Titans. They are an enigma. For a reason. Molag Bal has been hoarding the winged creatures for at least 2 centuries, and likely more. Who knows how many of these creatures there are? Irregardless, when you see a Titan, what comes to mind? A daedroth, or Clannfear? Well, believe it or not, the Daedroth and Clannfear have only recently shifted in appearance. The Daedroths' hide used to be more green, and resemble Crocodiles, with humanoid limbs. The Clannfear used to have a more avian, lizard appearance, with more defined scales. This implies that the Daedra change appearance and have more subtypes than what is commonly accepted(Perhaps the relation in appearance that the Titans have used to be more defined?).
Many of my peers say that Titans aren't dragons. You're right, they aren't. But, if Denograth the Dread Archivist(a daedra with charge of the Library of Dusk, the largest knowledge compilation in Coldharbor) is to be believed(and his information has been verified relatively completely, if with a bias), the first Titan was born in the Azure Chasm of Coldharbor, out of the Dragon Boziikkodstrun(research on him has already been conducted by the Dread Archivist. See "Daedra Dossier: The Titans" for it), so, despite being Daedra, the Titans are a close relative of the Dragons, just as Drakes, Dragonlings, and (unlikely, one can dream!) perhaps even Wamasu are. Though, I think I speak for the Dov when I say this perversion of their kind is a great offense, it is still important to study the creatures to get more information on the Dov.
Moving on, it is not unheard of for perversion of noble creatures to happen. For example, the strong, albeit wit-absent Ogres, can sometimes be mutated, perversed, and otherwise changed into the slaving, even more stupid Orgrims. The Aldmer that followed Trinimac also were changed, into the Orismer. So on and so forth.
Titans still swarm the White-Gold Tower from the air, and are commonly seen flying in the Imperial City. I've seen that harpies that can pick you up, taking you to a nest, and feed you to her hatchlings. It wouldn't be too hard for a Titan to pick up multiple combatants, crush them, drop them, or throw them into danger. Strangely, the Titans PREFER close combat, by my experience. They also stand on two legs, rather than on four, as the Dragons did. Perhaps for convenience, or nobility, or to be taller, and therefore more intimidating? I know not. And I don't think the Prince of Domination would be willing to share why he made them this way. Maybe they used to use four legs? Wouldn't surprise me.
The titans bear the visage of their master, and are high in the ranks of His army. Bearing in mind the Dread Archivist's testimony, there are apparently distinguished ranks amidst the Titans, being Greater, and Lesser, Titans. The mandibles, the almost-orcish, alien appearance, they all bear the mark of Coldharbor.
The titans make use of their brute strength, claws, tail, and even wings during combat. But their most distinguishing feature from their original counterparts, the Dragons, is that they do not breathe 'fire'. Instead, like the Flame Atronachs of Coldharbor, they breathe Frostflame, a blue flame, that, despite its name, does not freeze you physically. Rather, it strikes at the soul. The blue flame is...well, it's unpleasant to feel, and tears one's soul, and licks at your flesh just as normal flame would.
Next point, is that of the creatures' intelligence. By looking at them, you might compare them intellectually to clannfear or daedroth. But, that'd be a grevious mistake. These creatures are bestowed intelligence, perhaps even more than dremora. Zandadunoz spoke much during our battle, belittling us, and praising his master so greatly, you'd think that there was something more...sensual, going on between Zandadunoz and his master. So it's obvious, from this interaction, and the Dread Archivist's testimony, that the Titans' intelligence, are at least on par with Dremora/Mortals. Mayhaps even more.
Lastly, before we delve into combat tactics, is their origins. Though the Dread Archivist goes into great detail on the why, how, and what, of the Titans, he neglects(perhaps because they are all immortal) the when. Well, the Dragon Empire collapsed in the unmeasurable Merethic Era, but the first case I found,(I'm looking at the Imperials that claim the first Titans were those above the White-Gold tower. I address this further in my research on Zandadunoz) was Zandadunoz The Ravager, circa 1E 980, after the fall of First Orsinium.
How to fight a Daedric Titan?
Titans are a terrifying foe(I believe that has something to do with the being a mockery of the once God-Kings of Man) to fight, but I can certainly give credence on how to fight them. My fight with Zandadunoz was quick, with the help of varying Vestiges (of all creeds, races, colors, and beliefs. Evil has a way of uniting the heroic), but it was by no means a painless fight. (I 'died' twice, the bastard and his frostflames!). First and foremost, if you can help it, have something overhead, be that a mountain, ceiling or even a ward. Keep the scaly daedra from simply carrying you or your peers away. Keep him in range, and sustained damage will help down the monster. Besides, Arrows do nothing against a flying behemoth like the Titan.
How do I know this? Have you ever seen a Giant fight a Titan? No? I have. Northern Cyrodil, in fact, I was present for the terrifying sight of an Imperial Giant swing his collosal maul at what looked to be a Titan (Black, hole-blotched wings, check, blue eyes, frostflames, check). I've also heard tale of Daedric Civil Wars when Flesh Collosi battle Titans. And in that situation, most of the time, the Titans come out of the fray victorious. Why? Why would these daedra have an advantage over the vast strength of the Flesh Collosi and Giants? Well, for starters, they have the high 'ground'. Secondly, they, too, have vast stores of strength. Don't underestimate them.
Moving on, try to have another with you. Preferably those lacking their soul, as they(given that they have a soul gem) have an infinite pool of life. More people split the attention of the Titan, and therefore allowing you to get more hits in on the demon.
Next, If you've got the pleasure of being an honorable member of the Fighters' Guild, take advantage of that! I've heard tale of the venerated Elites of the guild able to summon the Dawnbreaker(a great sword forged from starlight by the Lady of Light, Meridia), which, in of itself, is more than capable of cutting through the flesh of the Titan, but any abilities taught by the Stewards are especially effective.
Another tactic is to combine your efforts. What I mean is, if you are of the Dragonknights, as I am, you have at your arsenal, the Fire and Poison of the Dragons. Combine this, along with any cutting weapons that can make an opponent bleed (Such as the claws of a werewolf, as I am), you can tear him asunder.
Finally, SECURE THE HEART! From my studying, it is apparent that some Titans, if not all, can be manually recalled to Nirn, despite the Soulburst, via a ritual that I know not of, with their heart.
Heed these and you will have a more likelihood of victory. Be cautious, comrades. Even if they are perverse children in the shadow of their superiors, the Dragons, they are the closests things to them as we know, so don't dare underestimate, mock, or otherwise be arrogant towards them.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Dragon Research Chapter 2: Zandadunoz, oh how the mighty have fallen!
Zandadunoz The Ravager, The Reborn
Researcher: Anko Dragonrider
Gender: Male, presumably, due to voice and plethora of male visage in Molag Bal's realm.
Age: Unknown, at least 2 centuries, being nearly half of the age of the youngest Prince, Mauloch
Allegiance: Molag Bal, Worm Cult
Reign: Originally, late first Era, then mid second era.
Discovery: Unfinished Dolmen, Wrothgar 2E 582 by Anko Dragonrider, but originally by the Orismer in the late 1E, sometime after the 980th year
Subtype: Daedric Titan
Cause of Death: Thruz Gro-Fharun's warrior band, back in the 1E, second Anko Dragonrider and a group of vestiges during the Wrothgar Conflict.
Zandadunoz was a Daedric Titan. "But Anko" you say, inquisitive as ever, "Titans are daedra, not Dragons, you doddering wench!"
See my research on the Daedric Titans(. You'll change your tune.
To start with, I want to bring something up. During my research into the Titans(After my fight with Zandadunoz, I was intrigued, and found out that they were related to Dragons!) I found Imperials that claimed that the first Titans were those of the dozens, perhaps hundreds, that swarmed through the largest anchor still in Nirn, the one above the Imperial City, around the White-Gold tower. There are two possible outcomes, and I will address both of them.
First, is that Zandadunoz is indeed, a titan. This contradicts the Imperial 'Scholars' statements, and corresponds with Curator Usmutha's research regarding the Heart of Zandadunoz, which says, and I quote;
"...the vicious *titan* Zandadunoz the Ravager..."
Titan, is what is depicted in Orsinium's lore. This supports that Zandadunoz, and perhaps many other Titans, had come through to Nirn long before the Planemeld.
The second outcome, which is FAR more exciting, is that Zandadunoz wasn't a titan. This implies that he was a DRAGON! Yes, it's a bold claim, but besides the fact that many scholars cannot recollect any previous Titans before the planemeld, Usmutha could have been using the term titan (as its not capitalized) as an adjective, rather than noun.
Expanding on the said theories, the first one is rather cut-and-dry, since daedra don't die, rather, they recollect their soul, and get a new body.
But, the second theory poises some more questions. For example, is there anymore allusions to Zandadunoz being a dragon? Not many, but one I found was breaking apart his name, and I found a Dovahzul(which could be coincidence) depicting Devour. As many know, Dov names are three words, and fury seems to be the second word in it.
Furthermore, Zandadunoz being a Dragon would mean that he, like Boziikkodstrun, was made into a Titan. Unlike Boziikkodstrun though, his soul was still intact, so Zandadunoz the Ravager was reborn in a Daedric shell, serving Molag Bal, out of fear, out of indignancy(as many daedra and mortals do), or perhaps Zandadunoz the Ravager was lost somewhere along the timeline.
Now that we're done talking about historical and scholarly contradictions, let's move onto objectivity. Zandadunoz, dragon or titan, seemingly appeared in Wrothgar "...after the fall of the first Orsinium...",(Circa 1E 980) and earned the name The Ravager. For good reason, too. He ran amok in southern Wrothgar, to the point, where some fearful Orcs abandoned Mauloch (and most likely, some Trinimac worshippers were included in that lot), and worshipped the Titan/Dragon. While these Orcs worshipped Zandadunoz, it is unknown the creature's response to it. However it is known that another group, some fifty men, led by Thruz gro-Fharun, grouped together to slay the heretics and the creature, and otherwise make Wrothgar safe. After a supposed myriad of weeks, though the cult lay dead, nearly 76%(38) of the 50 Orc warriors that set out had perished. The Pariah Folk's leader, Thruz, was not to be stopped. He rushed the monster, and ripped out its "Black and fiery" heart, supposedly 'killing' it(this supports the theory that Zandadunoz the Ravager was a Titan, due to its obvious daedric qualities. Though it could also be demonization/flowery language.), as dead an Immortal could be. Unfortunately, Thruz was consumed in the fire, and died. This fight occurred south of Honor's rest, and Zandadunoz was defeated.
However, Zandadunoz lived, as one would expect. Whether born anew as a Daedra, or simply reborn after perishing, Zandadunoz was later summoned via his heart by the Worm Cult at a dolmen site. He took the title "The Reborn" from there on. He, in exchange for being brought back to the place of the petulant Orcs that had killed him nearly a century before, promised to protect the Dolmen site. Unfortunately for him, he was no match for the Vestiges, and was killed oncemore, even more ironically, some of us were Orcs. History repeats itself, eh Zandadunoz? I secured his Heart, had one of our Vestiges place a ward on it, and gave it to Curator Usmutha for the Museum. Now no one will call Zandadunoz through the heart again. But who knows? Zandadunoz could come back.
Researcher: Anko Dragonrider
Gender: Male, presumably, due to voice and plethora of male visage in Molag Bal's realm.
Age: Unknown, at least 2 centuries, being nearly half of the age of the youngest Prince, Mauloch
Allegiance: Molag Bal, Worm Cult
Reign: Originally, late first Era, then mid second era.
Discovery: Unfinished Dolmen, Wrothgar 2E 582 by Anko Dragonrider, but originally by the Orismer in the late 1E, sometime after the 980th year
Subtype: Daedric Titan
Cause of Death: Thruz Gro-Fharun's warrior band, back in the 1E, second Anko Dragonrider and a group of vestiges during the Wrothgar Conflict.
Zandadunoz was a Daedric Titan. "But Anko" you say, inquisitive as ever, "Titans are daedra, not Dragons, you doddering wench!"
See my research on the Daedric Titans(. You'll change your tune.
To start with, I want to bring something up. During my research into the Titans(After my fight with Zandadunoz, I was intrigued, and found out that they were related to Dragons!) I found Imperials that claimed that the first Titans were those of the dozens, perhaps hundreds, that swarmed through the largest anchor still in Nirn, the one above the Imperial City, around the White-Gold tower. There are two possible outcomes, and I will address both of them.
First, is that Zandadunoz is indeed, a titan. This contradicts the Imperial 'Scholars' statements, and corresponds with Curator Usmutha's research regarding the Heart of Zandadunoz, which says, and I quote;
"...the vicious *titan* Zandadunoz the Ravager..."
Titan, is what is depicted in Orsinium's lore. This supports that Zandadunoz, and perhaps many other Titans, had come through to Nirn long before the Planemeld.
The second outcome, which is FAR more exciting, is that Zandadunoz wasn't a titan. This implies that he was a DRAGON! Yes, it's a bold claim, but besides the fact that many scholars cannot recollect any previous Titans before the planemeld, Usmutha could have been using the term titan (as its not capitalized) as an adjective, rather than noun.
Expanding on the said theories, the first one is rather cut-and-dry, since daedra don't die, rather, they recollect their soul, and get a new body.
But, the second theory poises some more questions. For example, is there anymore allusions to Zandadunoz being a dragon? Not many, but one I found was breaking apart his name, and I found a Dovahzul(which could be coincidence) depicting Devour. As many know, Dov names are three words, and fury seems to be the second word in it.
Furthermore, Zandadunoz being a Dragon would mean that he, like Boziikkodstrun, was made into a Titan. Unlike Boziikkodstrun though, his soul was still intact, so Zandadunoz the Ravager was reborn in a Daedric shell, serving Molag Bal, out of fear, out of indignancy(as many daedra and mortals do), or perhaps Zandadunoz the Ravager was lost somewhere along the timeline.
Now that we're done talking about historical and scholarly contradictions, let's move onto objectivity. Zandadunoz, dragon or titan, seemingly appeared in Wrothgar "...after the fall of the first Orsinium...",(Circa 1E 980) and earned the name The Ravager. For good reason, too. He ran amok in southern Wrothgar, to the point, where some fearful Orcs abandoned Mauloch (and most likely, some Trinimac worshippers were included in that lot), and worshipped the Titan/Dragon. While these Orcs worshipped Zandadunoz, it is unknown the creature's response to it. However it is known that another group, some fifty men, led by Thruz gro-Fharun, grouped together to slay the heretics and the creature, and otherwise make Wrothgar safe. After a supposed myriad of weeks, though the cult lay dead, nearly 76%(38) of the 50 Orc warriors that set out had perished. The Pariah Folk's leader, Thruz, was not to be stopped. He rushed the monster, and ripped out its "Black and fiery" heart, supposedly 'killing' it(this supports the theory that Zandadunoz the Ravager was a Titan, due to its obvious daedric qualities. Though it could also be demonization/flowery language.), as dead an Immortal could be. Unfortunately, Thruz was consumed in the fire, and died. This fight occurred south of Honor's rest, and Zandadunoz was defeated.
However, Zandadunoz lived, as one would expect. Whether born anew as a Daedra, or simply reborn after perishing, Zandadunoz was later summoned via his heart by the Worm Cult at a dolmen site. He took the title "The Reborn" from there on. He, in exchange for being brought back to the place of the petulant Orcs that had killed him nearly a century before, promised to protect the Dolmen site. Unfortunately for him, he was no match for the Vestiges, and was killed oncemore, even more ironically, some of us were Orcs. History repeats itself, eh Zandadunoz? I secured his Heart, had one of our Vestiges place a ward on it, and gave it to Curator Usmutha for the Museum. Now no one will call Zandadunoz through the heart again. But who knows? Zandadunoz could come back.
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