Of all those upon Liafa, the Goliath are considered the eldest. They are the children of the servants of the Dutiful Giant. Their size and strength diminished by Liafa as part of the original compact when the Dutiful Giant was called upon to build the cities of the world. Over time, the Goliath have become more and more aligned with the mythical materials of the world, mostly the stones, though there are rumors of goliaths aligning to metals, as well.
Dutiful Children of the Giant
Unlike some of the other peoples of Liafa, there is agreement among Liafan scholars as to their origins – they are the giants the Dutiful Giant brought forth from their own body when creating the Sorrow Trees. Legend says that when given the scope of work needed to create the Sorrow Trees of Liafa, the Dutiful Giant reached inside themselves, pulling out their own skeleton and breaking it into the Dutiful Giants. The Dutiful Giants were massive creatures, standing over twenty feet tall, and each of them blind so they could build the shining First Cities.
These cities had great lighthouses within them, emitting light to stave away the dark of the Void and grant safety to the people of Liafa. Working this light caused agony to any who gazed upon it, thus the need for the Dutiful Giants to be blind. When the Void was banished, the people of Liafa spread around the world, and there was no further need for the First Cities. The Dutiful Giants razed the cities to ruins to prevent the people from returning to the comforts they once knew, and instead be forced to travel the world. The Dutiful Giants were then tasked with building the Sorrow Trees and preparing the land around the tree.
When the trees were created, the Dutiful Giants traveled beneath the ground of Liafa. They began to build the Underpath – a great network of tunnels and settlements to allow the world to be traversed below as well as above. For a time, the Dutiful Giants disappeared from the sight of most others upon Liafa. Only the dwarves saw the Dutiful Giants with any regularity, and even then, it was only at the deepest points of their digging. The scant records the dwarves have detailed vast underground cities with ornate detail and a vast network of moonwork running throughout. If any records exist of the completed Underpath prior to its collapse, they have not yet been found.
The Collapsed Path
The Dutiful Giants emerged only once in full from the Underpath – when the Ulthic Empire encroached upon the Tree of Potential and laid siege. Ulthos had brought forth a great Serpent, whose very presence disabled the Eyes of the Plains and laid bare the defenses of the Tree. The great Houses of Gantis valiantly, but ultimately were forced to brave the tree to recall the Dutiful Giants to their service. Upon doing so, the Dutiful Giants rose from the path and faced off against the army of Ulthos the Tyrant. The Dutiful Giants, strengthened by their time in the resonant Underpaths, aided the city considerably.
However, when the great Serpent left the Eyes behind and came to the city, it became clear the army of Ulthos would be victorious. Knowing what must be done, the Dutiful Giants joined as one and used their link to the Dutiful Giant to travel with the great Serpent to their hallowed sanctum in the Underpath. The thrashing of the ensuing battle was said to shake the foundation of the world, creating mountains, collapsing seas, and forming new lands. However, this came at the cost of the Underpath. It’s splendor was never to be shown to the world, and only the bravest dare venture into the depths of the world looking for the secrets the Dutiful Giants left behind – rife as the paths are with the monsters called by the death of the great Serpent.
Material and Immaterial
It was many years before the Dutiful Giants were again seen, following the casting of Ulthos the Tyrant to hell. When they emerged from the world, they were changed, and severely diminished from what they once were. No more were they the Dutiful Giants, but their descendants, the Goliaths, who made their way from the ruined underworld to find new life. They had become attuned to the strange materials of Liafa – obsidian and titanspur. It is unclear how this occurred, but most speculate that these materials were used in great supply in the Underpath and the moonworking that was created for its use. As a result, the magical resonance of these materials changed and shaped the Dutiful Giants, removing their size and strength, but once again granting them sight and greater command over magic.
The Liafan Goliaths have a history of facilitation, it’s true, but many are still trying to find where they fit in the world. The two largest communities of Liafan Goliaths are a sizable community of Obsidian Goliaths in the city of Shatterstone, and a similar community of Titanspur Goliaths in Gantis – all as one might expect. However, Liafan Goliaths travel the world as others, and are found in most areas, and in each variety. There are rumors in recent years of Reefcopper Goliaths appearing in the islands out to sea, but these reports have yet to be verified.
Liafan Goliath Traits
As a Liafan Goliath you have the following traits:
Ability Score Increase
Your Constitution score increases by 2.
Age
Liafan Goliaths are no longer lived than anyone else, reaching maturity in their late teens, and living around a century or so.
Alignment
Liafan Goliath are given to the same impulses, challenges, and ways of thought and behavior inherent in all mortal creatures. Liafan Goliath are no more orderly, chaotic, goodly, evil, or self-centered than anyone else. In other words, all alignments are represented by all the people of Liafa.
Size
Liafan Goliaths are between 7 and 8 feet tall and weigh between 280 and 340 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Material Memories
You have proficiency in your choice of the History or Nature skills.
Duty’s Persistence
You ignore disadvantage imposed by extreme environments as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
Additionally, when you make Constitution saving throws to gain an exhaustion level, you may choose to reroll the saving throw, but must take the new result.
Duty’s Strength
You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Language
You can speak, read, and write Common and Giant.
Obsidian Goliath
The Obsidian Goliath are so named for their affinity for that strange material found beneath the ground of Shatterstone. They tend towards cool, dark hues, and with shimmering black streaks. Legends say the Goliath that ventured forth on behalf of the Dutiful Giant settled in Shatterstone when they were done with their work, before the incident with Nazorius forced them to the other City-States of the Trees. Obsidian Goliath are missing large swaths of their history, having been destroyed in Shatterstone. The underground deep cities in which they once resided beneath the city proper have collapsed and become overrun with shades and blood lizards in the intervening years. The miners of Shatterstone have delved elsewhere, in the meantime. Still, the Obsidian Goliath retain their connection to that strange and powerful mythical material.
Obsidian Goliath Traits
Ability Score Increase
Your Dexterity or Intelligence score increases by 1.
Obsidian Skin
You focus on your connection to the strange material known as obsidian, briefly taking on some of its characteristics. As a bonus action, you have resistance to all damage except bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage until the start of your next turn. When you lose this resistance, you can choose to deal additional damage equal to your Constitution modifier of the type dealt by the attack to one creature when you hit them with an attack. If you prevented any damage with your resistance, you deal an additional amount of damage equal to your proficiency bonus. This granted damage can only be dealt once, and fades if not used when you finish a short or long rest.
After you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Refracting Matrix
As a result of your natural resonance with obsidian, you know how to evoke some of its properties in all magic. As part of a short or long rest, you can work with a creature to create a magical matrix to deconstruct a single spell slot into multiple spell slots of lesser strength. The creature may sacrifice any one spell slot of up to fifth level, and gain five levels of spell slots of lower level. For example, sacrificing a 5th-level spell slot could grant 5 1st-level spell slots or one 4th-level and one 1st-level spell slot. If not used, these spell slots expire whenever you create a new matrix, finish a long rest, or the creature finishes a long rest.
When the matrix is created, you and the creature each roll 1d6. If the results match, the creature can gain one additional 1st-level spell slot.
Once you have used this trait you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.
Titanspur Goliath
The Titanspur Goliath are so named for their affinity for that strange material found within the Ascended Plains. They tend towards warm, pastel hues, and with silver and white streaks . However, the pastels give way to the dark grey of their namesake when they, too, are away from the boundaries of the Ascended Plains. Legends say the Goliath that remained behind with the Dutiful Giant became altered by the constant exposure to the material. Given the use of the material in moonworking and in the Eyes of the Plains, the massive pillars that emit great energy as a defense mechanism against intruders, it isn’t the strangest possibility, by any stretch. Titanspur Goliath are able to tap into their resonance, empowering magical spells.
Titanspur Goliath Traits
Ability Score Increase
Your Strength or Wisdom increases by 1.
Titan Skin
You focus on your connection to the strange material known as titanspur, briefly taking on some of its characteristics. As a bonus action, you have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage until the start of your next turn. When you lose this resistance, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier. If you prevent any damage with your resistance, you gain an additional amount of temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.
After you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Reinforcing Matrix
As a result of your natural resonance with titanspur, you know how to evoke some of its properties in all magic. As part of a short or long rest, you can work with a creature to create a magical matrix that reinforces the strength of a specific school of magic for a single spell. The creature chooses a spell school. As a reaction, the creature may collapse the matrix, allowing a spell of that school to be cast as if the creature has expended a spell slot of one level higher, even if the creature cannot normally cast spells of that level.
When the matrix is created, you and the creature each roll 1d6. If the results match, the creature can use this reaction twice, instead of once. If not used, the matrix expires whenever you create a new matrix, finish a long rest, or the creature finishes a long rest.
Once you have used this trait you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.
“blessed sisyphus” by timsnell is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0