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I've always been somewhat wary of Titans and other magic casting creatures. Ach, to be honest, they scare the heck out of me. I had one encounter with a Titan when I had first entered this World and it had nearly killed me with one FlameStrike. I trained long in the discipline of magical resistance and that still didn't seem to do a whole lot of good but at least I'd last long enough to run from such creatures. I think the main reason such creatures frightened me so much was the abrupt loss of so much of my health and the feeling of being out of control it gave me. I'm much more comfortable benig surrounded by a horde of trolls, err wait, I was going to save those for Homer, ok a horde of Ogres than facing a single Titan.

I had a long talk with Adonis on this subject and he gave me enough encouragement to actually seek out a Titan and see if they were as bad as I thought they were. Note: I actually have learned a great deal more since I wrote this account!) I checked my pack to make sure I had enough healing and cure potions as well as my precious, life saving bandages and headed for the Britain moongate. It was deep night and pale edged clouds scudded across the sky. I was tired and probably should have waited until the next morning but I felt a sense of optimism that I hoped would not prove to be false.

As I rounded a curve on the Britain road, the lights of my own shop shone brightly o'er the meadow where it was placed. Someday I would hire vendors to sell things for me there but for now, it was a handy place to catch a few winks of sleep without having to travel all the way to the Yew house Wyspr had purchased. The brilliant blue glow of the moongate sparkled through the trees and as Darlin picked her way through the underbrush, I narrowed my eyes against the actinic glare. We ascended the low mound of packed earth surrounding the portal and passed into it. An instant of dislocation and I could see the lights of Jhelom gleaming through the trees. We stepped through the gate again and saw Ulfric Swiftfoot's vendors standing courageously around the small, white marbled shop he kept by the moongate.

This was an often dangerous area and I had nothing but admiration for the tireless vendors that braved the danger in order to sell their master's merchandise. I had been attacked her by Titans, Ogre Lords and Reaper's in the past and was always very alert when I emerged from this particular moongate. I balanced my shield and mace against the pommel of Darlin's saddle and pulled out my little used spellbook. I cast In Lor, which was a spell I had memorized, and suddenly the dark night seemed as bright day. Blinking my eyes against the sudden change, I scanned the area again and all seemed quiet. I worked my way laboriously through the protective spells, pronouncing the arcance syllables with difficulty. Wyspr always made this sort of thing look so easy but it was a challenge for me to cast most spells.

I put the spellbook back in my pack and armed myself once again. My body seemed to be so full and energized! I felt as if I could mace a mountain into submission. I knew it was just a result of the magical spells though and this feeling would wear off soon so I directed Darlin southwest towards the Yew graveyard. I had seen Titan's hanging around there often and this time I wouldn't avoid them or gallop away in a panic! I bypassed harpies, headless, an occasional ogre and a couple ettins as I traveled through the forest. It was late, I was tired and all I wanted to do was find a titan. As I neared the graveyard I listened closely to the nightsounds. I heard a dull, clumping sound as if something ponderous was moving slowly through the woods and walked Darlin quietly that way. I was hoping it wasn't an Ogre Lord and as I passed around the north side of the cemetary I could see the golden skinned form of a massively built creature. It moved slightly to one side and I saw a large mallet in one hand. Yes, here was my prey.

I paused for a moment and visualized a sphere of energy floating before me. I slowly fed all my concerns, desires, hopes and fears into it until I felt myself floating in a void. I was in the no-mind state that allowed me to react instantly to anything around me. I've mentioned this before but it bears repeating since it is such a handy technique. I nudged Darlin forward and the Titan glanced around at us. It's eyes blazed with fury and it started lumbering through the trees toward us, saplings in its path splintering and large trees shuddering as the Titan shouldered its way towards me. I directed Darlin down to the roadway so we would have some room to maneuver and waited calmly for the juggernaut to arrive.

True to form, the Titan paused before it reached the roadway and spat out arcane words in a guttural tongue. I charged forward, knowing it wouldn't help avoid the first blast but perhaps I could distract it enough to avoid a second immediate spell. Suddenly, a wave of blistering flame rose up about me! Darlin screamed with pain and fear and I gasped with agony as my armor turned dull red with heat. I could feel blisters forming rapidly over my body as I swung my mace at the Titan. Darlin shuddered and stumbled over a patch of vines and my mace whizzed by the Titan with room to spare. Without thinking, I quickly gulped a potion and felt the cool swirl of healing spread through Darlin and I.

I gritted my teeth and swung again and this time struck the Titan fully in the chest, just as a wave of indescribable sickness swept over me. It felt as if I had been infected with every disease I had ever heard of and then dipped in acid. I reeled in the saddle, fighting to hold on and strike another blow but a wave of nausea swept over me and my mace missed again. I let go of the mace and it swung in a sharp arc, restrained by the loop around my wrist. I seized a cure potion and gulped it down, not even noticing the bitter, acrid taste. A soothing balm spread through me, magically dissapating the virulent illness.

I snarled as I stood in the stirrups and delivered a crushing blow with my mace to the Titan's forehead. It staggered back and gestured at me with a mumbled curse. I felt the same sense of horrid sickness I had before and didn't hesitate to gulp another potion as I swung my mace up and smashed it again. The battle raged there at the corner of the Yew graveyard for what seemed an endless time and finally the Titan exhausted it's magical energies. I know Adonis said Titans could be beaten but this certainly was the hard way. Hmm, I WAS tired, didn't he say something about keeping back until the Titan had exhausted its mana? Oh well, I did it the hard way I guess.

The Titan looked pale and spent but determined as it swung its massive hammer high and brought it slashing down at me. Darlin leaped aside and the blow grazed us with stunning force. I swung my mace time after time, parrying blows when I could, gulping potions and applying bandages automatically as I kept focused on the battle. Many times did my health sink towards nothingness but I persevered and finally the Titan's eyes widened as it felt its life force slipping away and it turned to run. One final blow made it stumble and fall to the ground at our feet.

My chest worked like a bellows as I gasped for air. Sweat streamed from Darlin and I as we took a few steps back. Then I dismounted and walked over to the immense sprawled body of the Titan, my mace and shield held ready. The Titan stared at me from half closed eyes and I watched as the rage faded away. Suddenly, it didn't seem so evil any longer. I looked into its eyes and saw intelligence and comprehension instead of the blind rage that I had always seen before. The Titan moaned out two unpronounceable syllables and visions filled my mind:

I saw tall mountains of granite and gneiss soaring high into the sky. The lower slopes were forested in fir and pine while here at the baseof the mountain, cedar, oak and hickory trees flourished. A noisy mountain stream tumbled down the rough slope and a rude path led upwards to a dark opening. I drifted along the path and into the mouth of the cave. Its entrance was immense and the dark tunnel within was completely bereft of light. After a time, the tunnel widened and opened into a vast chamber. I could not see either the ceiling or the far side of the chamber. The entire base of the mountain must have been hollow but not empty. The floor was covered with dark masses of rock with sharp edges. The masses of rock spread out in all directions beyond my sight.

I became aware that the clear area just outside of the tunnel was filled with Titans and Cyclops and one Titan stepped forward to the nearest shadowed mounnd of rock. It lifted its hammer and with a curiously delicate blow, struck the rock. A muted splash of color lit the rock from within and I could see it was not rock at all, but a mass of crystals. A low sound thrummed almost below the level of my ability to hear and the red color suffused throughout the entire mound. The Titan began to strike the mass of crystals rythmically and gently with an ever changing syncopated pattern. The delicate blows of the mallet created a resonating response within the crystals that spread to other mounds of crystals and from those to others. Each time, a different hue of color washed through the crytalline structure and a vibrating tone echoed. As the Titan continued, the entire chamber was lit with an indescribable melange of rainbow colors and the air filled with a throbbing, sweet music.

I realized with awe that the Titans were Master musicians of the highest order and their mallets were normally used in this manner, rather than a tool for destruction. The innate magic within Titans was utilized naturally to become intimately aware of the crystalline structures and judge accurately the proper force and rythym of the blows. Each Titan and Cyclops before me swayed to the entrancing majesty of the crystalline orchestra as the sound reverberated continuously through the immense chamber, melodies from one group of crystals mixing fluidly with another.

Somehow, within this vision I began to understand I was witnessing something that had not occurred for hundreds of years. This had been a normal, high ceremony for the Titan race and their close cousins, the Cyclops. But something had happened and this ability was lost, or the chamber was lost or destroyed, I could not discern the reason. But the end result was these two races becoming enraged and full of fury, living rude, brutal lives rather than ones of purpose and beauty.

I don't know if the appearance of humans in this World had anything to do with the loss of musical ceremony, but I do know that they hate us utterly now. However, they seemed to hate everything, even one another most of the time. But the potential for more, for creation and celebration of beauty is still within them and the Titan I had slain somehow magically passed me this knowledge to do with as I would.

I am completely confused at what I should do, if anything. Seek the chamber of crystals that lies beneath a mountain? Take a harmonica along with me in case I meet a Titan again? *shrug* Perhaps just knowing this bit of history of one of the races of the World is worthwhile in itself.