The Cyclopeans are a terribly ancient order of giants. They once reigned over wide dominions on Earth, including Thule long before humankind came to its shores. They are few in number now; the last Cyclopeans linger in a few remote vales and the high passes of mountain ranges that crown this continent.
The Cyclopeans nurse voracity and a bitter hatred for humans—whom they deride as "spawn of the Pygmy". Some blame the human tribes of ages past for the fall of their long-lost realms and the decline of their kind.
Soul Devourers
Cyclopeans differ from most living creatures in that they dine on the souls (or brains) of the living. The souls contain a digestible ether that fuels their growth. How it typically manifests is an increase in height or overall size. Consuming this ether can also grant them extra organs, limbs, and supernatural powers; it can even allow them to give birth to new Cyclopeans. Newborns often outnumber their (asexual) parent and quickly grow up to cannibalize the parent.
Cyclopeans are notorious man-eaters. They value the consumption of a human soul over that of less-intelligent beasts. Moreover, some believe humans were once "Pygmy-giants" stuck at the bottom of their hierarchy, known as the ordning. These "pygmies" somehow defied the ordning, essentially cheating the system by harnessing collective unity to topple the hegemony of greater giants. They then struck pacts with the Beastlords, who helped them to do away with their reliance on soul consumption, making them more beast-like. That being said, no record can confirm the truth of this narrative, and the Cyclopeans are known to be unreliable narrators.
The Ordning
Ancient empires once cast tall shadows over a world that quaked beneath their giant feet. In those lost days, the Cyclopeans were behemoth slayers, dreamers, crafters, and lords, but their kind fell from glory long since the Great Flood. But even when divided among scattered enclaves, the Cyclopeans stick close to their old order, customs, and traditions.
All Cyclopeans belong to an unequal caste structure called the ordning. Based on the number of souls they have consumed, the ordning assigns a social rank to each individual giant. By understanding its place in the ordning, each Cyclopean giant knows which other giants are inferior or superior to it, since no two are equal.
Cyclopeans are no stranger to cannibalism, and those in search of kindred prey will target those who are far beneath them on the ordning scale. Conversely, many Cyclopeans who find themselves sharing consecutive rank have been known to take collective action over the might of the individual, but will then share the spoils unequally based on rank. Due to the never-fair nature of Cyclopean society, petty politics and infighting is all too common to them, and is likely the reason they fell behind humankind.
The Cyclopeans of the current age are reclusive and territorial. They protect their dwindling homelands with stubborn ferocity, aggressively attacking any intruders that wander into their territory. These monsters are literally fearless in battle, throwing themselves against almost any number of foes and trusting their great strength to carry the day. Enemies who meet the fierce gaze of their eyes are sometimes rooted to the spot by sheer terror.
Appearances
The Cyclopeans are giants who generally tower over humans. Each giant's enormity varies greatly, and the rarity of meeting one increases with size. They are generally human-like in shape, though some have multiple limbs, organs, heads, or deformities; in this way, they exhibit far greater diversity than humans. Cyclopean skin coloration varies greatly as well, be it an electric blue or blood red. Most of them have carnivorous features, such as sharp teeth and claws.
Cyclopeans are as ingenious as humans; they are capable of making tools, weapons, armor, and clothing for their size. But nowadays, fewer Cyclopeans have access to tools for making new crafts. Instead, they wield ancient relics forged by their predecessors who lived in more prosperous times.