What few oral legends remain among the giants speak reverently of the Tol Gorum—or Stone Lords—as masters of the earth itself, able to crack it asunder with mighty magic and soothe it with a simple word. These same legends describe the Tol Gorum as a wise and benevolent tribe, whose wisdom solved many disputes and whose vows of peace never faltered. History, it seems, was not as kind to the Tol Gorum’s descendants.
Since the fall of the giant empire in a hail of dragon fire, the Tol Gorum have descended into barbarism, forgetting their noble past while simply struggling to survive in a world that rebelled against them. Not long after the collapse, the council that ruled the Tol Gorum disintegrated into petty infighting after losing half its members during the attacks. Individual councilors retreated to their tribes to fortify and regroup. While nearly all of these groups have dissappeared over the years, one tribe still lives in its ancestral home around a single shattered stone tower, in the actual shadow of its ancestors’ glory.
In the years since the collapse, this group, which still calls itself the Tol Gorum, has been a part of countless conflicts that brought them to the brink of annihilation. These trials have forced the stone giants into a primitive life based on survival alone. Few among their number even bother to explore the tower or attempt to learn about their sad history from its crumbling walls. Vurgatt, the leader of the tribe, discourages such education as a threat to his authority and a waste of time. In his view, the only worthy activities are fighting and the production of more stone giants. What Vurgatt does not know is that one of his tribe, a young stone giant boy by the name of Pollog, is a primordial giant, with some of the powers of his ancestors. Nor does Vurgatt know that Pollog’s exploration of the ancient tower ruins has shown the boy the ways of the past.
Leaders of the Tol Gorum
Although there are many voices in Tol Gorum, no two carry more weight than those of Vurgatt and Pollog. While Vurgatt’s is shouted from the throne of leadership, Pollog’s is whispered in the darkness for the receptive to hear.
Vurgatt: Ascending to the mantle of leader soon after the death of his father, Drogann, Vurgatt has spent every day since planning and plotting to punish those who killed the former chief: the accursed drow. When Vurgatt was still a young warrior, his father and a number of other giants went out on a hunting party and encountered a host of dark elves. After crushing many of them and giving chase to the rest, Vurgatt’s father simply disappeared and has never been seen again. A shaman later confirmed that he was indeed dead. Vurgatt assumed leadership of the clan within days. Although he does not speak of it, his dreams are haunted by visions of his father and of his bones, which were not permitted their proper rest. Vargatt is sure the elves who committed the vile act are somewhere nearby and he will stop at nothing, not even the death of his kin, to find them. In the years since, Vargatt has killed dozens of drowand burned their bodies, hoping that one more dead elf might appease his father’s restless spirit.
Vurgatt is particularly well built, even for a stone giant, and heavily scarred. Many of the scars are of his own device, personal symbols to remind him of his blood-sworn oath of vengeance. The snarling stone giant is never found without Shatterspike, his father’s +2 thundering greatclub (see the Shatterspike sidebar). It was the only possession found by those searching for the missing chieftain.
Pollog (male primitive* 10 HD stone giant): Born during a shower of falling dragon shards, Pollog has spent his entire life in wonder and awe of the world around him. Unlike others of his age (which are few these days), Pollog cared not only about honing his body, but his mind as well. He quickly learned many of the old tongues and written languages. While others practiced stone throwing, Pollog studied the barely visible runes found inside the Stone Lord’s Tower, and what he saw there astounded him. While Vurgatt was leading many of his people on deadly and largely fruitless raids against the drow, Pollog spent his youth learning about his people’s noble past as peaceful and wise giants, both respected and revered.
Now a young adult, Pollog has made it his personal mission to change his society. He has started this undertaking by talking to fellow tribesmen about the old ways, at first as tales, and now as urgings toward a better way of life. He has kept this mostly hidden from Vurgatt. While it has not yet come to blows, Pollog suspects that when the barbarian leader finds out about his ideas that conflict may prove inevitable.
Although Vurgatt has not forbidden anyone from entering the Stone Lord’s Tower, he does keep an eye on those who do, fearful of the knowledge inside. For this reason, Pollog tries to limit his visits to the tower to only when Vurgatt is away on a raid. Little does he know that Vurgatt’s spies keep him informed of Pollog’s expeditions.
People of the Gol Gorum
The giants of Tol Gorum fall into one of two groups. The larger of these, by far, are those who support Vurgatt and his ideas of vengeance. The people thought highly of Vurgatt’s father and his disappearance caused a great deal of anguish and anger. Vurgatt capitalized on this and uses it as a reminder whenever his plans meet resistance. The other group believes in what Pollog has to say and quietly supports him in his attempts to steer the people toward a more peaceful and civilized lifestyle. This movement has little chance to succeed while Vurgatt lives, so many who follow Pollog do so secretly and oppose Vurgatt only when it cannot be traced back to them.
Most of the males of Tol Gorum spend their days patrolling the settlement and stockpiling weapons for the next raid. When not on duty, they loaf about and eat, allowing their women to serve them. The women, on the other hand, are usually quite busy gathering food, rearing children, making crude fabric out of local plant fibers, and tending to the group’s loyal sloth of six dire bears. Children are expected to help their mothers, but when a male reaches adolescence, he begins to accompany his father and learn how to fight.
There is generally little organization to the settlement’s activity. Patrols are irregular at best, except when drow are spotted nearby. Then the settlement becomes quite busy, with giants preparing for a raid and keeping close watch for any signs of ambush or trickery. A typical patrol consists of a trio of stone giants, one of whom handles a dire bear that accompanies the patrol.
Every evening, a larger fire is built inside the Storm Lord’s Tower, casting shifting shadows across the cliff walls of the settlement. It is during these times that the warriors of the tribe gather about for contests of rock throwing and wrestling. Vurgatt almost always wins these matches, primarily because the others are afraid of his wrath should he lose. More than one giant has been severely beaten after defeating Vurgatt in a rock throwing challenge. Once the fire in the Storm Lord’s Tower dies down, the warriors usually stumble back to their caves to sleep off the strong wine and bellies full of roasted boar.