Article for QtR 27: Project Jotun: The Giants of Falkovnia

[KingCorn]

The article itself is about Karl Esslinger, a lamordian immigrant to Falkovnia who has made a name for himself in the ministry of science with Project Jotun: an attempt to create giant soldier that could shrug off even cannon fire. Studying the size-changing properties of lycanthropy under Vjorn Horstman, he would eventually create the Jotun Serum, which could cause permanent growth in any creature injected.
However, the serum has several flaws. First, the now dire-creature becomes sterile in most cases, as well as feral (turns AL to CE). In humans, the results are even worse, as while they do indeed growth to giant proportion and are able to withstand the mightiest blows, they also suffer mental defects and are no longer able to take complicated orders.
Esslinger has only been able to save his neck by successively breading a species of giant falcons from his serum, the Vedrfolnir, gifting the largest he could bred to Drakov as a gift.
The article would include stats for Karl, the Jotun, the Vedrfolnir, as well as Drakov's new pet: Sargonnas. It would also include info about the Jotun Serum itself.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Sounds great so far! Just on the right side of the line of fantastical vs. realistic for Falkovnian mad science, IMHO.

[ewancummins]

Ah, Sargonnas.

Nice to see a Dragonlance reference in Vlad Drakov material.


The giants sound cool. Hill giant stats might work just fine.

[KingCorn]

One problem I have for Jotun is how big I want them to be. Large seems reasonable to explain for a growth serum, but a bit too small. Huge like the size of actual giants in DnD seems almost too large, as I want the Jotun to very clearly be artificial giants.
As for the serum itself, I figure it just gives any animal injected with it the Dire-Animal template and regenerates its HP.

Ah, Sargonnas.

Nice to see a Dragonlance reference in Vlad Drakov material.

Yeah, I felt he needed a bit of a reference to his homeland. I also wanted him to have a giant bird to compare to how Azalin "has" Ebb. The main difference being Ebb is an equal and a true dragon, while Sargonnas is nothing but a caged pet made from perverted science.

[ewancummins]

Ogre stats might would work if they are not so huge.

I do agree that Huge seems a bit big for a serum.
The Hulk (Marvel) would be Large, at least in most depictions.

Hill giants hurl boulders, though, which might be a nasty surprise for enemy soldiers.

'Cannon' with legs. Does your Drakov eschew powder?

[The Lesser Evil]

Huge sized giant soldiers might have to rely upon metal struts or other support structures, possibly bolted in frankenstein style. For that matter, a single treatment method might not produce the effect, but a combination of unnatural/unholy measures, like horrible stretching out in an effort to cause a Lamarkian transformation. The transformation could also be unstable, only lasting for a short time before degrading to ineffectivense or a lesser stage, not to mention causing heavy physical and chemical wear and tear. So perhaps Huge size, but only for a short time and with heavy side effects.

Research of course could be ongoing to improve the formula/treatments. That could come with all the nastiness you would expect from supersoldier research.

[ewancummins]

I like that imagery. Struts bolted on sounds great.

[ewancummins]

Consider logistics and rations.

What are these giants eating? Impaled victims? Horses? Cauldron loads of stew made from offal, bonemeal, blood, and growth serum?

Fee

Fie

Foe

Fum

[KingCorn]

Huge sized giant soldiers might have to rely upon metal struts or other support structures, possibly bolted in frankenstein style. For that matter, a single treatment method might not produce the effect, but a combination of unnatural/unholy measures, like horrible stretching out in an effort to cause a Lamarkian transformation. The transformation could also be unstable, only lasting for a short time before degrading to ineffectivense or a lesser stage, not to mention causing heavy physical and chemical wear and tear. So perhaps Huge size, but only for a short time and with heavy side effects.

Research of course could be ongoing to improve the formula/treatments. That could come with all the nastiness you would expect from supersoldier research.

That would be more in flavor for Falkovnian mad science, so I'll add that in order for it to properly work on humans without outright killing or mangling them, they also need a series of surgeries before and after the treatment.
The Jotun themselves just eat alot, though it isn't uncommon to just feed them chopped up prisoners, as most of them don't care and can't tell the difference. In a way, they're almost pitiable as they become almost child-like and are clearly in pain. Then you see one in armor looking like a tank on legs, and realize maybe these things are terrifying.
I'm still keeping the Jotun Serum, which has much better success rate on animals than humans, and the giant falcons.
Really just having the giant falcons is a boon for Falkovnia, cause if you can ride those things you now have the beginning of an Air-Corp. And Drakov just adores his new pet.

[The Lesser Evil]

That would be more in flavor for Falkovnian mad science, so I'll add that in order for it to properly work on humans without outright killing or mangling them, they also need a series of surgeries before and after the treatment.
The Jotun themselves just eat alot, though it isn't uncommon to just feed them chopped up prisoners, as most of them don't care and can't tell the difference. In a way, they're almost pitiable as they become almost child-like and are clearly in pain. Then you see one in armor looking like a tank on legs, and realize maybe these things are terrifying.
I'm still keeping the Jotun Serum, which has much better success rate on animals than humans, and the giant falcons.
Really just having the giant falcons is a boon for Falkovnia, cause if you can ride those things you now have the beginning of an Air-Corp. And Drakov just adores his new pet.

Because of the likely cost of the serum, the costs of maintaining altered specimens (including potential loss of life from handlers and other personnel), and the time required for training of bost beast and rider, establishing and maintaining a a corp of falcon or other beast riding soldiers probably lends itself more to a force of elite warriors more than any group of lesser men more populous in number. But the smaller corps of elite warriors fits Falkovnian flavor pretty well.

A plot thread with the Air Corps or other Jotun-blooded projects could be a race against time to stop the Falkovnians before they systematize the process and put into more widespread use

[KingCorn]

Because of the likely cost of the serum, the costs of maintaining altered specimens (including potential loss of life from handlers and other personnel), and the time required for training of bost beast and rider, establishing and maintaining a a corp of falcon or other beast riding soldiers probably lends itself more to a force of elite warriors more than any group of lesser men more populous in number. But the smaller corps of elite warriors fits Falkovnian flavor pretty well.

A plot thread with the Air Corps or other Jotun-blooded projects could be a race against time to stop the Falkovnians before they systematize the process and put into more widespread use

Yeah, I'm aiming for the process to be costly but still have promise. The grown creatures are as uncontrolible as any dire-animal. And the Jotun have their talon braclet surgically attached just so they can take orders.
Sargonnas is perhaps the most terrifying, as while Drakov thinks he controls the beast through loyalty and charisma, it in-fact has also has a talon-mind-thing surgically inserted into it. In reality, it hates Drakov and wants to eat him. Drakov keeps it mostly cooped up in the throne room as a sort of trophy, occasionally feeding it prisoners instead of having them impaled. And considering a little bit of vulture got into the mix, it now spits acid.

[Mischief]

If you are looking for canned large bird statblocks, Pathfinder's Impaler Shrike is the perfect fit for a Falkovnian operation. I was going to restat it for 5e myself.

The shrike is based on an entirely adorable real bird, if you ignore the whole stabbing prey on thorns bit.

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Post-Edit: feeding omnivorous giant people chopped up prisoners is hardly calorie economical - smart evil dictator logic would know you get more value out of those prisoners as slave labor or expendable soldiers than as meat. It would be far more realistic for Falkovian leadership to divert an unsustainable amount of grain to the program and starve the peasants.
Also, I sort of hate how everything in Ravenloft is on the Soylent Green diet by default. You lose the impact and the spice of variety when everything is a consumer or predator of man. And that doesn't even take into account the effects on population.

[KingCorn]

Semi-related question: Does the land of mists use typical months, like January-December? Cause I'm planning to write the article in the style of a Talon giving journal entries and inbetween would put the actual stats for the Jotun, Carl Esslinger, and Sargonnas.

[Mistmaster]

My land of mists has regular months.

[Mischief]

Semi-related question: Does the land of mists use typical months, like January-December? Cause I'm planning to write the article in the style of a Talon giving journal entries and inbetween would put the actual stats for the Jotun, Carl Esslinger, and Sargonnas.

A quick check of the Gazetteers suggest proper month and day names were avoided. The seasons and length of the year appear to be the same as Earth, at least in the core, and "weeks" are still natural divisors. If you want to get fancy, you can use a Krynn Calendar.