Giants
"The daily life of a Destrean Giant carries with it a peculiar sense of ennui. From a cultural standpoint, little has changed in the years since The Trueborn first passed along the edicts of Gilgammon: to protect, to build, and to bear witness. So little is needed, it seems, to sustain our way of life that it should come as no surprise the lack of relative technological progress undergone by Giant-led societies. Even from a non-industrialized viewpoint, I ask you, what great works have we borne unto the realm, besides the oft-mentioned Spire at Heightsmaw?
Scattered stones barrel down the slopes of the Smoothstone Range, aye, but it's no great song that springs them. Merely the rumblings of a people who are not beyond need, but merely, lacking it."
-Svyhn (from the 5th Treatise of their book 'In The Shadows of Betters').
Giants
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age. Giants are immortal in biological terms, but require a fair deal more rest to maintain their massive bodies.
Size. Giants are between 7 and 8 feet tall and weigh between 280 and 340 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Natural Athlete. You have proficiency in the Athletics skill.
Stone's Endurance. You can focus yourself to occasionally shrug off injury. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to roll a d12. Add your Constitution modifier to the number rolled, and reduce the damage by that total. After you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Mountain Born. You have resistance to cold damage. You’re also acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Giant.
Physical Characteristics
Their rocky, cragged flesh is capable of resisting slashes and cuts from inferior metals, but cannot be mended without significant expenditure of arcanic essence when damaged. They have beady, clouded eyes the texture and colour of gemstones. Those who undergo service in the military, or the trials of the Stone Fist, are completely bald, save their distinctive war paint tattoos. Giants are, however, capable of growing moss-like beards and hair, the hue of which is a mix of earth tones.
Ancient History
The original giants, or 'Trueborne' as they came to be known, are said to have been carved from stone of Torrhen Shield. Giants cannot reproduce naturally, and so instead shape and mould more giants from Godstone (rock formations which have treated/imbued with forma, therma and anima essence). Though curiously, no Giant is capable of creating one as large (or larger) than themselves- and so, over generations, they have steadily decreased in stature.
New Giants
On the day they are crafted into being, Giantlings are only given single-letter names. A Giant will earn another letter to their name, to fit their developing personality, when granted one by a Giant larger than they. This process can take decades or even centuries in most cases, while others will live and die without ever being granted another beyond their first. Note that this practise is largely ignored by Giants who choose to integrate into non-Giant-centric societies.
Tallest One
Giant societies are led by a single ruler with absolute authority, known as the 'Tallest One', which has historically been interpreted as meaning, quite simply, the largest giant in the region. Different ethnicities/subcultures within Giant-controlled territories have always interpreted this custom slightly differently, however. It should be noted that recent events have caused a great deal of conflict over this practice in the historically Giant-majority nation of Gilgas.
When the Tallest One assumes their title, they no longer add new letters to their name, and each letter of their first name is henceforth capitalized entirely in all records, from then onward, to denote their "tallness". Moreover, the name of the Tallest One can only be shouted once they assume their title. Throughout most of Gilgas, the act of merely whispering the name of the Tallest One is punishable by death.
Unreliable Narrators
Throughout their long societal histories, Giants have never measured time, at least not in any capacity that would be fungible with the time-keeping practises and chronologies of other Destrean societies. In spite of their long lifespans, which dwarf *render minuscule even that of elves of ages past, the records of Destrea's cultural history are curt, and almost useless without the records of other chroniclers to contextualize them.
Giant Ethnicities
Trueborne
Carved from Godstone by Gilgammon The Worldwake, the Trueborne are the oldest lineage of Giants. However, at time of writing, the only living Trueborne remaining is ROGO, Tallest One. Point of fact, he happens to also be the sole survivor of The Battle of Summoner's Plain- though he has remained in a state of unconsciousness since being recovered from the battlefield.
Torden
A nomadic tribe said to have been long-ago carved from godstone, using Therma harnessed from the great storms of the Chillway. Restless explorers and compulsive plunderers, the Torden view chaos as the natural order of the world. They raid under the cover of storms, striking with a single, overwhelming wave of attackers, then quickly disappearing just as the winds settle. Their settlements, primarily built from the seized materials of the villages they raid, can be found on the Shatter Isles, which dot the northern coast of Gilgas. Their distinctive, mainly decorative armour is adorned with the trophies and trinkets of their enemies- beasts and civilized persons alike.
Bhai-Ore
Among the eldest and least populous of Destrea's remaining Giants, the Bhai-Ore are dedicated stewards of the natural world. Though the history of their tribe is muddied and obtuse, the scarred hides of their elders tell tales of war and conquest; concepts that now bear little-to-no interest among the Bhai-Ore of today. Having long-ago settled the woodlands at the base of the Smoothstone Range, their long tenure as self-appointed custodians of its safe-keeping speaks for itself. Unlike most Giant subcultures, they trade frequently with their southern neighbours, in the Gorrano Republic.
Fjördborne
Dwellers of the dark and winding caverns that run endlessly under Destrea's two largest mountain ranges, The Fjördborne are known primarily for their diligent craftsmanship. Their most well-known creations being the great structures and monuments found throughout the Underway. Most of these impressive stone effigies are built to honour the images of their Trueborne ancestors, as well as the mythical benevolent creators of all Destrean peoples, The Founding Gods. The Fjördborne, like most older Giant tribes, take it upon themselves to defend Destrea's natural wonders- specifically, mineral riches, oil, and precious metals.
Descended from one of many waves of settlers to the Great Wide over the centuries, their ancestors helped to establish the Commonwealth Federation of City-States.
Commoner culture, much like that of the Caravan Coast, is the product of waves of settlers each bringing customs, traditions, and values that end up influencing their new country to varying degrees. What sets commoners apart, however, is their peculiar tendency towards orderliness, institutional trust, and fervent nationalism.
Militia Training. You are proficient with firearms.
Equipment: Commonwealth runecoin, two food rations, 1d4 gold in a coin purse.
Settlers, dissidents, exiles, and drifters from all corners of the realm, who've made homes of the independent City-States dotting the Caravan Coast, and the seas over which they extend dominion. No matter which of the Independent republics, petty kingdoms, or havens of sin a caravanian hails from, they must share shade with one another; each holding an upturned nail beneath the ever-looming boots of major Destrean nations. While the city-states' disdain for one another may run deep, it is a mere thimble's worth when measured against the ocean of antipathy they reserve for outsiders.
Menacing. You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
Equipment: Utility knife, 1d6 gold in a coin purse.