#az-pratu

[kururu418]

Tales Of Mewni: End Of A Legend

Jagur, Morgana, and Puff to visit Az-Pratu. The elderly goliath is looking in rough shape, but still entertains the youngsters…

Commission for @thepaladincosplays

[thepaladincosplays]

Are there any other Goliaths out there in Mewni (aside from Puff, Sarasim, Morgana, and Az-Pratu)? What was Sarasim's mother like?

Yes, there are. Other than Morgana and Ar-Baruk (who, if you remember, was left with a broken back after the end of Return of Haku and forced to shamble his way out of the arena with Viper after Haku disbanded the Cult for failing him).

Previously named Mira, the arena master of the Pit in Undertown is a woman named Priscilla Sword-Tooth. She's open about what she does and could care less how many laws she breaks by running an unsanctioned arena.

Then you've got Ur-Edin, a sellsword who typically hangs around the Spiderbite kingdom. He's been contacted by some of the rebellions to give them his assistance but he adamantly refuses them each time, always sending their messengers back without a hand.

Ak-Bordo is the strangest out of the other known living Goliaths. Mostly because he's simply referred to as the "walking tree" because of how unnaturally lanky he is. He's pretty much a local horror story in the Johansen kingdom.

Sevirra is a wandering merchant but because of her size she doesn't get many customers. She also sells her fighting skills as a sellsword, and because she's a travelling merchant she'll take any job anywhere.

[kururu418]

While on the way back from Jaggy Kingdom territory, Puff decides to look and see if there are anymore goliaths hiding within the mountains. But soon he finds himself compelled to go towards one mountain in particular, and before he knows it he ends up meeting another of his kind in a strange place.

Commission for @thepaladincosplays

[thepaladincosplays]

The Goliath Tribes

Back when they were prominent across Mewni, the nomadic Goliaths were split into many encampments. Among these there were five different tribes, each with their own banner flag: the Blooded Tusks, the Bone Crushers, the Fort Fellers, the Ancient Rites, and the Nameless Horde.

The Blooded Tusks were known for their strategy in battle, which was rare to see from the Goliaths since most charged into battle head first. They seemed to favor the sword and ax over other weapons. The Blooded Tusks were one of the first Goliath tribes to fall to the hands of the Mewmans, and their last surviving member, Az-Pratu, lives on as the Keeper of the Tomb of the Tyrant.

The Bone Crushers, as their name implies, were infamous for breaking their enemies’ bodies as a sign of strength. Perhaps the most cruel of the Five Tribes, the Bone Crushers were also known for taking prisoners and hanging them by their wrists in front of their war camps. The last Bone Crusher to be seen was Ar-Baruk the Orc General, one of Haku’s minions.

The Fort Fellers earned their name for their lust for stealing forts without mercy. If someone were to lose their fort to them they lost not just the land but every brick used to build the fort. It’s said that the Fellers would take the stone they reaped and used it to keep the Tomb of the Tyrant well defended and healthy.

The Ancient Rites were well known for sticking to the Goliath traditions, and for good reason. The greatest Goliath, Ar-Janek the Tyrant, came from this tribe and set forth the traditions that all Goliaths, no matter the tribe they hailed from, would follow. When the Tyrant was defeated it was his tribe that had his tomb built beneath his forge - the Breath of the World.

The Nameless Horde were the last of the tribes to form after the Mewman-Monster Wars from the ancient days of the Titanic Ten. Although members of this tribe weren’t nameless they were known for calling one another by their weapons more often than by their actual names. As well they were the biggest of the Five Tribes and were often seen the most in wars in the waning years of the Goliaths’ near extinction.

So yeah, came up with the idea that the Goliaths (being the nomadic group they were) weren’t just one big group and split apart into different groups to better suit themselves. Figured with the Goliath centric fic I’m working on right now I should release some info about them.

[thepaladincosplays]

OK Prince real talk, are there any descendants of Ar-Janek still kicking and why is it Puff?

Well to be honest with you…

Nah I don’t think it’s Puff lol. He already doesn’t care about the Goliaths since they’re all but basically dead and his righteous blood frenzy spilled a lot of his feelings out about them in his fight against Ar-Janek. Plus that’s all up to @kururu418 anyway but we usually come up with some pretty good ideas together so I could see us whipping up an interesting backstory for how that happened (if it did/will be the case).

But to answer your question there is a living descendant. The relation is directly from his blood line but out of every Goliath left alive (full blooded or otherwise) no one is quite sure who it could be. Though I imagine if Astro wanted to find out just in case they could pose a threat he would do the research.

[thepaladincosplays]

Since Ar-Janek came back from the dead in the TT10 Arc, how would Az-Pratu reacts to this? Also, does this means Az-Pratu's curse is lifted temporary?

When Ar-Janek burst from his sarcophagus, Az-Pratu was terribly frightened by it because this was something that was never foretold. As far as the curse being lifted it didn’t lift because the curse is tied directly to the tomb and the keeper, not Ar-Janek’s corpse

[thepaladincosplays]

Az-Pratu guards a long standing tomb. Not a tomb for a king or a queen, however. A tomb for a tyrant - the Tyrant.

A quick fic about Ar-Janek’s tomb and its guardian!

[thepaladincosplays]

So how did Az-Pratu end up being as old as he is?

Az-Pratu is cursed with being the Keeper of the Tomb of the Tyrant, Ar-Janek’s tomb. When he died Ar-Janek’s tribe set a curse on his tomb so that whoever was tasked with keeping it could never die and join the Eternal War, the Goliaths’ heaven. Instead they’re forced to live a coward’s life, staying away from battle, and they have to take care of the tomb and the forge above it.

Az-Pratu was cursed when he was 40, after the previous Keeper tricked him into taking on the responsibility. The only way for the Keeper to pass on their duties is to get another Goliath to agree to take them on in their stead, freeing them from the curse. Az-Pratu isn’t happy with his situation but abides by it any how, being one of the last Goliaths to adhere to the Old Ways.

[thepaladincosplays]

Did You Know?

Most of the named male Goliaths (specifically Ar-Janek, Ar-Baruk, Az-Pratu, and Ur-Edin) have names derived from the Olog-Hai from Middle-Earth: Shadow of War. This is because that’s where I got the naming conventions for male Goliaths. While trying to think of a name for the first Goliath we know, Ar-Baruk, I had been playing the game at the time and heard a warchief chant for an Olog named Ar-Baruk and was interested in the way most of the Ologs were named, adopting the naming convention for the Goliaths.

[thepaladincosplays]

Considering how old Az-Pratu is, how long can Goliaths actually live? Like if they didn’t try to die in battle.

If they didn’t try to die in battle they could live up to about a hundred years old, maybe just a tad bit over that. Az-Pratu is a special case, however, because of the circumstances he’s in. I had a fic planned a while ago detailing his life and his duties as the keeper of Ar-Janek’s tomb, but I stopped working on it once I got back into the swing of Return of Haku.

[thepaladincosplays]

How many Goliaths are there left and who are they?

So in total there are at least four (known) Goliaths left. I’ll go ahead and write descriptions for each of them.

Ar-Baruk the Zealot, led by Haku the Imperfect. Forty years old, Ar-Baruk is nearing the age expectancy for Goliaths and has been seeking a warrior’s death to join the Eternal War with the other great warriors of his race’s past.

Puff the Juggernaut, Captain of the Queensguard’s sixth division. At only twenty years old he leads the Queenguard’s blacksmiths in the Forge. Not many have seen his face, and those that have are either dead or liked enough by the big man to be trusted to keep its appearance secret. 

Az-Pratu the Keeper, the oldest living Goliath. With over two hundred years experience in protecting the Tomb of the Tyrant, Az-Pratu has lived for two hundred and eighty years. Anyone who isn’t a Goliath and unlucky to find the fourteen foot keeper will find themselves at the end of his club. 

Kira Sword-Tooth, the Pit Master of Undertown. Thirty years old, she’s in control of the fighting arena of Undertown, the Pit. She seems to uphold the simpler Goliath traditions of competition and fighting as opposed to bloodshed and warfare.

[thepaladincosplays]

L and M please

L:  How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

At least four times over. It’s all mental work though so I don’t write anything down and make it concrete unless I know for sure I want it written that way.

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

I do have a fic idea for Az-Pratu doing his normal duties taking care of Ar-Janek’s tomb.