Primarily known as vast, expansive regions that house populations of Ogres and Trolls, the Tribelands of High Trollar boast little to no signs of civilization outside of the cleared camps of the ogres and the various small caves that the Trolls take shelter in. The Tribelands of High Trollar are particularly mysterious in the fact that it is rare that Ailor who travel the lands make it back alive. Overall the environment and populations of animals seem to largely be unsafe and hostile for any civilized race. Nonetheless, the benefits of studying the island and its ogres far outweigh the risks for many scholars, and ogres are popular game for thrill-seeking hunters, causing considerably more interest in High Trollar during the last few years.
History[]
Before the dawn of the Cataclysm, High Trollar was largely unpopulated by anything but primitive Trolls until 22 BC when the first Ogres began crossing the sea and landing on the mountainous island. These brutish creatures formed small clans, constantly opposing each other with fights over problems with resources and territory. Eventually, by 3 AC, the Ogres made claims to their own territories amongst the snow shod mountains. High Trollar was first met by actual civilization in 50 AC when a party of Dwarves ventured to the island to hunt, and were met with an Ogre runt on the shores. This discovery prompted the Dwarves to return home with the baby Ogre, and scholars studied it. From this point on, Ogres began arriving on the shores of Ellador and became a more frequent sight in Aloria. More expeditions to High Trollar were made by 70 AC, and hunters came with the hope that they could fell one of the great beasts as a trophy.
In 99 AC, the Ogres of High Trollar faced two difficult challenges: The threat of hunters, and the newer worry about the Dakkar who had started emerging from the caves. As a result, the once conflicting Ogre tribes sent their chieftains to meet at the peak of High Trollar’s largest mountain, the Great Summit, and plan out rules and decisions after a fight between the leaders. This was the first official ‘Great Horn’ where the chieftains managed to agree on proper territories, and formed proper clans with the mindset that unity and cooperation would provide a defence against the foreign hunters on their shores. Furthermore, each chieftain agreed to a plan that all Dakkar would be pushed back into the caves and canyons with brute force lest these mysterious underground lizards rise up and take High Trollar for themselves.
Over the following century, this worked well and Great Horns were called each time the tribes and clans were met with trouble. That is not to say the Great Horns were easy processes, as chieftains would more than often resort to violence and brawling to sort out disagreements. The Ogres united their clans in a war against surfacing Dakkar from 160 to 164 AC, managing to oppress their foes and make them flee into the caves once more. There were several disagreements between clans in this period and a few small-scale battles over territory, but with the calling of a Great Horn, the chieftains were able to declare war more clearly and easily. In 181 AC, the island was recognised as the Tribelands of High Trollar following the seventeenth Great Horn.
In 273 AC, the first detachment of Regalians made their way to High Trollar with hope to study these Ogres. This aspiration seemed foolhardy to many, as proved when the first landing ship was crushed on the shore after a worried Ogre flung a boulder at it. However, over the course of a decade, the Regalians constructed the Regalian Landing and appropriate fortifications against Ogre attacks. The scholars began documenting actions and appearances of Ogres and Trolls, and the Ailor were careful to send reports back to Regalia lest they be lost in the coming rounds of Ogre attacks. Another Great Horn was called in 290 AC regarding the latest invasion of the Ailor, and the Ogres came to the decision that they’d oversee this encampment and destroy it if it posed a threat. Because the Ailor made no advances on Ogre territory, they were permitted to stay. Through careful work and a very patient Ogre, there has been a bridge built between the ogres' barbaric grunts and gestures and the Common tongue in the last ten years. Over time, the Ailor were able to begin recording folklore and tales that have been passed down between warriors and storytellers of the Ogres, though they are primarily superstitions and creationist ideals that don’t seem to hold much permanent resemblance from one group of ogres to the next. Simultaneously, around 296 AC, Ogres would be captured and housed in the far recesses of the Landing to be tested on. At this time, the medicinal properties of Ogre blood was discovered, though otherwise they seemed to be fairly useless creatures in terms of other bodily products.
Nowadays, the Regalian Landing is used for further research on the use of Ogre blood as a medicine, as well as a small port of call for hunters who come in search of trophies.
Etymology[]
The Tribelands of High Trollar are named after the collection of Ogre clans and Troll caves which can be found on the island’s rocky terrain. Gelehrteheim translates to Scholar’s Home in the Regalisch language, referring to the Regalian Landing’s aims to study and observe the Ogres.
Geography[]
The Tribelands of High Trollar are located on an island off the southern coast of Ellador. They contain many mountains with snow-crested summits which can can be perilous, reaching sky-high and being dotted with slopes of jagged rocks, making traversing among their peaks quite difficult. The slopes of the mountains are dotted with forests within which the Ogres form many of their clan homes and territories. Alongside this, the island has many crevasses and cave systems which run deep underground, and house the Tribeland’s Troll population.
Given the Ogres’ general lack of tact when it comes to preserving resources, there is very little in the way of fauna as a consequence. Ergo, rabbits and birds are the most common creatures to be found, along with the odd deer. On the other hand, the Tribelands have many different types of wintry flora, including fruit-bearing bushes and bitter fungi, as well as Ogrebait, which is unique to High Trollar.
Climate[]
High Trollar’s climate is cold and wintry, with snow being found nearly everywhere upon the mountainsides and forest. The environment can be quite damp and chilly, especially when the winds come howling through the valleys.
Notable Landmarks[]
- The Great Summit
The Great Summit is the tallest mountain in High Trollar, near the center of the island. Close to its peak is a relatively flat circle, around which ogres meet during the Great Horn. Here, they battle to decide the course of action for that Great Horn, whether it is declaring a leader or deciding to go to war with several other clans.
- Gelehrteheim
Also known as the Regalian Landing, Gelehrteheim is the Ailor embassy on the southeast side of High Trollar. Ailor venture out in parties, bringing Ogres back to the scholars where they are then imprisoned and studied. This is the location where Ogre blood was found to contain medicinal properties. Even though the Ailor tend to be on good relations with most of the clans, there remain a few hostile Ogre groups who intend to put the lives of the embassy’s scholars in peril.
- Poacher’s Retreat
Poacher’s Retreat can be found on the western side of High Trollar in one of the large, open clearings which the Ogres like to make their home. A hunting party managed to drug the Ogres with Ogrebait before slaughtering the slumbering giants, and have since turned it into a reinforced encampment for any Ogre Hunter who wishes to seek solace.
Government[]
In times of great strife and a common threat, the Ogre Chieftains have been known to call together a ‘Great Horn’, in which they all gather at a location to discuss delegations. During these debates, the Ogre leaders are known to have used violence as a means to debating any matter, and will prefer this to any other form of solving conflict. The Trolls are reclusive creatures who choose to live alone, therefore having no forms of leadership. In the Gelehrteheim, however, the Regalian scholars are led by a military general who works to ensure the safety and defence of the Regalian Landing against any unwanted attacks.
Regalians in the Regalian Landing have no strict class systems, and neither do the Ogres. Orcs, by contrast, are valued highly by the Ogres of High Trollar and will often be taken in by a clan for breeding purposes. Woe to any unfortunate Orcish hunter who stumbles across an Ogre camp.
List of Rulers[]
The Tribelands of High Trollar have never recognised any ruler, as the Ogres are unwilling to nominate a set leader and instead put forth their chieftains to convene at a Great Horn on the Great Summit mountain whenever a decision that would affect all clans must be made. Despite this, the Regalian Landing has been overseen by General Mikael Kelson since the Ailor first came ashore and began their studies in 273 AC.
Foreign Relations[]
The Tribelands of High Trollar have no external relations and do not pursue trade nor warfare outside of its boundaries. The Ailor scholars are known to be allied with the Regalian Empire, though visits are rare bar the odd delivery of supplies every month. By contrast, the Tribelands are visited by others for a more sinister reason: Ogre hunts. Ogre hunting is a sport to only the most skillful and wreckless of poachers, and those who fail in their endeavors can often embarrassingly end up adopted by the Ogres as pets, or killed.
Military[]
There is little to no military force of the Tribelands. There is barely anything to gain from the Ogres as far as economic worth goes. Should some invasion occur at High Trollar, the ogres would respond in brute force, smashing anything that would come near to pieces. The Regalian Landing contains enough weapons and soldiers to provide basic protection from any rebellious Ogres or angered Trolls, however nothing else can be shown for the protection of the island itself.
Economy and Technology[]
No economic value is contained within High Trollar to the untrained eye. The Ogres keep no valuables, however they themselves are valuable. Their blood contains medicinal properties for unknown reasons, making a great trade profit for the Regalian Embassy that rests on the eastern coast. Recently, Regalian officials have tested the possibility of using the Ogres as a military asset and as beasts of burden. It is unknown if these ideas will come to fruition, however. The Ogre traders of the Tribelands have largely only things of little to no value to trade; it is not uncommon for an Ogre to try and trade his best “club,” usually large branches or small trees entirely, for something of more value because he would not understand the difference in cost. Ogres do not have a monetary system or a good idea of what is valuable to Humans in comparison to themselves. Ogrebait however is something of a new trade item from High Trollar because apothecaries and healers now use it in small quantities as an anaesthetic. Because of this, Ogrebait has been cropping up more frequently in Regalian markets.
Demographics[]
- 81% Ogre
- 12% Troll
- 6% Ailor Human
- 1% Other
Culture[]
The culture of High Trollar is widely unknown due to the fact that only recently have humans come to the island to study the ogres. The Ailor aren’t usually permitted outside of the Regalian Landing, however, and so studying the culture is incredibly difficult. There has been a translation between Common and Ogre speech, and so some of the ogre’s folklore is being translated. Folklore in itself seems to be a popular feature in High Trollar culture, as the Ogres who communicate with the Ailor of Gelehrteheim have many tales and stories to tell. It is debated whether or not that ogres might make up these stories over the course of their own lives, or if it is a misunderstanding on the Ailors’ behalves. Ogres have been witnessed wearing animal skins, leaves, and pelts around their waists to have some decency, and will often wear skulls and bone on their heads. The culture of the Trolls is wholly unknown as they are solitary, vicious, and uncivilized monsters in the wilds of High Trollar. Trolls will attack Humans regardless and seem to be unable to communicate with anyone.
Ailor from Gelehrteheim live difficult lives, as not only are they threatened by the presence of roaming Ogres outside the hardy stone walls of the embassy, but food and necessary supplies will degrade quickly in the harsh climate. Ogres hold a commonly cordial relation with Humans, but Ailor are not allowed to leave the outpost on the coast, and any humans found in the wild are killed. Stocks are shipped over every month from Regalia, but the foodstuffs are mainly ones which can be preserved and rationed such as salted meat, dried fish, and root vegetables. Clothing is normally produced in Gelehrteheim from furs and fabrics which can keep the scholars and soldiers warm.
Religion[]
The Ogres don’t seem to hold any religion, yet the Ailor of Gelehrteheim have their faith in Unionism, albeit with a few believers of the Old Gods scattered amongst their ranks. Although the Old Gods worshippers are criticised by most Unionists, the scholars in the Regalian Landing are more occupied with their research and therefore forgo any religious stigmatism.
Symbols[]
Gelehrteheim flies the Regalian flag, but with a difference. Upon the flag for the Tribelands of High Trollar, an Ogre face flanked by two clubs has been merged with the violet and gold colours.
Trivia[]
- Despite the Ailor poaching ogres for their blood and bones, the majority of ogres seem to have no ill will towards the Ailor at the Regalian Landing and don’t seem to correlate missing ogres to them being too close to the Landing.
- A scholar and two soldiers managed to witness a Great Horn in 302 AC, and their bodies were returned in a mangled heap at the gate of the Regalian Landing with a few apologetic grunts from the Ogre delivering the corpses. Needless to say, spying on the Ogres can be a truly dangerous action.
- Trolls and Ogres avoid one another, but hunt each other as cannibalism is a feasible form of feeding tribes, given the cold frigid climate of High Trollar.
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