SPECIESCLASSES
Art by Myth
Giants are larger than life, the biggest and most physically imposing of all humanoids. They tower above most creatures, easily mistaken for small mountains or hills when resting. A giant's skin is made of stone rather than flesh and has no hair. Instead, lichen, moss, and various plants grow from the crags of their skin. These are often styled and maintained into flowering gardens by the individual.
Remaining unchanged since their creation, giants are humanoid in form and function. There is no sexual dimorphism between giants. Each giant is born genderless. The very concept of gender is baffling to a giant. Giants still eat, sleep, and eventually die like all living things, just at a much slower rate.
Their eyes are pupilless, resembling polished gemstones that glow with uncanny intelligence. They are slow and ponderous, finding no rush in moving their massive frames. Many giants sleep for years at a time, going into hibernation periods frequently. Their slow metabolisms grant them long life but little energy.
What is perhaps the strangest thing about this ancient race is that they do not have mouths. They instead subsist on the geothermal energy of their homeland- a primary reason most giants will never leave Sighelm. If they are without this energy they will slowly cease to function, their souls departing their bodies, leaving nothing but hollow shells behind.
Born the size of boulders, giants come into being by The Dreaming. When two giants dream as one, they may conceive a child. It is the best part of both of them, a fragment of their soul taken and planted into the earth. From there, it becomes another giant, loved and nurtured by its parents and the community. Giant births are rare, and giants rarely have more than a single child in their lifetimes.
The child grows slowly. It takes centuries to become an adult. Upon reaching adulthood, they may choose a role to fulfill in their society, and they serve it faithfully. Giants are allowed freedoms most other species are not, and live lives at an unhurried pace.
The eldest giant, the ruler of their lands, is a giant in comparison to the oldest dwarves. They rarely speak anymore, becoming part of the mountain that gives life to the giants, but when they do, their voice carries the weight of ages. Lately, the mountain stirs, and the giants grow restless....
When giants die, their bodies return to the earth, forming precious minerals and gemstones. Pieces of these stones are taken and crafted into mementos for grieving families and are passed down through the generations.
Giants don't eat as other humanoids do. Instead, they subsist on geothermal energy. They absorb this through their skin, fueling them like wood to a fire. The many minerals and extreme temperatures of their home are a bountiful feast. The rare few giants who have left Sighelm must find similar geothermal hotspots, or else starve.
The children of the great dreamer, giants embody the god who birthed them. They are the watchers of dreams who foster others into blooming. They are not warriors but healers, and avoid conflict in favor of staying truly neutral in all affairs. They prefer to live in the past, reflecting on the world's storied histories etched by their own hands. They scrawl on stone tablets, write their stories with grand images of the world as it is and was, and as it may yet be.