Goliath
"They weren't even in the Confederation until the Northern Acquisition, but the goliaths are surprisingly common. I blame their obstinate nature; they're twice as stubborn as dwarves and near as arrogant as an elf."
~Margrave Arronax Skinner, Elector of Cambreath
Basic Information
Anatomy
Goliaths resemble tall, muscular humans. Their skin is gray, and they are usually (but not always) devoid of hair, with eyes in the color of semiprecious stones.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Every goliath has three names: a birth name assigned by the newborn’s mother and father, a nickname assigned by the tribal chief, and a family or clan name. A birth name is up to three syllables long. Clan names are five syllables or more and end in a vowel.
Birth names are rarely linked to gender. Goliaths see females and males as equal in all things, and they find societies with roles divided by gender to be puzzling or worthy of mockery. To a goliath, the person who is best at a job should be the one tasked with doing it.
A goliath’s nickname is a description that can change on the whim of a chieftain or tribal elder. It refers to a notable deed, either a success or failure, committed by the goliath. Goliaths assign and use nicknames with their friends of other races, and change them to refer to an individual’s notable deeds.
Goliaths present all three names when identifying themselves, in the order of birth name, nickname, and clan name. In casual conversation, they use their nickname.
Beauty Ideals
Goliaths prize strength and athletics above all things, and it's the primary trait that they look for in a mate.
Courtship Ideals
A good goliath courtship usually begins with a friendly brawl, followed by a wrestling match.
Relationship Ideals
Goliaths prefer to be in constant competition with their mates, pushing each other to ever more impressive and reckless feats.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Goliaths speak common, and among their own they speak Giant.
Common Dress Code
Goliaths love wearing trophies in the form of skulls and furs. They also prefer showing off their bodies more than other races, which can get uncomfortable for more modest people. The stereotype of a goliath wearing nothing but a skull necklace is not entirely unwarranted, though their traditionally cold climates means that this tends to be their tourist wear.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Every day brings a new challenge to a goliath. Food, water, and shelter are rare in the uppermost mountain reaches. A single mistake can bring doom to an entire tribe, while an individual’s heroic effort can ensure the entire group’s survival.
Goliaths thus place a premium on self-sufficiency and individual skill. They have a compulsion to keep score, counting their deeds and tallying their accomplishments to compare to others. Goliaths love to win, but they see defeat as a prod to improve their skills.
This dedication to competition has a dark side. Goliaths are ferocious competitors, but above all else they are driven to outdo their past efforts. If a goliath slays a dragon, he or she might seek out a larger, more powerful wyrm to battle. Few goliath adventurers reach old age, as most die attempting to surpass their past accomplishments.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
For goliaths, competition exists only when it is supported by a level playing field. Competition measures talent, dedication, and effort. Those factors determine survival in their home territory, not reliance on magic items, money, or other elements that can tip the balance one way or the other. Goliaths happily rely on such benefits, but they are careful to remember that such an advantage can always be lost. A goliath who relies too much on them can grow complacent, a recipe for disaster in the mountains.
This trait manifests most strongly when goliaths interact with other folk. The relationship between peasants and nobles puzzles goliaths. If a king lacks the intelligence or leadership to lead, then clearly the most talented person in the kingdom should take his place. Goliaths rarely keep such opinions to themselves, and mock folk who rely on society’s structures or rules to maintain power.
Tattoos
Goliaths usually wear tattoos all over their bodies, but most especially on their head and face. These tattoos are references to important events in their lives, especially their victories and defeats.Common Taboos
Among goliaths, any adult who can’t contribute to the tribe is expelled. A lone goliath has little chance of survival, especially an older or weaker one. Goliaths have little pity for adults who can’t take care of themselves, though a sick or injured individual is treated, as a result of the goliath concept of fair play.
A permanently injured goliath is still expected to pull his or her weight in the tribe. Typically, such a goliath dies attempting to keep up, or the goliath slips away in the night to seek the cold will of fate.
In some ways, the goliath drive to outdo themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in battle, at the peak of strength and skill, than endure the slow decay of old age. Few folk have ever meet an elderly goliath, and even those goliaths who have left their people grapple with the urge to give up their lives as their physical skills decay.
Because of their risk-taking, goliath tribes suffer from a chronic lack of the experience offered by long- term leaders. They hope for innate wisdom in their leadership, for they can rarely count on a wisdom grown with age.
History
Prior to the Northern Acquisition, goliath tribes existed in abject servitude to the giants. As such, they developed a reputation with other races for being brutes and raiders. Much to the humans' surprise, when they invaded the Northrealm to slay the giants, the goliath tribes almost all rebelled against their giant masters. Partly in recognition of their contribution and partly because the Northern Acquisition had been a brutal, bloody campaign already, the Maecodian Confederation simply annexed the area and its people, making them full fledged members of the Confederation.
Goliath history begins at that moment. They had not been allowed to pass down history or legends before that point, so they are in the unenviable position of being an ancient race (children of the Titans) with a fledgling race's history and culture.
Historical Figures
Goliath history was brutally suppressed during their servitude to the giants, and they don't have any cultural memories of that time or before.
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