Jotun

''“Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus, and we petty men walk under his huge legs and peep about to find ourselves dishonorable graves. Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves, that we are underlings.&quot;'' - William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

Once, the Elder Giants walked upon the earth and blessed it. They climbed mountains in passing, and waded kraken filled seas in their baths. Once. These legends circle and grow around mountain fires, on snow-streaked ridges and barren arctic wastelands, fires that warm the chilled skin of a people who are but a shell of their ancestors: the giants, who now weep and shiver in their graves and halls. These people are all that are left of the great striders of the world.

Robust and Fair
The small, minimal subsistence tribes that hike the cliffs and spines are challenged eternally for food, water, shelter, and life. There is no room for failure among a tribe such as this, and each accomplishment raises the bar for every other jotun in the tribe.

These people candidly place weight on individual skill and duty to the tribe. Defeat is sometimes inevitable, and is used as a tool for future victories; however, when victories are tallied by the fortunate, defeats always outlive such defeasible jotun.

Open Law
The most successful tribal leaders are those who can show their strength and endurance, as well as use it. The idea of a bloodline of rulers is utterly alien to them, because the person with the most perseverance and might should always rule. This ideal often comes into conflict with any kind of government that doesn’t suit this type.

Cold and Cinder
Two descendent lines of the almighty giants remain standing in the face of the world, that of fire, and those of ice. Some tribes are mono-typical, while others include both kinds due to the rare joining of tribes. Regardless of the history, every member of the tribe is expected to give not their best, but the best of the majority of the tribe. This includes the old, sick, and injured. Any such jotun usually dies in an attempt to keep up, or quietly slips away in a storm to perish.

An Extinguishing Pride
All jotun have a sense of pride from their giant heritage, but both they and this pride are dwindling by the day. The ordning is no more than a faint word in a gallant chant that means something or other official. The jotun are dying, and they know it: for the last hundreds of years, the amount of tribes has declined, to the point where only ice and fire are left. The thought that perhaps these, too, will leave the world through death and failure is a marking of maturity.

Jotun Names
Remnants of a culture long dead still grip the hearts and minds of the jotun today, including their naming system: a birth name assigned by a parent, a nickname assigned by the tribal chief, and a family or clan name. A birth name is up to three syllables long, a nickname is usually a combination of two words, and clan names range from three to eight syllables.

Birth names are usually linked to initial appearance or prior experience of the parentage, but a gender link is rare, as jotun see equality, and no one has a right to any name before they prove themselves, and no kind of name is better than any other.

A nickname can and usually is revised by the jotun’s latest great deed, whether it be good or ill. Jotun assign nicknames to other races, and use them in common speech to refer to individuals.

All three names are usually presented with an introduction, because any individual is the sum of who they were born from, who they were born as, and who they have become.

Birth Names: Aglo, Aukan, Akeldama, Eklath, Gael, Graeel, Ilikan, Jontar, Jonvagus, Keori, Kuorruk, Manneo, Nalla, Orag, Orilo, Paavu, Pethani, Thalai, Thotham, Trogdor, Uthal, Uther, Vaegar, Vimak

Nicknames: Bearslayer, Dawncaller, Dragonsbane, Fearless, Flintseer, Hornhunter, Lonehunter, Mofu, Skywatcher, Swordmeow, Threadtwister, Twice-Orphaned, Twisted-Torc, Wordpainter, Wrathless

Clan Names: Anakalathai, Elanithino, Gathakanathi, Gorthallanka, Kalagiano, Katholavi, Kolaigileana, Moonsnow, Ogolakanu, Thuliaga, Thunukalathi, Thjornada, Vaimelaga, Vyvenskia

Jotun Traits
The Flame and Frozen jotun are brothers of the same kin, and all share core qualities.

Age. The age of any jotun is an unpredictable variable. Due to the harsh climate and general danger, jotun over 100 are rare, but it is conceivable a sustained jotun could live for a handful of centuries. They enter real adulthood intheir late twenties, but are often considered mature mentally by their earlier twenties.

Alignment. The jotun society with its defined duty and roles has a pure lawful bent, over anything else. Neutral is the most common, but good, neutral, or evil, the law is more important to any jotun than their altruism or lack thereof.

Size. Jotun are between 11 and 14 feet tall and weigh between 1000 and 1400 pounds. Your size is Large. (See .)

Speed. Your base walking speed is 40 feet. The legs and stature of the giants of old still hold true in their walk.

Mountain Born. You’re acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet. You’re also naturally adapted to cold climates, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Jörmungandr. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift, in addition to grappling and shoving. (See )

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Giant.

Subrace. There are only two kinds of jotun left in the world, from which you choose one.

Cinder Jotun
You come from the smiths and forgers of old, whose craft has now been taken up by the dwarves, yet the fire of war burns within you still.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.

Spark of War. You have proficiency in the Intimidation skill.

Forges of Old. Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of forged weaponry or armor, you can add twice your proficiency bonus, instead of any proficiency bonus you normally apply.

Ghost of the Anvil. You gain proficiency in smith’s tools. This was not taught to you, but came innately as a child, as it comes to all cinder jotun, like all children knowing how to breathe.

Ice Jotun
Your line of jotun fairs better in the raw mountain cold, and the numbers of this subrace form the majority of the remaining jotun. There’s a streak of sadism in the cold giants: their competition, and perhaps the loss of pride, has led to a less trustworthy individual, yet some who are less social, less caring, or more morally straight do not fit this type.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Might of Skadi. You have proficiency in the Deception or the Survival skill.

Cloak of Winter. You have resistance to cold damage.