Firbolg
"The woods have eyes." - Éruladic warning
Firbolgs are a species of reclusive, fur-covered sentient giantkin indigenous to the Feywild. Though distantly related to goliaths and the other giants, firbolgs are quite a bit more intelligent, with a strong tradition in natural and faith-based magics. They prefer to live in small family groups deep in ancient forests where they act as guardians and shepherds for all the wild animals and plants that surround them.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Firbolgs are large, bipedal creatures covered in tough skin and soft fur. Their forelimbs end in five digit hands as do their feet. The fur around their scalps and faces is usually longer and thicker, similar to human facial hair. Firbolgs are unique among mortal sentients for their noses, which are distinctly bovine in appearance and function. They are usually reddish pink and are moistened by various olfactory epithelium. This allows them to have a slightly better sense of smell than many other mortals.
Genetics and Reproduction
Like most mammalian mortals, firbolgs exhibit sexual reproductive traits and give live birth. Their size and giant heritage means that their gestation periods are longer than humans, averaging at just under two years.
Growth Rate & Stages
Thanks to their fey heritage and giant blood, firbolgs have exceptionally long lives. Young firbolgs reach sexual maturity and adulthood around age thirty and can live to over three hundred years old.
Ecology and Habitats
Firbolgs are woodland and are typically only found in old-growth forests. This derives from their fey heritage, with many firbolgs feeling sickly or uncomfortable in urban environments. Moreover, most firbolgs prefer temperate timberland or cold taiga habitats, with no permanent populations being recorded in subtropical or true tropical jungle. While originally indigenous to the Feywild, several firbolg populations have migrated and settled in various wooded regions of the Material Plane, including Érulad, Mérulad, southern Férulad, southern Teroa, and parts of northern Iroa, specifically northern Kaira and Tao-Tē, the Khataghat and the Goji Peninsula.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Firbolgs are omnivorous creatures and are highly resourceful. In their self-appointed roles as guardians of the forest, firbolgs often gather large stores nuts, berries, and fruits during the warmer months, dispersing them throughout the forest after each frost to make sure that as few creatures starve as possible. Firbolgs do eat meat occasionally, but rarely hunt often scavenging remains left by other predators such as wolves.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Firbolg communities are generally small, semi-nomadic forest groups of between ten to twenty individuals. Within their tribes, firbolgs are highly social and rarely venture outside of their territory alone. They tend to avoid other settled mortal populations, even when faced with an intrusion into their territory, preferring to mislead those who wander too close to their homes through magic or druidic subterfuge.
Very few firbolgs leave their tribes, and those that do are often exiled, either for some crime or because their tribe has faced some calamity that can only be solved through outside intervention. Those that commit a deed against the tribe such as killing a sacred animal or bringing harm to their habitat, can never return home. These outcasts wander the world in search of a new community to call their own.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
While originally indigenous to the Feywild, several firbolg populations have migrated and settled in various wooded regions of the Material Plane, including Érulad, Mérulad, southern Férulad, southern Teroa, and parts of northern Iroa, specifically northern Kaira and Tao-Tē, the Khataghat and the Goji Peninsula.
Average Intelligence
Firbolgs are the most intelligent of the giantkin, largely due to their fey heritage. They have knowledge of natural and divine magics and frequently can understand multiple languages. However, insular firbolg communities are rarely literate, only recording knowledge through oral tradition or druidic runes.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
As stated before, firbolgs have slightly better senses of smell and hearing than other mortals, though the result is often negligible. Additionally, firbolgs have an innate connection to the natural or druidic magics. This connection results in most firbolgs learning a few basic spells, one of which is detect magic. With their high Wisdom and knowledge of druidic rites, firbolgs can cast this spell once per short rest, allowing them to detect magical threats from a safe distance and conceal their presence when needed.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Firbolgs rarely have their own names, or at least are rarely given names at birth. They themselves call the animals and plants of the forest names that reflect their deeds, habits, and actions. Firbolgs refer to their own tribe as their "family" and their tribal lands as their "home." So when dealing with outsiders, firbolgs call themselves names that reflect what they do, and call their homelands names that reflect the environment or landmarks of the area.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Origin/Ancestry
Fey/Giant
Lifespan
300-500 years
Average Height
2.1-2.4 m. (7-8 ft.)
Average Weight
108.9-136.1 kg (240-300 lbs.)
Average Physique
Firbolgs have the strength of giants in their bodies and can lift heavy loads that similarly medium sized creatures would struggle with.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Firbolgs have fair skin covered in a coat of soft fur. Female firbolgs often have tawny to fair fur while male firbolg coats range in coloration from slate blue to dark grey. Their facial and scalp hair is longer and smoother than their fur and comes in a variety of colors ranging from russet to white to black.
Related Ethnicities
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