Ogre

Ogres are a macro race of anthropomorphs that appear in many forms. Most have the common trait of having a prominent gut. Ogres are tall and heavy set with a penchant for a dizzying array of cuisines and cooking methods. They establish kingdoms, fight over resources, but mostly eat until there is little left to support them, where they kill each other for what's left, or leave for greener pastures. They are noted for their being partial to saccharomyces demonica, which makes them effective monster and demon hunters, as for their powers of metamorphosis, which disappear when their numbers grow too great, but reappear when they are alone or very few in number. This phenomenon has been compared to zombism in Welt, which is seemingly a population control phenomenon. 
== Biology ==
Ogres are a race of giant anthropomorphs distinguished by their embonpoint and large paunches. Ogres aren't giants, and are an entirely separate race. 
=== Lifecycle ===
Ogres are unisex, and reproduce asexually, despite this Ogres aren't identical in physique or character, suggesting the expressed phenotype is randomized from identical genes. Ogre newborns are rather small, similar in size to other anthropomorphs, but can walk within minutes of being born, and grow continuously until they reach adult height whereupon they will widen continuously. Few newborns make it to adulthood, juvenophagy being rampant among ogres. While few ogres die of natural causes, the most common cause of death among those that do is heart failure. 
Ogres are infamous for preying on juveniles, to such a point that they are thought to have evolved from a species of anthropomorphic nest raiders. Ogres also adopt members of other races as their children, especially among the median races. Their propensity to eat the young, including their own, could be the cause of this behavior to seek out replacement children. Cuddling things to death is a constant threat for the adopted.
=== Paunch ===
An ogres defining trait, beyond its height which towers over most median races (although they are commonly dwarfed by the other macro anthropomorphs) is their embonpoint. 
Ogres sport paunches, of which they are commonly very proud, as it is a symbol of wealth and ability. A well fed frame is as much a way of indicating skill, as the larger the girth, the larger the belt of cooking utensils it can support, and wealth to be able to support such a gut. 
In reality, the size of the gut is because it houses most of the ogres vital organs, which are lower than on baseline anthropomorphs. The liver and kidney equivalents of an ogre are situated behind its digestive system, an evolutionary quirk to make room for their gargantuan lungs and heart, which are of similar size to that of horses. 
Ogres aren't technically fat, their adipose tissue is in reality closer to blubber, a trait they share with marine mammals. Their paunch also serves as a supplementary muscle system to help in the grinding and breaking down of whatever the ogre has ingested. This thick layer of blubber serves as insulation. allowing ogres to live in a wide range of climates, especially the cold mountain climates they favor, and are typically naked save for their belts and paunchdron. 
Ogres are heavy set and hairless save for their heads, they commonly sport ponytails and beards, although many are bald and glabrous throughout their lives. 
=== Yeast resistant ===
Ogres are unusually resistant to spiritual possession from demons, having a natural form of antipossession immunity. Despite this ogres will serve demons if offered sufficient rewards, and can become thralls to a demon through pacts. 
Despite this resistance to possession, ogres aren't completely immune to yeast, saccharomyces demonica is addictive to ogres, and they will actively seek out monsters and demons in order to consume them. This characteristic grants an enormous amount of goodwill towards ogres due to the threat they pose to demons on welt. Strangely, ogres do not smell the yeast within other ogres, nor is it present in their blood, making their practitioners sorcerers.
=== Appetite ===
Ogres are stereotypical gorgers, though this could be because of their lifestyle where the next meal is uncertain and the constant threat of cannibalism means every ogre must be ready to eat or be eaten. While they usually prefer meat they are perfectly capable of surviving on an omnivorous diet, and practice geophagia (though rock cuisine is considered indigestible, and requires further killing to help them digest). 
This appetite seemingly stems from species wide polyphagia. Ogres are all binge eaters, their sensation of hunger being omnipresent. They base their religious beliefs around the concept of greed, seeing satiety as unbecoming of a respectable ogre. Self induced vomiting to continue eating is a common practice among ogres.
=== Bicephaly ===
Two headed ogres are an uncommon occurrence, and are often associated with magic. It is thought that bicephaly happens as a result of proximity to saccharomyces demonica by the ogres parents.
=== Tenome ===
Cursed ogres with their eyes on their palms, who eat children in war zones or in times of famine. They conjure full banquet tables, and fall asleep in a chair, awakening only when food is eaten from the table. They are considered ogres for their enormous gut, which usually hangs low, as does most of their pale skin due to long periods of fasting in between meals.
== Society ==
Ogre societies follow the typical structure of families being ruled by a head, tribes ruled by a chieftain, clans ruled by a lord and kingdoms ruled by a king.
=== Wandering ogres ===
Ogre families and tribes wander, which is when they leave the lands of their kingdom and clan to raise their young far away from other, hungry ogres. 
==== Families ====
Ogre families typically have less than ten members, births are numerous, but juvenophagy from other ogres is rampant. It is believed that less than 20% of ogre births make it to adulthood. For this reason, ogre families with newborns will leave their clans to wander the lands until their young are fit to fend off hungry adults. Although the danger of being eaten is lessened away from clan territory, ogre youths aren't safe from their parents appetites in the wild. During the wander, the adults will hunt and amass whatever victuals and treasures they can find, the youth learning from them by mimicry. 
The traveling family will try to remain out of sight from other predators, hiding in caves and abandoned settlements from previous wanders. If they cannot find any, they will dig out a cave in the mountain face and decorate it with cave paintings of their hunts and adventures, and clean their quarries. This is also where the young ogres will learn to work leather and craft their first cooking utensils, belts and paunchdrons.
==== Tribes ====
When the youth are sufficiently grown to fend for themselves, ogre families will wander further away from the mountains into the plains and meadows. While wandering, ogre families will join together and create tribes that wander the lands together. The family heads will fight for leadership of the newly created tribe. Most tribes will follow the plentiful grazing herds of lumbering beasts that roam the open country at the base of mountains. 
Along the way the tribes will establish strongholds and hunting lodges for the following tribes to use, or use existing ones. These semi permanent settlements commonly follow migration trails of hers or are near settlements that will trade with them, or are easy to raid. Wandering tribes have a size limit, which is difficult to determine, but when it is reached ogres will be much more violent with tribes they encounter, often stealing their supplies and beating them, even with those of the same clan. 
Ogres that live near the coast construct ships, live off the sea and raid settlements, when tribes are created they will join their ships into a bigger embarcation large enough to support the entire tribe, and continue to modify it until it is no longer needed and will be carried back to the clan.
Ogre tribes will continue to amass food and wealth from their travels, when the tribe has enough meat and treasure to last awhile, they will return to the mountains. Those of different clans will separate at this occasion, often celebrated with a last feast and a great roaring fire.
=== Sedentary ogres ===
==== Clans ====
Ogres that return from their wandering will rejoin their clan in the mountains to establish themselves. They will present a tribute to the clan lord, build a new hut, (the old one being invariably occupied by another ogre), and integrate the clan.
Clans are semi sedentary, being dependent on the ability of its hunters to feed it, if not they will establish themselves elsewhere. Clans share common culture and beliefs, compete with other clans for prominence and go to war against each other. Ogres see other clans as competitors for food and demonstrate their strength in constant competitions. Fighting between clans is common and usually concludes with the weaker tribe being absorbed by the victor.
==== Kingdom ====
The only true sedentary ogre is the king, who demands tribute from the clans to feed himself and his family, and is expected to lead the ogres to war to expand and defend its territory. The kingdom is composed of the clans territory under its authority, the king being from one clan himself. The king is notable for not wandering, the crown is conserved only as long as the king can feed itself without hunting.
The most common cause for war is when saccharomyces demonica is detected in the mountains, the king will call upon the clan lords to create a horde and unleash it upon the monsters and demons, and a great feast will follow every ogre victory.
==== Cosmopolitan ogres ====
Not all wandering ogres are part of a family or tribe, some ogres will band together in the search of a life away from their king and clan. These ogres when away from their clan, will sometimes work with the other races or establish lives among them.
==== Sated ogres ====
Sated ogres are ogres that lack the all consuming need to feed. Ogres that are sated, are shunned and ostracized, as the worship of hunger is a religious and a cultural focal point among ogres. Some exploit the reputation of ogres for all eating, and merely want to be left alone, though they do go out to terrify people now and then to preserve this loneliness. Sated ogres have the unusual ability to shapeshift, which is correlated to their loneliness, though the link is difficult to establish. when they are in the presence of other ogres, these abilities disappear, along with many of their magical powers.
==== Pastiche monarchs ====
Pastiche monarchs are ogres that live in castles they conquered themselves. Ogres sometimes conquer castles and live there as a pastiche monarchs, ruling over their conquered subjects. These ogres tend to stay in their castles for quite a while unless evicted, feeding on the lands surrounding it, extorting tributes of valuables and children from those unable to flee. These ogres often wear fine clothing and hoard wondrous magical items long after the castle's lands have been deserted. 
== Relations with the other races ==
Many Ogres have left the tribal society of the Ogre Kingdoms in search of food. In large cosmopolitan cities, Ogres are almost an everyday sight, they commonly serve in armies and work as mercenaries. Ogres are especially appreciated by the minute races, whose appetite sometimes matches the ogres. The ogres in turn appreciate the minute races cuisine, and serve as their guards. Vampires also commonly employ ogres, within and without cosmopolitan society, both as muscle and as walking garbage disposals, consuming the drained corpses it doesn't want to add to its brood.
Ogres sometimes accompany other races to participate in the conquest of demonic realms when portals occur. This is probably because they smell the yeast wafting from the portal. This fact that ogres keep monsters and demons at bay is widely appreciated by the other races. 
== Beliefs ==
=== Mouths of the world ===
They worship whirlpools which they call the "mouths of the world". Ogres build mighty ships to sail the seas and find mouths. Where this belief stems from is unknown. Those that follow this religion are seafaring. 
=== Crystals ===
Ogres are unusually quiet when near crystalline structures such as glass. It is considered a sin to break crystals, and ogres are swift to punish this offense. Ogre lords will collect crystals and display great structures of crystal and glass.
=== Blood ritual ===
Some ogres require that they're youth kill a monster to achieve adulthood and be able to wear the clans war paint.
=== Trances ===
Ogres cup wasps in their hands and shake vigorously, the venom invokes vivid imagery.
== Habitat ==
=== Mountains ===
Ogres mostly live in mountains in settlements called mounds, which are groupings of stone huts and caverns. Mounds are commonly built near steam vents. When an ogre clan is near a dragon, they sometimes find an arrangement, the ogres gathering food and plunder for the dragon, in exchange for its protection. Ogres will purposely migrate to monster infested mountains to feed on them. Ogres are slow risers, and due to this can coexist for years in complete ignorance of trolls due to their opposite schedules.
=== Seafaring ===
Ogres are surprisingly able sailors, but ogre societal structure is incompatible with a naval fleet. As such ogres will all sail together in a single ship as a family, tribe or clan, which can range in size from simple rowboats to absolutely gargantuan juggernauts. Their shipbuilding nature stems for their search for whirlpools, an object of worship. Ogres will carry their ship around with them when traveling. 
== Magic ==
Ogres have magical potential, although some of their more fantastical powers can be attributed to the magical objects they collect. 
Ogres have sorcerers, often misnamed as mages, some of which practice advanced magics such as geo and pyrokinesis, summoning, intangibility, warping, size shifting and cursing their bodies so that upon death, their undead corpses will rise to feed on the living, and even their burned ashes will seek to choke the living. A completely unique magic that is mostly practiced by ogres is culinary fetishism, where the ogre will eat specific victuals in order to create an effect, fueled by the ogres mana and focused in the dish being eaten.
== Culture ==
Despite their brutish appearance and strange societal customs, ogres have a rich culture that changes drastically from one mountain range to another, and even from one peak to another.
Cuisine is one of the core pillars of Ogre society, butchery and flesh mongering techniques often find their origins within ogre clans. Ogres like their food fresh, and are thus known to keep their prisoners alive until they are ready to serve. When eating anthropomorphs, ogres prefer to devour them alive due to it being fresher. 
Ogres brew many different alcohols, none of which are particularly notable, but are popular enough that ogres rarely start their day sober.
=== Feasts ===
Despite their intense self centeredness around feeding themselves first and foremost, ogres are surprisingly generous during feasts, inviting any and all to partake in the festivities. although, invitations are usually declined, as whether the guest is expected to take part or be part of the meal is often unclear. Feasts at minimum include all members of a family, and are celebrated semi randomly. 
=== Arts ===
Though limited, ogres have some sensibilities for aesthetics, their strongholds, mounds, caves and huts are decorated with pictograms, paints and carvings of their adventures. Ogres adorn their bodies with war paints created using mortars and pestles. Using the war paint is reserved to those who have killed a monster in some kingdoms. Ogres also keep trophies taken from the quarries they have defeated as status symbols. 
=== Customs ===
Deep purple is highly sought after by ogres, believing that the color can bring prolonged life when added to potions.
Ogre clans mark their borders with the skulls they collect during their wandering. This way, every tribe strengthens its clans territory, though this inevitably leads to territorial disputes with other clans.
Ogres condense entire logs into a club, so that it keeps its weight and density, making them incredibly unwieldy for any but themselves.
Pyres (from whatever they can't take with them, set ablaze)
Thronemaking (from said pile, whoever stays the longest on the burning throne is made king)
=== Crafts ===
Though limited, ogres have some degree of craftmanship.
==== Paunchdron ====
Used by ogres to protect their stomachs. the paunchdron is a large circular plate, usually made of metal and secured around the Ogre's waist by a belt that stores eating tools.
==== Cooking utensils ====
A specialty of the ogres is to have as many tools as they can to prepare food, the variety of which can put most tool sheds to shame.
==== Altars of Storms ====
Used by ogres for magical rituals. 
==== Stone manacles ====
Rather than using clasps and locks, ogres bind their slaves by using geokinesis to shrink the manacles tightly around the slave's ankles, wrists, or neck.
==== Iron grips ====
Ogres commonly wear bladed gauntlets to indicate their iron grip, a symbol of status within a tribe and clan.
==== Canons ====
Ogres build rudimentary portable artillery which they carry around (and sometimes use as clubs).
=== Gladiator rings ===
Ogres are quite fond of gladiatorial fights, and often excavate fighting pits in their clan homes, using their shipbuilding skills to create elaborate mechanisms to create scenarios in which slaves will fight. The tradition of gladiatorial slavery stems from the fact that disputes in a clan would be settled via proxy in combat between slaves, leading to a plummet in the mortality rate amongst the ogres.
=== Shipbuilding ===
Despite being poor swimmers, Ogres are unsinkable in water due to their buoyant frames and immense lung capacity. This led them to being capable shipbuilders. Their ships are all made to accommodate their entire tribes (or clan) at once.
== Subspecies ==
Category:Anthropomorphs
Category:Ogres
Category:Short articles
Category:Other Races
Category:Unfinished articles
Category:Pages with red links
Category:Macro races