True Giants are remarkably big people, obviously, and their main attribute is that of being very large. Amongst the northern giants being anything up to fifteen feet tall is commonplace, for example, and the larger types of Giants can weigh several tons.

The main Giantish races are: Giants, Trolls and Ogres. Giants and Trolls are happiest in stony areas; mountainous country in the main. Whereas Ogres are creatures of the Earth and are to be found in woods and marshy areas. All of the Giantish folk are large, have round features, big ears, thick skin, are of heavy build, lumpy and generally, stupid. Despite their size, or perhaps because of it, giants are not especially intelligent and tend to go for the ‘bash it hard with a club’ response to any taxing or confusing problem.

Many Giants are either solitary or live in small settlements of one or two families. Usually these are in hilly country in the far north, away from the lands of other people, most of whom hunt Giants mercilessly, not wanting to see their animals or even children stolen away for food. The more sophisticated Giantish clans keep herds of cattle, sheep, goats and even pigs.

Most Giants stand between ten and fourteen feet tall. All giants are built massively, with hard flesh and rough skin, and this has led to the unlikely myth that they sprang from the very rock in an earlier age. Giants are strong, heavy and stupid. They are also very hairy and generally uncouth. Words like rude, grumpy, unhelpful, selfish, thick, loud and rough spring to mind. They would be a lot more dangerous if they were not so dumb. They have difficulty co-operating with one another and thus are often solitary.

It is said that the giants learnt to speak from the dwarves, who attempted to train them to work in the mines. Generally it didn’t work out too well, for although the giants were strong and tough and admirably suited to shifting rock and so forth, they tended to stamp on the little Kindred whenever they were tired, hungry or grumpy - which is how they are most of the time they are not asleep. This connection with the Kindred might account for the dwarvish sounding cant of most Giantish names.

Giantish names follow a fairly simple structure. The first part of the name identifies the individual and the second half his (or her) clan. Thus Rumbleduff is a giant from the Duff clan, but he would never be called Rumble for short, always Rumbleduff, so as not to be confused (and, let’s face it, Giants are easily confused) with a Giant called Rumble from another clan. He probably has a couple of brothers called something like Figgleduff and Rockduff and cousins with names such as Boddleduff, Biddleduff and Shaleduff.

Giants like to live in rocky places, caves are their very favorite. Some of the softer giants might sleep on a luxurious bed of moss and leaves, but most are happy with the rocky floor of their cave or cavern, maybe with a sprinkling of sand and grit to soften it a little.

In the far north, beyond the Great Rift Valley, there are many giants. Some of their forebears built splendid castles and fortresses, as well as giant roads and bridges, probably with the help of the Kindred, for some of the workmanship is very good ~ way beyond the ability of any Giant I have ever encountered. More recent Giants' castles tend to be of much rougher work, but still solid and strong. If there are no caves available a giant will happily drag huge stones to the top of a hill and build a massive tower or castle there. From this he will be able to see and terrorize the land all about. Giants tend to be bullies and greedy, so this kind of location for their castle suits them very nicely.

For food there is nothing a giant likes more than a bit of meat, pretty much anything will do, mountain goats or sheep, cattle stolen from farmers of the valleys or wild deer (they have to trap them in pits or with nets, for giants are far to slow and clumsy to chase any kind animal that is even vaguely fleet of foot). They will even eat man flesh on occasion and are also especially partial to sweet little Elves and Sprites, which they tend to swallow whole.

OGRES

These are large earth monsters; they have round features, big ears and slimy skin, they are heavy, lumpy and stupid, and stand between seven and nine feet tall. Ogres are dirty and smelly, and often covered in warts, boils and other unsavory skin complaints. Ogres are built very powerfully, sometimes being as nearly wide as they are tall and all muscle!

Ogres are not very clever and are generally unpleasant to anybody who is not an Ogre. They live in damp, musty (and usually muddy!) holes in the ground. When they sleep they make a nest or bed of wet leaves and cover themselves over completely with similar material. The gods help any poor fool who should happen to step on such a sleeping Ogre by mistake!

TROLLS

Also known as troglodytes ~ these creatures may be a smaller kind of Giant that live in caves or beneath hills. Like Giants they love stone; have round features, big ears and thick skin, heavy bones and build, are lumpy, large and stupid. They stand around eight to ten feet tall. Some Trolls have greenish scaly hide. They are very thick in body and mind and look a bit like the stone in which they live. Whatever their background, Trolls are rough, tough, ugly and not very clever. A famous dwarvish joke ends with the line; ‘and he had a head full of rocks, just like a troll.’ Trolls hate sunlight, so much so that it is said they turn back to stone if caught by the rays of the rising sun. They love man flesh and will happily capture, kill and then eat any unlucky passer-by they should stumble upon in the deep of night !

                                            Yours truly, Cornelius Clifford

                                                                 at the sign of the Braying Dwarf