Goliaths

Some of the goliaths of the Staggerpeak Mountains have only recently been given tentative welcome into Meridian culture - their size and easy disposition to physical combat sparked the fears of their more brutal giant cousins in some Meridians’ minds. However, the goliaths’ abilities at mountain trekking, shepherding, and combat made them easily profitable additions to the kingdom. The rest of the giant-like race travel the mountains in herds, nomadically scaling the high peaks and maintaining a brutal lifestyle of fighting, hunting, and worship of blood and the storm.

Stormherd
Goliaths of the Stormherd praise the thunder, lightning, wind, and rain of the storms that often tear across the higher peaks of Khaz Merda. These goliaths follow traditional rituals and maintain a worship of the power and savagery of the storms, idolizing either spirits of the storm, or the elements themselves. These goliaths usually have their tattoos echo the wind, water, or lightning, and a goliath that is struck by lightning and lives is considered touched by the gods. Stormherd also tend to maintain a greater air of civility when interacting with other races.

Bloodherd
Bloodherd goliaths are the more barbaric and brutal of the Khaz Merdan goliath races. This herd is so savage in their culture, some of the brutish giants have even taken their goliath cousins into their ranks, impressed with the goliaths’ predilection for violence. The Bloodherd rely mostly on their strength and physical abilities, but what little magic they bother to indulge in is dark blood magic, requiring sacrifices and offerings of flesh. Whereas most goliaths tattoo themselves, Bloodherd often choose to scar themselves instead, seeing physical pain as a test of strength and endurance. These golilaths rarely interact with civilization, and when they do, it’s almost always violent, leaving grisly proof of their power behind them.