Hill Giants, known as haugjotunen in their own language, are the descendants of true giants who dared to rise against the elder gods after the great war with the Elementaris. These rebellious giants, disfigured and cursed for their audacity, were cast down from their former grandeur and condemned to a life of primitive existence. The curses placed upon them by the elder gods transformed these once-mighty beings into the brutish, gluttonous creatures known today as Hill Giants.
Hill giants are the shortest of the true giants, standing between 16 and 18 feet (4.9 to 5.5 meters) in height, and they weigh between 4,000 and 5,000 pounds (1,800 to 2,300 kilograms). Despite their size, they are considered the weakest in both mind and body among the true giants. Their disfigured forms are a testament to the curses that were laid upon their ancestors, with coarse, ruddy skin and thick, matted hair that gives them a wild and unkempt appearance.
Their eyes are small and beady, often filled with a dull hunger that seems never to be satisfied. Hill giants have broad, flat noses, and their mouths are full of jagged teeth, perfect for tearing through the raw meat they so often consume. Their bodies are bulky and covered in layers of fat, a result of their insatiable appetite. Unlike other giants who might favor fine clothing or armor, Hill Giants typically wear crude garments made from animal hides, barely covering their massive frames.
The ancestors of the Hill Giants were once mighty true giants who, in their hubris, dared to challenge the elder gods after the war with the Elemental Titans. These giants believed that, with the Titans defeated, they could rise to take their place among the gods themselves. However, their rebellion was short-lived, and the elder gods swiftly crushed their uprising. As punishment, the rebellious giants were disfigured and cursed, stripped of their intelligence, strength, and connection to the divine.
The elder gods granted them dominion over the rolling hills, a far cry from the majestic mountains and stormy skies that their kin once called home. The hills became both their domain and their prison, binding them to the earth in a way that reflected their fallen status. In this new existence, the Hill Giants became deeply connected to the land, but in a more base and primal way than their ancestors. They ruled over the hills not with wisdom or power, but with brute force and an insatiable hunger.
Hill Giants are defined by their gluttony. They are driven by an endless need to consume, whether it be food, resources, or land. Their insatiable appetite leads them to constantly raid nearby settlements, devouring livestock, crops, and anything else they can find. This relentless hunger is more than just a physical need—it is a manifestation of the curse that has haunted their kind since their fall from grace.
Unlike other giant societies, Hill Giants have no real concept of leadership or hierarchy beyond simple strength. The strongest and most gluttonous among them typically rise to positions of power, but these roles are often fleeting, as challengers constantly vie for dominance. Their society is brutal and chaotic, with little in the way of culture or tradition. Hill Giants are driven by their base instincts, and their lives revolve around the acquisition and consumption of food.
They are deeply connected to the land, but this connection is a twisted reflection of the harmony that other giants might share with their environment. Hill Giants ravage the hills, stripping the land bare in their quest to satisfy their hunger. Their settlements are often little more than sprawling camps, filled with the remnants of their conquests and the bones of their victims.
The Hill Giants' story is one of hubris, rebellion, and the tragic consequences of defying the gods. Their fall from grace serves as a cautionary tale to all who would seek to challenge the divine order. In their current form, Hill Giants are a shadow of their former selves, cursed to live out their days in gluttony and squalor, forever tied to the rolling hills that are both their domain and their prison.
Though they lack the intelligence and sophistication of their kin, Hill Giants are not to be underestimated. Their sheer size and brute strength make them formidable foes, and their relentless hunger drives them to acts of incredible violence. They are a reminder of the power of the elder gods and the dangers of defying the natural order—a living testament to the consequences of arrogance and rebellion.