The Pauden are the giants of Nälu. They had once called the plains home, but that was long before Badara’s rise to power and even before the tyranny of Lord Stygian.
They stand, on average, nine feet tall. Although, there’s been rumors of some reaching twelve feet. Their size made them easy targets for Stygian’s elite warriors known as the Dwaza. They were the first people group to be enslaved or enlisted, depending on who is telling the story. During their enslavement, their numbers dwindled greatly. Even after Stygian was defeated and the giants were freed, many of the nations still feared them and refused to do business with them. Except for the Kaleki. They offered asylum and a promise of a life anew on one of their islands in the Sea of Pavinai. So the Pauden sailed west to the island of Moruya.
Still, the Pauden have endured, mixing a bit of the old with a new way of life. Some have even begun to trade at the major market centers of Nälu, mainly smoked fish and various weavings. They are famous for the large letanili. Native to the island, it is a type of elephant nearly three stories high with two pairs of ivory tusks. They can be seen at times in parades during important feast days.
In Secrets Kept, we don’t see much of the Pauden, except the guardian, Darin. He is a half-giant and is seven feet tall. The Moruya Island is one of the places where Ayianna and her companions travel to in Darkened Hope. Most of the Pauden live along the far west coast, so the likelihood of them running into one is slim. Unless of course, a young giant has come of age, then he or she would scour the island for a peacock, which tend live closer to the east coast.