In my constructed world of Merlen-Gala, the gods, goddesses and deities who bore the races of the world as their progeny tower over said children in their physical forms; their spirit forms, able to separate from their physical selves and leave them in a dormant state, are much more malleable and flexible, but their physical forms are more rigid and less mutable.
Each of their physical forms rests somewhere until it is inhabited once more by its spirit... sometimes, these are massive, sacred sites designed to house such immense beings, and other times, their physical forms lay in random areas around the land.
I wanna go over the heights of these physical forms, in comparison to their children’s forms, just for fun.
Humans and the Celestials
Humans stand, on average, around 5 feet tall, with some variance from there... but being the children of the celestials, the first gods, there is no feasible way to truly measure the difference... the celestials are infinite, enormous, with two of them making up the planet of Merlen-Gala itself.
As such, a comparison would look something like this... though there isn’t much to see.
Elves and Drelys
Elves stand at an average of 6 feet tall, and Drelys, the goddess of the sun’s physical form stands at 60 feet, her radiant form towering over her children.
Dwarves and Tal
Tal, the god of fire, is among the shorter gods, though still towers over the average 4′6″ tall dwarf, at 40ft tall.
Dark Elves and Achmari
The dark elves, zaftig and shorter than their elf siblings, are around 5′6″ on average, with Achmari, the goddess of night, falling around 40 feet tall.
Orcs and Skoll
Skoll, the god of metal, reflects his children by being tall, but not as tall as one would think the 10′ average orc would lead you to believe, being about 80 feet himself.
Giants and Kragg
This is where things start getting a little wild. Giants grow throughout their lifetimes, and usually even out at around 120 feet after a few centuries... Kragg, god of earth, at 1200 feet, is a titanic force of nature, and as such often keeps his physical form deep beneath the ground, and rarely moves it.
Giant height is based on a giant at their max, or prime... and this pic includes a human for scale.
Fae and Foffer
Fae are the smallest Merlenian race, being around 2′ tall on average, but their deity, Foffer, deity of nature, born from an enormous tree, makes them look even smaller, at 250 feet tall.
Centaurs and Equus
Equus, god of storms, commands the skies, standing incredibly tall, 150 feet above the clouds he races across. His children stand roughly 6′6″ tall on average, though their wide, long equine frames makes them seem much larger.
Tengu and Haruhi
Tengu stand rather short in comparison to humans, being around 3′6″ tall on average. Their deity, Haruhi, goddess of wind, is the shortest of the Merlenian gods, standing a comparatively tiny 30 feet.
Satyrs and Savren
Satyrs are powerhouses, standing 7′6″ on average and being broad and muscular, to fit their mountain home. Their god, Savren, god of ice, is smaller and more lithe, since he’s a spellcaster, his physical form standing around 55 feet.
BONUS: Hobs and Lobolg
While not hailing from Merlen, the beastly hobs and their deity, Lobolg, are easily the most fleshed-out race I have prepared from Gala, and thus I have their heights ready. Hobs are massive, standing around 40 feet tall on average when fully grown, and Lobolg, god of chaos, is even more so, standing a staggering 250 feet. This combined with his chaotic aura and beastly nature, makes him especially intimidating to anyone but the tallest giants... or Kragg.
and that’s it... kinda just wanted to lore-dump some Merlen-Gala stuff... since i’m in both a worldbuilding mood and a g/t mood lol
I have art of some of these gods on my blog, and my buddy @nannycanes has done sooo much art, with the dnd campaign she’s in being based on Merlen-Gala... check her stuff out too :>
Ever since ancient times, the gods have most frequently dwelled in a realm beyond Merlen. As a result, communication to their mortal children in physical form is rare, only ever appearing once or twice a year. Because of this, the gods have decided to use specific flowers to impart warnings, or to celebrate amongst their mortal descendants. These flowers can appear all across Merlen, as do the forces they precede.
The first to use them was Drelys, in the form of her Solar Lotus. These flowers would bloom at the sun’s highest peak, and would signal intense heat or the coming of the summer solstice.
Achmari’s flower is the Lunar Kamchatka, which signaled a bitter cold spell for her desert-dwelling children, as well as the coming of the lunar solstice.
Tal chose the Caldera Daffodil, which signals an incoming volcanic eruption, as well as the harvest moon.
Kragg’s flower is the Spire Lavender, which grows between fissures in the earth and signals earthquakes, but also grows in areas of great natural riches.
Skoll chose the Fanged Snapdragon, which acts as a bookend symbol for a famine. It warns of impending starvation, but also signals great bounty soon to come.
Haruhi chose the Zephyr Lily, which signals intense typhoons, but also the onset of pleasant winds, perfect for a tengu’s flight.
Foffer had a hard time deciding, but ultimately chose the Verdant Poppy, for its wide array of colors. They most often signal his return, but may also signal the start of spring.
Finally, Savren uses the Chilling Iris to symbolize the winter solstice, as well as fierce blizzards.
