The Lands of Warlderia

Giants of Warlderia

The Giants are amongst the oldest races in Warlderia, their history stretching back to an age before the Elven kingdoms, before the Dwarven Holds and long before Humanity emerged as a power. They remember a world where mountains had yet to be named, rivers had not settled into their courses and forests covered lands that are now barren plains. Unlike the younger races, the Giants never sought dominion over the whole world. They believed the mountains had been gifted to them by the gods and that the lands below were of little consequence. Whilst others fought for kingdoms, the Giants shaped the landscape itself, believing mountains would endure long after the kingdoms of lesser races had been forgotten. Even today many of the greatest mountain passes, broad valleys and strangely regular cliffs found throughout Warlderia are believed to be the work of Giant kings from an age before written history. The Dwarves are rightly regarded as the greatest masons in the world, but even they acknowledge an old saying:

"The Dwarves carve mountains. The Giants shaped them."

The First Builders

No race can agree where the Giants came from. Elven scholars believe they were created by the gods to raise the first mountains. The Dwarves insist the Giants merely inherited a world already formed. The Giants themselves simply laugh at such arguments. They claim they have always been there. Whether this is arrogance or truth, none can say. What is certain is that Giant civilisation predates every known kingdom. Before the younger races first crossed the seas or emerged from beneath the earth, the Giants had already raised enormous cities upon the highest peaks and carved roads across mountain ranges that still serve travellers today. Many places thought to be natural wonders are, in fact, the forgotten works of Giant civilisation.

The Higher Wars

For many  years the Giants ignored the struggles of the younger races. The Elves fought. The Dwarves mined. The Orcs conquered. The Humans multiplied. The Giants watched.

Only when the Higher Wars spread into their mountains did they finally take notice. Dwarven miners delved ever deeper beneath the peaks, Orcs established fortresses guarding ancient passes and Human engineers drove roads through valleys the Giants had considered sacred since the beginning of history. The Giants answered with overwhelming force. Entire armies disappeared beneath avalanches deliberately triggered from the mountains above. Narrow passes became killing grounds where enormous boulders crushed marching columns, whilst fortresses believed impregnable were reduced to rubble beneath Giant siege engines. Although victorious in many battles, the Giants suffered losses they could not easily replace. Their race breeds slowly and every death weakens a clan for generations. One by one the ancient kingdoms were abandoned until the surviving clans withdrew into their greatest city, Gunbar Crag, where they remain to this day.

Gunbar Crag

Today the High Kingdom of Gunbar Crag is the last great Giant realm. Hidden amongst the highest mountains of Warlderia, it remains one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Vast terraces climb the mountainside, stairways hundreds of feet wide connect colossal halls and gateways large enough for dragons open into chambers capable of housing entire Human villages. Few outsiders have ever entered Gunbar Crag. Fewer still have returned. The Giants continue to regard themselves as the rightful masters of the mountains and have little interest in the politics of the younger races unless those politics threaten their ancient lands.

The Giant Kindreds

Although commonly spoken of as a single race, the Giants are divided into several distinct kindreds. All claim descent from the first Giants, though thousands of years of isolation have produced cultures as varied as those of the younger races.

Hill Giants

The most numerous and least civilised of the Giant kindreds, Hill Giants inhabit foothills and rolling highlands throughout Warlderia. They live in small clans, surviving through hunting, herding and raiding. Although often dismissed as simple brutes, they possess remarkable endurance and an instinctive understanding of the lands they inhabit.

Stone Giants

Stone Giants are regarded as the greatest builders amongst Giantkind. Patient and contemplative, they shape cliffs, valleys and mountains into works of astonishing beauty and scale. Many of the oldest roads and terraces crossing the mountains are believed to have been created by Stone Giant craftsmen thousands of years ago.

Frost Giants

The Frost Giants dwell in the frozen north beyond the reach of most civilised kingdoms. Fierce warriors and fearless hunters, they measure honour through courage and victory in battle. Their halls are built from stone and ice, whilst mammoths, winter wolves and great white bears often accompany their warbands.

Fire Giants

The Fire Giants are the smiths and generals of Giant civilisation. Their kingdoms are centred upon volcanoes and great mountain forges where they produce enormous weapons and armour of exceptional quality. Most of the High Kings of Gunbar Crag have come from Fire Giant bloodlines and they remain the most organised and militaristic of all Giant kindreds.

Cloud Giants

Cloud Giants favour the highest peaks where they build magnificent halls overlooking the lands below. Less interested in warfare than many of their cousins, they devote themselves to scholarship, diplomacy and the study of the heavens. They often serve as advisors to Giant kings and are widely respected for their wisdom.

Storm Giants

The rarest and most mysterious of Giantkind, Storm Giants dwell upon lonely coasts, storm-lashed islands and sea cliffs. They are said to hear the voices of the gods carried upon thunder and are regarded as prophets by many of the other Giant kindreds. Even the High Kings seek their counsel only with great respect.

Ogres

Most scholars believe Ogres share a distant ancestry with the Giants, although few Giants willingly admit the connection. Strong but lacking the discipline of true Giantkind, they often serve as labourers, soldiers and vassals within the Giant kingdoms, whilst independent tribes roam many wilderness regions.

Ettins

Ettins are regarded by the Giants as a tragic corruption of their race. Whether created by ancient curses or some forgotten magical disaster, none now remember. Powerful but unpredictable, they are rarely welcomed within Giant society, though some serve as mercenaries or guardians in the armies of Gunbar Crag.

Society

Strength governs every aspect of Giant society. Leadership must be earned. Every Giant is expected to prove themselves through labour, wisdom or battle. Even the High King must regularly demonstrate that he remains worthy of leading the clans. Oaths are sacred, hospitality once offered is rarely broken and betrayal is remembered for generations. Despite their fearsome reputation, the Giants are not mindless destroyers. Their historians preserve memories stretching back to the dawn of civilisation, their smiths rival the finest Dwarven craftsmen and their architects have shaped landscapes that younger races still mistake for nature itself.

Relations with the Younger Races

The Giants have never fully understood the ambitions of the younger races.

They respect the craftsmanship of the Dwarves, though they consider their underground kingdoms strangely confining.

The Elves are admired for their long memories but regarded as overly concerned with beauty.

Humans are viewed with a mixture of amusement and frustration. The Giants acknowledge their determination but often dismiss them as impatient children whose kingdoms rise and fall before a Giant has reached middle age.

Relations with the Orcs remain openly hostile. Many of the abandoned Giant fortresses seized during the Higher Wars remain in Orc hands, a slight the Giants have never forgiven.

Religion

Most Giants worship the ancient gods of stone, storm and fire. Temples are rare, for the Giants believe no roof should stand between themselves and the heavens. Their greatest ceremonies take place upon mountain summits where the wind carries their prayers across the world.

An Ancient Race

The Giants have watched kingdoms rise and empires crumble for longer than most races have existed. They remember mountains whose names have been forgotten. Roads that no longer lead anywhere. Cities buried beneath forests. Whilst the younger races argue over who shall rule the world, the Giants simply watch from the peaks. They have seen such arguments before. They believe they will still be standing when the victors have become nothing more than another forgotten chapter in history.