Vanir

Vanir are the Original race of Giants that first descended from them the heavan after the First Fall thousands of years ago.
In actuality beings made out of pure Creation, they wear constructed vessels made of blood, bone, and flesh to survive on a planets surface.

History
First formed in the Second Age by the Creator dieties, they were made to be a counter to the Sundered and be the guardians of the heavens. They watched over mortalkind until the events of the First Fall. Seeing the sorrowful state the lower beings were in during the aftermath, they pitied them, and many choose to descend.
When they descended at the beginning of the first age, they could not survive as they were on the Prime Plane. So taking inspiration from mortal forms, they changed themselves, crafting bodies made of flesh, assuming the form modern peoples recognize to this day. When they arrived, they taught the tribes of man all that they knew of science, magic and creation. With their help, mortals rose from the dust, becoming great, and mighty, but their charges became greedy, covetting the power the Vanir possessed, they turned on them. Only one man defended the Vanir when the mortals attacked them, the First Twin-Souled, Masentolem. They were hunted, and most of them were killed. Those that lived in hiding became stranded on Azure, unable to return to the heavens in their current form. They begged for their brothers still in the Outside to take them home, but they remained silent, so most gave into despair. Those that succumbed changed further, the elemental forces of their hiding places and liars morphing their vessels into more primordial forms, creating the more common giants known to this day.
It was during the end of the Fourth Age when the Vanir came out of hiding, hearing the calls of the new god Harmony, the last of the unchanged Vanir journeyed to the Refuge, the stronghold of the Mandate, a secret organization of Twin-Souled, much like their savior Masentolem. There they proceeded to help the Mandate during the events of the Second Fall, and became saviors once again.
In the Fifth Age, Vanir can almost solely be found in the City of Refuge. Most refuse to leave due to lessons from the past, instead doing what they can to help the new gods in Refuge.
Anatomy
Vanir appear to be giant humanoids with eyes radiating of fire, and their chests glowing beneath their skin. This is due to the fact that the flesh seen is but a shell to contain their true form; beings of blinding light and pure energy. When their true selves are exposed outside of their shells, they begin to loose form, much as the Sundered due when exposed to the air above ground. 
Vanir cannot reproduce, therefore any Vanir still alive today were original Vanir that descended from the Heavens, this also means that with every Vanir death, there will never be another one to replace them. originally it is estimated that nearly a hundred thousand Vanir Descended. a rough estimate of those left would be over a dozen descended vanir, and a few thousand devolved vanir of the various elements. it is rumored that some descended Vanir still live in Far Alantris, under the service of the Dread Emperor.
When slain, a Vanir leaves behind a fragment of their essence, their true selves, called an Angreal. Depending on how a Vanir dies, this fragment can take on different forms. In terms where the death of the Vanir is up to interpretation, such as dying in battle while sacrificing themselves, it can be brought down to the Vanirs own personal characteristics and beliefs.
Acquiring the Angreal was the main reason mortals turned on the Vanir during the beginning of the Third Age.
-Tir-Angreal - when a Vanir is Betrayed when they are slain, they leave behind a Tir-Angreal, also known a Tear. This is the most common Angreal due to the events of the Third Age. It is consumed by Magic Users to regain daily magical abilities.
-Waar-Angreal - when a Vanir dies in battle, they leave behind a Waar-Angreal. This object takes the from of a white sphere, that when focused upon transmogrifies into a variety of potential objects permanently. There is usually a limit on how powerful an object can be formed.
-Saa-Angreal - When a Vanir Sacrifices themselves, usually to allow a friend to escape for some such, their fragment becomes a Saa-Angreal. This Angreal allows its user to use the teleport spell once before the fragment is consumed.
Kir-Angreal - When a Vanir has given into despair and commits suicide, rather than letting the primordial forces from corrupting their essence, their fragment becomes a Kir-Angreal. A Kir-Angreal can be used as a one time spell focus, that gives the spell cast into it an increased amount of power and duration.
Elemental Vanir - Those Vanir that have been corrupted by the elemental forces have their own form of Angreal when they perish, usually related to their native element.
Vanir Races
Pure Vanir - The true form of the Vanir, beings of pure light. Vanir - The original form of the Vanir when the Descended Alantrian Vanir - Original Vanir in the service of the Dread Empire. They appear to be in their original forms, but posses a dourness to them. Thror-var-Vanir - Storm Giants - the least numerous of the devolved giants, and the ones that most closely resembles their original forms. Clouvin-Vanir - Cloud Giants Ignus-Vanir - Fire Giants Rock-vir-Vanir - Stone Giants Hignus-Vanir - Hill Giants - the most numerous of the devolved giants Frozkvin-Vanir - Frost Giants