The Giant of Goldbrook

Long ago, before the Noble Houses carved their banners into the soil, the land was tended by an ancient druid of immense power. The legends say that he lived so long, and loved the wilds so deeply, that he became one with them. His body grew vast, vaster even than the greatest giants of old, until his stride could shake the valleys and his shadow could blot out the sun.

He wandered the untouched world as a gardener and warden, tending the forests, rivers, and beasts with a gentle but firm hand. Where trees were trampled by storms, he replanted them. Where creatures warred too fiercely, he separated them with great walls of vine and stone. Mortal settlers, when they came, were tolerated only if they honored the land.

But centuries passed, and the druid grew weary. His limbs grew heavy with sorrow at the endless struggle between nature and mortal greed. At last, he climbed the central mountains of the land and lay down upon their snowy peaks, seeking rest. Yet the cold winds there cut through even his titanic form.

Not wishing to abandon the world, but unable to endure its endless weariness, the druid turned his flesh to stone. His body became a new peak, his hair tangled into forests, and his tears formed hidden brooks and lakes. Snow fell, and the seasons buried him further, until none could tell where mountain ended and slumbering god began.

The people of the Oligarchy called the peak Goldbrook, after the shining waters that run down its sides in the thaw of spring.

To this day, farmers and hunters whisper warnings: disturb not the deep earth of Goldbrook. To mine too greedily or despoil its wilds is to risk awakening the Giant. If he wakes and sees the ruin wrought by mortal hands, it is said he will rise in wrath and sweep the fields clean, returning the land to wildness once more.

Whether truth or simply a story to keep serfs from digging where Noble interests lie, none can say. But the mountains still watch, still breathe under the snow. and some claim that, on cold nights, you can feel a slow heartbeat thrumming beneath the earth.