| #13TomCostaMar 20, 2015 3:43:11 | Back in 3.5E days, Erik Scott de Bie and I wrote up several of the characters from his FR novels including the goliath Gargan. We also worked up a fair bit of lore on goliaths in FR. With some ideas from KnightErrantJr at Candlekeep, here is that lore.....
GOLIATHS IN FAERÛN
New Region
Plain of Standing Stones Region: Most goliaths live among the many peaks of Anauroch’s Plain of Standing Stones, the rocky, barren plateaus deep within the Great Desert’s center inhabited by giants, hobgoblins, leucrotta, manticores, and other monsters. This region also includes the goliath tribes of Azirrhat further south in the Anauroch’s Sword, where they compete with the reptilian asabi that live below for resources.
Region: Plain of Standing Stones (Anauroch)
Automatic Languages: Gol-Kaa
Bonus Languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, Midani
Favored Deities: Kavaki (Lathander), Manethek (Gwaeron Windstrom), Naki-Uthal (Shaundakul), Theleya (Chauntea), Vanua (Talos)
Regional Feats: Bullheaded, Surefooted, Tireless
Bonus Equipment: (A) Large mwk greataxe, Large mwk longsword, or Large mwk (one end) quarterstaff; or (B) Scroll of bear’s endurance and bull’s strength.
Random Starting Ages: 14 years (adulthood), +1d4 (simple classes), +1d6 (moderate classes), +2d6 (complex classes)
Aging Effects: 35 years (middle age), 53 years (old), 70 years (venerable), +2d10 (maximum)
Random Height and Weight: 6’0” (base height), +2d12 (height modifier), 220 lb. (base weight), (2d6) lb. (weight modifier)
History: Deep in what is now the Plain of Standing Stones in Anauroch, there is a mountain range that was known as the Columns of the Sky during the Golden Age of the Netherese. These were some of the tallest mountain peaks of Netheril, stretching thousands of feet into the sky and creating a landmark that could be seen for hundreds of miles in every direction. To the Rengarth barbarians of that age, the slender peaks were the sacred home of the gods. From these peaks, the gods looked out upon their people, and the Rengarth punished those they found near the peaks, especially if they were found with animal skins or gems taken from “the hearts of their gods.”
In the days of Netheril’s fall, the climate became increasingly harsh and brought the Rengarth great suffering. Entire clans died along with the land itself. Gone were the days where their gods watched over them and shaped the world to their image. (In actuality, the wicked magic of the phaerimm was draining the land of life, turning it rapidly into a desert). Men young and old cursed the unforgiving heights of the sacred mountains, calling upon the gods to show themselves—to salvage the world they had abandoned. The Rengarth began to die out as the old religion crumbled, but a new sect of druids believed the gods and—more importantly—the land was testing them, seeing if their spirits would break with increasing chill and decreasing game. These new Rengarth iconoclasts wished to climb the sacred mountains and throw down the old superstitions of the past, and for this purpose they trained and trained to perfect themselves physically for the arduous task of scaling what was to them the sacred and most powerful peaks in the world.
Over many generations, an intrepid band of superior physical specimens emerged who could challenge the Columns of the Sky. The druids of the tribe told them to scour the peaks and remove every last belief or doubt about the gods and their mountains. This they set out to do, climbing peak after peak and struggling with mighty creatures who were not gods but flesh and blood, tooth and wing. Finally, they came to the last and greatest peak, and when they had scaled it they found what not even the wisest of them had expected—a sight which struck them dumb and thoughtless with awe.
What they saw is a matter of speculation and myth. Some claim they encountered all the gods assembled in one place, locked in a trance that must have lasted centuries. Some claim it was a ram-headed god named Kavaki and his allies, reshaping the world in their own image. Some say they found no gods but only the power of gods, which reshaped their bodies and their world entire. What is known for certain is that they had grown taller and stronger, their flesh become as stone and infused with gems that gleamed with divine power. They had become the first goliaths.
Today, the goliaths believe that Kavaki the Ram-Lord created them when he found a bush bearing gems in place of fruit growing atop the highest mountain peak in the world. When Kavaki plucked gems from the bush, those gems became the first tribe of goliaths. (In truth, Kavaki and the other gods were aspects of Lathander and some of his allies in disguise as the Morninglord revealed his plans to reshape the entire pantheon in his own image. His ultimate failure triggered a major divine struggle that resulted in the destruction of several deities (including the sundering of Tyche into Beshaba and Tymora) and powerful outsiders, led to the collapse of a half-dozen theocracies, and presaged the fall of Myth Drannor. This event was known as the Dawn Cataclysm.)
The Morninglord as the Ram-Lord admired the small barbarian tribes’ fierce athleticism, tenacity, and bravery, but also took sympathy on their plight and saw some unknown use for the warriors awed before him. Though the barbarians had survived for centuries upon the mountain peaks, their lives were hard, and their population had been hit hard by increasingly harsh seasons, so Lathander and his allies reshaped them into the goliaths and taught them all he knew of daring and competition. They were to be one of the first of his creations, but then so much went wrong, and the goliaths became, if not forgotten, certainly no longer the chosen of the gods (many goliaths returned to the path of the druid, rather than cleric). This changed, however, shortly after the Time of Troubles, as goliath clergy once again attracted the notice of the gods, and their numbers began to grow. Some say it is a result of Lathander’s newest schemes to end the evils of the world). Regardless of the reason, goliath tribes moved throughout the peaks of the Standing Stones, even as far south as the Sword’s Azirrhat where they battle the asabi for survival. Some have even passed through portals to reaches far from Anauroch.
The few known goliath settlements (there may be more goliaths than many sages realize, given the fact that goliaths are often mistaken for giant-kin races by those who don't have the time to scrutinize the species they are observing) include a few tribes in the northern ranges of Anauroch (the largest being in the Plain of Speaking Stones), a cold-adapted tribe on the High Ice, at least one small tribe in the mountains of Chult (where they are on good terms with the local wild dwarves) and a fair sized tribe in the Uthangol Mountains near the Great Rift, where the goliaths war with gnolls and other beasts for territory, and generally deal peacefully with gold dwarf merchants and the stone giants that have migrated there from the Black Ash Plain.
The goliaths’ kin, the feral garguns, were created by mingling with giants in the High Ice of Anauroch and who have themselves taken to worshipping a true neutral feminine aspect of Ulutiu known as Galtha (actually believed to be a remnant of Othea), the Mother of Winter.
Society: The goliath social structure is discussed in Races of Stone, though some variations are noted here.
The goliaths are not numerous enough to have a city the size of Thella-Lu (in Greyhawk), and rarely do goliaths know of more than one or two other settlements of goliaths with which to trade.
Many goliath druids and druid/rangers often wander the wilds on their own—not as exiles, but as hermits who belong to no tribe but are welcomed into many different goliath tribes for the news and stories they might bring. (Some tribes are more welcoming than others of these wanderers.) Most of these druids work to keep tabs on far-flung goliath tribes, and tell tales of the widely separated tribes when they travel.
Given the natural propensity for goliaths to wander and the fact that most goliath adventurers are exiles or druidic hermits, it is quite possible to find them nearly anywhere in Faerun. Goliaths, however, are not a populous race, and since they are often mistaken for ogres or their kin, goliaths have a poor life expectancy outside of their few remote tribes.
Languages and Literacy: Gol-Kaa bears a great deal of similarity to the long-dead language of the Rengarth barbarians, distorted by centuries of change, isolation, and the need to adapt to their deeper voices. Its written form resembles Dwarvish and uses the Dethek alphabet; most of the race, though, is illiterate. Those few goliaths who originally learned to write were taught by rare arctic dwarves who live among the wintry wastes of Anauroch’s High Ice. Several new goliath words and phrases (in addition to those noted in Races of Stone) are presented below.
• “Eth” = This is in many cases a feminine addition to a word, in this case meaning “daughter.” It could also be construed as meaning “mother.”
• “Kae” = “me.”
• “Kaemal” = This is a general purpose term of fox, mouse, weasel, ferret or other, similar creatures. Since these animals are not particularly common amongst goliath lands, this term is similarly general.
• “Kaemaleth” = “Foxdaughter,” Gargan’s honorific for the Fox-at-Twilight.
• “Kelke” = “Freely” or “by choice.” It is unclear whether the choice is on the part of the object or the subject. In “vathkelke,” it may be that whatever owned the object freely lost it, or it might also mean that the object was lost of its own choosing.
• “Nakom” = the verb “lead.”
• “Thaunea” = “fate/destiny.” Note that this word is similar to “thanea,” which means mountaintop, peak, or height. It is appropriate that goliath culture views mountain climbing and destiny in similar lights.
• “Vath” = “Lost”
Magic and Lore: Goliath spellcasting traditions are surprisingly strong among a people considered by most to be barbaric or primitive. Though a few are apprenticed in rare circumstances, wizards are very rare among goliaths, who have little use for study and book learning. Sorcery is not as uncommon among them as among other races, perhaps owing to the divine creation of their race not so long ago. Druids and clerics (who are partial to the Strength domain) of the new gods vie for control over the hearts and minds of the goliaths, but it is a friendly rivalry. Bards are common, both to fulfill their duties as Dawncallers and speakers of deeds and to pass down legends orally from generation to generation.
While not a backward people, goliaths are superstitious and wary of magic that is not their own. Goliath magic often focuses upon perceivable phenomenon and aspects of goliath life—they delight in magic that enhances their physical abilities (such as cat’s grace and bull’s strength), calls forth the powers and wrath of nature (such as call lightning and fireball), or shapes or predicts the weather and seasons. The visions granted by divination awe and astound young goliaths, and stonespeakers and sorcerers commonly ply abjuration to keep a goliath settlement safe from outside meddling. Almost all goliath settlements are magically shrouded, proof against scrying from any but the most powerful and determined of searchers. Goliaths distrust enchantment and illusion, as trickery and manipulating the will of others is patently unfair in a competition. Polymorphing oneself or others makes goliaths nervous, but factors into a great many of their tales as a source of conflict for a hero to overcome (the hero is magicked into an inferior body, for instance, and must find a way to return to his own, perfect form). Necromancy is abhorrent to them, and a goliath who practices the dark arts is often exiled.
Those goliaths who cast spells are noted for their creation of goliath piercings (see above), which enhance and perfect the body to which they are attached. They also have created a few unique spells over the centuries (see one example, strength of the mountain hunter, below). Goliaths rarely make use of magic items they did not create themselves, though enchanted weapons never fail to catch their eye. Also, the goliaths who live in such places as the Anauroch desert have been known to stumble upon caches of Art from Netheril or dragon hoards, so it is not unusual to encounter a goliath who bears an item of a forgotten age.
Strength of the Mountain Hunter (still 3.5E)
Transmutation
Level: Cleric 4, Druid 3, Sorcerer/Wizard 4
Components: V, S, DF
Effect: Creatures touched (up to one creature per level)
Duration: 10 minutes per level or until discharged (see text)
Save: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes
You call upon the stones and the might of the mountains to strengthen limbs and bodies for the long hunt ahead. Muscles ripple with the power of the mighty earth, allowing those you have blessed to run great distances and leap and climb with astonishing grace. And when you meet your foe, the strength of ages will guide your hand.
Subjects affected by this spell gain a +4 divine bonus on Climb and Jump checks and the benefits of the Endurance feat for the duration of the spell. (If a target already possesses the Endurance feat, he gains an additional +4 bonus on all appropriate checks.) This effect lasts until a subject deals damage (either by natural attack, weapon, or spell) to any target. At this point, he loses the endurance effect of this spell but gains a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength for 1/round per caster level.
A subject who discharges the spell for himself does not discharge it for others who may be affected.
Religion: Kavaki is an aspect of Lathander that focuses on the youth, vitality, self-perfection, and above all athletics portions of the Morninglord’s portfolio, and whose clerics favor the Protection and Strength domains. The other gods of the goliaths were Lathander’s allies at the time of the Dawn Cataclysm, but have since changed. Kuliak the Dead Goddess was originally an aspect of Eldath (who would not supply Lathander and his allies with fresh water as they prepared for battle on principle), but has since been supplanted by first Jergal (who was nothing more than an interloper obeying the edicts of Myrkul) and now Kelemvor (who has taken a true interest in the goliaths and seeks to redeem Kuliak’s faith, especially among goliath exiles who favor the Fate and Travel domains). Manethek the Wise Hunter is an aspect of Gwaeron Windstrom (sent by Mielikki to assist Lathander and whose clerics favor the Animal and Knowledge domains). Naki-Uthal, the Brave Climber is an aspect of Shaundakul (whose clergy favor the Air and Travel domains), who was a close ally of the Morninglord prior to the Dawn Cataclysm, but was shown an image of Lathander’s folly by Selûne and rejected the failed plans that led to the demise of most of his faithful in Myth Drannor. Theleya the Fertile One is an aspect of Chauntea (whose clergy favor the Plant and Renewal domains). Finally, Vanua the Harbringer of Woe was a masculine aspect of Tyche whose name was seized by Talos when she fell—his clergy favor the Destruction and Fire domains. Goliath exiles often refer to these deities by their “human names,” so as not to confuse the listener, but Gol-kaa holds to the traditional names.
Some rivalry exists between clerics and druids, but like most things in goliath society, this leads to friendly (if fierce) competition. Goliath druids council moderation and living in harmony with nature—many worship Theleya (Chauntea). However, among the druids are more than a few traditionalists who have no use for the goliath pantheon—they have broken with the “new gods” of the goliaths and revere what they call the Great Mountain Spirit, an incarnation of the elemental deity Grumbar. This spirit is thought to be the greatest, largest mountain in existence, and all other mountains—including the Columns of the Sky—only manifestations of the Great Mountain Spirit. The goliath druids also sometimes reference the children of the Great Mountain Spirit, one of which is benevolent and the other malign. While these druids almost always revere the Great Mountain Spirit itself, some devote themselves to the children, the Gentle Slope (the archoelemental known as Sunnis or Entemoch elsewhere in the Realms), or the Jagged Peak (the archoelemental known as Ogremoch). As none of these are common or socially accepted beliefs, druids who worship the Great Mountain Spirit or any of his children are almost certainly exiles or hermits, or else they hide their unpopular views. However, many goliaths refer to the Great Mountain Spirit as a sort of reminder of their barbaric past, and it figures into many stories, alternately as a guide or as an antagonist.
The D’tarig sage Inder (who, despite the prejudice against his people [see below], spent a great deal of time among the goliaths, and upon whose writings most of the current knowledge of goliath religious practice is based) notes that during the Time of Troubles, some settlements reported a mysterious goliath cleric that seemed to be a member of the Stonespeakers and knew all many goliath secrets, yet was not known to any of the Stonespeakers. Some have theorized that this visitor was Kavaki himself, while others (particularly the druidic exiles) believed him a manifestation of the Great Mountain Spirit. The nuances of this speculation are largely lost on most non-goliaths.
Relations with Other Races: Goliaths tend to have a favorable disposition toward dwarves, though the goliaths do not seek them out any more than any other race. This high regard is in part based on a mutual connection to the stone and earth. A certain goliath tribe in the frozen north maintains cool but congenial relations with the arctic dwarves of the High Ice, who feature often in tribal stories (though, owing to the goliaths’ competitive nature, this is usually as a support for the goliath hero or comedic relief). The goliaths and dwarves in Chult are fierce and affable competitors and have been known to ally for common gain.
In general, goliaths are very wary of giants, particularly stone giants—who they see as natural competition, but with whom they will do surprisingly peaceful trade, in contrast to their violent contests over land and resources. (The goliaths and stone giants participate in both with equal enthusiasm, which is very curious to most outsiders. The goliaths, for their part, don’t see anything strange about it.)
Goliaths otherwise keep to their isolated tribes, though occasional contact with humans or other humanoid races has been reported. They distrust the Bedine nomads, though occasional alliances in order to fight off agents of the Black Network or the “Flying City” (Shade) have benefited from capable goliath scouts and rangers in the past. And, while the goliaths distrust the Bedine, they actively dislike the D’tarig and their untrustworthy ways. Nevertheless, the goliaths have also learned the short humans are a gateway to rare and sometimes much needed merchandise, and despite their trepidation, know they are not the evil threat the Zhentarim or the Shadovar represent. They war often with the hobgoblins and asabi for territory, and regularly fend off gnoll raiders.
Owing to their uneasiness with many forms of magic, the goliaths dislike and, indeed, fear magical creatures such as phaerimm, sharn, lamias, and the like. They are not a timid race, however, and will show no mark of their fear, often addressing vastly mightier foes as equals. Goliaths children love stories of the strongest of their kin who dare to challenge dragons in the sands and mountains of the desert.
Equipment: As noted in Races of Stone and above.
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