Twisted in body and mind, the hideous gigantes would be a pitiable form of giant were it not for their prodigious cruelty and bloodlust. Gigantes feel driven to kill any intelligent creature they encounter, with the exception of other gigantes—though their violent and unhinged nature means that even minor disagreements between gigantes usually end in bloodshed. Despite these flaws, gigantes are far from dumb brutes, and the average gigantes is as intelligent as the average human. This, combined with their great strength and erratic, unpredictable behavior, makes the gigantes a particularly dangerous foe.

Abandoned Creations#

The gigantes were originally created by the Titan Hergeron. He intended them to be his masterpiece, but they were left unfinished when Hergeron was imprisoned by his brother, Sydon. Had the gigantes been completed, it is said that their power would have been the greatest of all the giants. A legend told among the gigantes asserts that if Hergeron is ever freed, he will finish his great work and transform all the gigantes tribes into the perfect warriors.

Corrupted Blood#

One of the derangements of the gigantes is that their blood and saliva is poisonous to most other creatures. Thus the gigantes lick their spears before going into battle. They are also known to spit their poison at their enemies. Gigantes witches are able to use this spit to incite bloodlust in gigantes warriors.

Perpetual War#

Gigantes are hostile to all other races. They are self-destructive with little regard for even their own lives, and once a gigantes picks a fight it almost always battles to the death. Occasionally, gigantes tribes will work with minotaurs, as they feel some kinship to the cursed bull-headed humanoids.

Social Structure#

Although gigantes form social groups, these bands can hardly be called a “community.” Each loosely structured group is held together by two or three gigantes witches that claim to draw power from their sleeping god, Hergeron. Gigantes usually dwell in crudely built forts, often constructed in deep forests or high mountains. In Thylea, the most powerful gigantes tribes have been drawn to the lands surrounding the city of Aresia, making travel to and from the city an often deadly task.

Gigantes Witches#

These witches are feared as much as they are revered. With only a word or a gob of spit, they can lay wasting curses on their kin or enemies alike. The magic they wield is corruptive, twisting their bodies into warped parodies of giant-kind. Their faces become hideous, and their frames are swollen to monstrous size.