Ogre Kingdoms (Warhammer) - Ogre Culture

Ogre Culture

Early sources described Ogres as dwelling primarily in Human lands and in the northern reaches of the Old World. With the release of the Ogre army book for the 6th Edition of Warhammer Fantasy, Ogres have been given a homeland in the Mountains of Mourn. These "Ogre Kingdoms" are loosely organized into a number of small empires and kingdoms, each separate from the others. While their society is described as being brutish and barbaric, Ogres are shown as being capable of dwelling among members of other races, and as being better accepted by others than some of Warhammer's more brutal races.

The Ogre culture is described as being oriented around eating, and as such, most ogres sport large guts and they worship a god known as the Great Maw. In ogre mythology it appears as a vast creature that was released from a comet that destroyed the original Ogre Kingdoms in what is now Cathay, the Warhammer Fantasy equivalent of Imperial China. In their myths it ate many of the inhabitants of the Ogre Kingdoms and is said to have passed through the centre 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). In actuality this is probably a regular comet that crashed into the earth simply smashing not eating the Ogres but the ogres believed it to have eaten them because all that was left was a giant pit. The Ogres venerate and fear it in equal measure and the reason ogres have a desire to eat and worship the Maw by eating is due to the fact that many starved in the migration to the mountains of Morn. The priests of the Great Maw, known as Butchers and Slaughtermasters, also fulfill the roles of cooks for their respective tribes and supervise their religious holidays, which consist (mainly, and some times solely) of gigantic banquets and pit fights.

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 serious duels, such as a challenge for tyranthood of the tribe, the loser becomes the victor's next meal.

The ogres are a primitive culture and most of their equipment is made from scavenged scrap metal, loot from their adventures, or is crafted by the Chaos Dwarfs of Zharr Nagrunnd in exchange for Gnoblar and other races captured in battle and kept as slaves. 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. Elaborately carved clubs are one of the few weapons that Ogres often craft themselves.

Storytelling is also quite common amongst Ogres, especially Maneaters. Ogres love to tell others his/her life story. However, most of the story is false. Many have exaggerated (or not) about how a maneater's greatest ability is to tell long, boring life stories.

Ogres also believe in an almost ancient tale of how the Ogres beat up and ate the entire Skytitan race, also known as giants. Skytitans ruled the Mountains of Mourn with benevolence, until the Ogres came. Skytitans are described to have lived in massive castles built atop the highest mountains, coming down only to tend to the mammoth flocks. Once the Ogres were through with them their once great palaces are turned into either rubble or defiled mess halls filled with troughs for the tribe. The mammoths are all but consumed by the Ogres.

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 don't make good eating; Ogres find they don't have enough meat on them. Many ogres pick a favorite gnoblar, and it is identified by the bite mark that is bestowed upon its right ear. In a dispute over the ownership of a gnoblar it is customary for both ogres to take a bite out of the left ear, who the bite matches is clearly the owner. It is considered a grave insult to eat an ogres favorite gnoblar, and in fact it was this mistake that cost Skrag the Slaughterer to lose his hands after his tyrant cut them off and fed them to him as punishment for serving his Tyrant's favorite gnoblar as a meal.