Ice Giant
Ice giants were created as part of an experiment towards the end of the Third Age intended to create warriors capable of taking on other giant-sized creatures but also adapted for the cold of the mountains. They were wildly successful. The ice giants continue to live on in the northern mountains, strengthened by magic.
When the war ended and magic returned, the ice giants were largely immune to the virus that killed most of humanity. However, they did adapt to the magic-enabling aspect of the virus.
When magic returned, the ice giants not only were able to survive the cold, they were able to spread it. An ice giant has an ice breath that can freeze a human solid in seconds. They also have a chilling touch that causes painful frostbite in mammals.
When Galith Redbeard retreated to the mountains that the ice giants claim as home, he found an ideal race of warriors that he could mold to match his needs.
The ice giants are not technically related to frost giants, although their physioligies are similar.
Ice giants mostly solitary. However, they do have loose family clans that they move within. There is also the occasional charismatic leader that can bring a clan fully together as an extended family of 10-20 giants.
Ice giants are exceedingly aggressive against outsiders, and sometimes amongst themselves. Any humanoid approaching an ice giant does so at their own peril. Unless a hapless traveler has something an ice giant wants or amazing negotiation skills, they will likely be attacked, killed, and cooked as a snack.
Ice giants stand 3.5–4 m tall and weigh an average of 450 kg. They are suseptible to the control of the Rup Shéxul and, more recently, Galith Redbeard.
Full Origins
Some time during the Second Age, the remains of a number of giant humanoids (the Frost Giants) were found in the northern mountains. The bones were collected and put on display in a museum. They remained in the museum system, being transfered from one museum to another, placed in storage, removed and studied, put on display again, ad nauseum. They were in an underground storage facility when the The Event occurred. The storage facility remained buried until late in the Third Age. The giant bones were discoverd and handed over to reasearchers who decided that giants would be a great addition to the armies of their nation. They were able to extract DNA from the preserved bones and using well-established bioengineering techniques they grafted portions of that DNA with human DNA and created giant humanoids. Since the first batch was using the initial frost giant DNA, these giants were geared toward operating in the cold. Fortunately for the scientists, there was action in the northern mountains, so the giants were hastily trained and sent to the mountains. Unfortunately, the giants were too agressive and would not respond to discipline. The slaughtered not only the enemies, but also their handlers. As the war was intensifying and there was not time to improve on the work, the giants were left in the mountains and further research was suspended. The giants took residence in the mountains and were able to subsist to the present day.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
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