Giantkin used to be the mindless obedient thralls of giants that lived north of The Reach, in the lands now covered by inhospitable permanent ice and chilling blizzards. They were created by giants in their own image and represent the height of giants' mastery over shard manipulation and what they called soul magic. Giantkin populate much of the north of Aedelor where they have their own societies as well as integrate into primarily human ones. For many, giantkin are a reminder that giants once dominated much of the world.

Characteristics

Giantkin are very distinctive and stand apart from other ancestries in Aedelor. Their skin is pale blue, pale grey, or off-white with distinguishing blue or brown striations that cover their body, typically asymmetrically. Giantkin are completely hairless both on their heads and bodies. They stand between seven and eight feet tall and have naturally muscular builds. Their eyes are reminiscent of marbles, with one primary colour and a secondary colour marbled throughout. Giantkin are well suited for the frigid north or high altitudes as they are more resistant to cold weather than humans.

Although they rarely die from natural causes, especially in giantkin-dominated cultures, they can live up to 100 years. Around 70 years old, giantkin will begin to experience diminished mental faculties, and at 80 years old they will slowly begin showing signs of cracking along their striations and weakened physical strength.

Giantkin are carved from stone and granted life in a process called soulforging. This process is a carefully kept secret of giantkin, which they learnt from their creator. A giantkin does not need a partner to perform the process; single or same-sex giantkin parents are not uncommon, or a giantkin may have a giantkin child while partnered with a non-giantkin person. The process must begin with a piece of stone a few inches in diameter, into which specific giant runes are carved. When the process is completed, the stone is granted life, and its surface will crumble, leaving behind a giantkin infant. While incredibly small and helpless initially, giantkin will then physically mature in 15-20 years.

Names and Language

Most giantkin speak and read the giant language. Their names include a given name, a descriptor, and a clan name. A giantkin's descriptor relates to their deeds, profession, or aspirations and may change throughout their life, for better or worse. A giantkin's clan name is the name of the giant which created their ancestors or some derivation of that name.

Origins

Giants long sought the secrets of shard manipulation and developed many techniques and forms of soul magic based on their discoveries. The ultimate form of mastery over shards was considered to be the creation of new life, much like Bahamut had done as a result of the Shattering. Far in the north of Aedelor in a region now called the Reach, a giant named Fjellskjaerer culminated this research by successfully bestowing life to small quantities of stone. Northern giants considered this an invaluable breakthrough and kept the complicated details of the process, involving intricate giant runes, from their kind elsewhere in the world. Dragons considered giants' continued mastery of shard manipulation to be one of the greatest threats facing their kind. In an attempt to hinder or even destroy giants' efforts, dragons coordinated wars in the northern reaches of Aedelor. Over centuries, dragons created a permanent magical frost which made the region inhospitably cold. Only a few dozen giants, including Fjellskjaerer, escaped the region alive, resettling in the Icecrowned Peaks. They continued to create giantkin in smaller numbers to not draw attention to themselves.

For over a thousand years, giantkin were mindless thralls that were made exclusively by giants and served them loyally. In the years leading up to the Withering, Fjellskjaerer was the final giant remaining in the region. Fearing that her death would mean the end of soulforging new giantkin, she felt pity for her creation and endeavoured to teach them the process. When Fjellskjaerer died as a result of the Withering, Vitalinus granted her godhood and commanded her to grant sentience to her giantkin creation. Upon doing so, giantkin gathered and wept so loudly that the mountains shook. Giantkin migrated south and populated many of the cold lands that humans found too difficult to regularly settle. While nomadic at first, in present-day Aedelor giantkin have settled permanently in many regions in the north and hold dominion over three of the four Northern Kingdoms. They've also integrated into many human societies even further south in Westmark, Tordrym, and Anacori.

Giantkin Characters