Myriad Worlds: Ogres

Perhaps unique among the people of the Myriad Worlds, Ogres are massive forms of metal and muscle, awkwardly shaped according the standards of most myriad folk.

While many folk have varying standards in regards to shape and size, Ogres are almost exacting in their similarities to each other. There are unavoidable differences, of course — differing numbers of eyes, fingers, or similar — but in other ways they are precisely the same. For example, I have studied the many Ogres who reside near my domicile, and have not found half a span of difference in their heights: a full nine feet tall to a one of them.

The ratio of arm-width to leg-length is precisely the same between specimens, while leg-width appears to follow no standards. The same parts are always metal, though what kind of metal has no pattern. Cold steel, warm brass, tin, zinc, even pewter has been used to craft an Ogre’s body.

As for their minds, few are those who claim any understanding. A Ogre’s purpose — or at least their cultural understanding of the universe — is found through service. An Ogre without a job will stand silent and still, staring out through their red or golden eyes, and wait for a command. They are the laborers of the universe, always available for any menial task that must be performed. They build houses, haul lumber, and convey messages without complaint. When they speak, which is rare, they do so only in the most dulcet and gentle of tones. Their accent is thick and halting, mono-tonal in pitch, and linguists of all stripes have so far failed to translate a single word of the Ogre language. A blessing, then, that they learn other languages with remarkable speed — enough so that most Ogres are able to be used as translators, should you need one.

Ogres, in spite of their kindly and servile attitudes, will never speak of themselves. Any questions leveled at them regarding their people, their culture, or their own selves are invariably met with blunt and uninterested silence. This is not unusual, as Ogres commonly do not respond to any questions asked by a non-Ogre. As a people, the species of Ogre is remarkably recalcitrant, if not outright silent.

It is easy to assume, because of this common silence, that Ogres are unintelligent. This, however, cannot be further from the truth. Ogres are quite intellectually adept in any number of tasks. They are capable of learning and practicing any number of scientific or mathematical behaviors, and have also had occasion to prove quite creative.

The belief in their lack of intelligence seems to stem from their quiet and reserved nature, as well as their perceived lack of individual or collective culture. There are no Ogre cities, no such thing as Ogre Music, and no one has ever seen an Ogre eat, so what might constitute Ogre cuisine is left to the imaginations of artists, philosophers, and mad-folk.

While much is still a mystery regarding these strange and alien brutes, one thing is agreed upon by both scholar and Ogre alike: Ogres are not born, but made. This is something that they may share with the Dworgs, though few scholars have been brave enough to share their suspicions with either people.

Any Ogre, whether driven by need or inclination, may choose to construct another of their kind by acquiring large pieces of material, including metal, stone, and pieces of viscera. In times long past, it was assumed these pieces of flesh were acquired from fresh kills, while in the current era, Ogres are more likely to scavenge recent battlefields or alleyways behind butcher-shops.

To see a phalanx of Ogres descend upon the freshly dead is a chilling event. One can only help but wonder why there are not thousands of Ogres on every street-corner. It was only after discussing the matter with many notable scholars of these beings that I learned that advances in refrigeration techniques allowed for pieces of mortal flesh to be kept for many years on end. The currently accepted theory is that giant warehouses are dotted across the Myriad Worlds, filled with readily available parts for Ogres in need.

As for the metallic aspects of an Ogre, metal ores and refined alloys are highly sought after, and the purchasing of such materials is one of the rare behaviors that Ogres appear to take part in without express command from someone else.

While it is somewhat common for onlookers to see shapes or designs of familiar make in the bodies of ogres — whether torn-off shards of abandoned Zyth-huts, or pieces of metal from a chariot’s shield — the organic pieces of ogres are regularly unidentifiable. Even the most practiced viscera-hunters of the Myriad Worlds, whether doctor, surgeon, field-medic, or barber, have proven fruitless. This has led some of the more maddened biomancers to advance the theory that Ogres somehow alter the organic aspects of their creation into something else entirely, making Ogredom a kind of disease of the dead.

Of course, the more reasoned and intellectual scholars of anatomy consider this an absurd idea.

The One Order

This question of Ogres’ natural intelligence leads us to one of the more fascinating questions about Ogre society and history. All attempts and finding an origin of the Ogre people leads to a single myth: The One Order.

The One Order has taken several prominent theoretical forms over the years. It has been viewed as a city-state located on some as-yet-undiscovered world exclusively designed and inhabited by Ogres, a state of mind or affirmation of self-fulfillment, or possibly even a carefully hidden organization of Ogres who have overcome their limitations and transcended their very essence.

Theories abound about The One Order, far more than the three common and most supported theories I have just mentioned. Evidence is scarce and circumstantial for almost every theory advanced by the scholarly community, and Ogres who have been approached on the subject remain characteristically coy.

One thing is a constant with Ogres: if they are ever willing to speak on the subject, they will always affirm The One Order is real. Though no city-state has ever been seen, no Ogre ever proven to be a member, and no information forthcoming on what The One Order actually is, they will never question its existence or importance.

The City State

The evidence surrounding The One Order being a city-state is numerous, if inconclusive and often circumstantial. As a myth, however, it is quite powerful and almost romantic. The One Order is a place where Ogres live. Not simply reside, or rest, but live. It is a city where Ogres who have no work, labor, or duties go to spend their days in the aimless pursuit of meaning and purpose.

The most accepted repository of knowledge around The One Order city-state theory is the otherwise fantastical scholarly work: “Beyond the Edges,” by Dr. Lisscol Ekt.

While also the longest work, “Beyond the Edges” is hardly complete. The following section, therefore, will be a collection and collation of disparate fragments from scholars of this hidden land of the Ogres. I have used the more commonly accepted translations, and will add notations where alternatives have been argued.

Geography

from the Panobscience of The Lands, by Echhis:

The One Order must be a mountainous land, given the inability of any explorations reaching it, though they have covered most of the known Myriad Worlds. Alternatively, it must exist on a world¹ as yet undiscovered.

from Beyond the Edges, by Dr Lisscol Ekt:

The One Order resides in a deep indentation in the ground, according to my contact². After an extended period of discussion and question, I was able to gain a description of the priliminary entrance.

The Grand Entry is a massive arch with an inverted ogee³ shape dipping into the passage, while a large three-breasted treefoil rises above. This combination of shapes connects conversely in the middle to create the Shape of the One Birth, a pinical moment in the heretofore only imagined Ogre religion.

from The Study of Metalmin, by an unknown Yattrinti Scholar:

Any land surrounding an Ogre City must therefore remain in pristine natural condition, spared the imperial and industrial inclinations of the lesser races. Jungle, tundra, and savannah must all meet in this harmonious middle, blessed by the care of its metal caretakers.

from a different translation of The Study of Metalmin:

The area around where the One Order likely sits has been restored to its original nature after the removal of the Empire, and the aspirational passions of the Lesser Race. A patchwork of jungle, tiagra, and desert bioms have been transplanted around The One Order in order to be exploited again, in an attempt for the Ogres to try and return to their former industrial state.

from Offical Report: Strategic and Material Uses of The One Order, compiled by the Encircled Baroner:

It is likely that the One Order is one of the more industrial regions of the Myriad Worlds, as the Ogres themselves seem to have little truck with anything other than metallurgy. A lack of regular merchant-trade activity suggests that the Ogres exist in a remarkably ore-rich land, to require no trade.

from the official military strategy of the Redguard Paladines:

The One Order, if it even exists, must have nothing of value for anyone but Ogres, as there has never been any recorded merchant trade or colonization efforts. Were there anything of value worth the lands conquering, it surely would have occurred by now, and glorious war would have been waged.

History

from Experiment 334, by the Yattrinti Surgeon Ixxthi:

Based on the results of the study of Specimen 3R, any society of Ogres is either a debased and malnourished society, or a threat to the Myriad Worlds. To explain: Specimen D4 was specifically unable to act unless given an express order. These commands activated various aspects of their physiology in a manner consistant with experiments F-35 and G-34. It stands to logical reason, therefore, that the One Order is a location with two possible origins, if it exists at all.

Option 1: the One Order is an ancient city designed and built by the same species that created the first Ogres. As Ogres cannot thrive without orders, it logically follows that Ogres were created, as how could this species command itself? This progenitor species then either died out or migrated away, their history forgotten, while the Ogre species remains in their former master’s homes. There they likely sit, waiting for commands that will never come.

Option 2: the One Order was created by Ogres due to a specific and ancient command that was given and never countermanded. As Ogres will never cease activities unless ordered to, this means the One Order must be growing in size at a measurable rate. Whether this rate is exponentially growing, decreasing, or remaining constant is left to theory, but it is possible that unless the Ogres are stopped, they will eventually build a structure that will encompass and dominate the entirety of the Myriad Worlds.

from Ogre: an Official History, by Tenth Scholar Grumvie

While many believe that The One Order is a state of mind, or perhaps an organization, my studies point to The One Order being a city built some two-hundred generations ago. Aspanighoraji texts make mention of “The Towers of Glass” as a mighty empire around this time, and reference “a Folk so devoted to their slavery that they made a new people whose freedom was service.” While many scholars — myself included — hesitate to suggest that this is a fair description of the Ogre people, the Aspanighoraji are known for their poetic and propagandic histories. It is not impossible that the Ogre people are descended from the inhabitants of these Towers of Glass.

The Path of The One Order

The evidence for The One Order being a philosophy or state-of-mind is numinous at best. Nevertheless, it is a widely held belief, and the scholarly work surrounding the theory is substantial.

Perhaps the most significant piece of evidence is the Ogres’ own words. While much can be made (and often is) of the Ogre dialect and their mode of speech, it is difficult even for the most familiar of us to hear them speak of The One Order and not hear the same reverence one might speak of the Green Vizier, or the Eminent.

This is assuming you can get the Ogre to speak to you on the subject, a task that is quite difficult, even at the best of times. Nevertheless, there is a large body of work devoted to the Ogres own words and what evidence can be gleaned from such.

The Philosophy of The One Order

from A Zyth Companion to Ogres, by Vaxk Hachi

The Orges that most folk come into contact with on a near daily basis are clearly the amicable sort, thereby suggesting a culture of mutual aid, cooperation, and redily available service. It stands to reason, therefore, that any Ogres who embody this ideal to a paramount degree must be those who have achieved the highest rank in their society, often called attaining, or “living in” The One Order.

from The Mind of Flesh and Metal, by Lord Kobax, Lord of Granloak

We know that Ogres live to serve, or at least have little inclination to refuse any commands given to them. As such, there is no doubt that any society built by or inhabited exclusively by Ogres would be a brutish and horribly mismanaged one. The romanticization of “The One Order” as a location is obviously absurd. Rather, the phrase obviously references the single underpinning Order that guides their behavior; a Prime Command that ensures their continued service. This is clearly the proper translation of The One Order.

from The Peaceful Mind, by the Sage Enboldened

All seek to be more than they are. All seek to provide more than they take. All see about them a world that must be made the better for our passing. Some seek conquest to depose the unjust. Some seek peace to sooth the raging heart. Some seek slaking of primal lusts. The Ogres are a steadfast and honorable people, though they too toil for improvement. They call this transcendent state “The One Order,” a place of complete contentment and freedom. Some believe it is the state they aspire to, while others believe it is the state in which they now live.

from A Travel in Cyan, by Hemmingsfork Puumplemo

One of my fellow travelers was an Ogre of quite lean disposition. We talked with it repeatedly throughout the trip, though it rarely responded. When it did, it spoke in a voice of quite passionate nature, one which I find myself remembering often.

The things of which we spoke were of a somewhat banal nature, save one. One evening I found myself speaking of my home, the rolling fields of Kynvynryn, and the marvelous vistas there. When I had paused half-way through a most expressive description to wet my throat with a swallow of ale, the Ogre spoke, thus:

“I have no home. I have no land. I have only myself, and the aspiration to one day achieve The One Order.”

When I found out later — after speaking with a librarian of no slight attractiveness — that The One Order is considered by many to be a place, I became embroiled in a few minor physical altercations after explaining what my friend had told me.

The Code of The One Order

from The Mind of Flesh and Metal, by Lord Kobax, Lord of Granloak

Based on the evidence already detailed in the preceding chapters, I have come to conclude that the Virtues of The One Order must be as follows:

1. Provide such service as you can, whenever asked, to whomever asks, so long as it harms no one.
2. Remove your self from your mind, such that you become a tool for others to use as they see fit.
3. Keep your mind quiet and still, so that others may give their mind into yours, and you become an extension of their will.
4. Do only what is asked and no more, as to assume knowledge or forethought is to place yourself above your commander.
5. Build more of yourself, so that no one is ever found wanting of your service.

from A Zyth Companion to Ogres, by Vaxk Hachi

When asked, an Ogre will rarely speak about themselves or their hopes and dreams, assuming they have any. What little I have gathered suggests that Ogres largely believe that their ultimate goal in life is to help more than they harm, give more than they take, and leave the Myriad Worlds a gentler and more beautiful place for having moved through it.

from The Hulking Menace, by Leir Obblerfol Quix

The insidious plot of these massive brutes can be clearly understood through their profession of The One Order. This code sees the rest of the folk of the Myriad Worlds as mere fodder for their plans. When one uses a hammer, the hand becomes soft. When one uses an axe, the claws become blunt. To become part of The One Order, the whole of the Velvet must be made mailable and subservient to the Ogre Agenda. As such, the Ogre seeks to serve, submit, and thereby take over all industry, farming, and scholarly persuits.

The One Order is nothing more than a code of conquest.

from Ways of Living Among the Ice Crystals, by Montli’shar

I wonder, sometimes, what it must be, to be an Ogre. Though I have of course devoted much of my time to the many different souls in my care, the single Ogre puzzles me.

When I spoke of my mission to it, my Ogre looked at me with what I felt had to have been pity. I too have looked on others with pity, those who do not know the things I know, who have not lived the lives I’ve lived.

The Ogre said to me: “The One Order cannot be reached, it can only be found.”

Of course, this reminded me quite strongly of the Aeolam religions, as well as the Uumphoun philosophies, and so I put it to my Ogre: “Do you know how to find it? Does not your service here hinder your search?”

It’s red eye dimmed as it shook its head. “The search is not in the body, but in the mind.”

The Followers of the One Order

While the evidence of the One Order being a location is substantial, the evidence of the One Order being an organization is, perhaps, more significant. On occasions throughout history, documentation is discovered that references a sudden arrival of a team of Ogres numbering anywhere from one to six. Many of these documented references have occurred during catastrophes or wars, but several are accounts of reconstruction efforts after natural disasters.

In all accounts, the team of Ogres always bear the same livery and banners; a black circle on a yellow background. In combat, the Ogres arrive without warning, fight without strategic reasoning or ideological drive, and then leave again, sometimes before the battle is complete. In disaster situations, the Ogres move through the chaos, sometimes clearly helping the survivors, other times behaving in a manner that appears to provide little or no benefit. On at least one occasion, the Ogres protected a building that had long since been evacuated from a windstorm, while other buildings collapsed around them.

All recorded reference to this mysterious group of Ogres share some simple facts: they arrive without fanfare or being requested, they accept no commands, and leave without comment.

There is no clear evidence as to whether these groups of Ogres are citizens, adherents, or members of The One Order; or merely adopting a common livery as a symbol of solidarity. All the same, there is a great discussion as to whether this is “The One Order,” or instead a group of Ogres who has, in some fit of madness, created a mockery of the concept for their own ends.

I have searched for some record of an Ogre expressing either support or contempt for this mysterious band, but none has yet crossed my desk.