Companion

A Companion

Companions are highly intelligent magical creatures who look like (but are not) horses. They are as intelligent as humans and communicate by Mindspeech. They are easily recognized by their pure white coats, bright blue eyes, and the sound of their silver hooves, most commonly referred to as the sound of bells. Companions are white because of their connection to Node magic. They draw upon Nodes to enhance their abilities, giving them extended endurance, greater speed and the ability to Heal themselves quickly. Aside from the Grove-born, modern-day Companions are all reincarnated Heralds. Only a person Chosen by a Companion can be a Herald, and the two become partners for life.

Unbeknownst to modern-day Heralds, Companions have a connection to the gods, including the Star-Eyed Goddess.

There is a list of Companion-Herald pairings.

The Choosing

Main article: Chosen

Companions "Choose" Heralds, but the exact nature of the "Companion's Choice" is not stated explicitly. Heralds have described the moment in various ways: "being weighed and measured," "falling into [the Companion's] blue eyes," and "finding something I didn't know I was missing." The defining factor of one's Choosing seems to rely on the individual's moral fiber and where applicable, their ability to provide something that is needed by Valdemar at the time. The Choice bonds Companions to their Heralds into a mutual relationship, and the bond can affect both parties' spiritual and physical well-being. The Companion becomes a loving friend who guides, supports, and sometimes augments a Herald's abilities. The joining is known to strengthen the Herald's Gifts, especially Mindspeech.

The Choice is, for the most part, permanent; it can be broken while in its early stages, although doing so will physically and emotionally scar both parties. After the initial phase, however, the bond becomes so important that the loss of either Herald or Companion is followed by depression and almost always death. Despite this, a Companion can break the bond with their Chosen if at any time, they believe the Herald or Herald Trainee to have become unworthy. This is called repudiation. The most famous case of this was Tylendel.

Every Herald hears their Companion Choose them and identify themself. That might be the only time some Heralds hear their Companion. Heralds Sherrill and Talia only heard their Companion's voice when they were Chosen. Herald Sherrill couldn't communicate with her Companion at all after that. Talia was able to get feelings and impressions from Rolan.

Each Companion is destined to Choose someone, though occasionally the wait can be quite long. (It was considered remarkable that Yfandes reached her tenth year before she Chose Vanyel Ashkevron.)

Abilities

Companions have great speed and endurance - an ordinary horse cannot keep up with them. All Companions have Mindspeech and can communicate with each other, and most Heralds can mindspeak with their own Companions even if they don't have the Mindspeech Gift.

Companions cannot be disguised, although they are surprisingly able to avoid discovery when separated from their Chosen on a mission. Their white color is a normal result of exposure to magic energy, and their coat naturally sheds dirt, mud and dye. Companion Kantor managed to conceal his nature from Alberich using illusion to disguise his blue eyes.

Companions generally conceal any other special abilities, even from their Chosen, unless it becomes absolutely necessary.

Some Companions can directly enhance the abilities of their Chosen. Rarely, a Companion might have some Mage or Healing ability.

In cases of extreme urgency, Companions use the nodes to make short "jumps" in space --- an ability Yfandes describes as a "sort of Fetching" except with themselves and their rider--- which when coupled with their speed allows them to cover great distances in a small fraction of time.

The creation

See also: Grove-Born and Sacred Grove

Companions were created by the gods in response to a prayer/spell from King Kordas Valdemar in 10 AF.

Kordas realized that Valdemar needed a way to make its' future rulers and government fair and uncorruptible. He went to a mysterious Grove in what is now known as Companion's Field, and in a form of spellcasting he prayed to all the gods he knew, asking for help. The answer was the Companions. The first three Chose Kordas, his son Restil, and Beltran.

The first Companions were all Grove-Born, but later generations were born in the manner of normal horses, with only a few Grove-Born appearing for special circumstances. The Companion to the Monarch's Own Herald is always a Grove-Born stallion, and is considered the leader of the Companions. In "present-day" Valdemar (Reign of Queen Selenay), Rolan is the Companion of Queen's Own Talia. Gwena, Herald-Princess Elspeth's Companion, is also a special Grove-Born.

Spirits, the afterlife and reincarnations

Though the true nature of the Companions has not been fully revealed to all humans, it is inferred they are both the returned spirits of departed Heralds and Companions, as well as divine agents or Instruments of the gods. In the modern era, mages from outside Valdemar (such as Quenten and Darkwind) immediately recognize the magical, otherworldly "guardian spirit" nature of Companions, but decide not to speak up, since the Goddess has clearly chosen to keep the Heralds oblivious.

The Tayledras wouldn't discuss the Companions at all without one of them being present, as if they were determined not to offend the Companions or reveal something they shouldn’t.

Sometimes non-Valdemarans want to say something, but find that they cannot. That being said, Companions take pains to reveal that they are both fallible and mortal.

When a Companion or Herald dies, he or she is sent to The Havens, an afterlife "resting place" where they can recover from their recent life. After a time they are given the choice of returning as a Companion, with all memory of their past life intact, or to lose all of their old memories and become a human baby destined to become a Herald. Not all Heralds are returned from previous lifetimes, many are "new souls" who are then Chosen by the Companions to join the ranks of the Heralds.

These spirits are not allowed to return as Companions within the lifetime of the people they knew to avoid emotional entanglements such as Choosing their own child, or revealing themselves to their former lover. When they return as Companions they often use some variation of their former human name. For instance, Herald-Mage Savil and Companion Sayvil; Herald Tantras and Companion Tantris.

Music

I Found a Land

Sports

Over the years, several sports have been developed that are meant to be played on, and with, Companions. These include Kirball and Hurlee, both of which were either intended to be, or evolved into, training exercises.