The Lords Eldest

The Lords Eldest were a viking race of creatures who would have been immortal, except that they tended to kill each other in internecine wars. Generally the only way one could be killed was by cutting off their head (sorry Highlander fans, but I had the idea twenty years previously) or taking away their immortal powers. The problem with being immortal is that your children are not so much a continuation of your race as competitors. Generally they did not have many children. There were far more male Eldest than female. This was due to the men taking as wives and concubines any female spirit on a world they were sacking and killing all female offspring of such a union so that the mothers could not raise rebellious daughters. Sons were different; they were raised together and trained as fighting Lords Eldest from their earliest years. The Eldest who were trapped on Naru had very few women with them, which was why Yatior had Yannya made by Mildur.

The Naru group were not the only group of Lords Eldest, they were scattered through the universe, and although very much later than the Lords of the House of Abard cycle, the sons and younger daughter of Malcarious Elorianen were given the task, by the Shining Ones, of collecting them together on Naru, which they did with a certain amount of enthusiasm.

The Eldest of Naru were led by Alvious, whose sons were Vallior and Mérior. Vallior’s sons were Yatior, Gawen and Malcarious. Mérior’s son was Tritellior. Because Yatior rebelled against his father, he was exiled to the mines under the mountains in Avenya and lost his claim to the Diadem of the High Lords Eldest. Normally, Yatior would have taken a small band of friends and set out across the galaxy to continue the Eldest’s viking life, but because they were all trapped on Naru, they had to live together as best they could.

After they murdered Zarazinnya, Vallior killed his father Alvious to possess the Elorianen, and Yatior killed Vallior for the same reason.