Forest Giant

Overview

Living deep within Forest Heart in isolation even from others of their own kind, the Forest Giants are a towering race of intelligent humanoid tree-creatures known as much for their reclusiveness as their immense size. Such is their aversion to the outside world that over the course of their lengthy history they have left the confines of their wooded homes for only two reasons. The first time occurred after being forced out by the deforestation of the Trow, and the second was at the behest of the nations of the Light, who pleaded with them to aid against Balor and his Fallen Lords. With most outsiders having had little or no exposure to their kind, even some basic particulars of Forest Giant society are unknown, such their means of reproduction and their exact number (though it is assumed that their numbers are few). Despite having little direct interaction with the world outside their borders, Forest Giants usually seem to be fairly well-versed in the goings on in the world at large, which suggests that they might be able to gather knowledge indirectly through plant or animal life.

While Forest Giants do not betray many of their beliefs, for the most part they appear to be luddites, as they do not think highly of most technological advancements in the world of Myth. This has led them to harbor a passing dislike of the Dwarves, who are particularly fond of invention, however the root of their technological antipathy most likely stems from the Trow, whose zealous devotion to iron working was directly responsible for the Forest Giants exodus from the northern lands. Mining deep into the earth for more iron and cutting down countless trees to fuel their forges, the Trow's crimes against nature were so grave that even after disavowing iron the Forest Giants have not forgiven them. This ongoing enmity was at least partially responsible for their agreement to aid the Legion during the Great War, as Balor's decision to recruit the once-imprisoned Trow could not have pleased them.

Role in the Series

As far as their function in Myth: The Fallen Lords, Forest Giants are the Light's most powerful melee units. They are Trow analogues in terms of hit points, speed, attack damage, and even their propensity to turn to stone (or some stone-like equivalent) when severely injured. This means that they are able to kill almost any other unit in a single blow, though they are highly susceptible to swarming by faster units. The one feature that distinguishes them from the Trow is their mobility. Being more attuned to the earth, Forest Giants can scale steep inclines that cannot be traversed Trow. Along with Myrmidon, Forest Giants are one of only two units that does not return in Myth II. While this can be explained from a narrative standpoint by their tendency to remain in seclusion, in gameplay terms the cut was most likely due to their extreme similarity to the Trow.