Edda

Edda is the world's supreme species (至高種族), also called the "ruling species" (支配種) — the race that stands at the pinnacle of all other peoples. It is race #7 of the setting's seven main species, distinguished by its signature purple eyes, a lifespan of roughly 100 years, and a comparatively small population (fewer than the Dwarves, more than the Fairial). Without exception, every Edda is born into the nobility or royalty, and every Edda is born already possessing two Relics, which alone makes them far superior to ordinary races. This combination of innate power and hereditary rank gives the Edda an intensely rigid, hierarchy-obsessed culture.

Edda society draws a sharp line between the pure-blooded (純血) — lineages descended from Edda alone — and the mixed-blooded (混血), those crossed with other races. The most ancient and powerful pure-blood lineages are the Edda Six Houses (エッダ六家), among them Megalopolis (an alchemical house said to govern "wind"), Utopia (the temple house that presides over rituals), Eldorado, and Melnuris (a viscount family). The Six Houses hold the highest authority among the Edda, and heads of these houses are shown pressuring their heirs into pure-blood marriages to keep the bloodline undiluted. Not all nobles are Edda, however, and not every ruler is Edda — the local margrave of Hydrangea and the country's king are both cited as non-Edda nobility.

All Edda worship a single deity, Generous (ジェネラス), depicted as a god with purple hair and six purple eyes; this religious devotion is considered surprising to outsiders given how mighty the Edda themselves are. The faith centers on a great temple deep within a dungeon known as the Edda Sanctuary (エッダの聖域), guarded by a colossal legendary-grade door that reacts only to an Edda's touch. There the "Reincarnation of Generous" — an Edda who bears the god's full purple hair as well as purple eyes — is venerated, and the Edda god-statue (エッダ神像) radiates a palpable divine aura. The Edda also possess their own ancient script (エッダの古語), used to inscribe words such as "treasure."

Within the story the Edda are encountered mainly through individual members rather than as a collective political force, and are treated by many commoners with fear and reverence as "awe-inspiring" beings one would rather not get involved with. The protagonist Wof, who is not an Edda, nevertheless wields a Relic that lets him pseudo-deify into Generous — turning his hair purple and mixing purple into his blue eyes — placing him in an unusual relationship to the Edda's own god.