The Giants
Thousands of years ago, when the world was young, the Giants ruled the known world. Their civilization extended from the desert to the sea during it's greatest years. There was no one around to oppose their rule. During these years, the elves hid themselves in the forests, living close to nature and avoiding the Giants. As the Giant civilization expanded, the Giants began making the elves their slaves. The Giants believed they were superior than the elves, who hit in forests, never making any major cities. The elven way of life began to slowly crumble under the Giant oppression. The Eori, too, suffered under the Giant's rule. They were all but wiped out by the Giants, who found little use for the Eori humans. The Eori survived by living on an island south of the mainland, ensuring their culture would endure.
The Giants were very scientifically minded. They attempted to explain all they could in the world through reasoning. The arcane arts were foreign to them. They never understood magic, and had no care for it. Any elf who had used magic was killed on sight. The natural arcane casters were almost wiped out due to the Giant's fear of the arcane. Their arts were especially important to the Giants. There has been long poems discovered that show the Giants love of writing. The Giant cities were filled with mosaics and frescos depicting a variety of things from mythology, everyday life, or history. The Giant's kept records of all they could. As rational thinkers, the Giants became too focused on keeping records, that they failed to foresee their own downfall.
Humans migrated from the north, possibly descendants from early Kisheans, these humans began to intermingle with enslaved elves and free elves alike. It was not long before the humans and the elves were organizing resistance movements against the Giants. Human tribes from the northern regions of the land were banding together to fight the Giants. At the same time, the Giants were at the peak of their blindness. The Giants had created a tight system of recording history as it happened, that many Giants were watching things happening and recording it, rather than acting against the human-elf risings. Eventually after badly commanded battles, the humans and elves gained the upper hand. Many Giants living away from the capital of the Giant kingdom began to migrate away, taking boats across the sea for new opportunities, but never being heard from again. Internal strife corrupted the government, making it very weak against the amassing human and elf armies. It was not long before the Giants were fleeing from the humans and elves who were burning their once great civilization.
Since then, the elves had lived peacefully in the forests. The humans began to settle in the ruined Giant cities, rebuilding them to more human sizes. Seeing the power of the civilization, and having enough imagination to realize it during it's peak, the Humans decided to create an empire of their own. Meanwhile the Giants brooded in the dark corners of the land, planning revenge against the elves and humans. No such luck came to the Giants, who lost every battle they amassed to recapture their civilization. The have since lived in the wild, seeking revenge against the humans and elves for destroying their way of life.
Since the fall, little is known as to how the Giants lived. Many of the records the Giants kept were destroyed or lost during the long war. Since their civilization has failed, the Giants are nothing more than an irritation to the now long standing Averian empire. There are small raids against outlying cities, however the Giants never seem to catch a break. Their culture is still alive. Their pantheon of deities is still worshipped by the surviving Giants. The Giant's still try to keep their culture alive, telling stories, and recording them as well as they can.
It is believed by many, especially the Giants, that the majority of the Giants have taken boats and gone north, where there is believed more land. The Giants believe that their ancestors have survived, and have created a larger, better civilization across the sea.
Religion
The Giants revere one ultimate being which created the world and everything in it. This being created four other beings to help him populate the world, and control it. At the height of the giant's empire, there were huge shrines and temples to the gods. Since the fall of the giant's empire, the religion has fallen out of it's previous glory, and into ruin. The giants still worship their gods, but where the gods were worshipped to benefit giant-kind, they now are worshipped for revenge and in-fighting.
Ahagduna is the great creator, and Ruler of the Gods. Ahagduna is neither male or female. It's strength comes from the entire world. All the stories about Ahagduna and it's teachings have been lost when the humans and elves destroyed the giant empire. The scattered tales recovered by the giants do no justice to the depth this god once enjoyed. Ahagduna was once a caring and generous god, who gave its followers strength and allowed their empire to endure. Ahagduna represented endurance, timelessness and unfathomable strength. When the empire was destroyed, the god became wrathful, throwing away its kind exterior showing the raw anger that lay beneath. Ahagduna's favoured weapon is the Great Axe. Ahagduna gives it's followers access to the following domains: Chaos, Destruction, Domination, Evil, Strength, War.
Hafalioth is the goddess of the sky. She is the sister of Xorgulfean, the god of the ground. In the days of the empire, the stories of Hafalioth and Xorgulfean held morals brought to life through the differences between the siblings. They were created when one being Ahagduna created split into two entities. One went to the sky, populating it with lights, the other fell to the ground, creating life. Hafalioth used to be a thoughtful goddess with streaks of anger. She sat on her throne in the heavens researching secrets of beyond, trying to learn as much as she could. However, she had a powerful temper that often spilled over into the world. Hafalioth was very emotional, everything she learnt had an effect on her. When she was sad, it would rain, angry it would be stormy, content, it would be a calm cloudless day. Since the fall of the giant empire, it is said she went mad. The secrets she has discovered in her long years of study have been lost, and only the restoration of the giant empire will restore her sanity. Her favoured weapon is the longsword. Hafalioth grants access to the following domains: Air, Chaos, Cold, Dream, Force, Madness, Weather
Makurguna is a god that was once worshipped commonly, but whose clerics have become more and more rare. Makurguna is the god of fire. His skill assisted Hafalioth in the creation of the sun, warming the earth. His followers are rare after the decline of the giants empire. He once represented the home, centered around the hearth. He was a kind god who warmed the hearts of those who worshipped him. He represented the warmth of family, and the heat of anger. Currently, he vaguely resembles this god of the past. He is a god of anger, vengeance but, also of the family. Makurguna and his domestic rules still exist, in the giant home. He has power over peoples hearts, making them do what he desires. He enflames warriors hearts, making them valiant and vicious when need be. Makurguna's favoured weapon is the warhammer. Makurguna grants access to the following domains: Chaos, Community, Destruction, Domination, Fire, Pact, War.
Pilenyr is the goddess of the waters. She helped Xorgulfean to give life to the lands he governed over. She was a talkative god, who often told nonsense stories to anyone who listened to her. She was the spinner of tales, who told the giants of the world many of the stories. There were many tales that began with a curious giant sitting near a stream, river or waterfall and the body of water relating a tale to the giant. Pilenyr gave the gift of speech to the giants, and taught them the words they use now. She is a god who is now mostly ignored, as she does not play a major role in the current society of the giants. Many of the followers of Pilenyr long for a restoration of the empire, living in harmony with the Averian humans and elves. However, many followers of Pilenyr use her power to destroy and dominate anyone who opposes them. Pilenyr's favoured weapon is the flail. Pilenyr grants access to the following domains: Chaos, Domination, Dream, Mind, Trickery, Water.
Xorgulfean is the god of the ground. His duty was to ensure the ground was full of life. His tales had to do with his adventures with his twin sister, Hafalioth, goddess of the sky. The tales of their creation, which is relatively untouched says they were once one entity, who wanted to exist in both the sky and the ground. The entity split into two gods, one flew into the sky, the other fell to the ground. The twins were often opposed, their differences creating strife that ended in a moral. The majority of these tales were lost, and the ones that remained were changed to tell of the destruction of the giant's empire, and how Xorgulfean still supports the giants, trying to hinder the progress of the humans and elves. Xorgulfean's favoured weapon is a bow. Xorgulfean allows his followers access to the following domains: Creation, Destruction, Earth, Plant, Protection, Strength.
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