Rubia/Boat Ogre

Summary

Xenonym	Boat Ogre
Status	Aggressive
Home Plane	Rubia
Morphology	Mammalian Biped
Typoid	Mammaloid
Native Languages	No Native Language
Lifespan	150 Years
Height Data	10'2" — 9'5"
Weight Data	650lbs — 575lbs
Skin Colors	Light Blue, Dark Blue, Blue Green
Hair Colors	Black, Brown, White, Gray
Eye Colors	Blue, Hazel, Gray, Violet, Brown, Green
Physical Distinctions	Black ram-like horns, gills on their neck
Racial Subcultures	Boat-Lords, Ship Gypsies, Whale-Eaters
Favored Terrain	Oceans, Ocean Coasts
Properties	Boat Ogre Properties

Damn Boat Ogres. They went from being savages to a real menance to us on the coast. Who would have known they'd be able to make boats? What will they do next?!

Random dialogue from a Rubian citizen

Description

One of the few native sophonts on Rubia, the Boat Ogres were originally a race of larger sea-dwelling ogre-like creatures known for aggressive tendencies and a penchant for large quantities of food.

When the various races of the Planar Council originally began settling Rubia, they were incredibly primitive and lived in small colonies as their massive appetites prevented large numbers of them from living in a single area at a time. They watched as the new Rubian settlers built vessels capable of carrying them across the seas to fish and transport large numbers of goods. While not incredibly smart, the ogre-like creatures were curious and cunning which led them to develop their own skills in shipbuilding. Not bound to the land any longer, they were free to move about to fish and hunt as much as they wanted, leading to an increase in their numbers. They may have originally been called something else, but the new Rubian inhabitants have since dubbed them "Boat Ogres" and the name has stuck.

Large and bulky creatures, they are capable of breathing both air and in water due to the gills on their neck. They have a thick, insulating layer of skin covered with body hair. Their heads have ram-like horns on the side, always black in color and larger in the males of the species. Their digits surprisingly are not webbed.

Ecology

Boat Ogres originally lived on island chains, living in primitive hovels and having an unsophisticated existence. Nobody knows if they had originally developed in the ocean or on land, but they are capable of breathing in both environments though they feel more comfortable on land. The fact they lack webbing on their digits leads credence to them originally developing as land-based creatures.

They are more commonly found in temperate climates, finding both extreme cold and heat uncomfortable and finding it much harder to acclimate than other races.

Boat Ogres are hardly found on land anymore, moving to an almost completely nomadic existence on the sea. Given their size, Boat Ogre vessels tend to carry one or two individuals, three at the most. Most individuals live their entire lives building and repairing their own ship. When they find a mate, the two boats are typically attached to each other in a haphazard way.

Having lived on the sea for their entire lives, the Boat Ogres have an almost innate connection to the weather and an instinctive knowledge of the behaviors of various fish and other sea life.

Society

Boat Ogres stick together as families until their young are either old enough and desire to live on their own or find a mate. The construction of these vessels is ritualized with unique aspects to each family.

Individuals with their own vessels live a nomadic life, living off the sea by trading and subsistence fishing. Boat Ogres are noted for their exceptional abilities in freediving, with physical adaptations that enable them to see better and dive longer underwater. They gather a variety of things which they trade with others, though due to their aggressive tendencies towards outsiders trading tends to be between Boat Ogres.

Boat-Lords

The group of Boat Ogres that are known as the "Boat-Lords" is the most aggressive and warlike of the Boat Ogre cultures. They have an outrageous xenophobic streak and disdain everything other than Boat Ogres. Their vessels are larger and more heavily armored as the Boat-Lords actively engage in hunting down other vessels and even coastal communities. Many small villages live in constant fear of Boat-Lord raids.

Due to their lifestyle, Boat-Lord fleets tend to be larger than the other subcultures. Having a larger military force makes their job easier when they go on raids. When their larger numbers make food an issue, they are known to take prisoners on raids as additive foodstuff.

Ship Gypsies

The Ship Gypsies live a rather simple existence, traveling the waves, fishing and gathering other materials of the sea to trade. Unlike the other Boat Ogres, Ship Gypsies have an almost religious outlook of the ocean, bringing it into every part of their life. Though they are not violent, they will defend themselves if they are assaulted.

Once every year, the Ship Gypsies have a massive gathering called the Shipmoot. Each ship that participates ties themselves off to other nearby ships, effectively creating a massive, floating city. This gathering is a place for others to meet mates, trade goods, ships, and other things.

Whale-Eaters

The Whale-Eaters live their nomadic lives to the furthest extent capable in comparison to other Boat Ogres. Following massive pods of whales in their migrations, the Whale-Eaters almost have a relationship with the whales that ranchers would with cattle. The Whale-Eaters have a powerful memory and spacial sense, having memorized the migratory patterns of the whales and knowing how they may alter each year based on things such as temperature and concentrations of krill.

Spending even less time near land than other Boat Ogres, the Whale-Eaters build their vessels from things found at sea; animal parts, sea plants and whatever stray vessels they find.

Abilities

Boat Ogres have no supernatural abilities. Naturally, they are tough and durable creatures who also possess strength fitting for their size. Due to the gills on their necks, they are capable of breathing underwater though the lack of webbed digits, fins or whatnot leads them to being quite clumsy when submerged. They do have a heightened spatial sense which usually gives them a better sense of aim.

Use

Boat Ogres have a few uses, though you should keep in mind that their seaborne nomadic lifestyle means their encounters are limited to either being on the sea or coastal regions. Boat-Lord encounters are the most likely to be purely violent, as they actively raid coastal settlements and are known to kidnap people for eating if they are running low on supplies. Ship Gypsy encounters are likely to be more oriented around trade. Whale-Eater encounters would also probably be centered around trade, though their more simple lifestyle may lead to violent encounters in certain situations.