Maur

Maurs, also called hunched giants, were a breed of giant that had devolved from their storm giant ancestors after being forced to live underground for eons.

Description
Maurs were almost always stooped over, standing at around ten feet (three meters) tall. However, when given adequate space maurs could temporarily unfurl their bodies to a height of up to twenty feet (over six meters). Their legs were digitigrade, with backwards facing knees like those of a canine, and their knuckles scraped the ground when they walked. Maurs had albino white skin and hair, with deep black eyes that were twice as large as those of most creatures of comparable size. They usually wore short shirts and skirts made of plate mail crafted from stone, but preferred to go barefoot. Circlets and amulets of polished stone were common decorative accessories, as well as scarified glyphs on their skin. They carried many of their possessions with them at all times in a shoulder sack.

Abilities
Due to being forced to live underground, maurs were uniformly hunchback and could not stand up straight for more than a cumulative minute each day. While incredibly painful and causing all their joints to pop, unfurling greatly increased their strength, constitution, and morale.

Additionally, a maur could let loose a shriek while within stone tunnels or buildings that could damage their enemies as well stunning and deafening them. They also had innate magic that allowed them to meld into stone, move earth, and climb walls like a spider.

History
In the ancient past, maurs were a group of outcast storm giants who were forced to live underground after committing a crime, the nature of which was forgotten long ago.

Society
The majority of maurs lived in the enclave they were originally imprisoned in. They were not commonly encountered anywhere else, and there were not many of them to be found. Tribes generally numbered between twenty five and forty, with the majority being warriors guarding noncombatants and elders. Their main settlement was almost constantly under attack by illithid, who loved to devour the massive brains of the giants. When not defending their homes, maurs spent most of their time gathering food in a desperate struggle for survival. A maur found outside of the enclave had likely been enslaved or drawn into the service of a greater power. However, all maurs desire freedom above all else, both in the sense of temporary situations and their overall imprisonment in the Underdark. They would actively work to free themselves at all times.

Despite their animalistic appearance, maurs still remembered their storm giant heritage and strain to hold onto the high culture of their ancestors. While many of the objects they made were primitive, they were well-crafted and maintained with care. Unlike many other creatures in the Middledark, they did not take slaves and were rarely aggressive without reason. While they were intimidating as any giant and could be as cruel as their fomorian kin, for the most part they wanted nothing but to be left alone by outsiders.

Larger groups of maurs were known to tame dire cave bears.