Giantfolk Theocracy

Giantfolk theocracy is a tradition that forms the basis for religion and leadership within Kozgomogh, and at its centre is the ancient magic of the Stuurkong. Having existed since before the age of dawn, this tradition and the magic that sustains it are shrouded in mystery. The giantfolk care little for the reasoning behind it, they do not question why or how it works, they simply accept that it does.

This melding of religion and rule means that all giants recognise one figure alone as both their monarch and their god. The title for this individual is 'jarfang' (pronounced: *YAR-fang*), which roughly translates in the old giant tongue to "The one who is given faith", which refers to the fact that a jarfang gets their power from the people's faith. In some cases, such as with the previous jarfang Akavor, this faith can be substituted with fear. This blasphemous use of the ancient magic has been coined Ferstuurkong, and it has been observed that this substitute magic cannot be sustained for long, as faith will outshine fear when given enough time.

## Theology

Religion is mostly a passive part of a giant's life, and they rarely engage in active prayer or worship, though it is common to pray in times of dire need or stress. To giants, religion is private and personal; an individuals reasons for having faith in their jarfang are their own, and are only influenced by personal experience. When a giant experiences positive emotion that they can reasonably thank the jarfang for, at least in part, the faith they have for the ruler will grow. Conversely, when a giant comes upon times of hardship that could reasonably be the fault of their jarfang, such as suffering segregation due to their race or social caste, their faith will wane.

The perception of a jarfang as a deity has not been recognised outside of giant culture until Borrig's rule, with even the most stubborn theologians being unable to deny his powers and mere presence as anything short of godlike. Thus, Borrig is the only deity to have the material plane as his homeplane. It is claimed, and supported with a substantial amount of evidence, that Borrig has a connection to the land of Kozgomogh that allows him to gain insight into many of the events that happen within the giant kingdom.

### Holy Sites

Though there are no temples or shrines to speak of for giantfolk theocracy, there are still some sites which hold great cultural importance because of their connection to the stuurkong or previous jarfangs. At the centre of Borrig's Holding, the capital of Kozgomogh, sits throne mountain. This relatively small mountain serves as the literal seat for jarfang Borrig, and is a site of pilgrimage and renown for many giantfolk. It was the tip of this mountain which was dislodged and used by Borrig to cave in the skull of jarfang Akavor at the end of their great battle. Thus, the mountain itself has become a symbol of freedom from oppression.

Akavor's body was cast into the sea after his execution, with much of the boulder still in his skull. Over time, fragments of this boulder broke off and became eroded by the sea. These small, naturally polished stones are known as 'tears of throne mountain', and are sacred items which giants keep as good luck charms. Latent, giant-slaying magic is held by these stones, and they can be used as projectiles that devastate giant foes. The bay which Akavor's corpse was cast into came to be known as Akavor's Grave, and tears of throne mountain can occasionally wash up on its shores.

## Stuurkong

The ancient magic of the Stuurkong is, put simply, the arcane manifestation of a giant's belief that the bigger a giant is, the stronger they will be and thus the longer they will last as a ruler. As such, when a large number of giants believe one giant to be fit to rule, that giant will begin to grow in size and strength. The Stuurkong therefore ensures that giants who actually have the respect and trust of their fellow kin can be protected from threat and competition through sheer size and might. Therefore, rulers chosen by this ancient phenomenon are given the power to endure and withstand, so that they might provided sound leadership to their people for centuries to come.

The effects of the stuurkong can be observed in its full power with jarfang Borrig. With a respectably sized band of followers and believers, he stood at around 60 feet tall when he contested his predecessor, jarfang Akavor, for the throne. The effects of the stuurkong, and by extension the ferstuurkong, are not lost as quickly as they are gained. Even though many giants stopped fearing Akavor once they saw he was losing the fight to Borrig, he remained his 'normal' height of 80 feet until death. After news of his victory spread, Borrig quickly succeeded Akavor in both title and height, having grown to a hundred foot tall within a week of his victory. Today, he stands at around six hundred foot tall, though due to the catastrophic tremors that would be caused by such a being walking on the ground, he spends most of his time seated.

Though there are few scholars within giant culture, it is common belief that the magic of the stuurkong was greatly bolstered by the Adventus Arcanum, because even the most popular jarfangs in giant history had not reached such titanic proportions as Borrig. The largest jarfang in recorded history besides Borrig was jarfang Yagna, who is recorded to have been 120 feet tall by the time she died in 2335 AD.