| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
 Posted - 09 Jul 2007 : 04:47:38
|
I know there were already some notes in Champions of Valor for this, but I decided that I wanted to really dig into the topic and throw some Realmsian connections into what seems to work about this source into the Realms, so I wrote this up.
Let me know what you think.
|
|
|
KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jul 2007 : 04:48:31
|
The Races of Stone in the Forgotten Realms
Races of Stone introduced several interesting races to the core D&D game, and some of these races fit fairly well into the Realms proper (and goliaths have managed to end up as official inhabitants of the Realms in The Depths of Madness). That having been said, not all of the material fits seamlessly into the Forgotten Realms setting.
Aspects of dwarven and gnomish culture, including their pantheons, has already been well established in Realms products and novels over the years, and while some of the material (especially the prestige classes) fit with Realms races, specific aspects of the culture, including the new subraces of dwarves and gnomes and the alternative pantheons of these races, don't mesh well with what has been established.
On the other hand, much of the material presented for races like the goliaths fit fairly well into the Realms, but thus far lack the “anchor” material to tie some of the history and cultural factors of the goliath race into the Realms. Champions of Valor gives a quick, helpful starting point for the introduction of goliath characters, this article will introduce a few more hooks to tie goliaths and other Races of Stone into the Forgotten Realms Setting.
|
 |
|
|
KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jul 2007 : 04:49:45
|
Goliaths in Faerun
Goliaths are not nearly as numerous as they are assumed to be in the source material in Races of Stone. While much of the cultural information on the race still works very well in Faerun, they are not a numerous race, nor a race well know to most of the inhabitants of Faerun. In fact, most goliaths encountered in various regions of Faerun are usually assumed to be ogres or half-ogres, especially among populations that rarely see either species, and know them mainly from stories of more exotic locations.
Much of what is known about goliaths comes from the writings of the gold dwarf sage Inder Gemscepter, who managed to compile some of the most ancient accounts of the goliath race and their interactions with the gold dwarves of the south. Indeed, many of his notes reveal aspects of goliath culture that most goliath tribes do know know.
Goliaths were more numerous in days long past, when the giant empire of Ostoria dominated much of Faerun. During this time, many of the goliaths were, as they are today, nomadic mountain dwellers, but more numerous. These goliaths often traded with the dwarves that the came across, and often times had fairly peaceful contact with stone giants as well.
Unfortunately for the goliaths, most of the religious leaders of the giants of Ostoria agreed that that goliaths qualified as “giant-kin,” a lesser race of giant created without paternal guidance of Annam the All-Father. Because of this, they were considered to be rivals, and as such, not accorded the full consideration that “true” giants were due. Many goliath tribes were captured and used as slaves for various giant races.
In the ancient dwarven records, some goliaths mentioned the “Dwarflost,” (see page 71 of Races of Stone), goliaths that retreated to the Underdark with the aid of dwarven allies to escape giant enslavement. While there are no known records of these “Dwarflost” tribes in current dwarven records, given the vastness of the Underdark it is possible that some of these tribes may have survived to the present day.
Many goliaths died either fighting the giant slavers, or in wars that the giants used them in against the dwarves and other, less peaceful “giant-kin.” Those goliaths that were taken by the frost giant jarls even further north were transformed into the race known now as feral garguns. The goliaths, seriously diminished in number, never truly broke free of their giant captors so much as they survived the fall of the giant realms and fled back into whatever mountains were nearby.
Currently known goliath settlements (while there are few, there may be more than many sages realize, given the fact that goliaths are often mistaken for other races that don't have the time to scrutinize the species they are observing) include a few tribes in the northern ranges of Anauroch, at least one small tribe in the mountains of Chult (where they are on good terms with the local wild dwarves) and at least a fairly good sized tribe in the Uthangol Mountains near the Great Rift, where they war with gnolls and other beasts for territory, and generally try to peacefully deal with gold dwarf merchants and the stone giants that have migrated there from the Black Ash Plain.
Unlike the golilath society presented in Races of Stone, the goliaths are not numerous enough to have a city the size of Thella-Lu, and rarely do goliaths know of more than one or two other settlements of goliaths with which to trade, although some of the goliath druids still work to keep tabs on more far flung goliath tribes, and often tell tales of the widely separated tribes when they travel. Goliaths tend to have favorable disposition toward dwarves, even though few know of their old allegiances to the dwarves during the age of Ostoria. They are also very wary of giants, though they are more likely to trust stone giants than any other species of giant. The goliaths of the northern peaks of Anauroch are more wary of dwarves given the dealings some have had with the D'tarig.
Given that most goliath adventurers are exiles, and the natural propensity for goliaths to wander, it is not uncommon to find them nearly anywhere in Faerun, but given that they are not a populous race and that they are often mistaken for ogres or their kin, goliaths are rarely seen and have a poor life expectancy outside of their few remote tribes.
Feral garguns can be found in small numbers in the Spine of the World Mountains (some as slaves to the frost giants of Shining White) as well as the Great Glacier (these garguns being those that have managed to break away from the frost giants that first brought them to the glacier as slaves). |
|
|
|
KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jul 2007 : 04:51:11
|
Goliath Religion: Goliath religion is still often divided between two different mindsets, not entirely unlike what is outlined on page 65 of Races of the Wild. However, there are a few differences as well. All divine casters in the Realms have a divine patron, and the goliath druids are no exception. Also, while there is a rivalry between goliath druids and clerics, this rivalry is a bit less heated as far as most tribes go, with exceptions listed below. Arguments usually come down to which group should be consulted first, rather than weather either path is valid or not.
Goliath clerics revere the goliath pantheon as detailed on page 65 of Races of Stone. Most clerics are of Kavaki, although these clerics revere the other goliath gods as well, and call on them when their portfolios come into play, and while Kavaki is the primary goliath god, even goliath clerics tend to view the gods as all more or less equally worthy of worship, with each god having a proper time for veneration.
That having been said, Inder Gemscepter and other sages have speculated that the lesser goliath gods may not still exist, given that manifestations of these gods haven't been mentioned in the Stonespeaker's records for ages. Even during the Time of Troubles, no references have been found to the goliath gods manifesting, although many settlements reported a mysterious goliath cleric that seemed to be a member of the Stonespeakers, and knew all of the hidden goliath portals, yet was not known to any of the Stonespeakers. Some have theorized that this visitor was Kavaki himself, but the nuances of this speculation are largely lost on most goliaths.
Goliath druids council moderation and living in harmony with nature just as mentioned in Races of Stone. They tend to revere the Great Mountain Spirit, and see the Great Mountain Spirit as the greatest, largest mountain in existence, and that all other mountains are but manifestations of the Great Mountain Spirit. The Great Mountain Spirit is essentially the elemental deity Grumbar, and he grants the divine powers of the goliath druids. The goliath druids also sometimes reference the children of the Great Mountain Spirit, one benevolent and one 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 Ogremoch).
The Stonespeakers: There is a very loose, very small organization among the goliath divine casters that travel from tribe to tribe seeking to preserve goliath culture and the overall survival of the race. These divine casters are allied to one another and are not considered part of any specific tribe. Most goliath tribes accept the stonespeakers as wise counselors when they arrive.
Given that goliath tribes are much more far flung in Faerun than those described in Races of Stone, and there is no large goliath tent city like Thella-Lu in Faerun, the Stonespeakers rely on Crossroads and Backroads to travel across the fey realms to reach other settlements, as well as a few ancient portals that are kept secret from outsiders.
Feral Gargun Religion: While most feral garguns follow the same religious practices as the goliaths, given that they live in colder climates, some feral garguns have fallen into the worship of Auril, goddess of winter, either as an additional deity to placate, or as whole hearted worshipers (especially among the garguns that have become jaded by their enslavement to the frost giants). |
Edited by - KnightErrantJR on 10 Jul 2007 02:13:06 |
|
|
|
KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jul 2007 : 04:51:41
|
Stonechildren in Faerun
While the earth genasi are descended from outsiders from the plane of earth (often dao), stonechildren are the product of the fusion of earth elementals of humanoids from the prime material plane. For the most part, this union must be accomplished by magic, given that earth elementals lack the usual traits needed for such a union to occur without the Art.
The process for creating stone children has been discovered and rediscovered in several locations in the Realms. Duergar sorcerers have been known to experiment on human slaves to make them hardier and more powerful, often times resulting in stonechildren. The Red Wizards of Thay are also believed to have created stone children from time to time, and at least one Red Wizard has a stable of them that have bred true that he uses as body guards and as prized warrior stock in the arena in Eltabbar. The wizard, Vurzabbass Thorlen, a mulan male wizard (transmuter) 5/Red Wizard 6 of Lawful evil alignment, has begun sending out agents to sell his stone children gladiators to the area masters of Westgate and Hillsfar.
Stonechildren that escape captivity, or that are the result of less oppressive experimentation or more exotic origin (there are still tales that insist that earth genasi that enhance their natural connection to earth magic occasionally have children that are identical to stone children) often seek cultures that they feel are sympathetic to their affinity for earth, and as such, often gravitate toward dwarven or deep gnome settlements.
|
|
|
|
KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jul 2007 : 04:54:46
|
That's all I have for this one. I didn't really think that Dream Dwarves, Chaos Gnomes, or Whisper Gnomes were really a good fit for the Realms, and just kind of served to confuse or muddy what we do know about the "parent" races of these groups.
Wish me luck on the Races of the Wild conversion. I really liked goliaths, so I was a little more motivated than I am by raptorans . . . |
|
|
|
sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11808 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jul 2007 : 16:18:59
|
| Nicely done, especially the religion section. I wonder though if some of these deities haven't already been taken over by other deities, otherwise they probably are all about the power of demi-gods with so few worshippers. Or perhaps they serve as servitor deities to other deities in order to gain protection? For instance, Theleya might be a servitor deity or an alias of Chauntea (perhaps willingly giving up her sphere). Manethak could be an alias of Gwaeron. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
|
|
|
KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jul 2007 : 02:05:17
|
I was actually thinking about that as I wrote it up. I was wondering if Kavaki was the only one really left with any power, and the rest either were very weak demigods or perhaps had been slain during the Time of Troubles. I think rather than assign "shadow patrons" to some of the other goliath gods, I'll keep it ambiguous, but detail a bit more about this.
Thanks for the input! |
|
|
|
Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2007 : 20:44:55
|
Fascinating post, KEJR! Particularly regarding goliaths, which I rather fancy (one showed up in Depths, after all).
Cheers |
Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
|
|
|
Zanan
Senior Scribe
Germany
942 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2007 : 21:53:57
|
| Goliaths? Whisper Gnomes! They are far "cooler", as they say. |
Cave quid dicis, quando et cui!
Gæð a wyrd swa hio scel!
In memory of Alura Durshavin.
Visit my "Homepage" to find A Guide to the Drow NPCs of Faerûn, Drow and non-Drow PrC and much more. |
|
|
|
KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2007 : 22:41:01
|
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
Fascinating post, KEJR! Particularly regarding goliaths, which I rather fancy (one showed up in Depths, after all).
Cheers
Thanks Erik, I rather enjoyed your goliath, and the compliment means a lot. |
|
|
|
Darkmeer
Senior Scribe
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2007 : 01:13:00
|
Zanan,
If I may say, I'd put the Whisper Gnomes in Lantan & Waterdeep (and the Sword Coast). Let's see what Knight does with that...
/d |
"These people are my family, not just friends, and if you want to get to them you gotta go through ME." |
|
|
|
Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2007 : 08:01:09
|
Very nice work, as usual, KEJR. 
Woodland Goliaths in the Taiga region of the Ama-Basin.
Feral Garguns in the Yehimals.
Chaos Gnomes somewhere in the Swordcoast North, possibly ten-towns (far away from sane people).
Dream Dwarves in Osse (that was really a no-brainer).
Stonechild in the Stonelands, and perhaps the mountainous areas around Anauroch. Possibly decendents of Netherse survivors who experimented with altered forms to survive the desert's harsh conditions.
Whisper Gnomes I can easily see in the Lluirwood or the Forest of Amtar. They fit in well with feral Wild Elves and Ghostwise halflings. Throw in some Jungle Dwarves and you got yourself a party.  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
|
Edited by - Markustay on 12 Jul 2007 08:01:48 |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Races of Stone in the Forgotten Realms
