Niavhe

Overview

Niavhe was the founder of the Muna Faction. As a young girl, she formed a soul bond with Kaibara, the Leviathan of Kirighai, an event that caused a discharge in The Skein and awakened individuals throughout Asgartha to the Mana network. Those affected became the first Muna. After death, she became an Oneiroi.

Founding of the Muna

The bond between Niavhe and Kaibara represents the original Musubi—the union of two beings whose essences became intertwined. This event demonstrated that such bonds were possible and became the model the Muna spent centuries learning to replicate.

The young girl who had bonded with Kaibara grew into a woman—a mother, a sage, a guide. More and more of those awakened to the Skein began arriving at her community on the Enosha peninsula, drawn instinctively to her presence.

Teaching and Legacy

The Nine Keepers

Early on, Niavhe knew she had to help the Muna strengthen their relationship to the Skein. She taught what she had come to understand of that sacred link, of the wisdom Kaibara allowed her to glimpse. Knowing that time—the span of a single life—was painfully short for all that needed to be done, she worked to cement and secure the Muna’s existence through transmission, legacy, and continuity.

Niavhe chose nine disciples to become keepers of her wisdom. From their earliest years, they received her direct teaching and were chosen to live ascetic lives, dedicating body and soul to nurturing the Skein’s blossoming. Together with Niavhe, the Nine were granted permission by Kaibara to enter the Katkera—and even to dwell there.

Among the Nine:

• Eru: Unmatched ability to communicate with wild creatures; the only one to whom Niavhe revealed her secret
• Sewit: Communed most easily with The Spindle
• Kiyiya: Could make flames dance like no one else

The Secret

Niavhe revealed the nature of the primordial spark that awakened the Muna—and the heavy sacrifice required to bring it forth—to only one person: Eru. This knowledge remains understood by only a handful of Muna even in the present day.

Training Kauri

Niavhe appeared to Kauri, a young shepherd in the Vanderun Shards, during one of his summer transhumances to the high plateau. While he rested under the stars by a dying fire, she materialized seated on a log, watching him. She chose to remain with him for the duration of the retreat.

Niavhe spoke at length about the Katkera, its rich fauna and flora, and the fragile balance holding the web of life together. She taught Kauri how to commune with animals and plants through The Skein’s dendrites without words, and showed him the role of the Muna in maintaining this balance.

She entrusted Kauri with a secret after making him promise never to tell another soul. Year after year during summer drives, she continued training him until he committed to joining the Muna.

Niavhe told Kauri his gift was strong, that he was a “budding Sprout” in the web of The Skein, and it would be a shame to let him wither.

Relationships

• Kaibara: Leviathan with whom Niavhe formed the original soul bond
• Muna: Faction Niavhe founded
• The Skein: Mana network awakened through Niavhe’s bond with Kaibara
• Eru: Earliest true disciple; first person besides Niavhe whom Kaibara allowed on her back; sole keeper of Niavhe’s secret
• Sewit: One of the Nine Keepers; communed with The Spindle
• Kiyiya: One of the Nine Keepers; mastered flame manipulation
• Kauri: Muna Exalt whom Niavhe trained during summer transhumances
• Katkera: Sacred forest where the Nine Keepers dwelt with Kaibara’s permission
• Enosha: Peninsula where Niavhe’s community grew