Aspects of the Titans

Long ago, there was an otherworldly force that threatened the gods’ very creation. The mortal races, even the dragons, were still young; small in number and influence, and not up the challenge of stopping it. The gods of good and evil, law and chaos, conspired together for the first and last time to create a champion capable of ending the corruption. They created the titan.

None of the gods wanted to invest their power in the creature without also investing an element of their nature into it. After much debate, they came to an agreement that suited them all. The gods gave the titan three aspects:

The evil and chaotic gods granted the titan the aspect of enmity and destruction; the capacity to hate its enemies, and to topple any institution that opposes freedom.

The good and lawful gods granted the titan the aspect of compassion and justice; the capacity to love its allies, and to defend the innocent from the wicked.

The neutral gods granted the titan the aspect of temperance and indifference; the capacity to know when to use its powers and when not to, and to recognize that not every fight is its own.

The gods pooled their power and natures into densely potent magical artifacts, and places those artifacts inside the titan’s construct body.

The evil gods places their artifact in the belly of the titan, bringing to life the acid and bile and destructive forces of the digestive system. Hatred, disgust, envy, and cruelty came over the titan’s gut.

The good gods places their artifact in the chest of the titan, bringing to life the breath and blood and restorative forces of the circulatory system. Love, forgiveness, generosity, and mercy came over the titan’s heart.

With the elements of evil and chaos balanced by the elements of goodness and law, the neutral gods placed their artifact in the titan’s head. In doing this, they reigned the influence both other artifacts, ensuring the titan’s decisions would be filtered through a mind characterized by logic, reason, and impartiality.

Their creation complete, the Gods bid the titan do battle with the other. The duration of the war is lost to history; but evidence of the struggle can be found throughout the entirety of the Mesa. Eventually, the fight made its way underground, ravaging the fledgling civilizations of the Underdark.

Some suggest the battle continued deeper and deeper until it passed out of the material plane and into the elemental plane of Earth, and to further realms beyond knowing. Not even the gods can say how the battle came to a conclusion, but eventually, the titan emerged from the ground with no opponent to challenge it.

Its’ task complete, the gods had no further need for a being of such incredible power, and their temporary collaboration now served as a new point of heated contention. Each god feared the others would manipulate the titan, and use its power to gain supremacy over the material plane.

Knowing an alliance such as the one that bore the titan would never be struck again, the gods were reluctant to completely withdraw the three artifacts from the material plane, for their power might someday be needed to deter a different threat.

The decision was made to split the titan into its three separate aspects, and send each in a different direction. The titan, obeying the commands of its creators, tore itself asunder, creating three different versions of its body, each housing one artifact, and each slowly returning to a nonliving state.

When the three titan remnants traveled as far as they could go, they collapsed to the ground, and turned completely to stone. The gods then cursed their remains, adding perils and guardians to deter any mortals who might wish to claim the titan’s power for their own.