Aachim

The "Aachim" are a fictional human species from Ian Irvine's arc of novels, The Three Worlds Cycle.

Characteristics

The Aachim are the original species of Aachan. They are usually a tall, dark people who can be rather arrogant. They are long lived, though to a lesser extent than the Faellem and Charon, with some exceptions such as Tensor. Though long-lived, the Aachim are not fecund.

But there is an exception both physically and emotionally with the people of Clan Elienor. These people are small (for Aachim anyway) pale and have red hair. They are usually less long lived than the rest of the Aachim, though Malien is an exception. They are also usually a lot more caring and hope for the prosperity of all human species. This is most evident in the great mancer Malien, who would play a large role in The View from the Mirror and The Well of Echoes quartets.

Aachim on Aachan

Aachan was a barren planet, but the Aachim cared for it beyond all other things. They created great cities, bubble formations that had an almost organic look to them. The Aachim wanted to know if there were other sentient species out there somewhere and one among them looked into The Void, but found nothing. However they did reveal the path back to Aachan.

The Charon seized the chance that had miraculously been delivered to them, and voted to go to Aachan and take it from the Aachim. The 200 surviving Charon arrived on Aachan and attacked the Aachim. Rulke was separated from the other Charon and in a blood-frenzy murdered a family of Aachim. He forgot one however, a small red-haired woman, Elienor. Elienor attacked Rulke and was the only Aachim to ever wound him. She alerted the other Aachim of the invasion and half the Charon were killed.

Rulke lay dying, but could not allow himself to let his people be executed and so he himself sewed up his almost fatal wound. Rulke ventured to the hall where the Charon were to be sentenced and immediately noticed the admiration the Aachim held for an elderly couple, their leaders. Rulke quickly took the elders hostage and demanded the surrender of the Aachim. The Aachim gave up their world without a fight, for two people already near the end of their lives.

Arrival on Santhenar

The Aachim were mostly brought to Santhenar as the three Charon's slaves. A few, however, came of their own accord, such as Tensor, who was at the time of "The View from the Mirror" the only Aachim from that time to still be alive on Santhenar. Maliens ancestors also came at this time.

After the Forbidding was broken a catastrophe occurred on Aachan. World-wide volcanic activity was destroying Aachan and the Aachim species looked to be doomed. However the Aachim were able to use metalmancy to reconstruct Rulke's construct (though they did not learn how to make it fly) and instructed gifted individuals to cry out into The Void and search for help.

One such person was Minis, foster-son of Vithis (leader of the Aachim). Minis succeeded in making contact with Tiaan Liise-Mar and soon discovered that Tiaan was from Santhenar and convinced her into journeying to Tirthrax to ask the Aachim there to create a gate to save the Aachim of Aachan.

Tiaan discovered Tirthrax to be deserted and achieved a remarkable feat. She herself created the gate to Aachan, with no experience and was able to rescue 100,000 Aachim. But Vithis's, Clan Inthis, were not among them.