Ifrexus

The Cinder-Tyrant Primordial of Flame, Ruin, and Rebirth through Annihilation

Titles and Epithets

• The Cinder-Tyrant
• Lord of Unmaking
• Flamefather of Endings
• The Burning Root
• The First Ember

Mythic Description

Ifrexus is one of the Four Primordials—vast, elemental beings whose essence formed Velastra. Where the others embody balance and life through nature, gravity, or cycles, Ifrexus is entropy incarnate, the churning fire that consumes to transform.

Legends describe him as a vast, serpentine colossus of obsidian and magma, crowned in ever-burning flame, eyes of searing amber set within a skeletal face wreathed in volcanic glass. His voice is a wind of ash. His breath births firestorms. Where he walks, mountains collapse into flame-wracked calderas.

But Ifrexus is not mindless destruction. He burns with purpose—to end that which is stagnant, to purge the world of decay, to make way for something purer, more perfect through suffering. His worshipers claim this as purification. His enemies call it obliteration.

Portfolio of Powers and Abilities

• Elemental Sovereignty: Complete control over flame, lava, heat, and combustion. Able to ignite matter and emotions alike.
• Ashen Resurrection: Some legends claim Ifrexus can reconstitute himself from a single ember if destroyed.
• Soulbrand: Entities marked by his flame become conduits for his will. The Vulkari, his elemental servants, are spawned this way.
• Volcanogenesis: In his proximity, the land erupts—mountains melt, lakes boil, and the air becomes choking fire.
• Burning Insight: Mortals who dream of Ifrexus often awaken with visions—some prophetic, others completely mad.
• Primordial Echo: Those of royal Caelvaran bloodline, especially Espers, are faintly “tuned” to Ifrexus and can stir or seal his power.

Historical Timeline

Before the Accord (Pre-400 AR) Worshiped in the ancient fire cults of the South. Multiple volcanic eruptions across early Velastra are blamed on his stirrings.

The War of Sundering Flame (417–429 AR) Ifrexus nearly awakens after a coven of fire-wielding Espers attempts to breach his seal. The cataclysm razes half the central continent. The Fourfold Accord is signed shortly after.

Sealbound Era (430–Present) Ifrexus is fully sealed beneath Solance, bound by The Ember Crown and the Caelvaran royal bloodline. Tremors and dreams persist, especially during times of political instability.

Emberfall Rebellion (812–814 AR) The Cinderborn infiltrate Caelvaris and capture Prince Dareth, hoping to force the seal open by exploiting his Esper lineage. Dareth’s disappearance and the eruption at Velkareth Hold disrupt the cult’s plans, but Ifrexus stirs once more.

The Cinderborn

The Cinderborn, a secretive apocalyptic sect hidden within The Church of Flame, worship Ifrexus not as a destroyer, but as a savior through destruction.

Core Doctrines

“In Flame, Truth is Revealed.” Fire burns away the false self. That which survives fire is sacred.

“Ash is the Beginning.” All civilization must fall to be reborn stronger. Ifrexus is the purifying cycle.

“Those Touched by Fire Carry His Will.” Espers, especially of Ruin or Reversal, are seen as vessels or harbingers.

“#The Ember Crown is a Cage.” The relic is considered a shackle on divinity. To break it is to set the world free.

Rituals & Worship

• Bloodfire Initiation: Ritual branding in flame to sever ties to the mortal world.
• Emberfast: A weeklong period of silence and smoke-inhalation-induced visions.
• Pyrebirth: The ritual immolation of relics or traitors believed to contain corruption.
• Cinderlit Sermons: Whispered sermons chanted beneath smoke-veiled sanctuaries.

The Cinderborn often speak of a coming “Ashwake”—a moment when the boundaries between Ifrexus and the mortal plane will collapse, reducing Velastra to molten purity.

The Ember Crown

The Ember Crown is a golden circlet embedded with six shards of crystallized flame taken from the Seal of Ifrexus itself. It is worn only by the monarchs of Caelvaris and functions as both a symbol of royal authority and a magical damper that suppresses the stirrings of the Cinder-Tyrant.

Properties

• Seal Maintenance: Radiates a binding force that restrains the primordial’s influence beneath Solance.
• Esper Synchronization: Bonds most strongly to those of Caelvaran bloodline with Esper affinity.
• Residual Cognition: Whispers and visions are known to afflict the wearer after prolonged use.
• Unmaking Trigger: If shattered, it could catalyze a rift sufficient to awaken Ifrexus directly.

Relics Tied to Ifrexus

• Brand of the Flamefather - A molten gauntlet that allows the user to channel flame-based ruin magic without Arcanite. It also slowly corrodes sanity.
• Ashroot Heart - A shard of Ifrexus’s primordial essence, rumored to turn blood to flame and grant prophetic dreams. Sealed in the Vigil’s vaults.
• Scourgebrand Blade - Forged from obsidian glass left in Ifrexus's wake during the War of Sundering Flame. Causes burning wounds that can never fully heal.
• Cindersong Codex - A tome of fire-script, readable only by true Espers. Said to contain incantations that can summon Vulkari.
• Pyre-Soul Urn - An ancient vessel filled with the dying embers of a seer consumed by Ifrexus’s voice. Its ash allows communication with the Vulkari.

Summary

Ifrexus is not simply fire—he is the principle of destructive transformation. He is feared and worshiped across Velastra, contained only by powerful magic, a blood-bound relic, and the vigilance of those willing to walk the fine line between guardian and heretic.

The Ember Crown’s theft has begun the unraveling.

Ifrexus dreams. And in those dreams, Velastra burns.