Goliath

The Goliath are a tall, proud race found predominantly in the higher and colder regions of the world.

To Live is to Compete

Everything to a Goliath is a competition.
Every day brings a new challenge, a new tale to add to the list of their life's accomplishments. Every fable heard is just a measurement of what they must beat. Every victory a legend waiting to be told. But their most fierce competitor is always themselves, as they always seek to surpass their own achievements. Beating their own records being the most satisfying victory of all. They are also competitive with their companions and other Goliaths, but never arrogant to the point of cockiness.

Basic Information

Genetics and Reproduction

Reproduction for the goliaths is similar to that of Humans, with a gestation time of about ten months.
While goliaths do enjoy sex as much as most any other humanoid race, they do not often reproduce unless certain events take place. If a member of their rove dies, the clan holds a celebration in their memory. During this celebration, goliath's experience an event called Sengfeder¹. Collectively, every member of the rove is overtaken by a deep need to breed with whomever is closest (discounting direct family members). Outsiders who have witnessed, or taken part, in this event often tell of the overwhelming and almost frightening state the goliaths enter during this time. While it is not altogether unpleasant, it can still be quite a shock to those who have never witnessed it before.

Growth Rate & Stages

Baby goliaths are born larger than human infants, often an average of 20 to 25 lbs. Besides the obvious genetalia differences, Male and female goliaths are easily distinguished at birth due to females being born with hair, and males without.
As a product of their environment, goliaths grow up fast, often having shorter childhoods compared to humans. At the age of ten they begin to be taken on hunts, learn to herd, travel on foot hauling trade goods, and other activities required to keep their roves alive.
From the age of 10 till they mature at 18, goliaths will begin to grow their characteristic hard bony growths found on their arms, legs, and occasionally head and face. Their growing is considered a right of passage from childhood into adulthood. Due to the fact that the growing of these can be occasionally painful, goliaths feel that the act of baring that pain builds character and shows that you are ready and able to take on any burden thrown at you and it is often referred to as, 'Earning your stones.'

Ecology and Habitats

Goliaths tend to live in high mountain ranges and cold tundra climates².
They will often build strongholds of hide leather and bone from their hunts of sturdy construction, but still easy to break down if they need to move.

Biological Cycle

Goliath's true lifespan is measured to be about 120 years. However, due to their highly active and competitive culture, they tend to die much younger, with the oldest often living into their late thirties, occasionally forties.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Goliaths live in clans called Rove³. A Rove is lead by a Chieftain, who decides where and when a Rove will move, as well as settling arguments and being the tie breaker in decisions that affect members of the clan in a large scale, such as punishment and exile.
Captains stand next in line under the Chieftain and manage the running of important aspects of the Rove from day to day. There are often at least four Captains in a Rove, depending on the size. They will pick their work teams from among the Rove and set out on their given task, often in pairs of two, to help encourage competition.
The Skywatcher and Dawncaller are in charge of guarding the camp during the day and night respectfully.
Soulspeakers hold the only real place of religious importance in goliath society. The often counsel the Cheiftain on matters pertaining to spiritual or religious nature. The nature of the counsel depends on the nature of the Soulspeaker⁴.

Facial characteristics

Goliath's have strong brow ridges above deep set eyes. Their eyes can sometimes be free of irises, and in these cases tend to be a more solid gray in coloration.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

High peaks in Koria and Eltar, as well as the Tundra of Winds, and the Plains of Ice in lower Eltar.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Goliaths traditionally keep three names.
The first name is the given name their parents give them at birth. This is often something familial, being the name of a great grandfather or grandmother.
The last name is the name of their Rove. This allows two goliaths who meet to understand where each is from as well as have an instant understanding of how to act with one another, either peacefully or with force.
The third name, often holding the place of a middle name, is a nickname denoting an aspect of the goliaths life. This name sometimes will change over the course of the goliaths life, depending on their actions, but others will carry the same name their entire life. This nickname is not chosen by the goliath itself. Instead it is gifted to them by either the Cheiftain or Soulspeaker. The name can be either given as a badge of honor, or as a mark against them, to remind them of a failing or shortcoming.
Most goliaths are known by their first, or nick name, and only use their Rove name in the most formal or important moments.
Male Names: Audath, Bjor, Eguman, Johan Female Names: Dauria, Eida, Ilavea, Vaimei, Zami

Beauty Ideals

Physical strength is a strong beauty ideal for goliaths of both sexes.

Gender Ideals

Both genders hold equal standing among goliaths, and as such both are ideally fit for all aspects of life within the rove.

Courtship Ideals

Goliath courtship is a simple affair. All members of the rove are allowed to marry who ever they want, should they choose marriage. The pursuer must impress their mark, usually through either their personal renown, or by an act of extreme heroism or bravery. Should they succeed, the courtship ends and the two begin a period of a year and a day during which they live together, and come to know one another.

Relationship Ideals

If at the end of the year and a day, the two wish to remain together, a ceremony is formed where in the male bonds himself to the female, forsaking his family and rove (if he was from a different rove), and joining her family.
From this point on the two work to increase their teamwork and importance among their clansmen. Both members are providers, hunting or gathering food as needed, as well as being in charge of any cleaning, mending, and child rearing duties.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Goliaths speak mostly Common and Giant. While they are not tremendously fluent in it, Giant as a dialect still holds a strong point in their culture as a means of naming and remembering past events.

History

I am Gor Roknathal, climber of peaks, slayer of dragons. I have hunted the great beast of the Wodenwood, drunk an entire Joton clan under the table, and then ran the entire tundra in a race with a Roc. Come! Face me and understand true strength! ~ Gor Roknathal, shortly before he was eaten by a Purple Wurm.

Goliath's were created very late in the War of the Giants and Dragons. It is unsure of what their exact lineage was, though it is understood that they are descended from the giants themselves, likely Stone or Frost Giants⁵. They were bred for combat, and indoctrinated with the idea that fighting and combat was their pure purpose, and that bringing down foes much larger than themselves was their purpose. Whether the giants truly understood their folly in this, or they believed that the goliath's would truly fight only the dragons, is up for some debate. The truth of the matter however, is that they were among the first to join the Dwarves in their rebellion against the Giants during the war. It is believed that this is what birthed their great competitive nature, as they tried to impress and out preform the smaller races they found themselves allied with. After the fall of Gaveheim, the goliath found themselves lost in a world where they were no longer needed. Build and bred for a war that was now over, they struggled to find a meaning and purpose. Eventually, their hardy nature and competitive spirit led them to settle in the harshest corners of the world, often in high mountain peaks and sparse tundras. They thrived in the brutal environments, their tough rugged nature and powerful builds allowing them to exist where most others could not.

Lives of Acts, not Works

Due to the harshness of the places they chose to settle, goliath's never truly built any long lasting structures. They would occasionally find an abandoned tower or village left behind, and would decorate it in their own styles, but they never erected grand cities or towering monuments as other races of that time did. Instead, they chose to represent themselves by preforming incredible acts during their lively, if often short lives. Tales of goliath's from ages past are still told around bonfires and at clan moots.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Goliath Roves will often keep to themselves, with very little interaction outside of occasional trading. Those who do develop a relationship with outsiders often treat them similar to Goliath children, trying to engage them in physical challenges to improve their competitiveness. They are somewhat confused, and even scared of Elves and Dwarves due to their long lifespans, as the concept of living hundreds of years is unfathomable, but they do admire them for their excellent craftsmanship. They also hold a special place for them in their legends of the Giant and Dragon War.
They are friendly with Earth Genasi, considering them distant cousins. This doesn't always translate well to Earth Genasi who can sometimes tire of the eternal competitiveness of their Goliath friends.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Giants

Lifespan

20-40 years

Average Height

7-8 ft.

Average Weight

320 lbs

Average Physique

Goliath's harsh lifestyle requires peak performance, leading nearly all of their kind to be in tremendous shape.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Goliath's skin can range from stone gray to soft tan and is extremely tough. Most have some sort of hard bony growths on their skin, predominantly on their lower arms and legs, as if stones protrude from their skin. Interestingly, they have darker patches of skin all over their bodies that appear almost tattoo-like, each one being unique. Some legends say that each pattern tells the tale of the Goliath's life at the moment they are born.
Males are nearly all uniformly bald and beardless, females can grow hair but will often choose to shave it off in uniformity with the male counterparts. Their bodies are all uniformly hairless as well.

¹ Sengfeder is a word in Giant dialect, roughly translating to 'Bed Fever'. While even goliath's do not truly know why this happens, historians theorize that is may have been a design by the Giants to ensure they would always have more slave soldiers during their conflict with the Dragons.
² There is a small select group of goliaths that live in the upper parts of the Feyweldan Forest and The Silt Swamp of Koria. This group however, is tremendously different from normal goliaths in nearly every way. See Earthbreaker Tribe.
³ A rove is usually made up of around thirty to fifty members, though some as large as two hundred are known to exist in the past.
⁴ A Soulspeaker who follows a shamanistic path will likely offer counsel on peace and coexistence with nature and others. Some Soulspeaker's are known to follow a more clerical path, usually following one of the Gods of the Tempest Domain, and are usually more warlike in their advice and nature.
⁵ Most, including a number of ancient goliath tales, say that the Stone Giants were their direct ancestors. However, there are some who also believe that the Frost Giants likely had a hand in their creation due to their hardy nature in cold climates.