Ogre
Foul, inbred, brutish creatures that manage to give the already loathed giantkind a bad name, ogres are savage beyond words and find mirth in the most shocking acts of cruelty. A blight on any land they inhabit, ogres are unrepentantly evil, not for any philosophical or moral reason, but for the sheer, repugnant joy of it.
Appearance
Inbred mountains of monstrous muscles, ogres are terrifying in their appearance. Even the smallest of these hulking brutes stands at least eight feet tall, while some legends put the largest ogres at over fourteen feet tall. Humanoid in form, their bodies seem hideously distorted and unpleasant as measured by almost any standard of beauty. Ogre legs are too stumpy for their massive forms, resulting in a ridiculous hobble which unfortunately does not diminish their speed. The ogre's upper torso is well-muscled and covered in matted, sweaty body hair. Ogres possess disproportionately long arms compared to humans, giving them an ape-like appearance. Their faces appear puffy and bloated, with eyes far too small for their swollen countenances. They have large mouths lined with broken teeth that are nonetheless capable of tearing raw flesh from bone. Thanks to countless generations of inbreeding, each ogre possesses its own unique deformities. These degenerate mutations only increase the ogre's already terrifying visage.Habitat
Ogres dwell in the dark shadows and dank caves of many mountain ranges. They are more common in the mountain ranges that are wilder and less settled, including many border mountain chains like the Allerdale Mountains. They are also known to live in smaller groups among hills and forests. These smaller groups or parties tend to be less violent than the norm.Ecology
Ogres are the result of breeding between greater giants and men that soon degenerated into savage, bestial imitations of both. This original pairing of man and giant must have happened in ancient times, for ogres have been a menace to civilisation as long as anyone can remember. Ogre barbarism is furthered by the rampant incest that defines their tribes. Some ogres regress so far that they become completely incapable of even the most basic rational thought; such monstrous incarnations of rage are known as degenerate ogres. On the rare occasions when ogres vent their carnal lust on other species, they often force themselves upon terrified human victims, resulting in the horrifying ogrekin. When ogre blood mixes with human, it infects that family like a virus; any human bloodline sullied by ogre blood will never be the same again. Female ogres are almost constantly pregnant, and this rapid birthrate helps counteract the constant attrition of vengeful soldiers, ogre-slaying adventurers, and ogrekind's own violent natures. Ogre children reach their full size within six years, although the child-like glee ogres evince when smashing bodies and breaking bones make some wonder if they ever reach mental maturity. This rapid physical development is a necessity as few ogres live to even thirty years of age. Since ogres almost always meet a violent end, their natural lifespan is unknown. Mountain-dwelling ogres are nocturnal creatures, and while the sun does not damage them (like the undead) or impede their vision (like orcs), they still hate daylight.Society
Ogre society is tribal, inbred and far removed from any civilised definition of society. Ogres live in tribes consisting of a few families at most. These tribes are ruled over by a 'pappy': the strongest, most powerful, and most virile male of the tribe. Ogre society appreciates nothing but strength and fertility, the two attributes that make an ogre tribe so dangerous. One tradition common to most ogre tribes is the skull hunt. When a male ogre reaches puberty, he is sent out to gather skulls in a night of murder and mayhem. These skull hunts take place on the night of a full moon, allowing the victims to see the ogre's approach. The number of skulls taken often determines the young ogre's rank within the tribe. Most ogre tribes wreak their greatest havoc during the spring months before the hated sun of the summer months rises to its full prominence. During these spring months ogres descend into the lands of civilised people, often slaughtering entire villages in night-long orgies of destruction and killing. Ogres still regularly raid neighbouring lands during the rest of the year for food and supplies, as well as for the sheer fun of it. Because ogres are both lazy and very impatient, they lack skilled craftsmen among their ranks. Instead, they steal what they want from smaller, weaker races who cannot protect themselves. Ogres have been known to occasionally form alliances of convenience with flocks of harpies who find ogres useful protection and too brutish to be worth tormenting and eating. Ogres tend to worship Lamashtu, the mother of monsters. Many, however, worship more primal gods of the moon or the wild, most of whom are fictitious gods venerated only by a single tribe of ogres. The forest-dwelling, more docile outcasts, on the other hand, seem to be so far removed from this tribal society that they almost resemble a civilized hunting party.
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