Ogre
The Ogres were an intelligent humanoid race of savage creatures, who were among the minions of the dark powers that ruled over the Shadowlands. It was said the First Ogre was the champion of all the elements. [1]
Appearance and Demeanor
Ogres were strong, muscled, and powerful creatures. They had claws, an oversized lower jaw, horns or bony knobs protruding from their skulls, and some had a shaggy, tangled black hair. No one had ever seen a female ogre. They used to be solitary creatures, fiercely territorial, who patroled their territories, destroying any intruders. [2] Their fighting style consisted of smashing, crushing and ripping, and sometimes used their surroundings as tools and weapons. [3]
Ecology
Ogre mentality was warlike, vengeful, and violent, without sense of honor other than loyalty to their own kind. They had an appetite for flesh and preferred to devour their meals alive. Ogres society was extremely militant in nature; each ogre had an exact rank and station. Promotion comes through a monthly ceremony of ritual unarmed combat, or through seniority. Anything that was not an ogre was an enemy or a slave. [4] They normally survived as bandits in the wilderness, or by hunting the great creatures of the Shadowlands. [5]
Magic
Ogres also performed a form of sorcery. and could cast elemental spells but Void. Female ogres tendws to show talent for magic, and were often called hags. [6]
The Mythical Ogres
Ogre Warriors
According to legends described in the Kjornid, the Original Ogre, Muhonarak, was created when the blood of the earth-giant Kjald met the sea. He was born to be Ningen-Do's Champion, and from his first hundred steps, a hundred Mikata were birthed. Before reaching Rokugan, Muhonarak fought many battles in the north, until his tribe grew too large to support themselves in the harsh lands of that fronzen region. They came to Rokugan in order to create a new kingdom. [1]
The Five Races
Following his arrival to Rokugan, Muhonarak was confronted by the Five Races. The Ogre claimed he came to defeat the Champion of Evil. The Five Races had never heard of any such being and so they challenged the Ogres to two challenges. After Muhonarak successfully completed the challenges, the Ogres were accepted in Rokugan and given rule over the lands of the Nezumi. [1]
The First Champion of Evil
Two hundred years after the Mikata came to Rokugan, a massive attack came from the western jungles. An army of undead and demons overpowered the Five Races. The Mikata, however, stood strong; and finally Muhonarak challenged the invader's Champion: Rakshasa. After three days, Muhonarak finally defeated the sorcerer-beast, but was gravely injured. [1]
The Uprising of the Nezumi
While Muhonarak was recovering from his injuries a nezumi attacked him with a dagger made out of the talons of the father of Wyrms. The Ogre was able to kill his attacker but died soon afterwards. In the Chaos that followed, the nezumi revolted against their leader-less masters, and the ogres were scattered, and the nezumi used their Name Magic to conquer most of them. However, Muhomono, the eldest son of Muhonarak remained free and fought an endless war to free ogres. [1]
The Curse of Fu Leng
The remnants of the ogre society was destroyed with the falling of Fu Leng. Because Muhumono refused to let the Mikata become slaves of the Dark Father, the new Champion of Evil cursed them, making them lose most of their intelligence and driving the Ogre Lord Mad. For a long time, this was believed to be the end of the Mikata. [1] [7]
Ogre Society
An Ogre
Pre dawnfall to Savagery
They lived in cities with buildings made of wood and stone, roads paved with neatly cut cobblestones, and a high wall with a gate entrance surrounded the cities to keep out intruders. [8]
After dawnfall to Savagery
Ogres were huge and strong, but lacked the capability of organizing into large social groups. They lacked the skills to make tools and resulted to surviving on hunting and banditry. Their battle tactics had no finesse, and relied on terror to win. They were solitary creatures, and only gathered in times of great upheaval. They lived off of waylaying travellers and hunting the great beasts of the Shadowlands. Due to their small numbers it was easier for one of them to slip through the Crab's defenses. This lead to the occasional occurence of one being sighted loose in Rokugan. Trained samurai however did not have problems finding ways to defeat them. [9] [7] They used to live in small caves or tunnels which oftenly have a pile of bones built up near the entrance. [10]
The verses of Kjornid
Kjornid was an ogre story formed by five verses telling the rise and fall of the ogre race. [1]
The Free Ogres
Ogres
It was observed that, when an Ogre somehow wandered from the Shadowlands into Rokugan, it seemed to slowly recover some of its wits. The farther from the Festering Pit the ogre traveled, the sharper its mind became. After a few months without exposure to the taint, ogres began to learn language and seek out social groups. [11]
After the defeat of Fu Leng during the Second Day of Thunder, more and more of these Free Ogres surfaced, and there were records of at least one tribe, calling themselves the Mikata composed only of intelligent, unbound ogres, [12] who no longer made war on the Empire. The majority of the race, however, remained brutal Tainted monsters. [13]
Burning Sands
Several ogres moved to the Burning Sands, looking for food. There they were called the Shadow Horde. [14]
Chased
Late in the reign of Toturi I, a large gathering of free ogres set up a small town. The Tainted ogres believed the free ogres were hoarding supplies and food, and assaulted the small town, slaughtering every last free ogres there. [15]
Daigotsu
The free ogres allied with Daigotsu under the command of Kayobun, [16] but quickly lost faith when he restored Fu Leng, their old slaver, to power. [17]
Iuchiban
In 1165 Iuchiban allied with the ogres, who showed them he used the Dark God's power, but did not serve him. [18]
Known ogres
Ogre Savagery
- Muhonarak - Pre-Calendar, the first ogre
- Muhomono - Pre-Calendar, King of Ogres
- Chutoburo - 12th century, bushi.
- Kayobun - 12th century, leader of the Mikata.
- Kayomasa 12th century, guardian of Daigotsu's scion.
- Kayosai - 12th century, leader of the Mikata.
- Moshangoru - 12th century, enlightened.
- Muhomono - 12th century, bandit leader
- Ugaro - 12th century, undead
Schools & Paths
An Ogre
Seel Also
External Links
- Ogre Elite (Diamond)
- Ogre Warriors (Forbidden Knowledge)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 The Dawn of the Ogres, by Lucas Twyman
- ↑ The Book of the Shadowlands, p. 63
- ↑ The Book of the Shadowlands, p. 69
- ↑ Way of the Shadowlands, p. 125
- ↑ Clan War: The Clans, p. 66
- ↑ Enemies of the Empire, p. 230
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 282
- ↑ Shadow, by Rich Wulf
- ↑ Roleplaying in the Emerald Empire, p. 196
- ↑ The Book of the Shadowlands, p. 68
- ↑ Way of the Shadowlands, p. 41
- ↑ Souls of Steel, Part 2, by Brian Yoon
- ↑ Legend of the Five Rings; Fourth Edition, p. 328
- ↑ Shadow Horde (LBS - Black Hand, Black Heart flavor)
- ↑ Creatures of Rokugan: Third Edition, p. 145
- ↑ Kayobun (A Perfect Cut flavor)
- ↑ Brotherhood, by Rich Wulf
- ↑ Ogre Bushi (Diamond flavor)
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