To Learn Anew (Vers, Private, Fish Stick)

[Fish Stick]

"Well, i could tell you the Legend of the Storm giants, or perhaps even the Tale of War'takk. if you want, i could also mention something upon the military aspect of aelyria, the history behind that?" the man asked, listing of just a few of the histories and legends he knew of...

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

Erenthril adjusted his weight propped on the bookshelf, considering Daved’s words.

“Well, I’d be keen to hear about the storm giants,” he grinned, shrugging his shoulders. It reminded him of the two giant leaders he’d killed a short distance from Orckon’s gates a few seasons ago, thus neatly severing the ties between their clans and the Orc stronghold. A fair bit of groundwork he’d done, at least for Milo’s benefit, when constructing the stage the Sherian War was now being rampaged on.

[Fish Stick]

"Sure thing, the first part of the story goes like this:"

Back in time, back before the giants were sent upon Aelyria, a group of giants on their own plane of existence that was created as their home by the Aetherians were able to tap into the magical essence of the elemental plane. For hundreds of patterns they studied and practiced their art and became Arch mages in the art of Elementalism. When Meephos cast down the giants in his plot to toil with Diana’s perfect Aelyria, four Giant Arch mage Elementalists were sent down along with them. They were the main front of the giant invasion as they used their omnipotent powers of Elementalism against the little folk. They soon formed their own cult, claiming to be “The Storm Giants”. In Giant society, they were considered to be the most powerful mages to walk Telath. The Storm Giants served the Giant race, and the giant raced served them. Soon the Cult of the Storm Giants had gathered giant followers from around the Medonian continent. Many giants had begun practicing the art of Elementalism and soon the four arch mages had a large number of initiate and apprentice Elementalists.

There were four original Giant Archmages in the beginning that were coined, “The Storm Giants”. According to ancient texts, each one specialized in a certain element, and it is told that each giant storm mage that walked Telath wore a magical pendant that gave them extreme power in the elemental sphere that they dominated. Each pendant actually only was made out of a simple crystal casing, but the real power lay on the inside. The pendants themselves encased a magical essence, elemental in nature, from their own plane back before Meephos released them upon Telath. They were able to harness that essence, which in turn increased their power dramatically, giving them the opportunity to be some of the most powerful mages ever to walk Telath.

These mages were not nameless, in fact their names were rather well known and passed down from generation to generation, told upon in great stories and tales of their deeds. All of the Storm Giants had insignias or symbols that represented themselves in their own fashion. Each one was unique and could not be forged as they were magically carved into stone, made into seals on parchment or wherever the mages deemed necessary to mark their presence.

"Any questions so far?"

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

Erenthril was rather intrigued by the story. The fact that four individuals banded together, giants nonetheless, and had actually managed to achieve the rank of Archmagus was rather unsettling, and led him to wonder about his own potential. The fact that all four were Elementalists was downright scary. The story was entertaining; whether or not it was meant to be so was lost upon the Elf, as he leaned back and scratched at his tricep lazily, listening to Daved continue to go on about the tale. It was no surprise that the Storm Giants were immensely powerful – judging by the nature of their pendants, it was essentially a state of evolution – they were tethered to each of their respective planes just as Erenthril was tethered to the elemental plane of air. Bordering innate magic, he likened himself to the Storm Giant whom had been able to summon storms or harness lightning; a miniature Zeus atop his mountain perch.

It was all very provoking, he had to admit.

“None yet, I think I follow,” he spoke, studying the man’s face for a moment before peering off into the mass of random books and titles. “Go on,” he pressed, awaiting the rest of the tale. Curiosity had been attained.

[Fish Stick]

The first Giant Storm Mage, Kor Firemane, specialized in the element of Fire. He stood at a solid eighteen feet and was bald except for a long, red ponytail, which reflected his voracity and fierceness. Stories depict Kor as a warrior mage than anything else, as he lusted for blood more than the other three Storm Giants. Kor was renowned for his temper and his ignorance, as well as his stupidity, as Kor was the most foolish of the Storm Mages and usually acted before thinking things through. An upturned palm face with one enormous flame coming out of it and into the air represented Kor Firemane.

The Storm Giant that controlled the element of air was none other than Traegar Windraker. Traegar was probably the least hostile of the Storm Mages, if less hostile could be considered to be ruthless and somewhat merciless. Traegar ruled the skies and used his control over the air to decimate other cities and armies with humungous tornadoes and lightning storms, throwing debris and other living beings over several kilometres, eventually ending in a horrific death. Traegar was a little smaller than the other mages, as he only stood at a mere eleven feet tall and sported a long grey beard that reached his stomach. Traegar was depicted as more of a silent enforcer in pictographs and in other small myths because of his sneakiness, always having a lightning bolt ready to throw at someone or something. Two lightning bolts that make an “X” formation with a swirling vortex of air behind it represent Traegar and his beliefs.

The third Storm Giant that mastered the element of water carried the name of So’kar Hydredaen. So’kar had different beliefs, much the opposite of Kor, who believed fire ruled the sphere of Elementalism, which usually ended up in these two usually clashing, always being broken up by Rao’khan or Traegar. So’kar stood at fifteen feet, and was completely bald and had a black goatee. The giant preferred logic to a lot of other things, and had an affinity for philosophy as well, but nothing compared to his mastery of the water and its power that laid below the calm surface of the ocean. So’kar was mainly responsible for the severe tsunamis and floods that areas experienced at his own expense and entertainment. Three single blue droplets of water formed in the shape of a triangle represent So’kar in cave etchings and ancient texts.

Last but not least, the Giant who controlled and manipulated the element of the earth all over Telath was none other than Rao’khan Terraex. This giant was the tallest and some would say most powerful of the Storm Giants, standing at a massive twenty two feet. His specialty was the creation of earthquakes and tremors that surpassed any force known to anyone on Telath. Rao’khan was usually the one that restored balance to the other three mages, and was the brains behind every operation they conducted. Even though there was no official leader of the Storm Mage council, it was commonplace to see Rao’khan officiating its actions, mainly because he was the largest and strongest of them all. It was true that height gained respect and admiration, and Rao’khan was once living proof of that. A large fist smashing downwards into the ground opening up a large fissure is the symbol that Rao’khan used to mark his accomplishments.

He took a break from speaking, and lifted a flask of water form his belt, drinking a bit of it so as to cool his old throat from the immense amount of storytelling and history being taught to the elflord. "Now then, where was i?" he asked, attempting to make sure that Erenthril was following him...

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

Erenthril followed. It was almost too faery-tale-ish for him to really consider it history; where was the ample proof of this? Was wasn’t this story running rampant amongst adventurers looking for these medallions of immense power? But before he could ask those questions, he’d need to know the end, and before he knew the end, he’d need Daved to continue explaining to him what had happened.

And so when the man reached for a draught of water, Eren nodded appreciatively before walking over and taking a seat on the floor next to him. Back braced against one of the vertical wooden posts that held between it another a few horizontal shelves, he tilted his head back and rested a bit before he was asked where they’d left off.

“You’d just finished describing each of the four Storm Giant archmagi, ending with the one of earth,” he spoke in a relatively hushed tone. This was a library, after all.

[Fish Stick]

"Ahem, very well then, the next part of the story goes like this..."

Many centuries ago, the giant race prospered, and a new cult was established; The Storm Giants. With Giant civilization based in the Khardran mountains and expanding outwards at a large rate, rumour grew that the Storm Giants held a keep deep within the mountainside where they kept their secrets. The threat of giant intrusion onto the surrounding people’s land was growing greater and greater with each coming era, and with the Storm Giant’s help, the giant race was conquering new lands, new resources and one brightening, it was put to an end.
Their reign was put to an end swiftly and justly, but luckily in the end, the Storm Giants had the last laugh. With local uprisings and the massing of an army outside the giant lands, the Storm Giants prepared for the worst. The surrounding governments and nations around the mountainous area had come to an agreement to drive the giants out for good. With the giants striving to eradicate the presence of Diana and her influence, the remaining forces that opposed them joined forces and prepared for a final strike against the Titan Army that raped and pillage the countryside daily.

Legions upon legions of troops invaded the continent, pressing hard against the defences of the giants. Every battle that occurred on the way to the capital of the giant empire was like a huge storm, as all the elementalists that were involved in the battles did their best to fend off the incoming rush of attacks, all believed to be the work of Diana. With the strength of her holy light, the troops managed to break through and march to the Giant city and siege it. It took over four months just to break the outer perimeter of the giant defences as they entered the continent, now the forces truly had a challenge in front of them.

Lightning streaked across the sky, meteors rained from the heavens, earthquakes shook the ground and massive spiralling tornadoes littered the surrounding city as the Storm Giants took their chance to claim victory for themselves. Thousands upon thousands of human, dwarf, elven and other races were slaughtered in a matter of minutes as the pure force of nature slammed into her lines. With her divine powers, Diana called upon her own spell of blessing as a tremendous beam of light was cast upon the battlefield, influencing the tide of the battle from her false throne. The light soothed and healed and troops began to recover from their mortal wounds, even bringing them back to life. The now countless amounts of troops that the giants had thought to have destroyed were now being resurrected to fight back against the tyrant mages. Suddenly another burst of light emanated from the sky, as a hole opened from within all the storm clouds and swirling air masses. A massive beam of light encompassed the giant city as if the wrath of the Aetherians was being used against the Storm Giants. Buildings crumbled, flesh was burned and melted away as the unending beam of light shone down on the city.

Meanwhile, the Titan army of the giants was unleashed on the legions just outside the city. Fearsome giant warriors ranging from ten to thirty feet tall charged the front lines craving blood and vengeance, as Diana nor the armies were welcome upon their land. Covered from head to toe in battle armour, wielding massive battle axes, swords and other weapons of unimaginable gore, the Titans of the giant army easily broke through the lines, as bodies and blood flew everywhere. Total chaos had erupted as the two armies battled it out on the field. The giants may have had the size, but the invading forces had the numbers as they easily outnumbered the giants by a ratio of ten to one. Soon, the giant army began to weaken and its defences crumble. The gates to the city were shut and the rest of the Titan army was left to fend for itself as the city itself was to be protected. Siege weapons started to fire, as massive boulders were hurled towards the walls and the city innards.

It started to seem that the aggressors were winning until a massive meteor emerged from the limitless confines of the sky. The four-archmage storm giants had managed to combine their power and channel it through a sacred stone obelisk. They mixed and combined their magical essence into the obelisk, which shot up into the sky in a massive beam of energy, which penetrated the clouds. Their raw, untamed power summoned forth a meteor that even Jalat himself would've feared. The meteor was over a quarter of a kilometre in width and as it hit the ground, the impact forced most of the air out of the area, sending the battlefield into complete silence. A brief second later, a massive shockwave erupted from the ground, sending giants and Diana’s forces scattering. Dust and debris flew into the air, impaling men and women, covering the sky in total darkness. Mounds of flaming bodies littered the ground, cries and moans of pain and suffering could be heard from all over. Over half of of the attacking forces were completely decimated as the meteor struck just outside the city. The shockwave of the meteor just didn’t decimate the army, but the city as well. Walls fell and buildings crumpled as people were buried alive under tonnes upon tonnes of stone and rubble. All that was left standing were some buildings on the far outskirts of the city and the Storm Magi Tower, which was embedded in the mountainside on the far side of the giant city in which the Storm Giants kept to themselves.

Now with only a quarter of the original army of over five hundred thousand troops, they slaved on, sending troops into certain peril as they rushed over the rubble and into the demolished city. Now it was just the Four Arch magi, plotting as to what to do next in their tower sanctuary. The time of judgement was upon the Magi.

"Do you follow me so far?" he then asked after he finished speaking of the next part of the legend, making sure to keep a keen eye out for if Erenthril was showing signs of boredum, or not understanding what was being said...

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

“I do,” as Erenthril sat quietly, listening to Daved’s tale. It was growing long, but at least the mythological aspects of it had been dropped. This seemed more real. More historical. He was surprised he hadn’t read about any of it in the Historia, or that it didn’t grace the confines of the Epic of Alleria. Stroking his chin thoughtfully, he tried to discern why this might be. After all, legions of legions and Diana’s own involvement were certainly details that merited recording. In the end, he figured history was always written by the victor, and as such…well, he supposed they had the final say on what went into the chronology of time.

“One brief question, though. Is there any remains of the Storm Giant’s kingdom? Any actual places to visit?” he queried in a light tone, a grin of bemusement flickering across his lips. An archaeological dig could be…well, discernibly profitable, he supposed.

[Fish Stick]

"It is possible that there is remains of their kingdom, but of where it is at, i do not know... perhaps one of the giant clans in the Khardron mountains knows of it, i hear they know much of the tails of old, especially when it comes to their kind," Daved said. "I've been meaning to go up there and speak with them about some historical facts regarding certain tales, but i've found myself too wrapped up in the rumors, and history regarding this mystical city of arcana..." Smiling a wrinkled smile, he then asked, "Shall i continue?"

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

Erenthril contemplated for a moment, looking at Daved and studying him. He was making up his mind about a few things, and placing the man sitting in front of him would be an important task if he was to act on any of them. “How would you like to go with me then, on a little archaelogical adventure, once you finish? I can get us there in a matter of seconds, and leave most of the talking to you. We’d be relatively safe, and could probably learn a thing or two not in the textbook,” he grinned, before rolling his shoulders back nonchalantly and closing his eyes.

Daved was free to continue if he wished. Eren wouldn’t bother to actually leave until afterwards anyways.

[Fish Stick]

"That would be most splendid!" he said, his voice rising as he became a bit ecstatic for a few moments, but then said, "Let me finish telling you the story though, and then we shall depart!" Smiling, he continued with the end of the story...

Realizing that it was foolish to put up a fight against Diana, an Aetherian, they opened a portal and escaped into the wilderness of the now current province, Centripax. There they hid deep in the mountain wilderness, keeping their secrets hidden from the little folk. It is said in myth that the four Arch mages of the Storm Giants had managed to channel their remaining elemental essence into their crystal pendants, which is rumoured to have unimaginable power and stored it in a secret location deep within the abyss of caverns and tunnels of the mountains in the Centripax province. Legend has it that if a person were to get a hold of these Elemental Crystal Pendants, their soul and essence would be absorbed into the crystal, allowing them full access to the raw power of the elements that the Giant Archmage Elementalists had access to. No one really knows why the Storm Giants decided to study Elementalism, maybe it was the pure raw power that it possessed and they realized that potential, but now their secrets remain hidden, waiting for their power to be released once again.

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

Erenthril stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment or two, letting a lapse of silence build as he digested the information.

“Well, I suppose that’s that. I guess they did realize it would have been pretty foolish to match their power against that of a god’s,” he remarked after several seconds, before sitting up and dusting off his knees a bit. His back had been beginning to cramp from the awkward position against the wood. “So…you up for taking the rest of the day off? I figured we’d snoop around whatever you suggest – you’re the brains behind this, after all,” the Elementalist smirked a bit at the suggestion, happy enough to let Daved do all the planning and just cover the physical aspects of getting there. After all, the historian sitting before him seemed to have been a rather studious participant in relating the tale to the latter of the two, and although Eren had heard the gist of the entire fable, he was more than willing to trust the predicament into the hands of what appeared to be a more knowledgable confidant.

[Fish Stick]

"I figure that i can take a few hours off, or the rest of the day, nothing ahead of me but reading and researching..." he said, and then stood up a bit, grabbing his cane to help him up even further. Looking towards the archmage before him, he then said, "So, the legend of the Storm Giants originated within the Khardrans, deep within them, i'd say the best place to begin a search of them would be within the center. That's most likely where they would have placed their main cities and such. The thing is, the legend is so old, that most likely any parts of civilization should be buried beneath tons and tons of earth. If there was a way to creat a tunnel, or cave within the earth, we shouldn't have a problem getting through to find their ruins..."

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

Eren thought for a moment.

“That may be true…but we’re talking about the Khardrans here. In the middle of winter, no less. How about I follow you and you get some supplies first? Rations, a more appropriate attire, I doubt you want to be stuck out there in those,” he glanced pointedly at the thin and comfortable clothing Daved was dressed in, “and also perhaps a map. Not saying I won’t be able to locate the ruins by sifting through the earth itself, but…well, the Khardrans are big, and I’d rather not have to move them to find what I’m looking for,” the Elflord grinned a bit.

He never thought he’d see the day he started talking about mountains like this.

[Fish Stick]

"You can move mountains? Who do you think you are? Ioannes? No mere human could move a mountain," said Daved, in a skeptical tone. The grinning, he said, "Unless that man was an elementalist... might you be one?" After the question was answered, he said, "Follow me..." and then meandered back into a room behind his book cases, and grabbed a big fur coat. Placing it upon him, he then made his way out of the room, and said, "Let us be off to my house, i'll grab us some rations there..."