Half-Giants

Half-giants
Once a race of slaves whom served cruel Ogre overlords, the half-giants are a race of incredibly large beings, with generally lumpy humans features. These giant-kin are known both for stoic steadfastness (on the good side) and murderous rampages (on the evil side). Generations of torture at the hands of their masters have made them a hard-minded people, determined to succeed in the new societies they find themselves in, always with a wary eye on the horizon to watch for their old captors. Each Half-giant is locked in a life-long struggle to restrain their giantish instincts to murder and steal, and this impulse is kept at bay by following a practice of mediation and study.

Standing 8-10ft tall with pale-to-ruddy skin and blond or brown hair, the half-giants are not actually a mix between hill giants and men, as some have suggested, but are their own race of giants, whom happen to be in between the size of hill giants and humans. Both males and females often grow their hair into long twisted braids, and facial hair is unusual among the menfolk. They appear to be thickly muscled, compared to their human proportions, with thick callouses, knobby joints, protruding brows, and stubby limbs.

Hard-headed and slow to trust, but with the patience of a mountain, the half-giants do not quickly make friends, and never forgive an enemy. Yet they are known to remember kindness for generations as well, and have learned to adapt to the ways of peoples less savage than their giantish relatives. They have a keen sense of justice, retribution, and fair-dealings, making them excellent magistrates, sheriffs, and even judges. They love recorded history, having been forbidden to keep written records of their families while under the bondage of the ogres, and so records of almost all activities in the community are written down by various record keepers. Half-giants typically detest flashy appearances and luxuries, priding themselves on their ability to withstand hardship.

Half-giant communities are usually farm-based and rural, with fairly crude buildings, as they see no need for flashy construction or decorative ornamentation. Preferring mud, thatch, or adobe structures to limber and metal, the Half-Giants have a deep and profound respect for the land where they live, having been barred from owning property while they were slaves. They are very community-minded, and come together for weekly mediation sessions and lectures on controlling their innate rage. Half-giants also live in close quarters with other races. They can be found in many large metropolitan cities, where their prodigious strength can be put to good use in construction and laboring tasks. Most bizarrely, the majority of half-giants are found in the country of Calcova, where they peacefully and cooperatively coexist with their ancient enemies, the Gnomes.

While slaves under the Ogres, the Half-Giants were taught that their old Giant gods had abandoned them to bondage due to their weakness in battle, and that the gods were now quite happy that the Ogres were putting them to good use. Because of this, many generations of Half-Giants came and went whom had no particular allegiance to the gods, and so now that they are free, virtually all Half-Giants have turned away from direct worship of the deities, and instead practice a form of philosophy called "Hruyng Shro".

The philosophy of Hruyng Shro teaches that enlightenment comes only through suffering and great self-control, with an emphasis on the concepts of karma and reincarnation. This sect was originally established by Jyru Hithgor, a Half-Giant teacher who lived as a slave in Gruthar, and whom was sent to the far away land of Calcova (now the Half-Giant's home) in the first wave of attempted settlement there. The philosophy was established as a way to suppress the inherently evil tendencies of Jyru's giant brethren, and lead a good life. It advocates daily meditation, breathing exercises and anger diffusion strategies to allow a Half-Giant to avoid being provoked into a rage when challenged. It also stresses the need for Half-Giants to perform deeds of good faith by helping the needy, through labor or donations. There is no official hierarchy or church structure, an small temples are the only centers for study. After Jyru's passing, his teachings were expanded upon by a series of gurus over the years, whom keep the doctrine up to date and relevant when needed.

Mostly Good, but some are still marauders


While most Half-Giants work to control their rage and lead good lives, not all are content to scrape out a living as simple farms and lawful adventurers. The giantish instinct towards domination still runs strong in some individuals, and these folks rebel at the idea of a passive life, or helping others. Wicked and cruel, these Half-Giants are often referred to as "marauders" by the other giants, and they live as bandits, outlaws, highwaymen, pirates, mercenaries, and murderers. Typically, they are forced to leave normal Half-Giant society, so they are spread out in the more chaotic frontier lands of the known world, and their blood-thirsty reputations are well deserved. They often relish in extravagant clothing, such as blood-stained satins, or necklaces of alternating ornaments and skulls. Anything that is both flashy and fear-provoking is immediately gravitated to. The largest concentrations of these half-giants are in Ashtar, where they join up with Unseelie Redcap bandits, and the thick, hot forests of the eastern Footlands.

These marauding Half-Giants typically reject any thought of self control on sheer principle, acting even more rashly than one would expect a typical giant to do, often raping, pillaging, and murdering victims on a whim. They are chaos incarnate, having no sense of loyalty to anyone or anything, and are perfectly willing to make others their slaves, even though they themselves were slaves not so many generations ago.