Saturday, April 23, 2011

Titans

T for Titans is our nineteenth installment of the Deepest Sea A-Z.

History
The Titans are the bogeyman of the current era in the Deepest Sea setting.  Long ago, before the Empire was born, and before Humanity came over the plains, the Elves, Havlings, and Dwarves, lived a primitive life around the shore of the Deepest Sea.  At that time, copper axes was as advanced as weaponry got, and farming was still secondary to fishing and hunting in terms of food production.

One cold spring, the Titans came North from the far reaches of the Southern Continent, striding over the empty lands.  Reaching the shores of the Deepest Sea, and seeing the primitive towns of the Elves and others there, the Titans used their magic and superior technology to enslave.  True be told, many went willingly to their side, as the lust for knowledge was already within the Elves.  Conquest or unwilling subjugation, with in a year, the whole of the Deepest Sea was united under their rule, and the Titans turned from conquest to comfort.

Never a numerous race, they dwindled in these long years, as reproduction was not a high priority when there were towers to build, boreholes to dig, and above all research to conduct.  For the Titans, their long lives and natural magical proclivities were a natural combination that resulted in a spiral of deeper isolation and darker research.  Eventually each Titan lived alone with their slaves, and magical creations, which became more and more monstrous.  As the Titans aged without any children, they began to fear death, and fearing death lead to the desire to control it.  Their research turned to necromancy and the extension of life. Rumors that this Titan or the other had succeeded in finding immortality lead to war amongst them, and terrible monsters were created for this purpose.  Their numbers dwindled more, and the wars wrecked much that they had built.

Eventually the Titans weakened enough that their slaves were able to successfully rise against them.  Under Remoos, the Elves arose and liberated the slaves from one Titan to the next, moving around the Rim.  When the last Titan fell, Remoos proclaimed the republic, and banned the study of magic, the Titan language itself, and tried to expunge their memory.  Now long gone, the Titan name still evokes fear.  While the bans on the study magic did not outlast Remoos, the impression that magic is ultimately evil and corrupting did.  Their ruins remain in distant corners of the world, tempting and taunting with the possibility of secrets, and threatening with the monsters and danger lurking there.

Language
The Titans spoke Titanic, and wrote spells in this language as well, which as made it the de facto language of magic research and scrolls.  The Titans also created Servile, a language which was used by their slaves.  This language evolved into the Dark tongue, and also influenced Franka.  Written Titanic is written with conjoined letters, and endless loops, making it hard for the uninitiated to read.

Monday, more Deepest Sea A-Z with Uténas.

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