Giants

Giants are remnants of the beings known as Titans. Titans were one of two progenitor species for the universe. Titans and their Giant offspring are purely physical beings, they have no souls. Titans created the material plane of Atheron, and at natural death each giant becomes a physical feature of the landscape. There are three very broad categories of giants: water giants, earth giants, and sky giants. In each of these categories, giants range in power from ‘not-much-more-powerful-than-a-human’ to ‘can-change-the-course-of-history-or-geology.’ Powerful giants are almost universally androgynous, appearing only vaguely humanoid. Very weak giants have much more human appearance, and may even demonstrate humanoid secondary-sexual characteristics. They have very powerful innate magic. Each giant grows continuously, if slowly, throughout their life, gaining more magic as they do. This magic is vaguely elemental in is nature. However, each giants’ magic is based on the geological or weather phenomenon that they are slowly becoming. So, a lake giant will have some master of earth and water. A glacier elemental will be a master of ice magic. The Titans were mostly destroyed by the gods in ancient times. More died during the rise of the Hegemony. The fall of the last titan in the Dragonwar may have been the trigger for the gods’ Sundering. All giants hate ALL living things. They wish the world to return to its ‘pure’ form, before it was contaminated by this curse called ‘life’. As such, adventurers are as likely to see a giant destroying a forest or grassland as they will find a giant attacking human settlements. However, giants bear a special hatred for the dwarves, who they blame for the death of the first Titan – Ymar. Since the Sundering, Giants have increased in number, though their power of individual giants seems to have greatly receded. Modern giants still have no souls, and thus do not have afterlives, nor do they reincarnate. Giants that are killed by violence simply leave behind a body that decays by normal biological processes. Giants that choose to die or die by maturation do still turn into some geological or meteorological feature or phenomenon. Giants are not biological beings. They are entirely magical beings ‘made’ from the structures of the planet of Atheron. As such, while there are small giants, who are often relatively young, there are no giant-children. New giants spontaneously arise from areas where giants or their magic dominate the landscape. Such ‘hatcheries’ are incredibly well-defended from invaders. Since the Sundering, the offspring of giants have become much more variable, with several new true-breeding species arising from giant parents. Ettins and cyclops are still considered true giants that are physically deformed in some way, and do not usually form geological features at their natural death. Much further removed from giants are the ogres. Ogres are descended of giants, but who have become ‘corrupted’ with immortal souls that are tainted by infernal beings. No matter their appearance or abilities, giants universally hate humanity and its offspring. Giants frequently attack human settlements and use their magic to destroy or disrupt the ‘homes’ of active Kami. Giants are willing to kill and humans when they can.