Nogs

Nogs are a race of aggressive beastmen native to the continent of Fiarka.

During the time of The Portal of Returning they launched an invasion of Nillamandor.

During the time of A Land of Trees they had been defeated.

From the perspective of the peoples of Nillamandor there were broadly speaking two main noggish nations, the South Nogs and the North Nogs. The North Nogs inhabited the south-western corner of Nillamandor, known as North Nogland or Ertia.
The Southern Nogs were from the continent of Fiarka. An eastern portion of the Southern Nogs were lead by Chow the Usurper for a time, during the time of the Portal of Returning (1095-1097)

**Culture**

Unlike the people of Nillamandor the nogs smoke. They use hookahs.

Nog soldiers wear well made uniforms usually brightly coloured red or blue tabards and coats, often with gold piping on the chest and shoulders.

Jelliar and Juste were the noggish equivelent of saints and their names are often used in curses.

**Politics**

Mollo the scholar in the Portal of Returning says:

*Yes indeed, I am a scholar of history and have studied this at great length. It in many ways resembles the ancient battles of Carmalle and Cito, back in the days when honour really meant something... ahem, yes. The noggish warlords banished parts of their tribes to north Nogland, what was once Ertia. The usurper overthrew the shah of Nogland, and now the north nogs consider themselves to be the only true nogs left. A huge war rages, and the northern nogs are being pushed ever further north. Unfortunately we are in the way.*

And also

*Mollo predicted the northern ‘true nogs’, would hold off the southern clans for maybe a year, before finally being crushed, and then nothing would be holding them back from the human kingdoms. By reputation the southern nogs were a lot more violent and xenophobic than their northern cousins, who had been softened, if such a concept was possible, by decades of contact with humans. Tup’s presence in King Real’s court showed that the northern nogs were looking for possible allies. My understanding of the local geography increased by a hundred fold as well, and I could draw a map of all the kingdoms west of the Norob Forest with great confidence after one of his long fireside lectures.*

In this though, Mollo is wrong. In actual fact Tup and Zort defeat the Usurper and unite the North and South nogs, although very breifly as it all falls apart again when they are killed at Pik Sedova.

Carab says later:

*Ah yes,’ recalled Carab. ‘There wasn’t much love lost between Zort and Tup before the battle of Usak. Jube was the leader of the north nog Shaman, a really black hearted demon worshipper. It was him that was responsible for the renewed nog interest in blood rituals, and demon summoning. The giant and the dragon we saw at Loggarth are the direct results of his policies. He was assassinated last year, and Zort took his place.*

On Chow the Usurper:

*‘He was the leader of the southern nogs for a while. Originally it was thought that he controlled all of Fiarka, but it later seemed that he only controlled the east, while the west was controlled by supporters of the old, assassinated shah. The shah had controlled all of Fiarka, and after his death, several areas split off. There are vast areas of Fiarka further south that no one knows anything about, except that they are inhabited by even mightier noggish nations.’*

*‘As far as I can see though, the nogs that once followed the usurper are now allied to the north nogs, under the joint control of Tup, who is now a national hero and head of all the clans, and Zort, more black hearted than Jube, is head of the shaman. They control both church and state now, and have mobilised every able bodied nog into a full on expansionist adventure. From the last reports I had heard, Foona was totally under their yoke. Tyra was putting up a spirited resistance, but was expected to fall. Obviously Bellavia is next in line. The mighty nog Diamond Sea fleet has been attacking and landing troops on Loggarth, obviously, and Borland, Eask, Tomsk, and Ferron.’*