Ogier Information

The Ogier race is split up between those living in, what we call, Randland (the area between the Aryth Ocean and the Spine of the World mountains) and those residing in the Seanchan Empire across the Aryth Ocean. It is unknown whether there are any Ogier living in the lands beyond the Aiel Waste. Very little is known about the lifestyle of the Seanchan Ogier, other than those that join the Death Watch Guard. 
The Ogier RP Group focusses mainly on the Ogier from Randland. 
== General Information ==
Ogier are the only known natural sentient non-human species in WOT-land and while they somewhat resembled humans, they are very different from them at the same time. They are much taller and have a sort of snoutlike face, with long tufted ears and bushy eyebrows. They also live about 3 to 4 times longer than humans, which accounts in part for their slow and deliberate manner and behavior. In their eyes, humans are much too hasty and impatient. 
After the Breaking of the World, the Ogier found themselves wandering the lands looking for their lost Stedding which had been displaced due to the Breaking. This period is called the Long Exile and it is during this time that the Ogier became sensitive to the condition known as the Longing. This condition causes any Ogier to weaken and eventually die if they do not return to a Stedding in time. It is believed that this is due to the special nature of the Stedding, which the Ogier sorely missed during the Exile. 
Since they have resettled the Stedding, Ogier have kept mostly to themselves. Avoiding human populated areas as much as possible and only venturing out to repair Ogier structures if necessary. Due to the vast superiority of those structures, however, the need for repairs occurs only sporadically and almost never more than once in a human’s lifetime. Because of this reclusive nature, most humans have come to believe the Ogier being nothing more than fantasy and they have stopped believing they exist. Indeed, it is not uncommon for humans to mistake an Ogier for a Trolloc, a fact the peace loving Ogier do not find very amusing at all. Bristling eartufts showing their annoyance at the mere thought of it. 
The Stedding have a peculiar characteristic, in that the One Power is totally useless within their boundaries. More even, channelers can not sense the Source at all and any attempt to use the One Power on a Stedding from outside will have no effect on the Stedding whatsoever. The very air in the Stedding feels different, fresher and more peacefull than any place outside it. Most shiver in surprise upon entering its influence. 
For those that are truly dedicated to the Dark, the Stedding feel extremely unwelcoming and uncomfortable. Trollocs will not enter a Stedding unless being forced to it by a Myrdraal and Myrdraal will not do so except at great need and then with the greatest reluctance. 
Even the Aiel have a pact with the Ogier which amounts to the same as the Peace of Rhuidean, meaning that they will not fight within the boundaries of a Stedding. 
All of this makes a Stedding one of the truly safe places to be in of all the lands.
== Rank among the Ogier. ==
 
The way in which the Ogier determine rank is not very clear to anyone other than Ogier themselves and it is quite complex in its simplicity. For the most part, it is based on a highly developed sense of respect for skill, tradition and wisdom. 
The only body of government the Ogier have is that of the Council of Elders, which holds public meetings within and between Stedding. The Elders preside, but any adult Ogier may speak before the Great Stump. Age is another determining factor in the level of authority Ogier have but more than age is their skill in speaking at the Great Stump. Ogier that master the art of addressing a crowd gain a great deal of respect (and therefore authority) from other Ogier. The level in which they manage to captivate their audience, convey their point of view and convince opponents of their side of the story all determine how good (or bad) a Speaker is.
The Ogier are mostly a matriarchal society, where mothers and wives have more authority than husbands. For example, a male Ogier may go to work one day a bachelor and come back to find himself a groom tomorrow without any say in the matter, for marriage between Ogiers are arranged between the mother of the groom and the mother of the bride, with the bride needing to consent to the marriage but the groom having no say in the arrangement. Once married, the wife of the newly wed male gains authority over her husband above the male’s mother, who must relinquish her authority over her son to his new bride. 
The Head of the Council is also almost always a woman.
== Youngsters among the Ogier. ==
 
Ogier use a system of apprenticeship to train younger Ogier in responsibility as well as work skills. These youngsters get the more menial jobs while training for greater skills and responsibilities. Ogier believe that such labor builds character. 
Even though Ogier live much longer than humans, they also take much longer to mature. Young Ogier are not allowed outside the Stedding unsupervised before their 100th year. Male Ogier always need permission from either their mother or their wife before leaving the Stedding.
== Special skills and Talents ==
Their first and greatest love, and consequently skill, is for all things that grow such as plants and trees. A special Talent, unique to Ogier, is that of Tree Singing. This talent was rare even during the Age of Legends and has only become rarer since then. It is the art of making items out of wood by singing to the living wood, making it grow in the desired form without damaging the parent root. Items made in such a way are known as Sung Wood. They are very valuable and highly appreciated by Ogier and human alike. At least those humans that recognise the item for what it is, an ability which has become rarer with every generation. 
The Ogier’s second greatest love lies in knowledge. Books and records are treated with the utmost respect and care and they love to learn about history and everything they can get their hands on. Many will try to add to the Ogier library and knowledge source over the course of their lives, which for them is one of the most fun things to do. Apart from working with trees and plants, that is. You will be hard pressed to find an Ogier without at least one book or scroll in their pouch, tucked away in their long dress or coat. 
During the Long Exile, Ogier have taken up a role as stonemasons, creating buildings and sometimes whole cities for humans. Though they themselves consider their work as stonemasons to be far beneath their work with trees and plants, this is the part for which Ogier are most known among humans, even today. Because of their love for all living things, Ogier-made buildings have a decidedly organic structure to them and are of such extreme beauty that the buildings seem to be alive. Every major city boasts about her Ogier structures, even if most of her citizens have started to believe Ogier to be nothing more than fantasy. In fact, in some countries people will easily mistake an Ogier for a Trolloc and be hard to convince otherwise. An occurance that highly irritates the peace loving giants, with lots of bristling and quivering of ear tufts as a result.
== How to progress within the Ogier RP Group. ==
 
The age of your Ogier may go up to 200 years in the bio without FL Staff approval provided you create a decent background for the character. 
Older Ogier characters need to be approved by Staff first. This is especially important if you wish to play an Elder. 
 
You may not bio your character into the position of an Elder. This has to be earned through activity as there are a limited number of Elder positions available. 
=== To speak at the Great Stump ===
You must have at least 1 RP before your character can claim to be a Speaker at the Great Stump. 
Note: it is highly unlikely that an Ogier younger than 150 years would be allowed to speak at the Stump.
=== Tree Singer ===
You must have at least 1 RP in which your character is apprentice to an existing Tree Singer
=== Stonemason ===
You must have at least 1 RP in which your character is apprentice to an existing Stonemason
=== Council Elder ===
You must have at least: 
*Character who is a minimum of 300 years old
*1 character building RP 
*1 main storyline RP
*1 RP training a youngster as an adult Ogier
There are only 12 positions available in the Council. Therefore, the FL Staff reserves the right to change occupancy whenever needed. 
Council Elders will be looked at to guide, lead and aid the Ogier society. 
To that end, the activity level of the player will be taken into account when appointing Council Elders. 
updated: 30 May 2010
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