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Got to thinking, especially after it was noted somewhere that Rune Giants did eventually spread to Tien Xia after their birth in Thassilon.
Certain elements of Thassilon bear distinctively Asian elements, from the rune giants' usual armor design, the art for Karzoug's former mentor, and the architecture in Xin-Shalast. This was all before Earthfall of course.
It has me curious about what exactly the rune giants(and other possible survivors of the Thassilonian Empire) could have carried over to Tien Xia. Could we wind up seeing Sihedron Runes popping up in Jade Regent? Did Thassilonian culture influence some of Tien Xia's various cultures, possibly meshing with what was already there before Earthfall?
Got to thinking, especially after it was noted somewhere that Rune Giants did eventually spread to Tien Xia after their birth in Thassilon.
Certain elements of Thassilon bear distinctively Asian elements, from the rune giants' usual armor design, the art for Karzoug's former mentor, and the architecture in Xin-Shalast. This was all before Earthfall of course.
It has me curious about what exactly the rune giants(and other possible survivors of the Thassilonian Empire) could have carried over to Tien Xia. Could we wind up seeing Sihedron Runes popping up in Jade Regent? Did Thassilonian culture influence some of Tien Xia's various cultures, possibly meshing with what was already there before Earthfall?
I've been wondering the same thing, myself. The Crown of the World route did start near Thassilon, after all.
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The Crown of the World route did start near Thassilon, after all.
All this time I've been weighing the likelihood of this against Rune Giants making their way across Avistan, crossing the sea, across Casmaron, over the sea, and into Tien Xia, all while completely forgetting the exact direct path they've been advertising for Jade Regent.
Gah. :)
... All this time I've been weighing the likelihood of this against Rune Giants ...
And don't Rune Giants match with a type of Super-Sized Giants (can't remember the name)from 2e Oriental Adventures ?
Creative Director
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... All this time I've been weighing the likelihood of this against Rune Giants ...And don't Rune Giants match with a type of Super-Sized Giants (can't remember the name)from 2e Oriental Adventures ?
Not on purpose...
BONUS CHATTER: My theory on giants is that they're basically giant stereotypes; that's what makes them kind of interesting.
Hill giants = giant hillbillies
Stone giants = giant cave men
Frost Giants = giant Vikings
Fire Giants = giant dwarves
Cloud Giants = giant Greeks
Storm Giants = giant Romans
Marsh Giants = giant Innsmouth folk
Taiga Giants = giant shamans
Wood Giants = giant elves
And so when it came to doing Rune Giants, I decided to basically make them giant Samurai.
Which does kind of imply that there's SOME sort of connection or link between Thassilon and Tian Xia. Not really sure what that link is, but it does exist.
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... All this time I've been weighing the likelihood of this against Rune Giants ...And don't Rune Giants match with a type of Super-Sized Giants (can't remember the name)from 2e Oriental Adventures ?Not on purpose...
BONUS CHATTER: My theory on giants is that they're basically giant stereotypes; that's what makes them kind of interesting.
Hill giants = giant hillbillies
Stone giants = giant cave men
Frost Giants = giant Vikings
Fire Giants = giant dwarves
Cloud Giants = giant Greeks
Storm Giants = giant Romans
Marsh Giants = giant Innsmouth folk
Taiga Giants = giant shamans
Wood Giants = giant elvesAnd so when it came to doing Rune Giants, I decided to basically make them giant Samurai.
Which does kind of imply that there's SOME sort of connection or link between Thassilon and Tian Xia. Not really sure what that link is, but it does exist.
Now I can't stop wondering where you guys could go with a "giant gnomes" themed giant... ;)
Now I can't stop wondering where you guys could go with a "giant gnomes" themed giant... ;)
for extra silliness, try a "giant halfling"on for size
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... All this time I've been weighing the likelihood of this against Rune Giants ...And don't Rune Giants match with a type of Super-Sized Giants (can't remember the name)from 2e Oriental Adventures ?Not on purpose...
BONUS CHATTER: My theory on giants is that they're basically giant stereotypes; that's what makes them kind of interesting.
Hill giants = giant hillbillies
Stone giants = giant cave men
Frost Giants = giant Vikings
Fire Giants = giant dwarves
Cloud Giants = giant Greeks
Storm Giants = giant Romans
Marsh Giants = giant Innsmouth folk
Taiga Giants = giant shamans
Wood Giants = giant elvesAnd so when it came to doing Rune Giants, I decided to basically make them giant Samurai.
Which does kind of imply that there's SOME sort of connection or link between Thassilon and Tian Xia. Not really sure what that link is, but it does exist.
You realize that pigeon-holing them in this way could be a GIANT mistake.
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for extra silliness, try a "giant halfling"on for size
They're the worst of the lot! They get into everything, and are constantly trashing the territory of more enlightened races. Plus they keep taking everyone's stuff!
I hear they have some weird name in their own tongue, something like "Hoo-Mon."
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for extra silliness, try a "giant halfling"on for size
Now I can't stop wondering where you guys could go with a "giant gnomes" themed giant... ;)
"GIANT HALFLINGS ARE HUMANS! " - Chuck Heston
Edit: Ninja'd by brreitz... 24 minutes ago?! Must refresh tabs more often before replying
... (Cool Stuff!) ...+
And so when it came to doing Rune Giants, I decided to basically make them giant Samurai.
Which does kind of imply that there's SOME sort of connection or link between Thassilon and Tian Xia. Not really sure what that link is, but it does exist.
Well, they came from Taiga Giants altered with something that may have been taken from or later went towards Tian Xia ... After all, Runes and many types of Asian Fonts share a lot.
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Well, they came from Taiga Giants altered with something that may have been taken from or later went towards Tian Xia ... After all, Runes and many types of Asian Fonts share a lot.... (Cool Stuff!) ...+
And so when it came to doing Rune Giants, I decided to basically make them giant Samurai.
Which does kind of imply that there's SOME sort of connection or link between Thassilon and Tian Xia. Not really sure what that link is, but it does exist.
If you go for an Ainu vibe for the Taiga giants, maybe they could have originated in northern Tien Xia and pretty mcuh roamed all over the Crown way back before the Age of Darkness? They get discovered by Thassilon, Rune Giants are made, and some of the Runes make their way back to their original homeland?
Maybe a two-way cultural exchange was possible?
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I'm not near my Giants Revisited or Lost Empires books, but has any possible link between certain Tien cultures and the armor aesthetics of Rune Giants and certain Thassilonian architectural styles(Xin-Shalast in particular) been touched on any further? I'm pretty sure nothing was said on the matter in Lost Empires, but it's been a while.
There's at least one Shattered Star player in an upcoming campaign that's interested in investigating those parallel designs. :)
Bump-dot.
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It bears mentioning here that the founding human population of Tian Xia are believed to be the miraculously reincarnated Earthfall-slain of Azlant and Thassilon...
I kind of always interpreted that line as unreliable information...after all, OF COURSE people from Avistan would want to connect Tians with Azlant/Thassilon. Just like some people have connected Native Americans with Atlantis/lost tribe of Israel/etc.
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I like how that possible reincarnation connection in the past is kept nice and blurry for extra maybe and mythicnessness. :)
Re: Shadow Giants, maybe we'll be seeing more info when Arcadia gets explored further? Though the remifications of the Shadow Plane(and likely ZK) having any foothold there will probably tend towards chilling.
...
Holy hell...
Zon-Kuthon and Xipe Totec!
Who knows, maybe the shadow giants have something in common with Tezcatlipoca.
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{. . .}
BONUS CHATTER: My theory on giants is that they're basically giant stereotypes; that's what makes them kind of interesting.Hill giants = giant hillbillies
Stone giants = giant cave men
Frost Giants = giant Vikings
Fire Giants = giant dwarves
Cloud Giants = giant Greeks
Storm Giants = giant Romans
Marsh Giants = giant Innsmouth folk
Taiga Giants = giant shamans
Wood Giants = giant elves
{. . .}
Suddenly I just realized: You know what's missing? Giant Geeks.
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Suddenly I just realized: You know what's missing? Giant Geeks.
Titans. The thanatotic versions have given in to nerd-rage...
{. . .}
BONUS CHATTER: My theory on giants is that they're basically giant stereotypes; that's what makes them kind of interesting.Hill giants = giant hillbillies
Stone giants = giant cave men
Frost Giants = giant Vikings
Fire Giants = giant dwarves
Cloud Giants = giant Greeks
Storm Giants = giant Romans
Marsh Giants = giant Innsmouth folk
Taiga Giants = giant shamans
Wood Giants = giant elves
{. . .}Suddenly I just realized: You know what's missing? Giant Geeks.
In the 3.5 Monster Manual 3 there are eldritch giants (which are really smart and have a lot of innate magic ability) You could convert those