Firbolg

Firbolgs are a reclusive race of giant-kin cloister in remote forest tribes and prefer to spend their days in quiet harmony with the woods. They are some of the wisest and most gentle of all the giant-kin.

Personality

Firbolgs love nothing more than a peaceful day spent among the trees of an old forest. They see forests as sacred places, representing the heart of the world and monuments to the durability of life.
In their role as caretakers, firbolgs live off the land while striving to remain in balance with nature. Their methods reflect common sense and remarkable resourcefulness. During a bountiful summer, they store away excess nuts, fruit, and berries. When winter arrives, they scatter everything they can spare to ensure the animals of the wood survive until springtime.
In a firbolg's eyes, there is no greater fault than greed. The firbolgs believe that the world remains healthiest when each creature takes only what it needs. Material goods, especially precious gems and gold, have little appeal to them. What use are such things when winter lingers and food runs short?
As guardians of the wood, few firbolgs would dream of leaving their homes or attempting to fit into human society. An exiled firbolg, or one whose clan has been destroyed, might not have a choice in the matter. Most adventuring firbolgs fall into this latter category.
Outcast firbolgs can never return home. They committed some unforgivable deed, usually something that put their homeland at risk, such as starting a forest fire or killing a rare or beautiful wild creature. These firbolgs are loners who wander the world in hope of finding a new place to call home.
Orphaned firbolgs are those whose clans or home lands have been destroyed. They become crusaders for nature, seeking to avenge their loss and prevent the further destruction of the natural world.
A few rare firbolgs are entrusted by their clan with an important mission that takes them beyond their homes. These firbolgs feel like pilgrims in a strange land, and usually they wish only to complete their quests and return home as quickly as possible.
Firbolgs possess great wisdom, living in concert with the natural world. This allows them to communicate with beasts and plants, though they possess no innate ability to understand the creatures in turn. They are capable of detecting the presence of magic around them, and can briefly become invisible to slip away from threats. When a firbolg desires to, they can cloak themselves in a magical disguise, allowing themselves to blend in with the shorter folk of the world. Despite their gentle nature, firbolgs are also capable of prodigious feats of strength.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The first thing one will notice about firbolgs is their size, being among the tallest humanoid races in Edras. Firbolgs average between 7 and 8 feet tall and can weigh between 240 and 300 pounds. They are covered in thick fur, ranging from earthy colors like brown and ruddy red, to cool grays and blues. Their faces are somewhat cow-like, having long, floppy ears and broad, pink noses. A firbolg's voice is deep and smooth, and they tend to roll their consonants when speaking.

Genetics and Reproduction

Firbolg pregnancies are typically about two years long. This is much longer than other giant-kin, who have  pregnancies roughly equivalent to 9 months.F

Growth Rate & Stages

Firbolgs reach adulthood at about 30 years, and can live as many as 500 years.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Firbolgs consume about twice as much as a human to survive and tend to be vegetarians.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Firbolgs can sense the presence of magical auras innately. They have excellent vision at night and can perhaps see in the dark. They are also said to be able to communicate to a limited effect with both plants and animals of their forest homes.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Firbolg adopt Goliath or even Elven names when they must deal with outsiders, although the concept of names strikes them as strange. They know the animals and plants of the forest without formal names, and instead identify the forest's children by their deeds, habits, and other actions.
By the same token, their tribe names merely refer to their homes. When dealing with other races, firbolgs refer to their lands by whatever name the surrounding folk use, as a matter of tact and hospitality, but among their own kind they simply call it "home." Sometimes firbolgs adopt the nicknames or titles outsiders give them under the assumption that those who need names can call them whatever they wish.

Common Etiquette Rules

Firbolgs believed that charity was a virtue but also believed that it was harmful for the recipient to know the identity of the provider; because of this they appeared to be reclusive amongst the other races, although they were very sociable with established friends. They were extremely honest and could not lie without feeling physical discomfort, even if the lie was by omission.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Firbolgs tend to have a family-centered, clan-based society. They live in settlements in remote hilly or forested areas. Their settlements are strongholds in style, including wooden structures, built from the trees around them, with defensive towers connected by catwalks. Rarely, they inhabit cavern complexes dug into the hillsides. They use their magic to ensure that their homes remain a secret to outsiders. These clan settlements are small, with between about four and sixteen members, often with a shaman or druid, and live separate from each other. A few firbolg clans are nomadic.
The firbolgs reject the ordning, the customary social order amongst giants and giant-kin, and preferred to exercise free will by using a system called "the code". This was conceived in ancient times, although its exact origins have been lost. A written copy is usually required to be carried by all firbolgs, but the exact implementation varies from one community to the next. It promotes the idea that the society is the most important aspect and supersedes the individual. Actions are more important than relatives or heritage. If "the code" is breached, a firbolg might be enslaved within his or her own tribe or banished completely, although transgressions are incredibly uncommon. The implications of "the code" mean that the firbolgs treat all intelligent creatures as equals, and thus they do not exhibit the same superior attitude that other giants and giant-kin display.

The Firbolg Code (a translation into Eolian)
Bravery, Effort, and Honor over birth. The tribe's honor over yours. The blood of the runt is the blood of a king. Give a thousand for nothing. Truth is the honor of the tribe.

For every decision made, they consider the effects on the forest and the rest of the natural world. During a famine, they would rather go hungry themselves than strain the land.
Firbolgs have a rough form of democracy known as "the cast". This involves summoning all the firbolgs in a tribe who then cast their vote on an issue by using a rune-engraved stone. The actual "casting" of votes varies from clan to clan. In some cases, it involves literally tossing the stones.
Exile is often used as a form of punishment for an unforgivable act, such as killing a rare or beautiful animal or starting a forest fire. An outcast firbolg is never permitted to return home.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Nearby clans gather once a year at the fall solstice at an enclave to settle any disputes among the clans. Shamans preside over such events, which are often a time of celebration.

Common Taboos

• Killing a rare or beautiful animal
• Starting a forest fire
• Betraying nature for profit or greed

History

Firbolg are the children of Hrissgamondr, the Mountain that Mocks Fate. They were stolen from it during the War of Souls by Arhah, King of the Wilds.

Origin/Ancestry

Hrissgamondr, the Mountain That Mocks Fate

Lifespan

500

Average Height

7-8 feet

Average Weight

240-300 pounds

Founding Emanation

Iallanis, the Tender One

Patron Deity

Arhah, King of the Wilds

Racial Stats

Firbolg

Firbolg

Ability Score Increase +2 Wis, +1 Str

Size Medium

Speed 30 ft.

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Firbolg Magic

You can cast detect magic and disguise self with this trait, using Wisdom as your spellcasting ability for them. Once you cast either spell, you can't cast it again with this trait until you finish a short or long rest. When you use this version of disguise self, you can seem up to 3 feet shorter than normal, allowing you to more easily blend in with other humanoids.

Hidden Step

As a bonus action, you can magically turn invisible until the start of your next turn or until you attack, make a damage roll, or force someone to make a saving throw. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Powerful Build

You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Speech of Beast and Leaf

You have the ability to communicate in a limited manner with beasts and plants. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return. You have advantage on all Charisma checks you make to influence them.

Languages. Eolian, Jotunalder, and a choice of Seldruin or Ashmirathi or Shioani