The Giant Pantheon

[Masterbard Alyster Darkharp]

Annum

All-Father, The Prime, The Great Creator, The Fertile Progenitor of Worlds

Greater Deity
Symbol: Two hands, wrists together and fingers pointing down
Alignment: Neutral
Domains: Knowledge, Magic, Plant, Rune, Sun
Portfolio: Giants, creation, learning, philosophy, fertility
Worshipers: Giants
Worshipers Alignment: Any
Favored Weapon: Unarmed strike
Home Plane: Jotunheim (Hidden Realm)

Annam All-Father (ON-urn) sits atop the Ordning. Rumored to be the son of a conjunction of Chaos and Law, he is the progenitor of the Ordning and all the giant breeds. All that giants are and will become is owed to his influence. All that giants do is in his service. Annam has a dual nature. On the one hand he is wise, learned, and philosophical. On the other, he is lustful, instinctive, and unpredictable. Equally notorious are his insight and jealousy, wit and impatience-he is proud of what his sons have accomplished but still yearns for the day they will accomplish even more. He foresees the future but cannot prepare for it.

Annam came across the planet of Abeir-Toril at a time before the existence of dwarves, elves and humans. He met and married Othea who took the form of a mountain on the edge of the Cold Lands. They had children, who were not Annam's first (he had previously had immortal children), but they were Annam's first terrestrial children.

Like most of the giant gods, Annam is seen in a different light by each of his worshipers. Hill giants imagine him as an enormous glutton and master of the grandest pantry in the multiverse. Stone giants envision him as an unparalleled artist. Frost giants see him as a glorious reveler and warrior.

Role-playing Notes:

Annam personifies his sons. defining traits to an almost unbelievable extreme. He is remarkably selfish, sees all others as hopelessly inferior to himself, and remains wholly uninterested in the passage of time. (He has been known to take a thousand years to ponder the simplest of queries.) Once he has made up his mind, he will never change his opinion, even in the face of new evidence or further developments.

Annam's Disappearance

Several thousand years ago, Annam promised Othea that he would leave Toril until his sons restored the glory of Ostoria. So far, he has honored this agreement. As a consequence, he cannot grant spells to his priests, he is usually unavailable for commune, and he cannot normally manifest omens. So great is Annam's power, however, that he is sometimes capable of reaching out to his flock from his distant realm of exile (a demiplane of Jotunheim). All giant priests (not only those dedicated to Annam) who attain at least the 10th level of experience will receive a single precognitive vision from the All-Father at some point in their lives. Normally, this vision comes during a holy festival and reveals a coming truth of great importance to the giants as a whole. Priests who experience the vision have no doubt as to where it came from and why it is significant.

Annam sits alone in an endless domain called the Hidden Realm. This area is rather like a demiplane or pocket dimension in that no other being can locate or enter it without Annam’s permission, and Annam permits precious few visitors. No other beings—not even petitioners— live within the Hidden Realm, and a deep sense of loneliness permeates the place. His great mansion features a crystal tower in which models of stars and planets whirl in perfect, silent motion ( a replica of his Orrery built by Masud's sons) simulating the movements of the universe.

Dogma:

The giants are destined to rule Faerûn; Honor the Ordning and your ordning; Never raise your hand against a brother giant, there must be peace between breeds to see Annam's prophecies to their fruition; Ostoria is the only hope for Toril. Do not fear time; it is the bane of your enemies. Do not underestimate other peoples, but do not allow them to distract you from your destiny.


Gudheim

Annam's vast crystal palace located on the plane of Jotunheim. At its center is a splendid orrery, a model of the planes, stars, and planets that endlessly spins in silent perfection. The model was crafted by the sons of Masud, the first fire giant, to honor the All-Father at outset of the war against dragonkind. Annam has not set foot in Gudheim since he made his pact with Othea, the palace is still occupied by his celestial children, the remaining members of the Ordning. Although it certainly lost something of its luster with the All-Father's departure, the mighty crystal palace is still a sight of almost unimaginable beauty and majesty. Giant priests believe that just before their deaths, particularly pious clergymen are invited to visit Gudheim for one evening to share a repast with the Ordning. Surrounding Gudheim is Jotunheim, the home of the giant heroes. According to ancient legends, the spirits of all giants who die in battle are carried off to Jotunheim by Muspel and Muznir, a pair of Annam's servants who often take the shape of enormous owls. There, they are allowed to pursue their chosen virtues and defend the Ordning for all eternity.

Duties of the Priesthood

Since he disappeared from Gudheim, few giants are directly devoted to the worship of Annam, though all giants revere him. One notable exception is the stormazîn, who acts as a spiritual father to the priests dedicated to all other giant deities.

Rituals:

Annam is directly honored in three ceremonies still practiced by the giants. The first day of the first month of each year sees the Grand Feast of the All-Father. During this celebration, all giants temporarily abrogate their other responsibilities to partake of vast
quantities of food and to celebrate the eventual return of Ostorian glory. Although the ceremony differs somewhat from breed to breed (based largely upon each breed's view of Annam), most tribes demonstrate their unity by dispatching ambassadors to attend each other's celebrations. Typically, the stormazîn honors a favored chieftain by attending the feast held at that chieftain's steading.

Once every two years, the stormazîn holds a special ceremony in Annam's honor to invest new clergymen. This ceremony is typically held in one of the larger tribes' dedicated temples and attended by the chieftains of all the various tribes. A tribe whose temple is so selected by the stormazîn is greatly honored. Once per month, the stormazîn holds a special prayer vigil to honor the All-Father and ask his guidance. Particularly troubled members of the Jotunbrud often visit the stormazîn's shrine in order to attend this ceremony

Customs, Rules, Taboos:

Any priest or shaman of Annam who strikes another giant (willingly or unwillingly) must forfeit his position and undergo divestiture. Anyone who speaks Ulutiu's name at a ceremony honoring Annam must die.

Sources: Faiths and Pantheons, Giantcraft, The Player's Guide to Faerun

[Masterbard Alyster Darkharp]

Stronmaus

Annum's Steward, Lord of the Skies, The Storm Lord, The Smiling God, The Thunderhead.

Greater Deity
Symbol: A forked lightning bolt descending from a cloud, obscuring the sun.
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Domains: Chaos, Good, Protection, Storms
Portfolio: sun, sky, weather, joy, cloud giants
Worshipers: non-evil cloud giants, storm giants
Favored Weapon: Warhammer
Home Plane: Jotunheim (Stormhold)

Stronmaus (STRAWN-mawz) is the eldest son of Annam and brother to Hiatea, Grolantor, Memnor, Skoraeus, and Iallanis. Shortly after he came of age, Stronmaus adopted the skies as his purview. With Annam gone, however, he is now responsible for the affairs of the entire Ordning, though he certainly doesn't covet his father's power. The moment Annam returns, Stronmaus will happily relinquish the throne. Though he is often encountered among the mountains of the Beastlands, Stronmaus inhabit's a spectacular cloud palace called Stormhold, attached to Annam's steading in Gudheim. Stormhold, the realm of Stronmaus, is the mirror image of Thraotor. Despite its ominous name, Stormhold rests on a magnificent white cloud that only rarely brings rain or storms to the land beneath. Though it casts an enormous shadow on the land, the sun always shines brightly at its top, glittering on Stronmaus’s palace of gold, platinum, gems, and marble. Within the palace is a magical opal pool, which seems to be of endless size to swimmers in its holy waters. Immersion in the waters of this pool grants the effects of the heal, greater restoration, and regeneration spells.

Many thousands of years ago, after the titan Lanaxis finally united all of Annam's sons on Toril, Stronmaus gave Lanaxis a sample of his waters as a gift, allowing the titan to create a smaller version of the pond at the center of Voninheim. In fact, Lanaxis delivered his poison to Othea by fouling waters drawn from this magical font. Whether or not the fountain still exists at the heart of Voninheim's ruins, of course, is unknown. Like all members of the Ordning, each of the giant breeds tends to see Stronmaus in a different light. To the hill giants he is a mighty fisherman. To the frost giants he is a bold sailor/explorer. To the cloud giants he is a thundering god of storms. In any case, all see him as far more youthful, vigorous, and carefree than the All-Father. Stronmaus is frequently depicted smiling or reveling, and he certainly seems to enjoy crafting his powerful rainstorms and lightning bolts.

Role-playing Notes:

Because he is so adventurous, Stronmaus tends to send more avatars to visit Toril than many of his divine peers. Often, these avatars are disguised as ordinary storm giants traveling between the steadings. Though he would never dream of blatantly and directly intervening in the affairs of the Jotunbrud (he and his siblings made certain rules against such vulgar interventions eons ago), he frequently intervenes indirectly to enjoy adventures aside his favored nephews. Stronmaus also dispatches his avatars simply to take pleasure in Toril's idyllic forests and isolated mountains. Stronmaus has befriended many of the other deities who lord over Toril, particularly the lesser power Eldath, Trishina, the dolphin goddess; Surminare, the selkie queen; and Syranita, mistress of the aarakocra.

Duties of the Priesthood

Stronmaus is worshiped as a patron in both the cloud giant and storm giant steadings located near the Ice Spires. The cloud giant priests are skilled in music and the arts. They wear fine jewelry and maintain large personal fortunes. Storm giant priests of Stronmaus, on the other hand, are shabbily dressed ascetics. Before they are accepted into the order, they must sit atop a cold, deserted peak for 100 days and nights without food.

Dogma:

Rain cleanses and offers salvation; freedom is the greatest bounty one can bestow; good-natured merriment is the milk of life (cloud giants only); life is a test of will (storm giants only).

Rituals:

Cloud giants devoted to Stronmaus begin each morning by scattering handfuls of incense and spices to the winds. About twice per year, they worship their patron by declaring a sacred omjag (sky hunt) on an evil air creature such as a chimera, wyvern, or chromatic dragon. The beast is then ritually hunted, killed, and offered to Stronmaus. In stark contrast to their brothers, the storm giant followers of Stronmaus view the god's ever-present smile as a form of mockery. They worship their patron by organizing great ceremonies designed to demonstrate their ability to overcome earthly obstacles (such as a great quest, hunt, or survival walk). Often, these rituals press the giants to the limits of their abilities and place them in great mortal danger. Storm giant followers of Stronmaus also preach that all sins require atonement and offer absolution to their brethren in the form of mild physical punishment.

Customs, Rules, Taboos:

Regardless of their breed, priests of Stronmaus always stop to pray during or immediately after a rainstorm or thunderstorm (even such a storm summoned by the priests themselves). Devotees are also forbidden to build fires, though there are no restrictions against them warming themselves at fires built by others.

Sources: Faiths and Pantheons, Giantcraft, The Player's Guide to Faerun, Defenders of the Faith

[Masterbard Alyster Darkharp]

Hiatea

Nurturer and Destroyer, Reaper and Sower

Lesser Deity
Symbol: A Flaming Spear
Alignment: Neutral Good
Domains: Animal, Good, Family, Moon, Plant, Sun
Portfolio: Nature, agriculture, hunting, childbirth
Worshipers: Giants, voadkyn
Favored Weapon: Spear
Home Plane: Jotunheim (Woodhaven)

Hiatea (hee-AH-tee-uh) is the daughter of Annam and sister to Stronmaus, Grolantor, Iallanis, Memnor, and Skoraeus. After she and her siblings developed an interest in the Jotunbrud, she claimed dominion over its hearths and fields, developing a strong influence over both agriculture and family life in the Jotunbrud society.

Just after the war with the dragons reached its bitter conclusion, Stronmaus taunted Hiatea about her uselessness during the affair, prompting her to undergo a stunning transformation. To establish the might of her domain, Hiatea reinvented herself as an avenging huntress, capable of employing nature as a powerful weapon of destruction as well as a peaceful source of bounty. Though Stronmaus has since apologized for the incident, Hiatea has never forgotten it. She is now fiercely committed to maintaining a dual nature: nurturer and destroyer, reaper and sower. Hiatea is the only member of the Ordning still worshiped by the voadkyn, the giant-kin who fled the Ice Spires several centuries ago.

Woodhaven is Hiatea’s realm, located in the heart of a great forest where oak trees grow larger than terrestrial redwoods. There her petitioners hunt with their patron, returning in the evenings to great longhouses where her gift of community and family is celebrated every night.

Role-playing Notes:

Unlike her brother Stronmaus, Hiatea rarely sends avatars to the Prime Material Plane. Very rarely she'll dispatch direct assistance to her devotees, and from time to time she manifests herself on Toril to hunt some notoriously ferocious creature. (To this day, she is still forcing Stronmaus to eat his words.) She does, however, communicate unusually often with her priests and shamans in the form of distinctive omens, most of which are somehow linked with fire. Burning buildings, flaming spears, fiery auras encircling familiar objects, and flame beetles are all commonly employed. Such omens are usually dispatched to warn the wicked.

Duties of the Priesthood

Hiatea's priests are usually, though not always, female. She has devoted followings among the fire giants and stone giants of the Ice Spires. Generally, priests of Hiatea assume one of two roles. Some spend most of their time in the steadings and function as family counselors and spiritual advisers. Others live alone (or in small groups) in the wilderness, where they act as sentries and guardians for the kingdom of Hartsvale and the various giant steadings. Though there is no disgrace in joining the 'urban' faction, the wilderness priests are considered closer to the goddess. Hiatea is said to select these sentry priests herself, subtly steering them into her service. The highest priests of her sect are always outsiders who visit the steadings only to issue orders to the home clerics.

Dogma:

Nature is both creator and destroyer; though the reawakening of Ostoria is the destiny of the Jotunbrud, there are some prices too high to pay for even this lofty goal; the admission of defeat is the very worst fate that can befall a true child of the Ordning; though kin are not of the blood and can never claim an equal status in Jotunbrud society, they are of the faith and should always be welcome in the steadings.

Rituals:

Approximately once per month, the priests of the steadings accompany the sentinel priests and the faithful on a ceremonial hunt. Once per year (usually in the spring), the party selects a particularly challenging creature to hunt in this fashion. The priests of Hiatea who live in the steadings strongly recommend that all the tribe's huslyder keep the priests well advised of developments in their family lives. Making important family decisions without the counsel of a priest is considered a minor sin by the faithful.

Customs, Rules, Taboos:

All of Hiatea's priests must be capable of hunting and surviving in the wilderness. Any priest who loses these capabilities due to age, injury, etc. must immediately stand down.

Sources: Faiths and Pantheons, Giantcraft, The Player's Guide to Faerun

[Masterbard Alyster Darkharp]

Grolantor

Lord of the Hill Giants

Intermediate Deity
Symbol: A Spiked Club
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Domains: Chaos, Death, Earth, Evil, Hatred
Portfolio: Hunting, combat, hill giants
Worshipers: Hill giants, frost giants
Favored Weapon: Club
Home Plane: Jotunheim (The Steading)

Grolantor (GRO-lan-tor) is yet another son of Annam and the unnamed sky goddess. Many years ago, the pair's treachery prompted Annam to prohibit Grolantor and his brother Memnor from involving themselves in the affairs of the Jotunbrud. Now that the All-Father has fled Gudheim, however, his decree is no longer applicable.

Once free to roam Toril in the wake of his father's exile, Grolantor started sending his avatar amongst the Jotunbrud, hoping to persuade the giants to accompany him on his mischievous outings. Naturally, he received the warmest response from the hill giants and frost giants, who most admire the godling's pride, courage, and skill in battle. Neither Stronmaus nor Hiatea is very pleased with Grolantor's activities, though neither feels empowered to
put a stop to them.

Grolantor is wholly dedicated to his own conceit. He absolutely refuses to admit that any other being or deity is his superior and tries to instill this attitude in his followers. Without such pride, he believes, Ostoria can never be reborn. Needless to say, such impetuousness has made him a number of enemies, particularly the gods of the dwarven pantheon, most of whom attack Grolantor on sight.

The god of the hill giants has a small realm located in the foothills of the great mountains of Jotunheim. Called the Steading, this realm is little more than an enormous wooden house built for the greatest chief of the hill giants. Grolantor’s petitioners roam the hills all around the Steading, preying on other petitioners when they can catch them.

Role-playing Notes:

Grolantor frequently sends his avatar amongst his followers in an effort to goad them into venturing out in search of military glory. Unfortunately for the faithful, however, the god is known to lose interest in these battles just as they are reaching their climax, withdrawing the avatar and abandoning his followers in their time of greatest need. Of course, to a true devotee of Grolantor, such occasions are not desertions at all but glorious opportunities to prove one's own mettle.

Duties of the Priesthood

Grolantor.s priests take it upon themselves to search for and eradicate perceived weaknesses in their societies. Wherever they hold positions of respect, they are constantly urging their chieftains to launch invasions and raiding parties, sometimes in the face of astronomical odds. Favorite targets of Grolantor's clergy include dwarves, dragons, and goblins.

Dogma:

Never admit weakness! Crush the weak underfoot! The Jotunbrud are destined to rule Faerûn! Annam's sons stand above all others in the grand ordning!

Rituals:

Grolantor.s priests are typically undisciplined and loosely organized. The only thing close to a formalized ritual they regularly observe is their unrivaled penchant for gluttonous revelry. Grolantor's hill giant clerics feel it is their duty to regularly prove that they are capable of out-eating any member of the tribe, while the frost giant clerics routinely attempt to outdrink the tribe.

Customs, Rules, Taboos:

A priest of Grolantor is never allowed to back down from a battle or challenge. Failure to observe this dictum divests the priest of all powers until he or she undergoes atonement (which usually involves plunging oneself headlong into an even more dangerous battle).

Sources: Faiths and Pantheons, Giantcraft, The Player's Guide to Faerun

[Masterbard Alyster Darkharp]

Iallanis

Fair Lady of Florallium

Lesser Deity
Symbol: A Garland of Flowers
Alignment: Neutral Good
Domains: Good, Healing, Strength, Sun
Portfolio: Love, forgiveness, beauty, mercy
Worshipers: Giants, giantkin
Favored Weapon: Unarmed strike
Home Plane: Jotunheim (Florallium)


One of her father's favorite children, Iallanis (EEuh-lan-is) was introduced to the Jotunbrud and their struggles while still an adolescent. She assumed her spot in the Ordning shortly thereafter. Iallanis advocates love, forgiveness, beauty, and mercy. She never turns a giant of a good nature from her flock. Her ultimate ambition is to reunite all of the Jotunbrud and reestablish Ostoria as a kingdom of benevolence, ambition, and learning.

Iallanis is particularly beloved by the stone giants, cloud giants, storm giants, and kin of the Ice Spires. She is said to have befriended Fionnghuala, queen of the swanmay.

The realm of Ialannis is Florallium, a place of quiet gardens and crystal springs. By unspoken consent, Florallium has become neutral territory for the deities and petitioners of Jotunheim, a place where peace can be negotiated in times of conflict and joyful occasions can be celebrated in quieter times.

Role-playing Notes:

Iallanis often dispatches an avatar to celebrate an occasion of great joy alongside the Jotunbrud: the wedding of a chieftain, the consecration of a great temple, the completion of a grand work of art, or the end of a war. She sometimes sends omens to her faithful in the form of tinkling winds, pleasant scents, and rare flowers.

Duties of the Priesthood

Iallanis will accept any good-aligned true giant as a priest or shaman on equal terms. Given her choice, she'd even accept kin as equals, though her father and Stronmaus have both forbidden such a policy as a violation of ordning.

Iallanis.s priests chiefly concern themselves with keeping the Jotunbrud united, dispersing mercy and absolution to those in need, and creating things of beauty. No priests of Iallanis can advance higher than the 3rd level unless they are happily married.

Dogma:

Honor mercy above all save the gods; honor beauty above all save mercy; an evil deed never goes unpunished nor a good deed unrewarded; kindness is the milk of might; passion is the milk of life.

Rituals:

Priests of Iallanis always say a prayer over any gift or meal they receive. They also conduct nearly all of the marriage ceremonies that take place between two members of the Jotunbrud, even those involving priests of other deities or giants of evil alignment. Each year, on the first day of spring, all of Iallanis' priests assemble in one of the giant steadings for a grand revelry. If possible, a marriage is performed at the height of this celebration. Since a marriage performed under these circumstances is considered a great honor among the Jotunbrud, most of the important members of Jotunbrud society wait until the spring ceremony to wed.

Customs, Rules, Taboos:

Iallanis's priests forego any worldly possessions beyond those necessary to maintain their own modest existences.

Sources: Faiths and Pantheons, Giantcraft, The Player's Guide to Faerun

[Masterbard Alyster Darkharp]

Memnor

The Wise Deceiver

Intermediate Deity
Symbol: A thin black obelisk
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Domains: Death, Evil, Knowledge, Mentalism, Rune, Trickery
Portfolio: Pride, mental prowess, control
Worshipers: Giants
Favored Weapon: Morningstar
Home Plane: Jotunheim (Thraotor)

When Memnor and his brother Grolantor were just children, their 'play' resulted in a mischievous plot that ultimately thrust the Jotunbrud into a minor war against the ogres. As a consequence, Annam forbade the children from interfering in the affairs of the giants for as long as he sat atop the Ordning.

Once Annam exiled himself from Gudheim, however, Memnor and Grolantor managed to convince Stronmaus and Hiatea that the All-Father's decree was no longer valid. Since that day, the brothers have incessantly meddled in the affairs of the Jotunbrud, sometimes forcing Stronmaus and Hiatea to put an end to their shenanigans.

Memnor is subtle, charming, intelligent, cultured and deeply, intensely cruel. His sin is pride, the desire to eventually usurp Annam's throne atop the Ordning and become lord over all the affairs of giantkind. His chosen instruments in executing these plans are the handful of evil cloud giants he has accepted into his priesthood. To most members of the Jotunbrud, Memnor is a proud and determined servant of his father. Only his priests know the truth, and they share his ambition.

Memnor’s realm is Thraotor, an enormous thunderhead with a great palace of adamantine at its highest point, miles above the ground. Thraotor floats across the landscape, bringing destructive storms wherever it goes. At a whim, Memnor can turn the ordinary rain or hail beneath his realm into a storm of vengeance effect.

Role-playing Notes:

Memnor is subtle and wily and rarely sends avatars down to Toril to fight, though his avatars will fight rashly if their pride is challenged. His chief concern is to increase the prestige and power of his strongest priests. His omens frequently take the form of horrible visions and splitting headaches.

Duties of the Priesthood

Perhaps the most important duty of Memnor's servants is keeping his true ambitions a secret. Just after the stormazin accepts them into the clergy of the Ordning, Memnor's own high priest visits each of the new recruits and subjects them to his own secret ceremony. During this shocking rite, the initiates pledge to aid their master in his bid to seize Annam's throne and swear to keep their true plans secret from the uninitiated.

While operating within the mainstream of Jotunbrud society, Memnor's clerics play the role of wise counselors and advocates for the underprivileged. In reality, they are always looking for an opportunity to ascend the ordnings of the various giant societies, where they'll be more useful to their master.

Dogma:

Annam has grown old and weak; Ostoria's collapse was due to Annam's own ineptitude; no weapon ever forged is half as sharp as cunning; surprise is half the battle; victory through secrecy.

Rituals:

Memnor's clerics hold feasts in his honor for the mainstream of giant society three times per year. Amongst themselves, the clerics meet with Memnor's avatar and his wyvern servants on an isolated crag at midnight on every hundredth day. At these meetings, the faithful discuss strategy and receive their orders from the master.

Customs, Rules, Taboos:

Memnor's priests employ a special sign-subtly touching the left wrist with the index finger of the right hand to signal or warn each other. Through context and emphasis alone, this single sign can communicate any number of messages (This giant is an enemy...Do not take the action you have just outlined...Meet me later,. etc.). Memnor customarily bestows a wyvern servant upon any of his priests who attains the maximum experience level. Such priests are given a leather necklace that holds a charm in the form of a mighty talon. Three times per day, the priest can summon his wyvern servant (from its lair on the isolated tor mentioned above) by grasping this charm and calling the beast. The range of such a summons is infinite, though the wyvern must physically fly from its present location to the priest. Thus, a long-range summoning won.t have any noticeable effect for quite some time.

Sources: Faiths and Pantheons, Giantcraft, The Player's Guide to Faerun

[Masterbard Alyster Darkharp]

Skoraeus Stonebones

The Delver in Stone, King of the Rock

Intermediate Deity
Symbol: A Stalactite
Alignment: True Neutral
Domains: Cavern, earth, healing, knowledge
Portfolio: Stone giants, buried things
Worshipers: Stone giants
Favored Weapon: Greatclub
Home Plane: Jotunheim

Skoraeus is yet another of Annam's sons. Unlike most of his siblings, he is generally disinterested in the affairs of the Jotunbrud as a whole, though he is obsessed with the stone giants in particular and often intervenes in their affairs in order to guide their development. Skoraeus is knowledgeable about banes, magics, and the legends of great treasures buried in the Underdark. His chosen sphere is artistic achievement. Although generally expressionless, dour, and something of a loner, Skoraeus has been known to occasionally consort with the gods of the dwarves and the svirfnebli.

Role-playing Notes:

Although he often intervenes in the affairs of the stone giants, Skoraeus dispatches avatars to Toril only very rarely (stone giant legends speak of Skoraeus occasionally leading stone giants to new homes or fabulous magical treasure). Instead, he prefers to exercise his influence through omens of natural beauty, brightly colored rocks, strange stalactite patterns, and sparkling fountains.that his priests are capable of recognizing and interpreting. In fact, the raw caverns of the Underdark are often alive for Skoraeus' priests, communicating reams of information (location, direction, distance) with their every geographical feature.

Skoraeus Stonebones wanders the mountains of Jotunheim but has no fixed dwelling. He favors the roots of the mountains and the great caverns that yawn within them.

Duties of the Priesthood

Skoraeus's priests tend to isolate themselves from the remainder of their tribes, spending most of their time meditating and creating intricate sculptures and friezes. They feel it is their duty to oversee affairs in the stone giant society and guarantee that the stone giants constantly progress to greater works of art and greater intellectual discoveries. In accordance with Skoraeus's teachings, the priests believe the best way to accomplish these aims is to keep the stone giants as isolated as possible from the other intelligent races of Faerûn (save those few representatives of such races that might add to the giants, mastery of craftsmanship and lore). Although contact with other Jotunbrud tribes is tolerated, Skoraeus's priests strongly urge that the tribe shun contact with other peoples, lest such infidels distract them from their purpose. Lately, Skoraeus's priests have had to work harder than ever to accomplish their goals. With the coming of the Twilight Spirit and the renewed calls for Jotunbrud unity and Ostoria's return, many stone giants have found it more and more difficult to stay so isolated from the outside world.

Dogma:

Beauty is truth; knowledge is power; the affairs of outsiders serve only to distract the faithful from the matters of true import; a secret is the ultimate power and the Underdark is a world of secrets.

Rituals:

Approximately once every three months, the priests of Skoraeus venture down into the Underdark alone and without food. Four days later, they always return, none the worse for wear. These journeys are said to be far-flung vision quests during which Skoraeus supplies his followers with messages and instructions in the form of omens and dreams.

Customs, Rules, Taboos:

Where they are powerful, the clerics of Skoraeus require any giant who violates the god.s teachings to atone through meditation (the amount of meditation necessary for atonement varies with the seriousness of the offense but generally ranges between one and five hours). Even those who have pledged their allegiance to other deities tend to follow this custom whenever they are visiting or occupying one of Skoraeus's strongholds just to humor the god's clergy (Failure to obey the custom often brings loud, frequent, and annoying rebukes from the priests.)

Sources: Faiths and Pantheons, Giantcraft, The Player's Guide to Faerun

[Masterbard Alyster Darkharp]

Vaprak

The Destroyer

Demigod
Symbol: Taloned Claw
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Evil, War
Portfolio: Violence, destruction, frenzy, greed
Worshipers: Ogres, trolls
Favored Weapon: Greatclub
Home Plane: Jotunheim (Shatterstone)


Vaprak is known simply as "The Destroyer". This deity has a quality of elemental savagery well suited to the ogre race, which holds him as a patron, a well-deserved honor, as he fathered the ogre race on Othea in an adulterous affair. Rapacious and violent, Vaprak is nonetheless in awe of the giantish gods and lives in fear that his race may abandon him to worship them. Vaprak's behavior and edicts to his ogre priests and shamans are thus driven and somewhat frenetic; he constantly urges his followers to combat, aggression, and frenzy. Vaprak does not plan, scheme, or contemplate. He simply expends his energies in destruction and uncompromising ferocity.

Vaprak lives in Shatterstone, a pitiful cave at the base of a great cliff. Vaprak and his petitioners are despised by all the other inhabitants of the plane, and they hide from the giants at all costs.

Role-playing Notes:

Vaprak sends an avatar to assist ogres when they are on the verge of conquering a clan, tribe, or race with whom they compete for resources, and also to decimate any group of ogres who have turned to revere any of the evil giantish deities. He does not send omens to his priests.

Duties of the Priesthood

Vaprak's priests must be aggressive, ever seeking combat. They must also eat greedily but must maintain physical fitness so they often exercise in club-bashing rituals.


Sources: Faiths and Pantheons, Giantcraft, The Player's Guide to Faerun

[Masterbard Alyster Darkharp]

Thrym

Lord of the Frost Giants

Lesser Deity
Symbol: White double-bladed greataxe
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Domains: Destruction, Evil, Magic, War
Portfolio: Cold, ice, magic, frost giants
Worshipers: Frost giants
Favored Weapon: Greataxe
Home Plane: Jotunheim (Fibulwinter)

Thrym is a hulking menace, appearing as a mighty frost giant with white eyes, blue hair, and a constant snarl. Thrym’s realm is called Fibulwinter, or sometimes simply Jotunheim. A region of endless frost, snow, and ice, Thrym’s realm is more mountainous than similar divine realms (such as Loviatar’s and Auril’s). Thrym wanders from glacier to glacier but does not maintain a permanent palace anywhere in the plane.

Dogma

Thrym's cults teach that the world will end with Fimbul Winter, and that cold will triumph after Surtr's fire burns everything.

**Note: Much of the available source on Thrym is incorrect for inclusion in a Forgotten Realms entry, as it applies to other campaign settings.

Sources: Deities and Demigods 3rd Edition, Faiths and Pantheons, The Players Guide to Faerun

[Masterbard Alyster Darkharp]

Surtr

Lord of the Fire Giants

Lesser Deity
Symbol: A flaming sword
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Domains: Evil, Fire, Trickery, War
Portfolio: Fire giants, fire, destruction
Worshipers: Fire giants
Favored Weapon: Greatsword
Home Plane: Jotunheim (Muspelheim)

Surtr is the lord of the fire giants. His animal is the hell hound. His symbol is a flaming sword. Surtr looks like an immensely large fire giant with crackling flames for hair and eyebrows. He wears armor of blazingly hot iron and wields a flaming iron sword 15 feet in length. Surtr’s realm is known as Muspelheim. This enormous plain of burning earth stretches farther than the eye can see in all directions. At the shores of a lake of molten lead looms the Spire of Surtr—a towering needle of dark stone in which the ruler of all fire giants sits in state.

**Note: Much of the information available on Surtr is incorrent for a Forgotten Realms entry, as it applies to other campaign settings.

Sources: Faiths and Pantheons, Deities and Demigods 3rd Edition, The Players Guide to Faerun

This thread was compiled referencing the following sources: