Goliath
Goliaths are massive creatures unafraid of throwing their weight around in a fight. Highly competitive, these strong nomads can prove to be powerful allies and welcome additions to any adventuring party
Personality
Goliaths are known for their almost foolhardy daring. In their mountain homes, they leap from precipice to precipice, heedless of the fatal consequences of a misstep. They place great stock in clan and family; life in the mountains teaches even the youngest goliath to rely completely on his fellows for a hand across a crevasse. Because most goliaths are hunter-gatherers, they tend to be inquisitive, always curious about whether better hunting lies over the next ridge or a good water source can be found in the next canyon. Goliaths are coompletely unsympathetic toward tribe members who can't contribute to the well-being of the tribe anymore--an attitude reinforced by social structures. Old, sick, and otherwise infirm goliaths are exiled from their clans, never to return.Physical Description
A typical goliath is larger than the largest half-orc. Most stand between 7 and 8 feet tall and weigh between 280 and 340 pounds. Unlike with most other races, there is no appreciable difference in height or weight between male and female goliaths. Goliaths have gray skin, mottled with dark and light patches that goliath shamans say hint at a particular goliath's fate. Lithoderms--coin-sized bone-and-skin growths as hard as pebbles--speckle their arms, shoulders, and torso. Their skulls have a jutting eyebrow ridge, wide jaw, and occasional lithoderms as well. Female goliaths have dark hair on their heads, grown to great length and always kept braided. Male goliaths generally have hair only on their limbs. Goliaths' eyes are a brilliant blue or green, and they often seem to glow a little from underneath their furrowed brows. Because their skin moddling has culcural significance, goliaths dress as lightly as possible, displaying their skin patterns for all to see. For the same reason, few goliaths would willingly get a tattoo--to draw on one's skin is tantamount to trying to rewrite one's fate. Goliaths instead decorate themselves with jewelry, often sporting ear, nose, or brow rings. A goliath's lithoderms are also common places to embead a gem or two, since they have few nerve endings and stand out on the goliath's body already.Relations
When encountered in the mountains, goliaths are outwarldly friendly to anyone who doesn't threaten the tribe and can keep up with them as they climb from peak to peak. Humans who brave the mountains--rangers and druids, most often--can often earn a tasty meal by helping a team of goliath hunters. Goliaths hold dwarves in particularly high regard, wishing their tribes had the dwarven aptitude for weapon crafting. Some of the brave goliaths climb down into the tunnels and natural caverns under a mountain seeking a dwarf community to trade with. The smaller-than-human races are regarded as curiosities, but many a nimble-climbing gnome or halfling has earned respect by beating a goliath in a race up a cliff. Goliaths view the extended lifespan of an elf as vaguely frightening, finding it hard to imagine a person who could have known one's great-great grandfather. A goliath tribe's attitude toward any nearby giants varies widely. Some tribes eagerly trade with giants; the giants' weapons aren't up to dwarven standards, but they are made in larger sizes (which goliaths greatly prefer). However, giants have a bad habit of trying to turn goliaths into their slaves, using them for menial tasks they're too big or too lazy to do themselves. Conflict inevitably ensues, and soon, either the giants are dead, the goliaths have fled, or the goliaths are chained up as slaves to a giant-lord. Goliaths tend to hold goblinoids and orcs (including half-orcs) at arm's length, noting that the "downlanders" they trade with regard such races as troublemakers. But because goblinoids rarely stray into the high mountains, they are usually someone else's trouble, so goliaths don't bear them any actual malice.Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Every goliath has three names: a birth name assigned by the newborn's mother and father, a nickname or honorific assigned by the tribal chief, and a family or clan name. The birth name tends to be short--often only a syllable or two--but the clan names often have five syllables or more and always end in a vowel.
The honorific isn't a traditional name so much as it a descriptive nickname, often a two-part sobriquet. The honorific can change at the whim of the tribal chief, whether because a particular goliath did something useful for the tribe (earning an honorific such as "Highclimber" or "Nighthunter") or as punishment for failure (a middlename such as "Latesleeper" or "Wanderslost"). Goliaths who have been exiled from their tribe generally carry a middle name that reflects their status, such as "Solitary" or "Kinless." Some specific roles within the tribe, such as lorekeeper or shaman, have honorifics attatched to them as well.
When introducing themselves for the first time, goliaths always use the first name/honorific/family name construction, translating the honorific into the listener's language if possible. Thereafter, they refer to themselves and each other by the honorific alone. Goliaths traveling among other races sometimes assign honorifics to their comrades rather than use their given names.
Male Names: Aukan, Eglath, Gauthak, Ilikan, Keothi, Lo-Kag, Maveith, Meavoi, Thotham, Vimak.
Female Names: Gae-Al, Kuori, Manneo, Nalla, Orilo, Paavu, Pethani, Thalai, Uthal, Vaunea.
Honorifics: Bearkiller, Dawncaller, Fearless, Flintfinder, Horncarver, Keeneye, Lonehunter, Longleaper, Rootsmasher, Skywatcher, Steadyhand, threadtwister, Twice-Orphaned, Twistedlimb, Wordpainter.
Family Names: Anakalathai, Elanithino, Gathakanathi, Kalagiano, Katho-Olavi, Kolae-Gileana, Ogolakanu, Thuliaga, Thunukalathi, Vaimei-Laga.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Common and Gol-Kaa
Lifespan
120 Years
Average Height
8 Feet
Average Weight
450 Pounds
Related Ethnicities
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