Frankie1969
Adventurer
This small bit of backstory ended up being more detailed than I expected, and it wanted to be shared.
In the Dreaming, my players asked the Fey Titans if they knew about the Ancient Ritual, since they shared the same continent as its creators. The Titans had forgotten most of it, but slowly bits and pieces of the following are being revealed. As with the actual content of Zeitgeist, if you see hints of other stories, that's intentional.
The Ancient Titans
A long time ago... before the Malice, before nations, before the Ancients, before Llanjyr... there was the Maker, who produced three sets of twins, the six Titans of the South (the North and the East had their own great beings, and of the West we no longer speak)
The Titans did not have words, and so did not know their own identities. The Maker created a land, and the Titans populated it with six kinds of creatures. Those races invented Language to name themselves, their creators, and their surroundings.
The Orcs named their creator Gruumsh (Anger).
The Sarrukh named their creator Umberlee (Fear).
The Gnomes named their creator Garl (Want).
The Dragons named their creator Bahamut (Will).
The Halbits named their creator Yondalla (Joy).
The Drow named their creator Lolth (Despair).
(Humans, Giants, & Dwarves originated in the North; Elves, Sprites, & Goblinoids in the East. Yes, Lolth copied the work of others, but so did her siblings to some degree, and the Maker, and the Maker's maker too.)
Unfortunately, this young world was invaded and conquered by multitudes of horrors from beyond the sky. The people of the North and the East gave in to their fates, but not so for the South. They toiled in secret, discovering rituals that might stop the Outsiders (as described by Wickett the Bard). They also called upon the Titans to take physical form and walk among them.
Knowing their enemies would espy their rebellion, the leaders, mystics, and heroes of the South traveled in force for their final quest. Of all beings, only Bahamut could lift the Great Seal, and so it accompanied them over the sea. The other Titans remained behind to defend the South.
The Ancients knew that five would not be enough to protect their cities and tribes. Bahamut knew that without its purity for guidance, the Dragons would become arrogant and cruel. Nevertheless, they persisted. The needs of the world outweighed the needs of a few races or one Titan.
Huge clouds descended, filled with slavering hordes. The Outsiders couldn't defeat the Titans, but anywhere the Titans were not, every sapient being was slain. Only a handful of children could be saved. The Titans felt their priests die far away. They felt Bahamut depart. Soon Language would be forgotten, and as the Titans' names faded to oblivion, so would they.
Then the clouds parted, and for the first time the world had a silvery orb in the sky, Av. There the Titans saw their reflections, and the reflections looked back at them. They would survive in dreams, with new aspects, new myths, and new names.
In the Dreaming, my players asked the Fey Titans if they knew about the Ancient Ritual, since they shared the same continent as its creators. The Titans had forgotten most of it, but slowly bits and pieces of the following are being revealed. As with the actual content of Zeitgeist, if you see hints of other stories, that's intentional.
The Ancient Titans
A long time ago... before the Malice, before nations, before the Ancients, before Llanjyr... there was the Maker, who produced three sets of twins, the six Titans of the South (the North and the East had their own great beings, and of the West we no longer speak)
The Titans did not have words, and so did not know their own identities. The Maker created a land, and the Titans populated it with six kinds of creatures. Those races invented Language to name themselves, their creators, and their surroundings.
The Orcs named their creator Gruumsh (Anger).
The Sarrukh named their creator Umberlee (Fear).
The Gnomes named their creator Garl (Want).
The Dragons named their creator Bahamut (Will).
The Halbits named their creator Yondalla (Joy).
The Drow named their creator Lolth (Despair).
(Humans, Giants, & Dwarves originated in the North; Elves, Sprites, & Goblinoids in the East. Yes, Lolth copied the work of others, but so did her siblings to some degree, and the Maker, and the Maker's maker too.)
Unfortunately, this young world was invaded and conquered by multitudes of horrors from beyond the sky. The people of the North and the East gave in to their fates, but not so for the South. They toiled in secret, discovering rituals that might stop the Outsiders (as described by Wickett the Bard). They also called upon the Titans to take physical form and walk among them.
Knowing their enemies would espy their rebellion, the leaders, mystics, and heroes of the South traveled in force for their final quest. Of all beings, only Bahamut could lift the Great Seal, and so it accompanied them over the sea. The other Titans remained behind to defend the South.
The Ancients knew that five would not be enough to protect their cities and tribes. Bahamut knew that without its purity for guidance, the Dragons would become arrogant and cruel. Nevertheless, they persisted. The needs of the world outweighed the needs of a few races or one Titan.
Huge clouds descended, filled with slavering hordes. The Outsiders couldn't defeat the Titans, but anywhere the Titans were not, every sapient being was slain. Only a handful of children could be saved. The Titans felt their priests die far away. They felt Bahamut depart. Soon Language would be forgotten, and as the Titans' names faded to oblivion, so would they.
Then the clouds parted, and for the first time the world had a silvery orb in the sky, Av. There the Titans saw their reflections, and the reflections looked back at them. They would survive in dreams, with new aspects, new myths, and new names.
Last edited:
