Annam

Annam is a complicated figure, depicted in a variety of ways in myths told across countless worlds of the Material Plane. These stories have been altered in the telling over the course of thousands of years. In some myths, he is the creator of worlds, and other gods merely populated the worlds Annam made with peoples of their own creation. Such myths often describe an ancient era when giants were the only people inhabiting the worlds, or giants shared the worlds with dragons. In other myths, Annam worked with other gods to create worlds together. Diancastra’s Saga, told in part in the introduction to this book, describes Annam gathering the shattered fragments of the First World (the original creation of Bahamut and Tiamat) and spreading them across the Material Plane to create countless worlds. Still other myths describe Annam as a sleeping god whose dreams formed the substance of reality and allowed other gods to create within it. Annam is often described as an all-knowing god whose deep learning, profound meditations, and expansive philosophy offer endless wisdom for his descendants to study. Occasionally, he’s more of a trickster figure whose escapades across the worlds are greeted with uproarious laughter and serve as cautionary tales.
Giants on most worlds agree that Annam is no longer active in the affairs of giants in the Material Plane. Some say he despaired over his quarreling children. Others believe he lost hope in his descendants when their ancient empires fell into ruin. Some claim he was weakened after a long battle against his brother, Memnor (who is more commonly described as one of Annam’s sons), and was forced to withdraw from the world until he regained his strength. Other dubious tales suggest he fled the Material Plane to escape the consequences of some misadventure.

Priests and Rites.

Thanks to his prolonged absence from mortal giants’ affairs, Annam has few priests. On some worlds, he has no priests and his name is all but forgotten. On other worlds, a priest of Annam serves as an adviser and mediator to scattered groups of giants, traveling extensively to visit far-flung communities. In some places, priests of Annam are great kings who rule over realms comprising different giant kinds. Even on worlds where Annam’s priests are important, many giants (sometimes including his priests) are convinced Annam no longer hears the prayers of his people.