Stone Giant
Native to the mountainous region and practically part rock themselves, stone giants are imposing beings. Their mastery of stone is on part with elemental beings and they are often sought out as allies by those wishing to travel across the mountains or who wish to settle on it. On the other hand, they also sometimes find themselves in conflict with those who wish unrestricted access to the mineral treasures of the mountain and sees the tribe as being in the way. As such, stone giants are wary of other races, but not inhospitable.
Should their home be threatened, they are more than capable of defending it. Mountain giants train in many combat arts and their strikes can shatter armor and bone alike. It has even been known to cause painful fractures in beings composed primarily of earth, like earth elementals or gargoyles. Against smaller enemies, a favored tactic is to grab them and then use them as impromptu ammunition against their allies or just sending them flying down the mountainside to let gravity deal with them. Other than their enemies, another way they attack at range is with boulders. Their innate geomancy allows them to call the rock back to them after striking their targe, meaning they are unlikely to run out of ammunition.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Stone giants are quadrupeds, walking on two legsand the knuckles of their arms. They do not have much hair on their bodies, but what they do have tends to grow quickly into wild manes and beards. Their hide is grey-brownish and much hardier than normal giant skin, being partially infused with stone. This also translates into a general ability to consume earth. Rock and stone makes up part of their diet.
Their hands are even more well-suited for climbing than most giants. The very structure of their skin secures their grip, anchoring them to whatever they hold. It is next to impossible to disarm a stone giant or escape their grasp once they have gotten a hold. Their connection to earth also allows them to bore through it with ease, the giant almost diving into their earth as if it was soft, mallable clay.
Genetics and Reproduction
Stpne giants produce through sexual intercourse between a male and female stone giant. Once fertilized, a female giant keeps the fetus in her womb where it grow for almost two years before being born. One child is the most common, with twins being rare.
Growth Rate & Stages
Once born, stone giant children are practically helpless for the first year or two, having to be cared for by their parents. They then continue to develop physically and mentally over the next twenty or so years until fully grown.
Ecology and Habitats
Stone giants live in mountainous and rocky terrain. Their ability to warp and shape the very stone often permanently alter their home and mountains inhabited by these giants often have their sides artistically shaped.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Stone giants are omnigeovores, that is, they live of a mix of organic and geological material. Some stone giants hunt and forage both on the mountains themselves and the lowlands surrounding their abode, whereas others herd goats and shape mountain terraces for plants to grow on. This food is supplemented by stone taken from the mountain itself.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Stone giants live in small groups, each of which usually lays claim to a single mountain or hilly area. Many in these groups are related, but giants do marry into other groups of stone giants to minimize the risk of inbreeding.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Stone giants are a common species of giants and are found in many spheres.
Average Intelligence
Stone giants are on average somewhat smarter than your average human, with a keen eye towards how to intuitively shape stone and other things in a way that doesn't cause instability. For this reason, they are popular architetchts.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
The eyes of the stone giant is well adjusted for low-light condition and they can see better under minimal light conditions. Their connection with the ground also allows them to sense things through tremors, meaning even robbed of sight they can detect anything touching the ground.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Stone giant names retain the giants' penchant for short but grandnames.
Scientific Name
Magna Hominis Petram
Origin/Ancestry
Lifespan
400-500 years
Average Height
6 - 7.5 meters
Average Weight
1100 - 1700 kilo
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