Goliath Tribes of the Avakal Mountains

> *Note: This is player-created lore. It applies only to the specific tribes listed and is not intended to be universally true for goliaths, etc. It **is** intended, however, to build off of WotC published lore without contradicting it. While others are welcome to create characters and societies inspired by those described here, the particular tribes and clans mentioned no longer exist. Ping @NicoAkira on the Discord if you have questions.*
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## Goliath Tribes of the Avakal Mountains

### Population

650

The Avakalathi, Nilpallandri, and Oretharos tribes lived in the mountains south of Kanara, called the Avakal Mountains by some.

As a group, the tribes kept themselves fairly isolated. They had some trading connections, but otherwise saw minimal interaction with the outside world.

The tribes were severely impacted by the events surrounding the island's partial descent into the sea in the 2370s, between seasons 5 and 6, and dissolved, their members dispersing throughout the archipelago and beyond.

## Tribes

### Avakalathi

The Avakalathi took their name from the mountains themselves; their name comes from the Giant *avakalos* and *lath* (pronounced *lot,* with an aspirated *t*), meaning "people of the mountains."

The Avakalathi themselves tended toward semi-nomadism. Their primary homes were higher in the mountains than those of the other tribes, and it wasn't uncommon for small groups to head off on their own for months at a time. There was a stereotype that as a culture they were filled with wanderlust, never quite satisfied with an easy life, and they were sometimes referred to in stories as warrior-philosophers.

The Avakalathi were the smallest tribe, with approximately 150 members.

### Nilpallandri

The Nilpallandri kept more to themselves, even among the tribes. They were most noted for their builders and crafters and the majority of their work was with wood and stone. Their work emphasized augmenting what nature had to offer, shaping the natural beauty into something more than it already was.

The name "Nilpallandri" is derived from an ancient mine said to have been rich in all manner of precious metals, though little more than myth today.

There were approximately 200 members of the Nilpallandri tribe.

### Oretharos

The Oretharos made their home on the western side of the third peak at the base of a series of sharp cliffs. Many of the Oretharos, in fact, claimed the cliffs themselves as home, with a number of residences carved into the cliff face.

The name "Oretharos" comes from the ancient Giant words *onet* and *aharo,* translating literally to "sky heights," referencing the cliffs.

Weavers, the tribes' storytellers and historians, were most common among the Oretharos, and the tribe maintained a collection of physical texts, though such a format was intended for preservation, not delivery.

The Oretharos were the largest tribe, with approximately 300 members.

## History

### Border Wars

Even the Weavers' records couldn't say why the war between the Oretharos and the nearby orcish clans of Ordzhek and Ka'lesh began, but it continued for centuries. The other tribes aided the Oretharos in their battles with warriors and equipment, but the vast majority of the effort fell to the Oretharos alone. In early 2319, just before season 2, the Ka'lesh had already drawn back and Chieftain Reddawn of the Oretharos and Jagirdar Ineri of the Ordzhek entered negotiations for peace. The negotiations ended in disaster, however, leaving Ineri dead and Reddawn with a near-mortal wound. With such a blow to either side, an uneasy peace did follow for a time, although it eventually fell.

### Battle for Kanara

In early 2320, Orin Sunshine of the Avakalathi made his way into the city of Kanara with the simple goal of discovering what life had to offer beyond the tribes. He quickly became embroiled in the events surrounding the Battle for Kanara, becoming a key player in its resolution. As a part of the team set to solve a prophetic riddle that would allow them to win the Battle, it's said he spoke with the Weave itself and sacrificed the very strength of his body as part of the exchange for the magic that healed Kanara's forces as the fighting raged on throughout the city.

While the Battle was won, the city was in shambles, the streets filled with rubble and bodies. Although he was reduced, physically, to a shell of his former self, Sunshine recognized the city no longer needed warriors—it needed leaders, it needed builders, and it needed hope. He sent back to the tribes for builders, and for a Weaver, and began laying plans to speak with the leaders of the other cities to gain their support in the reconstruction effort.

Auris Sunwolf-Weaver of the Oretharos answered the call, and Sunshine requested she compile an epic of the Battle based on the firsthand accounts of any who were willing to share, and to travel the archipelago telling it, glorifying the heroes who won the Battle and the Kanaran people as a whole in an effort to keep public opinion of the reconstruction effort positive.

While Sunshine eventually became an official member of Kanara's new ruling council, Kairosian involvement undermined the new government from the start, reducing the council to little more than figureheads and all but taking over the city themselves.

### Rebels, Wyverns, and Promises of Peace

With Kairosian control of Kanara only growing, political unrest grew with it. In 2321, on the anniversary of the Battle, the city put on a great celebration in honor of Kairosian/Kanaran solidarity. In the midst of this, an unorganized group of Kanaran rebels were in the center of what became a violent protest, and a core group of rebels escaped and fled to the mountains. While Sunshine ultimately held little power in the city, his efforts were known, and with nowhere else to go, the rebels sought out his people, eventually settling near the Oretharos.

In 2327, a little after season 3, Sunshine passed away and Auris returned from her travels abroad to attend his funeral. Auris was accompanied by a golden wyvern by the name of Nerys, whom she'd rescued from the Great Storm in 2324. With a frustration and passion over the Kanaran situation to rival the rebels' own, Auris joined their efforts, using her connections with New Gork and the Adventurers' Guild as cover to pass messages between the mountain-based rebels and their city connections. Nerys' friendship proved a great boon in this, allowing much faster passage up and down the mountain, and within a few years, with the rebels' help, several more wyverns joined Nerys, forming a respectable flock.

In 2328, the uneasy peace between the Oretharos and the Ordzhek and Ka'lesh, having lasted nearly a decade, fell at last. While the fighting waxed and waned in the ensuing years, it wasn't until 2341, shortly before season 4, that peace was made anew. A number of people claimed it would finally last, but many doubted its permanence.

In 2350, a few years after season 4, Kairos officially withdrew from Kanara. Unofficially, their forces lingered for some time yet while the Kanaran government began to solidify into something lasting, but by 2360, the situation was considered by most to be resolved, and the rebels had returned to their beloved city.

### Descent and Dissolution

This period of peace and quiet was not to last. In the 2370s, between seasons 5 and 6, the island began to shift and sink. Among the tribes, rumors swirled of a second Cataclysm, and people debated whether it would be better to wait it out, move to higher ground, or abandon the island altogether.

Meanwhile, while Kanaran mages worked to save the city, many of its residents fled to the mountains to escape the rising sea. Former rebels reclaimed the area near the Oretharos and were soon joined by others. This sudden influx of newcomers further unbalanced the tribes, and a number of individuals took their leave, striking out into the archipelago and beyond.

As the number of Kanaran refugees climbed into the thousands, even the high-dwelling Avakalathi were becoming overrun, and in the confusion, the fighting began anew with the orcish clans.

Though the casualties were estimated to be fairly low, the psychological and cultural damage was unrecoverable. The remains of the goliath tribes and orcish clans collapsed, most of their members fleeing their homes and abandoning the island.

## Government and Politics

Each tribe was led by a single chieftain whose primary role was arbiter in disputes. There was no written law; the chieftain decided the results on an individual basis.

The tribes operated within themselves more as large families than entities of state. Money was not often used amongst them. If one needed shelter, one would build it, or find someone who would, perhaps in exchange for goods or services of one's own, perhaps offered simply because it should be done. Food was given freely and never sold. The chieftain was the only title that carried any power with it, and the power was considered first and foremost a responsibility, and it didn't come with any particular riches or privileges except what the individual earned for themselves.

The system this created was inherently unstable as power was held equally by all members, and it required every member to do their part to maintain function—it would've taken relatively few members going rogue to have had devastating effects. This was balanced by the small size of the tribes—the social pressure exerted by such a small community on its members was enough to keep most from straying or slacking.

### Succession

Succession was determined by implied democracy, generally following a meritocratic pattern. The chieftain typically took one or more promising people under their tutelage, during which time the students gradually took on responsibilities until the chieftain named one as successor and officially stepped down.

As the tribes contained no more than a few hundred members apiece, it was relatively easy to gauge popular opinion and hear input from any and all who wished to share it, and by the time a transfer of title occurred, most were satisfied with the matter.

If chieftain's choice proved unpopular, an electoral process was implemented, with details varying from occasion to occasion. Occasionally, dissatisfied groups broke off entirely from the rest, forming their own tribes, though such was rare and they typically didn't last, either rejoining with one of the larger tribes, dispersing elsewhere, or, in at least one case, dying off in their entirety.

### Law Enforcement and Crime

Generally speaking, the most serious consequence that could be incurred was exile from the tribes. Although such a sentence was rare, it wasn't unheard of, and might've been delivered following a single serious transgression or a series of lesser ones, if the individual in question showed no sign of changing. The first category included things such as murder, betrayal of the tribe, or immoral or dishonorable acts against an enemy in times of war. The second category included things like a series of thefts or even chronic laziness, given the aforementioned importance of every member's contribution.

### Military

All members received some form of martial training and, in times of war, all who could and were of reasonable age (typically at least mid-twenties) were expected to step forward and aid in fighting, such that the task was shared by as many as possible and the mental and emotional strain on each individual was lessened as much as could reasonably be done.

### Foreign Relations

The tribes maintained trading relations with Kanara but beyond that had little contact with the outside world.

## Demographics

### Religion

While most in the tribes ascribed to the Thoughts, there was little to no formalization of this. There were no dedicated temples or holy people, and worship was carried out on an individual level, with the most common form being a mental offering of the day's work to the Divine as a whole or to a particular Thought.

A common gesture of prayer was to touch the breastbone (representing the body), then the forehead (mind), and to extend the hand upwards, often with the gaze following (soul).

### Language

The primary languages spoken in the tribes were Giant and Common. A few old prayers and hymns were passed on in Celestial, but very few, if any, spoke the language.

### Script

The tribes employed a number of recording methods for different types of information. A system of knotted strings was used for primarily numeric information, most often in relation to animal populations, while an ideographic system was used for most day-to-day purposes. Weavers were versed in the Dwarvish script typically used for Giant and the Common script, and records were kept in all three written systems depending on which the author was most comfortable with.

### Education

Children were raised by the entire tribe and were taught the basics of a variety of skills and trades as they grew. If they showed a partiality for a particular task, those who performed it often took it upon themselves to further the child's instruction in it, and so specialties were formed. The hunt was a special thing, however, due to the danger of it. A child would typically observe their first hunt following their eighth winter, though they would not actively participate until some time later, when they'd been judged ready.

### Health

Illness was unusually rare among the tribes, a thing historically attributed to the hearty nature of the people but more likely to be related to an emphasis on cleanliness. As a result of this trend and the longstanding war, Woundweavers, the tribes' dedicated healers, were well-versed in the treatment of physical wounds, but had comparatively little knowledge as related to sickness or disease.

Miscarriages and stillbirths were common, together accounting for over a third of all pregnancies. The infant mortality rate fluctuated between 15 and 20% for many years, though it seemed to be following a downward trend, and the vast majority of those who survived past one year of age made it to adulthood. Adults were expected to live to their late 50s to mid 60s, with the primary cause of death being combat. In the final years of the tribes, with the border wars having fallen silent, life expectancy was slowly climbing.

### Visitors and Immigrants

Visitors were welcome among the tribes, though those staying for any extended length of time were held to the same standards as members. It wasn't unheard of for outsiders to be adopted into the tribes, if they were amenable, nor for them to earn new names for themselves while staying with the tribes, whether or not they joined them permanently.

## Culture and Society

### Roles

Those within the tribes generally settled into a particular set of roles according to their preferences and the tribe's needs, but there was little formalization of this and people were free to move between roles as they so chose. Hunters in particular changed often as the hunt could be long and tiring in comparison to other roles, and so the task was shared.

### Names

Most tribe members had a given name and an earned name. The first was given at birth by their parents. It was typically mono- or disyllabic and carried no meaning. The second was earned later in life and reflected some feat, pursuit, or notable trait, and was usually what they were known by. Earned names were usually translated into whichever language a person happened to be speaking.

When traveling beyond the tribes, members often used their tribe's name as a surname.

Certain names, such as Weaver or Woundweaver, blurred the line between name and title, and many would carry the same name at once. When this was the case, they were generally referred to with their birth name as well as their earned name, such as Sella Woundweaver, rather than the typical address of their earned name alone, such as Sunshine. It was also common for children to address unrelated adults as "Auntie" or "Uncle" as a sign of respect.

### Visual Art

Art among the tribes emphasized function with elegance, rather than pursuing art for art's sake. Anything crafted was a chance to produce something beautiful. Clothes were often embroidered along the hems or had patterns woven into the cloth there, and daywear tended to be colorful.

### Sports

The tribes hosted an annual sporting competition, often referred to simply as "the games." The location changed on a rotating basis to take advantage of the mountains' varied landscape: the cliffs near the Oretharos, the caves near the Nilpallandri, and the snowfields near the Avakalathi. Common activities included running, climbing, wrestling, hand-to-hand combat, archery, feats of strength, tests of endurance and survival skills, and even a minor amount of swimming, though the latter was made dangerous by the temperatures. There were no explicit rules, rather an unspoken agreement on what was or wasn't "honorable" in each activity. Similarly, there was no explicit celebration of the winners.

The games typically lasted several days, with the cooks coming together from all tribes and often falling to friendly competition with each other, each group trying to outdo the other, and concluded with a massive feast.

### Food

Most food made in the tribes was hearty and well-spiced, and they produced few sweets. Tea was the most commonly consumed beverage and comprised a majority of what they traded for as few of the relevant plants could survive at elevation. Though they did produce alcohol, it was used primarily for medicinal purposes.

### Funereal Traditions

The tribes maintained a specific set of customs following a member's passing. The body of the deceased was brought to a secluded area near the tribe, where one or more people who were close to them maintained a constant watch until they were cremated. Those who weren't keeping watch built the pyre, and when it was ready, the body was laid out atop it. The body was not disturbed except to move it until it was on the pyre, at which point it was arranged more comfortably. This typically came into play only for those who died on the battlefield: arrows wouldn't be removed from a warrior's body until this point, for example. The task of lighting the pyre traditionally fell to the eldest child of the deceased.

A person's life's work, or some representation thereof, was burned alongside the body. This was intended to represent a conclusion to their earthly commitments, freeing their soul to move on. If their work remained unfinished in some significant capacity, a student or loved one often retrieved its representation from the pyre before it was lit to signify that they would complete the work, and the deceased need not worry. Children, however, were often the greatest unfinished work of all, and would often claim some token from the deceased to indicate the same in reference to themselves, or their guardian may have claimed a token if they were too young. Such tokens were offered in a sacrificial fire when their holder believed the work completed: when a Weaver's student completed their epic, for example, or a child felt they had become a person of whom their parent would be proud.

## Wyverns

In 2327, a little after season 3, Auris Sunwolf of the Oretharos returned from her travels abroad, accompanied by a golden wyvern by the name of Nerys, whom she'd rescued from the Great Storm in 2324. Within a few years, and with the help of the Kanaran rebels who'd taken up residence nearby, several more wyverns joined Nerys, forming a respectable flock.

Nerys is believed to have fled the island with the remains of the Oretharos tribe. Sightings have been claimed of the others, though none have been confirmed, and they're believed to have reverted to a wild state.

### Relations

The wyverns lived high on the cliffs near the Oretharos, and the members of that tribe saw to their needs as the wyverns wished it, including bathing and feeding. It was a relatively safe home for the wyverns, and they, in turn, assisted the tribes at Nerys' direction, primarily providing transport for heavy loads or those on urgent business.

### Riders

Although friendly, the wyverns were still mostly feral. They accepted riders, but were picky about who, and would only take them bareback. With careful training and years of friendly relations, however, they came to value the lives of the people with whom they coexisted, and any rider falling mid-flight was likely to find themselves caught in the wyvern's talons and gently deposited in the nearest appropriate space.

### Flock Members

At its largest, there were six wyverns in the flock:

 Henrietta Greenscale
 Meti
 Clyde Emberhide
 Jihan Swiftstrike
 Itoro Brightwing

Apart from Nerys, the wyverns were initially named by the rebels. Over the years, they acquired names from the Oretharos as well, except for Nerys, who declined any name offered, and Meti, who took a while to respond to that name and wouldn't respond to any other beyond it.

## Common Misconceptions

* Most goliaths have darker markings across their body, typically in symmetrical patterns. These are often mistaken for tattoos, but are natural birthmarks. Some goliaths have tattoos as well, often designed specifically to enhance these marks.

## Notable Figures

### Avakalathi

* Orin Sunshine, veteran of the Battle for Kanara and councilmember of Kanara from 2320 (following the Battle) to 2327 (died in 2327, at age 45) (WM season 2 PC)
* Skalla Wyrmslayer, Chieftain of the Avakalathi through 2290 (deceased) (NPC)
* Koris Grayfox, Chieftain of the Avakalathi starting in 2290 (deceased) (NPC)

### Oretharos

* Auris Sunwolf, known as Auris Weaver for her epic of the Battle for Kanara, Chief Justice of New Gork and Lieutenant of New Gork's Defense Force from 2323 (the founding of New Gork) to 2327 (died in 2357, at age 62) (WM season 3 PC)
* Mora Runeweaver, responsible for many advancements in the understanding of the arcane (deceased) (NPC)
* Endir Featherfrost, responsible for furthering Runeweaver's studies (WM season 5 PC)
* Kellmiri the Wise, Chieftain of the Oretharos from 2249 to 2290 (died in 2301, at age 73) (NPC)
* Tiori Sliptongue, Chieftain of the Oretharos from 2290 to 2301 (deceased) (NPC)
* Medb Reddawn, Chieftain of the Oretharos from 2301 to 2331 (died in 2335, at age 64) (NPC)
* Adram Ravenslight, Chieftain of the Oretharos from 2331 to 2365 (deceased) (NPC)

### Other

* Stonecrest, a semi-mythical figure said to have led the tribes to safety during the Cataclysm (deceased) (NPC)
* Kina Luthier, author of the Treatise of the Divine, an ancient, oft-quoted poem contemplating the Thoughts (deceased) (NPC)