Giant

Huge spirit folk made vast by tmakikan.

Basics

• Taxonomic Order: TheFolk

• Alignment: Aetherial

• Energy: Tmakikan

• Lifespan: 70-120 years

• Diet: Vast quantities of mortal fare

• Habitat: Pastoral lands

Origins

Giants formed from legends of large humans who could draw power from the arable soil.

Description

Giants stand anywhere from 10’ to over 20’. They have a vast range of appearances, varying by legends of giants in their area, but they tend to range the gamut of human appearances, just bigger. The commonest giants stand 16’ tall.

Procreation

Giants reproduce sexually with one another. They can reproduce with other size-appropriate spirit folk, but for the most part, they cannot reproduce outside their species without supernatural intervention.

Powers

Giants have supernaturally powerful bodies with great strength, above average agility, slightly quicker healing speed, resistance to gastrointestinal diseases, resistance to senescence, sharper taste, proprioception, and balance, and, of course, great size. They can use nimusti exercises to alter their bodies (gaining more strength, speed, or resistance, or even growing new arms or legs in rare cases). They have a knack for farming that gives them innate senses into the needs of livestock and crops.

Giants can sense a turn in the weather up to a week ahead of time (usually about a day). During harvest season, they have +3 STR, ATH, and AWA. During fallow season, they have -1 STR, ATH, and AWA. This is based on where they are at the time. Many giants in one place can cause a confluence of harvest aether that can make the weather alter drastically if the giants are outside of their homelands.

During a times of scarcity, elder giants can multiply the food at the table by sacrificing some of their tmakikan, weakening themselves for the betterment of the community.

Physical Powers

The tmakikan within giants imbues their bodies with supernatural size, strength, agility, regenerative properties, constitution, and capabilities. They are resistant to gastrointestinal diseases and heal slightly faster than average for human/humanoid bodies. Tmakikan also makes certain senses more intense: taste, proprioception, and balance. They age the same rate as humans, but they weather it better, only being affected by senescence, on average, after 80 years. Because tmakiman is inherent to giants' bodies, they can alter their bodies through will power alone, albeit through a long process, by doing special diets and exercises called nimusti, which consist of seasonal changes to diet, special foods called wisawek (special grains, spices, and milk), and running eight miles every morning, doing 400 crunches every week, and lifting at least 500 lbs. five times every day.

Farming

Giants are master farmers. A giant has an innate understanding of what crops and livestock need to thrive. A family of giants can produce enough food for a whole country if left to their own devices. Commonly, giants powers of tmakikan allow them to produce more than average. They run large, efficient, and vibrant farms.

Common features of giant farms are large, colorful livestock. Blue or pink oxen, golden or red cattle, amber or blue sheep, blue or yellow goats, red or blue chickens, amber or pink ducks, rainbow geese, snow white or golden pigs, and red and white bees are commonly kept. Because of nourishing, they are usually larger than average, though they are not specifically supernatural species. Crops raised by giants tend to be imbued with more nourishing power than average crops - and more flavor.

Giants are known for reshaping the landscapes around them. In the hill lands of their home nation, they create incredible terraces, rivulets, ponds, and even woods and canyons to grow crops and raise livestock in.

Weaknesses

They are more powerful during harvest season of the year and weaker during fallow season. Sterisi can harm them. Vile energy can harm them.

Nations

The original giants dwell in western Palhur and are called the Kiwihla. There are many other giant nations around the world:

Nations by Size

Giant nations come in different sizes.

Big (10'-13')

• Ama-ron, legendary giants of Vada’dar who wield the power of stories

• Chahnameed, western Palhuric giants who like to play tricks and eat huge meals

• Famangomadan, giants of Danuo known for their use of blood magic

• Goliath, giants of Mahad and western Dabusen who known for feats of strength beyond their size

• Ispolin, giants of Burev in Ranu who protects fragments of The Law

• Maero, giants of the Southern Island Bridge who drink baleblood

• Neringa, giants of Paurek in Ranu who are known for their cruel wielding of arnum

• Tsul'kalu, giants of the forests of western Palhur known for their wisdom

• Velikan, giants of Colesh and Vesturia who live in swamps and wield vile energy

Large (13'-16')

• Caligorante, giants of central Jesenya who bring misfortune with them

• Hewiixi, giants of central Palhur who create fine alcohols

• Hrimthur, giants of Jorgendheim who live in ice

• Humbaba, giants of Mahad who draw power from the sun

• Kiwihla, the original giants, great gentle farmers of western Palhur

• Kua Fu, giants of Unbul who are traders and merchants

• Patagon, giants of eastern Palhur’s cold deserts who worship the moons

• Puntan, giants of Yaminae in the Southern Island Bridge who use complex math in their farming

Huge (16'-20')

• Cormoran, giants in Gyrah who wield the winds and live on clouds

• Dasamahayodha, Vimalan giants who wield gebvel to build great walls

• Gawr, giants of Ansulym who live in the mountains and fight against the oppressors there, uniting farm workers to do it

• Goegmagot, giants of Ansulym who are part of the ruling classes there, working as massive slavers

• Jentil, giants of western Jesenya who are great smiths and metalworkers

• Starkad, giants of Jorgendheim known for their vast houses and protection thereof

• Si-Te-Cah, giants of western Palhur who live on giant rafts in lakes and rivers there

• Titan, giants of Stayflies who have power over the storms

• Uriaș, Rendruan giants who value the truth

Massive (20'+)

• A-senee-ki-wakw, giants of western Palhur, close cousins of the Kiwihla, who live in the mountains and have stony skin

• Daidarabotchi, giants of Tenzanai who value love above all else

• Fomorian, Lyrillan giants who wield mollesse and serve the Unseelie and Unkindly Courts

• Inugpasugssuk, southern Palhuric giants who wield psionic powers in the deep ice

• Jenu, hairy giants of southern Palhur who wield mijjit

• Jotunn, Jorgendish giants who maintain the status quo

• Surtr, Jorgendish giants who wield flame in the mountains

• Toell, Survan giants in Ranu who are great warriors

• Ysbaddaden, giants in southern Starfall who contain paradox

Culture

Giants among the Kiwihla live in farming communities, focused on extended families. The eldest giants have places of respect, but they earn this by sacrificing part of themselves in hard times. Giant children are nourished by their mothers till they are weaned, then they are taken care of by the community at large until they are strong enough to work. Everyone is expected to pitch in to work on the farm. Children have special tasks which combine meeting the needs of the community and teaching them new skills. When a giant is about 10 years old, they are given the opportunity to visit other farms in the community and stay there for a time to meet new people and learn other skills to bring back to their home farm.

Giants are considered adults when they have their last growth spurt, usually between the ages of 17 and 20, and meet their maximum height. They know when this is because they will grow rapidly in height for six months, then stop, usually gaining the last two feet in height during this time. Rarely, a giant will not naturally hit this growth spurt. In some communities, an elder giant will sacrifice some tmakikan to help the young giant along. Others will engage in numisti exercises to reach it, though this takes years and is very painful. Still others simply accept that they will not have their spurt, and some find it much later in life. Those giants who never have a final growth spurt are usually considered special wards of the farm. In the more conservative farms, they are not allowed to be married and must work harder to earn their place. In less conservative farms, they are treated as revered members of the farm and given special treatment because of it.

Giants love festivals, feasts, and celebrations. Every year sees major seasonal festivals: rebirth season (the start of the year), spring (celebrating the thriving life), midsummer (celebrating the hardest part of the work), harvest (the most important festival), and midwinter (the worst of it is over, light is returning). These seasonal festivals bring giants from all over together, usually regionally and not just within one farming community. Every giants' life is marked by special feasts at certain times of their life: birth feast, worker feast (when they start working), exchange feast (when they go off to stay at a different farm), return feast (when they come back to their home farm), the growth feast (the end of their final growth spurt and their ascent into adulthood), marriage feast, first child feast (combined with the child's birth feast), first grandchild feast (combined with the child's birth feast and parents' first child feast), elder feast (marking their retirement from work at the age of 60 or in times of debilitation by injury or disease), and their wake.

Every farm has special feasts unique to them as well. These usually celebrate historical milestones, new ideas, changes to the farm, successes or special achievements, or special guests. Hospitality is sacred and important to giants, and anyone who violates the laws of hospitality is outcast from the farm.

A giants' farmhouse will always feature a massive kitchen and dining area - sometimes these are separate buildings each. Outdoor stoves are often built for festivals, and at the end of the festival, when the massive stoves are still hot, giants will skate up and down the stove tops in special races.

Giants who are not farmers are rare, but those who leave farms for independent life often find themselves working on the fringes of communities meeting certain needs like logging, trading, fishing, or hunting. Within giant communities, the law is handled by the community council and certain giants specially recognized from each family as agents of the council who act as enforcers in times of need.

National Cultures

See Giant Nations.

Esoterica

Giants are beings of tmakikan and some of its finest wielders. They are also commonly wielders of mijjit, humors, prasinofos, nzwara murazvo, oalkhaylaoataa, kazaddarean, and tyvka vlast. They cannot wield brown aether or sterisi.

Religion

Each giantish nation has their own religion, but among the original nation, they worship spirits, ancestors, and the harvest itself.

Gender

Giants recognize various genders, depending on culture, but the original giants have their own three gender system.

Courtship among giants involves the young giant - who decides for themself when to begin - touring the other farms in the area (or going further afield). They bring a basket of food to the farm where the focus of their attention is and offer it to the family, with special treats for their hoped-for paramour. If the family has concerns over the basket-bringer, they will give the food to the neighbors. If the hoped for romantic partner declines the request, they will give the special treat to the rest of their family. If the family objects but the focused on giant does not, it usually results in a long internal discussion, but most families respect the decisions of their family members except in extreme circumstances. If it is the other way around, it is rare for families to force a courtship. Accepting the food does not equal anything more than consent for an initial date, during which the targeted giant may decline at any time. Most courtships last a year and involve a lot of exchanging of food. Weddings among giants are one of the biggest feasts any giant will ever see, as the whole farming community is often invited and brings food to celebrate the union of families.

Economy

The original giants live in a matriarchal society.

Military

If a community is threatened by outside forces, giants band together and everyone fights.

Language

Their original language is based on Abenaki.

Trade

The original giants trade with other nearby nations and peoples, usually trading their farmed goods.

Outside View

Giants who leave giant communities and live among other nations are often revered for their strength and urged to work as police, military, or other jobs requiring great strength. Giants are feared the world over, often accused of being cannibals.

Notables

• Wlawckgannawakwa Lakazckwckgannotkikat, Hearthheart Plowmaster, the Hillshaper, Giant Manifest, Mother of the Hills, Aeonian

• Woodsman Paul, Lakemaker, He of the Blue Ox; Elder, Aeonian

• Tesipow, Rider of the Hills

• Cron Thrym’kataigída, Shatterstorm, the lost Titan King, sealed away in a cave

Estimated Populations

• A-senee-ki-wakw: 20,000

• Ama-ron: 20,000

• Caligorante: 10,000

• Chahnameed: 20,000

• Cormoran: 20,000

• Daidarabotchi: 20,000

• Dasamahayodha: 60,000

• Famangomadan: 10,000

• Fomorian: 20,000

• Gawr: 20,000

• Goegmagot: 5,000

• Goliath: 3,000

• Hewiixi: 3,000

• Hrimthur: 10,000

• Humbaba: 10,000

• Inugpasugssuk: 10,000

• Ispolin: 1,000

• Jentil: 10,000

• Jenu: 10,000

• Jotunn: 30,000

• Kiwihla: 50,000

• Kua Fu: 40,000

• Maero: 5,000

• Neringa: 10,000

• Patagon: 3,000

• Puntan: 10,000

• Si-Te-Cah: 20,000

• Starkad: 20,000

• Surtr: 20,000

• Titan: 10,000

• Toell: 10,000

• Tsul'kalu: 20,000

• Uriaș: 20,000

• Velikan: 5,000

• Ysbaddaden: 500

• Other: 100,000

Sample Stats

By size:

Big

PRO 8
ATH 11
STR 18
AWA 8
WIL 8
PRS 8
STH 4

Large

PRO 8
ATH 11
STR 21
AWA 8
WIL 8
PRS 8
STH 4

Huge

PRO 8
ATH 11
STR 24
AWA 8
WIL 8
PRS 8
STH 4

Massive

PRO 8
ATH 11
STR 27
AWA 8
WIL 8
PRS 8
STH 4