Firbolgs

Originating in the Lotus Tendrils, firbolgs are fuzzy humanoids that are uncommon outside of their original home, and rare in cities. They have a hybrid ancestry steeped in pact magic.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Firbolgs are large bipedal humanoids with frames that surpass their ancient parent species in terms of size. Their bodies are furry and they have long, brush-tipped tails more reminiscent of a lion than a cow. They have five fingers and between three and five toes, all of which tout hard claws with hoof-like coverings. Their faces show some hints of their lineage and they are often referred to as "deer folk " though their ungulate ancestors are far more bovine. They come in a variety of colors and patterns.

Biological Traits

While some of their traits could be considered undulate-like the firbolgs do not trend toward any particular species in build or appearance. They also do not look nearly as bovine as minotaurs.

Genetics and Reproduction

Firbolgs ovulate infrequently and have a gestation of 24 months. After giving birth to between one and three children it will be two to three years before a firbolg will ovulate again. Firbolgs remain reproductive for a short amount of their total lifespan, stopping around age seventy. Non-traditional firbolgs are likely to only reproduce once or twice, if at all, as a two year-long pregnancy with twins and triplets being common is a pain to make fit with modern workplace expectations.

Minotaurs and Orcs are not genetically compatible.

At least not without something to artificially bridge the gap in their genetic disparity.
Kazimarin, Mistress of the Tendrils and ancient ancestor to the Mother of the Deepwood, was an incredibly powerful and long-lived Green Dragon. She was prone to demanding penance of "lesser" creatures who shared her territory. This evolved from tributes being paid to a cult over generations, and those who served her well were granted a modicum of her power to assure they served her even better. Warlocks with her gift were surprised to find that even that small spoonful of draconic blood becoming assimilated in to their being was enough for cross-species couples to bare children. Worship of Kazimarin flourished in the delta as a result, with those who desperately wanted to become parents seeking her aid. The cult was eventually rooted out and Kazimarin destroyed by Baphomet worshippers who feared the dragon claiming herself a creator goddess and challenging the authority of Baphomet and Luthic over the parents and children. The half-minotaur, half-orcs left behind were isolated deep in the jungle and eventually became the firbolgs, a race so genetically distinct they can not reproduce with either parent species.

Growth Rate & Stages

Firbolgs grow faster than most humanoids in the first year seemingly to get them on their feet and eating solid foods faster, but then slow down and take a bit longer to fully grow, though they mature at the same rate. A firbolg begins puberty at the same time as humans and are considered an adult at 18, but because of their sheer size growth might continue to as late as 23 years in age. They have a lifespan of about 500 years, better than the parent species of their ancestors by far and likely thanks to draconic influence. Aging seems rather static until the final century of life, at which point their body begins aging comparable to a human or orc.

Growth & Reproduction

Individuals are encouraged to not reproduce until they've finished hitting their full adult height lest they stunt themselves. The larger you are the safer and easier childbirth will be as well and as such those who know they want to give birth may over-supplement themselves on calcium, phosphate and vitamin D3 rich foods to try and encourage growth, though there is no evidence to support this works. Non-traditional firbolgs still buy in to this and snake oil vitamins claiming to extend their years of growth are frequently hawked. Goiters, kidney stones and bone spurs are a common problem in older firbolgs who underwent similar regimens.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Firbolgs are omnivorous with resilient guts, not that they feel the need to test them much. They have an almost universal love of peppers- firbolgs will munch raw habaneros without a second thought. Smaller peppers, like the rooster spur pepper, are common snacks.
Non-traditional firbolgs are strangely far more vegetarian than their roots, but their main diet is largely dairy, potatoes, eggs and nuts. The further north you go the more in to red meat the firbolg population seems to be when it comes to what of it they DO eat. Because of their tendency toward hard labor and agricultural work outside the Tendrils the firbolgs of Taerekel eat a lot more and have a number of their own traditions surrounding food, especially harvests, and are not uncommon in the agricultural field.
Traditional firbolgs are skilled fishers, climbers and endurance hunters who tend to scavenge carefully. They only grow starchy foods for themselves and raise little in the way of livestock, with pork being of especially great value. There is a tradition of taking "inventory" of what is seen and left or how much of what is gathered- whatever is taken heavily one year won't be taken much if at all the next and so on. Neighboring settlements make seasonal celebrations out of comparing these records, maintaining friendships and providing them with a regional view of the Tendrils' bounties and overall health of the jungle.
While not preferable, firbolgs can go without food longer than other humanoid races. They can't go any longer without water however and those in anything less than high-humidity areas drink a lot. Because of this you don't see them immigrating to other portions of the Southern Province very much.

Firbolgs and Alcohol

Oddly despite their size and cast-iron stomachs they do not respond well to alcohol and are not only easily moved to nausea but get drunk about as quickly as a gnome would on the same amount. Despite their resilience in the face of eating anything scoring high on the scoville measure, they are bizarrely sensitive to the burn of alcohol. They're infamous lightweights and the story goes that a particularly rowdy bunch of firbolgs lost their inhibitions to the influence of alcohol and over-harvested the fruit with which they made the wine, starving nearby settlements and wildlife, and inviting the fury of the deity Lotus who cursed the entire race with a poor ability to hold their drink in an effort to prevent such a disaster again.

Biological Cycle

Shedding

Firbolgs shed twice annually, the thickening and thinning of their coat triggered by photoperiod. Firbolgs who work nocturnally struggle with unusual or patchy shed times as a result, and sun lamp therapy is a common correction. Typically a firbolg will brush before showering to avoid clogging drains, so a change in brush is all that's required to otherwise combat this. Spraying on a body covering of something akin to hairspray is usually required for firbolgs working in hair-sensitive spaces such as the food industry during these times, much like tabaxi or minotaurs.

Aestivation

Aestivation is common in the Lotus Tendrils whenever the rainy season is exceptionally hot, not because of the heat but because it creates the perfect conditions for parasites to bloom, most notably land leeches, ticks, and mites. These things and ammonia burns or fungal infections from warm, constantly soggy fur drives traditional firbolgs in to warm, dry family spaces where they sleep much of the season away, rising infrequently only to seek fresh water.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

The face, especially the nose, of the firbolg tends to be a bit broader and the eyes more widely spaced than other humanoids, often only enough to be barely noticeable, making them creepy to some other individuals of races like humans and elves. This gives them a slightly broader range of vision.

Eyes

Firbolg eyes come in all colors common to humanoids along with lavender, orange, yellow, and red. Their pupils are usually ungulate in shape, square and broader than they are tall, though some draconic sorcerers are born with green dragon-like eyes.

Nose

Firbolgs have a squared-off bovine-like nose. This nose is very soft, but not damp like a minotaur's. The texture is light and more felt than seen. Just how far forward it protrudes past a typical humanoids' when viewed in profile varies by individual, but it is never more than two inches.

Ears

Deer or cow-like in shape. They are typically relatively large for purposes that seem more expressive than practical. They are rich with blood vessels and blush can be seen in the ears more easily than on the cheeks. They're capable of fine control and rapid movement in almost every direction.

Dentition

Some individuals have small tusks, fangs, or both, though these seldom protrude past the lips. Otherwise they have regular canine teeth with flat molars for grinding and sharp, squared off front teeth for sheering much like most humanoids.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Firbolgs see well in the dark and have a slightly broader range of vision. Their eyes sort movement well, able to spot patterns even when they are meant to seem broken up among disoriented conditions. They have relatively good hearing, though their large ears seem to be more expressive than practical. Their senses are otherwise unremarkable in comparison to other humanoids.

Magic

They are inherently magical unlike their ancestors, with inherent abilities geared toward maintaining their cultural shyness. Casting illusions over themselves or disappearing altogether is a good way to vanish at a moment's notice if you fear your cover has been blown. Sorcerers born to firbolgs are almost exclusively of the green draconic bloodline type. Firbolgs don't "speak with nature" so much as they are understood by it, and while yes, this does make them very good druids, they must develop all of those skills; they do not come naturally.

Nature

The Mistress of the Tendrils was ancient enough that her awareness was spread through every living thing in her territory. This awareness was partially inherited by anyone born to those who held her power. This strange and unique sense is one of the most important and most misunderstood aspects of firbolgs. They are plugged in to nature much like a sorcerer is a part of the weave, feeling its connection standing on plain earth much like a water droplet joining a sea. While most firbolgs living non-traditional lives have dulled this sense because the constant presence can be exhausting if you don't need to be that in-tune, ALL firbolgs prefer it to be there and calm, and thus are typically uncomfortable in places where nature has been upset. This includes cities, desecrated ground, and (for the most sympathetic of them) sites of natural disasters. This sense, like any other sense, helps them navigate the world around them. Something to keep them safe and fed. Unfortunately other races assign a great deal of mysticism and spirituality surrounding this, to insensitive degrees. It is assumed to be like druidism, where an individual is very literally a force of nature living as a part of nature rather than an individual tapped in to nature.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Firbolgs go without a name of their own until at least the age of 13 when most have begun to enter puberty in full swing. They are called Leanai of until they choose their own name, which is at leisure between the ages of 13 and 18 as the Firbolg gets to know themself as an individual. Choosing their own name is seen as a step toward adulthood that is incredibly important and always a cause for celebration among family and friends, with folk coming together to feast and congratulate them. While firbolg names aren't gendered the two things are often chosen together. The celebration is known as one's Gift of Self, and a firbolg's Gift of Self is typically a treasured memory.

Naming Conventions for PCs and DMs

For Firbolg name inspiration, think Celtic, Floral or Fauna. Celtic names include things like Drust, Mathgahmhain, Cathasach and Loagh. Floral names include things like Ivy, Nettle, Sundew and Hickory. Fauna names include things like Fish, Wolf, Badger and Ant. For clan name inspiration, think of the weather, resources, and appearance of the Clan's home origin. Rather than name areas themselves areas were defined by the clan that lived there, and clan names are usually descriptive of where they live, important historical events that happened there, or what natural resources are there. Clan names can be things like Striped Valley Clan, Long Spring Clan, Cracking Quake Clan, and Salmon Clan.

Major Organizations

Other than traditional firbolg remaining loosely organized against the incursion of other races pushing deeper in to the Lotus Tendrils firbolgs don't really stand apart from typical governments, and there are no other factions or religions associated with just the race.

Gender Ideals

The 7 Genders

Children are referred to exclusively as they/them and are considered "in waiting" rather than gendered. They do not choose a gender until the age of 13 at minimum, but they do pick it themselves. This is frequently selected alongside their adult name despite the lack of gendered names since one is already re-introducing themself to non-strangers when picking a new name, and most firbolgs have an idea of what they are at least at that time in their life. Firbolgs have several genders they traditionally identify with, all of which are shared with Minotaur and Orcish culture other than Ether. Not all firbolgs identify with these genders and each one is just as likely to prefer some other gender they've learned culturally or similar concepts that are different enough to matter to them on some level. The 7 usual genders include:

• Man. He/Him.
• Woman. She/Her.
• The. They/Them. They have a gender, and that gender is basically that they have one.
• Nawan. Yzei (ee-zay)/Yzem (ease-em), and/or They/Them, She/Her, He/Him or any individually preferred combination of those. For some this might be closer to what other races consider gender-fluid, and for others it might be closer to multigender.
• Agender. They/Them. They have no gender whatsoever.
• Apath. Ai (aye)/Aph (aff.) It isn't that ai have no gender so much as ai don't care at all and have chosen not to choose, as it suits how ai feel better than Agender or Ether.
• Ether. It/Itself. An extreme form of agender that also includes a loss of individuality, typically adopted by individuals keen on pursuing the druidic arts, though not exclusively. It is firmly of the belief it needs no more definition than an individual drop of rain in a storm.

Gender Change

Firbolgs are also encouraged to explore their genders freely when questioning, and other firbolg tradition not only supports this but expects one to provide opportunity for these waters to be tested, such as by using particular pronouns frequently and introducing them to everyone who enters a conversation even if this person knows them.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Firbolgs do not speak Giant on Taerekel. They do, however, speak their own dialect Firbolg, and know Orcish instead of Elven. Firbolg is written using the dwarven script.

Origin/Ancestry

Warlocks from the cult of Mistress of the Tendrils

Lifespan

500yrs

Average Height

Firbolgs have a large range of heights. Pinpointing an average is difficult. Some individuals can reach 12ft and change (though 11ft is a far more typical max,) while others are still tall compared to other humanoids but small compared to other firbolgs at 7 to 8ft.

Average Weight

This varies vastly depending on the height of the firbolg.

Average Physique

Typically tall and naturally muscular, though often lean to begin with and prone to gaining chub over time. They have all the variety one might expect of humanoids.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Colors

Their skin and fur alike come in a variety of creams, tans, browns and blacks. Some skin colors have no corresponding fur color, such as liver and pink, while some fur colors have no corresponding skin colors, such as solid white, greys, and de-saturated blues and lavenders.

Markings

Brindle, fawn spotting and tapir-like markings are among the most common of the dramatic appearances thanks to the advantages of camouflage. Most are solid or counter-shaded in coloration, but everything from roan to leopard exists, and families don't tend to have a lot of resemblance since it's a bit of a genetic lottery what trait is going to mix with or cover the others.

The Exceptionally Rare

Albinism, melanism, piebald, vertiligo (in the firbolg's case a piebaldism that increases over time,) full leucism and points (a partial form of albinism based on temperature) are recessive genetics that typically don't just require the co-operation of one set of recessive genes. Occasionally green tones crop up in the fur giving a mossy or lichen-covered appearance. These things crop up at random and often skip multiple generations even when they seem comparably common in a specific family line. Firbolgs with only guard hairs and fully hairless firbolgs also exist even more rarely.

Related Ethnicities

• Minotaur
• Orcs