The Storm Giant Empire
There is a reason many of the world's pantheons feature a leader associated with Lightning and Storms, lording over their worshipers from above. My people ruled over this world for the better part of four thousand years. Come, sit, and listen to the tales of days gone by, when magics now lost were common, and giants ruled from their castles in the sky...
The Early Empire
We have a few records of the early Storm Giant Empire, mostly preserved in The Longest Song, and the earliest carvings of the oldest Dwarfhomes. We know they spread across the world in less than a century. Elves were slaughtered, their forests flooded by deluges and scorched by lightning. Dwarfhomes were collapsed by powerful magics the dwarfs had no defense against. And Humans were viewed largely as one might view stray cats on a farm, that is to say, "they keep the pests away". Within the next couple of centuries, though, the Giants realized that these "lesser" creatures could be put to work for their benefit. Elves, except those in the Feywillow Forest, were captured and put to work growing crops. Dwarves were made to work mines. Humans provided manual labor and were often viewed as a cross between a pet and a work animal.On the Origin of Species
Of course, much like the separate dog and cattle breeds seen today, the giants were not content to simply let their “pets” breed on their own. In fact (much to his horror) it was Maze Walker's efforts to save minotaurs from the slavery of the gods that inspired a series of experiments that many today would call reprehensible. In the year of the Empire 1753, Storm Giant arcanists began to experiment with what can only be described as magical crossbreeding using techniques and spells that are, thankfully, lost to time. Many of today's sapient species, excluding those already mentioned, came from these experiments, from Aarakocra to tortles. The details I will leave to your imagination, but according to some this experimentation is likely what started the empire down the road that would eventually lead to its fall.Architecture of the Storm Giants
Entrance to the Road to Valhalla by Drunkenpanda951 with Midjourney
The fall from their Cloud Cities destroyed much of the architecture of the Storm giants, there are still examples that can be found today. The most famous is the tomb in the Dragonspine mountains called the Road to Valhalla, where the rulers of the Empire and their families were buried. It is possible to enter this tomb, but I cannot recommend doing so.
As you can imagine, after nearly 3 millennia the mausoleum is quite extensive. It is a labyrinth that nearly matches those built by Gazzath at the world's creation. Some would argue that it is better protected. Traps magical and mundane mixed with animated guards and the occasional wandering spirit.
Exactly one ocean away from the Road to Valhalla (give or take a few hundred miles) nestled amid the Usan Uuls, sits the last standing city built by Storm Giants on land. Called Deepnight, it is now inhabited by one of the remaining Frost Giant clans, a university of Gnomes, and a Triton embassy. Its soaring spires and delicate curving bridges demonstrate a mastery of architecture and magic that far eclipses even the joint works of dwarves and elves. How has it withstood millennia of abuse from the gales blown in off The Twilight Abyss and ice flows from the Usan Uuls?
The Aurora and Two Moons over Deepnight by Drunkenpanda951 with Midjourney
The Songs of the Last Quintessent
Excerpts from the work of Theodore Greenleaf
And so Frejya began to play, as indeed only she can. Every night, at this gathering of bards and minstrels seen only once a century, as the song of her violin mixed with the bass of her unique flute started to drift across the clearing, silence would fall. As the silence and stillness spread throughout the sprawling camp, a fog began to rise, mixing with the smoke of cook fires, moving to the whims of a breeze unfelt by the audience. It was on this canvas that Frejya would craft a masterpiece not seen or heard before or since, though many in the Shadow Bards have tried.
I am but a humble scribe, with the benefit of a middling magical talent for transcribing art from my mind's eye onto vellum, and so enraptured was I that, to my shame, I was only able to capture a few of the tales spun on those magical nights. Since then I have made it my life's mission to track down the others that were there, to try to transcribe and record a complete version of the songs sung and stories told on those nights so long ago. While titles are a fickle thing, we bards know how important it is to remember what came before, and so I have decided to call this work "On The Shoulders of Giants: Tales and Warnings from the Time Before"
Frejya Stormsong prepares for a concert by Drunkenpanda951 using Midjourney
In The Beginning
Council of Giants by Drunkenpanda951 with Midjourney
In the time that was Time, before Time began
Giants were common, and wandered the land
"But who should rule?" the least of them Asked
And so the fight started, so long in the past.
For Hills there are many, and others so few.
Wouldn't you rather a ruler that looks just like you
But Mountains reach higher, brushing the skies
Shouldn't a ruler be patient and wise
But even Mountains must yield to the Sea
The oceans stretch farther I'm sure you agree
Yet over both Oceans and Mountains are Clouds
It is the will of the Gods, for cryin' out loud
"Rulers need PASSION!" Fire did cry
"The patience of Stone is a must" others sigh.
And as if in answer, a bolt split the sky
Giants were common, and wandered the land
"But who should rule?" the least of them Asked
And so the fight started, so long in the past.
For Hills there are many, and others so few.
Wouldn't you rather a ruler that looks just like you
But Mountains reach higher, brushing the skies
Shouldn't a ruler be patient and wise
But even Mountains must yield to the Sea
The oceans stretch farther I'm sure you agree
Yet over both Oceans and Mountains are Clouds
It is the will of the Gods, for cryin' out loud
"Rulers need PASSION!" Fire did cry
"The patience of Stone is a must" others sigh.
And as if in answer, a bolt split the sky
Look, I'm not saying it's a bad piece of art, I'm just saying that we have historical records, and modern observations, that show that the different giant races are unique in both size and appearance, while this artist attempted to make them appear as a homogenous people.
The Folly of Aranak and the Collapse of an Empire
The Sun Sets on Aranak by Drunkenpanda951 with Midjourney
What, exactly, led to the fall of Aranak and the eventual collapse of my people’s Empire, is a subject that even those of us who survived know little to nothing about. While those in Aranak were researching immortality beyond that offered by becoming a Quintessent, something went wrong. Aranak, a place of high magic in the verdant lands of Myrdhor, disappeared overnight, swallowed by a desert that wasn’t there before.
What powers those wizards tapped into, and where they came from, we never figured out. But it started a war worse than any this world has seen, before or since.
That is until someone, some…thing somehow caused the corruption of this magic during the fall of the Empire, resulting in the loss of countless cohorts of battlemages before we knew what was happening. I say loss because only some died. Some portals opened into solid stone, others into the depths of the ocean. The worst ones went where they were supposed to, but there was a slight delay in the cohort arriving. Whatever happened in those precious seconds drove them all insane. This corruption of magic remains to this day, as anyone who has been to the Portal Wastes can attest.
The last acts of the war resulted in two things that still echo through your world today. The first was the destruction of the world tree that once stood in what is now the Tuulikello Forest, The second was the final battle that resulted in the creation of The Crimson Cairn.
Storm Giant Empress by Drunkenpanda951 with Midjourney
Language for All
Probably one of the most lasting effects that the Storm Giant Empire had was the evolution of the language we now know as Common. While distinct from modern Giant, both languages share their roots in the Storm Giant language that was used worldwide for over two millennia.Cloth of Gold
by Drunkenpanda951 with Midjourney
Wind of the Typhoon
O come tell me Little Brothers, Tell me why you bicker so?
“We fight for right to rule,
Who are you, that you don’t know?”
I’m your kin born of the Storm
And I tell ye straight and true
We cant afford to fight ourselves
for to do so spells our doom. “O come tell us fearsome Sister,
What catastrophe you see?”
There are other fates than death,
So now listen close to me.
There’s trouble on the horizon
And we must be ready soon,
So gird yourself for battle
In the rains of the typhoon.
In the rains of the typhoon,
In the rains of the typhoon
So gird yourself for battle,
In the rains of the typhoon. Out from many a hidden portal,
Demon eyes lit up the night,
Many a Devil’s wing was beating,
As we cowered there in fright,
Then Lightning lit the valley,
As from bodies heads were hewn,
And the Storm gave us our freedom
On the wind of the typhoon.
On the wind of the typhoon,
On the wind of the typhoon
And the Storm gave us our freedom
On the wind of the typhoon All along that curse-ed river
A writhing mass of walking dead,
In the sky above their masters,
Magic runes that conjure dread.
“Death to the great traitors
Listen as we bring your doom!"
For the Storm will strike you down,
With the rage of a typhoon.
With the rage of a typhoon,
With the rage of a typhoon,
For the Storm will strike you down
With the rage of a typhoon. Now a Storm cant grant you shelter,
When you are out in the cold,
And you can not bribe the Storm,
Be you young or be you old,
But if you should need an ally,
In the jungle or the dunes,
Let the Storm lead you to triumph
With the wind of the typhoon.
With the wind of the typhoon,
With the wind of the typhoon
Let the Storm lead you to triumph
With the wind of the typhoon.
The Fall of Aranak
And so they tried to conquer Death -
Though hubris, it now seems -
And mighty Aranak would fall
From our misguided dreams
Soon slowly crept - the patient dread
And weaker minds did sway
Filled now with paranoid ideas,
In eyes now madness gleams
Though hubris, it now seems -
And mighty Aranak would fall
From our misguided dreams
Soon slowly crept - the patient dread
And weaker minds did sway
Filled now with paranoid ideas,
In eyes now madness gleams
The Fall of Aranak by Drunkenpanda951 with Midjourney
Link to chronicle
The Brief History of KohtaloEntry for On the Shoulders of Giants
All images used in articles were created by me unless otherwise credited, Midjourney is credited where used. Character Models are Created in HeroForge unless otherwise noted. Use of content from official D&D sources is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Cover image:
Storm Giant Citadel in a Thundercloud
by
Drunkenpanda951 with Midjourney
I like the addition of the songs, and I admire your ability to construct them. Generally, I have little patience for poetry. They seem like a neat civilization. Good luck with the challenge!!
Ah yes, the songs... I am in the same boat as you usually. This was originally going to be entirely made up of songs and tales from Frejya's performances. As you can see I got through one song and a poem, then hit the NOPE button. I'm glad you enjoyed it though. It was certainly a different writing experience than what I usually do. Thanks again for the read and good luck to you as well.