The Great

God-Chieftains of the Eight Tribes of the Skylands

From the local Arakh term Khu'ur ("The Great" or "The Mighty"), the God-Chieftains are a minor pantheon of eight ascendant demigods, each the patron of a tribe of Skylands Arakh. Aside from being nearly unstoppable in combat, very little is known about their divinity or what divine powers they offer, if any. What is known is that all eight are draconic aspected, however they have no confirmed ties to any of the known Draconic Gods of Waking Materia.

It is whispered by some divine scholars that The Great share a relationship to their tribes in much the same way The Totem Kami guide their Maraian Clans (the main difference being Marai's God-Kami are not humanoid), though both cultures would consider such a thought blasphemous.

Known God-Chieftains

The Great are so mysterious, scholars don't even know all their names. Those known are:

• Kar-Tsuruya Wise-Eared
• Monok-Surok Axe-Poet
• Khur-Humi Wind-Robed
• Khal-Haia Cairn-Sitter
• Sain-Kho Four-Eyed
• Unnamed male god-chieftain, seen at a crest of a nearby ridge by an expeditionary party. The party reports immediately feeling the intense desire to leave, and so did
• Unknown; the god-chieftain of the eighth tribe has never been observed

Appearance

See also: The Khu'ur & Skylands Arakh Image Gallery (External)

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The Great mostly take the appearance of standard arakh peoples, with a couple exceptions. Immediately noticeable is their size: witnesses place their heights between 8-10 feet tall (250-300 cm), compared to standard arakh whose heights are the same on average to humans. They are approximately balanced male-female. Their draconic-aspected natures also give way to individual uniquenesses: skin colours may take on bright reds or blues; horns, tails and massive, clawed hands have been observed. Sain-Kho Four-Eyed's name is literal: across her forehead is a half-circle of four monstrous eyes.

Culture

The culture of the Skylander Arakh is highly unique in the sense that it has no armies, and no mortal Skylander need ever take up a weapon; this is because each chieftain of the eight tribes is near-godlike in power and utterly dedicated to the protection of their people.

Those who survive encounters with the Khu'ur only ever describe a single God-Chieftain in each fight; there is no record of them ever joining forces. At top speeds, they are a streak of dark lightning across the battlefield, accompanied by an eerie booming noise. One swing of a tetsubō or greataxe can clear three horsemen, each swing as fast as as the stab of a rapier. Even if an army can do some damage to them, the injured God-Chieftain streaks away with another boom, returns healthy a day later and resumes their merciless assault until even the strongest army relents. Should the aggressors choose to retreat, the Ku'ur rarely pursue unless their quarry is especially prized. The message seems to be clear: "Leave us alone."

The Eight Tribes are named directly after their chieftain, e.g. the Axe Poets, under protection of Monok-Surok Axe-Poet.

Profile: Khal-Haia Cairn-Sitter and his legendary greatsword, orbited by "shooting stars" which can be commanded to rain down on his enemies (Top; illus. Yoshitaka Amano). Monok-Surok Axe-Poet poses in front of a temple of the elder dragon spirits, to which the Khu'ur are supposedly aspected.

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Banner image credit: Viktor Titov

Type

Religious, Pantheon