Goliaths: Wasting in the Wastes.

• My previous journal mentioned the  Goliaths of Tarnzania, and the origin of their species, i was going through my old nots from my traveling and adventuring days, before I became a Tower Warden and bound to these stones. The notes are sadly incomplete and sparse, I appeared to have misplaced some... In a fire. So here is what I have at the moment, as I find more notes I will of course supply them. Forgive me if these notes seem alien to you, not only am I not 100% sure if the goliaths will survive the oncoming blight, but I am also no expert in their strange language of grunts so, there may be some translation errors. Completely not my fault of course, if the goliath language was meant to be understood by intelligent creatures it wouldn't be the goliath language.
  I believe these are part of my notes concerning goliath culture and a bit of their history in the Goliath Wastes in the frozen north.
  
  
  Selune- The goddess of the moon and the heavens. Once every year in the North, the sun disappears and is replaced by the moon, at which time there is a great festival to honor the moon goddess. In keeping with goliath traditions, the religion propagates nomadic lifestyles, in which the goliaths constantly search for better hunting grounds and new sources of water. Secret tributaries and pools of water high in the mountains are often attributed to Selune’s blessings. Common goliath beliefs say that somewhere in the mountains is a bridge of stone that connects the world to the heavens, which further motivates their inquisitive nature.
  
  
  The Festival of the Moon- A celebration in honor of Selune, during which the Northern Mountains are without sunlight for 7-10 weeks at a time. During this time, the goliaths hold great hunts, and celebrate the mysteries of the moon goddess. During this time, elk are sacred, as Selune is said to take the form of a great silver doe to live among her people.
  
  
  Cultural hatred of duergar, the clan of dark dwarves living in the Underdark. Refer to duergar as the Defilers.
  The Great Civil War- There once was many clans of goliaths, all fighting for control of the Northern Mountains. Some fought over old grievances, some for religious reasons, most for resources, but all fought because their fathers and mothers fought and that was all they knew. Seeking to profit from the mineral rich lands that goliaths inhabited, the duergar employed subterfuge to keep the goliath tribes separated. Constantly pitting one clan against another, or by supplying both sides in secret, the duergar were able to mine in relative peace. Ultimately the duergar hit their prize when they discovered ancestral goliath burial caverns. Using the remains of dead goliaths, the duergar began utilizing dark magics to power their machines of war. When the goliath clans heard of this atrocity, they united under the banner of Skystone and fought against the duergar. The machines and superior arms of the duergar were outmatched by the goliaths’ numbers and fury, and all of their strongholds were reduced to rubble. This is how the tribes united and vowed to their honored dead to never be divided. The nine remaining chieftains who brought the tribes together were interred into the chamber of the dead, and sleep there to this day.
  
  
  When a goliath ages, their lithoderms turn slowly harder, until they become similar to diamond. The last act of these goliaths involves activating their Stoneskin, and becoming their own grave marker. This is the greatest honor of a goliath, and only those who have become cultural heroes can perform this act. It is said that you can look into their crystallized forms and see their heroic deeds reflected in the facets of the diamond.
  
  
  Although nomads in nature, goliaths set up temporary settlements following better hunting grounds and trade routes. These settlements are more numerous in the south, where goliaths habitually trade with the dwarven and human villages. Most of these interactions use bartering, as gold and silver have little real value in the wilderness.
  
  
  In the tundra regions, there exist villages carved from the icebergs on the Great Frozen Sea. These hardy goliaths are largely self-sufficient, hunting the giant beasts lurking below the ice. The homes themselves are comfortable, despite their appearance.