The Goliaths are a 9-foot tall race that currently inhabit snowy and harsh mountains, with some living in or near the abandoned dwarven structures. The individualistic Goliath live for the hunt, so their tracking, stealth and killing skills make them invaluable allies in any combat situation. The largest gathering of Goliath one can expect to find outside [[Veurrbrak]] is in hunting parties that have united to combat a powerful foe. Goliath culture is highly individualistic with a focus on personal success and glory—particularly when gained from the hunt or in a battle. The Goliath do not fear death as they believe the bold and strong can achieve immortality, but they do fear they will be weak and end up forgotten. As a result each Goliath seeks to prove themselves, to build their legend through feats of individual valor and great victories. Every Goliath hopes their legend will be told by the skaald and celebrated at a moot with story and song. Goliath usually have a great sense of personal honor, for a Goliath without respect from others is already forgotten. For many Goliath, the focus on prestige means they’re willing to accept any challenge which will prove their worth. They will never give up on their battle, quarry or friends, even if it means years spent tackling a strong enemy or difficult task. Yet for other Goliath the pursuit of prestige translates to bragging, bullying, unwise snap decisions and an unwillingness to listen to reason. Goliath are a hearty, proud people—quick to anger but then quick to forgive. They are, by their nature, a race of optimists, keeping a positive outlook even though they have been driven from their homelands. A setback is seen as just another challenge to overcome. They respect those who can best them in a fight so brawling among Goliath is common. Drinking alcohol, often to excess, is also a large part of Goliath culture. Being drunk and fighting is not an uncommon combination, for example, Goliath alemoots feature competitions of ‘skill’ which require the competitors to be very drunk to compete. The Goliath normally have the appearance of large humans, but one out of every hundred are able to shift into a hybrid creature of one of the Spirits of the Wild. In their humanoid form they are not only tall, at around nine feet, but their proportions are much broader and more heavily muscled than a typical human. Goliath can also have long lives. A Goliath might live to 120 and maintain their good health and vitality for a long time, though very few die of old age. Despite the cold of their homes, the Goliath are often only lightly clad. This exposes skin which is frequently elaborately tattooed in Celtic style motifs. The Goliath have a shamanistic religion in which they revere totem animals of the Spirits of the Wild, the spirits of the strongest, bravest, wisest, or most cunning animals of the mountains.. The worship of the spirits Bear, Snow Leopard, Raven and Wolf are prevalent because of the assistance they gave the Goliath in the past on their exodus south. There are many other totem spirits among the Goliath, such as Ox, Eagle, and Horse, but they are not as widely revered. Each spirit has a number of shamans. A shaman devotes themselves to a spirit’s sacred area, serving as guardians to that area and teachers of the lessons of that spirit. As with other aspects of their lives the Goliath take an individual approach to their religion. Groups of Goliath, such as families, larger lodges or isolated homesteads tend to revere a particular animal spirit over the others, calling forth its special attributes so they might emulate it. This means in some areas a particular spirit is well known where in others it is not. There is some tension between the adherents of some spirits; for example, adherents to Bear might see Raven’s approach as deceptive and therefore weak and dishonorable. The Goliath draw strength from their totem beasts, calling on them in battle enabling the transformation of the Goliath to their were-form. They do not worship the spirits as greater beings but venerate them for the strength that they bring to the Goliath that calls them. While they do not worship or revere the Gods, they do acknowledge them and their power. However, they do not refer to them by the names humans give them; instead, they refer to them as the “Spirits of Action” as a whole and by what they govern individually. Names: A Goliath might proudly trace their worthy ancestors through many generations and may pass a common name through a family (such as Olaf Olafsson, seventh son of Olaf) but a great ancestry and family connections do not grant automatic respect to a Goliath. Everyone is judged not by their lineage or associated group but by what deeds they have done. As a result the Goliath are often tolerant of an individual to whom other races might treat with hostility by association. There is no such thing as infamy to the Goliath. For example, a Goliath who achieves respect from their peers through deeds that might be considered “underhanded” by human standards has still accomplished what the Goliath value most, and is seen as equal to a Goliath who has performed more “respectable” acts. Their surnames can vary in a multitude of styles. Goliath without any achievements or legends have surnames after one of their parents (father/mother’s first name followed by -sson or -sdottir or a variant thereof); this is most commonly seen in children, and they’re named after the more famous of their parents even if they do not like said. Surnames do not get adopted from generation to generation and they can be changed by the individual to fit their own personal legend; married couples may not always share surnames either. Some Goliath may also take titles instead of a surname if it fits them and their legend more. --- ## Traits **Ability Score Increase.** You can increase your constitution ability score by 1 and your strength score by 1. **Age.** Goliath mature at the same rate as humans, and live a while longer. **Alignment.** A Norn seeks glory above all else and thus tends to be more Chaotic and reckless. Norn are quick to anger but quicker to forgive and most tend to be Good hearted. **Size.** You stand between 8 and 9 feet tall and weigh between 280 and 350 pounds. Your size is Medium. **Speed.** Your base walking speed is 30 feet. **Powerful Build.** You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. **Primal Connection.** You can cast the animal friendship and speak with animals spells with this trait, requiring no material component. Once you cast either spell with this trait, you can't cast that spell with it again until you finish a short or long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells. **Mountain Born.**  You have resistance to cold damage.  You’re also acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet. **Languages.** You can speak, read, and write Common and Giant.. ### Subrace. The Goliath have a spirit animal that they strive to embody the ideals of. **Bear** **Ability Score Increase.** Your Strength or Constitution score increases by 1. **Bear’s Strength.**  You gain proficiency in the Athletics skill. **Raven** **Ability Score Increase.** Your Wisdom or Intelligence score increases by 1. **Raven's Cunning.** You gain proficiency in the Investigation Skill. **Snow Leopard** **Ability Score Increase.** Your Dexterity or Intelligence Score score increases by 1. **Leopard’s Grace.**  You gain proficiency in the Stealth skill. **Wolf** **Ability Score Increase.** Your Wisdom or Dexterity score increases by 1. **Wolfsense.**  You gain proficiency in the Survival skill.