The Tgrea (pronounced tg-RAY-ah) are giants who live in temperate coastal regions within the Monumon. Peaceful transhumants, they live somewhat solitary lives while tending to their herds of udu.
Appearance
Adult Tgrea giants stand nearly 25 feet tall on average, though their characteristic stooped postures they adopt as they age somewhat diminishes their height. They have ashen-grey skin, like the Xuldorai, but unlike their kin in the Aban Steppe do not culturally engage in any in scarification, tattooing, or other body ornamentation. Tgrea possess a great deal of hair, which most diligently groom and keep short.
Location
Nearly all Tgrea live in the Monumon, in the narrow stretch along the ocean where trees and more lush foliage grows before the land turns to colder steppe to the north. They rarely leave this region, though some can occasionally be found in more southerly parts of the Land of the Sun and Moon.
Culture
As the Tgrea tell their history, in the distant past they walked out of the sea, shaped by the turmoil of the waves. Seeking to learn and understand, they danced with the moons before waving farewell to the sister of the Twins, who had no choice but to depart. They then settled into their current peaceful, pastoral life, having tasted enough of adventure for generations.
The giants follow a solar religion, one in which the Singing Sun is the Narrator of Paths, showing them where to walk through its movements across the horizon. While they still respect their sun god while it is high in the sky, only its actions near the termini of its route have significance. Tgrea religious figures are uncommon, an aspect of the giants' general lack of interest in authority or definite answers. Very disparate yet long-cultivated religious practices are held by Tgrea families, taught by parent to child.
Despite their size and strength, Tgrea are nearly universally pacifists, even amongst the surrounding often hostile tribes of the Monumon. One of the few acts that will spur them to violence, but only as much as is needed, are threats towards their udu, sheep-like creatures they tend to in small herds. Udu, who have blindingly white wool and the ability to quickly regenerate from injuries that would kill other animals, live nearly as long as the giants themselves, who are very proud and protective of the creatures. No udu are known to exist in the wild - any wild populations have long ago died out, with those kept by the Tgrea the only remaining.
Tgrea traditionally travel in small nuclear family groups, and it is rare to see more than five in any one place. Solar festivals and remembrances of those who have died are the only reasons they may convene in greater numbers, though times of crisis can bring them together as well.
They are master artisans, having immense time in which to practice their chosen crafts, which are typically those that can be done individually and on the move, such as woodcarving or weaving.
Each Tgrea giant possesses two names yet only ever uses one. The first of their names, their remembrance or lunar name, is one picked for them by their mother, which only the mother and child ever know. The remembrance name is not for speaking or writing, but rather kept as a form of connection with their family even in adulthood when they may be hundreds of miles apart. The Tgrea solar name, chosen by each giant for themselves and changed as needed or desired, is the one used day to day instead.