Skoraeus Stonebones

God of art, God of stone giants

Stone giants worship Skoraeus Stonebones as the great artist, a master craftman who infuse his every creation with his art. He appears in Stone Giant art as a pair of hands, one holding a chisel and the other a hammer.   In the legends of the giants, Skoraeus often sits on the sidelines during the schemes and battles of his siblings. He acts as an observer, a confidant to the other gods, and a keeper of secrets that he must be forced or tricked into divulging.   In a classic tale, Memnor came to Skoraeus and whispered something in his ear. When Surtur demanded to know what Memnor had said, Skoraeus told his brother exactly what he had heard. Surtur brooded on that message, which was misleading when taken out of context, and eventually reacted rashly, but the consequences of his acts were seen as no fault of Skoraeus. If Surtur had instead asked Skoraeus for advice about Memnor’s words, the legend would have ended differently.   Skoraeus is considered the most knowledgeable of the Giant gods about Magic, wards, banes, hidden treasures, and the secrets of the earth. Skoraeus gave the secret of smelting to Surtur. Skoraeus showed Thrym how to carve runes on his old weapons to imbue them with magic when Surtur refused to forge new ones for him.  

Skoraeus Stonebones

(God of art, God of stone giants)

Titles
King of Rock
Sex
Male
Alignment
Neutral
Sheet
Portfolio
Art, Stone giants
Domains
Knowledge
Worshippers
Stone giants
Celebration
/
Symbol
/
Children

Worship

Giants invoke Skoraeus’s name when they begin any work of art or craft, particularly stonework, and they often dedicate the final product to his glory. Stone giants pray to Stonebones, the Great Creator, in a much broader range of circumstances, eager for divine insight as they carry out their daily lives. His priests undertake frequent pilgrimages into the Underdark, seeking revelation from Skoraeus in the depths of the earth.  

History

The trolls reigned over Goria for six hundred years until Imperator Molok attempted to deceive the giants of Voninerike in 4520 BD. Molok amassed an army with the aim of challenging the Titans. His forces clashed against Tromokratis and the Hedroforn, ultimately perishing against these formidable monsters. Unaware of the trolls' freedom from the giants' influence, Tromokratis and the Hedroforn sought vengeance against the giants, sparking a conflict between the giants and the Titans.   As the giants mobilized their forces to confront the colossal adversaries, they found themselves outmatched by the Titans' might. The trolls, observing the Titans' progress, mustered a massive army and joined the fray, challenging the giants' dominion over the world.   Skoraeus Stonebones, the god of stone giants, sought to dissuade his siblings from joining the conflict, believing that the matter of their creation should be left for them to resolve. However, Stronmaus argued that the titan's involvment was not to be resolved by mortals and refused to heed his counsel. To tip the scales in favor of the giants, the giant gods intervened:   Thrym, the god of frost giants, sought out Tromokratis to engage him in combat within the sea claimed as his domain. The two engaged in an epic battle in the northern region of the Frosted heights. Each strike of Thrym's weapon created glaciers as Tromokratis unleashed the fury of the ocean upon the god. Despite Thrym's valiant efforts, he was overwhelmed by the Titan's power. Skoraeus Stonebones intervened, distracting Tromokratis with strikes from his hammer on the ocean' floor, allowing Thrym to attack Tromokratis. This tactic proved effective, cracking Tromokratis's shell and forcing the Titan to retreat with significant damage.   With the Titans defeated, the giants marched toward Goria, Trolerike's capital and unleashed their fury. A roaring storm churned above the city as the ground groaned and trembled. Over several hours, lightning, fire, and earthquakes ravaged the city, bringing down every wall and building, sealing off the escape routes, and burning the ships in the harbor. When nothing but ash and rubble remained, the earth itself wrenched open like a giant maw to swallow Molok and the remains of his great city whole.   Untold thousands of trolls died that day; none were left alive by the giants. Only whispers of the event would reach the other Gorian cities and outposts, but those whispers would be enough to discourage any further tampering with the giants. The Death of Molok marked the end of the Trolerike in 4507 BD.


Cover image: Farewell by Greg Rutkowski

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