarchs

Depictions of the Primarchs differ widely between cultures. Some show them in largely humanoid forms, while others allow stone, flame, water, or wind to make up much more of their bodies.

Their elemental nature is always clear, but their imagery avoids the monstrous scale and destructive forms associated with the Primordial Titans. The distinction is deliberate in many religious traditions, where Titan imagery recalls devastation and the Primarchs are remembered as figures who stood beside mortal peoples during the war.

Durnathar, Primarch of Earth

Durnathar is the first Dao and is most closely tied to the Forge Domain.

In humanoid depictions, he appears broad and heavy-set, with skin like polished stone or dark mineral. More elemental images show crystal growing through his shoulders or seams of ore visible beneath his skin.

His teachings favor careful work and patience before commitment. Those who build something others must trust with their safety often invoke him before the first stone is laid.

Durnathar is also called upon when endurance matters, particularly when abandoning a task would leave others to bear the consequences.

Kyrion, Primarch of Fire

Kyrion is the first Efreet and is most closely tied to the Light Domain.

He is often shown with bronze or darkened skin surrounded by controlled flame. In more elemental depictions, fire forms part of his body, rising from his head and shoulders or burning through his hands without consuming him.

Kyrion teaches that some dangers become worse when left unanswered. His followers are expected to act when action is required and to keep anger from deciding what that action becomes.

He is commonly invoked before battle and during work where heat, risk, or quick judgment leaves little room for hesitation.

Nerissa, Primarch of Water

Nerissa is the first Marid and is most closely tied to the Life Domain.

She is often depicted with blue or green skin and hair that moves like water. In other traditions, parts of her body lose their fixed shape entirely, flowing before gathering again into a humanoid form.

Her teachings place importance on preserving life and recognizing when persistence has become wasteful. Sailors and healers often turn to her for the same reason: survival sometimes depends on knowing when to hold course and when to change it.

Nerissa also has a strong place in traditions concerned with remembrance. Stories, names, and family histories are sometimes entrusted to her before long voyages or periods of separation.

Velora, Primarch of Air

Velora is the first Djinn and is most closely tied to the Tempest Domain.

She is commonly depicted in a slender humanoid form with hair and clothing caught in constant wind. More elemental images allow her limbs or lower body to fade into cloud, mist, or moving air.

Velora's teachings encourage people to travel, listen, and test what they have been told against what they encounter for themselves. Changing one's mind after learning more is treated as good judgment, not weakness.

She is frequently invoked before journeys, especially those that take a traveler far beyond familiar roads or communities.

Their Elemental Seats

Each Primarch maintains a seat of power within the Elemental Plane tied to their nature.

Durnathar resides in the Diamond Bastion on the Plane of Earth, a fortress built among immense mineral formations.

Kyrion is tied to the City of Brass on the Plane of Fire, where his influence remains closely connected to the Efreet and the city's great foundries.

Nerissa rules from the Coral Sanctum on the Plane of Water, a settlement grown from living coral in the deeper reaches of the plane.

Velora holds the Galeheart Court on the Plane of Air. The Court moves with the currents and has no fixed location.

Worship and Influence

The Primarchs may be worshipped individually or together. Local custom often determines which receives the greatest attention.

A mining community may look most often to Durnathar, while a coastal settlement may give Nerissa the larger shrine. Kyrion's rites are common where fire and conflict shape daily life, and Velora is widely honored among people whose work keeps them on the road.

Collective worship draws heavily from the Dawn War. The four came from different elements and worked together against the same enemy, and many traditions use their example when cooperation between communities is necessary.

Their cultural names and rites vary across Eldareth, but these differences have not obscured their shared identity as the Primarchs.

Tenets

Durnathar

• Build so others can trust what you leave behind.

• Judge carefully before committing yourself.

• Hold firm when others depend on you.

• Keep the promises you make.

Kyrion

• Act before delay gives danger room to grow.

• Keep anger from choosing your actions.

• Face necessary change.

• Finish what you have committed yourself to.

Nerissa

• Change course when the one ahead will only cause greater harm.

• Preserve life when you can.

• Remember those who came before you.

• Do not waste lives to save a failing plan.

Velora

• Listen before deciding.

• Go beyond what is familiar.

• Question rules that no longer serve their purpose.

• Change your mind when experience gives you reason to.

Legacy

The Primarchs remained active after the Dawn War, and their worship spread far beyond the peoples who first fought beside them.

The Dao, Efreet, Marid, and Djinn all trace their earliest forms to the four deities, while mortal cultures remember them through stories of the Dawn War and the alliances they helped build.

Their connection to Lyrael remains central to those traditions. Part of her elemental power survived through Durnathar, Kyrion, Nerissa, and Velora, giving the four a place in her history as well as their own.