Ogre (Warhammer)
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The typical ogre in the Warhammer Fantasy fictional universe stands roughly one and a half times as tall as a man and often many times as wide. Any adult male ogre is known as bull. While savage in appearance, ogres are generally considered to be more civilised than orcs or beastmen. Many of them live in the human realms, such as the Empire, working as mercenaries in foreign armies. Their true homeland is the Ogre Kingdoms, to the east of the Old World; However, all ogres have an innate wanderlust and can be seen all over the Warhammer world.
The Ogre Kingdoms army for the Warhammer Fantasy Battles tabletop game was released in January 2005. They are generally used as a single army, but Ogre Bulls, Ironguts, Leadbelchers, and Maneaters can be used as mercenaries in other Warhammer Fantasy Battles armies.
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[edit] Ogre physiology
Ogre physiology is quite different from that of a human, with most of their critical internal organs centered in the gut region of their stomach, which is protected by a thick sheath of muscle. This muscle also aids in digestion, as it can contract to help grind down tougher substances (such as the armor that may have once been protecting a Dark Elf or even the heavy armour of a Bretonnian Knight). Due to the fact that their skin is exceedingly tough and most of their body is muscle, they rarely wear any armor other than a large ornamental gut plate, which serves the dual purpose of protecting their vital regions and making their paunch appear more impressive. Ogres will eat pretty much anything. For that matter, they will eat pretty much anyone. They are not above eating other sentient beings, including each other. The appetite of an ogre is so immense that an Imperial doctor once actually found an entire horse skeleton in the body of a dead ogre (the ogre, as it turned out, died when he swallowed a man's entire arm whole, and the pistol that was still in its hand went off).
They are generally thought of as being unintelligent, but this is untrue. While they do have trouble with problems of numbers and logic, they are well experienced in matters of war and survival and many find employment as bodyguards and mercenaries.
Ogryns were once the equivalent of ogres in the Warhammer 40,000 setting, though ogryns are evolved from human stock rather than a species of their own. With the 2005 release of the Ogre Kingdoms army book, ogres gained a lot more history and character of their own and a very distinct Warhammer flavor, having previously only appeared as troops within the forces of other races, such as Orcs & Goblins. Therefore ogres and ogryns no longer really resemble one another.
[edit] Ogre culture
The ogre culture is oriented around eating, and as such, most ogres sport large guts. Indeed, they worship a god known as the Great Maw. It appears to be a vast creature that was released from a comet intended to destroy the Ogre Kingdoms near Cathay, the Warhammer Fantasy equivalent of Imperial China. It ate many of the inhabitants of the Ogre Kingdoms and is said to have passed through the center of the world (it appears that another Great Maw exists in the sea on the other side of the world, in the form of a giant whirlpool that sucks in passing ships). The ogres venerate and fear it in equal measure. Its priests, known as Butchers and Slaughtermasters, also fulfill the roles of cooks for their respective tribes and supervise their religious holidays, which consist (mainly) of gigantic banquets (if such a word can be attributed to the manner that the ogres eat.) and pit fights.
The Ogre Kingdoms are situated in the Mountains of Mourn, geographically equivalent to the Himalayas (just more extended towards North). They are a loosely organised into a number of small empires and kingdoms, each separate from the others. The territory of every kingdom depends on how far its tyrant can see from the place that he lives.
Their society is similar to that of a herd of animals, with young warriors fighting for the right to mate with females. The only difference is that they fight for almost everything (but mainly for eating their opponent).
The overall leader of each kingdom is known as the Tyrant. Young bull ogres challenge him for the leadership of the tribe. These challenges take the form of duels which take place in the tribe's 'maw-pit', a stake-lined pit into which pieces of red meat are thrown, as an offering for their god.
In 'friendly' fights, over some food for example, the forfeit for losing is generally an ear or a couple of fingers given up to the winner as a victory snack. In more serious duels, such as a challenge for tyranthood of the tribe, the forfeit is rather larger, with the loser becoming the victor's next meal!
The ogres are a primitive culture and most of their equipment is made from scavenged scrap metal and such. When they find something not edible (which does not occur often due to the strength of an ogre's stomach) one can be sure they'll soon find a way to use it as a weapon! That which they do create is made from the hides and bones of various quasi-prehistoric creatures, such as mammoths, sabertooth cats and ice age style rhinos, known as rhinoxen. The ogres hunt these creatures for food as well, naturally showing great enthusiasm in this!
The ogres are served by Gnoblars, a small species of goblinoids. They are smaller than typical goblins, and play the role of pets, servants and, on the battlefield, cannon fodder. Gnoblars apparently don't taste very good, which helps to explain why they have a role(such as it is) within the Ogre Hierarchy higher than "Lunch".
[edit] Heroes
[edit] Greasus Goldtooth
Greasus Goldtooth, The Overtyrant of the Ogre Kingdoms, is leader of many tribes, which pay him tribute. His full name and title is Tradelord Greasus Tribestealer Drakecrush Hoardmaster Goldtooth the Shockingly Obese(the latter two words are a direct description of him). He is so fat that he has to be carried around on a throne by Gnoblars(this may be due to either he being too fat, too rich to walk, or a combination of both) - quite like when Henry VIII was carried around on his throne when he also got too fat - and when it is said that Greasus is fat, he really is FAT(he actually counts as 6 large men and, when thrown by his Gnoblar "throne", charge like a full-grown mammoth by using is weight)! And, as his name implies, Greasus has replaced all his teeth with new ones made of the one thing that he loves more than anything else in the world: gold - the name is pun on "Croesus" and "grease".
He was the Ogre who started the inscursions outside The Mountains of Mourn, and he was the one who "persuaded" the Orcs of the Dark Lands to pay him tribute. Also, when he was a teenage Ogre, he ate his father.
There is some controversy over why other Ogre Tyrants do not try to overthrow Greasus: is it because he has become too powerful (his magical weapon, the Scepter of the Titans, apparently grants him more than enough magical strength to wield it properly, even though he has become too fat to wield ordinary Ogre weapons), or is it because he has bribed so many other Tyrants into allegiance with himself? It may be, however, that because in Ogre society a large gut is a sign of nobility and grandness, Greasus has earned his reputation thanks to his enormous gut(or, perhaps, fear it, as Greasus once broke the neck of another tyrant, in his youths, by diving and landing belly-first on the tyrant).
His two trademark items are the Sceptre of the Titans and the Overtyrant's Crown. The former makes Greasus stronger than a Bloodthirster while the latter makes Greasus smarter than the normal ogre (which is on par with the village idiot). His wealth is often used in battle to sway the enemy into his service and to further strengthen Greasus' troop's "loyalty".
[edit] Skrag the Slaughterer
Skrag the Slaughterer, Prophet of the Great Maw, earned his title shortly after being kicked out of his tribe. Prior to his life as a prophet, Skrag was the Slaughtermaster to a wealthy Tyrant. One day the Tyrant found his favored Gnoblar as the main course for the feast. Needless to say he was furious. He had Skrag's hands hacked off and, as a final insult, ate them in front of the beaten Slaughtermaster. Skrag's Cauldron was hooked deeply into his skin and was thrown into the tribe's maw pit. Everyone expected him to die.
Skrag was beaten and bruised, but he was not broken. He slammed his former cooking tools into his bloodied wrists and marched on, hoping to find a way out. Shortly after he was attacked by the Gorgers inhabiting the caverns, his blood was fresh. Skrag was not scared. He charged the gorgers, killing them with unmatched fury. When the largest of the Gorgers appeared, Skrag promptly chewed out the Gorger's throat, killing him. Once the giant Gorger was dead the others obeyed Skrag instantly. Skrag and his newfound army of Gorgers marched out into the snowy plains and decended upon his old tribe, slaughtering everyone in sight. The Tyrant was boiled alive in Skrag's cauldrons. The great amount of sacrifice imbuled Skrag with the blessings of the Great Maw, and the Prophet was born.
In game Skrag is a fearsome opponent. He is the lesser of the two characters and does not need a Tyrant or a Bruiser. Skrag will also gain power as he slaughters more, when he reaches a certain amount of kills he will gain certain attirbutes that will last for the remainder of the game. He is always followed by his Gorgers, for where there is Skrag there is blood and meat.
[edit] Tyrants
Ogre Tyrants are the largest and strongest of their tribe. An Ogre can aspire to the status of Tyrant by beating the living daylights out of the current Tyrant and eating him. If he should fail, he will suffer the same fate. As a Tyrant, an Ogre is priviliged to the best life an Ogre can have. He will have the best weapons, the finest clothes, the tastiest foods, and vast treasures. Tyrants also enjoy the protection from enemies in the form of Ironguts, whom he hand-picks himself(Although, due to the ogre's less-than-average brain, this might simply end up as the Tyrant's closest buddies rather than a good standing force).
[edit] Hunters
Hunters are Ogres who prefer solitude than company. They live in the snowy mountains with their trusted Sabretusks(see below) and Gnoblar trappers. They hunt the beasts on the mountains and take their prize back to the tribe during feasts(which happen quite often). Because they are the ones who brings the meat, they are often given the second best cut(the first is obviously the sole property of the Tyrant himself). They have gutplates decorated with the pelts and bones of their prey.
[edit] Butchers
Ogres lack shamans or warlocks in their ranks. To compensate, their chefs and cooks take over the duty of magic user. Butchers utilize "gut magic" against their foes by augmenting his fellow warrior's strength. Butchers are also able to use gut magic quite easily, however, they must be cautious as gut magic is easily dispelled too. Gut magic also require the Butcher to consume something to use the spell, hence names "gut" magic. Because the Butcher prays to the Maw rather than manipulate the energies, gut magic is not true sorcery but more of a religious miracle. Other sorcerers and studies are quite skeptic of gut magic as they would not suggest actually ingesting the ingredients of their spells(ones such as Bonechewer and Toothcracker can really hurt a butcher if cast improperly. Others like Trollguts can kill the caster outright even if cast properly). Due to their diet of mostly anything they can find they are immune to most poisons and are able to ingest substances that would instantly kill even ogres. Because they prepare the food for the tribe, most ogres show them as much respect as though they were tyrants, because, if they do not, they can either end up in tomorrow's dinner or worse: they can end up with no dinner!
[edit] Slaughtermasters
Slaughtermasters are the most powerful shamans in the Ogre army. They oversee the most important feasts and are more adept at using gut magic than butchers. In game this is reflected by either more power or more range on the partcular spell. Slaughtermasters are stronger, faster, more resilient, and more cunning than any butcher and have access to many other items. They are, however, rare and will likely only be called upon for major engagments, as the Tyrant does not want to waste the Slaughtermaster's time with battles when he can be preparing delicious cousines.
[edit] Ogre Troops
[edit] Ogre bulls
Ogre bulls are a core unit, and at least one regiment of bulls is required for an ogre army to be valid. While other Warhammer armies have a Musician providing a bonus, Ogres have no appreciation for music, so instead the loudest bull of each group, called a bellower, bestows these bonuses by yelling confidence into his fellows.
[edit] Ironguts
Ironguts are the more "elite" Ogre Bulls of the army. They have access to the best weapons (second to the Tyrant himself of course) and the best armour. Ironguts are not picked for their honour, loyalty, bravery, or strength. Instead, Ironguts are picked for the sole reason that the Tyrant likes them. Because of this Ironguts are normally the closest friends of the Tyrant or even in his immediet family. Because the Tyrant is the largest and strongest of the tribe, no one ever argues this point. Ironguts wield huge Scimitars, crude hammers made from rocks bolted to trees, huge versions of the Ogre club, and other sorts of great weapons. Ironguts are also permitted to hold magical standards not permitted by any other troop types(other than the Iron bearer).
[edit] Leadbelchers
These ogres carry portable cannons that have been scavenged from earlier battles. They are obsessed with destruction and greatly enjoy the noise and confusion their cannons cause as they fire a mix of small rocks, broken weapons, rusty nails and the occasional gnoblar into enemy ranks. Leadbelchers are Special units. Leadbelchers Are also very strong and they can smash armies apart with their cannons before engaging in close combat a crushing the unlucky foe with a cannon. Leadbelchers sport various scars and wounds, but not from battle. Leadbelcher cannons are highly unstable and one would be lucky to get one shot off. They are prone to malfunctions and breakdowns, often with a spectacular explosion in the ogre's face. Leadbelchers also have bellowers, who can be assumed to be the loudest of all bellowers as Leadbelcher Cannons are loud enough to shatter glass with sound alone.
[edit] Maneaters
All Ogres will feel the tendency to leave home to make a name for himself, like a rite of passage. Although all Ogres are destined to leave home, they are also destined to return one day. Ogres that endeavour on such quests are called Maneaters.
Maneaters travel the old world, seeking employment as bodyguards for important figures or high-paying crooks. It doesn't matter to an Ogre who the employer is, so long as he has enough food and currency(which might also be food)in his pocket. Many men seek to hire Ogres for their warbands, after all, who'd want to insult you if you have a 14' tall Ogre ready to smash the poor fool's skull? As Ogres do not start a culture but rather adopt it, Maneaters will always pick up on the local traditions. Many Maneaters return home with an assortment of exotic weapons and fine clothes. However, the most feared aspect of a Maneater is not how strong he is or how hungry. No, the most feared aspect of any Maneater is his ability to bore the living daylights out of you when he opens his mouth to tell you of his long(and mostly false) life story.
The most famous of the maneaters is Golfag Maneater, who insists that the name is misleading, as he doesn't really care what he eats.
[edit] Ogre-related Troops
Not all troops in Ogre Armies are pureblood Ogres. Some are distant cousins or deformed sub-species of Ogres. Others are entirely separate species that were "persuaded" into the Ogre Kingdoms by either having a fellow peer(quite literally) having the living daylights beaten out of him or given a rank higher than Lunch.
[edit] Gorgers
When an Ogre is born without a paunch, he/she is then thrown into the tribe's maw pit soon after birth. In believe the Great Maw will pass judgement, and those who the Great maw deem worthy would be brought to a life equivalent to Heaven. This believe is far from the truth.
What really happens is the infant will be subjected to a life that is akined to a forgotten animal. The young ogre will fight for food, often his own kin, day in and day out. Because of this only the best of these beasts will survive to adulthood. When they emerge they are attracted to the scent of blood during battles and eagerly charge in that direction, hoping for fresh meat.
In game terms all these attributes make Gorgers utterly devastating in combat, but they often show up too late in the game to make much of a difference. Gorgers can whack even an Ogre's head off with one sweep of their bloodstained claws.
Physically they no longer resemble Ogres. They have pale skin, are nearsighted, have talons on their hands and feet, and so on. They are much taller than ogres but appear to be about the same as they often stand with an extreme hunch. Their most notable divergence from ogres is that their guts are much smaller than the normal ogre's gut. They also wear little in terms of clothing(wearing only a loin cloth).
[edit] Gnoblars
Gnoblars are often bullied by ogre bulls into being meat shields and, sometimes, ammunition for leadbelchers. Gnoblars form into units of 20 or more to fight. They scare easily and often run from direct combat, prefering to sneak around and avoid direct conflict. In game Ogres are not allowed to join units of Gnoblars, as an Ogre would never live it down(or at least his peers wouldn't) the fact that he was only higher than a Gnoblar.
[edit] Trappers
Gnoblar Trappers help Ogre Hunters, obviously, to trap animals. They are even more sneaky than their normal cousins and use a variaty of trapping tools to bring down larger foes. They are slightly braver than normal Gnoblars, but still very cowardly.
[edit] Yhetees
Yhetees are a distant cousin to the Ogres, they have a build similar to the gorgers and have bluish white fur. Leaders of these are called Greybacks for obvious reasons. Greybacks are sometimes hunted for their pelts, as their pelts have magical properties(and are the current thing in Ogre fasion), but the sight of one of their leaders turned into a scarf enrages the Yhetees and they will refuse to join said Ogre Army.
Yhetees use ice-encrusted tree branches and trunks as weapons. Due to the way they are forged they contain magical properties. The Yhetees themselves also exhume a (quite literally) bone-chilling aura that protects them. Yhetees are, not surprisingly, scared of fire and heat-base weapons.
[edit] Slave Giant
Ogres all know and fear the power of their greatly larger cousins, the giants. Tyrants will often go to great lengths to track down and beat the living daylights out of one just for the opportunity. Once beaten, the Slave Giant will be chained and sent into battle. They are the same in all respects to other giants except they are now terrified of most things, especially ogres. It's iron will and bravery are lost when the Tyrant who beat him pounded it out, along with some teeth.
[edit] Animals
Ogres find that certain animals that dwell in their kingdoms are also worth using in combat, if they are not already used as food. They include:
[edit] Rhinoxen
The powerful Rhinoxen are used as beasts of burden by the Ogres. Gnoblars construct chariot-like scraplaunchers on the back of these beasts and Ogre Bulls and Ironguts often use them as mounts. They are also used as a way of strengthening an ogre. An ogre born into a related family of a Tyrant would be given a Rhinoxen calf and told NOT to eat it. Should he accomplish this first task he must then lift it above his head once every day. This is an easy task at first, but as the calf grows so does the ogre and his strength. Once the Calf is fully grown the Ogre will be exponentially stronger and will have a great feast ahead of him.
[edit] Sabretusks
Sabretusks are giant mountain lions who serve Ogre Hunters. Sabretusks are fast and strong, making them excellent for hunting down the weaken prey of the hunter. If they are good then they will recieve payment in the form of a portion of the hunt. They are strong enough to rip an man's throat in once sweap of their claw. Physically they resemble Sabertooth tigers with oversized upper teeth.
[edit] See also
- Dragon ogre - a centaur-like combination of ogre and dragon
[edit] External links
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