This guide assumes a baseline of "Smallfolk" (humans, halflings, elves, etc.) and "Giants" (beings of colossal proportions, 100 feet tall or more). The core principle is that a great, ambient magical phenomenonāthe World-Songāpermeates everything, allowing for basic cross-scale interaction and preventing the smaller races from being instantly obliterated by mundane physics.
The magic that enables this world is not a spell, but a fundamental law. All living beings vibrate with a unique frequency within the World-Song. Giants, possessing immense spiritual and physical presence, are naturally attuned to the frequencies of all smaller creatures. This allows for:
Universal Audibility: A giant can hear the spoken voice of a mouse or a human as clearly as if they were speaking directly into its ear, and vice-versa. Distance still mattersāa shout carries farther than a whisperābut scale does not. A Smallfolk's voice is not "tiny" to a giant; it is simply a voice.
Intentional Communication: To speak to a specific giant amidst a crowd, a Smallfolk need only focus their intent on that individual, and the World-Song will carry their words primarily to them.
Emotional Resonance: Strong emotions (fear, joy, anger) can be faintly felt by giants, making them generally empathetic and careful, lest they be constantly bombarded by ambient terror.
Civilization exists in stratified layers, not just socially, but physically.
The Smallfolk Tier (The "Root-Level"):
This is the world as we would recognize it: forests of normal trees, towns with cobblestone streets, and buildings rarely over three stories tall. However, the sky is not empty.
The Canopy: The "ground" for Smallfolk is often shadowed by the structures and belongings of giants. A giant's discarded sandal becomes a vast, leather-roofed shelter for a month. A placed water jug creates a new, temporary sea.
Architecture: Smallfolk cities are often built with giant neighbors in mind. Major roads are wide, straight corridors that double as paths for giant feet. Buildings near these corridors are reinforced and often have specially marked "safe zones" in their basements.
The Giant Tier (The "Sky-Level"):
Giants live in a world of immense, slow-moving grandeur.
Furniture and Tools: A giant's stool is a plateau to Smallfolk. Their dining hall is a vast plain of wooden planks. They do not use fine china, but massive, carved stone or fired clay vessels. A "quill" for writing might be a whole tree trunk with a sharpened end, using tar or berry-juice as ink on prepared hides or flat stone slates.
Agriculture: A giant's farm is a watershed. A single planted seed grows into a tree-sized stalk of wheat or a colossal potato that feeds a Smallfolk village for a year. Harvesting is a community event involving both giants and Smallfolk, who help with the intricate work at the "root-level."
The Shared Tier:
Spaces designed for intentional interaction are marvels of engineering and magic.
The Speaking Floor: A vast, flat area of polished stone or packed earth where a giant can kneel or lie down to converse face-to-face with a gathering of Smallfolk.
The Lift-Basket: Giant-operated pulley systems with massive baskets, used to transport Smallfolk en masse to a giant's table, workshop, or shoulder for travel.
The Hearth: The center of a giant's home is a fire-pit that provides warmth and light to the Smallfolk communities living in the surrounding "foundations" of their house.
Smallfolk Culture: The Culture of Observation and Agility
The Sky-Watch: A crucial role in any Smallfolk settlement. Sky-Watchers are trained to interpret the movements and shadows of giants, warning of an incoming footstep or the placement of an object.
The Code of the Path: One never lingers in the middle of a wide, clear corridor. You stick to the edges, where the shadows of the giant's footfall will not crush you.
Giant-Friend: A title of immense honor given to a Smallfolk who has earned the trust of a giant, often acting as an advisor, messenger, or assistant with intricate tasks.
Giant Culture: The Culture of Deliberation and Stewardship
The Step-Check: A deeply ingrained, almost subconscious habit. Before taking a step, a giant will pause for a moment, allowing the World-Song to bring them the "feel" of the life in their path. They will then shift their foot slightly to avoid a settlement or a traveling caravan.
The Burden of Scale: Giants are acutely aware of their destructive potential. Their philosophy is largely one of stewardship. A giant considers the Smallfolk living in their home not as pests, but as wards or tenants. A "good giant" is one whose presence brings prosperityātheir breath is a wind that fills sails, their discarded fruit a bountiful harvestānot destruction.
War: A giant going to war is a natural disaster. They do not fight armies; they dismantle fortifications and challenge enemy giants. Smallfolk armies fight on and around the giants, like ants swarming over battling titans, targeting straps, joints, and eyes with ballistae and spells.
Commerce: A single giant-carved timber is a lifetime's supply of building material for a Smallfolk town. A giant's payment for services is often a single, perfect nail or a thimbleful of salt from their storesāa fortune in Smallfolk terms.
Crime: The worst crime a Smallfolk can commit is "Root-Cutting"āsabotaging the foundation of a giant's home or belongings. The worst crime for a giant is "Heedless Stride"āthe act of moving with reckless disregard for the small life below. Punishment is exile, as no community, large or small, will tolerate the threat.
In this world, everyone lives with a constant, tangible awareness of others. It is a world of profound interdependence, where the breath of one can be the storm of another, and a whisper can be heard by a giant.