Kiern Vale Handbook
Chapter 2: The Races of Melestra
Prologue | Introduction | En'miri | Far'lil | Gurg | Mistweavers | Ogres | Ralg'kril
Ogres (Ur’maagur)
Race type:
Demi-Humans Lifespan:
60-70 years (non-casters), several centuries (high level casters) Everage height:
2.3m (males), 2.1m (females).
Ur’maagur
(or Ogres, as they are called by humans), are large-sized demi-humans who are both taller and wider than
"lesser" races such as humans. Their bodies tend to develop round
bellies, and large breasts in females. Their skin tone ranges from
pinkish-white to light stone-grey; the eyes are relatively small, usually
brown but can be in any color which exist in humans, and also brown-red or
yellowish-green. The head is rounded and slightly elongated; the jaws are
robust, and the mouth is wide, with lower fangs (especially those of the ogre
male) slightly longer and more prominent then in humans. The hair is coarse
and abundant, ranging from dark brown, through various shades of brown, to a
rare murky yellowish color. Ogre ears resemble human ears; In males, a small
horn (up to 10cm at most) protrudes from the top of the skull – either
straight or slightly curved in shape, and its color ranges from grey to
mottled white, sometimes with a hint of pale green or pale blue. Females have
no horn; instead, they have a smaller, tough protrusion in the same location,
often partially or fully covered by their hair.
Low
status Ogres, especially those who have degraded into barbarism, will wear a
crude loincloth. Sometimes supplemented with acoarse
body covering made from fur, and adorn themselves with bone and coarse stone
trinkets and crude jewelry. Skillful warriors are fond of sturdy metal armor,
crude but effective, often with menacing spikes, and will adorn it with
necklaces made from colorful stones and carved bones (sometimes taken from
defeated foes). They are very fond of enchanted jewelry, if they can afford it.
Ogre
mages, on the other hand, prefer traditional attire, which combines exquisite
magical cloaks, with a tunic or a traditional ogre robe which covers only
part of their body. They often add various magical jewelry, enchanted stones
carved with runic symbols. Their flesh is marked with intricate tattoos
enchanted with magic. Their most favored jewelry is an adorned filigree,
engraved with precious, highly magical gem, carved in runic shapes or in a
shape that resembles on of the ancient gods of wild magic – for example a
winged snake or a scarab engraved with lightning marks.
The
Ogres are an ancient and brutal race, with a strong affinity to magic,
originating from the dense forests and mangroves of Magaarun,
in the distant northwest of the continent of Melestra. Thousands of years
ago, the ogres ruled over a vast empire which was called Ur-Naarum, led by the iron fist and powerful staves of
legendary wizard-emperors. Ur-Naarum was eventually riven by internal strife and slowly
declined over many centuries, long before the rise of the En’mirian Empire.
It left behind massive stone structures, albeit coarse and unattractive in
the eyes of humans or Mistweavers, unique legends about ancient gods of wild
magic, and epic tales about the deeds of proud wizard-emperors and other
powerful spellcasters, who frequently endangered themselves by making risky
deals with the ancient gods of magic or even by challenging the gods directly.
Legends also recount tales of powerful constructs and even living races that
were created and bred to serve the ogre mages. Over
the centuries, the Ogres split into numerous tribes, and sank into
internecine conflicts. Some of those new factions were led by sorcerer-lords,
but their power was but a shadow of the legendary wizard-emperors; other
factions were ruled by elder councils or local warlords, while others
degenerated into total barbarism, becoming nothing more than bands of
half-naked bullies wielding crude clubs. It
was during this period of near-collapse that the fragmented Ogre lands were
invaded by a massive En’mirian war host who struck them a devastating blow,
reaching the heart of Magaarun, plundering its
ancient strongholds and cities and carrying back a massive train of loot
containing treasures from the days of Ur-Naarum – a
humiliation the Ogres never forgot or forgave. At
the time of the campaign, following the Great Shattering and the destruction
of the En’mirian Empire, the Ogres are once again on the warpath, having
spread out and invaded lands beyond the borders of Magaarun,
most of them outlying provinces of their empire of old, Ur-Naarum. Over the past few decades, a powerful and
ruthless sorcerer-prince has united many ogre tribes into a vicious horde
which has infiltrated the Urgaka swamps, just north
of Kiern Vale – conquering and enslaving lizard-folk and other local races.
His power seems to grow with each passing year. While the sorcerer-prince and
many other Ogres follow the path of war and fire, others – albeit much fewer
in number, believe that the right path their race must take to restore its
rightful greatness, is one of regaining their lost magical knowledge, not
smashing human skulls in an orgy of brutal conquest. Those Ogres, mindful of
the looming evil that is slowly devouring Melestra from the south, and think
that the role of the true descendent Ur-Naarum is
to stand against it and repel it with their magic – and thus, create new epic
tales that will be sung in Magaarun and outside it
for countless generations to come. Society and Values Ogre
society, excluding tribes which have degenerated into utter barbarism, is a magocracy, where leadership is rightfully held by those
possessing the greatest magical power. If a tribe lacks a sufficiently
powerful mage to rule over it, it is led by elders who preserve the ancient
knowledge, or at least tales about it. Since most non-caster Ogres are unable
to read and write in the ancient language of Ur-Naarum
(not to mention its magical runes), much of the tradition and lore is passed
down orally, often in boasts and wild songs within the tribe's “Hall of
Roars”. Ogre society is brutal and ruthless, and violence and danger – both
from the outside and inside, are a natural part of life. Ogres
do not engage in long-term marital ties, and care little about lineage
(except those of the emperor and few extremely powerful wizards). Women with
no magical power are usually taken by force, or by paying a bride-price to
one of her tribe elders (or their parents if one of them is a sufficiently
powerful mage). Marriages – even those between spellcasters - only last a few
years, typically lasting until the offsprings are weaned from breast milk,
then each of the parents goes their separate way. Most children grow up “with
the whole tribe” and need to find their place within it, with little
importance given to the identity of their parents. In many of the Ogre
tribes, the fate of the young ogres will be determined in initiation trials,
where they must demonstrate their talents – and hope that a respected ogre,
hopefully a mage, will choose them as an apprentice. Relations with other races The
Ogres are a brutal race, who above all values strength –physical but
especially magical. Ogres often look down upon smaller and weaker races,
viewing them as tiny, despicable creatures, legitimate targets for war,
plunder and enslavement – unless the tiny creatures know their place, and
grovel for the mercy and beneficent protection of the mighty Urmaagur, who ruled a mighty magical empire when humans
were nothing but savage sheepherders. Most
ogres take great pride in their heritage as ancient, powerful race – and
anyone who interacts with ogres, even a degenerate, weak tribe of savage
swamp-dwellers– had better keep this in mind. Some ogres are still fond of
cooking and eating humans and demi-humans, though most contemporary tribes
turn their noses up at this archaic tradition. Nonetheless, there are still
some expressions in Ogre language which recall that old tradition, like “Too
small and ugly, even for the pot”. Most
ogres see themselves as utterly superior to the Far’lil humans. In ancient
times, Ogres frequently raided the ancient Far’lil homeland in Northern
Melestra, but from time were also willing to negotiate or even trade. In
spite of this, some Ogre factions are willing to deal or even consider
allying themselves with the new Farilic “Great
Prophet”, which they appreciate his vast powers of nature magic. Ogres
consider the Gurg to be nothing more then prattling
slaves, bred to serve and be lowly – but as the years passed, too many of
them had forgotten their rightful place, and nowadays became so despicable
and useless, that they are not even worthy of being cooked (not to mention
that their smell is vile, and their taste is even worse) – so “there is
nothing to do with those green vermin, other than stomping on them”. The
Mistweavers are nothing but a group of soft, miserable and blabbering females
with miserable waning magic and a goddess even more laughable them her
believers; however, many Ogres learned to value the wonderful weaving
Mistweavers can produce (some even nickname them “Silk worm” for this) –
which is a good reason to keep them alive. One exception, however, is an Ogre
tribe called Nal-Mithraar, who accepted the Queen
of Light as their deity long ago, and were great influenced by Mistweaver
culture (which makes them good weaver and valuable slaves, according to
other, more ruthless Ogre tribes). The
Ogres are suspicious and even somewhat fearful (although most will deny it)
of the Ralg’kril – that race with the burning-red eyes and their legendary
cities under the fiery mountains. Some ogres suspect that the fiery magic of
those Ralg’kril is far too similar to the magic of their ancient enemy – the Kor’slag. Be it one way or the other, most ogres prefer
to keep their distance from the “Dust Fairies”. Ogre Language The
native tongue of all ogres is called Magaaru.,
There is also an ancient and secret language called Ur-Vagdarr,
which was spoken only in the court of the ancient wizard emperors of Ur-Naarum. Legends tell that the most ancient and powerful
spells and rituals were written in this language – though nowadays even
powerful ogre mages find it difficult to read it, let alone use it for
spellcasting. Ogre Names Ogre
names are constructed from a prefix, followed by the core of the name. Prefixes
are usually a closed syllable of three letters (sometimes four, with two
stops at the end) with a double central vowel: usually “U” for males and “A”
or “O” for females. Male examples:
Kur, Kug, Rum, Bur, Bug. Female examples:
Kar, Kor, Rom, Ram, Bar, Bog. Name
cores are usually composed of a four-letter syllable with double vowel in the
center (like the prefixes), like: Gaar, Muuv, Guum, Taam, Ruum, and
sometimes a syllable composed out of a five-letter syllable ending with two
stops, like: Rumb. The
same core names are usually used for both males and females. Example
for common male names: Rumgaar, Burkuum,
Kugtaar, Kurruum. Example
for common female names: Ramgaar, Borkuum, Kagtaar, Karrumm. Surnames Most
ogres do not have a surname. The most honorable form of address is made by
using their private name, followed by the gender prefix “Ku” (male) or “Ko”
(female), then the name of their tribe. For
example: Rumgaar Ku Shaag-Gumraam,
who comes from a notorious raider tribe from Southern Magaarum;
or Sagguum Ko Zag-Ashraan,
a proud daughter from the guardian tribe of the sacred fire beacons of the
western coast. Honorary titles Highly
respected ogres will have one of the following honorary prefixes before their
name:
The “Noble Reversal” Frequently,
ogres tend to reverse the two parts of the name of a highly esteemed
individual, so the core (usually with the double vowel) will come before the
suffix. Examples: Dumkaar,
the emperor wizard who refused to pass his titles to his daughter, becomes
Ur-Kaardum. That daughter's original name was Durnkaar, and later became Nor-Karrdurn. Bugdaar,
who was a nameless mercenary, rouse to greatness, became a warlord and is now
called: Rur-Daarbug. |
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Kiern Vale guide
Created and edited by Gideon Orbach (2017) ©
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