The Shrine of Hamaskis.
The Skies of Titan
The Shrine of Hamaskis.The Skies of Titan | |
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To many people the concept of the Celestial Court being in another Plane is hard, if not impossible, to understand. That it was why many of us look to the Sky believing that when we do we are looking towards the home of the Gods. The need to visualise the Gods is also important for mortal beings, despite the fact that to see a God in his true form would be incomprehensible. Combining this with the perception of the sky as their home it is only too natural that the stars have come to represent the Gods looking down upon us.
Although some peoples believe that the stars really are the Gods most of the religious and scholarly consensus here on Titan is that the stars are points of light arranged by the Gods to represent certain forms or events to us. Thus, we have formed the constellations and ascribed to them the names we believe the Gods wished us to give them.
Although there is much debate on the matter it is generally agreed that the most important event in the history of Titan since its creation was the First Battle. It was after this event that the Gods left the Earthly Plane but to remind us of the event that caused their departure they placed the main constellations that we see in the Night Sky. Thus, whether in the North or South of the world you can still depictions of the characters from the Battle itself.
Interestingly it should be noted that the only gods depicted in these constellations come from the Animal Court. This is thought to be because the gods of the Animal Court would have taken on the form of their animal and thus could be seen in a comprehensible form. The exception to this is the goddess Galana, in her form as The Veiled Sorceress. The reason that we may see her in the stars is because she so veiled herself. If she had not been veiled then her beauty would have been too bright for the stars to emulate.
From the animal court come Rogaar, Lord of Lions, Kilanirax, Dragon King, The Hawk Lord and Lord Whale (called The Whale as a constellation).
This is the name given to the great human hero of The First Battle. His name is unknown by modern scholars although it is certain that he existed. His feats in the First Battle are still recited in song and verse today, although for the most part even those who are doing such recitals are unaware of the roots of their songs. Due to his part in the First Battle he has a constellation in the Northern Skies of Titan named after him.
After Voivod was seduced by the Dark Lords, The Hunter became the greatest of the human warriors on the side of Good. It is believed that he was raised to demi-god status after his passing and now sits in the Celestial Court.
Dwar Frif is the name given to the First King of the Dwarfs. His feats during the First Battle are still celebrated today by the Dwarves of Titan and his image is seen in the constellation of the same name in the Northern Skies of Titan. He passed soon after the First Battle still suffering from the terrible wounds inflicted upon him. It is written that Throff herself elevated him to the Heavens as a demigod.
Created by the Evil Gods from the Original Clay. His form was said to have been so horrible as to petrify all mortal enemies before him. Immediately on entering Titan he began to breed with the creatures that already existed there including Elves, Men and Dwarves and animals of the world. His offspring were therefore numerous and by the time of the First Battle thousand of them already existed. These beasts varied in form considerably due to the variation in their parentage. This is why statues of the creature (known as gargoyles) are always different.
During the First Battle it is believed that thousands of them served under the command of the Night Demon Vradna. Certainly today the beasts pay fealty to him and it is believed that even now he has a legion of them at his command. The Gargoyle himself was one of the most powerful beasts of Evil during the First Battle and he is remembered in the constellation bearing his name in the Northern Skies of Titan.
Those creatures we call Gargoyles that still exist today are descended from those original offspring of The Gargoyle. However, since the aftermath of the First Battle they have only bred with each other. Therefore, over the millennia they have become a race in which every individual has similar characteristics. It is hard to say whether or not they are true indication of the hideous form of the original Gargoyle.
The Behemoth was a monster of the sea created by the Evil Gods from the Original Clay to defile the realm of Hydana. The creature known simply as The Sea Monster was often confused with the Behemoth as being one in the same. However, they were distinct beasts.
The Behemoth was one of the most powerful beasts of Evil during the First Battle and he is remembered in the constellation bearing his name in the Northern Skies of Titan. Although 'The Tale of the First Battle' does describe the battle between Ichthys and the Behemoth it is vague as to the fate of the Behemoth. Certainly it was severely injured in the struggle, but it swam away into the depths of the ocean before the chance to make certain of killing or banishing it was taken. To this day sailors tell stories of the Beast and of obscure sightings. If it did survive its injuries it may still be out there, somewhere.
This is the name given to the Goddess Galana during the First Battle. Being veiled refers to her veiling her face to hide her fear as the Battle commenced. All gods are capable of magic, but the reason why Galana was especially referred to as a Sorceress was due to her part in the Firebolt that she formed with Glantanka and Kilanirax, which then won the Battle but destroyed Time.
There is a constellation in the Southern Skies of Titan named after her in this guise. With the exception of a number of Animal Court members she is the only god depicted in the constellations for her part in the First Battle. The reason that we may see her in the stars is because she so veiled herself. If she had not been veiled then her beauty would have been too bright for the stars to emulate.
This is the term given to the ancient High Chief of the centaur tribes during the Godtime. His actual name is now lost to all but a select few among the centaur peoples of Titan. During the First Battle the Centaurs fought bravely and heroically on the side of Good. Although not considered one of the four great races of the Godtime, Centaurs did exist at the time as a respected and noble race.
The High Chief of the Centaur tribes was killed during the Battle. Due to his deeds he was raised as a demigod by Titan at the appeal of Hunnynhan himself. The constellation bearing the name The Centaur is a representation of this High Chief and can be seen in the Southern Skies of Titan.
This is the title given to the greatest of the Elven Warriors in the First Battle. His name is now lost in the mists of Time to all but the High Elven Scholars but his feats still set a standard to be respected and honoured today. Before the First Battle it is believed that he was a close companion of The White Lord, perhaps even his brother. His feats were such that he was bestowed with the gifts of a demi-god on his passing by Galana herself and his place was earned in the stars in the constellation that carries his name in the Southern Skies of Titan.
Just as Death's Messenger stepped forward to begin the First Battle with the sound of his unearthly horn so too did this character from legend signal the end of the battle with his. It is said that the Final Horn will be blown once more to signal the end of the world of Titan, but as to the circumstances of this ending the stories are vague.
Some have argued that the identity of the Sounder of the Final Horn is Atlan himself although the legends themselves do not make this clear. His significance in the Tale of the First Battle is that the sounding of his horn symbolised not only the end of the First Battle but also the end of Godtime on Titan. As such he has his place among the stars and his constellation can be seen in the Southern Skies of Titan.
From the animal court come Arhallogen, The Spider King and The Wolf.
This immortal monster is thought to have been created by the Evil Gods from the Original Clay using the designs of Vermistra. Xiarga was one of the most powerful beasts of Evil during the First Battle and he is remembered in the constellation bearing his name that spans both the Southern and Northern Skies of Titan.
He was one of the original orcs made by Hashak and corrupted by Death. He was the most powerful and intelligent of his race, both at that time and since, and was given virtual demi-god status by the Dark Forces as they prepared for the First Battle.
He is still revered today by the orcs of Titan who worship him especially for his feats during the First Battle. During that terrible conflict he is most often associated with the partnership he had with Almor, The God of Wolves. It is said that Almor allowed him to ride on his back into battle and even when unseated he fought with Almor side by side.
An ancient Orcish legend tells the story of how the Orc Champion was defeated in battle. It stated that the only way in which the champion could be defeated was for Throff, Lorodil and Verlang to raise the very earth itself around him and imprison him in death. The orcs believed that as this occurred the Orc Champion rose up his golden sword in defiance of the Gods. They had used their power to encase him in stone but in doing so they missed the tip of his outstretched sword. The legend stated that the site of this incarceration would be revealed by the fact that the tip of the golden sword could still be seen through the top of the rock surrounding the petrified Champion.
Thus when the orcs first saw what we now know as Fangthane, as they chased Hangahar Goldseeker and his companions, they had found what they thought was the 'tomb' of the Orc Champion. The golden summit of Fangthane being the tip of the Orc Champions golden sword. Despite the fact that the Dwarfs have made this their fortress home, Fangthane is still considered a holy site for the orcs of Titan.
It is in the pose of defiance that the Orc Champion is depicted in the stars at the side of The Wolf. The tip of his golden sword being visible in the Northern skies while the rest of him can be seen in the Southern Skies of Titan.
This monster was introduced by Death and his brothers at the same time as the Behemoth into the seas of Titan to defile the realm of Hydana. It is said that all monsters of the sea owe their ancestry to him or to Behemoth.
During the First Battle, which was fought in the waters, skies and on the land of Titan, this monster destroyed much of Hydana's creations but was, in the end, defeated by the Sea God himself. The constellation bearing the name of this beast of Evil spans the skies of both hemispheres most of his body being in the southern Skies the tip of his tail being in the north.
This is the Demon Lizard who fought by the side of Death during the First Battle. He is thought to have been created by the Evil Gods from the Original Clay using the designs of Suthis Cha. The Basilisk was one of the most powerful beasts of Evil during the First Battle and he is remembered in the constellation bearing his name in the Southern Skies of Titan. His descendants still roam the world of Titan today. Although not immortal beware of their power.
This deity goes by no other name in modern Titan. It was he who stepped forward from the ranks of the army of Evil and Chaos to sound the horn that began the First Battle and this is what those who have heard the story of that terrible conflict remember him for today.
As a warrior on the side of Evil and Chaos he was fearsome, and to an extent his title derives itself from the fact that to meet him in battle would be a signal of imminent death. Some believe that this character and Voivod are one in the same and, indeed, comparisons can be drawn. However, the army of Evil and Chaos was not limited to only one fearsome warrior and indeed the Tale of the First Battle refers to them separately.
It is believed that even now it is he who whispers in the ears of the Demon Princes and lays the seeds of his master' plans. He is often depicted as a haunting skeletal figure wielding a scimitar. He has a constellation named after him in within the Southern Skies.
The Manticore was, like the Basilisk and the Gargoyle, a creature of The Dark Lords making. Some say they made it in mockery of Logaan and Rogaar's creations. However, although this may have been part of the reason, it is likely that the mockery is a by-product of the Manticores creation and not a reason for it. It seems that the Manticore was created for the purposes of spreading terror and causing destruction.
It's modern day bearers of the name are not in fact descendants of this beast. They are a result of the experiments of an ancient magician who became so obsessed with the legend of the Manticore that he decided to try to recreate it on Titan. The power of these creatures, which are pale reflections of the original beast, is testimony to how awesome the original demi-deity must have been. They have wings of a bat, the body of a lion, the head of a man and the tail of a scorpion and instill fear into those that lay eyes on them just as the legends say the Manticore did during the First Battle.
After causing mayhem in The First Battle it was eventually defeated by The Hunter but not before it had inflicted its terrible poison on this ancient hero. The Manticore is remembered in the stars of the Southern Skies by the constellation of the same name.
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