Giants

'We're not giant, you're just small.' - unidentified frost giant

The legends say that, shortly after Domhan shaped Ratha, a number of the tallest mountains uprooted themselves from the ground to oppose her. These mountains were the first giants. As the millennia have passed, these mountains fell into smaller and smaller fragments, becoming the modern subspecies of giant. From largest to smallest, these modern varieties are Storm Giants, Cloud Giants, Frost Giants, Fire Giants, Stone Giants, and Hill Giants. While tradition paints them as hostile to most of the smaller mortals, and many remain so, they are not all so - some of those who've slipped past the dwarven bulwark of the Domhanar Mountains have found strange places in smaller communities, and are trusted despite their monstrous appearance.

Basic Information

Ecology and Habitats

Most giants prefer to live in the cold, and they are naturally drawn to high altitudes. Fire Giants are the only real exception, generally living in the blazing heat of volcanoes.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Giants are almost entirely omnivorous, though they tend to favour meat. They are all also capable of sustaining themselves on rocks, though they dislike having to resort to this.

Biological Cycle

Giants are long-lived and slow to breed. Even the relatively short-lived Hill Giants have lifespans in the centuries.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Giants' faces are most akin to dwarves', leading some to speculate on a shared ancestry. They prize their beards, much like dwarves, though their beards are not typically hair - Storm Giants will have beards of cloud and lightning, while Stone Giants have beards of crystal, for example.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Giants have names in Giant, and may have nicknames in the place of surnames.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Giants speak Giant.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Giant culture is largely unknown, due to their hostility to most races. Their conflict with the dwarves and their goddess, however, seems to be a centerpiece of their culture, and for those living within the Land of Giants, it appears to extend to most of the smaller races.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Giants are regarded with open hostility by most other races, especially the dwarves. Some, however, do live peacefully with other communities.

Genetic Descendants

• Goliaths

Lifespan

200-1000 years

Average Height

From 16ft for Hill Giants, to 27ft for Storm Giants

Average Weight

Even heavier than one would expect from their height

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Hill and Cloud Giants have skin tones similar to those of humans and dwarves. Storm and Stone Giants typically have grayish skiin, of a tone akin to stone. Frost Giants have blue skin, and Fire Giants jet black.