Introduction

Where did the world come from?

It was called into being by Argon, by His will. It was created as a testing ground for his followers, so that He could weed out the faithful.

Where did I come from?

When Argon created the world, He made all the ogres that there should be, but then when the wicked elves began to kill our people, our numbers dwindled. So Argon sent the Irda to us, and told the ogre Harzuram that within the elves forests there grew a sacred bush - the Cham'mich. Harzuram rescued the Cham'mich from the elves and gave it to our people. When the ogres of old ate of the Cham'mich they became fertile and could bear children, by Argon's Will.

Why am I here?

Argon made the world for His own purposes, and it is not for us to know His plans. It is enough to place our faith in Him and to know that what He does is right for our people, His Chosen. The Kernen is His voice here in the mortal realm, and you must obey the will of the Kernen for it is the Will of Argon.

Why do we die?

Before the elves came, our people did not die. We were perfect and everlasting, our role was to be shaped by Argon as He willed. But the elves stole the Sacred Fire of Argon Raam, which was the source of our eternal life. Because of the wickedness of elves, we die. Since we stole the Cham'mich plant from the elves and learnt to reproduce, it is necessary for some to die so that others may be born, as there has and always will be the same, perfect, number of ogres in the world, by Argon's will.

What happens after we die?

Our bodies are laid out on sacred platforms so that the vulture - the sacred bird of Argon - may reclaim our bodies and return them to Argon. There, he can fashion them into the ogres yet to be born.

How do I do magic?

Magic is the manifestation of Argon's will, and it is blasphemy for any but the Sorcerer-Priests of Argon Raam and Argon H'Rar to practice magic. They are His Chosen, and are permitted to use His power. Other sorcerers, like humans and elves, are thieves that Argon H'Rar will surely punish.

I have heard of other powers. Can you tell me about...

• Elf Gods

  The elves turn their back on Argon, calling Him wicked and barren. Instead they try to shape His creation to their own will. Their blindness will bring them ruin, for it is the Will of Argon.

• Reorx?

  The dwarves shun Argon, but they fight with us, His people, over dwelling places. The dwarves, like the elves, seek to make the works of Argon in their own image. Their folly will bring them ruin, for it is the Will of Argon.

• Old Gods?

  The humans of Istar sought to enslave and kill our people. They called us impure and evil, but it was they who were evil. Their prejudice brought them ruin, for it was the Will of Argon.

• Bloden Gods

  The ogres of Blode were once our cousins, but they fell to degenerate practices that weakened their minds and their faith. They turned from Argon and worshipped false gods in depraved and obscene ceremonies. Their weakness will bring them ruin, for it is the Will of Argon.

• Argon is the One True God. Ogres, especially Kernish ogres are highly monotheistic. They believe that Argon and Argon alone is the only god, although He has many faces which some lesser people worship as gods in their own right. The basis of Ogrish belief is that Argon makes life hard so that people can learn and grow through their struggle to survive. This tends to be interpreted as a justification for the strong to rule the weak, although ogres also consider themselves one people linked by a common destiny. Ogres would much rather fight outsiders than another ogre.

  Argon is a desert god, Lord of Desolation. He is never personified as the ogres believe that to do so would belittle His magnitude, although He is sometimes depicted as a vulture, His sacred animal. Ogres say that to look into the face of the sun in the burning desert is to look into the face of Argon.

• Argon H'rar is Argon's face he wears when taking vengeance upon the enemies of His people. According to the ogres, it was Argon H'rar who cast the burning mountain onto Istar, and who sent the Dragons after the elves during the first Dragon War. One of H'rar's favourite visitations is plague, hence his later association with Morgion.

• Argon Raam is the face of Argon when his people go to war. Argon Raam is a sacred fire that is said to burn within in the breasts of all ogres to sustain their courage as they march out to battle. It is as this form that the ogres have welcomed Takhisis.

• Argon Corij is a variant worshipped by the western ogres who were defeated by the Empire of Ergoth. It is a face of Argon used to punish his own followers who have become to proud, and to remind them that they are subject to the Will of Argon.

• The Kernen, ruler of the ogre land of Kern, is worshipped by the ogres of that land as a demi-god. The Kernen is the Voice of Argon, and as such his proclamations are considered divine writ. The original Kernen forged the land of Kern after the cataclysm, following a divine revelation from the Irda.

• The Irda are worshipped as angelic figures, intermediaries who carry out the Will of Argon on a day to day basis. Ergothic ogres believe the stars to be the chariots of the Irda.

• Bloten Gods. During the wars with Istar, the ogres were accused of cannibalism and human sacrifice amongst other things. Some ogres, as revenge for their persecution or simply as a means to survive, turned to these very perversions. They learnt magical rituals to gain power from these atrocities, and formed a rudimentary religion around them. It may be that they based it upon the ogrish funeral ideas - if vultures ate ogres to take them back to Argon, perhaps if ogres ate other races they could "steal" them from their gods. These ogres were cast out by the Kernish ogres for turning away from Argon, and formed their own community - Blode. Amongst their known gods are Blood Moon, Bone Moon and Dark Moon

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