Earth-Masters

The Earth-Masters are a race of humanoid beings in the Riddle of Time series.  They lived on the eastern coast of a continent in the region now known as the Realm of the High One.  They were particularly concentrated in the modern-day nation of Ymris.

They had the ability to "master" the four classical elements.  As a people they had mastered all the elements but wind.  They also had the ability to shape-shift.  They lived peacefully in great cities centered around the plain now known as the Wind Plain.  These cities were made of multi-colored rock from Erlenstar Mt.  They did such mundane things as create a beautifully dyed bowl (a fragile bowl, beautifully dyed.  The bowl depicts red figures moving through the misty purple glass in some strange action.)

Soon some Earth-Master's began to gather power to them.  The first such was a woman we know merely as Eriel.  Among her followers was the harpist Corrig.  In opposition were those who had realized the implications of power, that it could both create and destroy.  The first to realize this truth was Tir, now known as the High One among other names.

The Earth-Master Tir began to bind all the earth-shapes to himself by their own laws, permitting nothing to disturb that law.  However, he was opposed by Eriel and her followers.  The Earth-Masters' Civil War, known in modern times simply as the Earth-Masters' War, is implied to be the first war the Earth-Masters ever fought.  During the course of this war, the Earth-Masters razed their cities and drew power even from their own children.  The only thing that allowed Tir and his followers to persevere was the fact that Tirnon had mastered the winds.

He bound the power of the last of the Earth-Masters so they could use little beyond the power they were born to.  By the end of the war, the earth was severely damaged.  He imprisoned the remaining Earth-Masters in the sea and allowed the earth to slowly heal itself.  He buried the Earth-Masters' children, including his own son Tirnon, under Isig Mountain.  Over the course of time, the Earth-Masters broke out of the sea; however, they were unable to break Tir's hold over them.  They search for him to do so.  At some point the dead Earth Masters' children under Isig came to believe that it was a new people from the sea who had destroyed them and their parents.  They called them Edolen or Sec.

While searching for the High One, they sought to disrupt/destroy the land-law he had created.  To do this, they sought to incorporate Earth-Master blood into the families of land-law.  The first such was the siring of Ylon, the land-heir of An.  This was essentially a failure as Ylon's heirs faithfully served the High One and his Realm.  The second such attempt was the murder of Hereu Ymris' fiancee Eriel.  The Earth-Master then took Eriel's shape and married Hereu.

"You take the shapes of dead men and seaweed; you breathe, you harp and you die-that is all I know or care to know about you."

-Ghisteslwchlohm

"They were a legend here and there, a fragment of poetry, a bit of wet kelp and broken shell...a strange accusation made by a Ymris prince..."

-Ghisteslwchlohm

 "They're ancient.  They can be killed.  They have enormous power, but they rarely use it."

-Morgon

The Earth-Masters during the course of the series are a mystery.  There identity was unknown.  Even Ghisteslwchlohm, the man with the greatest knowledge, was largely ignorant of them.

Eriel's Earth-Masters have killed many people in their search for the High One.  They murdered Sol of Isig when he went into the chamber of the Dead Earth-Masters Children.  Eriel was killed by the head of the power-seeking Earth-Masters.  Morgon's parents were both killed on returning to Hed by ship.  They attempt to kill Morgon and Deth when they journey to Caithnard.

At the end of Riddle of the Stars, the Earth-Masters' are sealed in Erlenstar Mt.  The only ones with Earth Masters' blood that remained free were the royal family of An, now consisting of Mathom, Rood and Raederle.

Appearance
Astrin Ymris encounters an Earth-Master on the beach bordering the Wind Plain.  He describes him as being shaped out of seaweed and foam and wet pearl, and carrying a sword made out of darkness and silver water.  Astrin says the sword bit him and flew away like a bird.

Known Earth-Masters

• Corrig - He was a shape-changer killed by Morgon at Herun. He was also a harpist. He fathered Ylon, King of An, and is thus an ancestor of Raederle's.
• Elore - One of the dead Earth-Masters' children beneath Isig. Her mother was Rena.
• Eriel - She was the leader of the Earth Masters' gathering power to themselves.
• Ilona - She is one of the dead Earth-Masters' children beneath Isig.
• Kara - She is one of the dead Earth-Masters' children beneath Isig.
• Rena - She was an Earth-Master. According to her daughter Elore, she could speak every language of the earth.
• Tir - Son of Tirnon, the High One. He gives Yrth's Sword to Morgon.
• Tirnon - Master of Earth and Wind. This is the original name of the High One. His son was Tir.
• Deth - Name the High One took while hiding from the Earth-Masters' and serving Ghisteslwchlohm.
• High One, The - Earth-Master and supreme ruler of the land. He was originally known as Tirnon but has taken the names Deth and Yrth.
• Yrth - Name the High One took when he posed as a wizard. Under this guise he created the Starred Harp and Sword.
• Trist - He is one of the dead Earth-Masters' children beneath Isig. He apparently was a talented shape-shifter. He could shape the vesta among other things.
• Ylon - He was an ancient king of An. He was the son of a queen of An and the shape-shifter Corrig.