The Frost Goliaths, known in their own tongue as the Isekriggen (“Ice Warriors”), are a brutal and unyielding sub-species of Goliath, born from the tainted blood of Frost Giant. Towering above their kin, they are larger, hardier, and more savage, their bodies sculpted by the eternal frost of the north. Found in the The Vale of Everwinter, the frozen tundras of Norska, and the Arctic fringes of the world, the Frost Goliaths are warriors without mercy, thriving in the harshest, most inhospitable lands known to mortals.
Unlike standard Goliaths, who view strength as a means to survive, the Isekriggen see it as a way to rule. They relish the thrill of battle, their scars and grisly trophies worn like medals, each one a testament to a victory won, an enemy slain, and a legacy carved from ice and war.
Frost Goliaths do not bow, they do not beg, and they do not break. Theirs is a world where only the strongest lead, and where the weak are cast aside without hesitation.
Origins
The Isekriggen are of both Goliath and Frost Giant blood, though neither race fully accepts them. In days long past, when the Frost Giants still held dominion over the tundras and peaks of the world, there were rare unions between giant and mortals—either through violence or conquest. The offspring of such unions were cast out, seen as too small to be giants, yet too monstrous to live amongst civilized species.
The Isekriggen, exiled and abandoned, carved out their own place in the world, becoming something wholly unique—a bridge between two species, but accepted by neither. Their blood carries the strength of the giants, but their souls remain unbroken by their heritage.
Many Frost Goliaths have grown to hate their Frost Giant ancestors, for the giants often hunt them as they do other Goliaths, seeing them as mongrel-born abominations, unworthy of their frozen legacy. This has led to generations of blood-feuds, where Frost Goliaths have become some of the deadliest giant-killers in the world, wearing the flesh, bones, and teeth of their towering foes as marks of defiance.
Physical Traits & Appearance
The Frost Goliaths stand taller and bulkier than their kin, ranging from 7.5 to 9 feet (2.3 to 2.7 meters) tall and weighing over 400 pounds (180 kg). Their appearance reflects their icy heritage, making them distinctly different from standard Goliaths.
- Their skin is thick, rough, and pale, ranging from ashen gray to deep glacial blue, adapted to withstand freezing winds and subzero temperatures.
- Their icy blue, silver, or pale yellow eyes shimmer with an almost ethereal frost, marking them as descendants of the frozen titans.
- Many Frost Goliaths carve or tattoo ancient runes into their skin, believed to channel the power of their ancestors.
- Unlike their southern kin, Frost Goliaths grow thick white or blue hair, which they braid with bones, rings, and teeth taken from fallen enemies.
- They take immense pride in their scars, considering them signs of survival and strength. Many will reopen old wounds before battle to remind themselves of past victories.
Their bodies radiate unnatural cold, and some of the most powerful among them are said to be able to withstand freezing blizzards with nothing but bare skin, their bodies becoming as frostbitten and unyielding as the mountains themselves.
Culture & Society
Frost Goliath society is a brutal hierarchy where strength reigns supreme. Leadership is never inherited—it is taken, earned, and defended in ritual combat.
The Law of the Strong
Among the Isekriggen, challenges of leadership are routine. Any warrior who wishes to claim dominance must wrestle, fight, or outmatch their chieftain in open combat. There is no shame in defeat—only in failing to challenge at all.
Those who cannot fight, cannot lead. Those who show weakness are abandoned.
Rituals & Traditions
- The Marking of the Dead – After a great victory, Frost Goliaths carve the names of their fallen into their skin, ensuring they are never forgotten.
- The Trial of the Beast – Young warriors must slay a monstrous predator alone before they are considered true warriors of the tribe. Many return missing limbs—or do not return at all.
- Warlords of the Vale – Among the Isekriggen of the Vale of Everwinter, only those who have personally slain a Frost Giant may become warlords of their clans.
- The Rite of Frostblood – Some tribes drink the blood of Frost Giants to awaken the slumbering strength of their ancestors, though this practice is often viewed as dangerous and corrupting.
The Scars of War
The Isekriggen have no formal smiths or artisans. Their armor, weapons, and jewelry are all taken from fallen enemies. They fashion bone, iron, and frost-rimed steel into shields, greaves, and helmets, covering themselves in the spoils of their greatest kills.
Each piece of armor tells a story—a severed jawbone of a slain giant, a pelt taken from a white dragon, a frost-forged blade from a forgotten tomb. Every trophy is a mark of pride, a reminder that they have survived where others have fallen.
Relations with Other Races
Hatred of Frost Giants – The Isekriggen hunt their giant kin without mercy, seeing them as tyrants who cast them aside. Many tribes exist solely to wage war against the Frost Giants, hunting them like prey.
- Many goliaths see the Isekriggen as too brutal, too aggressive, too lost in their Frost Giant blood, while Frost Goliaths see other Goliaths as weak for not embracing their strength.
- Civilized kingdoms and civilizations see them as barbaric warbands, unable to be controlled. Most military forces actively avoid the frozen wastes they call home.
- Many Unknown and Skraelingmen clains often trade with the Isekriggen, respecting their warrior ways and battle-hardened traditions.
Powers & Abilities
Frost Goliaths fight like living avalanches, their sheer size and endurance making them nearly unstoppable.
- They are stronger than standard Goliaths, their muscles hardened by the eternal winter they call home.
- They can survive in lethal cold without protection, their blood infused with ancient frost.
- They specialize in fighting Frost Giants, knowing exactly where to strike, how to topple, and how to kill them.
- Some Frost Goliaths enter blood-fueled rages, where their bodies become like glaciers, their strikes like frozen hammers.
Legacy
Though they remain few in number, the Frost Goliaths are growing stronger, more organized, more ruthless. Their hatred for the Frost Giants burns brighter than ever, and whispers of a great reckoning spread among their tribes.
One day, they claim, the Frostborn will rise, and the giants will fall.
Only the strongest will survive.