Voadkyn (sing & pl), otherwise known as wood giants, were a race of giant-kin who shunned contact with other giants and lived in temperate and warm forests.[1]
Description
Voadkyn heads were comparatively larger than the rest of their body, with prominent jaws and chins, and their bodies lacked any form of hair. Though overall their appearance was seen as similar to that of a wood elf.[3]
Voadkyn were generally known to wear either leather armor or ring mail alongside a kilt or pair of loose-fitting trousers.[3]
Personality
Voadkyn were said to dislike jovial behavior, preferring instead to brood in silence.[4] Others said that they were fun-loving creatures with a rather flighty and frivolous nature. Many were noted as having a fondness for finely cut gems and magic items of quality craftsmanship.[3]
Much like firbolgs, voadkyn were often known to be benevolent creatures.[5]
Abilities
They had the ability to magically disguise themselves as a generic specimen of any humanoid creature 3‒15 ft (0.91‒4.6 m) in height.[1] And though it was a rare occurrence, some voadkyn were known to possess druidic powers.[3]
Biology
Lycanthropy
Voadkyn were known to be highly susceptible to all forms of lycanthropy and were one of only two giant races in which "true" lycanthropes were known to exist. These true lycanthopes were a form of werebat that the voadkyn referred to as shadkyn and a great enmity existed between them and their non-afflicted brethren.[6]
History
There was some dispute as to whether the voadkyn race was created when Othea, wife of the giant deity Annam All-Father, had an affair with Ulutiu, or whether the race was the product of Annam. A giant stormazîn apparently once proved that Dunmore was Ulutiu's child and that Othea tricked Annam into believing that he was his own so that Dunmore could spy on Annam and his children, meaning that the voadkyn were giant-kin and not "true giants", but the voadkyn preferred to believe the opposite.[7][4] They decided that because Annam had not given the forests of Ostoria to any of his sons, they would take it as their own domain, after which they cut off most relations with giants and giant-kin.[4]
In −1932 DR, the entire population of the Netherese enclave of Jockteleg were turned into voadkyn by a failed experiment by the city's founder, Quantoul.[8]
Rumors & Legends
In the Ice Spires there were stories that there were huge voadkyn mazes in the Forgotten Forest that contained treasures at their centers.[9] And around 1366 DR,[note 1] it was rumored that a large number of voadkyn were living deep within the Cold Wood alongside treants and wood elves.[4]
Society
Due to their shunning of other giants, the voadkyn were the only race among them that had no expertise in the art of runecasting.[10]
Homelands
Much like the wood elves, the voadkyn respected their forest environment and took it upon themselves to tend to it, creating vast landscaped gardens and large labyrinths.[11]
In interior Faerûn, they inhabited the forest of Chondalwood,[12] primarily in its southern reaches. These voadkyn were allied with the centaurs and satyrs that lived in the forest in an effort to keep out humans. In the 14th century DR, these voadkyn only had the village of Elbulder to contend with.[13]
In the Unapproachable East, some could be found within the forests of Rashemen.[14]
Beyond Toril, this race of giants was also known to occur on the planet of Oerth.[15]
Religions
Voadkyn primarily worshiped the goddess Hiatea.[16] Some were known to worship Rillifane Rallathil[17] and serve him as druids.[18]
Relationships
Voadkyn generally did not associate with other giant races. They believed themselves to be their superiors and that they were unfairly placed near to the bottom of the ordning in terms of racial status.[11]
Compared to other giant races, the voadkyn had good relations with elves, often co-existing with wood elves and occasionally living within their lairs.[3] But beyond elves and the occasional treant, voadkyn were not known for socializing with other intelligent races.[3]
They sometimes acted as servants of the deities Rillifane Rallathil, Solonor Thelandira, and Baervan Wildwanderer.[19] Some wood giants were also known to operate in the Harpers.[20]
Notable Voadkyn
- Fargoren Thundermist
- Ombidias, a voadkyn that lived in the city of Sigil.[21]
Appendix
Notes
- ↑ The year is deduced from the "Presenting . . . Seven Millennia of Realms Fiction" article from Wizards of the Coast and the fact that Giantcraft describes its setting as taking place immediately before the events of the The Twilight Giants trilogy.
Further Reading
- Hopkins, Benedetti, Collins, Lent, Hankins, DeForest, Greenwood, Bowman, Offutt, Wlodarski (March 1987). “The Dragon's Bestiary: A walk through the woods”. Dragon #119 (TSR, Inc.), p. 52.
Appearances
- Adventures
- The Sword of the Dales
- Card Games
- AD&D Trading Cards
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 148. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
- ↑ Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 19. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Bill Slavicsek (1993). The Complete Book of Humanoids. (TSR, Inc), p. 30. ISBN 1-5607-6611-5.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 37. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
- ↑ Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 14. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
- ↑ Brian P. Hudson (December 1999). “The Dragon's Bestiary: Giant Lycanthropes”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon #266 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 76–80.
- ↑ Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 9–10. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
- ↑ slade, Jim Butler (October 1996). “The Winds of Netheril”. In Jim Butler ed. Netheril: Empire of Magic (TSR, Inc.), p. 78. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
- ↑ Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 38. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
- ↑ Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 59. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 37–38. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
- ↑ Jim Butler (1996). The Vilhon Reach (Player's Guide). (TSR, Inc), p. 32. ISBN 0-7869-0400-3.
- ↑ Jim Butler (1996). The Vilhon Reach (Dungeon Master's Guide). (TSR, Inc), p. 64. ISBN 0-7869-0400-3.
- ↑ Rashemen Encounters Charts included in Anthony Pryor (June 1995). Spellbound. Edited by Michele Carter, Doug Stewart. (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 978-0786901395.
- ↑ Grant Boucher, William W. Connors, Steve Gilbert, Bruce Nesmith, Christopher Mortika, Skip Williams (April 1990). Monstrous Compendium Greyhawk Adventures Appendix. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 25. ISBN 0-88038-836-6.
- ↑ Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 49. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
- ↑ Carl Sargent (March 1993). “The Elven Pantheon-Completed!”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Dragon #191 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 22–24.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 124. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 122, 133, 138. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
- ↑ John Terra (February 1996). Warriors and Priests of the Realms. Edited by Steven E. Schend. (TSR, Inc), p. 12. ISBN 0-7869-0368-6.
- ↑ Tim Beach, Dori Jean Hein, J.M. Salsbury (June 1995). The Factol's Manifesto. Edited by Ray Vallese, Sue Weinlein. (TSR, Inc.), p. 23. ISBN 0786901411.
Connections
Cloud • Ettin • Fire (Fire titan ) • Fog • Frost • Hill (Earth titan • Mouth of Grolantor) • Mountain • Stone • Storm • Titan
True Giant Offshoots
Ash • Craa'ghoran • Maur • Phaerlin
Giant-Kin
Cyclops (Cyclopskin) • Firbolg • Fomorian • Ogre (Oni) • Verbeeg • Voadkyn
Zakharan Giants
Desert • Island • Jungle • Ogre giant • Reef
Other Giants
Abyssal • Eldritch • Fensir • Death • Sand
Goliath • Troll (Fell • Giant troll)