Ogres

### Introduction

Deep within the mountains and deep forests of Ludwag there lives a species of vile & savage brutish creatures known to many travelers as the Ogres. These savage brutes are known for their overpowering strength and gargantuan appetites  for the various creatures that dwell within Ludwag’s coldest mountains and darkest forests. Stemming from the frigid continent of Nerius , the ancestors of the Ludwagian Ogres are believed to have arrived in Ludwag brought over unintentionally by the Mons during their great exodus some thousand years ago- having since morphed in the ensuing generations.  Rarely sighted outside of remote areas , these beasts are labeled as a great threat to many explorers who dare trudge into the uncivilized wilderness without preparations.

### Physiology and Anatomy

Ogres are large humanoid creatures, having large protruding jaws and tusk-like canine teeth. These teeth behave so much like boar tusks that they don’t seem to stop growing, requiring the ogre to shear them down regularly. The key defining feature when identifying an Ogre is their large size and enormous fatty gut. Ogres are also equipped with a thick layer of fat that keeps them warm allowing them to persist in colder environments. Their gigantothermy may have also contributed to the lack of much hair- with most ogres possessing only a minor amount of filament over the shoulders and head.

## Ogres

### Place of Origin

Nerius

These hulking beasts are well known for their overpowering strength, being able to lift twice their own body weight and break bone and rend flesh with a swing of their fists. Mature Ogres also possess robust jaws which act as efficient crushing tools, though the act of shattering bone requires more effort and can often be strenuous for the jaw muscles from overuse. Their jaws are thus mostly used to rend otherwise difficult to pierce vegetation or carrion.

Top-heavy by nature, their enormous arms and puny hindlegs make them clumsily slow creatures, being easily outmaneuvered by the more nimble races of Azura. Ogres are however endurant and persistent- akin to humans in their stamina to continue after food. Similarly, they sweat like man too- allowing them to maintain a steady gate throughout. An ogre would typically alternate between walking on two legs and knuckle-walking on all fours depending on convenience. Ogres can make short spurts of speed whilst galloping on all fours allowing them to close the distance between a possible threat. These spurts are fleeting however and severely deplete the Ogres energy, forcing them to rest afterward. These spurts become less and less effective as the ogre ages. By the time an Ogre has reached an older adult stage it cannot maintain these feats of momentum without seriously compromising its own heart. Thus as ogres mature they tend to get slower.

Ogres are omnivores, having a habit of scavenging, looking for food from plants or stealing kills from other animals such as: Makilatas, Trolls, and Ar’caix depending on what is convenient and requires less effort. This is obvious considering their massive size, an Ogre having to consume twice his own body weight in order to survive. All in favor of an Ogre’s greatest feat, hibernation. Once food gets scarce Ogres will sleep out the famine and chill until time comes where food is again abundant. Their enormous fat reserves can keep them alive for a quarter of a year in stasis, letting them sit out the winter entirely.

The Ogres of Ludwag are known to be far more nocturnal than their Trepheonic & Nerian bretheren- the presence of later diurnal carnivores being too much risk for such creatures- causing their nature to shift. Ogres possess exceptional vision, seeing clearly during the night , though this adaptation has rendered Ogres extremely sensitive to light, causing them to avoid bright sources of light alongside open areas lit by sunlight due to their sensitivity. Ogres that do venture out into the day are subject to severe retinal damage- causing partial to complete blindness in the absence of shade.

Males Ogres are more aggressive and irrationally temperamental than their female counterparts, sporting more pronounced tusks & facial features . A male’s tusks have the common tendency to grow right into the bone of their skulls as they age, effectively getting impaled by their own teeth. Males will typically experience balding as they age.    Female Ogres are smaller than males and are not as aggressive as them. Females grow shorter tusks and their facial features are not as pronounced as in males.

Ogres are born as small and feeble creatures, requiring the constant care of their parents. Once they grow into young juveniles they become more independent. Juveniles, while lacking in the jaws of their mature counterparts, are far more nimble and can quite comfortably keep pace with a human. As they grow and their jaws begin to become more robust they soon slow before finally becoming the proud adult form many know them to be. On average ogres take about ten years to properly mature with an additional three for them to grow into their skeleton.

***\*\*Glass cannon Ogres are not a thing . Do not use the fluid approach to say your Ogre is “practically/almost” an adult as a sub-adult etc. ( This example extends & applies to all other growth stages  ). They will always lose their mobility at old age ( +60 ) . You cannot use the excuse of “almost” being an old Ogre as a way to justify using younger traits ( ex:  greater mobility )\*\****

### Psychology

Ogres are extremely temperamental, territorial and dim-witted. Their small brains and poor eyesight during the day makes them quick  to respond to just about any disturbance with violence. Though they do become more mellow at night they will not tolerate any humanoid in close proximity to them.

They know little other than their primal instincts, though there are some cracks in the argument of complete ferocity. Ogres form small family groups no larger than five individuals. These family units are made out of an adult Ogre pair, their young and an elderly ogre in rare occurrences, being the parent of one of the adult Ogres. The families are either led by a matriarch or a patriarch in the group. Young Ogres will be raised by their parents until they enter young adulthood , at which point they will be kicked out of the group by the family leader in order to start their own family units. If the unfortunate young adults try to return to their original families, they will commonly be harassed into leaving by the adults of the group, if not outright killed.

The young of this species are described by travelers as largely skittish, unlike their brute adult counterparts, opting to flee rather than fight unless they are presented with no other choice. Lacking experience and unconfident, juveniles are easily intimidated by so much as the clatter of a few pots and pans. Still, they can lash out if harassed into submission. Juveniles will stick together after being ousted by their parents as they grow before vacating eachothers company upon maturity.

Ogres are known for building dens, repurposing old ruins and other structures. They commonly claim these as their own territory. They use these structures as homes where they reside, raise young, and store food alongside basic resources for simple uses. Den creation is often the burden of the females. A learnt trait, the mother ogre will teach her daughters how to build such structures during their infancy.

While it is true that Ogres experience a lack of intelligence in comparison to other races, they have shown they’re capable of using rudimentary tools made out of objects that they come across. Some are even crafting simplistic clothing out of various objects found within the environment . This makes the wide assumption that the Ludwagian Ogres are in a slow evolutionary process. It is however noted that Ludwagian Ogres have not yet mastered how to use fire, being largely unable to produce it on their own.

   All Ludwagian Ogres share an innate fear of bright lights. causing the beasts to always avoid exploring open areas such as grasslands, tundras, or prairies during the day. They only come out to explore these areas at night in search of food. Two other innate fears that all Ogres share are the instinctual fear of larger beasts & sudden movements, as an ogre will often opt to flee when encountering a creature bigger than itself, alongside being easily startled by sudden movements.

  Ogres lack a culture of their own, although it is noted that Ogres will commonly battle against one another for seemingly no rational reason. While debated by academics, it is believed to be a result of the species's selective mating pressure, as each gender fights to be the most dominant as a way to find a suitable mate and secure their spot as suitors. This extends into the Ogre’s usage of objects found within the environment to decorate their bodies & territories to appear more imposing and dangerous. This odd behavior is speculated to be instinct-driven.