|The Jötnar races (jötunnkind) are the descendants of the Jötunns. The Jötunns are/were a legendary race of supernatural beings of the outer plane known as Jötunheimr. Ásgarðr (the home of the Æsir) and Jötunheimr were connected to the Midgard (The Material Planes or The Planes of Man) by a Rainbow Bridge called Asbrú that facilitated travel between nine sets of planes. According to the legends of the Jötnar during an epic battle thousands of years ago called Ragnarök this bridge was shattered, by the Jötunns with the aid of a being who was both Jötunn and Æsir named Loki. The shattering of the bridge was intentional to keep the Æsir from ever being able to return to Midgard.
In this battle Loki and Heimdallr, the all seeing, both perished and the bridge was forever shattered. Unfortunately, this not only sealed the Æsir from the Planes of Man but also the Jötunns. All that remained of the Jötunns in the Midgard realms were the half-breed Jötunns, the Jötnar.
These races include a number of different types of giants, some with elemental affiliation; along with Ogres, Ettins, Trolls, Goblins and of course, Orcs.
|To the right is a map of Jotungard and its surrounding territory. This large region has the largest concentration of Jötnar anywhere in Astlan.
That being said, many of the Jötnar, particular the not quite so giant sized ones can be found spread throughout the world.
Orc mercenaries are not uncommon in many lands and both Orc and Goblin tribes have expanded over a large number of regions.
Trolls and Ogres tend to form smaller, isolated family units and can also be found in many regions.
However, for most of these races, the area around Jotungard serves as the safest location in Astlan.