Fiction:The Firmament/Primordial

"Even the eldest of the High Elves is but a child to the ancient Primordials. Their ruins tell of a past over ten thousand years old, where they ruled this world like kings and queens. Yet, despite having studied their ruins for centuries, we are still nowhere close to finding out what happened to them... and consequently, where we came from, if they are truly our forefathers."

- Bhegnin Flintfinger, dwarven archaeologist

The mysterious race of giants known only as Primordials to the current inhabitants of Telamon are said to have been among the first sapient inhabitants of the world, as well as the masters of its first true civilization.

History
Study of the Primordials' history is a job taken by many archaeologists and historians across the world. The true name of the race has been lost to history, as despite the presence of their ruins across the landscape, the mentions of their names seem to have been erased from all of them. It is said that the only remaining record of their name is within the Incircumscriptus, the unholy lore tome of the demon lord Analuhati, who relishes in hiding this possible information from those who seek it.

Tales among elder outsiders state the Primordials were born from the World Tree Eondrassla, predated only by the most ancient dragons, alongside all other lifeforms of Telamon fifteen thousand years ago. Granted a level of intellect beyond that of mere beasts, these giants proceeded to create a civilization which spanned the world, which by then was a single, massive landmass. The capital of their empire was the colossal city of Luzaselon, a name which is mentioned many times in ancient ruins as the pinnacle of Primordial civilization, located at the center of Telamon's landmass, from which the immortal lords of the world ruled with the guidance of the gods for five thousand years.

However, the Great Gap caused by the attack of Varagarash Narahil has caused most of what follows to be a mystery. However, archaeologists have managed to pierce together certain facts over the millenia; the empire of the Primordials was devastated by demons, causing them to flee to the outskirts of the continent in an attempt to survive. A group of Primordials made a deal with the demon lord Druacath, offering their servitude in exchange for survival, turning against their own kind and being transformed into the first ancestors of the Greenskins - orcs, goblins and their relatives. Once the demons were defeated and Varagarash Narahil retreated back to the lower planes, the Primordials had changed; many had degenerated into large but dim-witted creatures like giants, trolls and ogres, while others retained their ability of great learning at the cost of a smaller stature, being transformed into the races of immortality.

The high elves claim to be the direct descendants of the Primordials, a claim heavily contested by the dwarves. In either case, the original Primordials are believed to have been utterly extinct for at least 8,000 years.

Characteristics
Accurate descriptions of what the Primordials looked like are impossible to discern thanks to the Great Gap, which appears to have erased most of such information from the universe. However, certain facts about them have been unearthed over the years.

The Primordials are believed to have been humanoid giants averaging around 5,5 meters in height. Engravings in their ruins depict them sporting large, pointed ears similar to that of elves. Their males are almost always depicted in such illustrations as having large amounts of facial hair, comparable to Dwarves or the most rugged of humans. Both males and females are believed to have been physically impressive beings with supernatural strength, endurance and immortality. Their empire, led by a figure known only by the title of "Star Dragon", appears to have been a monarchy led by this figure with the aid of a council of wizard lords.

It is not known if the Primordials shared the world with any other civilized race, as none of their ruins mention interspecies interactions. Rather, there were conflicts among their own race, most of them apparently being solved through diplomacy and dialog. Those few unearthed exceptions give a hint at the military power of the Primordial's empire, seemingly able to tear down entire landscapes with the magical spells and weapons of war.