Goliath

Overview

The nomadic Half-Giants known as Goliaths call the mountains home, akin to dwarves. Where dwarves live beneath the rock, Goliaths dwell atop, in tribes wandering from peak to peak and valley to valley based on their needs. Their bodies are decorated with natural skin patterns akin to tattoos.
Every day brings a new challenge to a goliath. Food, water, and shelter are rare in the uppermost mountain reaches. A single mistake can bring doom to an entire tribe, while an individual’s heroic effort can ensure the entire group’s survival. Goliaths thus place a premium on self-sufficiency and individual skill. They have a compulsion to keep score, counting their deeds and tallying their accomplishments to compare to others. Goliaths love to win, but they see defeat as a prod to improve their skills.
This dedication to competition has a dark side. Goliaths are ferocious competitors, but above all else they are driven to outdo their past efforts. If a goliath slays a dragon, he or she might seek out a larger, more powerful wyrm to battle. Few goliath adventurers reach old age, as most die attempting to surpass their past accomplishments.

Driven Competitors

Goliaths men and woman place a premium on self-sufficiency and individual skill. They have a compulsion to keep score, counting their deeds and tallying their accomplishments to compare to others. Hamazakar love to win, but they see defeat as a prod to improve their skills.

Fair Play

For Goliaths, competition exists only when it is supported by a level playing field. Competition measures talent, dedication, and effort. Those factors determine survival in their home territory, not reliance on magic items, money, or other elements that can tip the balance one way or the other. Goliaths happily rely on such benefits, but they are careful to remember that such an advantage can always be lost. A Goliath who relies too much on them can grow complacent, a recipe for disaster.

Thylean Goliaths: Hamazakar

The Hamazakar are a Goliath Subraces who are culturally split between the Amazons (Woman) and Vrachos (Men). During the First War their armies were shattered by the Titans. Blaming their losses on the frailty of the men who surrounded them, they sought to isolate themselves from the rest of Thylea and create a stronger society: a society dominated by female warriors.

The Amazon Woman

Hamazakar woman are referred to as the Amazons, these warrior-woman retreated to the remote island of Themis where they live as wandering hunter-gatherers and beast tamers. Even while astride rhinos they are ever prepared for skirmishes with the other tribes in the "great game of war" that tests their strength and martial prowess. The Amazons define themselves as a sacred band of warriors who always stand together as a sisterhood. They train for combat from an early age, and once they come of age, they form into pairs of sister-warriors: lifemates. Amazonian woman are among the most feared warriors in all of Thylea having a reputation of brutal merciless berserkers. When encountered on the mainland they are often in exile, on a personal great hunt or on a journey of their own. They can also be found searching for exotic animals on the mainland for them to train and bring back home.

The Vrachos Men

The Men travel across Thylea as a means of proving themselves in battle, in the hunt, the location of ancient artefacts or other means of proving themselves. Therefore many are located in the wilderness while those too old to continue the journey create small enclaves that serve as outposts for forays into dangerous terrain, serving as guides, mentors as well as aid with raising children unfit to journey into the world.
As such many are found wandering the mountains, scouring the steppes or sailing the seas for the ultimate trophy. While some travel alone some form groups form around a single great warrior in hopes that they themselves can aspire to their glory. It is not rare for these warbands to raid settlements or ships for food, supply and to test their mettle in combat against worthy opponents. Once a year they are allowed to present their trophies to the Amazons, and if proven worthy may enter the island of Themis. While on the island they partake in games and competitions meant to showcase their abilities to the woman and may roam freely. Yet they have no voice in civic matters or in how children are raised. As a result men often tend to leave the island after a certain amount of time.