The Kunkal Species in Aelutea | World Anvil

The Kunkal

Artificially forged race of monsters created by the Jotnar in their war against humanity and the gods. The Kunkal were the dread of mortals and gods since their inception and have plagued the dreams of the blood of men for eons.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Kunkal can vary wildly in appearance, some are more rudementary, with organic mass atop their skin such as moss, grass and other plants which can make some greener in appearance. Yet the more dreaded Kunkal are those of fire, enveloped in smoke and wrought ash in step. These Kunkal were modeled after the first of their number, the Black Titan Táramaðurinn.

Additional Information

Domestication

The Kunkal were built by the Jotnar, the giants imbued this race with their most advanced, destructive, and vile magic to produce a visceral, emotionless, and terrifying species of killing machines that frightened the giants, mankind, and the gods alike.

Facial characteristics

Normally, the face of a Kunkal is shut, their mouth is closed and shut completely. When inactive, the eyes of a Kunkal are small, black, and can resemble that of a shark. All of this changes when the Kunkal awakens, its eyes open to reveal blinding light, and soon, the flames and smoke rise, emanating from the body of these terrible beasts.

Average Intelligence

Numerous stories are told of gigantic iron-clad men roaming the world. These stories are rare, even rarer are stories of these ironclad men speaking in their hushed and quiet voices in a language of the Old Jotnar.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Enhanced sight
Enhanced hearing
Enhanced touch

Civilization and Culture

History

The Kunkal are a long-forgotten predator of early man, so destructive and cataclysmic was their power that for much of early life, mankind hide below ground in caves and deep bogs to avoid the destructive gaze of their great hunters. Constructed during the reign of the first Dawn King of the Jotnar, the Kunkal were to be the mighty weapon that brought about the extinction of mankind and the first weapon for the impending war with the gods. Even in their own time, the Kunkal were feared, they were terrifying to early humans who would only see the bright eyes or mountainous stature of a Kunkal before it vaporized them or crushed them. The Kunkal were even feared by the gods due to their command of an eerily unknown form of fire, a fire forgotten later by the Jotnar. This fire took the form of a white blaze, raging calmly inside the body of these great monsters rather than wildly like worldly fire.

Eventually, the giants grew to fear their creations, this came after the Nine Nights of Fire, when the Kunkal were set loose on the giant city of Mikilhuld when the Gehnil were awoken. The most dreadful of the Kunkal was Táramaðurinn, who led the others in the leveling of the pride of the giants. After this, the last Dawn King, Hrunir the Vain, decided that the Kunkal could not be left to roam as they pleased and had many of the monsters chained, imprisoned, and locked away. Periodically, Kunkal would be awakened when the need arose, Táramaðurinn was awoken to be turned on the human city of Rielar which it leveled completely and scattered the Sureno people. During the last war between man and giant, the final Jotnar king Thared Eldingar awoke Táramaðurinn from its slumber beneath Mount Buranden. At the Battle of Hautkrig, the Kunkal fought but due to the intervention of the gods, Táramaðurinn was laid low and the Kunkal were once more imprisoned.

The dangerousness of the Kunkal cannot be understated, not only are they beings of immense power, but over time, they can learn not only spoken language but also begin to think independently for themselves. This independence was a frightening thought to many and so those that showed signs of this development were laid below the seas, buried beneath mountains, or locked deep into the earth with mighty chains.
Lifespan
Immortal
Average Height
~300 feet
Average Weight
~100,000 tons
Average Physique
The Kunkal are typically quite spindly, their limbs are narrow and long, designed for them to not take up space, be light and mobile, and for reaching into human caves and burying their targets under a mountain of rubble.

The body of the Kunkal resembles flesh in some ways, it is very durable and capable of withstanding an enormous amount of damage. This skin can take many slightly different forms depending on the nature of the individual Kunkal's construction. Disturbingly, the entirety of a Kunkal's body beats in the rhythm of a heartbeat.

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