Verbeeg

Verbeegs (NaN undefineds NaN undefineds) were giant-kin and were also sometimes known as human behemoths because they resembled humans more than any other giant race.

Description
Verbeegs greatly resembled humans, but had gangly limbs and elongated faces.

Personality
Verbeegs were usually evil creatures without an ethical compass. They used their extreme cunning to their advantage where possible.

Being conniving, these giants still possessed a certain sense of honor. They often followed their own rules: never give a sucker a break, and always keep your word. Verbeegs often worded their promises and turns of phrase so they were able to get out of pledging things they did not want to follow up on.

Combat
Verbeegs were known to craft their own armor and weaponry, with thrown spears being preferred above all else. With many being accomplished spear-fighters. Those with minions were known to send them into battle first, softening up their adversaries before joining the fray themselves.

They used their cunning intelligence to mislead their prey by playing on their expectations—mimicking in their actions and speech both ogres and hill giants. When the victims of deception assumed perceived superiority or thinking the verbeeg outwitted, the giants turned the tables on them. They often manipulated the prey's honor, fairness, and justice using them against the victims.

History
The verbeeg race was created when Othea, wife of the giant deity Annam All-Father, had an affair with Ulutiu. Like all the giant-kin races, they were never granted a portion land by Annam from which to found their own "dynasty" inside the kingdom of Ostoria. They were initially welcomed by their fellow giants and learned their ways, but once their true parentage had been discovered by Annam he cast them out. They became excluded from the societies of true giants, despite Othea's best efforts to protect them. The verbeegs did not take this lying down, endeavoring to build their own works of art and cities, but the true giants allow them no place within their borders. This was especially the case with the storm giants and titans.

As centuries passed verbeegs became more savage and vicious, until they were barely recognizable from what they once were.

Later, a band of verbeegs in the Ice Spires launched raids on the frost giants and managed to gather aid from the fomorians and voadkyn in the area, which was notable because the giant-kin did not often interact with other giant-kin races.

Karontor sent his avatar into all the verbeeg tribes many years before the mid–14th century DR and, without revealing his true identity, recruited many scouts to keep him informed of the events occurring around Faerûn, as well as collecting artifacts for his unknown ends.

Society
The treacherous nature of verbeegs made such treachery the primary skill where the ordning was concerned. To advance in ranks, a verbeeg had to discredit or defeat a superior, by violence or any other means.

Verbeegs had no concept of ownership and believed that everything was owned by everyone, so they took whatever they wanted without pause to think about it.

Lycanthropy
Due to their close resemblance to humans, the verbeeg were known to be highly susceptible to all forms of lycanthropy. Though somehow they were immune to being afflicted with the wereraven form of the condition.

Compared to the other giant races, verbeegs were known to be the most violent when it came to one of their own contracting lycanthropy. As they would actively hunt down and kill any member of their tribe that became afflicted with the condition.

Homelands
Verbeeg preferred to dwell in forlorn places. Because of this, they often shared the same territory as hill giants and ogres.

Some were known to be found in the temperate mountains of Cormyr as well as the forlorn Icewind Dale.

Religion
Verbeeg primarily worshiped the god Karontor, considering him their patron deity. Though they did not worship him out of any sense of true faith, but rather out of hopes that he could bring them into the ordning. Even the priests of Karontor were likely to abandon him if a better option came to them.

Some verbeeg, called Longstriders, worshiped various nature deities and were in turn blessed with magical spellcasting.

Relationships
It was not unusual for verbeegs to bully the giants of lower intellect, like hill giants and ogres, becoming leaders of gangs of them.

Verbeegs enjoyed the company of mammalian beasts, often letting wild ones such as bears and wolves take up residence in their lairs. They were also known to catch and keep domesticated animals for food and trade, such as cattle, goats, horses, and sheep.

Some verbeeg were known to act as servants of the deity Mask.

Notable Verbeegs

 * Basil of Lyndusfarne
 * Logroller, a male verbeeg who worked as a foreman at the Mooney & Sons Circus.

Appearances

 * Adventures:
 * Dungeon #29: "Nymph's Reward" • The Sword of the Dales • Dungeon #149, "Twisted Night" • Legacy of the Crystal Shard • Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
 * Novels:
 * The Crystal Shard • The Ogre's Pact • The Giant Among Us • The Titan of Twilight • The Silent Blade
 * Video games:
 * Menzoberranzan • Icewind Dale • Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms • Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance
 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
 * The Great Knucklehead Rally