Giants are native to our world, though we have discovered both through legend and exploration that some live on other realms as well. As an important note, sometimes one shorter culture would refer to a taller culture as 'giants', such as ancient Romans calling Nordic peoples giants, so any research into lore is best read carefully and accounted for on whether it is a normal height difference or if the people are, indeed, Giants. Another complication is when enlargement potions or charms are encountered, causing viewers to claim there are giants when there were simply human mages!
While some giants are simpletons with rudimentary intelligence, most are just as intelligent as any other human.
Giants[]
Appearance[]
The Giants of Midgard/Earth usually look like humans in all respects, except for their enormous size. True Giants are towering beings who are taller than many human homes, let alone ever be able to fit into them. Some few giants have rocky skin or even have plants growing out of them. These are often called Earth Giants, and can in some cases be mistaken for mountains or natural hills when they are sleeping.
Food[]
Giants eat much the same foods as humans. Many are hunters or gatherers, while some garden and farm. A few are known to be able to consume rock.
Culture[]
Giants are rare and tend to be reclusive, usually living in their own tiny communities or wandering the wildlands alone. Mountains are their most common habitat, though some are known to live underground or even in the sea. Giant Communities are hard to miss, though may be mistaken for a human village from a distance; the immense size of the buildings sometimes makes a traveler concerned that they were shrunk! Giant homes are usually a single story hut, though more complex architecture can exist.
Giant communities usually have their own languages or dialects. Some write with a runic script easily carved upon rocks or trees, though books and paper are employed by more developed Giants who learned the process from humans, making use of it for Giant-sized spellbooks.
Interactions with Magical Society[]
Due to historic confrontations, most have no interest in the human world, except to negotiate mutual terms of coexistence: don't mess with me or my territory, and I won't crush your dollhouse of a town. Some welcome polite human visitors, but since most humans view Giants as uncultured brutes (a reputation sometimes deserved), they are the exception rather than the norm. A list of grievances humankind has had with Giants includes:
- Destruction of property
- Theft or poaching of farm produce and livestock, as well as gold, gems, and artifacts
- Murder
Humans are just as guilty of these things with Giants, but the discrimination remains. Some Giants are aggressive to humans, and some human cultures are aggressive to Giants.
Abilities[]
Most Giants are nonmagical, and go about their lives hunting or farming for sustenance. Some are capable of magic, however; the most common magic affinities are earth/rock magic and nature magics, but Giants have been known to be able to cast any manner of spells.
Suggested Spells[]
- Boulder Toss (1), Diamond Blade (2), Long Shot (2), Obsidian Hail (3), Rockslide (5) or Avalance (5)
- Wild Rage (level 2)
- Cure Poison (3)
- Battle Pet (level 1+)
- Stoneskin (3)
- Terrifying Chant (level 4: fe fi fo fum...)
Fire Giants[]
Witnessed by Trefoil Academy in the Fire Realm (Muspelheim) and mentioned in sporadic lore sources, we have gathered some information about them though our interactions.
The Fire Giants of Muspelheim call themselves the Eldjötnar. They are immense, towering humanoids seemingly born of magma, and live among the smoky crags and volcanic canyons of the realm of primordial fire. Many wore armor or bore weapons of metal alloys, most of it crude but effective. Their lairs and homes seemed forged out of the ever-shifting lava and volcanic rock, with lava flowing like rivers through their encampments. They seem able to swim in it to no ill effect.
Their communities seem quite structured, with hints of a rigid, militaristic control. They have a very law-strict society and even brought some students to trial in a court, inside a volcanic mountain. The Fire Giants seemed to keep some other fire creatures as pets, and some sentient Salamanders were spotted in the community, working for the Fire Giants. As a whole, the Fire Giants seem quite condescending to lesser beings, and some Salamanders and Solarials have accused the species of being slavers.
Food[]
They seem capable of consuming anything combustible/flammable.
Academy Interactions[]
Trefoil has interacted directly with one tribe of Fire Giants, and aided them to rescue their prized Cinder Puppies which had been abducted by the Westgaards.
Ice Giants[]
Witnessed by Trefoil Academy in the Shadow Realm (Niflheim) and mentioned in sporadic lore sources, very little is known about the Ice Giants except that they were outright aggressive. It is theorized that they are entirely evil given the corruptive taint of the Shadow Realm. A note from Lorewatcher Muninn called them Hrímþursar and mentioned they live in small tribes as nomads, following herds on the dark, open tundra.
Sea Giants[]
A specific type of Giant who is entirely aquatic, relatively little is known about them by humankind. They tend to not come to the surface except in extremely rural areas, and have no interest in interacting with surface-dwellers.
Part Giants[]
Appearance[]
Part giants usually retain a large height and build; they are considered extremely tall by human standards, but short by giant standards. They may have to stoop to walk through a door, but they can usually fit in a human-sized building.
In Magical Society[]
Part giants, as with most half humans, have been severely discriminated against in magical society. Since most Giants are viewed as vicious and destructive, those with Giant blood are treated as stupid, inferior, or potentially dangerous beings (these are all assumptions that are not usually true). Most sports leagues do not accept half-giants on any sports team where the height or increased mass will give them an edge over pure humans. Due to their intimidating size, some half-giants find jobs as guards or in handling large animals.
Part Giants also struggle to find acceptance among other Giants, as they are too small and are viewed as stunted or weak.
Abilities[]
Aside from their greater strength from muscle mass, part-giants have no differences in ability from humankind. They may struggle to find tools or items that fit in their larger hands, however, making them appear clumsy.