Ogres were large monsters with prominent canines. They had a deadly hunter instinct hidden behind carnal attitudes. They lived in small tribes and hunted alone at night. Occasionally, they banded together into larger clans and formed nearly unstoppable shock troops.

Ogre Species

Ogres were born by traditional sexual methods. Ogrelings reached young adulthood at around 5 years of age, and grew to full might at 16 years old.

Physiology

Ogres were buff creatures. They had light skin with many small hooks, which meant they could just roll in the underbrush to get perfect camouflage. They also had large teeth, which made them omnivores but with a focus on meat.

Traditional Society - Tribes

Most ogres lived in small interrelated groups called tribes. Each tribe had their own rune-like symbol, which they painted on their left upper arm with squashed caterpillar blood as paints. Tribes built domed shelters out of underbrush and slept together in the same location during the day. In the night, all specimens in hunting form - essentially everyone except pregnant females and children below age 4 - moved out alone and hunted. They brought back their game to the camp spot and cooked and ate at the end of the night until early morning.

Ogre tribes were rarely on friendly terms with each other. A tribe needed a 20 kilometer radius area to feed itself sustainably, and in more dense areas feuds often emerged. Members of one tribe would paint their symbol on trunks or set up small totems to mark their territory and attack whoever trespassed; such tribal feuds could lead to up to 20% population devastations in single battles.

Hunting Methods

Ogres used their bodies to the full advantage, covering themselves with vegetation and hunkering down in a bush near a game path or water point to jump their prey. They used light carved sticks as spears, a weapon which was also used in tribal battles and warfare in general. Whenever they couldn't find enough prey, they also collected some plants such as fruit, roots and berries.

Larger Societies

Occasionally, in denser areas, tribes by necessity had to unite under a warlord, either because they were militarily defeated or out of common benefit. Clans shared a motif across their tribe symbols and essentially served as a non-aggression treaty between tribes. When one tribe had supply problems and couldn't feed itself, it could rely on gifts of food from the others to survive a hard time. Clans also greatly favored trade because special tools and resources could be transported and exchanged over large distances. Clans often guaranteed the safety of foreign merchants and traders on their own grounds.

Destructivist Influence. The destructivist church of Urg'Neval had a great effect on ogre power. It helped warlords form even larger clans, and improved ogre sustenance methods to increase their numbers. Ogre clans could array huge armies in the west, which - with destructivist supplies - could invade northern and then southern Litchy around 100 b. OW.