Kostchtchie

Warchief of the Frost Giants, Demon Lord of the Iron Wastes

"Bravest and strongest among the frost giant kin. Thankfully for him, those merits, and following ancient traditions, are the only requirements over actual leadership in their society." - Wince Rind, Master Chronicler of the First Era

Formerly a simple frost giant chieftain of the The High-Vale Mountain Range, Kostchtchie now reigns as a Demon Lord from his castle of ice on the 23rd layer of the Abyss, the Iron Wastes.

Personal history and the history of the frost giants

Early Years
The High-Vale frost giant population first settled on the mainland of Ansalon from the elemental planes over 20 thousand years ago. The land was still new and in constant shift of change, but this wasn't that different from where they came from originally. The gods hadn't yet forgotten their former roles as generals of war and assumed their future roles as artists of creation, which meant that the world of the Prime Material was being molded into shape by constant battles for survival. The deities would often cheat to allow their chosen races to flourish. Regardless of this disadvantage, the patron-less frost giants were mighty and powerful, and created a long-standing tradition of warfare by defending their newfound territory on the High-Vale Mountains fiercely.
The climate was chilly and a perfect fit for their kin, so the giants populated the surface of the cliffs and the valleys between, instilling fear in those that built their homes too close to the mountains. Some even opened to the ideas of religion for the divine deities, though in their own giant ways, who in turn accepted them as true inhabitants of their new realm.
Outcasts of the Divines
The frost giants persevered through millennia, through the first dragon-flight in the skies and the arrival of dwarves to the mountains. While they were fighting for the same territory, the giants respected the dragons for their power and dedication to combat. Moradin's dwarves proved troublesome and pesky, but the two races eventually reached mutual agreement to share the mountains. One would stay on the surface, and the other would make their cities underground. It wasn't either of those ancient races that brought forth the ruin of the High-Vale giants, but instead the coming of humans.
Some five thousand years ago when the first humans came to Solum, the environment was still very harsh for them. The gods had been very disconnected from one another, each focusing on their own chosen race. This led to the forces of the Nine Hells and the Abyss to both take advantage of their isolation. It took a long time before the deities reunited to better protect their authority on the Prime Material. Most of them, not all, joined together, and created the human race. However, the relatively weak and feeble mankind needed a lot of help to get started. The gods asked Illumis, the god of light, to increase the intensity of his greatest creation, the sun. For these new surface dwellers to survive on what the land gave them, they needed the world to warm up.
The effect was immediate; the temperature of Ansalon alone rose by several degrees, and the snow and ice melted from all but the highest peaks of the mountains. The frost giants faced a serious catastrophe. The surface had become too warm for their kind to survive, let alone thrive in. The giants were desperate and their options were few. They could have changed their ways and dug into the earth to hide from the sun, but that wasn't realistic for the proud giant-kind nor a permanent solution; the earth itself would also warm up eventually. Besides, the dwarves had already inhabited the caves and tunnels beneath the surface.
Both unwilling and unable to adapt by nature, the giants cursed the gods for what they had done. Ironically enough, they had changed too much from their primordial forms over time for them to return to the elemental planes either. Some of them could have probably survived the transition to pass on the frost giant traditions however, and after some time of stubborn agony in the heating mountains, preparations began to make the move. However, a tempting alternative presented itself.
The Winter Warlock and the Iron Wastes
One day, a peculiar man walked into the camp of the frost giant chieftains and elders. While normally very territorial and unaccepting of strangers, the sun had weakened them, so they listened to what the traveler had to say. He was a thin but tall man, his face and beard completely glaciated. The rest of his appearance was covered by a blue cloak, coated with a layer of crystal clear ice. His very presence had this aura of cold around him, which to the depleted giants was refreshing and rejuvenating. Best of all, this strange man seemed to be completely unperturbed by the effects of the burning sun above them.
He approached the chieftains, Kostchtchie being among them, and introduced himself as Aseroth, the Winter Warlock. The man had come to the mountains with a proposition; a new place for the giants to live in. He described an endless expanse of snow and ice, which to the frost giants sounded like a dreamland, yet with more stability than the elemental chaos. The elders immediately accepted and asked to be taken there at once. The warlock smiled, and told them to gather their tribes.
And so, every last frost giant in High-Vale Mountains followed their clan leaders who in turn followed this strange man, as he led them through a portal to the Iron Wastes. What the giants did not yet know, was that this new land was not on the Prime Material, but instead on the 23rd layer of the Abyss. At first, it was everything they had hoped for; the climate was perfect. But as the clan leaders turned around to show gratitude to their benefactor for what he'd done, the man was not alone. The warlock had in reality been a former prince of the elements, and current demon lord, who had called his army of demons with him, which vastly outnumbered the remaining frost giants. Hordes of ice archons, remorhazes and other frost based demons quickly surrounded the newcomers, and the warlock explained that they had now become his slaves.
What Aseroth had underestimated, was both the blind fury and physical strength of the frost giants. He'd written them off as weak from the sun, easily oppressed. And so it seemed at first, that the giant-kin would submit to his rule, but then one particular chieftain rose from the crowd and with a furious roar he led a charge straight at the Warlock himself. This was none other than Kostchtchie, who had previously been just one of many clan leaders. Now, he was the only chief willing to take the odds. He had ignored the others' warnings, and taken a risk. Thankfully for him, all the clans trusted in him and followed his charge.
The giants fought braver than no other races when their freedom was at stake, and in an absolute humiliation, dispersed the enemy's ranks in a matter of moments. As they got into the rhythm of fighting they would have in fact preferred for the battle to last longer; when the Winter Warlock, who had feebly attempted to protect himself with magic, was slain by Kostchtchie, the conflict was over.
Demon lord and new beginnings
The giants were free and they had a new environment that suited them. They hailed Kostchtchie as their new leader, and elevated him to a position of almost worship. This new world was strange, but over time they made it their own, subjecting the ice demon races to their will. However, this was the Abyss, and over time, it changed them. The frost giants started developing demon-like features; their skin paled and grayed, their eyes shifted from their former noble blue hues to a more yellowish tint, and their hands and feet widened and grew larger, making wielding weaponry harder but increasing the power of their raw primal form.
Kostchtchie was the one most affected by this, as he had inherited the Winter Warlock's position as the realm's demon lord. Every layer of the abyss, by its very foundation, is linked to one or several individuals that bear it's burden. This burden has over millennia tainted him, turning his form into that of a demon, and while he still commands the respect of his giants, there is a new element of fear involved in his rule as well.
Recent events
The frost giants, now slightly demonic, were still mostly content with their new home. Over millenia, they have grown legions strong, and often upkeep their military traditions by starting wars with other layers of the Abyss. while the other surrounding demon lords sometimes collude together in some plot, Kostchtchie's armies never join. He very much considers each of them an enemy, and doesn't see them as worthy allies.
Only recently has there been speculation on whether there has been a change in leadership, or in Kostchtchie himself, as the hordes of giants attacked the prime material in coordination with Nocticula's invasion in the year 643E2.

Current Location

The Iron Wastes

Species

Demons

Ruled Locations

• The Iron Wastes