Goliaths are massive yet reclusive nomads who wander remote mountain ranges.
In Icewind Dale the goliaths fall into two main categories:
Reghed Nomad tribes
A goliath native to Icewind Dale is a Reghed Nomad and part of a small nomadic tribe. Reghed nomads are the children of the Reghed Glacier, as suggested by their name. They are people of the wild, as revealed by their tribal names—the Elk, the Tiger, the Wolf, the Bear.
Although they originally descended from humans who were predominantly blue-eyed and fair-haired, the Reghed tribes have assimilated other folk, adding new blood to their dwindling ranks. There used to be more than four Reghed tribes, but the others have all disbanded over the past century, with many of their former members settling in Ten-Towns and abandoning their traditional ways.
The Reghed tribes rely on a nomadic lifestyle to survive, as they follow herds of reindeer along the route of the animals’ annual migration. When they make camp, the tribesfolk live in large, round tents made of deerskin and supported by wooden shafts.
Reghed tribe camps are scattered throughout Icewind Dale. None of them appear on maps because they don’t stay in one place for long.
Each Reghed tribe is made up of smaller clans, each with its own chieftain (the most powerful of whom often carries the title of king or queen). A clan might set up its camp for a tenday or two, then dismantle it and go back on the move, allowing the clan to stay close to a migrating herd of reindeer as it travels across the tundra.
Spine of the World clans
Goliaths inhabit the Spine of the World, where their mettle is tested against orcs, ogres, frost giants, remorhazes, ice trolls, young white dragons, the treacherous mountain terrain, and the cruel indifference of nature.
Skytower Shelter and Wyrmdoom Crag are two mountain strongholds inhabited by goliaths. The former is home to the Skytower (Akannathi) clan, the latter to the Wyrmdoom (Thuunlakalaga) clan. The two groups refuse to get along, and competition between them is fierce and often violent. They stare at each other across mountain peaks and fight over everything from necessities to territory. The likelihood of peace between them is remote, because goliaths like to hold grudges.
Homeland(s): The North/Spine of the World
Average lifespan: 80-90 years