A Guide to the Giant Lore in Glory of the Giants
My most recent post was a quick breakdown of the recently released Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook, Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants. In that post, I focused on what was in the book with a promise of doing deeper dives into the five key takeaways I found worthwhile in the book. The first of those was the deep, and expansive lore of Giants and Giantkind that it offers, and in this post I’m going to be focusing on that lore and how to use it in your upcoming campaigns. So, without further adieu, let’s do a lore dump:
The Ordning
The book is presented as a history written by the iconic D&D Wizard Bigby along with inserts from the demigod who is revered by Giants, Diancastra. If you’ve never read anything about the Giants of Dungeons and Dragons, one of the key aspects to understand is that they are one of the oldest beings in the Forgotten Realms and that their progenitor, Annam possibly aided in creating the Inner Planes. Another main factor in the world of giants is known as The Ordning.
Giants are and have always been organized in a rigid social hierarchy. The Ordning dictates their roles, responsibilities, and status within giant society. The Ordning is based on strength and lineage, with the most powerful giants rising to the top of the hierarchy. As pointed out in the book and also in the Monster Manual, there are six main types of giants.
At the top of the Ordning are the Storm Giants, the most powerful and respected of all giants. They are followed (in order) by the Cloud Giants, Fire Giants, Frost Giants, Stone Giants, and Hill Giants. While each type of giant has its own unique strengths, weaknesses, and cultural traditions, none of them can break the order of the Ordning and their rank in life is dictated by the type of giant they are.
Gods of Giantkind
D&D is filled with tales of Gods and Goddesses of all kinds, and Giants have their own set of deities. The book focuses on eleven of these deities. I always find its good to have some idea of the Gods in any world that you can pull on as DM to add into your campaigns.
Annam:
Annam, The All-Father, progenitor of Giants in D&D.
Annam is, for all intents and purposes, one of the oldest and most powerful gods in the worlds of D&D. Some myths claim that he created the world, some that he took the shattered First World created by the Dragon deities Bahamut and Tiamat, and used them to create many worlds, and there are various other tellings.
The important part is to know he is the creator of Giants, the All-Father. And for some reason, likely because Giants didn’t live up to their potential due to in-fighting, he is believed to have nothing to do with the world of mortals. Because of this, few giants still worship him as he is seen as absent and uncaring.
The hook I’d take from this for a campaign is that he has been paying close attention and has just been biding his time for an unfathomably long time and for a good reason. What that reason is is for you as DM to decide.
Diancastra:
Annam’s youngest child, daughter to him, and a Giant mother, Diancastra has spent her existence trying to prove her place amongst the pantheon of Giant gods. Unlike many of these gods, who are renowned for their strength, she is seen as clever and brave. She is worshipped by many giants and non-giants who value strength of mind over brute strength.
I personally find Diancastra to be maybe the most intriguing god to include in your own game. Imagine a sort of secret underground Giant enclave that focuses on using trickery and cleverness to reclaim Giant heirlooms, with the ultimate goal of reaching Annam and bringing his focus back to the mortal world. Or, maybe they have come to reject The Ordning as it holds Giantkind back, and all types of Giants under Diancastra’s guidance are working in the shadows to overthrow other mortal kingdoms and take their place at the top of the hierarchy of this plane. A large cabal of all Giantkind as your BBEG would be pretty incredible.
Memnor:
To put it in simplest terms, Memnor is the villainous god of Giantkind. Much like Annam, he is ancient and the sagas are unsure if he is Annam’s son or brother. Either way, he is out to take the throne from Annam and to restore the Giants to their “rightful” place above all other mortals. He is manipulative and evil, and his worshippers are the same.
If you’re going to have Annam in the background of your campaign, it makes sense to have Memnor included as his foil. The book gives the perfect way to use Memnor by having his worshippers and priests secretly work against the other priests of Giantkind. Maybe the followers of Annam and Diancastra are working to bring all of the Giants together to create their own space to coexist peacefully amongst mortals, and the priests of Memnor are right there working in the background, bringing together a small army to lead the Giants to destroy other mortals and reclaim this world as theirs.
Stronmaus:
The oldest of Annam’s children, Stronmaus is seen as an optimistic, jovial god who loves life and has bountiful energy. This gets in the way of recognizing the foolhardiness and vileness of the other gods. When his father withdrew from the affairs of mortals, Stronmaus stepped up and took his place, but it hasn’t gone as he expected and he is frustrated by the experience.
This is the last Giant god I will go into detail on and that is because I like the idea of putting Stronmaus and his priests in charge, but they aren’t taken seriously by the other gods or their worshippers. As the others work behind his back, scheming at whatever you think up, he plays the role of an optimistic buffoon, but in reality, he is working his own plans to stop them in their tracks. Maybe this moment is what Annam has been waiting for, watching his eldest child finally step into the role fully and wholeheartedly and finally bring back the glory of the Giants.
The Others:
The book offers similar info on the others, all of it useful, but these were the ones that stood out to me. You could have fun with the rivalrous brotherhood of Thrym and Surtur. You could focus on an area in your world where Goliaths and/or Firbolgs live and worship Hiatea. Or you could have a Cult of Karontor, the wicked god whom Annam banished to the Underdark. There is much that can be done with any of the gods in this book, as always with being a Dungeon Master, all it takes is a bit of imagination and a vision for the campaign you want to run.
The Six Main Types of Giant:
As stated above, within the rigid hierarchy of the Ordning, six main types of Giants stand out. Let’s take a look at each of these.
A powerful Storm Giant moves through the halls of her castle at the bottom of the sea.
Storm Giants:
Reigning supreme at the pinnacle of the Ordning are the Storm Giants, the embodiment of raw power and elemental fury. Storm Giants can live for upwards of 600 years and in that time they will generally stay relatively to completely solitary. They also are the most kind and wise of the Giants and will stay so unless provoked, at which point their fury is boundless and destructive.
They spend the majority of their long lives watching for omens and signs of Annam’s return, wishing for nothing more than to restore the glory of the ancient days of the glorious Giant empires. Because of these centuries of watching, they are fonts of knowledge and can also foretell coming calamities, and, if adventurers are respectful, the Storm Giants may share their knowledge and aid in saving the mortal world.
Their massive castles can be found unimaginably high above the surface, or in the deepest depths of the sea. The only common point is they are far from civilization and nigh impossible to reach. Though they sit at the top of the Ordning they have no interest in where they rank within the hierarchy. They mostly stay out of the squabbling of other Giantkind unless there is a major, possibly world-shattering event occurring or on the horizon.
There is, however, one type of Storm Giant that breaks all the rules of their kind. These are known as Tempest Callers, I will share more about them in the follow-up post about Monsters in Glory of the Giants.
Cloud Giants:
The second most powerful in The Ordning, Cloud Giants can live to 400 years of age. They can dwell in ethereal cities suspended among the clouds, or in castles on the highest peaks. While Storm Giants are distant and detached, Cloud Giants sit proudly over their Giantkin and other mortals, and many of them actually see themselves as the most powerful and highest status of all Giants. Because of this they often are known to make other, lower Giants, work for them, and more-or-less worship them.
Their main focus in life is on amassing and holding onto wealth and power. But, the wealth they acquire must be more than gold, they are not dragons sitting on a horde, they seek extravagant and beautiful items which they use to show off their wealth. They wish to own things that gold can buy, but also that which cannot be bought. Because of this, they are known for making great and unimaginable wagers against one another in order to rise in the ranks of their society. This gambling is taken to a new level with one of the new monsters in the book, the Destiny Gambler, another monster I will focus on in the upcoming post.
Fire Giants:
Fiery tempers and a penchant for forging fiery weapons characterize the fire giants, denizens of volcanic lairs, and molten forge-halls. Their mastery of fire and metalworking has earned them a reputation as formidable warriors and artisans. If Cloud Giants build clout amongst their ranks with wealth and luxury, Fire Giants do so by becoming master crafters.
Next to craftsmanship, Fire Giants see martial prowess as a skill of great importance. They put their expertly-crafted weapons and armor to use in waging wars and while they may be seen as brutish warriors, they are much more and will use their time-tested battle tactics (they can live up to 350 years) to destroy the most powerful of armies. Once this destruction has occurred they will take the surviving members of the enemy army and turn them into serfs, working their mines, farms, and fields for the rest of their lives.
Because of their crafting abilities and lower rung in The Ordning, they are often exploited by Cloud Giants to craft wondrous items to show off their wealth and power over lower Giants.
Frost Giants:
If Fire Giants are masters of fires and forges, Frost Giants are masters of frigid wastes and ferocity. Frost giants thrive in the harsh environments of icy mountains and glaciers. Their bodies are toughened by the cold, and their formidable endurance allows them to withstand the harshest conditions.
The easiest way to think of Frost Giants is to imagine Giant Vikings, at least the typical view of Vikings. They respect and care for nothing more than brute strength, the ranking of a Frost Giant amongst its people is based purely on how powerful and ferocious it is. Unlike their fiery brethren, they have no purpose for crafting anything on their own and merely pillage weapons clothing, armor, food, and whatever else is left from those whom they battle against. Their greatest foes are Dragons and the highest-ranking amongst them will have killed a Dragon and stolen its scales to create plate armor and their teeth and claws to create weaponry.
Along with killing and pillaging, Frost Giants are adept at navigating treacherous terrains, and their knowledge of the frozen realms is unmatched, because of this they are skilled hunters and their diet consists of freshly killed animals amongst the expansive, icy tundras they call home.
Stone Giants:
Carving their homes from solid rock, stone giants are the embodiment of ancient strength and resilience. Their bodies are as hard as stone, and their connection to the earth grants them an uncanny understanding of its secrets. Stone giants are guardians of tradition, keepers of ancient lore, and their patience and wisdom are highly valued among their kin.
Stone Giants most resemble Storm Giants in their demeanor and are likely to live in quiet solitude amongst the far-off reaches of the rocky wilderness. The longest-lived of all Giants at up to 800 years, they are private and peaceful and care mostly about creating art in their secluded caves. Outside of art and artistry, the only other activity they hold in high esteem is rock throwing, which is their main defense against outside attacks.
Possibly the most intriguing bit of Stone Giant lore that is only found amongst them is that they view anything that happens outside of their own inner sanctums, their underground homes, as taking part in a sort of dream world. Because of this, they can be seen as evil or violent, when in reality their actions out in the open are seen as inconsequential to them, not real in any way.
One thing Glory of the Giants adds to Stone Giant lore is their penchant for rune carving. This could be used as a backstory tool if you have a player who chooses to take the new background found in the book, The Rune Carver, which I will be covering in a later post about the new PC options.
Hill Giants:
If you have a Giant in your mind, especially if you haven’t played much D&D, Hill Giants are likely what you’re envisioning. The most common and widespread of the giants, hill giants dwell in the foothills and mountainous regions. Their stature is shorter than their kin, but they still command respect and fear due to their brute strength and territorial nature. Put simply, Hill Giants are big, dumb, lazy, bullies.
They’re literally too stupid to realize that there even is an Ordning, but they fall into it because they see size as power. Because of this, they will unapologetically attack any smaller creature that crosses their path because it is weak and they are hungry. This is an important aspect to Hill Giants. They are always hungry. If they enter a village or a farm they will kill and eat everything that they can get their hands on.
Because of their idiocy and rage, there is also a good chance that Hill Giants will fight with one another and may likely kill each other in the ensuing battle over any perceived slight. They may be smaller and weaker than any other type of Giant, but they are formidable foes because of their chaotic evil nature and the fact that there is little chance of talking them out of an all-out fight to the death.
Giant Organizations:
The last bit of lore I found interesting and worth noting from Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, was the section on Giant Organizations. I found that these offered a unique way to bring Giants into a campaign other than the typical ways of coming across some Hill Giants fighting or going on a fetch quest for a Cloud Giant.
The section starts by saying, “Many giants are oriented to small family groups or particular interests of their kind. However, some organizations unite giants across the divides of the Ordning…” The section then offers up three organizations with adventure hooks included, and I think it is worthwhile to look at the groups known as the Hidden Rune, the Stewards of the Eternal Throne, and the Worldroot Circle.
Hidden Rune:
Basically, the Hidden Rune is a group of Giant scholars focused on collecting and preserving all of the knowledge of Giants in order to aid future Giant civilizations when they finally return to their former position of power over the Material Plane. It is said they have members on all worlds of the Material Plane searching for and documenting all of Giant civilization’s history.
They have an archive hidden on the Elemental Plane of Earth where they are working to piece together a complete history of Giants. They view this pursuit as a pure act of preservation of the past in order to help the Giants of the future.
The book, in a side note, also hints that the name Hidden Rune comes from a myth of a powerful rune created by Annam that was hidden when the ancient Giant empires fell. They believe if they can find this Hidden Rune, they can help restore themselves to their former stations of power.
Stewards of the Eternal Throne:
The lore in the book continually points out that at some point in time in ancient history, the Giants were a massive, powerful empire that spanned across the multiverse with Annam leading them all, and that something, which differs wildly, caused this empire to decline and eventually fall. This is the point in history when Annam abandoned his people and went into seclusion.
The Stewards of the Eternal Throne believe the Giants of this ancient empire failed in their responsibilities. They believe it was the Giants’ job to guide the lesser peoples of these ancient worlds towards wisdom and prosperity, but instead, they dominated these people, subjugated them, exploited resources, and were vile rulers. Because of these actions, Annam destroyed this empire, cast them out of their places of power, and retreated from the Material Plane. It is their job to atone for the acts of the Giants of the past and regain Annam’s favor.
They are a knightly order that is spread across the entire Material Plane. They swear an oath to uphold fundamental tenets of Stewardship, Protection, Education, and Peace. The Stewards are made up of all types of Giants and Giantkin, but they also work with all other peoples across their respective worlds including humanoids, but also ancient and powerful beings like Dragon, and even the Gods of revered by other folk.
Worldroot Circle:
The Worldroot Circle is essentially a group of Giant druids, for ease of understanding. This section of the book says, “A saga chanted among the giants of the Worldroot Circle describes a great tree that grew on the First World at the dawn of time. Planted and tended by the god Corellon, this tree was a seedling of the mighty Yggdrasil, the World Tree that connects all of the Outer Planes. When the First World was destroyed, seeds from this great tree scattered into the void of the Material Plane.”
It goes on to explain how Annam collected and took care of these seeds until each of them grew into the worlds that make up the Material Plane.
Those members of the Worldroot Circle see themselves as the gardeners left on these worlds and entrusted with taking care of the worlds Annam made. Whether its an actual tree or some geographical feature they believe to be the root of the world, they strive to take care of it. They gather at these points and perform rites to take care of and nurture their respective worlds, while at the same time creating a connection to the members of other worlds. They work together to create balance and harmony across The Material Plane.