Isles of Reus

The Isles of Reus were a collection of islands about 400 miles off the northwestern coast of Duvonte.

The islands shifted over time, but always remained roughly in the same orientation. Early in the Cabalum, when groups of intelligent life were still forming, the giants on the region of Isles of Reus conflicted greatly with the humans nearby. To end the conflicts, Beskem cleaved the land, sending Reus off on its own, as the Giants were too destructive, too much like the Primordials. On this formed island, the giants developed. Connections to Chaos were strong in the region, so destructive natural phenomena were common.

The giants adapted too, taking on attributes from the region the settled in - Frost Giants adapted to the cold of the Depths of the Primordials, Fire Giants evolved to live amongst and even inside the magma of the Flames of the Primordials, Stone Giants learned to live underground and mold the stone around them, and Storm Giants tamed the clouds above, drawing on the powers of the Heights of the Primordials. Hill Giants were among those that survived, but did not adapt like their sister tribes did.

As differences arose and groups established, the aggressive and territorial Giants began to war amongst themselves. Before they could annihilate themselves, Beskem sought to solve the issues again by cleaving the region again, splitting the land into distinct islands: Frost Giants in the north, Stone Giantss in the west, Fire Giants in the south, and Hill Giants in the east.

During the Gait Era, the islands were avoided for multiple reasons. The connections to the Chaos planes spurn frequent, unpredictable, and dangerous occurrences like freak storms, earthquakes, floods, and sudden eruptions. The Giants were constantly battling one another, and would only turn away from the other shores to harass or even sink any ships that sailed too close. One common factor amongst all the Giants was that they would always war with humans, given the chance. Some individuals with treatises or connections with one or several groups there can traverse in relative safety, depending on the strength of those bonds.

Giants are a fiercely hierarchical, basing worth on their place in the Ordning. Several factions arose after Reus was split:

• Storm Giants of Mammatus Motte: Ruled by Noocracy (Philosophers lead). Top of the food chain, kept apart with torrential rains and strong winds, generally good but covet their position at the top of the Ordning amongst the islands
  
• Cloud Giants: Ruled by Plutocracy (Wealth and influence traded, those seen as most wealthy or influential lead). Shrewd, perceptive, prone to parley and discuss but always willing to fight, tricksters
  
• Fire Giants: Ruled by Stratocracy (Military chiefs lead) Disciplined, militaristic volcano island to the south.
  
• Frost Giants: Ruled by Kraterocracy (Strongest lead). Aggressive brutes that target visibly strongest opponents. Kraterocracy
  
• Stone Giants: Ruled by Democracy (Popular vote, no lead). More introverted, less belligerent, prefer to drive off pursuers than engage with them. Democracy
  
• Hill Giants: Ruled by Tribalism (Leaders emerge from external provenance, often religious). Disorganized, instinctual, and dumb.
  

The east isle was inhabited by the Hill Giants. This was the only region unaffected by the planes of Chaos, with no source of Primordial power. As such, the inhabitants did not evolve as the other sub-races did, and the Hill Giants' low standing in the Ordning as well as their lack of evolved or adapted traits exemplified this.

This island was closest to another shore, being the western cliffs of the Forest of Grace and Duvonte. It was the smallest island, and was made up of rolling hills with plentiful forests which provided cover for the Hill Giant residents. The Hill Giants lived in disorganized communities, rough tribes that had no long-term or established leadership or governance. The Hill Giants remained in a stagnant, violent, unproductive cycle with one another, attempting to prove themselves strong enough to move up the social ladder by beating one another up. Around 1113 GE, the only standout leader of this community was Lodd, who captured the awe and imagination of his community by speaking of and embarking on a "vision quest" through the other isles to gather Primordial Shards and rise up in the Ordning with this acquired power.

The West Isle was inhabited by the Stone Giants. This region was influenced by the connection to the Roots of the Primordials, Juuri's domain. Craggy cliffs and steep ravines tower over the rocky, rough shores of the island. Innumerable cave entrances emerge from the ground and the sides of these rock formations, leading to a convoluted network of caves in which the island's denizens lived. The inhabitants evolved around this power and adapted to the environment, leading to the development of the Stone Giants.

In the caves beneath the island's surface, the Stone Giants made their home through the winding and large caverns just beneath the surface. They fashioned stone furniture and stone accommodations into the cave systems, giving cavernous chambers a nice, homely feel (though all the furniture was slate grey and rough). Even their luxuries, like blankets and decorations, were made of stone. Some also adopted stone clothing, with the most common item being stone boots. Near the center of the island was a large gathering chamber, made to accommodate large crowds of Stone Giants when they need to govern or make decisions - the Stone Giants here relied on democratic decision making, leaving any significant or dangerous decisions to majority rule. As such, they did not get much done as discourse and debate would often overtake the initial issue. They often hid from the surface, and feared all the other giants (they were second to last in the Ordning, only superior to the Hill Giants). Several hundred feet below this gathering chamber, in the center of the island, was the 20-foot diameter swirling grey circle of stone - the portal to the Roots of the Primordials.

The north isle was inhabited by the Frost Giants. This region was influenced by the connection to the Depths of the Primordials, Syvyys' domain. Snows and tundra dominate the frigid landscape, and the surrounding waters were unpredictable tempests with currents and waves rushing and crashing in perpetuity. The inhabitants evolved around this power and adapted to this environment, leading to the development of the Frost Giants.

The island bordered the Sea of Crystals to the north. It was W shaped, with a large frozen lake settled at center of the northern edge of the island - it was under the freezing waters that the entrance to the Depths of the Primordials lied. Around the southwest and southeast coasts, along with in the center of the island, were the Frost Giant settlements. They were noted by their large, sloped, defensive ice walls that faced the nearby islands to protect from invasions. Valuing brute strength and survival, the Frost Giants determined their leaders via trial by combat, constantly challenging one another to prove their strength and increase their standing among their kind. The standout leader around 1113 GE was Threlvund the Breaker, who resided in the central settlement.

As chieftain, he had enacted law requiring every outsider to challenge a Frost Giant and defeat them in single combat. Should they do so, they would be allowed to enter their settlements and walk amongst the Frost Giants. Most Frost Giants adhere to this rule, eager to prove themselves, except for the druids of the northern lake - they live alongside, but apart from the settlements, guarding the entrance to the Depths of the Primordials.

The South Isle was inhabited by the Fire Giants. This region was influenced by the connection to the Flames of the Primordials, Ke'avuur's domain. Obsidian and ash sands dominated the landscape, and the air was hot and dense with smoke. The inhabitants evolved around this power and adapted to this environment, leading to the development of the Fire Giants.

The island was bordered by the Sunderset Ocean to the south. It was M shaped, with a large land mass in the bottom center of the island. This larger portion is where the Fire Giants set up a fortified steel wall on around the north side of the island's enormous volcano. It was in this volcano that the portal to the Flames of the Primordials, a roiling sphere of fire which hovered just above the surface of the lava within. The iron, steel and obsidian fortifications make up the defensive bastion of the Fire Giants, a stratocracy led by the Magma Wardens.

The obsidian and ash beaches of the entire island are lined with massive iron and obsidian hunting traps. The exterior wall splits the island, separating the volcano's area from the rest of the island, and extends 500 feet into the ocean on either side. Surrounding the west, south, and east beaches around the volcano and fortifications around its base were submerged steel nets which could be raised via winches atop the external and internal walls. Also atop the walls were spotlights, used to survey the surrounding land and the waters off these beaches for sneaking invaders: the spotlights were powered by the flame magic of Helka. Between the interior and exterior walls were trenches and barbed wire, with Fire Giant soldiers and sappers overseen by Ulrek regularly patrolling these trenches on the lookout for trespassers, aided by the spotlights. The walls were constantly reinforced and repaired by the builders under Vornog.

Inside the interior wall, and surrounding the base of the volcano, was the Fire Giant settlement: a fortified city with obsidian streets and igneous-stone brick homes made to proper scale for the huge denizens. Moats and rivers of lava flow along the roads, providing constant light and diverting the magma into blacksmith forges and out of the city to the lava moat dug an the outside of the interior wall.

The Center Isle was inhabited by the Cloud Giants. This region was influenced by the connection to the Heights of the Primordials, Taivaal' domain. Howling winds and dense cloud cover engulf the floating island, with powerful and unpredictable gales buffeting all creatures who were not sure-footed. The inhabitants evolved around this power and adapted to the environment, leading to the development of the Cloud Giants.

The island was the center of the region before the island was split, and this central area was launched into the air and suspended in a series of low-hanging clouds (just under 1 mile above sea level). The region was made up of several layers of these cloud-plates, with marble streets and luxurious, garishly adorned homes spread far across the clouds.

The Cloud Giants abided by a form of Plutocracy, with the most wealthy and influential acting as leaders. There was no formal council, as the members shifted quite frequently. Cloud Giants often made deals, tricked, or otherwise influenced one another or lower giants to sabotage rivals, thereby increasing their own standing. The most formal form of this competition was gambling (Games of Chance), betting vast wealth or personal favors to one another.

In 1113 GE, the most influential Cloud Giants were Calindra, Vortessa, Juvel, Kainwyth, Rothvald, and Nimbreach, who each sought to undermine one another to better distinguish themselves.