Centuries ago, sorcerer-kings magically combined giant and human stock to breed powerful minions, creating the hardy race of towering warriors known as goliaths (commonly called half-giants). Most sorcerer-kings have hundreds of goliaths in their armies and shower the mighty warriors with luxuries in exchange for their loyalty. Other half-giants become urban thugs or mercenaries. They adopt the culture and traditions of the cities in which they dwell.
Over the years, many goliaths have found their way into the untamed reaches of Athas. Wild goliaths are fierce, mountain-dwelling barbarians who raid the people of the lowlands in search of plunder, captives, and prestige. Half-giant tribes are fractious and quarrelsome as a rule; ambitious young warriors challenge established chieftains, and long-remembered slights and insults threaten to erupt into deadly feuding. Shamans, druids, and others who wield the power of the elements or nature lie outside the bounds of such disputes and rivalries, and they serve a vital role as peacemakers and advisors. Regardless, a goliath sometimes leaves his or her enemies behind for a few years and seeks out new opportunities elsewhere. After all, returning to the tribe as a wealthy, successful warrior with an impressive train of treasures and captives is the best revenge.
Half-giants are often violent and short-tempered, but their moods are mercurial. They can pass from frothing rage to gales of laughter in the blink of an eye
Half-Giant Backgrounds
Because most goliaths fight or toil for a living, others sometimes assume that you’re a simple-minded thug. You can fight very well, of course, but there’s more to you than your muscles. Whether you live down to others’ expectations is up to you.
Feral Raider: You were a merciless raider, plundering villages and settlements for water, food, and other supplies. You might have continued in this manner, but something changed your course. Did your band cross paths with a powerful enemy? Did you abandon your tribe after realizing how much suffering you had caused? How did your time as a raider shape your present views?
Half-Giant Laborer: You spent your life toiling for a master, using your great strength in a stone quarry or your mighty endurance to work the fields. Whom did you serve? Were you a slave, or a free laborer? What sort of work did you do? How did you escape your drudgery?
Noble’s Guard: You served in the war band or palace guard of a great noble. In which city-state did you serve? Was your service voluntary? Were you a personal guard? A soldier? Who was your patron, and how did you come to leave his or her employ?