Ogre

Ogres are large, brutish humanoids of notable strength native to Draenor, which they refer to as Dawgar ("the Known Earth" in their native language). Descendants of the various stone giants known as Breakers, the ogres were originally enslaved by their progenitors, the ogron. Eventually, the ogre hero Gog the Gronnslayer showed that it was possible to kill the gronn, which both ogres and ogron revered as godlike beings, and he became the founder of the Gorian Empire that would come to rule much of Draenor for centuries until the arrival of the draenei. Over the years, ogre influence gradually waned across the world as they were slowly surpassed by their orc descendants and the draenei as the dominant races of the world. The ogres eventually accompanied the Old Horde through the Dark Portal to Azeroth to participate in the First and Second Wars.

Following the Second War, the ogre clans scattered across Azeroth. Shortly after the Third War, the Stonemaul clan joined the New Horde after the half-ogre Rexxar killed their chieftain. After the Cataclysm, the Dreadmaul tribe was partially re-enslaved by Horde forces, while the Dunemaul clan was brought into the Horde by Megs Dreadshredder.

Ogre society is based on a clan structure in which physical strength is greatly respected, and besting a rival is usually the only way to advance within the clan. Though ogres are generally seen as unintelligent brutes, the ancient Gorian Empire was ruled by a succession of powerful sorcerers, and during the Second War, many more two-headed ogre magi came into existence due to the magical intervention of the orc warlock Gul'dan. These ogre magi often enjoy an elevated position among the clans.

On the, the Gorian Empire, ruled by , allied themselves with the Iron Horde.

Origins and early history
Ogres can trace their lineage back to Grond, the enormous stone giant created by the titan Aggramar to defeat the Evergrowth and the plant-like Sporemounds. As Grond and the Sporemounds fought, pieces of the battling leviathans fell to the earth and gave rise to the colossals, children of Grond, and the genesaur, children of the Sporemounds. After Grond's death, the colossals continued fighting the Sporemound Botaan and its minions, but over time many of the stone giants succumbed to their foes. From the colossals' remains, new creatures known as magnaron emerged. After the colossals sacrificed themselves to destroy Botaan in a massive explosion, spores from the plant creature's body, teeming with the Spirit of Life, drifted back to Draenor's surface and clung to the hides of the magnaron, weakening their bodies. Some of the magnaron devolved into beings called gronn, and due to the lingering effects of the spores, a small number of gronn continued degenerating into the ogron. Over thousands of years, the residual spores transformed a number of ogron into the ogres. The ogres were smaller than their progenitors, and many of them would become enslaved to the ogron. Finally, from the ogres arose yet another race: the orcs. The ogre lords are the only ogres known to retain some of the physical traits of their gronn progenitors, such as the bony, calcified protrusions on their head and back, as well as a portion of the gronn's immense size and strength. The ogres themselves would later claim that they were born "at the beginning", and that when the great Forgers squeezed the light from the ball of fire that would become Draenor, they also shaped the ogres from the same smoking clay, granting them dominion over stone and earth. Thus, the ogres consider themselves the rightful rulers of Draenor.

The first great technological innovation in ogre society was the concept of attaching a rock to the end of a very long stick to smash your enemies, rather than attempting to bash them with a rock held in your hand. The schism this innovation created amongst ogre society resolved itself only when the now-forgotten tribe broke into the Warmaul and Boulderfist clans.

By the time that the arakkoan Apexis empire fell, the children of stone had grown in number and spread across the land. The ogres and orcs quickly learned to fear the ogron's attention. The best fate a conquered ogre clan could hope for was to be sent into battle as disposable combatants against other ogron tribes, while their sick, weak and elderly clan members were typically offered as living sacrifices to appease the mighty gronn and keep them from attacking ogron territories.

The Gronnslayer
One day, a group of arakkoa led by Yonzi sought to claim a ruined Apexis settlement in Talador, a place now occupied by ogron. Attempts to bribe or barter with the ogron ended violently, leading the arakkoa to instead begin teaching the ogron's ogre slaves the arts of arcane magic in the hopes that they would rebel against their masters. One of the first to master this new power was named Gog. He strode forth, empowered, but not to fight the ogron: instead, he targeted the gronn, whom all ogres revered and feared as deities. Though stunned, the arakkoa could not argue with the results. Gog did not only kill one gronn with his magic but several. By his fifth, stories of his deeds were known to all captive ogres on Draenor, erasing their fear of both gronn and ogron. The ogres rose up together against their ogron overlords, igniting a bloody war. In the end, nearly every ogron tribe fell to their captives. When the arakkoa attempted to move in to search for Apexis artifacts, Gog quickly put a stop to it. He declared himself "Gorgog" (King Gog) and renamed the city to "Goria" (Throne of the King). He commanded the arakkoa to leave on pain of death, but the arakkoa soon returned to launch a surprise attack in the dead of night. However, Gog and his apprentice arcanists fought back, defeating the arakkoa and killing Yonzi in a slow, gruesome manner. Despite the promise of undiscovered Apexis crystals, further arakkoa incursions into Gorian lands were few and far between afterward.

Over generations, the Gorian Empire slowly expanded across the world. Though the ogres were not focused on conquest, wide swaths of land fell under their control. Ogron and gronn were hunted down wherever they were found, and cities and outposts such as Highmaul and Bladespire Hold sprang up throughout Draenor's continents. An advanced trade network crossing land and sea was established to link Goria to the distant strongholds. Goria itself remained the capital and a distinguished place for apprentices to train in the arcane arts.

The ogres' practice of sorcery and exposure to raw arcane magic had some unexpected side effects. Very rarely, children would be born with two heads. It soon became clear that these two-headed ogres were exceptional spellcasters, and their appearance was seen as a good omen. In time, Goria's arcanists even developed spells to replicate this phenomenon, causing normal ogres to grow a second head and increasing their intelligence and magical aptitude.

During the early decades of the Age of Order, a sly ogre chieftain decreed that disputes in his clan would be settled via proxy in one-on-one combat between gladiator slaves. The mortality rate amongst the ogres plummeted, leading to a golden age of expansion.

The destruction of Goria
The orcs soon rose to prominence across Draenor, living on the outskirts of the Gorian Empire. The ogres had little interest in (or fear of) the orcs and saw their practice of shamanism as little more than quaint trickery, but when they witnessed the power of a shaman first-hand they decided to take this power by force. Imperator Molok sent an army to drive away the orcs from the Throne of the Elements and begin experimenting on the power there. One day, the dissonance between the ogres' magic and the residual energies lingering in the remains of Grond, from whose head the Throne had been formed, caused an explosion that blew apart the orcish temple at the site. The incident threw the elements out of balance all across Draenor, causing great storms, but Molok simply sent more spellcasters to replace the ones that had been killed by the explosion.

At the next year's orcish Kosh'harg festival, the Shadowmoon elder shaman Nelgarm pleaded for action, lest all of the clans suffer disastrous famines as a result of the elements' imbalance. The clans agreed to join together, and Nelgarm called upon the elements to bless them with their protection. The united orc army took back the Throne of the Elements with little bloodshed, but Imperator Molok was quick to retaliate. The Gorian armies moved en masse, and total war engulfed Draenor, and now every orcish male, female and child had to be prepared to fight. The ogres imagined that this merciless tactic would strike terror into the hearts of the orcs, but the clans rose to the challenge and small, mobile groups of raiders slowly dismantled the Gorian Empire's network of fortresses and outposts, pushing the ogre armies back to their capital, Goria.

The orcs kept their distance on the hills surrounding the city, content to starve their enemy out. As the siege progressed and the ogres found maintaining their empire to be increasingly unsustainable, Molok and his sorcerers revisited their Apexis crystals, searching for a way to break the siege. In time, they discovered the arakkoan legend about the Curse of Sethe and began experimenting with ways to create a similar affliction among the orcs. They succeeded, and soon the so-called red pox spread like wildfire through the orcs' encampments, culling vast amounts of the orcish combatants. Nelgarm and his fellow shaman, realizing that the pox was an unseen attack from the ogres and that the siege was now doomed to fail, beseeched the elements to destroy Goria. The orcs and the elemental spirits both understood that Molok would resume meddling with the Throne of the Elements if the orcs failed, and so the spirits unleashed their fury upon Goria. Over hours, lightning, fire and earthquakes ravaged the ogre capital until nothing but ash and rubble remained, before the earth itself wrenched open like a giant maw to swallow Molok and the remains of his great city whole.

Only whispers of the event would reach the other Gorian cities, but those whispers were enough to discourage further tampering with the elements. The orcs were victorious, but they had suffered massive losses and witnessed a destructive power they never wanted to see again. Nelgarm and the other shaman were particularly frightened by the elementals' wrath and said that the need for a unified orc army had passed. There was little argument, and the orc clans returned to their lands. The Gorian Empire never recovered. The other ogre fortresses — particularly Highmaul and Bladespire Hold — secured their own territories, gradually growing more akin to individual city-states than a unified nation. The orcs began to seize ogre lands by force, gradually surpassing them as the most advanced, dominant race on the world.

Arrival of the draenei
When the draenei arrived on Draenor roughly 200 years later, the ogres watched them carefully and sent Highmaul scouts to observe their expansion across Terokkar Forest. When the draenei began to construct the great city of Shattrath upon the ruins of Goria, there was an explosion of anger within Highmaul. It was seen as an unforgivable insult for these small, weak newcomers to build a city on the bones of the Gorian Empire's great capital, but Shattrath's sleek construction and otherworldly defenses gave the ogres pause. Nothing like their technology had ever been seen on Draenor before, and even their weakest apprentices had more refined and effective magical techniques than even the most advanced ogre sorcerers.

Imperator Hok'lon seized control of Highmaul and declared that he would reclaim Shattrath from the "usurpers". He promised that Highmaul would become the center of a new, enlightened Gorian Empire once the draenei had been slaughtered. Highmaul's aristocracy threw their support behind Hok'lon, and the ogre army marched on Shattrath. Despite the ogres' greater numbers, the city's defenses easily repelled their first — and only — attack. As the ogres regrouped, the draenei launched surprise attacks from multiple directions, killing Hok'lon and his generals and leaving the ogres in disarray. The draenei then immediately returned to Shattrath as their leader, Velen, appeared on the city's ramparts and told the ogres "Go home, and you will not be harmed". The ogres fled, and the grandiose war that was meant to revive the Gorian Empire had fallen after one attack. The Highmaul ogres never attempted a frontal assault on the draenei again.

Rise of the Horde
11 years before the opening of the Dark Portal, the orcish Warsong clan engaged in a constant battle with the Highmaul ogres, their wolf riders using hit-and-run tactics to raid ogre settlements. The Warsongs eventually shattered Highmaul's hold on the region, seizing much of it for themselves and pushing the ogres back within the walls of their stronghold. The Warsong chieftain, Grommash Hellscream, became a legend among the clans. This was only the beginning of Highmaul's woes. The ogres had a long history of enslaving orcs and forcing them to fight each other in brutal arenas for entertainment. One slave named Kargath led an uprising within Highmaul, tearing off his own hand to escape his chains and challenging his fellow slaves to do the same. Those who did joined Kargath as he rampaged through the city and spilled the blood of his masters. Kargath and the former slaves established the Shattered Hand clan and settled in the Spires of Arak. In Gorgrond, the Blackrock clan had long clashed with ogre populations. By the time of 11 years before the Dark Portal, the Blackrocks had crushed their brutish enemies and driven most of them from the region. The highly superstitious Bleeding Hollow clan similarly clashed with ogres in their home of Tanaan Jungle.

In Frostfire Ridge, tensions were increasing between the local orc clans and the Bladespire ogres. The Bladespire leader, Imperator Kelgrok, was greatly troubled by the waning of ogre influence across Draenor and was determined to keep his hold on Frostfire Ridge. Ever since the Gorian Empire's fall, the ogre population had remained relatively low, so the Bladespire sorcerers conducted cruel experiments to create new creatures for labor. The most promising results came from the mok'nathal — half-breeds created through selective breeding between ogres and orcs. Kelgrok unleashed the mok'nathal as the bulk of the Bladespire army that marched across Frostfire, leading the Frostwolf orc chieftain Garad to unite with the Whiteclaw clan to fight back and capture several mok'nathal, including their elder Leoroxx. When Garad learned from Leoroxx that the mok'nathal were not willing servants but slaves, the Frostwolves, Whiteclaws and mok'nathal decided to unite against the Bladespire. Leoroxx returned to Bladespire Hold and incited the mok'nathal to rise up against their masters as the Frostwolves and Whiteclaws crashed into the hold's outer defenses. The Battle of Bladespire dragged on for a full bloody day before the ogres were driven out, with Leoroxx having strangled Imperator Kelgrok in the heart of the fortress. Garad offered the mok'nathal land in Frostfire to make a new home, but Leoroxx declined and instead chose to settle his people in a remote corner of Gorgrond, knowing that the orcs would never truly accept half-breeds.

A few years later, the Orcish Horde marched across Draenor. Warchief Blackhand offered ogres and mok'nathal a place in the Horde to increase his numbers. Later, Chieftain Kilrogg led a Bleeding Hollow campaign against the Primal-controlled island of Farahlon, but as the orcs were not seafarers they had to rely on ogre shipwrights to build vessels capable of crossing the ocean. Meanwhile, Chieftain Grommash of the Warsong clan and the ogre Cho'gall of the Twilight's Hammer clan toppled Highmaul, both of them relishing the opportunity to slay ogres. Cho'gall, eager to exact vengeance upon those who had exiled him from Highmaul, sought out Imperator Mar'gok, magically bound him to his own throne and burned him alive. Elsewhere, Warchief Blackhand tasked the Frostwolf, Thunderlord and Whiteclaw clans with wiping out Draenor's gronn, ogron and magnaron, as well as the ogres that had refused to join the Horde. Apart from Highmaul, most ogres had already joined, but Blackhand had no interest in winning the loyalty of the few remaining holdouts — he had given them a chance to join him, and now he wanted the brutes dead. The Frostwolves and Whiteclaws saw no honor in hunting the giants down and held most of their warriors back, but Chieftain Fenris and his Thunderlords did not shy away from the task and reveled in the slaughter of their ancient enemies. One of the few gronn to escape the onslaught was named Gruul, who lorded over a small number of ogres and gronn in Gorgrond, and from his remote lair in the mountains he fended off multiple Thunderlord assaults. Casualties grew so great that Fenris eventually abandoned the attacks.

The First War
During the First War, ogres ventured through the Dark Portal to Azeroth, but for the most part did not participate in the war, instead favoring lands not frequented by the orcs. The ogre Turok, lover of Blackhand's daughter Griselda, led an outlaw band of ogres who took refuge in the Deadmines until they were killed on Blackhand's orders.

At least one ogre fought in Stranglethorn Vale against the jungle trolls.

The Second War
The ogres were brought through the Dark Portal by the orc warlock Gul'dan after the First War to act as enforcers in an effort to quell needless infighting between the orc clans. They also had the the difficult task of keeping in check the demented warriors of the Burning Blade clan. Besides this role of enforcer, the ogres also generally took part in many of the major battles of the war and Orgrim Doomhammer himself had a bodyguard of loyal ogre warriors. However, the Alliance effectively countered the ogres with mounted knights, a strategy that served them well throughout the war.

Following the Horde's conquest of Khaz Modan, Doomhammer planned to build a fleet of ships and launch a surprise attack in the heart of humanity's territories. Many orcs had reservations about this, for they were not a seafaring people and most of the superstitious clans feared the open sea. However, Gul'dan and his Stormreaver clan urged their allies that it was the best course of action, and in a bay tucked in the southwestern Wetlands Ogrim oversaw the construction of the fleet. While the orcs knew little of shipbuilding, some of their ogre allies had maritime knowledge and helped construct the immense juggernaughts — heavily armed and armored floating fortresses that soon came to be feared across the seas of Azeroth for their unrelenting onslaught.

Later, Gul'dan and his followers chiseled away at one of the high elven runestones of Quel'Thalas to create structures known as the Altars of Storms. Gul'dan then turned to the ancient arcane rituals that were once used by the Highmaul ogres to create highly intelligent two-headed ogre magi. Few living ogres knew of this technique, but Gul'dan's follower Cho'gall was one of them. He handpicked the ogres who would undergo the transformation and oversaw the rituals himself. Before long, ogre magi emerged from the altars, and they were just as powerful as Gul'dan had hoped, and more importantly, they secretly swore their loyalty to him.

The Third War and beyond
Following the defeat of the Horde at the end of the Second War, the ogre clans dispersed in all directions. Some escaped through the Dark Portal back to Draenor, but others had no intention of remaining near the orcs or their bloodlust. Some ogres made the difficult journey across the Great Sea to the distant continent of Kalimdor, where they found plenty of space to inhabit, while others remained in the Eastern Kingdoms and were ruthlessly hunted by Alliance patrols. During the Third War, many of the ogre lords rallied the remnants of their scattered people for some unknown purpose. A group of ogres living near Hearthglen descended from the hills, looking for a fight.

The ogres played no part in defeating the Burning Legion during the Third War, but after the war the mok'nathal Rexxar traveled to the home of the Stonemaul clan to recruit their aid against Daelin Proudmoore's forces. As the Stonemaul chieftain Kor'gall stubbornly refused to join the Horde, Rexxar was forced to kill him in order to rally the Stonemaul. In the Plaguelands, the ogre Mug'thol and his followers were enslaved by Sylvanas Windrunner, but he later broke free of her control using the Crown of Will.

Other ogre tribes continue to exist on Outland, the ruined remnants of Draenor. Most of these are enslaved to the gronn of the Blade's Edge Mountains, worshipping Gruul as a deity and answering to High King Maulgar, and are in conflict with each other and other races over the diminishing resources of the shattered world. By this time, Gruul's "small amount" of ogres he ruled during the Horde's rise seems to have expanded, now including clans that were once among the Gorian Empire such as the Bladespire clan. The Ogri'la, a group of ogres who have been granted increased intellect by the Apexis crystals, have freed themselves from their demi-god oppressors and are trying to forge a new, more peaceful existence for their race.

Following the Cataclysm on Azeroth, Cho'gall re-emerged and brought ogre legions into the Twilight's Hammer. He attempted to recruit the Gordunni of Feralas, an effort that was discovered and intercepted by the Sentinels and the Stonemaul clan. In Loch Modan, Ashlan Stonesmirk and an Alliance adventurer halted the efforts of the Twilight's Hammer-loyal Mo'grosh ogres, while the Glopgut of the Twilight Highlands were prevented from joining the Twilight cult by Horde adventurers sent by the Dragonmaw orcs. In Tanaris, the Dunemaul were recruited into the Horde by Megs Dreadshredder, while a portion of the Dreadmaul ogres were enslaved by the Okril'lon forces in the Blasted Lands.

Warlords of Draenor
On the, the Gorian Empire, led by , was forced to ally with the Iron Horde, supplying them with knowledge of magic breakers in exchange for their lives. As a result, the forces of the Alliance and the Horde raided the ogre capital of Highmaul, slaying Mar'gok and many other high-ranking members of the Empire.

The Dreadmaul ogres of Azeroth were recruited by the Ironmarch forces during the Iron Horde's invasion of the Blasted Lands and laid waste to the Horde fortress of Dreadmaul Hold.

Several ogres can also be found among the ranks of the.

The ogres of Highmaul are referred to as high ogres.

Appearance and culture
Ogres are large, heavily built humanoids with round ears and a single horn on their forehead. Their skin tones range in color from shades of peach to red, to deep blues and ashen black. Male ogre heights range from 6' to 12' with an average of 8' while the females stand at anywhere between 6' and 10'. The smallest of ogre children tend to stand at around 5 feet tall.

While most ogres are born with two eyes, a handful in every generation regress and are born with a single eye. All but a few clans recognize these ogres are exceptional and destined for great things due to their similarity to the ogre lords of yore.

Ogres have many of the same hairstyles as orcs and can grow hair on the chin and upper lip, even full beards.

The most important ogre physical attribute is size. One sculpture from Draenor summarizes this idea and depicts an ogre holding a clefthoof above their head, displaying strength, while the subject's robust waistline symbolizes great wealth. Preferring to show off their physique, ogres eschew garments that cover too much skin. In order to look more fearsome to their enemies, they adorn their bodies with warpaints created using mortars and pestles.

Society
Ogre society is based on a clan structure, each clan acting independently of the others. Chieftains rule small bands of ogres with an iron fist, and are never short on challengers. Ogres greatly respect strength in combat, and besting a rival is usually the only way to advance within the clan. Disagreements usually end in violence..

At least one clan is divided into classes - the Gordunni clan has an upper class of ogres, known as the Gordok. Members of the Gordunni who wish to become king must simply proclaim themselves as such and then destroy all who might disagree, after which they always take on the name "King Gordok".

Ogres favor crude stone huts and caverns known as ogre mounds for their dwellings. They are often built around steam vents, implying that ogres seem to prefer dark and hot areas. During the Second War, ogres would congregate at mounds to enhance their endurance, strength and speed, engaging in contests involving the hurling and crushing of giant rocks to increase their already formidable strength and resilience. Wealthier citizens in Highmaul were known to ornament their mound-homes with trophies from dead enemies. The more brutish ogres tend to be very destructive to the environments they inhabit, destroying any forest and wildlife nearby and leaving only useless muck in their wake. Any area that they have lived in for some time can be distinguished by the piles of waste and excrement that they leave in plain view. Often, the dismembered remains of enemies and prey are hung on meat hooks, strewn about the ground, or otherwise left out for all to see.

Besides their own tribes, ogres are often found employed as mercenaries, especially by the goblin cartels.

Unlike their orc relatives, ogres are skilled seafarers. The people of Goria thought themselves able to outlast any siege thanks to their ocean port, but the city's ships were burned down when the city was destroyed by the elements. During the rise of the Horde, the orcs had to rely on ogre shipwrights to build vessels capable of crossing the ocean to Farahlon, while during the Second War, the ogres helped construct the immense juggernaughts.

Magic and two-headed ogres


Due to the ogres' distant descent from the primordial stone giant Grond, a creature empowered by the titan Aggramar, they are naturally attuned to the arcane. They hold a special affinity for the earth, able to use arcane power to shape and bend rock and stone to their will. When the arakkoa first began to teach the ogres in the ways of magic, they were surprised and delighted by this discovery, for they had never seen new spellcasting techniques be developed so effortlessly. The ogre geomancers of Frostfire Ridge pride themselves on harnessing the elements, but sometimes they overreach, as with Forgemaster Gog'duh and the slag elemental Magmolatus.

Due to the ancient ogres' practice of sorcery and exposure to raw arcane magic, ogre children would very rarely be born with two heads. It soon became clear that these two-headed ogres were exceptional spellcasters, and their appearance was seen as a good omen. In time, Goria's arcanists even developed spells to replicate this phenomenon, causing normal ogres to grow a second head and increasing their intelligence and magical aptitude.

At the height of the Gorian Empire, the entire system of ogre rule and justice had been codified in support of magic and the sorcerer kings, or "imperators". Imperial ogres jealously guarded the secrets of magic in order to keep their status among the ruling class. The wealthiest among them adorned themselves with magically-enhanced jewelry and other wearable artifacts.

In ages past, ogre magi built six Ogre Waygates all over Draenor, creating a travel network for the ogres. Their potency has not diminished over the millennia and they are ready to be activated again.

By the time of the Second War, few living ogres knew of the techniques used by the Highmaul to create ogre magi, but Cho'gall was one of them. Using the Altars of Storms created from high elven runestones, many powerful ogre magi were created to serve Gul'dan. In the modern day, ogre magi often enjoy an elevated position among the clans.

As shown by Torkus and his children — Torkus Jr., Tork and Torki — the offspring of a two-headed ogre will also have two heads.

Some two-headed ogres seem to have compound names which would be the combined names of their two heads. This is the case of the ogre mage Beeble'phod, which is named after his heads Beeble and Phod, as well as his comrade Za'brox, which is named after his heads Za and Brox. When Or'Dac is defeated, Or refers to Dac and vice-versa. Three non-canon sources also feature that idea: the playable ogre race April Fools, the RPG books and the Heroes of the Storm game, the latter two in which Cho'gall is said to be named after his heads Cho and Gall. Some other probable cases would be Dagg'um Ty'gor, a compound of Dagg'um and Ty'gor, and Imperator Mar'gok, a presumable compound of Mar and Gok.

Combat
Ogres are straightforward in combat and often suffer as much punishment as they dish out, relying on their strength and stamina to carry them to victory. There is proof that at least one ogre had all of his teeth knocked out and lived to fight another day. They are vicious opponents, with the strength to rip off a warrior's limbs should they so choose. The ogres favor huge, spiked clubs that they use to bash in the skulls of their enemies and to bring down the large prey they hunt.

Most ogres focus on the path of the warrior or the ranger, but a small percentage choose a life of sorcery as ogre-magi.

Slavery and gladiators
Ogres have a long history of enslaving orcs, forcing their captives to fight each other in brutal arenas for entertainment. The tradition of gladiatorial slavery began during the early decades of the Age of Order, when a sly ogre chieftain decreed that disputes in his clan would be settled via proxy in one-on-one combat between slaves, leading to a plummet in the mortality rate amongst the ogres. Examples of ogre arenas include the Highmaul Coliseum, the Stonemaul Arena, the Maul, the, the and the Circle of Blood. Rather than using clasps and locks, ogres bind their slaves using unbroken stone circlets. Their centuries of manipulating earth elements lets them simply shrink the manacles tightly around the slave's ankles, wrists, or neck.

Female ogres
Ogre women have yet to appear in a Warcraft game, but they were just as common as male ogres when Aramar Thorne visited Dire Maul and are mentioned in passing in Code of Rule. The few ogre females mentioned in lore include the unnamed wife of Tharg, who died by the claws of the black dragonflight; Gug'rokk's Grandmother; an unnamed young female who served King Gordok in Dire Maul; and Karrga of the Gordunni. The mysterious island of Ogrezonia is said to be inhabited by giant female ogres who are rumored to perform horrible rituals on men who happen upon their island.

An Ogre Female Mask is available during Hallow's End.

Cuisine

 * The staple diet of the ogres is fresh meat. Ogres like their food fresh, and are thus known to keep their prisoners alive until they are ready to serve.
 * When eating humans, ogres prefer to devour them alive due to it being "fresher". When it is cooked, however, the body is cooked with the blood still inside the carcass. Night elf meat is considered as tasting horrible.
 * Ogres enjoy eating roasted quail as a light snack, polishing off a whole quail in a single crunchy bite, though smaller races find it's most easily eaten with one's hands.
 * Ravagers are favored ogre snacks when they are small and less deadly.
 * Ogre royalty often enjoy a rare fruit that resembles a.
 * No self-respecting ogre goes into battle sober. Stomper Kreeg claims that "ogre hooch best of all hooch, and Gordok hooch best of all ogre hooch!" Examples of ogre beverages include Ogre Mead, "Da Bruisery" Hot & Wroth, "Da Bruisery" OPA, Ogre Moonshine, Kreeg's Stout Beatdown and Gordok Green Grog.

Customs

 * Ogres are slow risers and tend to be most vulnerable just before dawn.
 * Among the, it was customary to treat lone visitors with curiosity.
 * The ogres of Dire Maul celebrate the Midsummer Fire Festival.
 * One ogre ritual involves cupping a bone wasp in their hands and shaking vigorously. The venom increases strength and invokes vivid imagery.
 * The deep purple wings of the Royal Moth are highly sought after by ogre magi believing that they can bring prolonged life when added to potions.

Languages
On Draenor, the ogres spoke their own brutish tongue, but in the current day most appear to speak Orcish or Common. While the written word is mostly used as an instrument for the upper echelons of imperial ogre society, occasionally an ordinary ogre will try his hand at making a story immortal, such as by creating pictogram carvings.

Comparing a female ogre's hair to a clefthoof's shaggy coat is a term of great endearment.

Faith

 * The ogres believe they were the first beings created by the Forgers, but they do not appear to worship these creators as gods.
 * Prior to Gog the Gronnslayer's revolution, the ogres viewed the gronn as towering monstrosities, practically gods in stature and power, and believed that the giants could not be killed by the likes of an ogre. The ogres of the modern-day Blade's Edge Mountains still worship Gruul the Dragonkiller as a deity.
 * During the negotiations at Grommashar, disdainfully thought to himself "How typical of little beings to look for something outside themselves to praise", referring to the orcish worship of the elements.
 * The Ogri'la Storyteller describes Ogri'la as "heaven", describing how the ogres there have reached a higher existence, away from bloodshed and violence to peaceful illumination. Ogres in the Blade's Edge Mountains occasionally utter phrases such as say and say upon being killed.
 * The Warmaul ogres in Nagrand worship the rogue earth elemental Gurok the Usurper.
 * The Grimfrost clan of Frostfire Ridge worship an enormous lava worm known as Borrok the Devourer, and Grimfrost Wormpriests can regularly be seen sacrificing members of their own clan to the massive creature.

Clans and organizations
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New Horde

 * Dunemaul — Found in Tanaris. Recruited into the Horde by Megs Dreadshredder.
 * Mok'nathal — A clan consisting mostly of half-ogres, found mainly in Blade's Edge Mountains. Led by Leoroxx.
 * Stonemaul — Found in Feralas and Dustwallow Marsh. Recruited into the Horde after Rexxar killed their former chieftain, Kor'gall.

Old Gods' forces

 * Twilight's Hammer — Originally founded by Cho'gall as a clan of pale orcs and later transformed into a worldwide doomsday cult fiercely loyal to the Old Gods.
 * Bloodeye — Found in Twilight Highlands. Allies of the Twilight's Hammer.
 * Firegut — Found in Burning Steppes. Members of the Dark Horde. Led by Gorlop.
 * Mo'grosh — Found in Loch Modan. Allies of the Twilight's Hammer. Led by Gor'kresh.
 * Spirestone — Found in Lower Blackrock Spire. Members of the Dark Horde. Led by Urok Doomhowl.

Iron Horde Emblem.png Iron Horde

 * — Main clan of the Gorian capital of Highmaul. Led by.
 * — Based in Bladespire Citadel in Frostfire Ridge. Led by Gorr'thog.
 * — Based in the Bloodmaul Slag Mines in Frostfire Ridge. Infamous as brutal slavemasters. Led by Borgal Doomfist.
 * Dreadmaul — Found in Blasted Lands. Partially enslaved by the Okril'lon but later allied with the Iron Horde during the Iron Horde Incursion.
 * Grimfrost — Based in Grimfrost Hill in Frostfire Ridge. Fervently worship the great lava worm Borrok. Led by Guttra Wolfchew.
 * — Based in Gordal Fortress in Talador. Led by Witch Lord Morkurk.
 * — Found in Gorgrond. Led by.

Other
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 * Ango'rosh — Found in Zangarmarsh. Led by Overlord Gorefist.
 * — Formerly dwelled in Talador before being wiped out by an unknown force. Led by Agg'thok the Eternal.
 * Ashmaul — Found in Ashran.
 * Bladespire — Found in Blade's Edge Mountains. Rivals of the Bloodmaul clan. Led by Gorr'Dim.
 * Bloodmaul — Found in Blade's Edge Mountains. Rivals of the Bladespire clan. Led by Dorgok.
 * Boulderfist — Found in Arathi Highlands and Nagrand. Led by Lantresor of the Blade.
 * Crushridge — Found in the Alterac Mountains. Led by Mug'thol.
 * Deadwind — Found in Deadwind Pass.
 * Dustbelcher — Found in the Badlands. Led by Tho'grun.
 * Glopgut — Found in Glopgut's Hollow in the Twilight Highlands. Led by Brogg Glopgut and Thog.
 * Gordunni — Found in Dire Maul in Feralas and in the Barrier Hills in Terokkar Forest. Led by King Gordok (Azeroth) and Slaag (Outland).
 * Gordok — The "upper class" of the Gordunni.
 * Gor'vosh — Found in Ashran.
 * Mosh'Ogg — Found in Northern Stranglethorn.
 * Ogre Legion — A faction of unclear nature, members of which were seen during the Third War.
 * Ogri'la — A peaceful organization of ogres whose intellect has been enhanced by Apexis crystals. Found in Blade's Edge Mountains.
 * Servants of Koroth — Servants of the ettin known as Koroth the Hillbreaker. Found in Gilneas.
 * Splinter Fist — Found in Duskwood. Led by Zzarc'Vul.
 * Warmaul — Found in Nagrand. Led by Cho'war the Pillager.
 * Ogrewatch - Fighters in Brawler's Guild.

Subspecies and half-breeds

 * — Two-headed ogre spellcasters with higher intelligence than their brethren. Though many existed on Draenor, ogre magi become much more common during the Second War, when Gul'dan created them en masse using the magical energies of a high elven runestone.
 * — Larger and more intelligent ogres believed to be more closely related to their gronn ancestors than their lesser brethren. Easily recognizable by the bony, calcified protrusions on their head and back.
 * — Half-breeds with both orc and ogre blood in their veins. Most are members of the mok'nathal.

Quotes
Quotes from World of Warcraft:
 * say
 * say
 * say
 * say
 * say
 * say
 * say

For quotes from Warcraft II and Warcraft III, see Quotes of Warcraft II and Quotes of Warcraft III/Neutral, respectively.

Notable

 * Main universe


 * Alternate universe

In the RPG
Ogres were one of the last races of Draenor's giants. Many ogre clans were enslaved by the Old Horde, rather than the Gronn. These enslaved clans were often used in experiments. According to the RPG books, there are about 6350 ogres on Azeroth (Although certain tribes are not factored in). Still, they can be a significant and furious army if marshaled.

Regular ogres and two-headed ogres are not spellcasters; the ogre magi make up the smarter, spellcasting versions of ogres.

Society


Many assume the ogres are insensate brutes, liking nothing more than destruction. Ogres have changed since the days of the Horde, however, possibly also due to their freedom from the influence of demons. More cunning than most give them credit for, ogre tribes keep somewhat at a distance from the other races as they have built a civilization. Villages are established in foothills, allowing ogres access to plains and forested areas.

The new civilization of ogres has somewhat of a patchwork quality to it. Tribes are experimenting with different approaches, observing the other races as they seek to find their own way. Some groups are nomadic, while others have started small agrarian communities. All hunt, either as a primary or supplementary source of food. While rivalries and conflicts occur, ogres place great stock in listening to elders and allowing moderation of disputes. There is a loyalty to the race and at least some respect for the other races, though ogre interests are always addressed first and foremost.

Ogres value endurance and insight more than simple strength. As strong as they are, they know that something out there is always stronger. Rangers are common among ogres, combining skill with the knowledge of the land.

Ogres test unfamiliar groups to determine their power and possible intentions. They try to avoid conflict, often by having ogre warriors make displays of aggression, smashing the ground and shouting at opponents, out of range of whatever weapons the opponents possess. As a last resort, ogres have some skill in formation fighting and will use a combination of charges and withdrawals to try to surround enemies. Ogres will throw spears at a distance in waves combined with the use of clubs, with possible magical support from ogre magi. When committed to a fight, these giants are completely dedicated, only breaking from an engagement if their leader commands it.

Despite their size and ferocious appearance, ogres are curious about the wider world and often seek to spread a more positive understanding of ogre culture. At the very least, an ogre hero can gain resources and allies for her tribe.

Language
Ogre linguists are rare, but a few exceptionally intelligent ogres learn the languages of their new friends. Some ogre tribes know orcish as one of their primary languages.

Appearance
There is a great variety in the ogre species. Ogres average between 6 feet and 7 feet in height at adulthood but continue to grow two inches to a foot at a time through a portion of their lives, as well as continuing to put on weight. A fully grown ogre would be between 8 feet and 25 feet; the average for the larger ogres is 15 feet, though some ogres are small, barely larger than 6 or 7 feet.

Two-headed ogres
"Some ogres have two heads. Unfortunately, two ogre heads are not better than one — the heads rarely get along with each other, and two-headed ogres are just as dumb as their one-headed brethren."

Two-headed ogres often have compound names, which are actually the names of their two heads. For example, the famed ogre mage Cho'gall has two heads — Cho and Gall.

Female ogres
Chief Ogg'ora was a female ogre sorceress and former leader of the Fire-Gut ogres. One of Gro'ach the Wise's commanders among the Duskbelch ogres was a female barbarian named Vaxar.

Faith - Nath
Nath is an ogre war god. Bone crushers are seen as living avatars of him, and mok'nathal is said to mean "Sons of Nath".

Tribes

 * Torchbelcher
 * Stonegullet
 * Ton'ma

Notes and trivia

 * Imp femurs are nearly indistinguishable from ogre fingerbones.
 * The theory that orcs evolved from ogres was first proposed by Brann Bronzebeard in the official magazine and was later confirmed in Chronicle Volume 2.
 * Maps for the feature an unnamed landmass southwest of Draenor's main continent, described at BlizzCon 2013 as a "mysterious ogre continent" from which the Gorian Empire originated and where their main seat of power was still located, with their influence having spread to Draenor's main continent over time. The existence of this continent appears to have been retconned, as Chronicle Volume 2 never makes mention of it and instead places the ogres' original seat of power in the city of Goria in the center of Draenor's main continent. However, the landmass can still be seen on in-game maps of Draenor.
 * High Centurion Tormmok still mentions having campaigned on two continents.
 * The official Warlords of Draenor site described seafaring ogres claiming the south of . This may have been connected to a large island that could be seen south of Nagrand on the original maps for Draenor. However, both the seafaring ogre plot point and the Nagrand island were removed during development.
 * Apparently, "ogre" can sometimes also be used as the plural form, as seen in the garrison mission Big Hands, Big Swords. However, since this is the only known occasion where "ogre" is used as plural, it may simply be a typo.
 * "Ogrish" is rarely used as the adjective form of "ogre". It is seen in the Ogre Henchmen's "Ogrish Motivation" ability and the "Ogrish Fortitude" buff available from Shamanstones.
 * Goblin alchemists used chemically "treated" ogres as mounts in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. Rumblefitz rode Blokk.
 * A brilliant ogre once had a thought that riding a rylak would make travel much faster than using pack animals or walking. Roughly crafted from thick leather and utilizing an excessive number of knots, a special seat could comfortably accommodate an ogre. However, it could only be saddled on a rylak the size of a small mountain which seems to explain why no one has ever seen ogres fly.
 * In Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, ogres resembled giant barbarians. They took on the chubby and horned appearance in Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, which has stuck ever since. This is not unusual as many races have changed appearances over the years. Also, in Warcraft II and Warcraft III, almost all ogres were depicted as two-headed, whether they were ogre magi or not.
 * Unlike most humanoids in World of Warcraft, ogre mobs tend not to flee when their health is low — this is likely related to their (lack of) intelligence and warrior mentality.
 * Ogres were originally planned to be a playable faction in Warcraft III. Although this idea was dropped, the developers later stated that while the ogres' storyline wouldn't be central to Warcraft III's campaign, players would learn what happened to them. However, this appears to have been scrapped as well. The in-game mentions of an Ogre Legion and the Warcraft III game manual's description of ogre lords rallying their people for unknown purposes may be remnants of this cut storyline.
 * Ogres were not planned to be a playable race in classic World of Warcraft because the developers couldn't figure out how to make female ogres an attractive option for players. Johnathan Staats has stated "We [...] wanted our female players to play, like, the character that they wanted to play, and we just didn't know how" and has mentioned that "weird things" arise when trying to make male and female options for every race, citing the example of female tauren not having udders.
 * Chris Metzen has stated in an interview that he would like ogres to be playable one day along with naga and goblins (the latter of which became a playable race in Cataclysm). During an interview in 2012 the developers stated that "We considered them for Cataclysm instead of goblins. Figuring out the females and the two-headed mages would be (fun!) challenges. Maybe someday."
 * Before World of Warcraft was released, Blizzard announced that two-headed ogres would be a playable race as an April Fools joke. The official page for the April Fools joke gave the following description of ogres: "The Two-headed Ogres of Azeroth are a Horde-born byproduct of the Second War. Created as mutations of natural Ogres by Gul'dan, the massive Two-headed Ogres of the Horde quickly became known (and feared) for their ability to do a large amount of physical and magical damage in a short amount of time. Like the Orcs, Ogres originally entered Azeroth from Draenor, bringing with them a strong sense of tribal loyalty as well as a natural inclination toward one-upmanship. With the addition a second personality within one body, these traits were compounded in the two-headed variety of Ogre: they're fiercely loyal to the Horde, and they're fiercely competitive with themselves, with one head always trying to outdo the other."
 * The stinkbug is a desert-dwelling insect which defends its eggs by spraying a foul, ogrelike scent.
 * In the real world, s (derived from name of, the Etruscan god of the underworld) are hideous, man-eating giants frequently seen in mythology, folklore and fiction.
 * Ogres are commonly featured in Hearthstone. They tend to be associated with the ability "50% chance to attack the wrong enemy", which is meant to reflect their wild and uncontrollable nature and how they aren't particularly careful in what they hit, as long as they hit something.

World of Warcraft

 * In-game