Omus Thal

Omus Thal

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© Daniel S. Wall, October 4, 2026.

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“Indeed the Axe of Omus Thal proved to be the finest of all creation, all save one. The same soon proved true of his sword, of his armor, and of his shield. When his hammer too proved to be nearly the finest ever made, this was the end of the contest, of the judges, and of the building in which the contest had taken place.”

– Maul Dammengarren, High Priest of Mognir

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“Indeed the Axe of Omus Thal proved to be the finest of all creation, all save one. The same soon proved true of his sword, of his armor, and of his shield. When his hammer too proved to be nearly the finest ever made, this was the end of the contest, of the judges, and of the building in which the contest had taken place.”

– Maul Dammengarren, High Priest of Mognir

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Description: Omus Thal appears to be great giant of some sort. His features are twisted and ugly and his skin calloused wart-ridden. Omus is Thal is the father of all giant kindreds. He is a practitioner of magic, and a dedicated craftsman, focus his energies on the creation of weapons and armor. Omus cares little for the affairs of men, but he will go to great lengths to protect his progeny.

If the Lord of Giants has a weakness, it is his temper. When Omus Thal is frustrated, no-one is safe, not even his own followers. Omus and his followers have shown little interest in the affairs of men, but the same could not be said of men themselves as they often seek out giants for their skills in crafts and magic. Omus has always set the tone for such dealings, insisting that men must pay dearly for the skills of his kindred while offering little guarantees of his own. Omus will finish a task when he sees fit to do so and not before. Should he prove dissatisfied with his creation, Omus may well destroy it, even if it has been promised to someone else.

Religion: Omus Thal has a dedicated cult of worshippers among the frost giants, and a number of followers among the ranks of other giants. Outside the giant kindred few would count themselves as followers of Omus Thal, but many of the wretched kindreds have been known pay homage when crafting weapons and armor.

Domains: Crafts, Giants.

Symbol: A Hammer over a Shattering Anvil.

Favored Offerings: Well-crafted weapon.

Relations with Other Deities: Omus Thal regards Mognir with a mixture of admiration and hatred. He is oblivious to other deities.

VII: A Conspiracy of Creation

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© Daniel S. Wall, October 4, 2026.

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This is Chapter 1 of the most authoritative account of creation contained in the Stone Philosophic. A full table of contents can be found here.

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Text

Deep within his cave, Gnea Sharn grew jealous of those living under the sun. To no-one he spoke words of anger and resentment.

And no-one answered, “Do you not wish a place in the sun for yourself?”

“Yes,” snarled Gnea.

“Place a stone under the moonlight and it will be done.”

Hval Maluk grew bitter in the north, jealous of his beautiful new siblings at play in warmer waters under the sun.

And he too heard a voice; “Do you not wish to be known to your siblings?”

And the beast howled his assent.

“Spit upon a rock and it will be done.”

Zhidastra too sat alone seething with rage at the very sight of lives well-lived in pleasant places.

“Would you have their children know of yours?”

And the great monstrosity nodded.

“Throw a piece of ice into the distance and it will be done.”

Each of the abominations carried out its appointed task. Climbing to the surface, Gnea Sharn placed the oldest of stones from his cave under the moonlight in the cold lands of the north. Turning to see the rock for himself, Hval Maluk spat upon it, and his saliva soon froze into a block of ice. And then Zhidastra took the rock encased in ice and threw it with all his might.

Born thus of malice and magic, the great comet Hoklan soared up into the distance, but before it could clear the skies, three small shards broke apart from it and fell to the earth.

Seeing the first shard fall to the earth amid the filth of the wastelands, the great tortoise, Ayomichi, tried to catch it. Ayomichi was not quick enough, and the shard fell to the ground, becoming the Goblin King, Bit Nuluk. Born in the knowledge that he and his own would never be welcome among men, Bit Nuluk soon set about the creation of his armies, siring goblin and hobgoblin alike. In time, he would also create the kobalds, carefully instilling in each of his children knowledge of war and impressing upon them a way of life filled with that which they know best.

Seeing the second shard fall toward the mountains Ayomichi climbed as best he could in the hope that he could safely catch the falling piece of rock, but alas the great turtle could not manage the ascent. The shard fell into the mountains and became the Omus Thal, Lord of Giants. Omus looked out upon the world and saw no-one he might call a friend. Retiring to a great cavern, he set about crafting a world to his own liking. In time, he would sire all the kindreds of giants, none of whom would show kindness to man. Omus taught them all to keep to themselves.[1]

Seeing the third shard falling toward the sea, Ayomichi swam quickly to its destination, only to be struck soundly upon his back with a force the likes of which he had never seen. Ayomichi swam to shore and rested along the beach and nursed his wounds. Off his back stepped a full grown man of great nobility and profound courage. He thanked the great turtle and flew up into the sky whereupon he created a great and beautiful storm.[2]

The great comet Hoklan returns every hundredth year to bear witness to the creation of the lesser abominations, and of Heaven himself. Ayomichi’s shell still bears the scar left by the falling of heaven.

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[1] Some scholars have questioned the accuracy of this passage. Sea Giants, for example, get along well with humans and all the fair kindreds of the world, and benign individuals have even been found among the kindreds of Fore Giants and Frost Giants. Attempts have been made to explain this contradiction, but none have proven successful. In view of this, some scholars have suggested that one shouldn’t trust any giants, not even those who trade with men or craft items of use to all. Still, the greatest scholars of the Library Philosophic have been known to wink at the passage, and to suggest that some words are best taken in half measures.

[2] The final stage of this chapter has been the subject of some debate, both as to the intended outcome and effect of Ayomichi’s intervention. In the end, the plan produced two lesser abominations whereas most would suppose it was intended to produce three. The Tierzen have long held that Svezedira himself was to be the third creature formed of the falling shards. Still others have suggested that some still greater beast was to have appeared when the third shard fell to the earth. Among the Hobgoblins, it is often suggested that no such terrible plan was ever in the offing. Indeed, the great Hobgoblin sage Venik Kull held that Heaven appeared, just as he was intended to, just as the Goblin King and just as the God of Giants did. Each of these gods, so Venik maintains, is exactly what it was intended to become. The elves of course regard this as preposterous.