Ogres

Ogres are a group of sentient species living in the world of Giantstep. Ogres are a relatively common sight across most of the step, as their strength, hardiness and ability to survive with little makes them very resilient. They tend to form their own societies, but it is not uncommon to see them having to ally or submit to other groups in order to better survive. View on ogres varies wildly, either as creatures that need to be expelled and destroyed for the good of all to creatures that make themselves useful as muscle for hard labor. On their part, the degree of the ogres’ civilization depends wildly on the societies around them and their capacity to force them into a particular role.
== General Ogredom Characteristics ==
Ogres are humanoid creatures, much bulkier and taller than any human. They tend to reach the 2.5 meters of height and near a meter broad from shoulder to shoulder. They have an extremely dense musculature and strong bones, and their skin is as thick as that of an elephant. This makes them shrug off a lot of physical damage, with bites or slashes having very little effect outside of the more vulnerable areas like the neck, the face or the articulations. Their torso is particularly dense, with double the musculature around the inner organs, giving them an appearance of fatness. This dense musculature can be a problem if an ogre somehow receives a severe puncture wound and the weapon becomes stuck, as the abdominal muscles become so tense that even the strength of an ogre might not be enough to extract the weapon, causing severe pain for days until it is successfully removed. Their skull is also reinforced with layers of muscle and fat specially prepared to protect the brain from concussion, so making an ogre dizzy through hits to the head is very difficult. Ogre heads are proportionally smaller than those of humans or elves, and generally have a neck as big thicker than the head itself, often causing a somewhat hunched position on the ogre. Their eyes are small and their nose is smaller, and their senses of smell and sight are not below those of a human, while their sense of hearing and touch are more or less on par. They have very humanoid hands and feet, though they only have four digits on each.
Ogres have a very low intelligence. While they are not as dimwitted as trolls, ogres are regarded as some of the dumbest sentient creatures around. They are capable to adapting to outsider societies relatively easy by just providing muscle work and leaving the heavy thinking to others, but even in this cases they often find themselves in conundrums easily solvable by other species. Ogres tend towards violence, but unlike in species like the witchelven, this does not stem from a malicious desire. As ogres are strong and resilient creatures, physical contact between them is one of the many forms they have to socialize with each other, and this often leads to violence. While fights are common, ogres do not see that as something out of the ordinary, keeping a cool attitude towards each other even when they are beating each other senseless. A punch or a beating between ogres might have the same meaning as a handshake or a pat in the back for humans. Ogres understand the smaller races are not as strong as then, so they should not play with them as hard as with other ogres, but often times they forget about this detail. Ogres actually out for blood become terrifying creatures, with little that could physically stop them, safe for other ogre or other gigantic creatures. Ogres are capable of crafting, and are able to comprehend the principles of metallurgy, but their big hands make them not that dexterous, and the end results are of general poor quality. This is why most of their equipment is incredibly rough and put together haphazardly. This fits them just fine, as their natural resilience makes most of the work for them.
Ogres have a natural immunity to toxins, mostly due to their extraordinary digestive system. Ogres can eat pretty much anything organic, with only snoloths being able to surpass them in that regard. However, ogres are much favorable to a carnivore diet, only really eating plant-based food as an alternative. Ogres have no compunction in eating the meat of other ogres, and frequently do once an ogre dies either of age or in combat, though they are smart enough to avoid the meat of those who have died of sickness. Their digestive system can process most venoms, but this only works with eaten poisons. If the toxins enter their body through other means, their resilience is much more limited. The ogres tend to follow a cult of the God of Gluttony, but the way they interpret his faith varies greatly between the types of ogres and how much they have been influenced by the different species nearby.
== Main Ogre Species ==
=== Manskin Ogres ===
Manskin Ogres live in the west and are closest to civilized well some, being often employed as mercenaries by humans and some even mimicking human culture. They are otherwise standard monstrous ogres, huge stupid and everhungry, they worship a God of gluttony like good old warhammer.
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Manskin Ogres, also known as the Manogres, are one of the many species of ogres in Giantstep. The manogres are particularly noteworthy in all ogredom in that they are the most civilized of their race. They have a long history tied to the faerie lords of the west and the westerling humans, and adopted many of their cultural customs and arts. Manskin ogres are slightly smaller and thinner than most ogres, though they are still massive brutes that can tank a great amount of damage and pain. They also are able to grow long beards, with hair strong enough to not be ripped out even when pulled by other ogre during a fight. They also have better eyesight than most ogres, probably as a way to keep watch of all their charges during voyages. 
The history of the manogres in the area can be followed back to ancient times, where the ogres lived in a nomadic lifestyle, usually as hunter-gatherers in the dense forests. They were organized in small tribal groups hunting in the forest, opening small clears in the greenery to set up seasonal shelter. Eventually, however, the lands of the manogres would be conquered by the faerie lords, during the times of the expansion of the Western Elven Empire. This brought the manogres into service of the faerie lords, a service they absolutely despised. The faerie lords used the ogres as workhorses, usually as mercenaries or as caretakers for their charges. The faerie lords would teach the ogres things like husbandry, the care for plants, medicine, tool crafting and other such things. They would also stamp out the faith in the Gluttony God, replacing it with fey religions and rituals. The eventual arrival of humans and the weakening of the faerie lords saw the manogres free themselves from the faerie lords’ influence, forming a society of their own. The faith of the Gluttony God would come back, but manogres do not pray to the Great Maw, as its adoration had been completely stomped by the faerie lords. Manogres are infamous for their cook-offs as social and religious duels, as their voracious appetite can see them eat dozens of cattle heads in one sitting. 
Manskin ogres’ society and culture has been greatly influenced by human and fey alike. Many of their most brutal elements have been refined just enough to avoid violence to be a constant in manogre society. Manogres organize themselves in “Princedoms”, basically following a slightly more complex tribal structure trying to imitate human and fey nobility structure. Every couple of ogre tribes have an “Ogre Prince” over them, though the level of their authority over the tribes rarely goes further than them asking for tribute and obedience. Outside of that, the social structure of the lands of the Manogres is very spread out, and has no central power structure. The closest thing to that are the ogre cities, which are towns of great stone buildings made out of simplistic masonry, wood and hay. They serve as the residence of the princes, as well as a place to trade and barter. Most manogres travel in small groups or alone, moving throughout the land trying to feed their cattle. Once ogres become adults, they are kicked out of their family unit and forced to live on their own. If they want to ever go back, they then must prove they can survive on their own by creating their own herd, acquiring enough cattle heads for the original tribe to show they are ready for adulthood. Once they have gained a herd of their own, most of them decide not to come back and live with their own charges, but those who do want to rejoin the family unit can end up accumulating thousands upon thousands of animals. 
=== Swamp Ogres ===
The Swamp Ogres inhabit the Green area and are green and somewhat like part frog or axolotl, with always wet green skin and reduced ears and nose they are the largest type of ogre and very lazy, they also give praise to the Everhungry maw though mostly as lipservice. A particularly pale skinned tribe of swamp ogres is known to live in the caves near the Furlaniyan city of Manzan, terrorizing the local peasants.
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Swamp Ogres are one of the many ogre species living in Giantstep. They are by far the most common type of ogre in the world, being present in near all areas of the step where one could find swamps and marshes. They are hulking creatures, with a greenish skin which hue tend to change depending on the area they live in. Their skin is somewhat thinner than other ogres’, but it is also complimented by a layer of thick blubber below it, making them just as impervious to attacks in the end. This makes swamp ogres look bloated in comparison to other ogres, making many commit the mistake of thinking they are slow and lumbering, when they are capable of great feats of athleticism. They are a very resilient species, since they have to be capable to cross the dense bogs and swamps without stop as a matter of course, and thus are very good at keeping their stamina. Swamp ogres can pursue their prey through difficult terrain for very long periods of time over very long distances, though keeping track of them is difficult as their senses aren’t as developed. Their tiny eyes are not able to see as many colors as humans, suffering of some form of partial color blindness. Swamp ogres have a lifespan of around 60 years, with swamp ogre newborns growing into adulthood in but 10, as they need to become as big as possible to survive the dangers of the swamps.
Swamp Ogres tend to live in small groups, always moving through the swamps seeking for anything they could eat. Many have also developed more sedentary ways of life, usually taking advantage of a cave or some other natural element to protect themselves. We know that swamp ogres are capable of herding, with the fleshox and the tortoplodon being the two species that are both resilient enough to survive the rough handling of the ogres and big enough to be able to feed them. They are also frequently seen as raiders, attacking nearby populations and running with their loot back to the swamps, something that became incredibly dangerous during the decades the Ogre Kingdoms were active. The existence of the Ogre Kingdoms themselves also proves they are able of more complex organization, though they naturally tend to revert to simpler ways of life. Many believe this higher level of organization was learned through the many decades of slavery under the Bog Witch before the rising of the Ogre Kingdoms, though how much of that is true is a matter of speculation.
Swamp Ogre culture is marked by the adoration of the Great Maw. The Swamp Ogres believe the Great Maw is an ever-hungry deity that demands respect and tribute, least it devour the world whole. The Swamp ogres see the strength and power of the Maw as things to worship, with the pilgrimage to the Great Maw and the Holy City of Tents being something many swamp ogres attempt to do during their lives. They will bring many kinds of foods and edible elements to leave in the gaping hole that is the Maw, hoping they will be blessed by its holy spit. Being eaten by the Maw is a fate both feared and desired by the ogres, as they believe they become part of its holy being. The religious rituals for the Great Maw are considerably simple by the standards of most religions, but for the swamp ogres, these are sacred ceremonies practiced since time immemorial.
The swamp ogres are well known throughout the world as the ones who brought forth the birth of the Gnoll Empire. After the fall of the Ogre Kingdoms at the hands of the mysterious Bog Witch, the massive migration of ogres south, inexplicably managing to cross the Forest of Getting Lost, was what brought the swamp ogres in contact with the gnoll. The natural strength and resilience of the swamp ogres made the wild gnolls pause, and that began the process of civilizing the gnolls into the swamp ogres’ way of life. Nowadays, swamp ogres are a vital part of the inner workings of the Gnoll Empire, working as administrators, priests and other high functions, though the ways of this are mostly unknown by any outsiders. This has also made swamp ogres greatly feared by most people, as they now linked swamp ogres and gnoll as a singular unit, and are fearful of the fate the Khenomeric Empire and many other nations suffered at the hands of the hordes.
=== Horned Ogres ===
The Horned Ogres of the east exist only on a small island there and are usually red though rare blue Oni exist which can wield primitive magic and are known for being able to eat magic. The Horned Ogres practice a form of ancestor worship.
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Horned ogres are one of the many ogre species living in Giantstep. Horned ogres limit themselves to the island of Stór Kartöflu, a land they dominated for millennia until the Avangar Empire took over the island. Horned ogres are about 2.75 meters tall when fully straight, being tall even for ogres. They have a hunched position, always walking on their knuckles like a gorilla would. Their arms are extremely muscular and strong, being as broad as a human torso. They have a pair of horns similar to those of oxen, and their head is reinforced with twice the muscle, both to carry the horns and to protect the frontal lobe from hits. All this muscle hides their eyes, and thus can only see what’s in front of them if their head is slightly upwards, giving the impression they are always looking down on others. Horned ogres have a deep red skin, though one out of ten horned ogres is instead born with a deep dark blue skin. 
Horned ogres worship the Gluttony God, but in a very different way. They have developed a form of ancestor worship, considering that their spirits watch over those who consume their bodies. Thus, horned ogres eat the corpses of their own as a matter of course, not leaving anything behind, as it would mean their souls would be shattered and incomplete. Horned ogres’ cannibalistic tendencies are not limited to eating the deceased: their fights often led to shattering and dismemberment, and thus they will eat each other’s lost parts, as well as their own. And of course, horned ogres have no compunction in eating other sentient beings. This is one of the reasons why the island wasn’t taken over until the elyrians arrived. The extraordinarily resilience of the horned ogres, combined with their horrific eating habits, have created an aura of horror around them. This is also increased by the fact that horned ogres have developed rudimentary sailing skills. While their boats are crude, horned ogres are strong enough to be able to quickly swim towards the victims’ ship, even if they are sunken from a long distance. In general, though, they tend to avoid other ships, preferring to prey upon the eastern shores of Littlestep and the island of Ils Muslík. Nowadays, however, they serve as privateers and hired muscle for the Avangar Empire, who managed to conquer Stór Kartöflu. 
Horned ogres are notoriously resistant to magic. During the invasion of the island, the elyrian dark wizards discovered to their horror how inefficient their witchcraft was against the brutes, who mostly shrugged off most offensive spells while they charged at the elyrian troops. In particular, the blue horned ogres are actually capable of absorbing the magic directed towards them, granting them a boost of energy equivalent to the magical energy invested in the spell. Horned ogres can also use magic naturally, but their powers are very crude, and only capable of very simple spells, mostly to boost their already considerable physical prowess or to heal their wounds. 
=== Peacock Ogres ===
Lastly the Peacock Ogres are the smallest of the Ogres and a relative to the Horned Ogres though their skin shifts colour at will making them colourful like peacocks when they wish to display their health and power.
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Peacock Ogres are one of the ogre species living in Giantstep. They live near exclusively in the southeast of Giantstep, which has seen a severe reduction of their numbers in the last couple of centuries. Peacock Ogres are the smallest of their kind, being around 2 meters of height, but presenting the same bulk and width as other ogres, making them look stronger in comparison. Peacock ogres have the strange ability of changing their skin color. The peacock ogres have pigmentation sacks all over their skin, which activate in certain patterns to mix and create different tones. These displays of color can range from simple color change to dynamic displays of ever changing hues. Peacock ogres will use these showings to intimidate rivals or attract a mate, though they also do it for fun. 
The color change skills of peacock ogres began developing during childhood. When peacock ogres are born, they are born near albino white, and over time, their skin develops further and further. First they are only able to show one primary color at a time, then they will begin showing multiple colors, and them begin mixing them to create secondary colors. An adult peacock ogre is also able to generate bioluminescence, shining brightly in the darkness. However, peacock ogres are as prone to violence as any of their kind, which can cause severe damages to their skin. If that is the case, the peacock ogres will lose the ability to change color in those areas of their bodies that are damaged over and over again, which gives peacock ogres what can look like blind spots, usually composed of scar tissue. This is used by some peacock ogres, making scars on themselves to create blind patterns, adding complexity to their showings. 
Peacock ogres have developed an adoration to the Great Maw. Similarly to the swamp ogres, peacock travel to the Eternal Holy City of Tents to worship their deity in the flesh. This often makes them enter contact with the swamp ogres from the Gnoll Empire. Many peacock ogres will try to pilgrimage crossing the southern shores of the empire to arrive to the Maw, but the travel is pretty dangerous for them, as the gnoll are not used to the presence of the peacock ogres, and attacks can be frequent. Thus, peacock ogres will travel with swamp ogres, to help them cross gnoll populations. 
Recently, the arrival of the Lord Descended took over the minds of many peacock ogres, turning them into crazed cultists. These ogres, just like the humans enthralled by “reality”, are fanatically devoted to the Lord Descended, being unable to break free of its grasp. These ogres will move alongside the human cultist in harmony, dedicated to the destructive activities of those afflicted by their madness. These peacock ogres also lose control over their coloration, adopting a somewhat luminescent cold blue as a skin tone.
=== Desert Ogres ===
Desert Ogres are one of the many ogre species living in Giantstep. Moving around between the savannah and the desert, desert ogres are some of the heaviest ogres of all. Their incredibly thick skin and their fat reserves (used to store water within them, somewhat akin to a camel) makes them incredibly tough creatures. Their mouth is full of tusks, and have a bite strength that can shatter bone with little issue. Desert ogres have a light brownish skin, full of ritualistic markings and tattoos, both representing the adoration of the Maw and the successful hunts of the tribe.
Desert ogres are very adept hunters. As their low intelligence keeps them from formulating complex ambushing plans or traps, desert ogres have developed a very brazen way of hunting the fauna of the Zulutaur Steppes. After praying to the Maw, they will disrobe in the middle of the savanna, make a cut on themselves (nothing debilitating, but enough to draw blood), and wait for a predator to come to them. The desert ogre then will wrestle the giant predator into submission, trying a series of grapples and holds to choke the monsters in the savannah to death. If no predator comes to them, they will go to the herbivore herds and hunt the old fashion way, chasing after the herds. Desert ogres have developed a complex system of martial arts, designed to fight the predators of the wild, and the tribes will teach the younglings this system from a very early age. This is essential for their survivor, as they risk their lives every day hunting the most dangerous game in the savannah, and one mistake can be enough to be gutted by the beasts of the steppes, even with their physical resilience.
Desert ogres are highly religious. Their adoration of the Maw takes the form of a hunting deity, that helps those in honorable pursue of prey. As the Maw is the biggest predator of them all, so the desert ogres need to pursue to be the best hunters they can. Many desert ogres carry on them the bones of their biggest kills, as a show of prowess, pride and respect for the Maw. The tribes celebrate big feasts when particularly threatening creatures are slain, with all partaking in the ceremony. Desert ogres are also very social, with a surprisingly low level of violence between them. When violence occurs, it is in the form of ceremonial duels, where the ogres will fight using their martial arts prowess just as if they were hunting, using grapples, holds and chokes against their opponent. Once game starts to become scarce, they will move to other regions in search of prey, which often necessitates crossing the desert. Their biology allows them to spend weeks without eating or drinking, and once they reach a new hunting ground, they will begin a series of rituals, thanking the Maw for the new creatures they are allowed to hunt.
=== Alquizhibab ===
Alquizhibab are one of the many ogre species living in Giantstep. They are very elusive individuals, being difficult to truly categorize as an ogre, as it looks like its origins are more the result of hybridization between different species rather than mere evolution, making many think they should not be considered ogres. They are very thin creatures for ogres, making them look emaciated, even though they are actually just as strong as other ogres. They have a massive lower jaw, full of fangs and tusks, which can never be fully closed. They have a dense facial hair around their eyes, protecting them from both sunlight and the scorching sand. These eyes also have a reflective layer behind their eyes, allowing them to detect light even during night, making their eyes shine in the dark as a result.
Alquizhibab live alone, moving through the desert either as herders or as bandits. The alquizhibab culture is one of temperance and privations. While they still worship the Great Maw, the desert ogres do so in a different way, seeing as the desert makes them unable to live a lifestyle similar to other ogre groups. They need to be very careful with the resources they have at hand, avoiding excess in any way that could led them to starvation of dehydration. They usually find themselves travelling from oasis to oasis, seeking anything that can be edible or enough water to drink. Alquizhibab always wear thick robes, nearly covering their entire body but their eyes and their hands. Alquizhibab are surprisingly good tailors, and they use this ability to create clothing that protects them from the sun and the sand, keeping them both free from sunstroke during the day and freezing during the night. Many desert ogres will have with them a herd of goats, keeping them around as a constant food source. Alquizhibab eat anything but the skin, not letting any edible bit to go to waste, as they believe the Great Maw looks down on those who misuse the resources of the land.
Alquizhibab are very effective stalkers. Instead of using their strength to hunt or fight as any other ogre, they tend to pursue their prey from afar. They are capable of sneaking upon their prey, either animals or travelers, with utmost stealth, being able to end up in front of them and cut their exit, forcing them to either a confrontation or to look for another route. An experienced desert ogre will do this multiple times until the prey dies of exhaustion, leaving them and all of their possessions to them. Alquizhibab make ritualistic tattoos on themselves for every successful hunt, leaving them with tens of thousands of small ceremonial marks by the end of their lives.
=== Pale Ogres ===
Pale ogres are one of the many species of ogre living in Giantstep. Mostly limited to Scimitarian, though there are populations of pale ogres in other areas of the step, pale ogres are ogres adapted to living in near pitch-black conditions, either in underground or in the densest bogs and marshes. They are photophobic, their skin is highly sensible to light and blisters under sunlight, though quite resilient against pretty much anything else. Their eyesight is extraordinarily good, with massive owl-like eyes that occupy most of their face. These are also highly resistant to damage, so they are not as much a weakspot as one may think at first. However, these eyes are highly sensible to light, being dazed and hurt by any luminous source. Pale ogres are very big and bulky, at around 2.65 meters of height, but they are also surprisingly flexible, capable of fitting crevices and tunnels that one would assume they could not go through.
Pale ogres are some of the ogres with the lowest levels of intelligence of all ogredom. There are many rumors that they were a result of an ancient project to create a slave race to work in the undergrounds, but their lower intelligence made controlling them quite difficult, as they tend to enter savage tantrums with ease. Pale ogres are barely capable of speech, mostly communicating through grunts and punches, and they see most other sentient beings as mere food, especially when they cannot defend themselves. They are more violent than the average ogre, and tend to fight for pretty much any reason. Pale ogres worship the Maw, but due to their intelligence, the only shows of adoration are paintings in the walls of caves in the shape of jaws.
=== Peat-Cutterlings ===
Peat-Cutterlings are one of the many ogre species living in Giantstep. The peat-cutterlings are notorious for having long claws instead of hands. Their sharp edges are incredibly dangerous, though peat-cutterlings mostly use them to work peat pools. They also have a very dense fur, with skin full of folds, making them resistant to cuts and stabbing, something they need for when they need to fight each other. Peat-cutterlings also have a single eye in the middle of their face, protected with a layer of transparent tissue, which protects the organ from strange bodies. This issue is surprisingly resilient, something they need as their eye works for both seeing and hearing, though the inner workings on that are very poorly understood. Peat-cutterling fights are often blindingly fast. Like all ogres, they tend to fight amongst each other, but in those cases where the fights are to the death, they will hurl at each other, trying to gouge out their eyes before the opponent can do so, looking more like a fencing match than an ogre brawl. Peat-cutterlings are surprisingly agile, being blindingly fast with their claws, preferring to gut or decapitate their prey instead of bludgeon it, something they cannot do correctly, as they have no fingers, and thus they cannot grab stuff.
Peat-cutterlings are famous for their works in the peat pools of the bogs of Northern Giantstep. The swamps of the Bog Witch produce making a great amount of peat every year, which finds many of uses both within and outside of the bogs. Peat-cutterly are perfectly suited for working in peat extraction, as their claws can easily go through the material with ease, organizing it in blocks for its transport, and the effluvia emitted by the pits does little damage to ogre physiognomy. This also keeps would be thieves from attempting to steal the product, as few would want to get into a fight with ogres. Young peat-cutterlings also tend to serve as mercenaries and footsloggers for the different powers within the swamp, as their claws are sharper during their youth and they dent and blunt over time, preferring to work in the peat pools once they cannot fight effectively anymore.
Category:Species
Category:Ogres