- "Think of a place, where you are constantly warm. You feel happiness, but you do not know its source. You experience calmness, yet you remember that not so long ago you were scared for your life. Now think of a place where it is so beautiful, you witness colors you believed never existed. Then, a large wolf approaches you. But the wolf is not scary, he is friendly. He calls to you, and you follow him. He brings you to a great and lofty hall, and once you enter, you are greeted by your parents, grandparents, siblings, and all the loved ones you thought you lost. That is the Eternal Grounds."
- ―Trevyr Blackgard to his Eddin Blackgard
The Eternal Grounds, also known as Barran's Gardens, is the bordermen afterlife created by Barran the Exalted that exists in an immortal and magical plane hidden from mortals. Bordermen who have proven their mettle in battle or have been kind and benevolent in life arrive in the Eternal Grounds after death. Fleshly pain and maladies evaporate upon entering this mysterious and infinite world. Spirits here find peace and joy amongst their forefathers. It should be noted that this is only for bordermen or half-bordermen - other ethnic groups supposedly have their own afterlives. The Eternal Grounds are seen as the opposite of the Ten Pits of Meddahtet.
It is believed that the stars in Westeros' night sky are the souls of the ancient Blackgards looking down on their descendants from the Eternal Grounds.
Landscape[]
According to Wastelandic folklore, the Eternal Grounds is a place of pure magic and beauty. It contains a giant garden full of roses, a floating city of silver, and breathtaking vistas brimming with waterfalls, flowers, and majestic trees where the wind and rain carry heady perfumes, and the colors blur. Barran himself resides in a palace of dense forests. The realm holds such beauty that it makes mortals half blind.
History[]
Background[]
Stories of the Eternal Grounds have been told since the early Dawn Age. Since then, scholars have attempted to study the Grounds, looking for tangible evidence of its existence. Many more paradise-seekers sought an entrance to the Grounds other than the traditional mode - death.
Season 3[]
Trevyr Blackgard mentions the Eternal Grounds when visiting Laenah Blackgard's tomb. There, he tries to plead with Barran the Exalted and asks him to grant her passage into the Grounds, even though - according to bordermen mythology - only those born in the Ashlands are granted entrance after death.