Cyclops

Cyclops are a humanoid race, and are classified as giantkin. In most respects, they appear identical to their ogre cousins, save for a single eye in the center of their forehead, and a solitary horn in place of hair. The consensus among Chroniclers is that the cyclops were created to be the craftsmen and managers of True Giant civilization. Similarly to ogres, cyclops suffer from the Hunger, but to a much lesser degree than ogres do. Today, they can be found in the southern Forbidden Plains, and the Akasik mountains range of Sarhal.

Cyclops Eye

The eye of a cyclops contains incredible magical power. With it, they are capable of seeing objects clearly from over three kilometers away, discern details that would otherwise be too minute for the human eye to see, and perceive heat and mana. Furthermore, their eyes can act as magical foci, requiring sustained focus on a target to impart their signature hexes and enchantments. They are similarly adept at divination magic through the medium of sight. To make up for their lack of depth perception, cyclops also possess an excellent sense of hearing.

Due to the value of a cyclops eye as a magical reagent or spellcasting focus, historically cyclops have been the targets of adventurers looking to harvest the lucrative organs.

The ability to perceive detail from far away has made cyclops immune to the most common symptoms of the Astral Terror; the things between the stars are much less frightening to those who have lived every day of their lives aware of them. Generally, cyclops are totally captivated with stargazing, it is near-universally enjoyed by the species, though in some cases cyclops can become “starstruck” and develop an unhealthy fixation on gazing into the heavens.

Varieties

Flametear Cyclops

Flametear Cyclops were the designated craftsmen of the ancient Fire Giant civilization in the Forbidden Plains. The largest settlement of Flametear Cyclops can be found in the Warmrock Baazar. During the ogre uprising that led to the extinction of their masters, the Flametear fought alongside their Sandmaw ogre brethren, and subsequently formed close cultural ties with them in the aftermath. Unlike the Sandmaws, the Flametear survived the consequences of the Day of Ashen Skies, and to this day still live in the southern foothills of the Forbidden Plains. Most work as goatherds, shepherding a unique breed of similarly one-eyed goats between small settlements; the rest tend to their ancestral Fire Giant forges. Such forging communities are responsible for creating many of the most legendary artefacts found in the region.

Stonedrop Cyclops

Stonedrop Cyclops were the original cyclops servants of the Stone Giants. Rough of hide and with skin colorations allegedly varying across all colors of naturally occurring stone, they acted as disciples and apprentices to their Stone Giant masters, fulfilling positions of skilled labor that required complex tasks or operating as overseers for their Ogrish servants. They fulfilled the rough equivalent of a “Middle class” in Stone Giant society. Often dwelling on the outskirts of settlements, or as distant management, it is presumed that their loyalty to their masters is one of the reasons as to why the Stone Giants did not succumb to ogrish rebellion like their plainsbound cousins.

Skygaze Cyclops

Skygaze Cyclops emerged after the arrival of the Stone Giants to Akasik. Hardened by their time in exile with their masters, these cyclops operated as their primary stewards and enactors of their will. Commanding the Dunesole Ogres, they extracted tribute from the native Akasi- willing or otherwise, in order to support the lifestyle of their masters who dwelled in quiet and silent isolation, away from the horrors of the world. However, when the Storm Queens rose in rebellion and shattered the last of the Stone Giant freeholds, the Skygaze Cyclops joined their masters in petrification or death.

When the Day of Ashen Skies occurred, however, those who chose petrification found themselves awoken into a new world, with an Akasik that found them mostly as myths and not despotic enforcers. The Skygaze Cyclops, with time integrated into Akasi society acting as tolerated - if reclusive - sculptors, shepherds, and blacksmiths, as well as spiritual leaders in some sects. They mainly took the hillsides of the mountains as their home, gazing up at the stars they hold dearly.

Galewind Cyclops

Galewind Cyclops are commonly recorded in Pre-DoAS Lencori, Hierarchy and Moorish myth, dwelling in coastal caves as isolated hermits or seers, armed with staffs carved out of sedimentary rock and adorned with shells, pearls, or other objects of the sea. Primarily inhabiting now-inundated coastlines, these enigmatic giantkin were not well recorded by early human societies. However, Galewind Cyclops were well recorded in the annals of the First Gnomish Hierarchy, where their presence, prophecies, and perceived danger were constantly under assessment and scrutiny.

Massive ruins in the Coddoran Heights and Moorhills are also linked to the former presence of Galewind Cyclops, with ruins ranging from rubble and strangely stacked stones to rune-carved pillars, walls, and even entire buildings long left abandoned and overgrown by the superstitious Moor Clans, Gnomes and later kobolds.