Giantborn

Towering brawlers from the savage frontier, The Giantborn are nine foot tall legendary warriors who exist in scattered clan holdings and lodges across the distance of the northern reaches of the Great Continent. Found most often in Dran and Stormgarde, these colossal, competitive and individualistic warriors are considered by many to be the strongest of the enlightened races though they were the stuff of legends for many long years. Descendants of the ancient giant empires that reigned over the mountains of the north lands, the most powerful Giantborn come to develop powers of staggering supernatural strength and durability and forge fearsome stories around their feats and the nature of their species.

Early Giantborn emerged in the aftermath of the collapse of the ancient empires but remained largely in seclusion in the High North where they hunted, fought, lived and died according to their own code of living. Encounters with them were sparse and limited to rare sightings and tall tales and they hardly ever ventured into the heartlands, leading to stories of distant and far away Half Giants who ruled the edges of the world. Rumor of them faded into myth and legend until the rise of the barbarian tribes of men and the arrival of The Summer Kings, ancestors of the Highborn, from Oversea. As the culture of the Tablelands began to change they took great interest in those events as well. The arrival of the Golden Horde from the east and the coming of Orcs into the north lands caused the Giantborn to form alliances with them though many expected the warrior races to crash against one another in a tide of blood. Instead the Giantborn began to teach the Orcs and later the humans that would become The Dranei Tribes how to harness the power of the northern wilds. Kreig Dranei, the legendary human champion, came to The Holy Mountain to seek the power of the god Angoron in uniting his people. Charged with protecting the Holy Mountain and the gates that, it was said, led to the slumbering place of Angoron, the Giantborn priests and shamans challenged Kreig but he overcame their challenge. When he successfully returned with the blessing of Angoron they swore to aid him in the uniting of the lands of Dran under his sovereignty.

Thus when Kreig returned from the heights of the Khardic Mountains, he did so with an army of giants to aid him. The emerging of the Giantborn into more public consciousness occurred at this time, though the race remained largely in the north and in their own lands, champions of their kind seeking fame and fortune and exposure to the world beyond their borders would now be found in Dran, Stormgarde and occasionally Myrddion and The Vast. Here they became known for their prodigious strength, fortitude and dedication to ideals and causes worth their time and attention. Sometimes they are mistaken for their evil kin and when they are roused, their aggressive natures make it hard for them to get the benefit of the doubt until they prove themselves in times of need. They serve as elite gladiators and bodyguards in Dran and vanguard warriors in Myrddion and other lands. They are rarely found in evil realms or among evil humanoids though some certainly exist as no race is immune from falling from grace.

Physical Description

Towering warriors, the Giantborn stand no less then seven feet tall with a few approaching and surpassing eight and epic members of their species are said to be able to grow even larger. Though truer giants are, naturally, much taller, the Giantborn pack on considerable mass and their astounding physiques can become awe inspiring and superhuman. Males tend to develop towards these extremes of muscularity or obesity while females are better proportioned, shorter, but no less strong. Their faces are brutal with low sloping brows and large brick like jaws. Noses can sometimes lean towards flattened appearances giving them a vague lion like look that their hair styles and beards often accent. Their hair tends to be woolly and almost mane like which they often wear in braids while also growing topknots and thick side burns. Their flesh tones vaguely reflect their distant giantish heritage, usually being shades of tan or brown or in the cases of those from the distant north, somewhat pale. Their abilities afford them great protection from the harsh elements of their environment and as such their clothing and armor is often worn less for necessity and more for decoration. Warriors often favor masks or horned helms to add to their intimidating presence.

Society and Lands

Generally speaking, the Giantborn are very individualistic and tend to shun the idea of an organized society with the sole exception of ancient oaths sworn related to the Dran due to the deeds of Kreig. Even these oaths are loosely binding and relate more to their reverence of the god Angoron, whom they see as patron and father. As a species they tend to live lives as loners, gathering solely in congregations known as Great Lodges in order to trade tales, drink, feast, brawl and exchange information relevant to their culture. The largest Lodge sits at the foot of the Khardic Mountain and is home to the Keepers of the Mountain, ancient priests who guard the mythic path that is said to lead to the seat of Angoron. Roving bands of the Giantborn come and go from this Lodge, sometimes staying entire seasons to dwell in the shadow of The Mountain that is at the root of their ancient ways. Because of their strong sense of personal honor, they have a long tradition of ancestor and hero worship and they tend to congregate around those who have performed great deeds and who represent their heroic ideals. Such individuals are the closest things to racial leaders as when the need for group decisions do arise from time to time, their voices weigh in the heaviest on what the Giantborn must or must not do related to a current crisis.

Other Races

Giantborn and humans of the Savage Frontier get along well as they respect the humans tenacity and ability to forge strong cultures and nations despite the hostility of the lands. Thus they are most likely to befriend or identify with the Aesir and the Dranei. In wars they fought side by side these humans, serving among the Dran, especially, in their mercenary armies in their wars in distant lands, acting as living siege engines and war machines carrying enormous weapons or pulling great machines of artifice and used to break entire regiments of armies. Likewise they resonant strongly with Orcs and half orcs, whom they taught how to control and utilize the land in ancient times. Races with a long standing history of conflict with giant races tend to view the Giantborn with open suspicions and the Giantborn see no need to apologize for the actions of their less enlightened cousins, thus leading to strained relations with the likes of dwarves, eaglefolk and gnomes.

Alignment and Religion

Giantborn combine animistic beliefs with reverence of deities of strength, war and inspiration. They tend to not take easily to the structured society of temple life and so their most popular gods are gods for whom personal forms of worship are more important then ritual and structure. Angoron is their chief god, known to them as Garganos, but Kor and Ceinara hold great places of reverence as well as Dana and Gilead. Although they follow many of the same gods as humans and other races they tend to have their own spin of worship on them and they shy away from lawful deities. Overall they tend to be neutral though they'll lean towards good and chaos far more then evil.

Adventurers

As the strongest of the Enlightened Races, the Giantborn more then pull their weight as mercenaries, explorers, adventurers and bodyguards. They are not very cerebral and so tend to stay away from tasks that require focused and dedicated mental aptitude, but when they are found in lands away from their native ones, they are often highly sought and well paid for their abilities.

Giantborn in the Pathfinder Campaign

Surges in the activity of the forces of the Witch King of the high north have displaced many Giantborn from clan and lodge holdings in the most distant reaches and forced them further south from the Wintergarde and the high peaks of Dran into southern Stormgarde and the Dran Tablelands. Intermingling with other races has occurred in ways not foreseen before and clashes between them and those more native to the warmer climates is becoming common. The priests of Angoron foresee a looming calamity occurring upon the peaks of the Khardic Mountain, perpetually shrouded in storm and rumbling with earthquakes as a sign of the displeasure of the god.

Giantborn Racial Traits

• Classification: humanoid (giant)
•  +2 Strength, +2 Charisma, -2 Intelligence
• Medium: Despite their tremendous size, Giantborn are an exception to the normal rules of size and so still count as medium sized aside from where explicitly stated otherwise.
• Giantblooded: Giantborn are considered to have the subtype of Giant.
• Normal Speed: Giantborn have a base speed of 30 feet.
• Low-Light Vision: Giantborn can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
• Tough Hides: Giantborn have a +1 natural armor bonus.
• Endure Elements: Giantborn are accustomed to the extremes of temperatures. Similar to the spell "Endure Elements" they can exist comfortably in -50 to 140 degree Fahrenheit without having to make fortitude saves. Though they are native to northern lands, this protection extends to the extremes of heat as well.
• Heritage (Su): Giantborn can call forth the power of their ancestry, becoming larger and embracing their giant nature. Once per day they can activate their heritage, treated as enlarge person as cast by a wizard with a caster level equal to their character level. Every three levels a giantborn can invoke heritage an additional time per day.
• Feat of Strength: Giantborn may perform feats of strength that even other giant kind marvel at. For a number of times a day equal to his constitution modifier, he may take 20 on a raw Strength check, Climb check, or Swim check without need for taking several minutes to prepare. This may even be done during combat. Raw Strength checks are primarily things like bursting out of bindings and bursting doors -- sudden bursts of strength. A single use of Feat of Strength can also increase the amount a Giantborn can lift or drag by 4x, but only for one round (though the Giantborn may use multiple Feats of Strength to continue holding/dragging the object on subsequent rounds).
• Clear-kenning: Giantborn receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.
• Shoulders of Atlas: Giantborn can carry 50% more than normal (Medium: x1.5, Large: x3, etc.)
• Weapon Familiarity: Giantborn are proficient with the Great Axe, Great Maul, Glaive, Longspear and shortspear.
• Languages: Giantborn begin play speaking Common and Jotun. Giantborn with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Gnomish, Goblin-Talk, Infernal, Khazdul and Yrch-Speak.