A full year and a half has passed since the first arrival of the giant
humanoids through the circle of energy in the Dardanic grasslands. Since
then much has transpired, almost too much for this poor scribe to keep
pace. But this scribe shall attempt to pen here faithfully all that has
occurred, nevertheless, for the annals of history must not go
impoverished.

Previously it was written that men and women came through a strange
portal in the grasslands, always in pairs. The pairs were numbered five,
and each pair wore distinctive colours. Each had one golden eye, and one
eye of a different colour, with vertically-elongated pupils. They spoke
a language unknown to any, despite the linguistic variety found amongst
the curious who flocked to meet them.

The pairs wandered the lands, tking interest in the culture and
city-states of Achaea. Despite their intimidating size, they received
those Achaeans who approached them with civility. Several times however,
they were attacked by the more violent Achaeans; each time, they fled
back to the portal. Only one of the giants is known to have been killed
at that point: by the dragon Occultist called Rocktamer. However, he was
certainly not the only one who tried, merely the only one who succeeded.

Zenui and Carmell of Shallam, through their persistent efforts to
communicate with the giants, began to learn the giants' language slowly.
They learned that they were called the Vertani. Others came to
understand the Vertani language as well, but the learning was painfully
slow. The Vertani soon sent a priest named Ralem through the portal, who
took up residence at the temple of the Logos in Saoghal and taught their
language to all who came to visit him.

The Vertani, once they were able to communicate with the Achaeans,
showed a boundless curiousity. They were interested in all manner of
things Achaean, from city-state structure and current politics, to the
magi Master Crystals, to the workings of Vodun dolls and combat in
general, to commerce and commodities, to the temples and religions of
Achaea.

They were puzzled and shocked by the concept of polytheism and expressed
that they worshipped a single principle called simply the All. The
concept of casual duel to the death and praying for salvation, as well
as resurrection -- returning to life at all -- also shocked them greatly.
Though the scouts insisted that the Vertani meant no harm, only came to
see and to learn, they could not answer many of the more difficult
questions put to them through either lack of authority or lack of
knowledge. They were merely scouts, after all.

Those who could answer were not long in coming. A Vertani diplomat named
Hingar of House Kortul arrived through the portal and arranged a meeting
with leaders of all the city-states of Achaea on the 21st of Eros 379
AF, where he answered many a question. He travelled with dignitaries
from several other Houses; unlike the pairs of scouts who had come
earlier, Hingar and these others all possessed matching golden eyes.

The portal, Hingar explained, was the Vertani's first foray into
interplanar travel, built by their mages. The portals could not be used
by Achaeans -- Achaeans could not survive in the Vertani homeland due to
the nature of the air there, while the hardier Vertani could survive in
Achaea. Hingar also explained various facets of Vertani culture which
shed light on some of the earlier scouts' reactions: for instance, that
they do not believe in being resurrected after death.

After giving the gift of a red torc to representatives from each of the
city-states -- Carmell, Josalyn, Alynna, Erhon, Ravai, and Ainia --
Hingar enjoined the city-states to participate in a game that the
Vertani would sponsor, one very similar to the CTF games played in
Achaea. It was called the Game of the Eyes, and Hingar promised that the
three highest scoring cities would win prizes of special monuments from
the Vertani. The meeting was held on the neutral ground of Thera. It was
disturbed briefly by Dyzanru who attacked the diplomats, but was swiftly
dispatched by them.

On the 14th of Sarapin 380 AF, a House Cupwr diplomat named Vorr arrived
at the Crystal Leaf Inn, where he conversed with many Achaeans. He
gifted many with rings, receiving gifts of Achaean jewellery in kind. He
expressed the ideals of his House, which are centred around arts and
culture. He explained the ideals of each of the other Vertani Houses in
turn, of which there are nine.

The Game of the Eyes was held in Aeguary of 380, presided over by the
Vertani Overlord Estan, who viewed the game from a peak within the
southern Vashnars. Ashtan triumphed with Eleusis not far behind, and
Hashan was the third highest scoring city-state. Congratulating the
winning cities, Estan departed to have the promised prizes sent on their
ways.

In the following month of Miraman, the priest Ralem who had been
teaching the Vertani language in Saoghal was beset upon by Cain and
Daitya in the Temple of the Logos. The guards and mages who protected
him were slain, but Ralem escaped back to the portal, shouting out his
outrage before his departure back to his homeland.

Vertani diplomats followed by guards and a House Feranki mage later paid
visit to the three winning cities. The House Feranki mages brought forth
silver monuments in each city in impressive displays of magic. These
monuments possessed special properties indeed, one of which being to
bring fallen citizens back to life in the manner of the Flame which
burns in Yggdrasil.

The cities were rather suspicious of such presents from a culture that
does not believe in resurrection. Debate raged at the motivations of the
Vertani: were they truly as benign as they presented themselves, or did
the giant foreigners harbour malign intentions? Many wondered whether it
would be wise to refrain from using the monuments until they had studied
for side effects, and at least one city attempted to limit its use
entirely, but to little avail thus far.

Once the diplomats and their entourages had left after placing the
monuments, with Ralem's departure, Achaeans would not see the Vertani
again until Chronos of the same year, when four columns of golden flame
blazed into the sky above the Dardanic grasslands. Achaeans rushing to
the portal were met by the Overlord Estan and four House Feranki mages,
flanked by guards. Four immense amber-gold cubes had been laid out in a
wide square around the portal, and they blazed with strange, heatless
fire. Questioned, the Overlord would only say that due to the many
attacks and deaths suffered by the Vertani, they were simply taking
measures to protect themselves.

After sending a Vertani scout off to bring back "the merchant", the
Overlord commanded the mages to begin their task. The Feranki mages each
took position behind one of the amber-gold cubes, and working in
synchronisation, charged them with energy. Several in the crowd gathered
there shouted for the mages to stop, yet the mages pressed on unheeding.
Blazing columns of golden flame shot up into the sky once more from the
cubes, then between them shimmered the insubstantial shadow of a--no,
the solidifying form of a--no, an impenetrable fortress of steel-grey
stone, built around the portal of the Vertani.

By this time, the Vertani scout had returned with the ore merchant
Sethrin of Delos. The Overlord Estan proclaimed again that the fortress
was meant only as a line of defense against those who indiscriminately
murdered them. He and his entourage, followed by Sethrin, disappeared
into the fortress. Later, the ore merchant posted a missive from the
Vertani to the public newsboards explaining that the motivations for
raiding the fortress were purely defensive, acting as scribe for the
Vertani.

And this scribe must now put the quill to rest. All that is known to
this scribe to have come to pass, has passed in the form of black ink
through this worn nib and lies upon this page before me, recorded within
the annals of history forevermore.

Penned by my hand on the 21st of Chronos, in the year 380 AF.