Fir Bolg

### Distinctions

They are tall and very powerful warriors. Their culture promotes druidism and also promotes close combat. They are known to have a short temper.

### Average Height

• Male: 10'6"-11'4" (3.2-3.5 m).• Female: 9'10"-10'8" (3.0-3.3 m).

### Average Weight

• Male: 610-710 lbs. (280–320 kg).• Female: 460-560 lbs. (210–250 kg).

## General Information

### Languages

• Bolgas• Sótiran

• Gælion

### Religions

• Druidism, but they worship the chaotic aspects of the Druid gods.

### Major Realms

• Several tribal clans are scattered throughout the Eonach Coillte (Emerald Woods).

## Misc. Information

### Based On

Fir Bolg of Irish mythology.

The **Fir Bolg** are the descendants of the ancient Jötnar that inhabited western **Helmos**. They are a strong and powerful race who values courage and bravery but they are also known for worshiping the destruction and the chaotic elements of the Gods of Nature. Because of this, they have become enemies of the **Tuatha**, who worship the peaceful nature of the Gods. The Fir Bolg remain neutral to the human and elves of the **Eonach Coillte** Although they are not strangers to raiding them from time to time.

## Description

Fir Bolgs resemble humans, with the males sporting great, thick beards. Their thick, tough skin is fleshy pink, and their hair, though it comes in many colors, is usually either red or blond and worn long. A Fir Bolgs voice is deep and smooth, and they tend to roll their consonants when speaking. Firbolgs are typically over 3 meters (10 feet) tall, averaging a height of about 3.2 meters (10.5 feet).

### Biology

Fir Bolg pregnancies are around 10 month, roughly the equivalent to humans. Fir Bolg reach adulthood at about 30 years, and can live as many as 500 years. Firbolgs consumed about twice as much as a human to survive. Fir Bolg are known to be resistant to all forms of lycanthropy.

### Abilities

The average firbolg is stronger than a forest bear. Beyond sheer physical strength, they have innate magical abilities. Firbolgs are said to be resistant to magic. They can sense the presence of magical auras innately. They have excellent vision at night and could perhaps see in the dark. Some sages and alchemists claim that firbolgs have regenerative abilities. They are also said to be able to communicate to a limited effect with both plants and animals of their forest homes.

### Combat

Fir Bolgs are formidable opponents, skilled both in physical combat and druidic magics. They prefer massive weapons, such as spears, falxs and two-handed swords. They are strong enough to wield most human-made weapons in a single hand.

In battle, Fir Bolgs fight zealously but also relied on teamwork. They are adept at batting away or catching projectiles, and have excellent throwing arms. They can easily toss a large rock weighing around 18​ to ​23 kilograms (40​ to ​50 pounds) to crush their enemies.

## Culture

Fir Bolgs have a family-centered, clan-based society. They live in settlements in remote hilly or forested areas. Their settlements are strongholds, including wooden structures, built from the trees around them, with defensive towers with catwalks between them. Rarely, they inhabited cavern complexes dug into the hillsides. They are known to use their druidic magic to ensure that their homes remained a secret to outsiders. These clan settlements are often small, with between about four and sixteen members, often with a shaman or druid, and lived separate from each other. A few adventuring companies have met nomadic Fir Bolgs clans during their adventures.

A typical Fir Bolgs home is a huge one-story log building with strong walls. A large fireplace with multiple openings warmed a central common room.

Fir Bolg communities are known to rally around individuals who contracted lycanthropy and rather than shun them, the use all their resources at their disposal to help the afflicted find a cure.

As caretakers of the woods, they carefully and resourcefully lived off the land, making sure to ensure balance. During summer, they store excess nuts, fruits, and berries, so that they could provide food to the forest animals during winter. Although they are known to farm, it is only to supplement their diets; they prefer a more hunter-gatherer lifestyle, rather than the brigand/raider lifestyle of their Jötnar cousins. Their hunting grounds were usually spread out in a 32‑kilometer (20‑mile) radius from their clan homes. They eat small portions of meat with most meals, and reserve large roasts of meat for special celebrations.

Most Fir Bolgs tribes prefer isolation from other races, avoiding their politics and struggles. If intruders enter their territory, they will usually try an indirect approach at causing the "invaders" to leave, such as driving game away to discourage hunters or redirecting streams or forest trails to confuse parties. If these methods fail, the Fir Bolgs will at last confront the outsiders. If the outsiders are deemed to be peaceful, the Fir Bolgs will peacefully ask them to leave; if the outsiders seem evil or to have no concern for the forest lands, the Fir Bolgs would then mount a devastating attack. There was only one exception to the peaceful approach, the vilified and hated **Tuatha**. On some occasions, Fir Bolgs will trade with peaceful folk living nearby in exchange for providing services utilizing their great strength.

Fir Bolg adventurers are considered rare and most often are individuals separated from their tribes - orphans, exiles, lone survivors, or the like. Although some adventured to gain knowledge or wealth. Fir Bolgs are known to have a natural tendency toward druidic magics, and many of their chieftains are thus druids and shamans. Other Fir Bolg become rangers, archers and skirmishers and others become fighters and barbarians. Other adventuring vocations were rare; Fir Bolg pugilists, monks or rouges are completely unknown.

### Government

The Fir Bolgs rejected the Hierarchy, the customary social order amongst **Jötnar**, and prefer to exercise free will by using a system called "**An Còd**". This system was conceived in ancient times, although its exact origins have been lost, and a written copy was usually required to be carried by all Fir Bolgs chieftains, but the exact implementation varies from one community to the next. It promotes the idea that the society was the most important aspect and supersedes the individual. Actions are more important than relatives or heritage. If "**An Còd**" is breached, the offending Fir Bolg might be enslaved within his or her own tribe or banished completely, although transgressions are uncommon. The implications of "**An Còd**" meant that the Fir Bolgs would treat all intelligent creatures as equals (with the exception of the **Tuatha**), and thus they do not exhibit the same superior attitude that other **Jötnar** displayed. For every decision made, they consider the effects on the forest and the rest of the natural world. During a famine, they will rather go hungry themselves than strain the land.

Fir Bolgs also have a rough form of democracy known as "**An Tilgeadh**". This involves summoning all the Fir Bolgs in a tribe who will then cast their vote on an issue by using a rune-engraved stone. The actual "casting" of votes varies from clan to clan. In some clans, it involves literally tossing the stones. In one Fir Bolg clan in the **Dragon Pikes**, they built an enormous scale, and set their votes in the appropriate weighing pan. Exile was often used as a form of punishment for an unforgivable act. An outcast Fir Bolg will never be permitted to return home.

Nearby clans would gather once a year at the fall solstice at an enclave to settle any disputes among the clans. Shamans will preside over these events. But more often than not, these events were considered to be a time of celebration.

### Religion

Firbolgs worship the **Ciorcal Draoithe** (Druidic Pantheon), but they personally admired the chaotic Gods of nature such as the storm goddess **Sìonag** or the firestorm deity **Uisdean**. However, some of the Fir Bolgs of the Dragon Pikes were an exception to this. They are known to worship the demigod **Eumann MacShimidh**, thought by religious scholars to be the son of **Sìonag** and the folk hero **Hùisdean MacShimidh**. These Fir Bolgs believe that **Eumann** carved them from stone and that the **Dwezgaz** were the result of the "leftovers" of this process.