Gygans are six-armed giants with a single eye. It is rumored that they are descended from an ancient cyclopean race that was spawned by the gods and thrived millennia ago. Their civilization of city-states competed in great gaming competitions with an emphasis on boxing and wrestling. Sometimes these games could devolve into outright warfare. With the decline of their once great civilization, gygans now live together in small family groups or sometimes alone.

Civilized#

Unlike typical cyclopes, gygans echo their once-great civilization in their current lives. Instead of a city-state comprised of a single grand metropolis and the surrounding area, the gygans of today form groups based around a powerful family. A gygan community begins with a grand founder family estate that is built up over time, that attracts solitary gygans and mates from other family groups. These newcomers construct their own homes nearby, creating patches of relatively secure farmland between estates. Gygans within these family groups cooperate to produce food, wine, clothing, art, and entertainment.

These self-sustaining communities rarely interact with non-gygans. Consequently, each insular family group develops a distinct culture that may be lost completely if disaster strikes the community. Some gygan family groups have become so isolated that their members speak dialects not intelligible to other speakers of giant or common, including other gygans in the same area.

Superb Athletes#

The six arms of a gygan give it unparalleled athletic prowess. They combine strength with agility and are fearsome warriors due to their ability to use multiple weapons and shields. They can also grapple opponents with their extra arms in order to pin them down before finishing them off.

Gygan Boxer#

A gygan boxer is an exceptional athlete and hand to hand combatant. They specialize in close quarter fighting, closing the distance with terrifying speed and unleashing a storm of fists and elbows. They use their extra limbs to shove, trip, and pin foes, sometimes turning their own blood or sweat into a weapon by blinding their opponents.

Gygan Hero#

A gygan hero embodies the ideals of athleticism and discipline that once defined Gygan Empire. They have proven themselves countless times in combat, earning reverence from their kin. Their courage and prowess are said to grant them a place in Elysium, within the Tower of Praxys, where Sydon himself honors them.

Gygan Empire#

The Gygan Empire was renowned for their athletic culture, monumental architecture, and unwavering devotion to the Titan Sydon. The empire dominated the islands of the Cerulean Gulf for millennia and at its height it was considered the greatest civilization in Thylea’s history. Today, only scattered enclaves of gygans survive, preserving fragments of their once formidable culture.

Society#

Gygan society was built upon ideals of strength and discipline. From birth, children were evaluated for vigor and perfection. Those judged too weak or malformed were abandoned at the boundaries of the estate, a practice viewed as a sacred duty to preserve the purity of the lineage.

Daily life centered on communal labor, artistic expression, and athletic training. Gygan estates produced their own food, wine, clothing, and art, making each community largely self-sufficient. Poets and musicians played a significant role, memorializing heroic deeds and victories in the Great Games. Despite their martial culture, gygans valued craftsmanship and were known for producing exquisite metalwork, textiles, and statuary.

Government#

The empire was structured as a loose confederation of city-states under the authority of an emperor on the isle of Yonder. Each city-state maintained considerable independence but offered tribute and military support to the imperial throne. Local governance was typically handled by councils of elder warriors from prominent families. These councils oversaw matters of law, training, and religious ritual.

The emperor was regarded as the chosen representative of Sydon on earth. His authority derived both from lineage and from athletic and military achievement. Succession disputes were often settled through ritual combat or endurance trials rather than outright war.

Military#

The Gygan Empire maintained a formidable military based on discipline, training, and overwhelming physical strength. Gygan warriors were renowned for their ability to wield multiple weapons and shields simultaneously. Infantry units advanced in tight formations, using their upper arms for defense while striking with their lower pairs.

The empire also possessed a powerful navy. Their war galleys were massive vessels powered by banks of rowers and equipped with reinforced rams designed to shatter enemy hulls.