In ancient times, the continent of Iasatoris was vast, wild, and untamed. Its landscapes stretched far and wide, each corner of the land shaped by millennia of natural force and ancient power. At its heart ran the Elyndor, a massive river that carved its path across the center of the continent like a silver vein. This river was, and still is, the lifeblood of Iasatoris — connecting civilizations, nourishing the land, and serving as both boundary and bridge between vastly different regions.
To the south lay the Orunai Barrens, a cruel and searing desert where the sun reigned mercilessly and sandstorms roared like angry gods. The west brimmed with dense, choking jungle — a near-impenetrable sea of green known as the Choking Grove, brimming with life both beautiful and deadly. In the east were vast plains, wind-swept and golden, where the horizon stretched endlessly. And to the north loomed the frozen reaches, a land of blizzards, glaciers, and crystal caves — beautiful and brutal. These regions were not just geographical distinctions — they shaped the cultures and fates of the people who would one day come to call them home.
But before humans ever set foot on this land, another race ruled — the Giants.
Age of Giants
The existence of the Giants in Iasatoris is an undeniable truth carved into the bones of the continent. Towering remains of humanoid skeletons — ribcages larger than homes, skulls like monuments — lie scattered in ancient valleys, half-buried beneath centuries of soil. These bones are relics of a forgotten age, untouched by time and awe-inspiring in their silence. Even now, they serve as grim reminders of the beings that once strode across the land like gods of flesh and bone.
Only a few Giant structures remain, and even fewer have survived in any recognizable form. Most were likely obliterated during humanity's rise — some lost to war, others to time and erosion. Two of these structures, however, are still known by name: the Giant Nest and the Giant Hammer.
The Giant Nest, found in the western region near the edge of the Choking Grove, appears to have once been a nursery or settlement for Giant children. Lorekeepers describe remnants of scaled-down Giant items — blankets the size of tents, strange round objects resembling toys, and bits of cloth long decayed to dust. Every item, no matter how grand by human standards, was small by Giant measure. Many of these artifacts crumble at the slightest touch, delicate echoes of a long-extinct youth.
The Giant Hammer, on the other hand, is a site of grim majesty. Located in the northern wastes, it is a colossal cave system filled with the bones of fallen Giants, their weapons still resting beside them in solemn silence. Warhammers the size of tree trunks, spears like felled trees, and battered remains of stone fortifications can still be found within. Some walls still stand, stubborn and proud, though time gnaws at them slowly. There are no signs of written language. This absence has led many scholars to believe that the Giants lacked literacy, or perhaps communicated in a different form altogether — songs, runes, or something more primal.
The Arrival of Humans
The first humans are believed to have arrived on Iasatoris around 6000 AE. The origins of these humans remain mysterious — no known records point to their native continent. What is known is that they came in waves: three separate migrations, each leaving their mark on the land. And somewhere in that tangled history, war ignited between them and the Giants.
It is written, in surviving scrolls and etchings, that there were Four Human-Giant Wars. These brutal conflicts spanned centuries, their stories half-lost in time, buried under legend and silence. The final war is said to have ended around 1200 AE, and by 1350 AE, the last known Giant perished in the north, somewhere near the Giant Hammer. The era of the Giants ended not in thunder and fire, but in a slow, mournful silence.
Among the rarest and most controversial stories are those of the hybrids — offspring born of Giant and human unions. These half-Giants were often described in records as grotesque or unnatural, their appearances unsettling and their strength immense. Yet some fought alongside humans in the wars, carving out legends of their own. Only a few are remembered by name:
Jorvak the Earthshaker
Kaetha of Colossus
Dren the Hollow
Mornak the Backbreaker
Othra the Smithmaiden
Hulrik Thundertusk
Kaelbrun the Giantkin
Of these, only one noble House claims direct descent — the line of Hulrik Thundertusk, known for producing warriors of massive stature and short tempers.
The Giants had leaders too, each a force unto themselves:
Grusk the Unyielding
Thamur the Stoneheart
Varnum the Iron Will
Brymor Warchanter
Korgath Skullmouth
Thorgar the Stormbreaker
Jorvaldr the Earthshaker
Ygrak Mindhammer
The last known Giant leader was Hrodan the Endless Winter, said to embody the death-throes of his race. By the end, the Giants had dwindled into a single fractured tribe, living in isolation until time simply overtook them.
The Human Civilizations
Following the fall of the Giants, human civilizations took root in each major region of Iasatoris. Though only fragments remain today, the legacy of these four civilizations endures in tradition, ruin, and bloodline.
The Rodza of the Orunai Barrens
In the sun-scorched south, across the Orunai Barrens, lived the Rodza — a nomadic people hardened by the harsh desert. Their culture was a tribute to survival. They worshipped the sun as both god and destroyer, and their ceremonies involved elaborate dances and songs performed at dawn and dusk. The Sand Kings, their leaders, were both spiritual figures and war chiefs — chosen through trials of endurance and strength beneath the blazing sun.
Rodza structures were carved from sandstone, fleeting and fragile. They never stayed in one place for long, and many of their buildings crumbled within decades. It is said they wrote their history in the sand itself, inscribing tales and teachings that vanished with the winds. This may explain why so little written record remains.
By 14000 AE, the Rodza civilization fell to the Ruby Scorpions — towering arachnids over 15 feet tall with venom capable of killing in seconds and armor like crimson stone. These beasts eventually went extinct themselves, dying out around 12000 BC, but not before annihilating the desert people.
The Wouppi of the Choking Grove
To the west, in the lush and dangerous Choking Grove, lived the Wouppi, a people who embraced the balance of life and death. The jungle was split in their eyes — the Death Road, filled with toxins and predators, and the Life Pulse, teeming with vitality. Their culture revolved around this duality, and even today, the jungle tribes that remain still speak a language descended from Wouppi speech.
At the center of their world was Amyndros, a tree standing 150 feet tall, still alive and revered to this day. The Wouppi built their homes high in the trees — modest huts woven from vines and leaves. Their greatest structure was the Temple of Amyndros, a 50-foot-tall sanctuary nestled among the roots of the sacred tree.
They were masters of herbalism, crafting medicines, poisons, glowing dyes, and even clothing from jungle flora. Their leaders bore the title Mask Bloom, which later changed to Mask Thorn for reasons unknown. Superstition among modern jungle dwellers suggests that the forest itself punished the Wouppi for some long-forgotten sin. The entire civilization vanished around 1300 AE, swallowed by myth and moss.
The Caetah of the Eastern Plains
Across the eastern plains roamed the Caetah, a proud and mobile people who loved their horses more than anything. Their society was clan-based, with leadership earned through horseback duels. The Harthan led each clan, and above them stood the Steed King, whose lineage was said to descend from a god of travel.
The Caetah were explorers, riders, and smiths. They built temporary wooden structures draped in hide and built sprawling stables for their steeds. Their language was not unified — each clan spoke in dialects, sometimes entirely different tongues, but they shared worship of the Steed King and their reverence for the wind and open sky.
They also traded with the Wouppi and the Throppug.
They forged tools and weapons, crafted jewelry from the metals they unearthed, and left behind intricate maps — some still used today. While their ruling line died mysteriously around 14000 AE, many noble Houses trace their bloodlines back to the Caetah, especially those with horsemanship traditions.
The Throppug
The Throppug were the original inhabitants of these frozen lands, a stoic and resilient people whose legacy has been pieced together through the remnants of their civilization. The Throppug were a people forged by the harsh, unforgiving cold. Their writings — etched in ancient stone tablets and crystalline surfaces. In the crystal caves of the north, they carved their history into the very walls, using the natural shimmer of the crystals to tell their stories.
The structures the Throppug built were as solid as the stone from which they were made. They constructed stronghold-like buildings from stone, designed to withstand the brutal winds and snowstorms that frequently ravaged the land. Even now, the ruins of these structures dot the frozen landscape, a testament to the Throppug's endurance.
.The Throppug hunted the wild creatures of the northern wastes for their furs, using every part of the animal for food, clothing, and tools. The furs they wore were thick and protective, suited for the cold that could freeze a person to their bones in mere minutes. These furs were often supplemented with metal armor, likely traded with the Caetah from the southern plains.
One of the most fascinating discoveries made about the Throppug is the temple that was uncovered in the northern wastes, buried deep beneath layers of snow and ice. This temple, which stood as a monument to their faith and rituals, had been all but destroyed by a massive snowstorm that likely buried it under several feet of ice and snow. The structure itself was made of stone, intricately carved with symbols and images that suggest a deep reverence for the forces of nature — wind, snow, ice, and the ever-changing skies above.
When the temple was finally excavated, something remarkable was found: the preserved bodies of the Throppug who had once worshipped there. The cold of the north had acted as a natural preservative, keeping their bodies intact for millennia. These people, ranging from children to the elderly, were found in a state of perfect preservation. Their black hair, once thick and full, now stiff with time, framed strong faces marked by the harshness of their lives. They stood at an average height of 5 to 6 feet, shorter than some other northern peoples but strong in their build.
They crafted jewelry and ornaments from the abundant crystals found in their caves. These items, both functional and decorative. The Throppug likely held festivals to mark significant events. Though no written records of these festivals have survived. The stone carvings also depict figures participating in communal rituals, often centered around the worship of the forces of nature.
The Throppug, despite their stoic nature, had a fierce animosity toward the Giants, but also a grudging respect for their power. In the aftermath of last war between the two peoples, the Throppug and the last of the Giants eventually reached a truce.
The Throppug did not live as a unified people under a single ruler. Instead, they established several kingdoms throughout their long history. Three kingdoms, in particular, stand out in the annals of time: the Ice Kingdom, the Crystal Kingdom, and the Stone Kingdom.
Of these kingdoms, only the Ice Kingdom and Crystal Kingdom left remnants that have survived to this day. Only one ruler of the Ice Kingdom name is known. King Norrik IV, though little else is known about his reign.
The last kingdom of the Throppug was led by King Hrothik III, the ruler who brokered the fateful truce with the final tribe of Giants. But it is said that his kingdom, too, fell around 15000 AE, swallowed by the relentless forces of nature.
The Throppug may no longer walk the lands of Iasatoris, but their legacy endures in the bloodlines of those who claim descent from them. Many of the noble Houses in Iasatoris trace their lineage back to the Throppug.