Annam (Dungeons & Dragons)
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
roleplaying game, Annam is the giant
deity of Magic, Knowledge, Fertility, and Philosophy. Also known as the All-Father, is the creator god of the giant pantheon. His symbol is a pair of crossed hands, held palms together with their fingers facing downward.
(1992).
His role in the giant pantheon of the Forgotten Realms
setting is detailed in Giantcraft (1995).
His role in the cosmology of the Planescape
campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground
(1996).
(2004).
His role in the Forgotten Realms setting is revisited in Faiths and Pantheons
(2002).
Annam rarely sends an avatar to the Prime Material Plane
, doing so only at moments of the greatest historical import. His avatar observed the Rain of Colorless Fire, for example, though if he had a role in this disaster he does not speak of it.
When he does appear, Annam takes the form of a 60' or 100+' tall giant with white hair, wearing a robe of midnight blue.
s, the giantish pantheon of gods consists of the leader Annam, as well as Grolantor
, Hiatea
, Iallanis
, Karontor
, Memnor
, Skoraeus Stonebones
, and Stronmaus
. Other powers worshipped by giants or giant-type creatures include Baphomet
, Kostchtchie
, and Vaprak
.
Annam fathered the gods Stronmaus
, Grolantor
, Iallanis
, and Skoraeus Stonebones
on an unnamed sky goddess. Surtr, the dead goddess Shax, Diancastra
, Hiatea
, Thyrm
, and Karontor
are also said to be his children, but perhaps with different wives or concubines (of which Annam is said to have had many). Memnor
is sometimes said to be his son with the sky goddess, and other times said to be his brother, or the spawn of a world-devouring monster that Annam or Stronmaus destroyed. An enormous, hideous ogress is said to have seduced Annam, with Vaprak
as the result.
Annam is most proud of his son Stronmaus, who inherited much of his power, but he wearies of his other, more quarrelsome sons. He seemed incapable at first of even noticing his daughters until Hiatea proved herself to him by means of a series of heroic feats. He accepted the later birth of Iallanis, and Diancastra's feats of wit impressed him greatly, convincing him to elevate her to the status of hero-deity.
In addition to these gods, Annam also fathered each of the true giant races (as well as the ettin race) with the goddess Othea as part of a plan to have his giant children rule Toril.
In some myths, Annam is said to ride the ki-rin deity Koriel
.
, in a realm called Gudheim, but Annam departed for his crystal tower because he tired of having to watch over countless worlds and conflicts; in his realm a mechanical orrery of the multiverse simulates the perfection he craves.
Gudheim still exists, containing an orrery similar to the one in Annam's current realm. Particularly pious clerics of the giantish gods are believed to be invited to Gudheim for one night just before their deaths.
The spirits of all giants who die in battle are said to be carried off to Jotunheim in Ysgard by Muspel and Muznir, a pair of Annam's servants who take the form of enormous owls.
Any priest or shaman of Annam who strikes another giant, willingly or not, must forfeit his position or undergo disvestiture.
, all giants put aside their other duties to ingest vast amounts of food and to celebrate Annam's eventual return. Most tribes celebrate their unity by sending ambassadors to attend each other's celebrations.
. In some legends, he works with human and demihuman deities to create worlds in cooperation, but in most myths he creates alone. The storm giants think of Annam as a sleeping god, and believe reality sprang from his dreams.
at a time before the existence of dwarves
, elves
and humans
. He met and married Othea who took the form of a mountain on the edge of the Cold Lands. They had children, who were not Annam's first (he had previously had immortal children), but they were Annam's first terrestrial children. His favourite sons were Lanaxis, Masud, Nicias, Obadai, Ottar, Ruk and Vilmos, who all went on to form one of the main giant species, and his two-headed son, Arno and Julian, went on to become ettin
, meaning "runt". He also believed that Dunmore was his son, but this was not the case: Dunmore's father was Ulutiu
.
Annam discovered that his wife was having an affair with Ulutiu and killed Ulutiu as a result. He wanted to have another child who would be able to rebuild his kingdom of Ostoria after the war with the dragons
, but Othea was so upset by the death of Ulutiu that she refused. Annam tricked her to get her pregnant, and the pair reached a compromise whereby the child would be allowed to live if Annam agreed to leave Toril until it called his name.
It's unclear how Ulutiu returned to life, but he made a deal with Annam whereby the giant god would spare Othea in exchange for Ulutiu's voluntary exile. Ulutiu sank into the Cold Ocean with his necklace; the sea flash-froze into the Great Glacier. Othea planned to reunite with Ulutiu but was murdered for her adultery by one of her sons, who for reasons unknown to mortals could not venture onto the ice while his mother lived.
The dwarf war god Clangeddin Silverbeard famously believes the only good giant deity is a dead giant deity. Annam is more or less forced to oppose Clangeddin by default.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
roleplaying game, Annam is the giant
Giant (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, giant is a type of creature, or "creature type." Giants are humanoid-shaped creatures of great strength and size.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
deity of Magic, Knowledge, Fertility, and Philosophy. Also known as the All-Father, is the creator god of the giant pantheon. His symbol is a pair of crossed hands, held palms together with their fingers facing downward.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
Annam first appears in the 2nd edition book Monster MythologyMonster Mythology
Monster Mythology is a sourcebook for the second edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Released by TSR in 1992 and written by Carl Sargent, with interior illustrations by Terry Dykstra, John and Laura Lakey, and Keith Parkinson, Monster Mythology was released as a companion volume for...
(1992).
His role in the giant pantheon of the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
setting is detailed in Giantcraft (1995).
His role in the cosmology of the Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground
On Hallowed Ground
On Hallowed Ground is an accessory book for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, for the Planescape campaign setting.-Contents:This book contains information about deities' planar domains from 20 separate pantheons...
(1996).
Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition (2000-2007)
Annam appears in 3rd edition in Defenders of the Faith (2000). His priesthood is detailed for this edition in Complete DivineComplete Divine
Complete Divine is a supplemental rulebook for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game published by Wizards of the Coast...
(2004).
His role in the Forgotten Realms setting is revisited in Faiths and Pantheons
Faiths and Pantheons
Faiths and Pantheons is a campaign accessory for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons, for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.-Contents:...
(2002).
Description
Annam is wise, learned, and philosophical, but also lustful, instinctive, and unpredictable, and he can become bored with endless contemplations. He can be both jealous and witty. He is selfish, sees all others as his inferiors, and is uninterested in the passage of time as it applies to others. Once he has made up his mind, he will almost never change his opinion. While he is all-knowing and prone to deep meditations, he makes many mistakes when he follows his instincts. He foresees the future but cannot prepare for it.Annam rarely sends an avatar to the Prime Material Plane
Prime Material Plane
The Prime Material Plane is the central plane of existence in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
, doing so only at moments of the greatest historical import. His avatar observed the Rain of Colorless Fire, for example, though if he had a role in this disaster he does not speak of it.
When he does appear, Annam takes the form of a 60' or 100+' tall giant with white hair, wearing a robe of midnight blue.
Relationships
In many campaign settingCampaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
s, the giantish pantheon of gods consists of the leader Annam, as well as Grolantor
Grolantor
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Grolantor is the deity worshiped by the hill giant race, as well as ettins, and some frost giants and ogres. His sacred animal is the dire wolf. His holy symbol is a wooden club....
, Hiatea
Hiatea
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Hiatea is the giant deity of nature, agriculture, hunting, females, and children. Her symbol is a flaming spear.-Publication history:...
, Iallanis
Iallanis
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Iallanis is the goddess of love, forgiveness, mercy, and beauty in the giant pantheon. Her symbol is a garland of flowers.-Publication history:...
, Karontor
Karontor
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Karontor is the giant deity of deformity, hatred, and beasts. His symbol is the head of a winter wolf.-Publication history:...
, Memnor
Memnor
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Memnor is the giant deity of pride, honor, mental prowess and control. His symbol is a thin black obelisk.-Publication history:...
, Skoraeus Stonebones
Skoraeus Stonebones
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Skoraeus Stonebones is the deity worshiped by the stone giant race. He is also known as "King of the Rock" and "The Living Rock". His sacred animal is the cave bear...
, and Stronmaus
Stronmaus
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Stronmaus is the giant deity of sun, sky, weather, and joy. His symbol is a forked lightning bolt descending from a cloud that partly obscures the sun....
. Other powers worshipped by giants or giant-type creatures include Baphomet
Baphomet (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Baphomet is a demon lord who rules a layer of the Abyss called the Endless Maze. He is the Prince of Beasts and the Demon Lord of Minotaurs.-Publication history:...
, Kostchtchie
Kostchtchie
Kostchtchie is a demon lord from the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game.-Publication history:Kostchtchie made his first appearance in the first edition module The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth...
, and Vaprak
Vaprak
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Vaprak is the deity worshiped by ogres and trolls. Vaprak is also known as "The Destroyer." His symbol is a taloned hand.-Publication history:...
.
Annam fathered the gods Stronmaus
Stronmaus
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Stronmaus is the giant deity of sun, sky, weather, and joy. His symbol is a forked lightning bolt descending from a cloud that partly obscures the sun....
, Grolantor
Grolantor
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Grolantor is the deity worshiped by the hill giant race, as well as ettins, and some frost giants and ogres. His sacred animal is the dire wolf. His holy symbol is a wooden club....
, Iallanis
Iallanis
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Iallanis is the goddess of love, forgiveness, mercy, and beauty in the giant pantheon. Her symbol is a garland of flowers.-Publication history:...
, and Skoraeus Stonebones
Skoraeus Stonebones
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Skoraeus Stonebones is the deity worshiped by the stone giant race. He is also known as "King of the Rock" and "The Living Rock". His sacred animal is the cave bear...
on an unnamed sky goddess. Surtr, the dead goddess Shax, Diancastra
Diancastra
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Diancastra is the trickster-goddess of the giant pantheon. Her symbol is a sea-green streak, which is based on the mysterious mark she bears on her shoulder....
, Hiatea
Hiatea
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Hiatea is the giant deity of nature, agriculture, hunting, females, and children. Her symbol is a flaming spear.-Publication history:...
, Thyrm
Thrym (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Thrym is the lord of the frost giants. He is a god of cold and ice, as well as a deity of magic.-Description:...
, and Karontor
Karontor
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Karontor is the giant deity of deformity, hatred, and beasts. His symbol is the head of a winter wolf.-Publication history:...
are also said to be his children, but perhaps with different wives or concubines (of which Annam is said to have had many). Memnor
Memnor
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Memnor is the giant deity of pride, honor, mental prowess and control. His symbol is a thin black obelisk.-Publication history:...
is sometimes said to be his son with the sky goddess, and other times said to be his brother, or the spawn of a world-devouring monster that Annam or Stronmaus destroyed. An enormous, hideous ogress is said to have seduced Annam, with Vaprak
Vaprak
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Vaprak is the deity worshiped by ogres and trolls. Vaprak is also known as "The Destroyer." His symbol is a taloned hand.-Publication history:...
as the result.
Annam is most proud of his son Stronmaus, who inherited much of his power, but he wearies of his other, more quarrelsome sons. He seemed incapable at first of even noticing his daughters until Hiatea proved herself to him by means of a series of heroic feats. He accepted the later birth of Iallanis, and Diancastra's feats of wit impressed him greatly, convincing him to elevate her to the status of hero-deity.
In addition to these gods, Annam also fathered each of the true giant races (as well as the ettin race) with the goddess Othea as part of a plan to have his giant children rule Toril.
In some myths, Annam is said to ride the ki-rin deity Koriel
Koriel
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Koriel is the ki-rin deity of learning, protection, and vigilance against evil. His symbol is the horn and eyes of a ki-rin.-Publication history:...
.
Realm
Annam’s Hidden Realm is on the plane of the Outlands. He originally lived in YsgardYsgard
Ysgard is the Outer Plane of Chaotic Neutral / Chaotic Good alignment in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. It is also called Asgard, Gladsheim or The Heroic Domains...
, in a realm called Gudheim, but Annam departed for his crystal tower because he tired of having to watch over countless worlds and conflicts; in his realm a mechanical orrery of the multiverse simulates the perfection he craves.
Gudheim still exists, containing an orrery similar to the one in Annam's current realm. Particularly pious clerics of the giantish gods are believed to be invited to Gudheim for one night just before their deaths.
The spirits of all giants who die in battle are said to be carried off to Jotunheim in Ysgard by Muspel and Muznir, a pair of Annam's servants who take the form of enormous owls.
Dogma
Worshippers of Annam believe the giants are destined to rule the world. They are taught to honor the Ordning, the hierarchy of giantish society. They are advised not to raise their hands against their fellow giants, and taught not to fear the passage of time, which favors the giants over shorter-lived peoples. They are not to underestimate other races, but neither are they to allow them to impede their goals.Worshippers
Annam is worshipped by almost all giants, who see him as the greatest example of their own subspecies, personifying the traits that they value the most. To hill giants, he is an enormous glutton; to stone giants, he is the greatest of artists. To frost giants, he is a mighty warrior and reveler.Clergy
Annam's priests are extremely rare since the god's retreat, and some worlds may have no priests whatsoever. They must be truly exceptional, having the blood of the elder giants in their veins, and rule their people as kings. Annam may grant omens to his priest-kings once they reach 10th level, revealing the broad course of the future history of the priest's people. He will do this only once in their lives, and will grant omens to no one else.Any priest or shaman of Annam who strikes another giant, willingly or not, must forfeit his position or undergo disvestiture.
The Grand Feast of the All-Father
On the first day of the first month of each yearGreyhawk Calendar
The Greyhawk Calendar is a fictional calendar used in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game...
, all giants put aside their other duties to ingest vast amounts of food and to celebrate Annam's eventual return. Most tribes celebrate their unity by sending ambassadors to attend each other's celebrations.
Ceremony of Investiture
Once every two years, a priest of Annam holds a special ceremony to invest new clergy into the service of the various giantish gods. It is considered a great honor for a tribe's temple to be selected for this purpose.Prayer Vigil
Once a month, a prayer vigil is conducted to honor the All-Father and ask for his guidance.Creation
Annam is believed by giants to have created all the worlds of the Prime Material PlanePrime Material Plane
The Prime Material Plane is the central plane of existence in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
. In some legends, he works with human and demihuman deities to create worlds in cooperation, but in most myths he creates alone. The storm giants think of Annam as a sleeping god, and believe reality sprang from his dreams.
Annam's retreat
Some myths say Annam retreated to his hidden realm over despair at the endless quarreling of his sons. Some say, instead, that he fled to escape the wrath and nagging of his many wives and concubines, or in sorrow that he could never find a bride who was his equal. Still others say he is nursing the wounds he suffered when he fought the evil giant god Memnor. In other stories he made a deal with the goddess Othea to bear his child in return for Annam leaving the realm.Forgotten Realms
Annam came across the planet of Abeir-TorilAbeir-Toril
Abeir-Toril is the name of the fictional planet that makes up the Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, as well as the Al-Qadim and Maztica campaign settings and the 1st edition version of the Oriental Adventures campaign setting.The name is archaic, meaning "cradle of life." It...
at a time before the existence of dwarves
Dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, dwarves are a humanoid race, one of the primary races available for play as player characters...
, elves
Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...
and humans
Human (Dungeons & Dragons)
Humans are a race available for player characters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. Although short-lived by comparison, humans are the most populous of all Dungeons & Dragons races. They are renowned for their diversity and ambition, and although they lack specializations like...
. He met and married Othea who took the form of a mountain on the edge of the Cold Lands. They had children, who were not Annam's first (he had previously had immortal children), but they were Annam's first terrestrial children. His favourite sons were Lanaxis, Masud, Nicias, Obadai, Ottar, Ruk and Vilmos, who all went on to form one of the main giant species, and his two-headed son, Arno and Julian, went on to become ettin
Ettin (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the Ettin is a giant-like creature. The creatures' name comes from the Anglicization of the Jötunn giants of Norse mythology.-Description:...
, meaning "runt". He also believed that Dunmore was his son, but this was not the case: Dunmore's father was Ulutiu
Ulutiu
Ulutiu is the father of the Giant Kin races and one of the many gods in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He is the god of glaciers, polar environments, and arctic dwellers....
.
Annam discovered that his wife was having an affair with Ulutiu and killed Ulutiu as a result. He wanted to have another child who would be able to rebuild his kingdom of Ostoria after the war with the dragons
Dragon (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game , dragons are an iconic type of monstrous creature used as adversaries or, less commonly, allies of player characters...
, but Othea was so upset by the death of Ulutiu that she refused. Annam tricked her to get her pregnant, and the pair reached a compromise whereby the child would be allowed to live if Annam agreed to leave Toril until it called his name.
It's unclear how Ulutiu returned to life, but he made a deal with Annam whereby the giant god would spare Othea in exchange for Ulutiu's voluntary exile. Ulutiu sank into the Cold Ocean with his necklace; the sea flash-froze into the Great Glacier. Othea planned to reunite with Ulutiu but was murdered for her adultery by one of her sons, who for reasons unknown to mortals could not venture onto the ice while his mother lived.
The dwarf war god Clangeddin Silverbeard famously believes the only good giant deity is a dead giant deity. Annam is more or less forced to oppose Clangeddin by default.
Additional reading
- Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online:http://www.wizards.com/rpga/downloads/LG_Deities.zip