Primal

If one uses the definition of "god" in its broadest sense--the object of a Spoken being's worship--then primals are the deities of the beastmen tribes. Forever seeking the favor and protection of their gods, the beastmen carry out summoning rituals designed to force these Transcendents into manifestation. However, it should be noted that primals are not the actual deities themselves, nor even some sort of emanation or incarnation thereof; they are, in fact, aetheric constructs born of magic and magical thinking.

Origin of the Term
The word "primal" is often used to describe these beings. Many of the beastman races hold an origin myth, wherein their respective gods looked on the races' progenitors with favor or pity, and blessed them with new forms, or knowledge, or other forms of elevation. They view their gods as the First Cause of their races' existence, and thus, primal. Outsiders to their culture will often adopt this term, whether due to a lack of understanding that primals are not the true gods of the beastmen or simply because that is what everyone else calls them.

The word eikon is also often used, and indeed was used before "primal" came into usage; those who are cautious to make a distinction between these creatures and true gods will often prefer this term. It is more common than "primal" among Garleans, and the records of the Allagan Empire.

Their Nature
Primals are wishful thinking made manifest, simply put. They are constructed of massive amounts of aether and spiritual energy--the former often provided by aether crystals, while the latter by the will, hope, and sometimes desperation of a large number of people all at once. As this requires coordination and focused effort, the construction process is usually accomplished via a mystical ritual of summoning.

Creation
It should be noted that the term "summoning" is not strictly accurate, as they are not being called from some heaven or hell or other space. Instead, the meaning is like that of "summoning" a carbuncle; primals are constructed anew with every success, though they may retain some measure of memory of their past incarnation. The odds of retaining memories is particularly true if they are patterned upon a deity or historical figure.

Which comes to the point: Primals are typically built upon the expectations of their summoners, and thus are so often found wearing the form and countenance of a deity, and are called by His or Her name; this is, after all, Someone that the summoners can agree is good, and share common knowledge about His or Her nature and ways.

Effects and Abilities
Primals, being constructs, are not natural creatures of this world, and therefore require a massive quantity of aether to create and stabilize their forms. If an inadequate amount of aether is provided, they will draw from the area around them, sapping away the magical energies; and like a weed, they starve out every other living thing that depends upon the land. The summoning of a primal can devastate vast swaths of the world, leaving great wastelands, and locking the aether away in a form that cannot be retrieved.undefined

Tempering
One of the most notorious and most powerful abilities a primal possesses is its ability to temper mortals. he primal can impose its own aetheric signature upon those around it, superimposing its will upon them to make them wish only to fulfill its desires. The tempered can retain the fullness of the skill and learning that they acquired during their individual lives, and even bring them to bear for their new masters; however, they will have not other purpose but their single-minded pursuit.

This obsession lends itself to one of the greatest threats: Even should a primal be defeated, and its energies restored to the Lifestream, it can be resummoned in the same form with greater ease should its tempered slaves be present at the ritual. Such being the case, it has been common practice simply to execute tempered victims to prevent this.

Until recently, it was believed that tempering was irreversible, and that the person tempered had ceased to exist for all intents and purposes. However, recent discoveries indicate that tempering is largely the effect of overaspecting a person's aether to the Astral, causing their own essence to slow and stop; it also explains how a primal can sometimes even warp a victim's physical form into something new (see, for instance, Leviathan's Drowned). Recent developments in the creation of familiars, led by Master Matoya and Alisaie Leveilleur, have provided a means to reverse tempering by stimulating the victim's internal aether--though the process is long, arduous, and not always successful.

The means to avoid tempering are sadly few; however, those who possess the Echo are absolutely protected, seemingly claimed for some other being's will, and are capable even of protecting others. It may be that surpassing devotion to a true deity may also preempt a primal's claim, but for obvious reasons, this is not something that has been tested, nor should it be.

Known Primals

 * Bahamut
 * Good King Moggle Mog XII
 * Ifrit
 * Ramuh
 * Shiva
 * Titan