Long before the rise of the dwarves and the kingdoms of elves and men, the world of Eldoria belonged to the Giants, the firstborn children of the elements. Shaped by the raw power of earth, fire, storm, and ice, the giants walked the land as living titans, their footprints carving valleys, their battles shaping mountains.
In the ages before history was written, the giants ruled vast territories known as the Giant Wards, sacred lands where their kind thrived. But as time passed, their numbers dwindled, their glory fading into legend. Some remained, bound by duty to protect their ancient halls, while others wandered as exiles, their kindred scattered to the farthest reaches of the world.
Meanwhile, in the vast Plains of Aradûn, where no city walls stood and no king ruled, the Nomads lived. These were the free people of Eldoria, untouched by the politics of empires, living by the will of the land and the spirits that guided them.
The Giant Wards: The Last Strongholds of the Titans
The Giant Wards were vast, isolated regions where the last remnants of the giant race held dominion. Each ward was aligned with one of the four primal elements, and each was ruled by an Elder Titan, an ancient and powerful giant who had survived the fall of their civilization.
1. Jotungard – The Stormward
"Where the Thunder Never Sleeps"
High upon the peaks of the Stormcaller Mountains, where lightning splits the sky and tempests rage eternally, lies Jotungard, the last bastion of the Storm Giants. These beings, once the rulers of the skies, now live in solitude, their voices booming like thunder across the peaks.
• Ruled by Thalgrimm the Thunderborn, an ancient titan who wields a hammer that summons the storms.
• The Skyforge, an anvil struck only by lightning, where weapons of celestial power are crafted.
• The Tempest Keep, a floating fortress that drifts within the heart of an eternal storm.
2. Musgathar – The Fireward
"The Furnace of the World"
In the heart of The Ashen Desolation, where rivers of magma flow like water and the air shimmers with unbearable heat, stands Musgathar, the last domain of the Fire Giants.
• Ruled by Vulkran the Ashen Lord, a giant wreathed in flame, who forged weapons for the gods themselves.
• The Molten Crucible, an infernal forge where even dwarves dare not tread.
• The Obsidian Spires, great towers that rise from the lava, home to the last of the fire giant smiths.
3. Frostreach – The Iceward
"The Land Where Time Stands Still"
Beyond the borders of mortal lands, deep within the Frozen Expanse, lies Frostreach, the cold and desolate domain of the Frost Giants. Here, glaciers taller than mountains move like slow rivers, and the ice never melts.
• Ruled by Ymira Iceheart, a queen of frost and sorrow, whose breath can freeze oceans.
• The Everfrost Citadel, a palace sculpted from enchanted ice, said to hold knowledge from the dawn of time.
• The Valley of the Frozen Dead, where fallen warriors remain preserved for eternity.
4. Grom'Rath – The Stoneward
"The Unyielding Halls of the Earth"
Deep beneath the surface, within the labyrinthine tunnels of Titan's Spine, lies Grom'Rath, the last refuge of the Stone Giants. Unlike their kin who sought power in the sky, fire, or frost, the stone giants became one with the mountains, their bodies as unbreakable as the world itself.
• Ruled by Ogrum the Earthshaper, an ancient being who sculpted mountains with his bare hands.
• The Pillars of Eternity, monolithic statues carved by the first giants, said to hold the secrets of creation.
• The Echoing Halls, where the voices of the past giants still whisper in the darkness.
The Land of the Nomads: The Free People of the Wilds
Beyond the mountains and strongholds of the great races, stretching from the Golden Steppes to the Sands of Shal'Zar, lies the domain of the Nomads. Unlike the dwarves who carved their homes in stone or the elves who built great cities in the forests, the nomads followed the call of the land, ever-moving, ever-adapting.
The Clans of the Open Sky
The nomads were not a single people but a collection of many clans, each with their own traditions, yet bound by a shared way of life.
1. The Horselords of Aradûn
The greatest riders in all of Eldoria, the Horselords of the Golden Steppes lived upon horseback, their entire lives spent in the saddle.
• Led by the Khan of the Endless Ride, whose banner was said to never fall in battle.
• Masters of the Windspeakers, warriors who could communicate with their steeds as if they were one mind.
• Their capital was not a city but a great moving camp known as Skyhaven, shifting with the seasons.
2. The Sandstriders of Shal'Zar
In the blistering heat of the Sunfire Wastes, the Sandstriders thrived where no others could.
• Masters of survival, they could find water where none seemed to exist.
• Their warriors wielded glass-forged blades, weapons that shimmered like mirages in the desert.
• They followed the path of the Dune Serpents, massive creatures that roamed the sands, believed to be sacred.
3. The Wolfkin of the Frostfang Tundra
In the far north, where ice and wind ruled, the Wolfkin lived as hunters and shamans, following the great beasts of the tundra.
• They wore the pelts of direwolves, believing them to be gifts from the spirits.
• Their warriors could run for days without rest, guided by the Mooncallers, their mystical seers.
• They lived in harmony with the Frostclaw Bears, massive creatures that only the Wolfkin dared tame.
The Balance of the Forgotten Realms
The Giant Wards and the Nomadic Lands existed outside the rule of empires. Though the elves, dwarves, and men built their cities and waged their wars, these lands remained untouched, preserving the ancient ways of the world.
But as history had shown time and time again, nothing remained undisturbed forever.
• The Storm Giants had begun to stir, sensing a great imbalance in the skies.
• The Fire Giants whispered of forges long cold, waiting to be reignited.
• The Frost Giants watched the world grow warm, fearing the breaking of the eternal ice.
• The Stone Giants listened to the earth, hearing tremors of something buried deep, waiting to awaken.
And beyond the lands of kings and crowns, the nomads listened to the wind, to the sand, to the howl of the wolves. They knew that change was coming.
A time would come when the forgotten lands would no longer be able to remain in the shadows.
A time when the giants would rise again.
A time when the free people of Eldoria would have to decide whether to remain as wanderers or to become something more.