Ettin

Ettins, commonly called two-headed giants, were the conjoined twins of the giants, degenerate brutes whose names translated to "ugly giant" in ancient Common and "runt" in Jotun. They bridged the gap between true giants and giant-kin, only being classifiable as the former by virtue of relation to Annam and Othea, but with no terrain granted to them by the All-Father.

Description
At first glance, ettins seemed like relatively short members of other giant races, about tall, two-headed hill or stone giants, but upon closer examination even hill giants seemed civilized compared to them. They were hulking creatures with exceptionally broad shoulders, long arms, and great weight, reports of their heaviness ranging from around to exceeding, although either way the earth shook when they ran. Strangely, they were slightly lop-sided, the right side being slightly more muscular and well-developed than the left, although not enough to detract from their barbaric image.

In regards to their savage aspect, one of their most notable traits was their skin; if given a choice, ettins never bathed, and so their already thick skin was crusted over with a thick layer of dirty grime, giving them a horrid stench and a gray-dark brown complexion. Underneath the filth, ettins had skin tone ranging from pink to brownish, with yellow-tinged hands and feet marked with callouses.

Even ignoring their unwillingness to clean themselves, ettins had no concern for their appearance and lacked any kind of grooming habits, even negative ones. Atop their ugly heads was a hanging, unkempt mess of long, stringy hair, and inside their large, reeking mouths were crooked, yellow, and all too often rotten teeth. Notably, ettins had crude, orc-like traits in the form of a large, watery eyes, porcine snouts, and shovel jaws with lower canine teeth that protruded out like boar tusks, tusks that, for all their easiness to reach, were as revoltingly rotten as the rest of their teeth.

This uncleanliness extended to their sense of dress, or lack thereof; ettins wore animal skins that were uncured, unwashed, scraggly, and that were typically decaying and being eaten by moths. The only reason they wore them was as a kind of mobile blanket, giving them something soft and warm to sleep in, and the ugly sleeping-furs normally didn't include sleeves or any unnecessary parts so as not to impede them in physically demanding tasks. This wasn't to say that the idea of accessories was completely beyond them, with some keeping things like severed heads as accessories and females being known to wear jewelry as a status symbol.

Generally males were taller and heavier than females, but females, as well as having longer hair, were often fuller-bodied than the relatively gaunt and wiry males.

Personality
Aggressive, ferocious and unpredictable, ettins were a brutish race that loved and admired power. They were natural bullies that oppressed those incapable of defending themselves, victimizing the weak through straightforward pain and intimidation. It was possible that they held a traditionally "muscle-brained" view of the world, perceiving mental prowess and good looks as inferior to raw size and strength. Despite their two heads, or perhaps as a result of their two heads, ettins were generally stupid, their two weak brains doing little to enhance their overall intelligence.

With that in mind, trying to take advantage of an ettins feeble mind was risky; if either head of an ettin were to see through an illusion for example, they would not stand slack-jawed and bewildered by the event but immediately and angrily conclude they were being tricked and seek out the one trying to deceive them. It would also be a bad idea to assume all ettins were equally dim-witted, as the lowest of them were more akin to wild animals while the smartest members of their kind have been known to surpass the average human. Ettins also weren't universally mean and destructive, the circumstances of their lives playing an important role in shaping their instinctual savagery. Some ettins were known to be curious, imaginative, humorous, and even kind, with friendly, or at the very least non-aggressive behavior, being more likely among those with comfortable lives and an ample food supply.

Ettins had a concept of value, keeping things like corpses as trophies and collecting gems, coins and art objects to ogle at. They also knew the basic principles of trade, though they were suspicious of all beings, including each other, and might bargain with potential prey if more could be obtained by doing so, such as something to ensure their safety or the obtainment of more food. Generally ettins only bargained to get as much of what they wanted with the least possible risk, unbound by their deals and willing to abruptly stop discussion if it proved frustrating or annoying. Despite their wariness and greed, ettins understood gratitude and had been known to take substantial risks for those who managed to earn their trust, those willing to risk their lives to help them for example.

Two Heads
It was commonly known that each head of an ettin was a distinct individual, each with their own identity, personality, memories, preferences and quirks. The iconic image of the two-headed monster arguing with itself that was commonly seen in folk tales and ballads however, was of suspect accuracy. On one hand, some reports found that ettins were discouraged from seriously fighting with each other. The right side of an ettin was always the strongest one meaning that the right side would always be the dominant of the relationship while the left would always be the submissive. Besides that, an ettin that lost one of its heads, assuming it survived, would be at a severe disadvantage, at least for a long period of time, so for the sake of mutual survival the two had to generally cooperate.

While ettins did seem to bicker, they did so less as two hated foes and more as brattish brothers and sisters being forced to perpetually share. Serious dispute was rare in times of combat, because like selfish and squabbling siblings they were able to put aside their feuding to perform mutually beneficial actions. When this was not the case, they took constant offense towards each other and fought to assert themselves in their never-ending sibling rivalry. Part of this contempt for one another seemed to be a result of familiarity, as the two were conjoined from birth and so could only rarely appreciate privacy and solitude when the other was asleep.

Combat
Typically, an ettin fought with two weapons, such as a morningstar and javelin. Each head was capable of independent thought and could each control one arm for attacking.

Biology
If an ettin were to survive the loss of one of its heads, it would of course lose the advantages of having two, and would be considered deformed by other ettins, but it would otherwise be able to live a normal life.

Lycanthropy
Ettins were known to be suspectible to wolf, rat, and boar forms of lycanthropy. When transformed into the intermediate "hybrid form" both of an ettin's heads were retained and transformed into the associated beast, though there was a 10% chance that only one of the two heads would be affected. And unlike other giants afflicted with lycanthropy, ettins were incapable of transforming into a full animal form and scholars speculated that this was due to their having two heads.

Society
Ettins liked to make their homes in caves and underground settings. They did not generally seek out or care for the opinions of other ettins.

When choosing a mate, female ettins were known to subdue men as a show of dominance.

Notable Ettins

 * Bokk-Nokkin and Krung-Jung, two ettins who worked for the Xanathar Guild on the Dungeon Level of Undermountain.
 * Jibber-Jabber, an ettin living in the Twisted Caverns of Undermountain.
 * Oinker-Boinker, an ettin who managed a pigpen in the hill giant steading of Grudd Haug.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Shadowdale: The Scouring of the Land &bull; Storm King's Thunder &bull; Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
 * Computer Games
 * Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse &bull; Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear &bull; Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition &bull; Curse of the Azure Bonds &bull; Dungeon Hack &bull; Gateway to the Savage Frontier &bull; Icewind Dale &bull; Pool of Radiance &bull; Pools of Darkness &bull; Secret of the Silver Blades &bull; Treasures of the Savage Frontier
 * Novels
 * The Paladins


 * The Titan of Twilight