The Warhammer world has many diverse races, each fighting to conquer and control whatever they can. However, one race is driven by a very different need than the others. The Ogre Kingdoms do not care about conquering or subjugation; their main focus is on eating everything before them. The Ogres appeared as a mercenary force in Total War: Warhammer 2, but in the next installment, they are finally getting their own faction.
Ogres make a striking force upon the battlefield, as their huge size combined with their incredible strength makes them appear as nothing more than simple brutes. However, the Orges possess a deep culture and religion that separates them from the other forces, as well as a history that helped shape the modern Warhammer world.
Like most factions in the Warhammer world, the Orges were created by the Old Ones to fight the forces of Chaos. They were made after the elves and the dwarves, both of whom were considered failures, but were unfinished. While they were strong and resistant to the changing effects of chaos, they were also cursed with an insatiable appetite. An Ogre will eat whatever they can find and catch, moving across the world like a swarm of locusts. It was the Ogres who fought against the Sky Titans and led to their eventual fate as the inbred monsters known as giants. Their insatiable appetite has formed the basis of their entire society and religion.
The Ogres worship an entity known only as the Great Maw. The Ogres depict their god as a giant hole in the ground ringed by massive teeth that consumes everything that comes into contact with it. Centuries before the Ogres made their way to the mountains of mourn, they lived near to Cathay. One night, a meteorite smashed into the ground, tearing apart numerous Ogre clans and leaving the massive hole that would be known as the Great Maw. Most Scholars see it as nothing more than a crater given a name by a simpler species. However, the Ogres near the Maw experienced a sudden surge of appetite that could not be controlled or sated.
This hunger is one of the foundations of Ogre culture, which is built around their stomachs and meals in general. Ogres consider the stomach to be the center of their bodies, with disembowelment being considered the worst death possible. Ogres will resolve most disputes between themselves with pit fights where the victor will consume a part of the loser or, in the most serious of disputes, their entire body. All of this is overseen by the leadership of the clans, the Tyrants and the Butchers.
The Tyrants are the leaders of the Ogres and are usually the biggest of their tribes. Names are granted to Ogres due to their feats, and the more names an Ogre has, the more impressive they are to their companions. Because of this, Tyrants have exceedingly long names.
Butchers are the priests and wizards of the Ogre Kingdoms, serving as the leaders of feasts and ceremonies. Butchers follow the will of the Great Maw as they see it and cast their spells from its eternal hunger. They are also the only Ogres who do not wear a gut plate, trusting the powers of the Great Maw to protect their stomach. While all Ogres believe in the Maw and the butchers, they do not all follow the tribes and Tyrants. Many Ogres choose to explore the world as mercenaries or live a life of solitude as hunters. The hunters are the ones responsible for catching and taming the many monsters of the Mountains of Mourn and bringing them to war.
While the Ogre tribes are nomadic, they all view the Mountains of Mourn as their homeland and will return when the tribes are gathered. The mountains were originally the home of the Sky Titans, but their castles have either been torn down or occupied by the Ogres. The Mountains themselves are a vast range of ice and snow, inhabited by many different species of creature. These range from massive woolly mammoths to rhinoxen and Yetis. All of these creatures could (and do) attack Ogres when they can, but will just as often end up as food for the tribes. However, the Ogres occasionally see the advantage of taming beasts, and a skilled enough handler can even ride some into battle.
The Ogre Kingdoms are a great, distinct faction for Total War: Warhammer III to introduce. Their varied cultural beliefs and habits make them stand out among the “civilized” races, so it will be interesting to see how the game them to be unique among the more ‘civilized’ races and it will be interesting to see how the game portrays this. Thankfully, the Total War: Warhammer series has, so far, proven itself to be up to the task of doing the Ogres justice.
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