#tree giants

Summary

Giants are a race of soul-bearing beings in Tirónar, native to the vast plains of Borrike.

Giant changelings are called Tree-Giants, though some refer to them as Triants for short.

As a general rule, all statements referring to “Giants” also apply to their changeling counterparts unless specifically stated otherwise. After all, they are the same type of being; just in two different forms, and their cultures generally overlap. 

Physical Traits

Giants are half the size of the largest trees, so around 50 ft or so. When the dragons were still alive, a Giant might have been the size of a slightly above-average sized dragon, while still being dwarfed by older ones. However, the dragons are gone, leaving Giants as the largest living beings in Tirónar. 

In order to conserve energy, Giants are incredibly slow-moving creatures. They can move faster if threatened, but with exhausting repercussions after the fact. 

Giants are large, bipedal beings with thick skin, wire-like hair that grows all over their bodies, and hunched stature. They are often seen carrying huge walking sticks made from entire tree-trunks as they slowly pass. 

Tree-Giants are aesthetically similar to their non-changeling counterparts in all but one aspect. Since the Fae constructing a body for a changeling soul is never going to find enough matter to create a body the size of a Giant from normal flesh, so they use wood instead, creating creatures identical to the Giants in almost every way, only they look like trees. These beings are also usually lighter in weight than their non-changeling counterparts, and thus are often seen standing up straighter. 

Social Traits

Giants are slow-moving and territorial, generally keeping themselves to the plains and forests of Borrike. They rarely stomp their way over the mountains unless something has REALLY motivated them to drag themselves out there. 

Occasionally, you might find a Giant changeling (aka Tree-Giant) hanging out in a forest far from Borrike, but if so, they probably aren't going to be leaving for a very, very long time. Like their fleshy counterparts, Tree-Giants are slow-moving and don't leave their homes unless threatened. If you find a Giant crossing the mountains or a Tree-Giant leaving the forest it came into existence in, you know something is about to go DOWN.

While Giants seem solitary at first glance, most scholars agree that we don’t know enough about how Giants socialize with other Giants to conclusively make that claim. They are nomadic by nature, perhaps due to the amount of resources they require to sustain their large bodies, and generally wander the plains of Borrike alone or in small groups. They also seem to respect a sort of “squatters rights”, where other Giants are expected to avoid the area in which a different Giant has decided to settle for a time, until that Giant decides to move on. Again, this is likely due to a lack of resources, and Giants have been known to fight off others that infringe too close to their space. However, they do not seem to mind the presence of smaller beings and make a visible effort to avoid disrupting their settlements. In fact, many Giants will actively seek out human settlements in the plains of Borrike, offering to the services of their strength in exchange for food, rather than simply gathering it from the land like they would an unsettled area. However, these occurrences are rare, largely due to how slowly Giants move. 

Giants can learn human languages, and assuming you can find one and are very, very patient, you might be able to befriend one. However, Giants and their ilk tend to perceive small speedy things that appear unexpectedly as a threat (much like how small, fast-moving bugs unnerve many people), so you have to prove yourself to be a small, slow-moving friend. The best way to gain the trust of a Giant is to make sure they can see you as you move around. The best way to socialize with a Giant is to simply sit with them in their current area of residence, perhaps talking or working on a craft as you do so. Those patient enough to gain the full trust of a Giant may be allowed to help with tasks that the Giant’s size prevents them from doing, even so far as being allowed to climb upon their backs. 

Magical Traits