Ogres
Ogres, sometimes called oni, are massive hulking creatures of incredible strength and intelligence. While ogres are both cunning and brutal, their main claim to fame comes from their innate magical prowess, allowing them to become powerful wizards, mages, and summoners in addition to warriors, leading many ogres to becoming mage knights, battle wizards, and elemental warriors. Ogres and Oni are considered one in the same by most, though ogres internally have a distaste for oni, leading to ogres to having widely varied appearances, from blue and red to brown and pink skin tones, varying numbers of horns from one to three (which they are loathe to use as weapons), or glowing eyes of unusual colors and numbers, such as one or three eyes. All ogres have thick manes of hair, sometimes curly and sometimes straight, usually colored red, white, black, or gray. Among themselves, ogres believe themselves to be the eldest race behind dwarves and dragons and therefore have a level of haughty nature sometimes considered reasonable given their exceptional talents.
Despite their known martial prowess and great strength ogres are as a general rule extremely jovial and fastidiously kind. This nature of good cheer, polite speech, and social skill have deeply ingratiated ogres within empire society despite being the last to be given citizenship. Among goblins they can readily speak of magic, among orcs they can match them blow for blow in boxing and sport, among humans they almost see them as lesser cousins in need of guidance. Many ogres believe, given the longer history of their race that humans and orcs are racial cousins that diverged through adapting to their environment. Some base this on the visual appearance as ogres look like larger humans and the fact that both ogres and orcs have deviants who are collectively known as oni. The particular name oni actually comes from the steel legion, where ogres can be found in decent number as minotaurs are quick to curry favor with oni under the belief that they are touched by the yokai and see them as good luck and status symbols.
Unlike a kaxxis or salamander who carry arrogance as a rule, ogres are careful never to let their own show. As the eldest race barring the few remaining dwarves ogres believe other races need to be guided to their full potential, encouraging orcs to higher levels of culture, guiding goblins to greater creativity, and cheering humans to new paths. Be it for a privately conceited notion or not, ogres are rarely disliked by most races, though they are rather uncommon sights across the world. Their numbers have never quite recovered from the war of the rune and thus most ogres are keenly aware of their humbled history. The last heir to the ogre kingdoms, Sad King Briareus, is king in name only. However, all ogres recognize his sovereignty and would be loath to ever speak ill of their king for the misfortune of inheriting a throne destroyed. Many respect their sovereign's choice to have his bloodline end with him, as no heir has been born, humbly accepting that the time of their kingdom is over and they are empire citizens forever more.
A quick-start guide:
- Ogres are strong and intelligent, gaining +10 robustness, +10 cognition, and suffer -5 vigilance.
- Oni are even stronger than regular ogres and in tune with alchemy, but suffer massively from care free personalities. They gain a massive +20 spirit, +10 robustness, and +10 toughness but suffer -10 vigilance, mechanical, biology, and cognition.
- Both ogres and oni act as magical conduits, increasing the speed at which rune lanterns refill their mana based on how many ogres are nearby (this effect stacks). Base ogres are broad, stocky, and resist nearly all forms of knockdowns from creatures or people. Oni are not nearly as balanced, but gain a hefty boost to their inspiration gain thanks to their free spirits and closer magical ties.
Biology
Though ogres can be highly varied in appearance, more so than most races, the actual restrictions in appearance are based entirely on subtype. Regular ogres resemble very stocky humans scaled up to a much larger size. They are broad bodies, broad facial features, and a towering, if top heavy, body. At a distance or from a photo without a scale, many ogres could be mistaken for a regular human. White, pink, or tan skin are quite common, with hair colors often being brighter colors, such as red, blonde, or white. On rare occasions regular ogres will have tusks, similar to orcs, and small budding horns jutting from the forehead. Ogres and oni may have round or pointed ears and can be 'regular' sized or larger, similar to both orcs and humans.
The stranger variations are within the oni, who can resemble regular ogres or have more exotic features, such as larger pronounced tusks, larger horns, and glowing eyes. Oni can have blue, red, snow white, or even pitch black skin, though hair colors tend to be the same. Some oni have three eyes, with a third eye within the forehead or may have a larger, singular eye that dominates the the space above the nose. Oni generally have pointed, sharp nails that do not serve as claws and more muscular but thinner bodies than regular ogres.
Both types generally will have curly hair and said hair often grows quite fast, leading to many ogre and oni having lone manes of hair that will either be a mess of curls or straightened for stylistic choice. Though it is now quite known why, ogres bodies are innately magical, acting as conduits for magic around them. While few ogres can harness this in any meaningful manner on their own, this meta-biological aspect is exploited with rune lanterns, a type of runic magic primarily used and entrusted to ogres. The more ogres that are near each other, the more powerful this effect becomes, to the point that a full regiment of ogre battle mages can effectively never run dry of mana. This benefit effects everybody, not just ogres, but does not extend to other forms of magic at present.
Culture
Ogre culture is largely intact despite the destruction of the ogre kingdom and movement into the Onokrin Empire. Ogres maintain a steadfast and jovial approach to life, an aspect reflected in how they behave and how there beliefs are shaped. Ogres are consummate leaders and advisors, always seeking to improve the presence and standing of those around them, such that despite their low numbers it is not uncommon to see at least one or two ogres within any group, faction, or business. Ogre culture is largely summarized as 'we all lift together', focusing heavily on teamwork and cooperation. In any community an ogre resides, it can be expected for them to take an interest in local affairs and put forth effort to improve the position and standing of everyone else.
This innate cultural belief has entrenched them heavily within the Onokrin, arguably more so than goblins who are another later joiner race despite predating ogres by some centuries. Orcs and humans consider ogres lost cousins, a feeling that is shared between them due to physical similarities and conditions. Ogres have adopted over time the same imperial dogma of the Onokrin, seeing civilization and culture as the most important aspect of a person and looking down upon tribalistic or barbaric races such as gnolls. This attitude, unfortunately, harms their relationships with their oni kin. Much like orcs, an ogre can be born as an oni or become one through a process that is often unique and entirely accidental due to bad luck or circumstance.
Oni are much more boisterous and wild than their ogre kin, being considered by many wild and care free to the ogres normally mild mannered nature. Oni favor extremely strong drink, feats of strength, and are quicker to physical violence than the usual diplomatic nature of ogres. Being a subtype of an already low numbered race, oni often choose to leave Onokrin territories for either the Steel Legion or to become bounty hunters, adventurers, or traveling mercenaries, leveraging their size, toughness, and natural magical natures to accomplish a great deal of extraordinary feats. This almost legendary quality of lone, wandering oni working with various groups is often the only way an oni can become accepted by their kin, as ogres are lovers of storytelling, poetry, and romanticism. A well traveled oni thus can return, pockets heavy with their collected wealth and a lifetime of stories to tell.
Regardless of type, ogres have a deep appreciation for art, innovation, and magic. These aspects are largely indulged with other races within the Onokrin, mirroring the same appreciation among orcs, goblins, and humans respectively. As ogres live much longer lives than anyone within the Onokrin, ogres tend to accumulate large amounts of generational wealth between family members. However, unlike most races, they see little purpose in hoarding material wealth and thus often spend gregarious amounts of their wealth on parties, gifts, and art projects ranging from personal galleries, public museums, and even civic projects to improve the general appearance of where-ever they dwell. Generally speaking, however, while ogres are often willing to lavish others in sharing their wealth, they do maintain a deep level of influence shared between important figures and organizations. Trading favors, organizing deals, and approaching both lords and nobles through diplomatic means is a very common part of how ogres operate within the Onokrin, largely for the benefit of the common man, but not always.
Mentality
Ogre mentality is strange, when observed in juxtaposition to the key aspects that shape who they are today. Ogres are jovial, kind, and often inherently helpful to others without hesitation or expectation in return. This attitude, however, also comes with a certain meloncholy that when understood paints their jovial natures in a sadder picture. The nations of the ogres have been destroyed during the war of the rune, a war they themselves started out of greed for the rune magic that once belong solely to the dwarves. This cataclysmic war is often never spoken of, but the entire northern and northwest territories that were once the mountain homes of ogres and dwarves is now a wasteland of ruins and destroyed biomes only capable of supporting the most dangerous and brutal of fauna. There numbers, once equal to the Onokrin or Federation, are now vastly depleted and the pride of their race now lay in ruins, with only the memory of greed as a bitter reminder of the cost of their failure.
This manifestation of racial guilt is accepted by ogres, by and large, seen as their collective failure. It is both their greatest regret and their greatest motivation, as much of ogres kindness, of their desire to improve and build upon the Onokrin communally and individually, stems from this regret. It is why ogres not only wish to enjoy life, but ensure that everyone around them also enjoys it just as deeply, be they kin, a fellow citizen, or their descendants set to inherit what they have built.