186 – Foot, Insert in Mouth

And now, in a continuing service, an entry from the Encyclopedia Ardrisia.

Giants

Legends say that when Terron, God of the Earth, helped the other gods create the world, he created a race of creatures in his own image to populate it, as did the other gods. Not being a god overly blessed with outside-the-box thinking, he named his new creations “Giants.” Since then, the giants have been something of a disappointment to him, as none of them have shown any interest in learning geology, like Terron had hoped, but instead seem to delight in smacking people on the heads and taking their belongings.

Relatively new to the continent of Ardris, giants arrived in the northwestern region of Westhame from across the Frigid Sea roughly 250 years ago. Since then, they have meandered their way across the continent, raiding and pillaging as they go.  Were the giants ever to unify under one leader, they would be a true threat to the safety of the Five Kingdoms. As it is, giants are an annoyance that one hires adventurers to go clear out of an area every so often, which is good for the economy and helps control the number of giants AND adventurers, so it’s a net win.

Giants have a deep connection to the earth. The level of that connection (and their relative height) is reflected in their clan names, from the powerful and sedate Mountain Giants (average height: 30 – 40 feet) to the unpredictable Avalanche Giants (average height: 25 – 30 feet), on down to the cunning and brutal Stone Giants (average height: 20 – 25 feet).

There is also a fourth clan of giants, called Gravel Giants, who barely qualify as giants, the tallest of them on record being only 15 feet tall. Due to centuries of inbreeding, gravel giants have diminished in both size, power, and intelligence. They are shunned by the rest of the giant community, mostly because their family trees do not fork and in the words of Mountain Lord Demaro, “That’s gross.” Many gravel giants have webbed toes for some reason.

The Encyclopedia Ardrisia , volume 11 (Focii of the W’Shaa to Greenfingers), Kilanio University Press, 48th edition.