A battle of titans

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Who's ready for more hominids? I'll be honest setting this scene up was a lot harder than it might look. Because I'm mostly used to modelling animals and reptiles in particular (which have little to no obvious facial expressions), I've more or less trained myself to avoid giving anything even a remotely human expression to avoid anthropomorphizing them, which made everything about this scene, from the posture of these 2 to their expression, a massive departure from everything I'm used to. I'm still not 100% satisfied with their look but hopefully I'll get better in time.

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After an attack that left their camp in flames, the chief of a tribe of giants and his eldest son, their skins stained grey with a thick coat of ash and war paint, face off against a large male Eurasian mountain devil, hoping to buy the rest of their tribe enough time to get to safety.

With a fierce battle cry, the chief thrusts his spear at the beast's head hoping to stab it in the eye, but this dragon wasn't born yesterday, nor is this the first time it has fought these large hominids. Reacting instinctively, he grabs the chief's spear in his jaws and pulls at it, attempting to yank it out of the latter’s grip. The chief knows that pulling on the spear too strongly or letting it go will cause the dragon to drop it and torch him immediately afterwards. As such, he must engage in a precarious tug-of-war and distract the dragon while his son attacks it with his mace.

As dangerous as this is, there is method to this apparent madness.

The broken horn and many scars of this large male dragon indicate that he is an extremely old survivor, perhaps in his sixties. Too big to even take-off from a flat plain, he has survived this long by turning man-eater, and feasting on giants throughout the region. However, few of his victims have fought back this hard or aggressively. While he is far stronger, the giants are themselves prodigiously strong, and can inflict serious injury.

The duo knows this, and keep up their effort. With any luck, the dragon will realize that this clan is more trouble than its worth, and move on.

Giants (Homo giganteus) are, as their name suggests, a species of large humans distributed across Eurasia, from the tundra and mammoth steppe in the north to the subtropical grasslands and forests of the south. Reaching heights of 2-2.8 m and weighing 150-200 kg (with exceptional individuals reaching 3 m & weighing 230 kg), giants are the largest known members of the Homo genus to ever exist. This height is largely due to their long legs, which are proportionately longer than those of other Homo species, and are believed to have evolved as a means to facilitate more efficient travel. Not only does their height give them a longer stride length, it also allows them to keep their heads above all but the tallest and densest of grasses, a useful adaptation for avoiding ambush predators. However, this height comes with some trade-offs. Giants have a cranial capacity of 1200 cc, which is nearly equal to that of Homo sapiens, but is rather low for their size. Their heads are also small, and their arms somewhat shorter than would be expected for a human, while their legs are extremely thick with large, broad feet. This is perhaps unsurprising, as a larger brain/head and heavy upper body would unbalance their tall frame. They also have less muscle mass and increased fat storage, though this appears to be an adaptation to a harsh environment (as muscle requires more energy) and denser bones, which is what mostly contributes to their weight.

They do however show several features typical of archaic humans, such as a pronounced brow ridge, large jaws, and a broad nose. It is therefore theorized that they evolved directly or from an early offshoot of Homo erectus sometime in the mid-Pleistocene, and as such are distant cousins of the ana'aku, whom they occasionally encounter in western Asia.

Technologically, giants are at a Paleolithic level, with stone tools being the most advanced examples of their technology. They have a rather low population density, with tribes being highly nomadic and scattered. However, as a result of the distances a single tribe can travel, encounters with others is a frequent occurrence, making cultural exchange quite common. Perhaps because of this, most tribes are able to communicate quite effectively, with language barriers being easily surmounted. Their language isn't particularly complex, and all known cultures are fairly simple, which may be a result of their proportionately smaller brains, though, as with all humans, they are capable of abstract thought.

As the largest dragon species in their range and one of the largest extant dragons, the Eurasian mountain devil (Magnadrakon imperiosus) occupies a unique position in many giant cultures. Most fear and some even revere it as a grim reaper-esque figure, not a bringer of death, but a personification of it. This partly stems from the fact that these dragons are, as with most large predators, highly opportunistic, and will readily scavenge. Moreover, they use their size and fire breath to steal the kills of other predators. As they typically burn their kills before eating it, giants view them almost as natural cremators. Most cultures believe that burning allows a soul to be set free, and that the mountain devil liberates the souls of the dead from their mortal remains. For this reason, giants never bury their dead, but instead cremate them. Some tribes will even lure a dragon to the bodies of their dead. While most dragons in their range are not large enough to target them as prey, mountain devils can and will readily take to hunting giants, as they are slower and weaker than most of the game they typically prey upon. For this reason, tribes living in or passing through areas where dragons have established territories will sometimes designate some members as "sacrificial warriors", usually infirm or very old individuals who are close to a natural death. In the event of a dragon attack, these warriors will offer themselves up to the animal, putting up little fight except the minimum needed to actually keep it distracted while the rest of the tribe flees.

This has had the effect of many dragons becoming man-eaters, and can survive far longer than most of their kind. While it is very rare for a male Eurasian mountain devil to live beyond the age of 50, man-eaters can live well into their 60s and theoretically reach 70, and grow so large that they become effectively flightless. However, because they are generally used to mainly hunting weakened individuals who are only putting up a half-hearted fight, these man-eaters, especially old ones, will hesitate somewhat when facing off against fitter individuals in their prime who, with their weapons and brute strength, can inflict serious injuries. In such cases, unless they're desperate, such man-eaters retreat rather than risk injury.

To see a very close approximation of what led up to this scene, go here.

Draconology: True dragons pt 1
Draconology: The Draconimorpha
World of Draconology