Alter Aeon The Great Library

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Note - as with any topic, researchers should question the reliability
and veracity of these texts.  The library's aim is to preserve
documents, not verify accuracy.

AABN:  34209
Title: a book entitled "The Children of Ils"

Ils of the Thousand Eyes, Demon Lord of Omens, patron of scryers and
voyeurs, arose from Primordial Chaos, awakened by lesser demons. Restless
by nature, he roamed the cosmos. He appeared as a mass of writhing,
multi-hued eyes that daunted those that met his gaze. It is said that he
could curse those he looked upon with a subtle working that warped the
fields of chance around his victims.

Ils did not take sides during the Great Wars, but he was summoned on
several occasions to be used as a living weapon in Purnima against armies
of angels and their allies. His presence may have contributed to the warped
nature of the Field of Fonts.

To him the ancient forbears of the Cyclopses traded one of their eyes for
the ability to see the future. Ils cheated them, and they gained only the
power to forsee their own deaths. It is said the Cyclopses slew him in
retribution for his betrayl at the cost of many lives. His corpse was
hurled into Chaos from whence he came, and he was not seen again.

Prior to his death at the dawn of the Age of Dentin, he and his avatars
were summoned by human fortune tellers in hopes gaining a glimpse into the
future. For Ils Many-Eyes could look down the myriad paths of chance and
fortell their outcomes. Those that pleased him the most were given the Gift
of Ils - the ability to hex those for whom they had scorn as Ils himself
could.

Such a person was among the ancestors of the Takari people of the Dunn
Hurr. The Gift of Ils, which they call the Eye, is passed down the female
line. For most Takari women, it is a minor thing: inflicting a pox on a
petty rival or driving away a caterwauling cat. However, those with magical
talent can be trained to strengthen the Eye. A Takari witch in the fullness
of her power is a formidable adversary. The Princess Kedaline, a witch who
famously slew the Green Man of the Glacier, no doubt used the Eye upon her
former benefactor. It is said the Eye is strongest when used for betrayl.

Rarely, the Eye manifests in men. Such are born in auspicious
circumstances, such as during a solar eclipse or under the Fool's Star.
Others come from prestigious bloodlines, scions of witches and Seventh
Sons. The Seventh Son of a Seventh Son produces the strongest gift of the
Eye in men. Few can stand against the gaze of those so gifted. In the West
they are called Hexers or Hexblades, but the Takari call them Witchborn.
The first Duke of Takar was said to be Witchborn. He used the Eye to slay
his six elder brothers. Saint Mordin the White was a Witchborn who lost his
Eye, sacrificing its power to the Archangel Selene in order turn it outward
and bless others.