Titan (world)

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This article is about the fictional fantasy world. For the real moon, see Titan (moon).

Titan is the fantasy world where the majority of Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone's Fighting Fantasy and Sorcery! gamebooks and novels, as well as the related role-playing game, are set. It is treated in detail in Titan: The Fighting Fantasy World, a guide book written by Marc Gascoigne (though credited to Jackson and Livingstone) in 1986 (ISBN 0-14-032127-6).

Contents

[edit] Continents

The world of Titan is split into three main continents: Allansia, the Old World and Khul. Most of the continents are generic medieval fantasy environments, though some areas or kingdoms have a flavour inspired by the real world; for example, the land of Hachiman in south-east Khul, featured in Sword of the Samurai, is clearly based on Feudal Japan. The parallels between the major continents and the real world are considered obvious by some:[who?] Allansia, land of adventure, is America. Port Blacksand is Los Angeles. The Old World is Europe, with its many independent states with distinct identities and historic "War of the Four Kingdoms" (World War Two). Finally Khul, the "Dark Continent", reflects the western view of Africa.

There are frequent references to the Second World War in the mythology of Titan. The Vampire of "Vault of the Vampire" and sequels is "Count Reiner Heydrich", based on Reinhard Heydrich, deputy head of the SS.[citation needed]

[edit] Allansia

Allansia is the largest continent, and the majority of Fighting Fantasy books are set here. It is largely an untamed wilderness, covered in city-states and the occasional tiny kingdom. It is also a land of extremes, ranging from the freezing Icefinger Mountains, to the temperate plains of Western Allansia, down into the Desert of Skulls and the swamps and jungles of Arantis.

[edit] Icefinger Mountains

One of the highest and most dangerous mountain ranges in Titan, Icefinger Mountains remain a wild territory, virtually untouched by the civilized world. The peaks are covered with ice and snow the entire year and its caves are inhabited by savage tribes of orcs and goblins that struggle to thrive in this hostile environment. In the most desolated places within the mountains, an occasional white dragon's den can be found.

The most known (and feared) inhabitant of Icefinger Mountains is the mysterious Snow Witch, who dwells in a secluded complex of caverns, protected by armies of slaved orcs and frightening undead minions. Legends about the Witch are contradictory at best: some say she is a powerful sorcerer and also a vampire, others say that she was murdered by a group of adventurers some time ago, but that she continues to torment the mountains in the form of an evil and almost god-like spirit.

[edit] Western Allansia

The most densely populated portion of the continent is constituted of a great extension of temperate plains ranging from the Icefinger Mountains in the north to the Desert of Skulls in the south. There are no organized kingdoms in this area of Allansia, just several villages and city-states coexisting in a feudal-like system. The notable cities in the region include Salamonis, Port Blacksand, Fang and Stonebridge.

Located in the heart of Western Allansia is the Darkwood Forest, a dark and dangerous forest that hides ancient tombs, hostile animals and, the legends say, communities of Dark elves. In the northeast, close to the tiny village of Anvil, the Firetop Mountain can be found. This mountain is home to one of the most powerful wizards in the continent, the archmage Zagor.

[edit] Khul

Khul is a continent found further to the south, and is very similar to Allansia in that it lacks any major nations. It is a fairly generic fantasy setting, but tends to be slightly more Oriental in influence, with many cultures vaguely similar to Japan, China, Russia, Mongolia and the Black Sea. Khul is strongly dominated by the Wastes of Chaos, an internal desert filled with mutants and horror.

[edit] The Old World

The Old World is the most civilised continent on Titan, being covered almost entirely by the kingdoms of Femphrey, Gallantaria, Brice, the Northlands, Lendleland, Analand, Ruddlestone and Mauristatia. The only region without any form of government is Kakhabad, a lawless areas north of Analand which features in the Sorcery! series.

[edit] Deities

Titan was created by a number of deities; for a gamebook series, Fighting Fantasy had a highly developed religious lore.

  • Titan: Creator of the World, father of the Gods
  • Logaan: Creator of Humans, known as the Trickster God
  • Sindla: Luck and Fate, Leader of the Hall of Mind
  • Libra: Justice and Truth
  • Usrel: Peace
  • Asrel: Beauty and Love
  • Hamaskis: Learning
  • Glantanka: Sun
  • Lunara: Moon
  • Throff: Earth
  • Hydana: Water
  • Galana: Plants and Fertility
  • Pangara: Wind
  • Lorodil: Volcanoes
  • Sukh: Storms
  • Aqualis: Rivers
  • Farigiss: Ice and Cold
  • Courga: Grace
  • Fourga: Pride, twin of Courga
  • Telak: Courage
  • Death: First Lord of Chaos
  • Disease: 'The Festering Lord'
  • Decay: Insects, Mould and Rot
  • Slangg: Malice
  • Tanit: Envy and Jealousy

[edit] Editions