Ogres

Ogres are huge creatures, 2-3 times taller than dwarves that live all over the Black Forest. There are the special ones that are 3-6 dwarfs tall, usually they are very old and smart ogres, which are incredibly difficult to kill. Such ogres are usually called Vens, which means «rock» in one of the gnome dialects.

Ogres' bodies are profusely covered with a layer of fat, especially their legs, which makes them weigh an enormous amount. They have very coarse and thick skin, which, combined with a thick layer of fat, gives them a natural armour, which is practically unaffected by conventional weapons. Add to this the sheer force proportionate to their height and weight, as well as their evil temper — and we get the most dangerous sentient beings in Eridan. Except that they're not as intelligent as the rest of us. But there are also very smart ones, at least by their standards, but they are in the minority. Such "smart guys" are engaged either in blacksmithing or occultism – the most respected occupations among ogres. Basically, blacksmiths forge and repair cauldrons, knives and pans – everything you need for cooking. And ogres are sooo fond of delicious food. And with their huge size, it’s extremely difficult to use small knives and cleavers of other races. And it's not worth talking about the size of pots and pans in relation to the required amount of food at all. The secrets of tinning pots, and many other secrets of blacksmithing, ogres learned from captured dwarves. Either through torture or by promising them freedom, no one really knows. However, now ogres forge good weapons. Since money is not an important value among ogres, they have a widespread commodity exchange, where all these gold and silver coins of other races serve only as another type of goods. Ogre blacksmiths trade their wares and repairs old ones primarily for all sorts of food: berries, mushrooms and roots that young and female ogres collect, carcasses of boors — large horned animals living in herds in the thickets of Blackwood and huge fish from the Lake of Sins. And for the captured dwarves, orcs, elves and goblins – all those unfortunate people who were unlucky enough to be around or those unlucky brave men (or fools, as the case may be) who decided to go through Blackwood on the "Path of Death". But most of all, blacksmiths like to change their pans for baked sweet grains, which they can only get by robbery. Ogres are lazy and do not like to go far from the Black Forest, that's why pastries are so highly valued and available only to the strongest and thickest. More baking — more thickness and strength — even more baking. The circle closed.

Cultists have a huge influence among ogres. Ogres do not have their own kingdom in the usual sense, they live in small groups (where, as elves would say, free love is cultivated), which are just united by cultists. Being smarter than their slow-witted fellow tribesmen, the cultists easily manipulate their minds, exalting themselves as omniscient and trusted ones of Utung – the eternal ruler of ogres, incredibly terrible and large even by ogre standards. Other races say that he dwells in a huge cave in the farthest thicket of the Blackwoods. And only natural laziness stops him from coming out of the Blackwood and crushing both elves and dwarves and everyone else. But even simple ogres don’t see him, only occasionally they hear a distant terrifying roar and growl and carry lots of food to the cultists for Utung. There are many cults, but they share common traits: worship of Utung, submission to cultists as his confidants and bloodlust for other races. Rituals also usually begin in the same way: first, cultists make fiery speeches (most ogres don’t understand everything, but they’re very interested) and everyone drinks a special ritual potion called varavar, which is brewed by cultists – the only ones who know its recipe. But further details of the rituals may vary greatly.

The largest and best-known are Bonecrackers, Crookshanks, Mudmouths, Fishmongers and Evilailments. Bonecrackers are obsessed with all kinds of bones, they are just everywhere: in clothing, jewelry, and residential buildings. Fishmongers are "famous" for eating still alive fish. As well as hunting for a "huge monster fish" in the Lake of Sins. No one has seen this fish, but everyone has heard and knows about it. Crookshanks not only eat fish alive at their rituals, but often eat captives as well. Mudmouths hold occult dances, which then end in an orgy. But they say about the Evilailments that their cultists have some kind of magical power, similar to that of the goblin shamans. And that this power can become even greater if you eat the raw heart of anyone endowed with magical power. Whether it's a goblin shaman or an elven mage. In addition, the Evilailments are known for their Evil Campaigns — when huge gangs of ogres gathered and left the Black Forest with the sole purpose of setting fire to a specific elven or dwarf settlement. There have already been 8 such campaigns and each new one gathers more and more warriors.

Despite all their ferocity and bloodthirstiness, ogres have learned to tame dragors – large animals that live underground. They dig holes and passages in it with their powerful front paws with claws the size of a dwarfs's hand. Dragors have excellent hearing and sniffing, but are blind by nature. Most of the dragors are the offspring of those already tamed. Sometimes ogres tame the cubs of wild dragors in mid-summer, when they have already stopped eating mother's milk and begin to eat everything in a row. Ogres find their habitats — usually the lair of a female with cubs is under a large glade — they tear up the ground, kill the female, and take the cubs. Each tame dragor obeys only its ogre master. Because domestication occurs through hand feeding accompanied by whistling. Blind cubs get used to the fact that this whistle and this smell mean affection and food, begin to obey and succumb to further training. Hand dragors help ogre owners hunt boors in the woods. They help to herd prey, moving quickly underground, obeying their masters' whistle. Some also use them in the same way to ambush caravans of dwarves and elves.