Hecatoncheires
Greek
Tartarus / Aegean
Giant (Primordial)
Aggressive
AffinitiesStone, Earth, Storm
Lore
Hecatoncheires is a Giant (Primordial) whose presence reads like an earthquake in slow motion: an impossible mass of limbs and torque bound into a single, titanic organism. Smell: metallic ozone and the cold iron tang of freshly split stone, mingled with damp earth. Sound: a relentless percussion—hundreds of palms striking rock, the groan of massive joints, and the distant, syncopated roar of falling boulders. Temperature: heat of friction radiates from their movements like a forge‑vent, while the ground beneath them carries an older, stoic chill. A field observer notes they announce themselves as rhythm and impact long before any shape becomes visible.
Origin: Greek • Tartarus / Aegean
Classification: Giant (Primordial)
Field Notes
Observations
- A chorus of irregular, thunderous strikes across a wide area and enormous handprints or gouges in bedrock.
Encounter Advice
- avoidance: Never approach the source of rhythmic pounding. Give wide berth to fissures, quarry faces, and cliff ledges where the earth bears fresh percussion marks. Move to high, stable ground and wait for tremors to die rather than investigating.
- defense: If escape is impossible, seek shelter under solid overhangs or behind bedrock that cannot be lifted. Create massive, immovable barriers (wedged boulders, packed earth) to slow reachable limbs and place yourself out of the direct arc of motion; avoid direct engagement and do not attempt to free or bind their hands yourself.
- offering: A slab of worked stone or a bundle of forged iron left at the edge of their stamping ground—tokens of strength and labor—may quiet curiosity, buying time rather than friendship.
Abilities
- Hundred-Handed CataclysmAll hundred arms strike in impossible coordination to hurl volleys of boulders and pulverize fortifications in a single, synchronized assault.
- Tectonic GraspPlants multiple hands into the ground to wrench tectonic plates, creating localized earthquakes and tearing open chasms.
- Aegaeon's Sea-SweepA sweeping arc of arms named for Aegaeon summons gale-driven waves and maelstroms that break fleets and coastal defenses.
Weaknesses
- Titan BindAncient celestial chains forged by Uranus or allied titans can imprison or severely restrain their limbs and movement.
- Cramped EnclosureTheir hundred arms require open space—narrow caverns, tight columns, or confined vaults entangle and neutralize their barrage.
Lore Check: HecatoncheiresQuestion 1/12