Ogre

These mighty demihumans have a somewhat checkered reputation, and are considered by many to be a dying race, being by far the rarest demihuman (less than 1% of living demihumans are ogres). They are thought of as callous brutes, vicious gluttons, or heroic paragons depending on who you ask. The ogres were the first demihumans to rebel against the giants and attempt to unseat them from their citadels, only to be cast out and banished, and nearly exterminated. They have never recovered since, and many remember how during the Time of Demons, many ogres were overcome by temptation and became savage cannibals in service of the demons. In truth, this was only ever a small portion of their entire ancestry, but the reputation has never quite left them. What remains of these proud people have long memories and a desire to prove themselves, and many ogres describe their hearts as having an innate “hunger” for fame and glory, which has just as often been in the service of Good as Evil, if not more so. While it was disputed for years, many now agree that King Roak, the first High King of Myrcia, was an ogre and not a half-giant (though some giant, and with the ascension of their culture hero Zoryan to the Heavens as a god, some believe the time for the ogres to be reborn has come.

Ogres are tall and powerfully built, and never actually stop growing. At the end of an ogre’s life, they can stand ten to twelve feet tall, though most adult ogres average at about eight feet tall. Ogres have short, stubby horns on their heads, which they often afix metal extensions to as a cultural practice, and have especially long arms. Their lower canines are exaggerated into tusk-like teeth, but they otherwise resemble other demihumans. An ogre can live until about 120 years old, though most die younger. Ogres have famously huge appetites, which some attribute to a curse laid upon them long ago by the Ordning. This can make it difficult for ogre clans of significant size to survive, and thus ogres tend to prefer smaller family groups compared to other demihumans, and are far-ranging because of it. Despite their reputation as brutes, ogres are not any more or less intelligent than other demihumans, but they do sometimes find themselves easily distracted or lead around. They tend to have larger-than-life personalities fitting for their size, much like the goliaths of Dungeons & Dragons, but many seek to try and moderate their personalities around their smaller cousins, meaning that just as often they can be gentle giants.

Most ogres in Talingarde are Vendals from Algoboa. For years their vikings raided the coastlines, and eventually some settled in the Shelter Isles and the old Ornassi colony of Tantallon. Others live in the Rough Bounds or Skysongs, and a sparing few have integrated into other cultures. They had a strong influence on early Myrcian culture, and during the Time of Heroes Talingarde had one of the highest concentrations of surviving ogre enclaves in Uskara. Other than the Vendalic people, there are also the Radham of Zafara, lead by the Aghis’artan, a semi-immortal half-efreet and something of a religious leader there, but there are few other extant ogre cultures, just scattered clans in their primitive enclaves. There are also the oni of Seotan, sometimes called “ogre mages” by superstitious folk, illbred ogres twisted by their demonic heritage who were responsible for driving out the kobolds from their homeland and rule terrifying petty kingdoms of beastfolk. Ogre clans are matrilineal, like the halffoots. Ogre clan names grow over time (much like ogres themselves), ending with a vowel and with each element representing their clan’s long history.