Abaqua Ogres, which means "First People" in their language, are a primitive race of ogres living in the mountains east of the Tamire in Northern Hosk in the Ring Mountains. They do not leave their lands for the most part, but will attack if provoked or if they need to.
Biology[]
Abaqua ogres stand at eight to ten feet tall, have heavily muscular frames, brown to purplish-black skin, and closely-cropped stringy black hair. Abaqua ogres are stooped and bent-kneed, making them appear smaller than they actually are. Their bodies are also covered in warts, which is a sign of beauty amongst the Abaqua, but generally considered ugly by most other races.
Culture[]
Abaqua ogres dress in buck-skin or doe-skin. Male Abaqua ogres wear leather trousers and shirts, which are trimmed with fringe and bone, whilst females wear doe-skin dresses. They only tend to wear shoes in the winter, which are fur-lined boots, and also are often seen in bear-skin robes and cloaks. All ogres wield knives and daggers, but only male Abaqua ogres are customarily allowed to wield actual weapons. Male ogres normally have spears, clubs and slings on their person.
The Abaqua Ogres speak their own Abaquan Language, and are a nation loosely formed of numerous tribes. Each tribe has approximately one hundred or so members, and is named after a landmark or feature of their tribal lands. Tribe members are all part of a singular family, and those who become too sick or injured to travel freely are normally killed by the hardier members of the tribe. Tribes do not have permanent dwellings, but rather a series of campsites that are used in different seasons. On arriving at a campsite, the ogres build domed houses of saplings, that are covered with leaves and bark to keep the rain and wind out. Some ogres cover the floor of their dwellings with hides or pine boughs, whilst others simply sleep on the dirt.
Abaqua Ogres have little in the way of utensils, but each warrior of a tribe has their own drinking skull, fashioned from the skull of a notable enemy. If an Abaquan Ogre tells you in battle that he wishes to "drink from you, his enemy", then he is paying you the ultimate compliment, acknowledging your battle skills and courage... albeit he is also about to bash your head in.
The head of an Abaquan tribe is known as the Warchief. The warchief is simply the strongest and most powerful ogre of a tribe. The responsibility of all battles resides on the warchief, and many a leader has been killed by his tribe for failure to win a battle. Second to the warchief is the hoorac, who maintains the council fire and is the speaker for all councils at the fire. The hoorac serves as the advisor to the warchief, however his life is forfeit if the fire goes out, or his advice to the warchief is considered particularly bad.
The Abaqua Ogres do generally keep to their own lands, but make periodic raids on the Nylgai Hadirnoe, and also on the Merkitsa Elves of the Dreaming Green.
Abaquan Tribes[]
References[]
- Blades of the Tiger, p. 156, 409
- Trail of the Black Wyrm, p. 33, 404
- Time of the Dragon, p. 30-32