Salem traveled from one Kingdom to another, telling tales of how she stole immortality from the Gods, welcomed any swordsman to cut her down, and demonstrated her powers.Jinn
Immortality, also called Eternal Life, is the concept of living in physical or spiritual form for an indefinite length of time without dying.
The plot of RWBY centers around Salem and Ozma, two immortals, and the effects they have on the world of Remnant.
Methods
Currently, there is only one known method to obtaining immortality, that being from The Gods. Both Salem and Ozma gained their immortalities from them, and their various creations such as the Grimm and the Afterans were created with it, the former being ageless, and the latter being reborn through a process known as Ascension.
These types of immortalities not only vary in application, but strength as well, some being more powerful than others. For example, the Grimm are ageless, being able to live forever and can grow stronger through age and surviving battles. Yet, Remnant has adapted to their presence, having Huntsmen who can easily cut them down, as they can still be killed in battle. In comparison, Salem's immortality is much more potent, not only being ageless as she has lived for thousands of years but can also regenerate from any injury inflicted on her, even complete body destruction.
Notable Characters
The Gods
The Gods are two immensely powerful beings and the supreme deities of the RWBY universe. They are two brothers; the God of Light and God of Darkness, and are the originators of immortality, responsible for creating both species with immortality as well as granting it to individuals. Originating from the Ever After, they created the Afterans, beings who can be reborn through Ascension, and after leaving to create other worlds such as Remnant, created their own individual creations as well.
The God of Darkness created the Grimm, creatures of destruction made to destroy his brother's creations of life, and made them ageless in the process, only growing stronger as they age. Eventually, they ended their feud and created Humanity, but did not grant them immortality, instead giving them a limited lifespan.
Because Humanity was created with a limited lifespan, to the Gods, bestowing immortality was seen as a punishment, as was the case with Salem, who they cursed after she tried to deceive them into bringing back her lover Ozma. However, after she and the rest of Humanity rebelled, the God of Darkness wiped out the entire race save for Salem, before departing with his brother and leaving the planet.
However, the God of Light wished to give Humanity a second chance, and after bringing Ozma to a place between realms, he was tasked with uniting them, so he and his brother can live among them once more and make humanity whole again, granting him immortality in the form of reincarnation to do so, before sending him back to Remnant.
Blacksmith
The Blacksmith is a unique Afteran that resides in the Ever After. She is eventually revealed to be an avatar of the Great Tree, and facilitates the Ascension process.
Following the creation of the Afterans by The Gods, the Great Tree became capable of a process known as Ascension, though it is unknown if the Blacksmith existed as the avatar then. Ascension is a type of immortality upon which an Afteran can be reborn, either when they are unsure of their purpose, their purpose is complete and wish for a new one, or if they are killed.
Throughout Volume 9, the Blacksmith can be seen in her workshop facilitating Ascension for various Afterans, such as the Herbalist in "The Parfait Predicament" and Little in "A Tale Involving a Tree".
Salem
Salem is an ancient and extremely mysterious figure from Remnant's forgotten past and the primary antagonist of RWBY. She was cursed with immortality by the Gods as punishment for trying to trick them into reviving her lover, Ozma. Any injuries she sustains regenerate, even the complete destruction of her physical body. The time it takes for her to regenerate can vary, with the longest being a few hours.
She makes use of her immortality in combat, as she does not bother to defend herself from attacks, focusing purely on the offensive. She is also not restricted in movement while regenerating. In "Witch", she immobilizes Yang Xiao Long while her chest is blown up. When Hazel Rainart caves her head in, she restrains him with Shadow Hands while it is reforming.
Ozma
Ozma, now known as Ozpin, was an ancient warrior of first Humanity before dying. Ozma was revived by the God of Darkness but killed again by the God of Light soon after. Ozma was eventually given a choice by the God of Light before he abandoned Remnant; he would be able to return to the land of the living to act as a guide for Humanity and protect the Relics, powerful items that when brought together would summon the Gods back to Remnant.
To do this, he was granted immortality from the God of Light, though unlike Salem's, his took the form of reincarnation. Upon death, his soul transfers to a new like-minded host when his previous body is destroyed. The merging process eventually results in the host gaining all of his memories and abilities.
At the start of RWBY, his current incarnation was Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. After dying at the hands of Cinder Fall, Ozma's soul joined with Oscar Pine.
Notable Species
Grimm
The Creatures of Grimm are monsters that inhabit Remnant. They were created by the God of Darkness in order to destroy his older brother's creations of life, before the two reconciled and created Humanity. After the Gods left, the Grimm roamed Remnant preying on the second era of Humanity. Their current master is Salem.
Grimm normally spawn from viscous, tar-like substance pools, commonly seen around the Land of Darkness. Unlike Humanity, they are ageless and cannot die from natural causes. As such, the longer a Grimm lives, the larger and more powerful it becomes, and those who have managed to survive their battles have the tendency to learn from their experiences.
Afterans
A race of bizarre beings that reside in the Ever After. They were created by The Gods to inhabit the realm and reside in the various acres that suit their purposes.
Afterans go through a process called Ascension, whereby an Afteran is taken to the Great Tree and reborn as a new individual. The process can happen by choice, such as if an Afteran believes they are no longer fulfilling their purpose or desire a new one, or involuntary, such as death. The only true way for an Afteran to be killed is by the Jabberwalker, an Afteran that is capable of disrupting Ascension by devouring the individual.
Some Afterans are also incapable of aging, such as the Curious Cat and the Jabberwalker, both of whom have lived before Remnant even existed. This trait mainly applies to inorganic Afterans, as some such as the Jinxy Peddler are noted to age, though in a different manner compared to Humans and Faunus on Remnant.
Drawbacks
Though a useful ability, due to Humanity's limited lifespan compared to other species, gaining an immortal lifespan often results in a wide range of terrible mental afflictions. Salem, despite the obvious advantages it gives her in battle, sees her immortality as a prison she can never escape from. She has gone to great lengths in trying to remove it, even jumping into the Pools of Grimm could not kill her and instead only gave her control of the Grimm. It has also given her a low opinion of Remnant, deeming it a "ruined world." In the present, her goal is to divide Humanity and acquire the Relics so that when the Gods destroy Remnant, the curse on her will finally be broken, allowing her to die.
Ozma also shares the belief that immortality is a curse, stating to his former students in "Unforeseen Complications" that he was cursed by the Gods. The various lives he lived caused him to become depressed, suicidal and a broken shell of his former self, wanting to forget his past altogether and hide away from the world. He was also a martyr, as he believed his life was worth less than others and allowed himself to die if it meant saving them. However, unlike Salem, he still sees the value in both Humanity and Remnant, holding on to his sense of duty and justice and continuing to protect them from her.
It is worth noting that immortality is not necessarily a full immunity to death as it is still possible for one to be killed. Though this appears to be entirely dependent on the type of immortality and can be incredibly difficult to achieve.
Trivia
- Though The Gods were shown bestowing different types of immortality to their various creations, it is unknown if they possess them all as well, as the only one they are confirmed to have is the ageless variety.
- As an android, Penny Polendina was presumably incapable of dying from natural causes such as physical aging or sickness, though her body could still be destroyed as seen in "PvP". Despite this, she could still be rebuilt should the cores containing her memories survive. This was ultimately lost in "Creation", when she was transformed into a Human.
References
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