From LSWiki

Contents 1 Bonding Requirements 2 Known Abilities 2.1 Attribute Modifications 2.2 Combat Modifications 2.3 Skill Effects 2.4 Charms

Bonding Requirements

This bond requires an unknown amount of skills, and various deeds and actions to bond an Epona. Of the five people to get the bond at the time of writing, three were Aedarene. All have enough quest and exploration points to no longer get karma challenges for those (80%?). Any skill or stat requirements are unknown. You cannot have any bond capability, though having previous bond capability is fine.

When you feel you're ready to be tested, find Nindari and say 'bond' or 'epona' to her. If you are lucky you may get an attempt to bond, and if you're found worthy:

   You say, "epona" in lyrically-accented Anglic.

   Nindari remarks, -%) Hmm.  Hm hm hm!  Well, okay, just this once. (%-

   Nindari lets loose a piercing whistle, which seems to reverberate strangely through the air as
   though echoing far beyond what you can hear.

   The air begins to ripple strangely.

   A pearlescent glow appears in the air.

   The pearlescent glow flares brightly, then disappears, leaving behind a white epona stallion.

   The white epona stallion nuzzles Nindari lovingly, then turns toward you.

   The white epona stallion regards you regally for a moment.

   You feel as though you are being judged spiritually, as some eternal and pure force examines
   your soul deeply for flaws and imperfections.

   The white epona stallion pauses for a long moment, then touches you gently with his muzzle.

   You feel a massive wave of spectral power cascade through you as the hand of Aeda touches your
   soul, bestowing upon you a rare and precious gift.

   You sense a new emotional need opening up within you -- an incompleteness you never fully
   grasped, the need for a true soulmate of some kind -- along with the desire and ability to fulfill 
   that need and to complete yourself.

   A wave of emotion, tenuous at first, reaches out to you from the white epona stallion.  It
   rapidly burgeons in strength as the moments pass, carrying feelings of comfort, belonging, and 
   oneness as the white epona stallion's soul becomes gently entwined with your own.

   You will now trust a white epona stallion.

   The white epona stallion is limned with an enormous faintly shimmering mana aura.

   You feel spiritually exhausted but deeply contented, as though you have been made more complete.

   The white epona stallion flies to your side.

   You have been granted a divine empathic bond with the white epona stallion. [event logged]

   Nindari remarks, -%) Hey, how about that, it likes ya!  Guess you should feel pretty lucky,
   Fitz.  Not a lot of folks measure up. (%-

   Nindari remarks, -%) Take care of each other, okay?  Aeda expects ya to be worthy -- not just
   today, but forever. (%-

   The white epona stallion nickers good-naturedly.

This bond is a full 100% strength bond, and does not require a bond capability (in fact, a bond capability seems to make getting an epona impossible). It is not possible to re-attempt right after a failure to bond.

Known Abilities

Attribute Modifications

Untested

Combat Modifications

Epona gives its consort a 1x skill rating bonus to attack rating, damage rating, and deflect rating, from Piety and Empathy, as well as a scaling bonus depending on bond strength to the same ratings from Spirit Lore, maxing out at 3x at complete.

Skill Effects

Note that these are all rough estimates based on old logs of skill access:

Skill	Access	Bonus
Equestrian	16	75 + 10% base
Mounted Combat	16	75 + 10% base
Riding	16	75 + 10% base
Spirit Lore	16	75 + 10% base
Athleticism	12	60
Recuperation	12	60
Running	12	60
Stamina	12	60
Steadiness	12	60
Hammer	8	40
Leadership	8	40
Pole Arm	8	40
Shield	8	40
Spear	8	40
Sword	8	40
Discipline	6	32
Hills Fieldcraft	6	32
Plains Fieldcraft	6	32
Archery	4	20
Armour Use	4	20
Flight	3	none
Meditation	3	none
Quickness	3	none
Tenacity	3	none
Hardiness	2	none

Charms

You sense that you have one method by which you can form an empathic bond: a full essence bond via the divinity of Aeda. You sense that this bond is enabling you to perform loads of charms, arcane feats accomplished by simple mental acts.

• Immediately

   First, the ability to tame creatures over which your familiar is sovereign.  To do this, concentrate on
   taming the creature.

   Second, the ability to urge your familiar to specific action.  This ability can be used even if you do not
   know where your familiar is.  To do this, concentrate on urging your familiar to undertake the desired action.

   Third, the ability to perceive subtle energy flows.  To do this, concentrate on perceiving subtle energy
   flows.  To end the effects of this charm, concentrate on ceasing to perceive subtle energy flows.

   Fourth, the ability to command a friendly creature over which your familiar is sovereign to undertake a
   specific action.  You can command multiple creatures at once in this manner.  To do this, concentrate on
   commanding your follower or followers to undertake the desired action.

-This works on horses

   Fifth, the ability to replenish the breath of all those friendly to you nearby.  To do this, concentrate
   on breathing.

• Somewhat frail

   Sixth, the ability to enable oneself or others to see in the darkness.  To do this, concentrate on
   enabling yourself or your target to see in the dark.

   Seventh, the ability to recall your conjured followers to your side.  To do this, concentrate on recalling
   the desired follower or followers.

   Eighth, the ability to send your familiar to safety.  This ability can be used even if you do not know
   where your familiar is.  To do this, concentrate on sending your familiar to safety.

   Ninth, the ability to call your familiar to your side.  To do this, concentrate on calling your familiar.

   Tenth, the ability to imbue oneself with energy that will spur you to travel at incredible speeds while
   mounted to your familiar.  This charm only works if your familiar is running or walking, not swimming or
   flying.  To do this, imagine myself traveling like the wind.  To end the effects of this charm, imagine 
   myself traveling at normal speeds.

-As the mount is always flying, this is entirely ineffective

   Eleventh, the ability to become one with your familiar.  This ability can be used even if you do not know
   where your familiar is.  To do this, concentrate on becoming one with your familiar.

   Twelfth, the ability to see through your familiar's eyes.  This ability can be used even if you do not
   know where your familiar is.  To do this, concentrate on seeing what your familiar sees.

• Somewhat frail, midway

   Thirteenth, the ability to channel spiritual energy from your familiar to yourself.  To do this,
   concentrate on channeling spiritual energy inward.

   Fourteenth, the ability to send tamed followers to safety.  To do this, concentrate on sheltering the
   desired follower or followers.

• Fairly healthy

   Fifteenth, the ability to convert spiritual energy into more refined forms.  You sense that this bond is
   enabling you to acquire elemental air, elemental earth, elemental fire, and elemental water energies with this
   ability.  To do this, concentrate on channeling my spiritual energy into the desired type of energy.

• Fairly healthy, midway

   Sixteenth, the ability to fly.  If you already have wings, this charm will increase your maneuverability. 
   To do this, think of flying.

• Very healthy, midway

   Seventeenth, the ability to send conjured followers to safety.  To do this, concentrate on harboring the
   desired follower or followers.

   Eighteenth, the ability to summon a minor water elemental.  To do this, concentrate on summoning a minor
   water elemental.

   Nineteenth, the ability to summon a minor air elemental.  To do this, concentrate on summoning a minor air
   elemental.

   Twentieth, the ability to summon a minor fire elemental.  To do this, concentrate on summoning a minor
   fire elemental.

   Twenty-first, the ability to summon a minor earth elemental.  To do this, concentrate on summoning a minor
   earth elemental.

• Robust

   Twenty-second, the ability for you and your familiar to inspire those you jointly lead.  To do this,
   concentrate on galvanizing my followers.

• Resilient

   Twenty-third, the ability to enable oneself or others to breathe both air and water.  To do this,
   concentrate on granting the ability to breathe both air and water to yourself or your target.

• Resilient, halfway

   Twenty-fourth, the ability to manifest an aura of elemental mastery.  To do this, concentrate on the power
   of the elements in my spirit.

This grants +200 to Air Affinity, Earth Affinity, Fire Affinity and Water Affinity, while draining your air, earth, water and fire energies over time. Also changes your unarmed attacks to a random one of those elements.

• Deep

   Twenty-fifth, the ability to channel spiritual energy from yourself to your familiar.  To do this,
   concentrate on channeling my spiritual energy outward.

   Twenty-sixth, the ability to cleanse someone of disease.  To do this, concentrate on cleansing someone.

• Very Deep

   Twenty-seventh, the ability to summon a major earth elemental.  To do this, concentrate on summoning a
   major earth elemental.

   Twenty-eighth, the ability to summon a major fire elemental.  To do this, concentrate on summoning a major
   fire elemental.

   Twenty-ninth, the ability to summon a major air elemental.  To do this, concentrate on summoning a major
   air elemental.

   Thirtieth, the ability to summon a major water elemental.  To do this, concentrate on summoning a major
   water elemental.

-These cost 150 of their element's energy

• Very Deep, midway

   Thirty-first, the ability to remove a curse.  To do this, concentrate on removing afflictions from a
   cursed person.

• Intimate, midway

   Thirty-second, the ability to burn your injuries away with fire.  To do this, will renewal.

• Nearly Complete

   Thirty-third, the ability to commit an enchanted image of a follower to memory.  To do this, concentrate
   on memorizing the essence of the follower.  This ability is the keystone of a faculty of mnemonically
   preserving followers, a faculty that allows you to preserve your followers against the vicissitudes of time
   and fate.  To exercise the ability to restore a follower from the enchanted mnemonic image, concentrate on
   mnemonically realizing the follower specified either by name or, more precisely, by the ordinality of the
   memory (e.g. "my second preserved memory").  To exercise the ability to call to mind and reflect upon the
   enchanted images you have burned into your memory, think of the essences burned into my memory.  To exercise
   the ability to erase the enchanted image of a follower from memory, concentrate on forgetting the essence of
   the follower specified either by name or, more precisely, by the ordinality of the memory (e.g. "my second
   preserved memory").