Hill Giant

Hill giants are massive, shaggy beasts who roam the wind-beaten plains in small, loosely organized herds. Resembling great apes more than men, these giants walk on all fours, knuckle-dragging across open grasslands with their thick, furred backs catching the sun and rain. Though simple-minded, their presence profoundly shapes the landscape around them—balancing grazing populations, scattering carrion, and unwittingly seeding the plains as they travel. With intelligence barely above that of herd beasts, they care for little but the needs of their bodies—chief among them, food.

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Anatomy and Morphology

Hill giants are quadrupedal, possessing long and heavily muscled forelimbs that allow for knuckle-walking similar to great apes. Their limbs end in thick, calloused hands with short fingers and broad nails capable of tearing through underbrush or upending livestock pens. Their torsos are powerful, covered in sparse, coarse hair on the chest and underbelly, while their backs and shoulders are draped in a heavy pelt of yak-like fur that provides protection from sun and storm.

Perception and Sensory/Extrasensory Capabilities

Hill giants rely primarily on scent and hearing, with a wide, sensitive nose and cupped ears capable of swiveling slightly to catch distant sounds. Their eyesight is functional but dull and so most food is found by smell.

Genetics and Reproduction

Hill giants reproduce sexually and give live birth to a single calf roughly every five to seven years. The rare emergence of a smarter but smaller hill giant is an irregular genetic trait that skips numerous generations. Breeding is neither ritualized nor seasonal, occurring whenever physical conditions are favorable, and far more often in times of plenty.

Growth Rate and Stages

Newborn giant calves are roughly the size of an adult human and begin walking within three to four weeks. They reach adolescence within a decade and full physical maturity by age 20. Mental development halts early in most, but the rare intelligent hill giants continue developing through their second and third decades.

Ecology and Habitat

Native to expansive plains, hill giants are migratory grazers and scavengers who help regulate herbivore populations and decompose dead biomass. They require wide-open tracts of land and are rarely seen in forests, but often weave between hills. Fragmentations of these habitats by expansion of smaller folk has begun to starve or isolate many herds.

Biological Cycle

Hill giants follow no seasonal cycle, but migration patterns tend to follow rainfall and grass growth. They sleep for several hours at a time, often during midday heat, using their herd for protection.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Omnivorous but favoring high-calorie food, hill giants devour everything from rotting corpses to stolen grain. They are highly opportunistic and destructive feeders, often razing fields and scaring off livestock. The more intelligent of their kind tend to attempt to guide herds toward more sustainable food sources.

Behavior and Psychology

Hill giants think in terms of immediate sensation—hunger, fear, noise. They are neither malicious nor kind, simply reactive. Herd cohesion is driven by proximity and scent recognition. The more intelligent of them override instincts with simple strategy and behavioral conditioning.