The Age old Jotun

We know the Jotun as large, rock-tossing, probably drooling, and very simple minded giants, yes, they’re violent, no they’re not the brightest race in Tyria, but it was not always so. The Jotun of old were a magnificent race that survived the last dragon cycle, and had immensely powerful artifacts and magic. A Jotun is typically seen as a tall, two-legged behemoth, with a pale or slightly blue-tinted skin, often with tattoo-like markings on it, they’re easily taller than a Norn, and often considered dumber than a Grawl.

The Jotun of Ages past:

The ancient society of Jotun lived in a time they call “The Age of Giants” These Jotun were powerful warriors, keen historians and possessed great magic that raised monuments to themselves on the tallest of mountains. Their leaders (the giant-kings) were their strongest and wisest Jotun, as skilled in combat as they were in magic and lore.

it was during this time that the jotun defeated all who threatened their control over the mountains, but they simply could not live without war. Convinced that they were the greatest race, they became obsessed with their blood lines, their heroes, warlords, and giant-kings. Family and fame became the first and most important things to look for in a potential mate. This eventually meant the lesser Jotun tribes would die out, and the strong lived on.
Eventually, there was nothing left to fight for supremacy over the mountains, and these superior Jotun who could not adjust to peace turned on each other, each seeking to become the one true Giant-King. Families killed one another, until the tribes broke out into a destructive civil war for power.

These ancient jotun were able to use magic powerful enough to create enchanted monuments in the Shiverpeak Mountains. Unfortunately, during their eternal civil war, the jotun have forgotten all knowledge and understanding of magic. Their sages have been butchered and their lore-keepers and story tellers were wiped out before they had the chance to teach young jotun their ways of magic and tales of old. All that’s left of their former power are a few old runes and monuments on deserted mountains.

These Jotun have discovered much of the Dragons, as they were around the last time the Elder Dragons woke and roamed Tyria other surviving races were the dwarves, forgotten, mursaat, and seers. Most of their findings were written in the Jotun Stelae, which along with the Dwarf’s Tome of Rubicon are the oldest records kept about history among other things involving Tyria. In the Stelae they wrote many things including a possible connection between the Stars and the rise of Elder Dragons, and a time known as the Age of Giants where the Jotun, Norn, and other giant races oversaw the evolution of Tyria, whether this is true or just a Jotun myth is unknown.

Current Jotun Society

Most jotun have no recollection, or even a clue of what their past was like, the only Jotun known to actually care of such history is Thruln the Lost.
Today’s Jotun settle in with tribes, usually brought together by blood, they no longer have Giant-Kings, but the physically strongest in the tribe is usually regarded as leader, for if they weren’t strongest, they would be killed and replaced by their murderer.
aside from protecting their young, and women to ensure the tribes live on, these jotun have no laws or honour by which they live, thus killing enemies using any means necessary or breaking treaties is no big deal to them.