To the Giant Lands

As Sylas, Titan of Sédróm journeyed Westward, seeking out The Weeping Cliffs he encounters many settlements and a wide variety of peoples and stories. A few notable mentions are listed here.

Western Praelos / Edge of The Tukumbára

Following up the Díta river are a dozen Praelan settlements, each younger than the last. Most have a huge swath of the surrounding rainforest cut down, and many contain arenas where soldiers can entertain themselves battling the exotic creatures of this frontier land; tigers, monstrous apes, semi-sentient but highly toxic frog folk, and more.
These settlements are also home to native folk; humans and drow who used to live within the jungle and have either been captured as slaves or loosely integrated into the Praelan invasion. They tell stories of their own deities, only some of which can easily be syncretized, while others have no direct link to any known Varolian Gods.

General Oppia Galeria

Daughter of the famous Artoria Galeria, Scourge of Ahalon, Oppia's bloodline is one of conquerers and colonisers. She is the general currently at the front lines of fighting, commanding her soldiers from one of the various recently built fortresses.
She is a capable fighter, though seems stressed as a commander, believing she only got the role due to her mother's influence.
After a brief bit of hosilities Sylas convinced her he was just passing through as a pilgrim. She offered him a huge sum of money if he would help her on her Westward campaign, but he refused since it would mean killing the very people he wanted to learn from.

Tukumbára

Named the Díta river and Díta rainforest by those in the Varolian, The Tukumbára is the name used for the entire region by its native population. It is a jungle that stretches across an area almost half the size of the entire Varolian continent, with a dozen rivers that feed into the one known as the Díta or pour into lakes and swamps in the area instead of making it all the way to the East.
The northern side of the jungle is populated by many tribal and occasionally warring villages, while the southern side across the great river is a nation of Yuan-Ti who seem to have been afflicted by a powerful sleeping curse, perhaps by the Sloth God Maluáma.

Humans & "Elves"

The most populous and widespread peoples in the forest, with intermingled societies. Though they are called elves by natives and Praelans both, they are actually almost entirely a race of half-elves - stories say that true elves used to be the main inhabitants of this area, but have all but died out in the modern age and have left only their less-mystical children behind.
They do not go by a collective name, and often are at war with each other, but have been slowly unifying in the face of Praelan invasion.

Grandmother Papan

An elven (half-elf) woman of impressive age, she is the shaman of her tribe and a stern teacher for the children under her. She is known as a seeker of visions, whose hands have been dyed silver due to how often she has handled the toxic leaves of Iruvë. She sleeps away from her village each night, seeking dreams in deep caverns, and listens to the calls of parrots for the gossip of gods.
She speaks to her people of a golden palace across a distant field, where they may all dance and drink in peace without worry. She sees it so clearly now, as if it is a future just waiting to be grasped, and has been encouraging tribes to set aside their differences that they may work together to achieve this sacred goal one day.
Sylas is fairly confident that she speaks of Arkadia, but isn't 100% sure. If it is, then there might hopefully be enough elf left in her blood to get her there when she passes. Either way, she remembered when Pheidon passed through decades ago, and was full of wisdom from the past which prepared Sylas for his journey; which plants are edible, how to avoid certain monsters in the night, and which stories are worth retelling.

Saro The Uniter

A human who was born during one of the worst drought years in living memory 30 years ago, when the rains had stopped and the great river shrank until it had nearly dried up. The day Saro was born a torrent of rain poured forth, as if the Gods themselves had been waiting for his birth.
He was even gifted a magical, everflowing water gourd by Tzekuán for his first birthday, as if it were a promise to prevent droughts in the future. As a man he has travelled tribe to tribe as a peacekeeper for his chieftain father, telling stories with a quick wit, gentle laugh, and occasional bout of flirting with local princesses.
He was more than eager to talk at length with Sylas about his people, his region, and his Gods. Beneath the bravado he is a deeply contemplative man who worries for the future of his homeland, and has been spending more and more time discussing war plans and tactics with the tribes he visits instead of stories and myths.

The Ashkánë

A population of Leonin adapted to the jungle with darker, often spotted, fur for hiding and powerful claws built for climbing trees. Most shocking to those who visit amongst their features are the demonic wings and horns many of them sport.
In the past they were simple forest-folk. They travelled the canopies in temporary treehouses, hunting, resting, and occasionally trading. But a war with the Kaazhari forced them to adapt. They were masters of guerrilla fighting, but it wasn't enough to keep their people alive, so they turned to greater powers.
They say they made a deal with dark Gods for power that it changed them and made them stronger. They refuse to say which Gods exactly, but the most common belief is Orokaan, due to the fact that the ritual of transformation involves a great pyre that the chosen must burn within before ascending.
Nowadays they are caught between two invaders. To the West are the Kaazhari, who seem intent on hunting them to extinction, and Praelos, who are intent on taking over the forest they live in and encroaching dangerously close to the one permanent settlement they have.

War Chief Hakarun

Leader of his people, Hakarun is a massive leonin around 7ft tall, deeply muscled with huge wings extending from his nearly black fur. He is heavily scarred and clearly speaks as an elder, yet the enchantment running through his veins have kept him in his prime, refusing to let him age into his twilight years.
He was one of the original dealmakers decades ago, though the last one still living. He was young then, eager to kill his foes and protect his people, and enjoyed the massacres he committed. Now he is tired. Despite the bright embers still burning in his eyes, and the fact he is still perhaps the single most dangerous fighter in Tukumbára, he has begun quietly seeking a way to both repel Praelos and end the war against the Kaazhari which has consumed both his entire life and half a century of his people's history.
He was suspicious enough of Sylas to begin with that he attacked as the traveller entered his lands, and though they did not commit to a true battle, he seemed powerful enough to keep up with and possibly even best the hero from the East if it continued. Instead, Sylas calmed him down, convinced him he was a pilgrim seeking knowledge.
They talked at length, with Hakarun mentioning how the last pilgrim came through not long after the dark pact was made. Pheidon was horrified and offered to undo it, but they laughed at him and chased him from their home. Hakarun clearly regretted his old actions, and asked Sylas if there was a way to pass on an apology, and pondered if there was a way to quench the wrath that has been burning in his heart for so long.

Vaiyara

A youth of the Ashkánë who has only recently gone through her transformation upon reaching adulthood. Ever since she was a child she viewed the warriors of her village as noble protectors making a sacrifice, and the demons they cavorted with as guardian spirits keeping her people safe. She trained like many others before she took the pact and stood upon the pyre.
Now she can hear the trees whispering amongst each other, and the elders tell her that the voices she can hear represent a chance at returning to their roots, when they wandered the forest and listened to nature instead of dark beings. She's not really sure if that would be for the best. Would it mean surrendering the incredible strength and speed she now has?
She was enthusiastic to speak with Sylas, to get an outsider's perspective and explain away the worries someone might have about dark pacts. "They're not demons who want our souls", she explained. "All they've asked us in return is to cremate the dead, which all the other tribes around here do anyway."

The Kaazhari

The Kaazhari represent the single largest population of Aarakocra known anywhere—more in one place than the entire Varolian continent combined. They look different to most Aarakocra a traveller would be familiar with, having colourful feathers often pink or purple in hue with jagged beaks ranging from Crow to Vulture instead of Eagle or Hawk.
They portray themselves as the only civilised people in the jungle, masters of magic with surprising knowledge of the Varolian culture. They are extremely welcoming to their nearly-extinct brethren who fly West from that foreign land, learning all they can whenever one arrives after hearing the magical call the Kaazhari have created thousands of miles away.
They protect their treetop village with an army of air elementals summoned by secret spells, and seem to operate under the belief that it is their sacred duty to conquer the earth below, and awaken a great air-based spirit which has been dormant for eons.
Sylas had been warned of the Kaazhari by the Ashkánë, yet still was nearly taken in by their welcoming words. They gave him food and a bath, told him of their myths and tales, even introduced him to another recent arrival, one of the Varolian Aarakocra.
He spent many days there, learning what he could, though they seemed far more secretive and protective over their supposedly benign elemental magic than the leonin had been over their clearly infernal power.
When the eastern bird-man disappeared overnight, Sylas investigated and discovered a horrible truth. They had sacrificed the poor fool who had only ever wanted a home and a family, turning his soul into power they used to create their army. Sylas attempted then to peacefully leave, but was chased by an army of cyclones, storm clouds, and aarakocra archers. Even when he teleported the short distances his God had allowed he found a group of mages just one spell behind him at all times, as though they knew every path he'd taken through the cosmic roads.

Skyseer Kokolzal

A particularly tall and thin aarakocra, Kokolzal is a charming if slightly frightening individual, eager to shake hands just a little too tightly with his talons. He is a true master of elemental magic, able to shield himself with warding winds that redirect attacks, while lightning crackles between his feathers ready to leap out at a moment's notice.
He is also the equivalent of a chieftain and religious leader mixed into one for the Kaazhari, guiding them in warfare and teaching them new magics, leading the ceremonies of sacrifice that fuel the rift his forbears opened so long ago ago.
Kokolzal was so inviting, even suggesting Sylas call him "Koko" for ease, that his sudden shift to menacing, calling for his murder and sacrifice upon an altar, was a shock. They had spent days together eating meals together and speaking, explaining how the jungle was a prison for a great air elemental that needed to be freed for the good of the world, stating that the demonic leonin were interrupting their work.
In the months after fleeing that place Sylas wondered many a time if the friendliness had been an act from the start, or, remembering the secret origins of Aarakoca, some sort of Archon-sleeper command had been activated once he got too close to the truth?

Grira, The Outcast

A wingless Aarakocra, if Grira were ever to be seen by one of her Eastern cousins they would be horrified at the tragedy. Once a priestess, her wings were torn and she was thrown from her home by Kokolzal after she dared question the necessity of mortal sacrifices.
Since then she has travelled the ground seeking a way to remove the Skyseer's cruel influence on her people, desperately hoping she is not the only one who wishes for a kinder path.
She was the one who helped Sylas flee, when it seemed he would be overwhelmed by numbers even with his speed and strength. She convinced him she was not like the others, and offered him a protective charm that would hide his "footsteps" when he teleported. When Sylas explained what he thought had happened with an Archon sleeper-command, she explained they had always acted in this way - kidnapping those who were close, but enticing those from afar with trickery.

The Rukaal

Spread all along the great river, and lurking in many of the smaller ones which flow through the region, are a group of semi-aquatic man-eating lizardfolk. They are known by other cultures and peoples throughout the Tukumbára as demons who strike at those collecting water, even eating children without remorse. Yet they are not all entirely monstrous, and a spiritual culture exists amongst them, full of songs and rituals which, while holy to them, haunt those who live nearby.
They believe that devouring sapient creatures nourishes their souls as well as their bodies - extending their lifespans and letting them grow closer with their gods, until one day they will become Immortal and divine. There seems to be some credence to this idea, for the Rukaal have much longer lifespans than the lizardfolk of the Varolian, and can grow to much greater sizes the longer they live.
They chiefly worship Orokaan in name, but not as a God of Fire. In fact, they believe him to be a water god with the face of a great black caiman whose domains are hunting, immortality, and rebirth. His hunger is their hunger, and his divine command is to sate it.

Xochiyotl, The Eldest

One of a handful of "proofs" that the Rukaal way of life is correct, Xochiyotl is almost 200 years old, and truly enormous - larger the huts many live in nearby. She actually lives right on the borders of a human settlement, yet there exists no hostility between them; instead they worship her, and attack other villages nearby to collect human sacrifices to feed her (or using farmed chickens and pigs when attacks go poorly.)
She almost never moves from her spot half submerged in the great river, occasionally dispensing wisdom to the people who feed her, and requesting a notch carved into her scales for each life she takes and each year she survives.
Legends say that each year for her birthday she is visited by Kuyaya, whom she tries (and fails!) to eat when he gets close to her mouth to speak with her, almost as if taunting her.
She was amongst the strangest of people Sylas met on his path towards the giant lands. Clearly monstrous in appearance, exactly the sort of thing he would have killed during an adventure without a second thought, but he was on a pilgrimage - here to learn, not to murder.
And learn he did. She spoke of a time when there was no village in the area, when she had to fight and kill and eat her own siblings to claim this territory from them. Explaining that for as frightening as her people might seem nowadays, in the past they were more monstrous, cannibalistic, and cared more for the food than the sacred act of devouring a soul.
She believes that generations of eating people has had an effect on the minds of her race, making them more inclined to conversation and religion, and may potentially leave them as "weak and vulnerable" as the human folk they devour.

Shaman Qrathusk

Another "proof" of the validity of Rukaal belief, Qrathusk is a lizardfolk of great strength, magical power and impressive wisdom. He lairs alongside his tribe in a section of the great river filled with enormous, hollowed out shells, and says he remembers a time when a species known as "Tortles" used to live here and were over 10 feet tall before they were hunted to extinction.
The memories are not his own, but those of a dragon's corpse he found within the jungle, whose bones he has slowly, secretly, been devouring over the last decade or so. His kin believe him special, chosen by their God to be blessed and lead them; one wonders what would happen if they found he has been hiding a great treasure from them all for so long.
When Sylas met this magical lizard-man, it was obvious to him from the start Qrathusk was influenced by dragons somehow, so when the shaman spoke of a desire he has felt to travel Eastwards without knowing why, Sylas knew it was Kiderha's call for all draconic beings to return to her to be reborn.
He told Qrathusk of Kiderha and her power, and the offer she has made to all those over whom she held even the slightest amount of influence. The shaman seemed interested, and by the time Sylas left him and his tribe appeared to be preparing for his own pilgrimage in the opposite direction.

The Sleeping Kingdom

Most civilisation in the Tukumbára exists on the Northern side of the great river and is, at least by Òssan standards, not as impressive. There are no palaces or citadels, few cities or great man-made wonders.
Yet beyond the Southern bank one can find evidence of a great nation that once thrived - huge pyramids, temples, multiple cities connected by wide roads. It is clear that nature has begun to reclaim it, and yet some level of enchantment must prevent it from encroaching too far, for the tree roots have not yet swallowed the roads and the canopy still allows sunlight to reach the temples.
Within this once-proud kingdom the snake-like inhabitants still live, but cursed to sleep forever. Yuan-ti bodies can be found unaging yet never moving in most of the buildings in most of the cities, though the cause of such a curse remains unknown. The natives at least believe it to have been Maluáma, who forced the yuan-ti to slumber and remove the danger they posed to the other inhabitants of the jungle.
Despite the fact the yuan-ti no longer pose a threat their kingdom stays undisturbed - all of the peoples of the Tukumbára treat it as haunted ground and refuse to enter, baring the occasional starving Rukaal in desperate need of a free meal.
Sylas' wanderings here were brief, for there was no-one to speak with and the feeling of unease grew with every hour, as though there was something watching him, growing stronger the longer he was there.
Perhaps filled with memories of past misfortunes, even when he had the opportunity to claim many treasures, Sylas left the loot alone in case it woke the serpents from their slumber or caused some other awful curse to take effect.

The Barrowlands

There comes a point where the trees of the Tukumbára abruptly end, and the great river itself disappears into a cavern, flowing under and through of a series of hills that stretch on for many miles. Each hill bears a monument atop it, whether a tombstone, cairn, statute, or some other way to mark a place of the dead, for this place is a graveyard for Giants.
It is tended to by communities of Hill Giants scattered throughout the area, some of whom seem noble guardians with a sacred task, others whom act like savage brutes happy to chase and eat anything that wanders too close to the mounds they've been assigned. And then those whom resent the task they've been handed by the greater giants, and plot to abandon their posts or force others to tend to them.
Most of the hills are not natural, but created by giant magic specifically for the purpose of housing one of their own. Legends say that eventually, there will be so many hills that the entire continent will become The Barrowlands, and it will mark the passing of giant-kind.

Glumm

Glumm is one of the most well known giants in the Barrowlands to his kin, and by far the most known giant to those in the Tukumbára. Seemingly dumb, and yet savage enough to clearly enjoy his task, he is a guard dog who delights in chasing and eating anyone who invades his land.
If he cannot catch an opponent he begins flinging stones at them, and more than once has gotten in trouble for those "stones" being parts of the sacred monuments marking a grave.
Sylas' encounter with Glumm was rather comedic: he flew above the giant and asked him for directions, who then, after a dozen failed attempts to jump and grab the hero, threw a colossal tombstone at him and missed. Two other hill giants arrived and began to berate Glumm, ignoring Sylas' requests to talk, so the pilgrim went on his merry way while they argued with each other.

Arog

Far wiser and calmer than most of his ilk, Arog is the giant one hopes to run into while crossing the graveyard above all others. He travels with a great dire wolf spirit, and is able to slide through the earth without leaving a trace, appearing silently in a shocking move for one of his size. Make no mistake - should he deem you unwelcome, you are just as dead as if another of his kind had caught you - but it is easier to convince him you meant no disrespect to the dead he watches over.
He believes it is the great purpose of Hill Giants to watch over the others, enduring and weathering the abuse sent their way by greater giants with the knowledge that they will be the last ones left, tending the Barrowlands all the way until the end of days and far beyond the moments the rest of giant-kind has been wiped out.
Sylas met a dozen different wardens and passed by scores more as he travelled through this kingdom-sized graveyard, but none were so willing to talk as Arog. He had many philosophical beliefs about his role in the world, the purpose of the hill rune, and the fact that Death Giants don't exist to tend these graves instead.

The Giant Lands / Helligjord / Ereset

Finally one arrives to the Giant Lands, where the continent, and nature itself, seems overwhelming and chaotic in a dozen different ways. Pockets of lava and superheated ground sit surrounded by wintery hills as if the latter is trying to contain or devour the former. Glades contain flowers with no stems; the petels float gently above grass, suspended by wind that never stops flowing. Trees can be seen from countless miles away, and days of travelling seem to bring one no closer to them.
Great reptilian beasts roam the lands, covered in scales or feathers, and full of teeth or horns. The mightiest of these have necks and tails that stretch on forever, and seem as long as even the largest whales. Giants of all kinds live amongst them, often hunting or herding them for food.
Most giants live in their own kingdoms or communities, terraforming the land to suit their needs - hence the overall chaos - and it seems to an observer that they randomly decide each moment whether to war or trade with one another, though the truth is that an incredibly intricate and ancient series of treaties and grievences is constantly playing itself out and building by the day.
There are countless separate communities throughout the lands, from a mountain giant tribe with 20 members, to cloud giant kingdoms with hundreds of citizens. Listed below are many of the more notable people, communities, and landmarks - only some of which Sylas actually visited, the rest he merely heard about.

The Elder Giants

Scattered throughout the continent and beyond are a family known by several names: Ancients, Primordials, "Those Who Were Here Before", etc. They are much taller than other giants, and not bound to the elemental runes most others are, tied instead to other concepts and often seem Godlike in their power and attitude. They are the only ones who call the land Ereset, and have been overheard speaking in tongues foreign to all others.
They refuse to be known as Gods, and typically are either hermits who stay away from giant societies, or wanderers who drift between them. A list of those known to giant-kind can be found here.

Cyclops

Bound to no concepts, elements, or runes, Cyclops as a species seem the most "disconnected" from the world around them, more like mortal men than anything else that lives in Hellighaug. They are not bound to any culture, and are found all over the continent both in tribes and alone as herdsmen tending giant sheep, mammoths, or other massive creatures.
They are often treated like outsiders by other giants, and some turn to banditry or raiding to survive, while others have managed to integrate into existing groups by learning their ways despite their physical differences.

Fire, and Frost, and Cloud

There is an area that the Díta river passes through which is in constant conflict between warring groups of Giants. With Fire Giants to the North of it and Frost Giants to the South, it regularly freezes over or boils away as they terraform the land to claim what each believes is theirs.
Cloud Giants overhead mediate the conflict, using their powers to make sure water continues to flow, yet struggling to do much when the river lies frozen. For this reason they have been accussed of favoring the flame wielders, though they continue to state their neutrality.
This conflict may be responsible for years of drought or flooding that affect so many thousands of lives further to the East, yet so far has shown no sign of slowing down.

Duchess Aeflor

A fire giant noblewoman who leads her group of warriors from a citadel surrounded by ever-churning magma. She allows no dissent, and is quick to attack those who defy her orders.
She had little time for Sylas' questions, other than using the conversation as another excuse to bad-mouth her rivals to the South.

Jarl Dramog

Similarly stubborn and brutal to Aeflor, the two would perhaps have gotten along quite well were it not for them being on opposite sides of a war that has lasted generations. Dramog is the son of a frost giant king, and seeks to destroy the fire giants as proof he is worthy of the throne.
More willing to entertain Sylas' questions, Dramog explained a little of the reasoning behind these battles, and even offered Sylas a mighty sum of treasure if he could use some "little people tricks" to tip the scales in his favour.

Rainbringer Xephras

All too aware of the fact that millions of little mouths rely on the stream that sits in the middle of this conflict, a handful of cloud-giants gather under to try and make sure it continues to flow. They gather the water that boils when Aeflor takes control, sending it back down in a region further East away from the heat, and try to redirect the river entirely when Dramog freezes it over.
Xephras himself seems young and perhaps naive compared to his peers, visiting both sides in an attemept to broker peace, but has been laughed from their halls more times than he can count.
He seemed grateful for the chance to get an outsiders perspective on the situation, but declined any of Sylas' offers to help, saying it is a giant's argument and should be resolved by the giants involved. In theory his peers should have the authority and power to shut down both sides, but have refused to do so for some reason which he has to respect.

The Forgotten City

The one-time home of an ancient cyclops species known as the Blemmys, this city has lain in ruin for centuries. It is said that at the height of their power they could have been the rulers of the continent, with art and music that rivalled the greatest bards in any age. They were spellcasters and crafters and mighty warriors, yet at the height of their power they all were smote and cursed for daring to travel Eastwards with their portals. Their heads, so full of wisdom and power, were removed from them, and their bellies filled with rage.
They are rarely spotted nowadays, and cannot stand the sight of one another due to the painful memories that come with such a meeting. They have even been granted a form of immortality, that they will never be able to grow old or starve and die to escape their punishment.

Vonthyrus, The Ruined King

Once a great king of a great city, Vonthyrus led the charge to Eastern lands for reasons none but he knows now. He has lived there all this time, cursed with a greater form of immortality so that even in battle he cannot be killed, destroying any settlements and pulling apart any people he has encountered on his long centuries away.
Unknown to his people, he joined a great hero on a quest to restore his kingdom. But he failed, and now lies imprisoned by mages as far from home as he has ever been.

Bororas, The Archivist

Once a renowned historian of a great city, she remained behind when the warriors sallied forth, but this did not spare her from the wrath that came next. As the city fell she fled to her library and tried to keep the knowledge safe. Though she failed, and she too was transformed into a rageful monster, she remains at the city still, the last of her kind to do so.
She sleeps most days, awakening only to bludgeon any creature or looter that dares set foot in her domain. On days she is awake she wanders the broken city, sometimes moving stones around as if attempting to rebuild it, or attempting to read the words carved into walls despite the ability having been ripped from her mind.

Ord, The City of Runes

Built and ruled by one of the Elder Giants, Ord is a true wonder, equal in magic to Olsíri yet greater in scale. It also serves as the only place of true peace on the continent between factions - giants of all kinds live alongside one another as equals, with homes custom built for them and streets reinforced for handling all weathers.
The power of runes flows through every inch and every home with simple enchantments everywhere; stones marked with Stig to light up the paths, boxes marked with Ise to provide permanent refrigeration, or metal slabs marked with Ild to serve as ovens and grills.
For greater tasks, mirrors marked with Venn allow friends and lovers to speak at long distances, and doors marked with Ferd create portals from one district to another. The city itself is surrounded by runes of secrecy and invisibilty, hiding it from outside eyes.
Guards in the city are armed with weapons inscribed with a variation of the King rune, forcing those hit with them to submit and accept punishment from their betters. And healers armed with the Life rune can save almost any patient.
So many were the sights, and so many were the people, that Sylas struggled to avoid being trampled underfoot as he stopped to stare at the new tools and buildings he saw. Eventually he flew above it all, and still was nearly thrown from the sky by giants riding carpets and clouds inscribed with runes of Wind. He sometimes still wishes he had not met the city's ruler at all, so that he might have remembered even more of this paradise by the time he returned home.

The Rumbling Kingdom

There are Stone Giants who live in an area of ever-shifting rock, where the ground churns like waves and earthquakes never cease. The sure-footed tremor-goats are some of the only other inhabitants a Varolian traveller would recognise as "natural" animals or people; elementals are common, as are a strange form of boneless, jelly-bodied beasts which gather in herds and bounce along the shaking ground.

The World Tree

The tallest tree standing anywhere in the world, with boughs reaching past all reason towards the stars above. It can be seen from hundreds of miles away, and takes weeks to travel to even after spotting it above the horizon.
Legends say that the Giant Lands were once covered in such trees, or that there were many scattered all over the planet. But a blight came in the form of a host of insects the size of giants, to devour them all, and now this is the last one standing.
There are guardians now of this last tree, a group of Roc-riding Storm Giants with bows that fire arrows triple the height of a man, that prevent any bug or beast from coming close. The land around the tree is covered in these giant arrows like a battleground of broken spears, with a thick ring of them about 10 miles away from the trunk marking a border that none may cross.

Ragnfyr Skykeeper, Watcher of the Boughs

Chieften of those who guard The World Tree, Ragnfyr is arguably the greatest archer this world has ever seen. He is gifted with the prophetic powers of his kind, and can both read and guide the wind to direct his arrows. There are times when he has fired an arrow from miles away, before his target has ever left their cover, and struck them at the exact moment they moved from it a few seconds later as if he knew when and where they would go.
Rather than a single Roc mount that his fellow warriors use, he has bonded with a mated pair that seem more intelligent than most, naming them Dagr an Nótt. He rides one into battle while the other acts as a spotter, finding targets and either calling out their locations or dropping huge boulders onto them from above to drive them from their hiding places.
Sylas was unable to approach for a conversation, for they fired upon him as soon as he crossed the border of arrows. His teleportation magics did not work this close to the tree, and for all of his speed he could not avoid all of the attacks sent his way. The moment one of the giant's arrows pierced his flesh he was struck with ferocious lightning, and sent away to nurse his wounds.

Lake An'Rithé

Deep within a winterland controlled by Frost Giants sits an unfrozen lake surrounded by utter silence, broken only by the occasional crunch of snow being walked through nearby. No fish swim within it and no birds fly above it.
It is the domain of one of the Elder Giants, and is said to contain the hopes and dreams of every living thing.

The Weeping Cliffs

At the edge of the continent, just before the ocean, sits the largest barrow tomb in the world. It seems a pillar which stretches far past the clouds, and is covered in caves and carvings which constantly flow with water, giving it the appearance of having dozens of weeping faces looking out in every direction.
This is where the Gods rest eternal, in a mountain surrounded by a gouged out moat created by the force of the waterfalls which pour all around it. This moat now constantly overflows, creating a secondary set of waterfalls in every direction - some flow and create dozens of rivers, each as big as or bigger than the Díta but ending before they reach all the way Eastward, while the rest flow directly into the sea.
A group of Stone Giants have made this their home, sleeping amongst they faces of their dead Gods. They are seen as traitors or blasphemers by most, but after often blessed with powers or knowledge from their dreams.
At long last, he had made it to the end of his pilgrimage.