The Ordening of Giants
When Annam the All Father first rose from the depths of Exousía's sea, millenia ago in the Primordial Age, his first creation was the Giants. As he crafted his children from the warrior Flame Giants to the artistic and thoughtful stone giants along with all of their other kin, he had his children do battle. This battle was meant to build respect, and to determine where each of his children fell in the hierarchy they called the Ordening. Now every 10,000 years the giants battle to establish a new place in the ordening, and this dictates the direction of their civilization for the next generation.
Structure
The ordening determines who holds power within the giant social structure. It is as follows
- Frost Giants
- Cloud Giants
- Flame Giants
- Storm Giants
- Stone Giants
- Hill Giants
- Trolls
- Ettin
- Ogre
- Goliath
Culture
Following the Ice Giants, the Ordening is currently in a state of colonization of other continents. Raiding weaker peoples to expand their power is keeping their armies strong. This warlike spirit is based on the idea that their time to launch an invasion on Serpentis, to finish their age long feud with the Dragon-kin, is coming.
Public Agenda
Currently, the government is pressing the idea that they are preparing to conquer land in Ómar Crún so that the greater giants need not share their Ancestral land with lesser kin.
Assets
- Massive treasure stores
- Heavily fortified buildings
- Elite, well trained troops
- Large stores of Elementium
History
The Giant-Kin have existed in Collatus since long before even the written language. Many older giants speak of Ages before what humans call the Primordial Age that have been long lost to history.
At the Ordening's conception, the Giant-Kin were put in a place of opposition to one another for centuries. Intrigue, betrayal, and distrust were common amongst the giants until a common threat unified them. When Serpentis and Strya were one continent, the giants told rumors of flying serpents that were generally believed to be tall tales, but when the Chromatic dragons decided to launch their invasion everything changed.
"The First War", as human historians have taken to calling it, lasted for thousands of years. If you ask the Giant Kin it is still going on today. The giant-kin and the dragon-kin went to war, and their conflict was heard across all of Collatus. This formed a strong idea of family and loyalty amongst the Giant-Kin that lasts even today. Even when Strya and Serpentis split apart and "ended" the war between dragon and giant, the Giant-Kin still held fast to one another creating one of the most powerful and isolated empires on the planet.
Demography and Population
- Frost Giants. 8%
- Cloud Giants. 7%
- Flame Giants. 12%
- Storm Giants. 3%
- Stone Giants. 7%
- Hill Giants. 8%
- Trolls. 3%
- Ettin. 2%
- Ogre. 15%
- Goliath. 35%
Military
While every greater Giant clan has their own army and Militia, the Flame Giant army of Annam's Axe are the predominant military force of the Ordening.
Technological Level
The biggest aid to the giants technology is the Arcane material Elementium. Through this material they have extremely powerful weaponry, engineering mechanisms, and untold arcane ability.
Religion
Most giants are devout followers of Annam the All-Father, who they believe to be not only the one who crafted Collatus and the Sea of Expusía, but also who every giant is directly descended from. Day to day culture is still directly in line with Annam's principles and beliefs.
Laws
- Most crimes in giant society hold extremely lengthy jailing. Thievery and other petty crimes can end up costing you thousands of years in their prisons.
- Murder is considered the most egregious crime that can be committed. Giants cannot die unless they are killed and the destruction of a potential million year life is considered evil and unforgivable.
- Acting out of turn against Giant-kin greater than yourself is punishable by jailing or corporal punishment.
- Small folk and dragon-kin are legally barred from setting foot on Strya, the giants Ancestral land.
- At the end of every 10 years, all Giants must give their tax in the form of all of their belongings aside from their home and just enough to survive Taxing Season. This is gauged by the tax collector who gets the taxes. From here all belongings are taken to the High Throne where the government takes a percentage of all giant-kin property. Then the wealth is redistributed wherever the wealth is going to do the most good for the ordening overall. Every giant gets a return based on their location and contribution.
- Refusing to pay your tax is considered incredibly shameful and can lead to one being expelled from the Ordening.
Agriculture & Industry
- Strya is built upon a seemingly bottomless supply of Elementium that the Ordening uses to power everything from their farms to their forges.
- Most of the Ordenings food comes from Earth Elementium powered farms and their massive fishing industry
- Produce oil that can be burnt from the massive supply of Whales near their waters
Trade & Transport
- Trade caravans on the mainland generally consist of several longboat going through the continents many rivers.
- Trade across the sea with the Red Lotus and Imperium Aereum is done on titanic ships and from Cloud Giant floating castles.
Education
Every class of the Ordening is educated to different degrees on different subjects. The extent to which each group us educated is as follows:
- Frost Giants- the Frost Giants from the time of their birth are trained in combat predominantly. Battlefield strategy and military leadership are near the top of their ranks. They are also taught to read in order to become educated on their religion to a baseline extent. They are also taught whatever history is known or recorded by the Giant-Kin and are expected to have an extremely intimate knowledge on that subject. They are also given courses on foreign relations and the history of other foreign empires.
- Cloud Giants- Are trained their entire life in the ability to communicate with other cultures, a practice that is generally not valued in Giant-Kin culture. They are expected to not only be experts in Giant language, but be multilingual and well educated on the languages they know. They are taught in the arts and craftsmanship if several cultures. By far the pinnacle of Cloud Giant education is how extensively they are expected to know and memorize Giant family trees dating back to pre-primordial times.
- Flame Giants- Are born as warriors and weaponsmiths. Flame Giants are trained in military formations and tactics. They are also expected to be capable to use many different types of weapons and just as capable with Improvised weapons and brawling. Fire Giants famously can't read or even count generally. They are however trained in survival in virtually any natural environment on Collatus, making not only formidable warriors, but expert scouts and trackers.
- Storm Giants- trained as prophets, priests, and oracles. All storm Giants are expected to know every tenet of Annam the All Father and virtually every text of this religion throughout its ancient lifespan. They are taught how to read and very basic math.
- Stone Giants- trained from birth in the arts of crafting, construction, and architecture. Stone giants are generally the engineers of the Giant-Kin and as such are experts in mathematics and ancient languages.
- Hill Giants- are generally considered too stupid to learn anything but farming and raiding. They are rarely informed of any goings on outside of their general area and even the oldest hill Giants know little of their peoples history.
- Lesser Giants- are considered peasantfolk and will only get as much schooling as their parents or village elders are able to provide. Generally trained in an industry reflecting their heritage.
Infrastructure
- Aqueducts
- Water Mills
- Sewage
- Riverway Ferries
- Mines
- Castles
- Bridges
- Border Towers
- Walls
- Courts
- Prisons
Strength, Kin, Honor
Founding Date
Early Primordial Age
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Capital
Alternative Names
Giant-Kin
Demonym
Styari
Leader
Ruling Organization
Leader Title
Founders
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Monarchy, Elective
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Palace economy
Gazetteer
- Strya
- Northern Plains of Thunder (Ómar Crú
Currency
The giants don't use Coin or any marker for currency, rather working in amounts of resources being traded and bartered.
Major Exports
- Elementium
- Precious metals
- Giant Animals
- Fish
- Oil
Major Imports
- Adamantine
- Alcohol
- Rice and grains
- Spices
Legislative Body
The Long-Seer Council is made up of prominent Cloud Giant nobles in council with Storm Giant seers and oracles. They write out most of the laws in conjunction with what the Storm Giants see in the near and distant future. High King Erling has ultimate veto power and is able to write anything he deems just into law.
Judicial Body
Common and petty crimes are ruled upon by Flame and Frost Giant judges who are stationed in every major settlement. Crimes committed by the Clergy or nobility are decided on by the High King or one of his personal advisors.
Executive Body
The Flame Giants are tasked with guarding and defending their kin and running their armies. With this, they hold say in where guards and troops are stationed, and make up executioners and jailers.
Official State Religion
Deities
Location
Official Languages
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Related Species
Related Ethnicities
Comments