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Language
Name
Tarushi
Epithets
The Tarushi, or giants, answer to several different names: the Tarushi, the Taru, the giants. They do not take offense at any of them. In fact, giants accept the name “giant” with a sense of amusement, since it is a relatively recent label, given to them by other races only when those other races started traveling to Adu. The Giants know that they are tall, powerful and strong, but not enough, in their opinions, to warrant the name “giant.” The Tarushi are familiar with several beings, which live in the mountains of Adu that stand well over twenty feet in height, and they consider those to be giants!
Spoken Language
Giants speak the Taru language. The language of the dwarves and the language of the giants is very similar, in that they share a similar root language, which has long since died away. Scholars of both races still retain manuscripts in the mother language, though no one uses it anymore for anything but linguistic scholarship.
Taru takes the sounds and syllables, and rolls them out. It is a deep, but mellifluous language, softened from its original state. Songs sung by giants rarely “twinkle like the stars,” but they do inspire a “fundamental majesty” with their deep tones and rolling syllables. The chanting of the giant clergy is very distinctive and famous throughout the known realm.
The Droku dialect evolved in the other direction, becoming more gutteral and harsher in sound.
Though Taru is a derivative of the original Aduan language, it is still its own distinct language. If an individual can communicate with dwarves, that same individual will be able to follow a conversation in Taru, but might mostly miss the different inflections, conjugations, and region-specific words. The relationship here is as if Latin were the original Aduan language, and the language of the dwarves and giants were Spanish and Italian.
Written Language
Both giants and dwarves are impeccable record keepers. The colder temperatures of Adu have preserved even their most ancient writings. Not all individuals read and write, but literacy is available to any individual who wishes to learn. Any giant who wishes to learn the written language need only go to the Library in any large city. The libraries serve as institutions of learning.
Writing is basically the province of monks, scholars, and scribes, as they tend to be the most highly educated of the giants. The monks write down prayers to God, the scholars write history and study the written words of ages past, and the scribes record family and town records.
It is usually a wise course of action, for any giant wishing to advance politically to learn how to read and write. Most Elder Council members are taught to read and write, and usually no leader is chosen who cannot function independently in the way of language.
Libraries exist in giant cities, and temples often have vaults with ancient manuscripts. Wealthier giant homes often have books or scrolls stored on shelves lining the stone walls.
The written language is phonetic.
Foreign Languages
Giants can understand and passably speak the language of dwarves, and most giants are taught the common tongue from childhood. Giants are a rather gregarious people, and unlike dwarves, readily engage in sea travel and host visitors and travelers in their mountaintop aeries. Giants are fascinated with the diversity of other cultures and peoples, and many attempt to learn the language of another race, if there is a need or desire.
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Appearance
Physical Appearance
Giants are large in stature compared to humans, with females standing 7 feet to 7 feet, 4 inches tall, and males standing 7 feet, 6 inches to 7 feet, 10 inches tall. They have wide, broad chests, muscular arms, large, strong feet, and solid legs. They never seem to misstep or stumble. They have wide noses, strong jaws, and wide skulls. Their ears are very gently pointed, and they have long, dangling earlobes. Giants have a golden skin tone, which can vary between slightly fair, for those who spend more of their time indoors, to dark brown, for those who spend most of their time outdoors. The skin is smooth, with an extra layer of subcutaneous fat that helps insulate them against the freezing temperatures of their habitat. Their hair ranges from golden to brown tones to black, and is traditionally worn long. Long hair is a sign of honor and prestige, and giants are sometimes made to cut their hair as a form of punishment or dishonor. However, many giants who leave the mountains without blessing from the Elders cut their hair as a sign of disassociation from the Elders and their past.
Environmental Adaptation
In general, the physical appearance of the giants is due to adaptation. Giants and dwarves share a common racial heritage, but the giants moved to the higher altitudes, where their bodies compensated by developing larger lungs, heart, and diaphragm. As these internal organs strengthened and grew larger to better gather oxygen from the thin air, the chests and bodies of the giants also grew, benefiting from the abundance of blood and blood oxygen that the giant’s bodies are able to produce. The heart, lungs, and diaphragm were not the only areas affected by the giant’s acclimatization to the altitude, as their overall muscle mass also increased.
Giants are able to absorb more oxygen into their bloodstream through their lungs than other races. This adaptation allows giants to survive comfortably, even at altitudes with very little oxygen. The oxygen stays viable in the bloodstream longer also, giving giants an ability to survive in areas where there is no oxygen a little longer. For example, a human and a giant submerge themselves in a lake. The human can stay underwater a maximum of two to three minutes. The giant can stay under water between eight to ten minutes, because of the super absorption of oxygen into the bloodstream.
It is rumored that giants can breath underwater, because of their ability to absorb trace amounts of oxygen from the air, but this is purely conjecture, and no giant has ever been found with this ability.
Lifespan
Giants live to 120 years of age.
Home Environment
Giants live in a beautiful stark world of snow, ice and majestic mountains. Temperatures are extreme, with the winds creating temperatures well below freezing, and the sun warming up the mountainside with its rays. The sunshine feels warm on the mountains, perhaps because the mountains are so much closer to the sun, or perhaps because of the thinner atmosphere. The mountains on Adu can reach up to ten miles high (approx. 50,000 feet), though most giant cities go no higher than the five-six mile elevation (approx. 25,000-30,000 feet). A few giant communities actually prefer the higher altitudes, and keep retreats, monasteries or schools up around the 30,000-35,000 foot mark.
Views on Nature
The Giants hold nature in awe, and when considering where they come from, it is easy to understand why. They are surrounded by majesty, and yet the environment is very harsh: beautiful, but unforgiving. Giants often chant while cutting out their cities into the sides of mountains, to “heal” the mountain and thank it for giving them safe shelter. Giants do not have the stone skill that dwarves do, but they do respect the mountains and understand that without the mountains, their culture might not survive.
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Home Life
Dwellings
Giants live in spectacular stone cities five to six miles up the sides of mountains. Homes are carved out of the mountainside, or built along the outside of the mountains with massive blocks cut out of the interiors. Some homes are dug out like caves, cozy and warm, and others are built of bricks along the outside, with windows overlooking the most awesome views on Adu. All interiors are generously layered in wall hangings, window coverings, and rugs made from yak, mountain goat, and bighorn sheep hides, as well as beautiful rugs woven from the wool of the same animals.
Giant cities are established over areas of mountain where there are thermal springs. The super-heated water is channeled through the city in specially carved canals and stonework pipes, keeping the stone warm despite the harsh climate. Hot baths are very popular among the giants, and most baths are communal, but a few of the more powerful or wealthier giants have baths in their homes. Snow is channeled into massive vats, which it melts, and the meltwater is funneled in through more canals, providing fresh water for the city all year round. Water is never an issue in a land with constant snow.
Light sources and cooking use coal from mines a little ways down the mountain and oil lamps from the gleaned fat of the herd animals.
The exception to this is in the port city of Chamkha, where the abundance of wood below the timberline compliments stone as a main building material. Also, wood replaces coal as the fuel of choice. Oil from seals, walruses and other sea mammals is used in lanterns and lamps. Fresh water flows in abundance, and thermal springs are plentiful.
Family Homes
Giants value privacy, and there is plenty of room in giant cities for everyone to enjoy an abundance of space. Homes are generally single family dwellings, and children usually move into their own quarters when they marry or complete their education or training. Even though homes are single-family dwellings, many of the caves are right next door, or stacked atop one another, so no one is truly that far from anyone else. A giant city is like a massive stone hive, with lots of room, where everyone has a place to call their own.
Family Organization
Giants are a monogamous race, and tend to pair bond for life. Children live with their parents until either the child marries, or until the child expresses a desire to live on their own. Children are encouraged to independence, though unless that child moves to another city or explores other islands, they are never really far from home and hearth. Many young people spend some time either at the military training school, the monastery up the mountain, or at the giant’s equivalent of university. When young people return from their studies, they are often given a place of their own if they so desire.
Attitude Towards Children
Giants live a very long time, and because of this, do not have children as often as other races. Births are joyously celebrated events. Giant mothers gestate for twelve months, which allows infants to be born with an extra fat reserve on their bodies to help protect them from the cold. Children are doted on by their parents, and often raised communally; everyone in the community is invested in the growth, development, and safety of the children, no matter who bore them.
Attitude Towards the Elderly
The elderly are revered, since giant geriatrics are old indeed, and because giant elders enter the political phase of their lives at age ninety. Because of the lifestyle in giant cities, the elderly often live quite comfortably in their warm, cozy caves. Elders who are too old or decrepit to contribute with the Elders’ Circle are cared for by order of the Council. No one begrudges the Old Ones the food, because of their rich wisdom and advice, and honored political status.
Kinship Ties
Kinship ties are taken very seriously in the giant culture. Marriages are considered carefully before the commitment of adding new kin and extended family into the household. Relations look after relations. A giant is rarely in trouble without his family rallying behind him to give him the help or support he needs. It would take a great tragedy or dishonor to sever family ties enough to exile a giant from the community, or to turn on another family member. If a giant falls into exile, though this is a terrible event for the family, the community at large does not extend any futher ill will towards the family of the exile.
Extended Family
Extended family is valued and cherished in giant communities, though not overtly so. Honor and respect is given to the elderly, and cousins are hailed as "kin" when met about town. Should there be a marriage or death, much of the community would turn out for the event, and not just the extended family of the individual. The importance of extended family is a quiet, tacit understanding that one's family will always be there to back an individual up. Extended family often spreads to other cities, and in such circumstances, extended family offers a "home away from home" for an individual abroad in the world.
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Nourishment
Food
Giants eat a diet high in protein and fat. Their foods include: yak, goat, and sheep meat; mushrooms; various cave fungi; roots and tubers; moss in season; snow hares; various alpine herbs in season; goat and yak cheese; goat and yak milk; yak butter; snow fruits; wild greens in season; and snow cress. The giants enjoy a really pungent-smelling fermented drink called Terzo, made of spiced yak milk warmed up with a dollop of butter in it. This is barely palatable to any other race, which is probably a good thing, since it is such a potent intoxicant.
In late spring, summer and very early fall, giants bring up staple items from Chamkha. Such items are grains (usually rice), potatoes, carrots, walrus and seal meat, fish (they are especially fond of salmon), honey, salt and tea.
Giants in Chamkha consume a wider range of foods, due to milder weather in lower altitudes, and because Chamkha is a port city with access to many wondrous foods. Though you can get a nice yak steak in Chamkha, Chamkha is known for its superb fish and walrus meat, and it's abundance of herbs and root vegetables. You can get anything you want in Chamkha, as long as someone shipped it in before the bay freezes.
Food Production
Giants do a little of everything, but mostly, they keep herds of yak, mountain goats and mountain-bred sheep. During the harsh winter months, the giants in charge of the herds take them down to lower altitude pastures, and bring them up closer to the cities during the milder summer months. Towards the end of summer, the herds are culled, certain animals are slaughtered, and their meat is stowed in ice caves to be eaten throughout the long winter. Other giants go out and dig up roots and tubers, also hoarding great quantities of these and other delectables in the ice caves. Preservation of food is not a problem for giants due to the readily availability of low-temperature storage.
Some giants are particularly fond of plants, and build long planters along the terraces of the cities, in which they grow certain varieties of produce. This is a limited activity though, as the fall and winter kill most vegetation. A few plants, such as snow cress, a tasty, vitamin-rich green, are acclimated to the region, and grow year round. The trick is finding them in the constantly blowing snow drifts. Usually, giants cultivate and collect as much snow cress as possible before mid-autumn, store it in ice caves, and do not bother to hunt for it again until late spring. By this time, food stores are depleted, and snow cress is easily found in great quantity.
During all seasons, giants engage in hunting, which they love and find great sport in. There are many strange and delicious animals that roam the uppermost regions of the mountain peaks, and during winter months, many of these animals migrate down to the level of giant habitations. Giants often supplement their meals with the exotic meats of these creatures. Giants are often wary of going too high up the mountain during the deep winter, however, since the Icebloods live in the uppermost altitudes and are extremely hostile to all other living races.
The Icebloods are the sentient, intelligent creatures that make their home in the most inhospitable regions higher than the 6 mile high mark (30,000 feet high and climbing). The Icebloods have an insatiable appetite for fresh, hot kills… and when not repelled, attack giant communities or their yak herds to achieve this. This is why the giants keep a vigilant guard on their upper slopes. It is a nice life up there, but it has its dangers too
Special Dishes
Giants specialize in meat stews. It is common practice for a large pot to go over the cookfire or stove in the morning, and have food added to it throughout the day, to simmer and steep with dried herbs. By mid-afternoon, the stew is thick, chunky, warm and very filling.
Unpalatable Dishes
Citrus does not do a giant body good. They can eat it, but the high acidity is unpalatable, and it can hurt their stomach. Also, giants don't have much of a sweet tooth. They might like a little rice or snow pudding, but chocolate and sugar are often considered too strong for the giant palate. It would not hurt a giant to eat such foods, but it might make them a little queasy, unless they have a chance to get used to them.
Tool Use in Eating
Giants eat stews from deep stone bowls, and use shallow carved wooden spoons brought up from Chamkha. They also use knives in their cooking, to cut meat, and special two-prong forks, for spearing meat, and holding it steady while cutting it, that they have made by the dwarves. The giants also get their iron kettles and meat spits and grilling grates from trade with the dwarves.
Giants sit on the floor to eat, on piles of skins and furs, or flat cushions. Their tables are carved of stone and sit low to the ground.
Family Dinners
Giants generally do not eat alone, though it is not unheard of. Giants love their privacy, but mealtimes are for visiting with family. Giants with families rarely leave their homes, but single or elderly giants enjoy this tradition by finding a welcoming place at the table in nearly any family home.
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Personal Adornment
Clothing
Giants wear a lot of loose, layered clothing, because giants are very comfortable in temperate to extremely cold temperatures, and their cities tend to be very warm and welcoming. Non-warriors wear mostly robes, with various layers of under robes and thin tunics underneath. Bhangors, long, colorful vests of the yak hair wool are worn over the robes. Warriors wear an assortment of leather armors, some dwarven breastplates or studded armors, and heavy garments of fur, to better shield them from the harsh environments above the 30,000 foot mark.
Materials most often used in giant clothing are leather and fine wool. Yak hair makes a soft, high quality wool akin to angora or cashmere. Giants wear mostly neutral colors, except for their colorful bhangors. Giants might wear modest amounts of jewelry, if any. They appreciate a fine piece of jewelry, but do not generally get into a lot of excessive adornment.
Giants commonly trade with dwarves for red, blue and green mineral dyes for their wool, and with the city of Chamkha for more exotic colors. Though red robes are reserved for monks and clergy, small amounts of red dye can be used in the vests of the common folk.
Symbolic Clothing
The giant’s clothing is not overly symbolic.
Clothing Reflecting Status
There are some color/clothing conventions in giant clothing. Red robes are worn by monks and clergy. A long, bluish-white fur mantle, made from the hide of the rare and intelligent ice tiger, is worn by the city leader, the Respected Elder. All Elders wear a chain of gold and silver links about their necks as a symbol of having reached their ninetieth birthday. The Most Exalted, leader of the elders, is the only individual in the giant kingdom allowed to wear the Robe of Wisdom, which is an ice tiger mantle that has been dyed a deep purple, and trimmed in fine gold beading. Unmarried maidens and boys may wear only white to tie their hair back, or they may leave it unbound altogether, and married men and women cannot wear white in their hair. Deep blue is considered a color of mourning, reflecting the color of the vastness of the sky above them, where the giant souls return after death.
Social Status
Status in giant society is measured primarily by age… secondarily by valor in battle, and also by skill in craft and piousness in spirit.
Social Stratification
There is no real social stratification in giant society.
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Men and Women
Primary Caregiver
Women care for children, but both genders look after the elders.
Gender Relations
Giants enjoy a society based in gender equality. One’s rank is usually distinguished by age and ability, giving both genders the same opportunities to excel or not as they wish. Though there are some gender-based jobs that giants perform, either sex helps in the event of a shortage of labor in any given area or field.
Giants are much like humans in that each individual is a little different. Some males excel in weaving and other indoor tasks, and some females excel in yak-herding and other outdoor tasks. There are standard gender roles that many giants fall into, and many women pursue home-centered vocations because they have children, so they developed roles that allowed them to be near their children while raising them, and also be productive. The preponderance of males in outdoor tasks and those involving heavy labor does not reflect a real or perceived difference in physical strength among the sexes.
Roles of Men
Herding yak, goats and sheep
shearing beasts
hunting
heavy digging out of mountainside for new homes and spaces
digging out roads (from snow and ice)
carving steps into mountainside
cutting stone blocks for building
seeing to the needs of elders (not food or health related)
most military commands
Roles of Women
Caring for children
weaving clothing, rugs, hangings, etc
gathering food
all home and hearth concerns
most of the cooking for family and elders
most healing roles
midwives
Roles of Both
Trading expeditions
diplomacy with dwarves
contributions to public works
term of service in the patrols
monastery and abbey management
teaching at learning institute
crafts and trades
Serving as an elder
Marriage
Giants marry for love or, if not for love, at least by individual choice. Newly married couples are given their own space in which to live.
Upon marriage, both the man and woman will no longer wear their hair bound in white ties or scarves, and will usually wear their hair bound in some way (as opposed to loose, which is common for children and young adults). Giant hairstyles depend on the individual, but they are not overly into styling their hair. Some girls and young women may wear their hair dressed more elaborately, but monks and warriors wear their hair in a very simple, functional style.
Marriage Ceremonies
Marriage ceremonies are very ritualized, and always follow the same process. Betrothals are decided between the two in questions. After a couple decides they would like to share their life together, they either tell their families or they go straight to announce it to the monks at the monastery. Telling one’s family is really all about how close the giant is to their family, and not a requirement.
Betrothals last for fifty-two days, a complete cycle of the moon Telia, the moon governing spirit, according to the giant astrology. During these fifty-two days, the monks burn special incense in the couple’s name in a room set aside for observance of betrothals, and chant prayers of good fortune, health and long life every moment of every hour of every day for those fifty-two days. It is believed that the prayers are carried on the tendrils of smoke up the heavens. This chanting is conducted by acolytes, supervised by a senior monk, who are constantly rotated so that the praying never stops. The room is often full of incense sticks being burnt for engaged couples, and usually full of acolytes working hard at making their voices heard to the god. Only one group of acolytes needs to chant in the room at a time. Monks and acolytes rotate in and out of the room in a consecutive manner, keeping up a consistent and unbroken chanting
Twenty-four hours before the wedding, the bride goes to the Abbey, and the groom goes to the Monastery. For these twenty-four hours, the individuals are purified with herbal baths, prayed over and prayed with, and they must fast and imbibe only special tea. The idea here is to purify mind, body and soul before being joined in holy union.
Wedding ceremonies are private and take place at the Abbey, conducted with just the man, the woman, and a monk from both the Abbey and Monastery in attendance. Not all monks perform weddings, but a monk especially trained in holy unions conducts such rituals.
At the end of the twenty-four hours of purification, the groom and bride are led to the ceremonial room in the Abbey. The bride and groom kneel with the monks performing the ceremony, and in the course of the chanting and praying, jointly light a single white candle and place that candle in a neighboring room, where female monks chant and pray over the candle until it burns out. The final step of the ceremony is when the groom and bride each removes the white ribbon tying back their beloved’s hair. At the moment their hair falls free and the white ribbons fall to the floor, the couple is married.
At this point the couple exits the Abbey, where the couple’s family and friends wait outside, with litters, food, and drink. It is considered a good omen if the bride and groom are properly on their way to inebriation by the time they reach the home where the wedding feast is to take place. There follows twenty-four of revelry. At some point during this twenty-four hours, the married couple usually passes out, either from exhaustion from all their chanting and purification, or simply from drink. Once they pass out, those still awake carry the bride and groom to their new quarters. It is considered proper for strong, long-living giants to manage to make it through their entire party without passing out, but this is rarely achieved.
Visible Signs of Marital Status
The fact that married women wear their hair bound, and bound by a ribbon of any color other than white, is the only indicator of married status.
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Education
Education
Education is encouraged for all giants. There are three basic ways to get an education, and a giant is encouraged to explore as many of them as possible. The three types of educations are:
Monastery: open to any and all giants and some visitors. Individuals learn to read, write (mostly from studying and transcribing ancient holy texts), and learn prayers and the polytonal chanting famous to the giants. There is fasting and physical purification, observances of peace and inner stillness, passive (non-aggressive) combat, and special physical disciplines. In the more religious and peaceful orders, these disciplines might include such exercises as walking on coals, handling fire, walking barefoot in icy snow, and surviving weeks and months on only a scrap of food a day. Monks can slow down their heartbeats and breathing, thus the seeming ability to breathe underwater, when really all they are doing is using their expanded lung capacity and a lot of physical and mental discipline. Monks in the martial schools teach such disciplines as imperviousness to pain and blades, the ability to chop materials with bare hands, and the ability to make the body into a weapon.
School: open to all giants in return for their efforts on public works projects. Individuals learn history, language, reading and writing (in case the same individual does not study with the monks), celestial studies, astrology, flora, fauna and healing, math, public works design, and architecture and geography, among other things.
Military Training: Open to all giants in return for their term in the patrols and protectorate. Individuals learn all combat maneuvers, skills with various weapons, defensive strategies, use of shields, strategy, command, city defense, battlefield healing and the history of war.
All types of education are open without question to giants, and to some outsiders. Outsiders are generally required to tithe, or give gifts or financial donations, and this money is used to help improve the schools and/or buildings.
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The Arts
Art
The primary function of art in giant society is to honor the divine. Giants do not make art a big part of their culture, though they do take pride in the elaborate rugs and wall hangings that they weave. Painting and sculpture tend to be religious in nature. These include mandalas and depictions of the Great Spirit. The Great Spirit is portrayed as an androgynous blue-skinned being, typically shown balancing on one leg. Jacha, individual embodiments of the Great Spirit, are often portrayed as tiny beings, which emerge from the Great Spirit’s heart. There are lots of statues, snow painting, and lots of patterns and fractals put into art and weaving.
Artisans
Artisans are honored, and sometimes have patrons who help take care of their clothing and food needs so that they may continue making spiritual devotions, in the form of their art, to the Monastery, Abbey, and in various locations around the cities. There are not many artisans so honored, and they must be considered masters. Crafts people, such as the weavers of fine clothing, rugs and tapestries, are celebrated, and there are many of them, and such work is seen everywhere, worn on individuals, softening the stone walls, and padding the stone floors. People who weave and create such items also share in the other work.
Music
Giants love music and singing. Music is much more of an art form for giants than visual art. Music and singing are considered superior ways to honor the divine, and there is rarely a giant not moved by a beautifully sung aria or prayer. During holy celebrations, the monks chant constantly in their polytonal chanting style (very haunting and unearthly), and talented singers among the citizenry go the highest point of the city and let their voices ring out in devotional songs.
The monks are renowned throughout the known world for their polytonal chanting.
Crafts
Weaving is an artform among the giants. They start with a superior wool from their yak herds, and weave the most outstanding rugs, tapestries, blankets and clothing. The yak hair wool is soft, warm and exceptionally strong and durable. Giants also have found a demand for their religious art, especially the least specifically giant devotional pieces, and have found a source of income in trading some of it for other luxuries not found on the mountaintops.
Commodities
The most important commodity to giants is yak wool. To a lesser degree they value yak meat, which is rumored to make the tastiest steaks in the archipelago.
Wealth
To the giants, wealth is a by-product of hard work. It does not buy power, and it does not protect from the raids by the Icebloods. Most giants live pretty well. Those with extra wealth tend to give more to the Monastery and Schools, or fund the majority of expeditions and trips off-island. Giants are naturally inquisitive and have an inner need to explore.
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Social Issues
Physical Impediments
Physical impediments are not considered shameful in any way, though they do limit a giant from contributing to the military patrols along the borderland with the Icebloods. Most individuals with physical challenges join the Monastery and devote themselves to religious study, or if they have a voice, to singing praises in the name of religion. Individuals with physical impediments are still encouraged to learn as much as possible, and excel in areas they are good at, such as reading, writing, math, voice, music, etc.
Mental Disease
Mental illness is a serious problem to those so afflicted because of the location of towns and cities. Most mentally ill individuals walk off the sides of the mountains before they reach maturity, but any individual managing to survive to adulthood and those with just slight retardation, are usually sent to the Monasteries spend their life chanting doing simple tasks.
Slavery
The giants have never practiced slavery, and never will.
Murder
Murderers are sent before the Elders for a formal hearing and sentencing. The sentence for cold-blooded murder is expulsion off the mountain, and for multiple murder it is exile off the island of Adu. Sometimes murder is accidental, or merciful, in which case the individual can plead his case before the Elders.
Infanticide
The giants would never practice infanticide. Children are too rare and precious.
War
Giants are constantly battle ready to a certain extent, due to the never-ending terror of the Icebloods threatening from above. Though giants in general consider themselves a peaceful race, they have no compunction towards exercising their military prowess when necessary in defense of their wonderful cities and towns. There has not been war with the dwarves in over ten thousand years, and no known invasions of Adu. Adu cannot be invaded from outside itself, as it is totally protected by its icy waters and mountains.
Taboos
Infanticide
killing an elder (or anyone)
incest
slavery
black magic
Punishments
Exile or death depending on the severity of the crime.
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Politics
Political Organization
Giants have a gerontocracy, a rule by the elders. Upon his ninetieth birthday, a giant automatically joins the community’s Council of Elders, as long as the individual wishes to join. Not all do, but all have the option.
Among the Council, a single individual who is deemed wisest is chosen as the Respected Elder, or city leader, and one is chosen as the Representative. The Representative serves as the liaison between the city and the capital city, where all Representatives get together three times a year (spring, summer and fall) for the Great Gathering. Representatives are usually newly made Elders, and serve for five to ten years depending on their health. This gives many Elders an opportunity to meet giants from other cities and towns, and is considered an honor. Representatives are the Voice of their Respected Elders in these meetings. Respected Elders are expected to stay in their towns or cities, and provide a constant source of leadership and wisdom. Exceptions are made only in times of extreme crisis. Emergency sessions of the Great Gathering can be called in case of troubles in the upper altitudes, natural disasters, or upon the death of the Most Exalted (the Most Exalted is the leader of all giants).
When a Most Exalted is on his/her deathbed, or in their declining years, the giant announce their chosen successor from the various Respected Elders in the land. Should a Most Exalted die before naming a successor, the Respected Elders make their only required trip to the capital city, where they cloister themselves together until they can all agree on a successor from among their numbers.
Respected Elders and Most Exalted Elders serve their office until the time of their death.
Political Figures
In order of rank:
Most Exalted Elder
Religious Elder (usually stays out of all state matters, however)
Respected Elders
Representatives
Religion in Politics
Religion plays a big part in giant lifestyle and culture, but not on politics itself. Among the Elders of any town or city, will be the giants over ninety of all walks of life, including warriors, monks, tradespeople and grandparents.
Wealth in Politics
Wealth does not play into giant politics.
Kinship in Politics
Kinship does not play into giant politics.
Caste
There is no caste system in giant society.
Attitude Towards Other Races
Giant society is quite open. Giants are a very gregarious and friendly people, with great curiosity towards the outside world and a love of travel, stories and adventure. They welcome visitors to their mountain aeries.
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Cities and Towns
Cities
Giants build elaborate cities along the very edges of the mountains, at altitudes of 20 to 30,000 feet. Their cities are built both along the exterior of the mountainside, with stone blocks built up into great halls, arenas, and towers, and with massive chambers and tunnels carved out of the interiors of the mountains. Giants do not build like dwarves, however, not deep into the mountains, merely along the inner edges of the mountain’s surface (not usually more than half a mile in towards the interior). Giant cities are built vertically.
Public Works
They value public works very much. Giants feel it is a personal duty to contribute to the expansion and construction of such projects as will value the community at large. Giants feel that having new and functional public works (such as the thermal heating system and the public baths, etc) improve the overall quality of life for their community and make their cities more inviting to visitors.
All giants serve on public works for a period of time, with the exception of mothers with children and elders. Most giants volunteer to work on a project, and since most giants volunteer for a certain length of time, projects usually get done quickly. Some projects are large and time consuming. In such cases, the Elders create a schedule of sorts, and give each able-bodied giant in the community a time period that they shall work for.
Public works are for everyone, which is the main reason why giants are such willing volunteers for such projects.
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