Giant
The Giants are among the oldest and most powerful races in the world, but they have long since fallen from the height of their power. The only true victors of the First War, the giants were early in establishing their cosmic order, spreading across their lands and building the first true empire, Ostaria. Giant warriors, mages and smiths building giant empires, of which only ruins now remain. The Giants have long fought the Dragons in genocidal and terrible conflicts, the repercussions of can be felt to this day.
While they are a people on the decline, the Giants remain powerful, and they grow slowly more desperate.
While they are a people on the decline, the Giants remain powerful, and they grow slowly more desperate.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The most obvious anatomical characteristic of the Giants are their stature, massive humanoid-like creatures, ranging from 16 to 26 feet in height. Anatomy and morphology varies drastically between the Giant races, though they are all characterized by hair, skin and eye color adjacent to their element. Some of the old Giants who have affinity with the elemental powers are further transformed, with skin of stone and hair of fire.
Genetics and Reproduction
Giants reproduce in the manner of humanoids, though the ordeal takes a good deal longer than what most humanoids can hope to muster. Reproduction is possible between the different giant races, but rare, and some such pregnancies lead to spontaneous abortions. When giant races intermingle, the child will generally be born to the lower Stétt.
A Giant pregnancy will often last for many years, from 3 years for Hill Giants to 9 years for Storm Giants, though the pregnancy will first start to debilitate the mother-to-be in the last couple of months.
A Giant pregnancy will often last for many years, from 3 years for Hill Giants to 9 years for Storm Giants, though the pregnancy will first start to debilitate the mother-to-be in the last couple of months.
Growth Rate & Stages
Giants generally grow relatively slower compared to humanoids, reaching adulthood around 50-70 years of age. However, once adult they can live long lives, with the longest lived reaching nearly a thousand years of age.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Due to their giant stature, Giants require a great deal of sustenance to maintain their energy.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Giants can be found on nearly all continents of the world and in most elemental planes, though they are few in number compared to the zenith of Ostoria's power.
Civilization and Culture
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Stétt
Stétt is the caste system that tightly binds together the different giant races and organizes them in a strict hierarchy of relative power, in spite of their different elemental origins. Stétt was divinely ordained by Stronmaus, with each giant kind being given power relative to their contribution to the Primordial Betrayal. The Storm Giant were given the ascendant position, as they are wise and blessed with prophecy and led the Primordial Betrayal. The Cloud Giant are given the second position, as it was their magic and songs that allowed the Everfire and Worldtree to sleep, and whose god Memnor deceived the Highstorm, leading to its capture.
Third in the Stétt are the Fire Giants, as it was their magical invention that allowed for the capture of the Highstorm, the containment of the Everfire and whose god Surtur made the axe that decapitated the Deepcold. Fourth in the Stétt are the Frost Giants, who gave of their blood in rebellion to the Deepcold and whose god Thrym decapitated the Deepcold.
Fifth in the Stétt are the Stone Giants, who carved the obelisks to contain the Stormlands, imprison the Everfire and whose god Skoraeus gave his dreams to the Worldtree, to help it sleep.
Least in the Stétt are the Hill Giants, who helped wherever they could with fighting and protecting the other giants. Their manual labor helped the Fire Giants and Stone Giants in their projects, and it was their god Grolantor who held the Highstorm long enough for the Fire Giants to chain it.
Beneath all these True Giants are other giantkin who did not aid in the Primordial Betrayal, either because they did not wish to, as is the case for the Abyss and Fey Giants, or because they were too far degenerated to help, as trolls and ogres are.
However, the Stétt separating the giant lineages from each other was not enough. Each god of the giants chose a quality that would divide their people into a hierarchy. Stronmaus chose prophecy and omens to divide his children, those gifted with the oracle vision and accompanied by omens would rule. Memnor chose wealth and opulence, whoever could show the greatest art and jewelry would be held in highest regard. Surtur chose crafting, whoever could excel most at their chosen field of craftsmanship would be the leader of the Fire Giants. Thrym chose prowess in battle, so that his scions might be ready when the Deepcold wakes again. Skoraeous chose art, whoever of his children could make the most beautiful and inspired art would be his chosen representative. And finally, Grolantor chose gluttony, whoever could eat the most and become the biggest would have divine mandate to rule and be respected, at least by their kin.
Blóð refsing
After their great success in the Primordial Betrayal, the giants grew arrogant. Storm Giant kings build giant kingdoms with cloud giant princes, fire giant dukes, frost giant chieftains, stone giant elders and hill giant chiefs as vassals. These kingdoms fought each other, wasting precious giant blood in internecine conflict, leaving them weak when the dragons came.
Had it not been for their greed, the giants could well have ruled the world. After the terrible wars with the dragons, Stronmaus declared that no giant should shed giant blood, and that any who do so will suffer terrible punishment, called blóð refsing.
Today the giants never fight eachother in war, but this has led to creativity regarding violent conflict resolution. Fire giants will play elaborate wargames using the lives of lesser species for their glory, Frost Giants will fight with their fists in ritual pugilist combats, Storm Giants will fight elaborate ritual combats relying on their prophetic vision, Stone Giants will have competitions in carving stones and the Cloud Giants will fight verbally in ritual rhytmic chants called Flyting.
The exception to these rules are those who betray the Stétt by aligning themselves with elemental powers or the dragons, whom True Giants have a duty to kill. Additionally, giants below the Stétt may be killed if there is good cause in the eye of Stronmaus.
Stétt is the caste system that tightly binds together the different giant races and organizes them in a strict hierarchy of relative power, in spite of their different elemental origins. Stétt was divinely ordained by Stronmaus, with each giant kind being given power relative to their contribution to the Primordial Betrayal. The Storm Giant were given the ascendant position, as they are wise and blessed with prophecy and led the Primordial Betrayal. The Cloud Giant are given the second position, as it was their magic and songs that allowed the Everfire and Worldtree to sleep, and whose god Memnor deceived the Highstorm, leading to its capture.
Third in the Stétt are the Fire Giants, as it was their magical invention that allowed for the capture of the Highstorm, the containment of the Everfire and whose god Surtur made the axe that decapitated the Deepcold. Fourth in the Stétt are the Frost Giants, who gave of their blood in rebellion to the Deepcold and whose god Thrym decapitated the Deepcold.
Fifth in the Stétt are the Stone Giants, who carved the obelisks to contain the Stormlands, imprison the Everfire and whose god Skoraeus gave his dreams to the Worldtree, to help it sleep.
Least in the Stétt are the Hill Giants, who helped wherever they could with fighting and protecting the other giants. Their manual labor helped the Fire Giants and Stone Giants in their projects, and it was their god Grolantor who held the Highstorm long enough for the Fire Giants to chain it.
Beneath all these True Giants are other giantkin who did not aid in the Primordial Betrayal, either because they did not wish to, as is the case for the Abyss and Fey Giants, or because they were too far degenerated to help, as trolls and ogres are.
However, the Stétt separating the giant lineages from each other was not enough. Each god of the giants chose a quality that would divide their people into a hierarchy. Stronmaus chose prophecy and omens to divide his children, those gifted with the oracle vision and accompanied by omens would rule. Memnor chose wealth and opulence, whoever could show the greatest art and jewelry would be held in highest regard. Surtur chose crafting, whoever could excel most at their chosen field of craftsmanship would be the leader of the Fire Giants. Thrym chose prowess in battle, so that his scions might be ready when the Deepcold wakes again. Skoraeous chose art, whoever of his children could make the most beautiful and inspired art would be his chosen representative. And finally, Grolantor chose gluttony, whoever could eat the most and become the biggest would have divine mandate to rule and be respected, at least by their kin.
Blóð refsing
After their great success in the Primordial Betrayal, the giants grew arrogant. Storm Giant kings build giant kingdoms with cloud giant princes, fire giant dukes, frost giant chieftains, stone giant elders and hill giant chiefs as vassals. These kingdoms fought each other, wasting precious giant blood in internecine conflict, leaving them weak when the dragons came.
Had it not been for their greed, the giants could well have ruled the world. After the terrible wars with the dragons, Stronmaus declared that no giant should shed giant blood, and that any who do so will suffer terrible punishment, called blóð refsing.
Today the giants never fight eachother in war, but this has led to creativity regarding violent conflict resolution. Fire giants will play elaborate wargames using the lives of lesser species for their glory, Frost Giants will fight with their fists in ritual pugilist combats, Storm Giants will fight elaborate ritual combats relying on their prophetic vision, Stone Giants will have competitions in carving stones and the Cloud Giants will fight verbally in ritual rhytmic chants called Flyting.
The exception to these rules are those who betray the Stétt by aligning themselves with elemental powers or the dragons, whom True Giants have a duty to kill. Additionally, giants below the Stétt may be killed if there is good cause in the eye of Stronmaus.
History
The Old World
Giants are long-lived, and remember more than most of the age before the First War. According to their stories, Giants were a unified people under old gods in the Old World, heroes, kings and conquerors of a bygone age. The different Giant races find some unity in these old stories.
The First War
When the cataclysmic First War began, different Giants sided with different elemental powers, and became distinct people during their service. Through the untold ages of the First War, giant fought giant and blood was shed across the cosmos as Giants served as generals, champions and elite troops to their elemental lords. However, the Giants never forgot their glorious pasts and they dreamed of a future free from the eternal First War.
And so an alliance was made between great heroes and leaders from all Giantkind:
After the First War, the Giants swore to never allow the Primordials to awaken again, both to protect the world and to defend themselves from the certainty that the Primordials would exterminate them all for their betrayal.
Ostoria, the First Empire
As the great peacemakers of the world, and a unified people, Giants quickly established their empire of Ostoria, far to the north-west of Dain. Ostoria was an empire of incredible potential and power, from where the Giants sought to subjugate the world. However, that would not come to pass. During this ancient era, the six great heroes of the First War ascended to godhood over the Giants.
The Wars against the Dragons
Ostoria's great legacy would come crumbling down. Ever since their rivalry during the First War, and the Giant betrayal of the Primordials, dragons had hated the Giants. There were many wars between Ostoria and the elemental dragons during the first centuries after the First War. The Giants held the upper hand for many of these wars, their unity of purpose and will binding them together. Their slave armies of ogres and vassal states of humanoids were a great help in these battles, but with time something changed. It is difficult to know for sure what changed, some Giant scholars believe that Ostoria's forces were too thinly spread between the mainland of Ostoria and their colonies around the world, while Giant clerics claim that Ostoria lost the favor of their gods by cavorting with Elemental powers.
The Doom of Ostoria
The Doom killed most of the giants of Ostoria, leaving only the colonies and cowards behind in the world.
Exiled
Since the Doom of Ostoria, Giants have been exiled from their own homes and forced to remake themselves in exile kingdoms across the world. While many of these kingdoms remain magnificent and the envy of the world, they are but pale imitations of great Ostoria that was destroyed.
Giants are long-lived, and remember more than most of the age before the First War. According to their stories, Giants were a unified people under old gods in the Old World, heroes, kings and conquerors of a bygone age. The different Giant races find some unity in these old stories.
The First War
When the cataclysmic First War began, different Giants sided with different elemental powers, and became distinct people during their service. Through the untold ages of the First War, giant fought giant and blood was shed across the cosmos as Giants served as generals, champions and elite troops to their elemental lords. However, the Giants never forgot their glorious pasts and they dreamed of a future free from the eternal First War.
And so an alliance was made between great heroes and leaders from all Giantkind:
- Grolantor, Old Breakbones, the oldest hill giant mercenary in the world and an influential leader among his kin.
- Skoraeus, master carver of the Mountainwalker.
- Thrym, chosen blade of the Deepcold.
- Surtur, master smith of the Everfire.
- Memnor, great arcanist of the Highstorm.
- Stronmaus, warlord and prophet of the Highstorm
After the First War, the Giants swore to never allow the Primordials to awaken again, both to protect the world and to defend themselves from the certainty that the Primordials would exterminate them all for their betrayal.
Ostoria, the First Empire
As the great peacemakers of the world, and a unified people, Giants quickly established their empire of Ostoria, far to the north-west of Dain. Ostoria was an empire of incredible potential and power, from where the Giants sought to subjugate the world. However, that would not come to pass. During this ancient era, the six great heroes of the First War ascended to godhood over the Giants.
The Wars against the Dragons
Ostoria's great legacy would come crumbling down. Ever since their rivalry during the First War, and the Giant betrayal of the Primordials, dragons had hated the Giants. There were many wars between Ostoria and the elemental dragons during the first centuries after the First War. The Giants held the upper hand for many of these wars, their unity of purpose and will binding them together. Their slave armies of ogres and vassal states of humanoids were a great help in these battles, but with time something changed. It is difficult to know for sure what changed, some Giant scholars believe that Ostoria's forces were too thinly spread between the mainland of Ostoria and their colonies around the world, while Giant clerics claim that Ostoria lost the favor of their gods by cavorting with Elemental powers.
The Doom of Ostoria
And Doom came to Ostoria, black of wing and long of claw. Doom came to Ostoria, in the fell One-Eye. -"The Doom of Ostoria", Giant epicOne day, black wings unfolded over Ostoria, and brought doom to Ostoria the like of which had not been seen since the First War. Gargath One-Eye, Primordial Dragon of Elemental Earth, came to Ostoria with an army of dragons of all colors, though the charge was led by the Black Dragons. He brought ancient Godweapons with him, which broke the defences of Ostoria, and turned that entire continent into a rocky ruined wasteland, which he claimed as the personal dominion of the Black Dragons once the Doom was over.
The Doom killed most of the giants of Ostoria, leaving only the colonies and cowards behind in the world.
Exiled
Since the Doom of Ostoria, Giants have been exiled from their own homes and forced to remake themselves in exile kingdoms across the world. While many of these kingdoms remain magnificent and the envy of the world, they are but pale imitations of great Ostoria that was destroyed.
Related Ethnicities
Comments