In the Deep Jungles of the west, far beyond the mountains of the dwarves and the deserts of men, lies a land in conflict. History speaks of mighty armies rolling forth from the Jungle, blue skinned devils riding great tigers and wielding ancient magics. They killed all they could find and disappeared back into their jungle home leaving famine and ruination behind them. These are the stories of the Ogre, may the gods grant we never see them again.
Ogres fight a never ending battle with their great enemy, the serpent men, for control of the world. Both races date back to the dawning f the world. Both have fallen far in the intervening years. The Ogres are currently winning this struggle, so they can devote more resources to the conquest of the world. Ogre attacks have started to become more common, and with the land divided there is no kingdom or empire to stand against them.
There are two castes of Ogre society. The Muja-Orog(Blue Blood) are the magician-rulers and have spent generations collecting knowledge and information. They rule over the Aur-Ogre(invincible). The Ogre are the lower caste and do the menial labor. Often a Muja-Orog and a slew of vassal Aur-Ogre will be found in ancient ruins, seeking magical knowledge and artifacts. Pity the adventurers who run across the Ogre, for they are in for the fight of their lives. There is only one thing the Ogre love more than knowledge, the flesh of intelligent creatures. The Muja-Orog even have rituals to gain the knowledge of an intelligent creature they eat.
In the deep jungle is where the empire of the Ogre stands. The Muja-Orog live in great towers, jealously guarding their troves of knowledge and artifacts from the other Ogre princes. Beneath these towers lie a vast series of catacombs ad tunnels where the Aur-Ogre make their homes when they are not working or fighting. The rest of their land is overgrown and stocked with Great Tigers which the Ogres ride into battle.
Ogre society is based around the belief in scarcity and the twin gods Gogg(devourer) and Mabnagog(Master of Desolation). The Ogre believe that to attain power you must reduce the power of others. They believe in absolute self interest and seek to diminish the resources of their enemies. In the Human and Minotaur lands(where they tend to attack the most), Ogres are known as Famine Bringers as they burn all the fields they come across.Nameless Aur-Ogre
Aspects: My life for my master, Great hulking monster
Good(+2) at: Manual labor, breaking things, fighting, resisting damage
Bad(-2) at: Thinking on your feet, disobeying orders, knowledge or wit
Stress: [1] [1] [2] [2] [3] [4]
Special: Aur-Ogre do not suffer mental stress so long as there is a Muja-Orog within sight of them.
Muja-Orog
Make these like a main NPC villain. they tend to be wizards or clerics. their skill cap is two higher than the current parties skill cap. They also have access to a couple of Powers that aid in casting magic. Wizard or Cleric Player characters could learn these powers if tehy could convince an Ogre to train them. Ogre Mage: When casting an attack spell you gain an additional bonus of +1 to the roll to attack. Devote of Gogg: After you have damaged an opponent in melee combat, you may take a turn to eat a bit of the flesh of your opponent. After that turn you gain another free use of a spell.
Servants of the Ogre
the Ogre have many servitor beasts that they have created over the centuries with their magics. Here is a sampling.
Ogoril: a magical fusion of gorilla and ogre, stronger and faster than an ogre but needs to be trained like a beast. It has s four arms and two legs, though it can use all limbs for locomotion to increase its speed. The eerie cry of the Ogoril can be heard for miles and they are perfectly suited to fighting in the jungles.
Aspects: Six-Limbed Powerhouse, Territorial Rage
Good(+2) at: Being strong, moving through the jungle, being scary
Bad(-2) at: Social situations, moving through non jungle, ignoring distractions
Stress: [1] [2] [3]
Special: It ignores any aspect for rough terrain while in the jungle.
Merro: sharks that have been bred to be able to go on land for a brief period. Often used for surprise attacks or to destroy fishing villages. Halflings hate them and will hunt them down like rabid nimals whenever their paths cross.
Aspects: Piranha-sharks, Singleminded bloodlust
Good(+2) at: Swimming, attacking, stealth in the water
Bad(-2) at: Disobeying their training, defending, moving fast on land
Stress: [1] [2]
Special: They have a tough hide, reduce the stress taken by one(to a minimum of one)
Megantre: Often called Dire Tigers, the great tigers of the Ogre are bread for size and obidience. They are over twice the size of the average tiger elsewhere. Ogre have been seen riding them into battle as well as ordering a pack(pride? what is a group of tigers called?) of them to attack in groups.
Aspects: Ogre's best friend, Massive Tiger
Good(+2) at: Fighting, Stealth, Carrying a rider, Sensing things
Bad(-2) at: Maneuvering in tight spaces, doing anything without an ogre there to guide it
Stress: [1] [2] [3]
Special: When attack the same target as an Ogre, the Tiger gets a +1 bonus to its attack.
Rynn
For one reason or another, not all Ogre are content with Ogre society. Most often these are Aur-Ogre who are dissatisfied at their treatment. Though sometimes a Muja-Orog will seek adventure or a new life out in the wide world. These are loner ogres, they have left the jungle kingdom and returning to it is not a possibility. These are the Rynn(outcast) They can be found in the company of Orcs, Kobolds, Ynaugge, and even occasionally on a halfling greatboat(they are very useful for moving cargo, like a living fork lift). They can follow any path, though the reputation of their people follows them like a grim shadow.
So there is my take on Ogres. I am not entirely happy with how it all came out. This was one of the harder posts to write for me. The language felt stilted and weak. I would really appreciate any comments or thoughts you have on this post. My next post will be on the Yuan-ti. I am thinking of making them along the lines of ancient Atlanteans as done by James Earl Jones in Conan. Awesome snake cults and demigods. I would love to hear your thoughts on that as well.
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