Ogres and their kin

Ogres (Kernen, Blode and Suderhold)

The firstborn of the gods of evil. The ogres were once the most beautiful and intelligent creatures of Krynn. They
ruled a mighty empire and enslaved humans as their servants. During the Age of Dreams, Igraine, a powerful Ogre
governor learnt compassion from a human slave when he saved Igraine's daughter from certain death. Igraine
decided that slavery was wrong and tried to explain to the other ogres how they were wrong in enslaving humans.
Igraine was called an insane heretic and sentenced to death. Igraine fled with his followers to an island in the Dragon
Isles and hid there. The humans then rose up and rebelled against their former masters. The ogres were cast down
and made as ugly and cruel as their dark souls were. Their empire was crushed. The ogres remained in the mountains
and kept their nation around the Blode region. Eventually the mountains were literally overrun with ogres and some
of them had to migrate onto the plains for living space. These plains ogres formed the nation of Kern. The two
nations drifted apart over time, although they still trade with one another. The Kernen ogres are known as brutish
and vicious, whereas the Blode ogres are known to be pretentious and haughty. Kernen ogres are more nomadic and
live in small settlements on the plains, whereas Blode ogres live in cities and towns. There is another smaller
settlement of ogres in Icewall, around the Suderhold region. The Suderhold ogres are akin to their Blode cousins.
Overall the ogre nation has always been strong, and since their fall, always allied with the dark forces. Ogres are
prominent mainly on Ansalon, since their Taladan cousins have been hunted down by the Imperial League. Small
pockets of ogres still exist on Taladas, but not to any great extent. The largest pocket of ogres in Taladas, reside in
the Taladan Ring Mountains. Present-day ogres have yellowish skin, are eight to nine feet tall, and have gray eyes.
They are physically powerful, albeit not overly-intelligent.

Irda
When Igraine fled with his followers from the ogre nation, he unwittingly led to the creation of a new branch of the
ogre race. As the rest of the ogres were cast down and made ugly, Igraine and his followers were spared. They
retained the physical beauty, intelligence and powers that they always had, under the condition that they remained on
their island amongst the Dragon Isles. The Irda were a solitary race who dwelt alone (with the exception of the
occasional shipwreck) until the Knights of Takhisis found their island. The Irda hid, but in order to protect
themselves forever from other races, they decided to break the Graygem of Gargath. When they did this, they
released the god Ionthas (Chaos). Ionthas in his fury destroyed the Isle of the Irda, and every Irda upon it. On rare
occasions an Irda would leave the isle and journey amongst the other races of Ansalon, so it is more than likely that
a handful of Irda escaped the devastation. Since Irda can shapechange at will, it is near impossible to discern them
from other races, and discern whether the race is completely extinct or not, until one chooses to reveal itself to the
world.

Ogre-magi
Whilst normally, a mage class would not warrant a race description, ogre-magi are actually quite different from the
rest of ogre-kind. When Paladine's curse befell the ogre race, they were affected in different ways. An ogre-mage
known as Treloran used his powerful magic to shield himself somewhat from the curse. He was still affected,
although not as badly as the rest of his race. The descendants of Treloran are known as the ogre-magi. They have
considerable magical powers and are fairly intelligent. Their powers rivals that of the magic-users of any other race.
In height they stand at around six to seven feet tall, and they have pale-blue skin. Also, their fighting skills are only
moderate. Their arcane powers more than make up for this, and they are greatly respected by the rest of their kin.
Whilst local shamans from amongst the general ogre race are often communal leaders, they will always defer
leadership when in the presence of one of the ogre-magi. The ogre-magi however, are extremely rare.
Hags (Annis, Green and Sea)
Another ogre sub-species that was brought into creation by Paladine's Curse, was the hags. These ogresses are
descended from the ogress-magi Lurrhein. Lurrhein also attempted to protect herself against the curse, however the
initial effects that the curse had on her, drove her insane. Lurrhein believed that ogre-kind should stop trying to
expand their civilisation and dwell in peace, in order to reverse the effects of the curse. Takhisis was enraged and
removed the protective magic that Lurrhein setup, to prevent her from being fully affected by the curse. She and her
children were then cursed in a slightly different way, and their descendants became what we now know upon Krynn
as the hags. They are more intelligent than normal ogres, and better versed in the arcane, however they are by no
means anywhere near as powerful as the rare ogre-magi. The annis hags are seven to eight feet tall, physically
powerful and covered in warty blue skin. They tend to live in swamps, bogs and caves. They are the original hags.

Descended from the annis hags are the greenhags. Greenhags are the result of breeding between annis hags and the
goblin races. Greenhags are covered in revolting green skin, and stand at five to six feet tall. They are excellent
mimics and have tricked many an adventurer into believing they are a lost child or maiden, as they prepare to
ambush them. Otherwise, they are near identical to the annis hags. Greenhags tend to dwell chiefly in swamps or
forested areas.

Sea hags have unknown origins. It is believed that they are actually an altered version of the Sirine race (perhaps by
the Graygem), but they do not seem directly related to the annis hags or greenhags, other than their name. They have
sickly yellow skin and can shapechange at will. They dwell in any body of water.

All hags tend to dwell in either small groups, or on their own. They have no settlements or communities as such, and
do not associate with any of their ogre-kin at all.

Hill Giants
When Paladine's curse befell the ogres, the last major subspecies were the giants. One of the ogres, a great warrior
known as Raunquar, was a massive ogre, known for his great size and strength. His descendants are the giants. The
giants breed at a large rate and have extremely high birth defect rates. These rates led to the offshoot races of
cyclops and ettins, coming into creation.

Hill giants are the standard giants, who most resemble their forbear Raunquar. They stand at sixteen feet tall, are one
of the most powerful humanoid races, and quite civilised. Hill giants are not the most intelligent of races, and they
live in small clans in mountainous regions. They are quite happy to allow most folk traverse through their lands, and
have been known to befriend adventurers on occasion. However if they see armed groups traversing their lands, they
will usually attack them on sight.

Cyclopes
The cyclops is a breed of giant which either has one singular eye, or two small set eyes in a single socket. They
stand at fourteen feet-tall, and due to their eye-defect, have very poor vision. They do have extremely good hearing
however. Cyclopes are known to be highly-intelligent creatures, that tend to live alone in mountainous areas, or in
mated-pairs. They will guard their lairs to the death, and occasionally wander into towns to take any necessities.

Ettin
Ettins are the fiercest and most violent amongst the giants. They are two-headed giants and relatively intelligent.
They are considered freaks by the rest of their kin and other giants consider that ettins should be destroyed on sight.
Ettins are thirteen feet tall and otherwise resemble hill giants. They sleep all day and hunt all night. Ettins live in
caves in mountainous areas and will often maraud through humanoid settlements. There are extremely rare instances
of ettins with 3 or 4 heads. These rarities are even more ill-tempered than their two-headed kin, and more prone to
violence and destruction. Ettins have their own language of grunts and howls and no developed civilisation
whatsoever.

Mischta
The Mischta are an offshoot of the Irda, whom live in the isle of Selasia. They live in the forests and are peace-
loving creatures, much like their cousins. The Mischta live in small villages and settlements, and are led by a High
King. Even though the Mischta of Selasia have no contact with their Irda brethren on Anaiatha, their High King
would immediately defer to the High King of the Irda, if they ever resume contact. The Mischta physically resemble
their cousins, and are also quite adept in magic. They will never intentionally harm another being if they can avoid
it.

Bolandi
The Bolandi were originally created by the Graygem's passing over the ogre tribes of Ansalon and Taladas. The
affected ogres were changed into malicious tricksters, albeit their tricks serve only to humiliate, not to harm or kill.
The Bolandi found that their humor was not appreciated by Ansalonians or Taladans, and under threat of persecution
they fled to the islands of Odith-Abshu and Fedron. The Bolandi were then hunted down by the Nzunta ogres and
the Orughi, and the survivors fled to Selasia. The Bolandi since allied themselves with the Mischta ogres against the
Orughi and now dwell together in peace in Selasia. The Bolandi have a natural affinity for magic, although most
Bolandi are warriors by nature.

Nzunta
As the curse befall ogre-kind, and the Irda were protected against the curse, a small pocket of evil-aligned ogres also
escaped the curse. These ogres fled along the same route as the Irda, and were successful in retaining all their
physical and mental abilities. They became known as the Nzunta and have a deep hatred for the Irda, whom they
consider their betrayers. Nzunta are masters of shapechanging and extremely powerful in the magical arts. They
believe in racial purity and thus their numbers upon Krynn are extremely low. The Nzunta long ago enslaved the
Orughi, and use them to show their power upon Ansalon and the isles.

Orughi
Orughi are the simple and small ogres who serve the Nzunta. They are miniature versions of the standard ogre race
and low in intelligence. The Orughi dwell chiefly upon the isle of Selasia and around the Dragon Isles region. They
live to serve the Nzunta, whom they worship as their living deities. They are brutish and are tribe-based. The Orughi
are always in large numbers, which is encouraged by their masters. They are the foot-soldiers of the Nzunta, and
plague the good-aligned ogres of the region.

Troll
Trolls are extremely powerful, twelve foot tall creatures, with leathery tough skin and a regenerative ability. Trolls
resemble wiry ogres, have long pointed noses and bad temperaments. Trolls are quite unintelligent, they border on
stupid much of the time. Their regenerative ability however allows their wounds to heal at a very rapid rate. They
can only be killed with fire or by hacking them to bits. An offshoot of the troll species is the Mewling. Mewlings are
physically stronger than regular trolls, however they do not have the regenerative abilities of their cousins.
Mewlings can cast basic illusions, and use this to hide and trick their foes. Both types of trolls live in forests or
swamps. Trolls tend to dwell in clans and have small settlements, amongst ruins or in marshes.

Yrasda
In the wake of the Cataclysm, some Irda chose to dwell in the sea rather than the land. These Irda altered their
bodies and became the first of the yrasda (sea-dwelling Irda). Over time, the yrasda formed into three distinct clans:
the aphelka, the thanic and the ushama. The three clans were formed based on the views and ideals of the yrasda and
pointed to the alignment and disposition of the race. These clans also developed their abilities and can shapechange
into one form. The aphelka learnt how to change into a squid, the thanic into a carp, and the ushama into a killer
whale.

The Yrasda are a nomadic people, whom dwell in small tribes across the ocean floor between Ansalon and Taladas.
The Ushama are good-aligned yrasda whom trade with other beings and are akin to nature and peace-loving. The
Thanic are violent and openly aggressive to others. They will deal with other types of yrasda, but will attack almost
any other type of humanoid on sight. The Aphelka are harmless unless attacked, and will often deal with other
humanoid races. Yrasda have skin tones ranging from deep blue to deep green. They have beautiful voices and are
every bit as graceful as their land-dwelling cousins.

Titans
The titans are a relatively new species of the ogre race. They were created by ogre-magi during the Age of Mortals.
A titan is created by transforming a regular ogre, using a ritual which involves fresh elven blood. This ritual
summons the spirits of dead creatures to aid in the transformation of the ogre. The ogre must sit in a cauldron of the
elven blood whilst the entire ritual takes place. On completion of the ritual, the transformation takes effect
immediately. The ogre is then instantly made a titan. A titan stands at fifteen feet tall, has clear blue skin, and is
relatively attractive. Their face resembles a half-elf, and their mind is also dramatically altered. Titans are very
intelligent, and can master the basic spheres of magic. They are immensely powerful warriors as well as great
strategists. The process of transformation has only been performed on a select few, so titans only exist in small
numbers. They are the leaders of ogre forces, and slowly becoming the new leaders of the ogre nations.

Treants
Treants are rarely seen woodland giants, that guard certain forests on Ansalon. Their appearance more resembles that
of a tree than a humanoid. They are not directly related to the giant subspecies, and are believed to be the creation of
a wizard which has somehow unwittingly become it's own small race. Treants will generally not harass anyone,
unless they harm the woodland in some way.

Saqualaminoi
The Saqualaminoi are a peaceful sub-species of the giant family, that live in cold reaches of the Taladan Ring
Mountains. Saqualaminoi stand at ten feet tall, and are intelligent, albeit a primitive form of intelligence. They are
covered in white or grey hair, and closely resemble the taer (or yeti) of Ansalon. The Saqualaminoi live in small
tribes or family units, and reside in ice caves. The giants occasionally raid the nearby ogre tribes, only when their
need is great. The nearby ogres fear their giant-cousins, believing them to be snow demons.