Jotunn (Giants)
Jotunn have a strong culture staked in tradition. Almost purely carnivorous in diet they thought of humanity as lesser beings, existing to serve the Jotunns and be subservient to their will. They had a stranglehold on humanity until near the beginning of the First Era where the climate of Ostara heated up significantly and groups of runaway slaves learned how to harness their Od to create their unique Manus, allowing them to overthrow the Jotunns rule and nearly massacre them to extinction. The remaining Jotunns fled Ostara (then known as Yngvi) far to the North to a land that then became known as [Payant, where they reside to this day.
Jotunn's were originally the only species to have access to the very powerful and dangerous Berserker Manus. This ability is the main way Jotunn tribes warred and did battle with each other.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Jotunns are roughly twice the size of the average human, measuring around 11 and a half to 12 feet in height and weigh close to 1200 pounds. Their bones and muscle fibers are significantly more dense than regular humans, thus they are much stronger and more resistant to damage. Aside from these differences they share the same physical anatomy as humans. The biggest downside to their anatomy is that the significant increase in mass causes their initial movement speed to be quite slow, however once in motion they can easily match human reaction and movement speed. Finally their anatomy causes them to be not as efficient in cooling itself as normal humans.
All Jotunns have auburn or red hair with green eyes.
Genetics and Reproduction
Genetics are very similar to humans. The reproduction process is also the same, howevers Jotunn females are only able to become pregnant once every 15 years. The gestation period is around 8 years and the average full lifespan of a jotunn ranges from 700~800 years.
Growth Rate & Stages
Once a Jotunn is born they weigh about 20 pounds and are about 2 and a half feet in height. During the first 5 years of their life they're mostly defenseless and reliant upon their mother and her breast milk for sustenance. During this time they grow ~18 inches in height and their weight triples. It isn't until their 5th birthday that they begin to develop significantly in mental faculties. At this point they are weened off of their mother's breast milk and begin eating regular food. Around the age of 12 a young Jotunn is close to 4 feet and nearly 100 pounds; also having the mental acuity of a 10 year old human. From here their mental development plateaus for approximately 4-5 years while their bodies again continue to grow until reaching ~6 feet. At this point the mind and body continue to develop equally. A Jotunn that is 25 years old is approximately equal to a 16-17 year old human mentally. Most Jotunns will hit their final growth spurt at 25 years old until they reach nearly 10 feet, this process usually takes about 5-6 years. During this growth spurt Jotunn children suffer extreme pains from the rapid growth and increasing density of their ligaments, muscles, bone fibers. During this growth spurt it is extremely important for the children to fight, wrestle, and spar as it is believed to increase the growth speed of their bodies. During this time the average Jotunn youth eats 25-40 pounds of meat a day. Finally most grow another 12-24 inches over the next 25 years before reaching their max height at ~60-70 years old.
Ecology and Habitats
Jotunns have migrated to the Continent North of Ostara, Payant (Pay-Yaunt). It is a mostly frozen tundra like climate, very similar to the Ice-Age climate of our World. There very large animals exist alongside them which they hunt for sustenance. They've built homes located in the mountain ranges, pine forests, and ice-plains common through out the land.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Jotunns are almost completely carnivorous if they can help it. Their body's digestive system excels at digesting meats and does a halfway decent job at digesting plant matter. They mostly ate large Mammoth and rhino-like species that were hunted to extinction once the Jotunns had fled Ostara. A Jotunn going through their final growth spurt consumes ~30-40 pounds of meat a day in order to keep up with the amount of energy the body needs to sustain the rapid growth. Once the final growth spurt is passed a physically matured Jotunn can be sustained comfortable off of ~20-25 pounds of meat per day, though they can be sustained for about 1 full month on less before any negative consequences become apparent.
Many of these massive species still live far to the North of Ostara where the Jotunns migrated to and reside, in the Continent of Payant (Pay-Yaunt).
Genetic Descendants
Conservation Status
Nearly wiped to extinction prior to the First Era. The surviving Jotunns fled far North to the Mountain Range/Borders of Vorkii and Nemska, far from the now thriving human population in the Continent of Ostara.
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