Lonely Star

Giants and Dragons Generator

This is a humble submission to the February 2026 Blog Carnival.

belly

In a previous post I made a random generator for polytheistic deities, the intent of which was to make something which generated self-contradiction and syncretism within a given framework. It quickly occurred to me that this could be used to generate monsters too, and so I made one for the setting of my current game: And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow.

Giants

Giants are huge men-like creatures from long, long ago, who have rustic habits. Most giants anyone will meet are soldierly - which is to say prone to violence, lust, greed, gambling, indolence, and all other sins under the sun - but there are those of pure heart and righteousness. It is assumed they are between 6 and 9 meters, averaging 7 m and a bit, and that they live in small bands.

  1. They are of diminutive size but can grow to be huge
  2. They turn to stone in direct sunlight
  3. They have large noses that can sniff out Christians and eat them
  4. They're bottomless pits with regards to food, always ravenously hungry
  5. They eat exactly once in the entire year, during the solstice, but when they do they depopulate an area
  6. They're disgusting
  7. They are actually massive trees
  8. They're men who are so heinously evil that they become demons in the afterlife and are enlisted by Hell to torture the damned; these have escaped, their skin is an uncommon tone (red, blue, green, etc)
  9. They remember their ancient heritage as once-rulers of this land, before the times of Istrio
  10. They have two heads which always argue
  11. They have huge, sharp fangs and claws, and are covered in shaggy fur
  12. They have a single eye in the middle of their forehead
  13. They turn huge during the full moon
  14. They live in communities, and are around 6 meters tall
  15. They live alone in isolated places, but there are many of them
  16. There is only a single individual of this kind, but it is around 50 m tall
  17. They're massive skeletons made up of the bones of the dead of an ancient battle
  18. They're made out of bronze
  19. They are fabulously wealthy and have some sort of fairytale castle - in the sky, under a mountaintop, etc - and they kidnap folk or demand them as tribute
  20. Roll on the dragon table

All men know, both in Arles and the Empire, that the giants are those minions of the Devil who have escaped his grasp to rampage condottiero-like over the face of the continent and spread their rapine. In the kingdom of Arles, by the grace of God, these colourful men can only do so at the beginning of the month, when the moon shines brightest.

In Gabadona, they have two heads, each with a single eye, and it is said that they were once a mercenary band who all declared for God to "cleave their head in two" if He truly existed. After death, God indulged their wish, and now each carries half of its head in two necks.

All - Huge men of small intellect and rustic habits.

Istrian - They're men who are so heinously evil that they become demons in the afterlife and are enlisted by Hell to torture the damned; these have escaped

Arles - They turn huge during the full moon

Trusca - They have two heads which always argue

Gabadona - They have a single eye in the middle of their forehead

claw

Dragons

All of the things which are huge in stature yet are not man-like. Unlike Giants, dragons are assumed to each be an individual - people who have lost their sense and been reduced to this, the Devil wandering the world to tempt us, or strange beings from beyond the fields we know. If not otherwise stated, assume the dragon to appear as a massive slithering serpent.

  1. It has multiple heads; if one is cut off, two grow in its place
  2. It spews fire
  3. If it holds its breath and blows very hard, it can cause storms
  4. It has wings and can fly
  5. It has a terrible venom it can inflict with its fangs
  6. Its eyes can turn you to stone
  7. It is huge, with a wingspan and length of over 50 m
  8. It has many men-like minions which it sends out into the world to do its bidding
  9. It is the spirit of an important river, or has a palace under the ocean waves, and it loves pearls; it has power over rain
  10. It is a massive bull or bison, its blood can cure any disease, and it loves music
  11. It is a huge bird, the likes of which are not seen in the planet since Eden, and it loves the sun
  12. It is a massive spider, it can outwit even the smartest of men, if sober
  13. It is a huge jaguar, it lusts for human flesh
  14. It is a gigantic elephant who hoards knowledge, written on its skin, and it devours eyes to obtain that knowledge; it loves the moon
  15. It has lived since before the days of Istrio, almost two thousand years ago
  16. It abides by the laws of Chivalry
  17. It is hateful and comes from Hell, it might be a form of the Devil; either way it can only be vanquished by appealing to Christ or a saint
  18. It has an extremely thick shell or scales
  19. It can change its shape
  20. Roll on the Giant table

In Arles and the Empire it is known that misery loves company; those hearts which catch on fire will produce its own moths to accompany it, and so it is with the things people of great feeling are reduced to during days of shaking and distress. Lovestruck fools, the ape-or-parrot-like trolls or goblins from beyond the fields we know, the stupid and the desperate follow them into the wilderness and do their bidding. In the kingdom of Arles, which once was the western half of King Arthur Mawr's realm (or Artumagnor, as he's come to be called in the Empire), the sad spark in men's hearts often shines in the shape of a bird, perhaps as an homage to the standard flown by that disappeared king.

The Dragon of Gabadona is not different. It appears as the biggest eagle you've ever seen, dappled like a jaguar and with many heads twisting from long necks, some are like that of the feline while others are beaked like the bird; all are cruel. A year back it was a monk of great renown, the genius Abbé Morebino, who fell in love with a proudhearted knight Don Baldaccino Di Casti. This violent delight met a violent end, and now the once pious Morebino is a maneater, hunted both for what he's become and what he once was.

All - Giant things which are not human-like.

Istrian - It has many men-like minions which it sends out into the world to do its bidding

Arles - It is a huge bird, the likes of which are not seen in the planet since Eden, and it loves the sun

Trusca - It has multiple heads; if one is cut off, two grow in its place

Gabadona - It is a huge jaguar, it lusts for human flesh

face

#and in the darkness hearts aglow #gameable content