Cylcops Characteristics

The Cyclops are a race of massive humanoid giants, rumored to be a cursed, primitive offshoot of the titans themselves. They are most well known for their large, singular eyes located in the center of the forehead. They otherwise appear as muscular humanoids of extraordinary size. The Cyclops are terrifyingly strong, but brutish and stupid, possessing all the physical power of the Titans with none of the wit. Dressing in poorly made furs and hides, they prefer heavy two-handed weapons, using them as harvesting tools just as much as they do for defense.

A Cyclops is prone to anger, easily vexed by word games and riddles, preferring solitude and island caves to society and mingling. On the rare occasions the Cyclops do gather, the devastation they can inflict on a countryside of normal humanoids in a short amount of time can take decades to repair. They stand anywhere from 20 to 30 feet tall and can weigh upwards of 10,000 lbs.

History

In truth, Cyclops are the cursed offspring of the Titans, a race of intelligent, charismatic, magically gifted immortal giants that reside above the earth. The events that cast down the Cyclops and cursed them are largely unknown to most other races. Most are simply grateful that the monolithic creatures are reclusive unless bothered.

In the past, before their downfall, the Cyclops were a caste of Titans that served mostly as hard laborers and craftsmen, while their cousins pursued the arts and higher education. Whenever one from the lower caste would reach too high, they would be told that there was not enough room in the upper tiers of the city, and that without their aid the city would crumble. Being easily tricked and of a more goodly nature at the time, the beleaguered commoners would return to their posts to labor away for the benefit of the city, not aware they were being used.

Eventually, a perhaps too clever peasant Titan named Sonthas disguised himself as one of his rich cousins and snuck through the upper tiers of the sky city, discovering to his surprise that there was plenty of space and resources for all of their kind. He was captured, and his crimes were read aloud at a public execution. Before the sentence could be carried out, however, a legion of angered workers strengthened from centuries of hard labor charged the proceedings, launching a full-scale revolt.

The revolt failed, but not without great loss on both sides. Unable to win a war without mutual extinction, a spell was cast to curse the titans, sending them hurtling down to the material plane, robbing them of their intelligence and memories, condemning them to forever see the universe through a narrow viewpoint.

Culture

Cyclops are mostly solitary, preferring isolated islands and large mountains where they can hunt and dominate their environment. While not very intelligent, they are smart enough to gather and maintain livestock as a food source. They are also greedy and covetous, and once convinced that something is valuable, they will threaten and attack until that thing is surrendered. Many of these giants serve as unwitting guardians to powerful items or artifacts placed in their dwelling by other powerful beings. Some of these arrangements are done with the Cyclops’ knowledge, as they only tend to accept payment in the form of food and pretty gems, making for cheap hired labor.

While most do not work in groups, small communities of the creatures have been known to spring up, usually only to mate or assault a particularly powerful enemy. When acting on the latter, they display a curious ability. Perhaps instinctually, they perform a resonating hum that many would describe as a dirge. Lesser creatures find this intimidating beyond tolerance and are typically given cause to flee as soon as the Cyclops attack. Some believe this ability harkens to an ancient laborers song from their ancestral past, its true secrets long since lost.

Cyclops Types