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| Official Name: Ogre. | ||
| Common Nicknames: Grunters. | ||
| Classification: Mammal. | ||
| Habitat: Cold climates and mountainous areas. | ||
| Domesticated: No. | ||
| Current Status Common. |
Ogres are the chaotic gray beasts found in the north of Aloria, found throughout areas of southern Ellador and its surrounding islands, as well as New Ceardia. Large and dangerous, these creatures form small clans and tribes called “Truggs”, lead by a single Chieftain, both to ward off hunters and provide more resilience against the rival clans that might challenge them. These creatures first appeared around 50 AC, and despite the popularity of hunting them, continue to thrive in solitude or small numbers throughout Aloria.
First Recorded Encounter
Ogres first made their minor appearance in the year 50 A.C. shortly after the first death of Sophie Baver. A Dwarven hunting party took a trip to High Trollar, and to their shock found a small Ogre runt upon washing ashore. They briefly fought with it and returned home with their trophy as the scholars among them recorded it. This was the first in a series of events where the Ogres began showing up on the island, revealing themselves on the shores of the mainland of Ellador and in higher concentrations on High Trollar.
Current Status
Ogres are commonly sighted and can be found in high populations in the Tribelands of High Trollar, and in lower numbers in the Trollstigel. However, they are hunted throughout Aloria because not only do they provide a hardy challenge for poachers and thrillseekers, but their bones and blood are valuable resources.
Characteristics
Ogres vary in size and stature. Some of the largest, though rare, range from 8 to 9 feet (2.43 to 2.74 metres) and are anywhere from 400 to 500 pounds (181 to 226 kg), while the runts of the litter are a ‘meager’ 6 to 7 feet (1.82 to 2.13 metres), weighing in at only 200 to 300 pounds (90 to 136 kg). Ogres are thick-boned beings who have ash grey to light blue skins, and tend to be quite fat and bulky. They can commonly be found with small but thick heads, dull yellow eyes, and tusks jutting from their mouths. They wear anything from horned skulls on their heads to tattered hides around their waist for protection.
Notable Physical Traits
- Ogre Blood
Through the testing on Ogre blood and its properties, Ailor have discovered its medicinal effects. Ogre blood has been found to miraculously completely cure skin rashes, fevers, and several symptoms of pregnancy in women, though the effects of Ogre blood on the unborn children has yet to be studied in detail. It is unknown why the sanguine matter of these lumbering beasts has such wondrous medicinal qualities, but they are valued for it.
- Ogre Bone
Ogres are thick boned, large creatures. Their bones are a heavy but a beautiful material to work with and particularly valuable due to the difficulty of hunting Ogres. It has since garnered interest in high-born citizens of many races for its rarity and beauty, but also recently as hard clubs and batons from the durability of the bone.
Origin and Diversity
Ogres are said to have originated in southern Ellador, owing to why they are rarely found out of the colder northern regions of Aloria. While they used to live solely in Ellador, they have since migrated to such areas as the Tribelands of High Trollar, the Federation of Trollstigel, and some of the mountains in the north of New Ceardia. Ogres are well suited to chilly climates and mountainous, hilly regions where they can settle down in their clans and create camps.
Life Span and Development
Ogres live longer than their Troll cousins, reaching fifty years in age. That is not to say they all live to that age because of the violent practices and common warring between rival Ogre factions. Ogres grow extremely quickly from a young age and will more often than not have developed by the time they reach adolescence, this being fifteen years of age.
Mental Overview
Ogres are primitive creatures, but have some civilised habits as they will socialise with other Ogres in their group, will dress themselves, and have chieftains. Ogres have their own language, simply called “Ogre”, comprised of grunts and hand signals. Nonetheless, they are still beasts who enjoy violence and fighting, as they see strength to be perfection as exhibited during the “Great Horn”-meetings where chieftains will come together and grapple each other until one stands victor, thus meaning his decision is final. Ogres are fiercely protective of their territories and their Truggs, and will defend what they own until any who oppose them are dead. That is not to say they are hostile to everyone, as shown in High Trollar where inquisitive Ogres approach the Regalian Landing and are studied by the Ailor scholars there.
Territory and Groupings
Ogres live in encampments ranging from one solitary beast to as many as six, known as Truggs. While this number itself doesn’t carry much terror behind it, the strength and single-minded hunting habits of Ogres make packs a nightmare for any traveller. Luckily, these encampments are generally very easy to spot from a distance, commonly placed in a hollowed grove where the Ogre cleared away any surrounding landscape (trees, stones, etc) in a twenty foot radius. Usually, a large, beacon-like fire is placed in the centre of the encampment, formed out of the trunks of various trees that theOogres collected. These serve as a rather clear warning to passing travellers. If this warning is ignored, however, the ogre will typically attack any sighted intruder.
Trivia
- Ogres have a rather cordial relationship with Ailor and may take them as pets of sorts. The Humans of High Trollar maintain an outpost used to study the Ogres, even procuring a translation between Ogre languages and Common. They have begun recording Ogre Folklore.
- One of the largest ogres ever spotted was found in Trollstigel. According to the surviving hunters, it was near ten feet in height. The beast was eventually tricked into falling down a crevasse, and the reported size or even existence of this Ogre has never been proven.
- One way to identify the deadliness of an Ogre encampment is to scan for spiked skulls around the Ogres’ clearing. The more people that have fallen prey to the Ogre, the more skulls it will have collected to proudly display.