Kathal'Dir
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Eons ago, the Giants lived here on Kathal'Dir. They might be long gone, but their enormous ruins are still here, left within the jungle - just waiting to be explored.—Maudath Lako
The People of Kathal'Dir
The people of Kathal'Dir, the Giantborn, are a folk of warriors and survivors. They live within a couple of settlements at the coast of the island and fight of monsters and predators from the jungle every single day. Kathal'Dir is a dangerous and rather inhospitable place, so every single individual has to prove themselves during the Arokush. Once they reach the age of 20, they will have to explore the ruins and spent three days and nights within them and their standing in society depends on how well they do during this tradition. There are seven notable settlements scattered along the coast of the island. Even if they share the same heritage and traditions, there is not much contact between the settlements, as traveling between them either means either traveling through the jungle or sailing along the coast. There is little to no trade going on with the Giantborn and only a couple of ships come through here every month. Except for some exotic fruits and other plants, the island has not much they are willing to trade. The only thing of value they have are the items and artefacts they retrieve from deep within the ruins and their knowledge about the magic and history of the Giants - neither of which they are willingly parting with.Why do you people never learn from your mistakes? We fought you back countless times already, and we will do it over and over again! This is our home, and it's our duty to protect the legacy of the Giants! You have no business here and should you ever decide to come back, I will rip out your spine with my bare hands!—Maudath Lako
The Ruins of Kathal'Dir
It was time. He prepared for this his whole life. He had one shot at this, and he definitely won't miss it. "Stay save, Ekaos! I will see you back here in three days. I know you can do this.", his father said as Ekaos turned his back to his family and started his journey into the ruins. It's just three days. How bad could it get?
He walked along huge stone towers that probably once reached hundreds of feet into the sky, through gates and doorways big enough to easily fit one or two of the houses he grew up in. "This really makes you feel like a child. How big were those Giants? This is enormous!", he thought as he walked further into the ruins.
According to the Giantborn, Kathal'Dir was the birthplace of the giants - their ancestral home. It was their capital city and the primary seat of power of their only Empire. To this day, nobody knows what really happened to the Giants of Kathal'Dir. They disappeared during the Dawnera, long before any Mortal can remember, but their ruins made them wonder about this ancient society since they were gone.
Over millennia, nature reclaimed the ruins - the monumental buildings and settlements now overgrown with dense forest. Animals made them their home and over time the lingering magic of the Giants twisted them into monsters and abominations. Today, many areas of the ruins almost resemble vast caves, as the buildings caved in and the remaining open spots got overgrown by vines and trees.
Notable Places
The Harbour
The first sign of the ruins you will see when arriving in Kathal'Dir is the huge old harbour at the east coast of the island. The remains of huge quay walls extend far into the ocean, making it incredibly difficult to navigate too close to the shore. The sheer size of these docks leave many sailors wondering how big the ships they were built for had to be.
The Plaza
Deep within the forests, nearly at the center of the island, there is an enormous place which is completely void of any plants or vegetation. A great circular Plaza nearly 2,000 feet across - each paving stone nearly as big as a full-grown person. Over time, some stones have sunken into the ground, which makes this place incredibly hard to traverse.
The Depths
The ruins above ground are already gigantic and breath-taking, but they also extend deep into the earth. These ancient halls and tunnels have survived the ravages of time rather well, but most of the entrances have collapsed by now. Down in the earth's depth, the Giants hid their most valuable goods and their most precious knowledge.
After a couple hours, Ekaos finally reached his first goal, a sinkhole that opened up an entrance into the tunnels below. He wanted to show the others what he was made of, and his best bet at doing so was bringing back something from the depths of the ruins. So, taking one last glance at the sun shining through the treetops, he took his climbing gear and started his way down into the ancient tunnels.
Inhabitants
Over millennia many creatures settled within the ruins. Twisted by the lingering magic of the Giants, some of them turned into abominations and monsters. This makes the ruins incredibly dangerous to traverse. If you are not careful, you might accidentally stumble into the lair of one of those creatures. There are many myths and stories about what lives within the ruins. Stories of insects bigger than a full grown horse, myths about wolves that can merge with the shadows or even a legend about a Dragon living deep within the ancient halls. Many have claimed to have seen all kinds of creatures, but nobody knows how accurate these accounts are or if the individual exaggerates their deeds. There is one creature or one phenomena, many people report off - floating orbs of light, wisps of magic. Nobody knows what these things are, but they are incredibly dangerous. Luring careless explorers into a false sense of safety with their beauty and alienness, until they drain the life force of the individual. Some people believe these creatures are damned souls, forever bound to this place, while others think they are literal embodiments of magic, created by the ancient powers of the giants to guard their home.The first two days of his Arokush went by with little issue for Ekaos. He descended into the depths and explored countless corridors and hallways. This place was incredibly fascinating. Everything went fine until he saw this little orb of light floating in the distance.
He just wanted to take a quick peek at it, but the moment he stepped closer, that light stopped moving and dashed in his direction. Before he could even properly react, this thing was hovering just inches in front of him, a curious pulsing orb of light.
Read about what happens next in this article: Arokush
Alternative Name(s)
Giants Bane
Type
Island
Location under
Included Locations
Characters in Location
Related Tradition (Primary)
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If you enjoy what I'm doing consider giving this a like, and let me know what you think about this article in the comments.
Oh very interesting ruins which must be quite the sight to behold! If I were a sailor I would also be uncomfortable xp The corruption of the lingering magic is pretty interesting as well. Great read!
Thanks for your comment! Yes these ruins are massive and definetly a sight to behold.