A searing Ogre Firebelly unleashing the power of the Fire Mouth.
Firebellies are the roaring, blazing Ogre priests of the volcanic deity known as the Fire Mouth named for the largest volcano of the Mountains of Mourn. Quick to mirth and anger alike, Firebellies are garrulous and vital individuals who are readily welcomed into any Ogre tribe.[1a]
Fire burns within these larger-than-life prophets in a literal as well as metaphorical sense. Bald and broad, their ruddy skin glows from within, and their bare chests are tattooed extensively with Ogre symbols of destruction. When a Firebelly's wrath is roused, he can breathe out a cloud of billowing flame so fierce that it can melt through chainmail in seconds.[1a]
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The Fire Mouth is the largest and most powerful volcano in the Mountains of Mourn in the Far East. It is an important figure in Ogre mythology, revered alongside the Great Maw by all Ogres and worshipped fervently by those tribes that have witnessed the violence of its mighty eruptions first hand. Every year, dozens of Ogre pilgrims flock to the sides of the Fire Mouth and announce their presence to the small but influential tribe that makes its home in caves nestled into the volcano's slopes. As magma courses down the sides of the Fire Mouth like drool from a Butcher's gob, the aspirants dare to undergo the gruelling "Flame Trial" -- a mysterious ritual held by the Firebelly tribe as their volcano god rumbles in his sleep.[1a]
As will all other religious occasions in the Ogre Kingdoms, this trial by fire begins and ends with the act of ingesting something. First, the hopeful Ogre must gobble down an entire cauldron full of flametoad and devilpepper curry; a repugnant mixture also useful for ending protracted sieges. Even as their gut burns, the Ogre must then catch one of the carthorse-sized fire beetles that burrow through the lava streams and devour the critter in a single sitting. It is the final task, however, that is deadliest of all.[1a]
Before being accepted and becoming a Firebelly, the aspirant must drink the blood of the Fire Mouth. The supplement first climbs atop the caldera of the titanic volcano. The sight of the lake of bubbling, hissing magma below is impressive enough to take the breath away, even before the sulpherous stench assails the nostrils. Many contenders flee at this point, but those with the courage to continue are slowly lowered on thick chains inside the mouth of the volcano.[1a]
The heat is such that their hair is burnt from their bodies and their eyes boil in their sockets, but the truly faithful will persevere, scooping up a skull-full of roiling lava. After being hauled back up to the edge of the Fire Mouth, the Ogre must gulp the molten rock down in a single draught. This last act is always lethal even for the most gastronomically inviolable Ogre; only those with the true divine blessing of the volcano god can survive.[1a]
The survival and subsequent initiation of a new Firebelly happens perhaps a few times every decade, and often coincides with a major outburst of flame from the Fire Mouth itself. This is seen as a sure signal that it is time to make war on the lands of the weak, with the size of the battles to come coinciding with the strength of the eruption. In war, the Firebellies are well equipped to aid the Ogres, for the disciples of the volcano god inherit supernatural powers. Firebellies bear a measure of protection against the fiercest conflagrations, can breathe out an inferno upon their foes and can even cast and control spells drawn from the Lore of Fire.[1a]
The Fire Mouth has only a few Firebelly priests on hand at any time, for they are never many and most of their kind journey alone into the Ogre Kingdoms. There, a Firebelly will join a tribe for a time, spreading the creed of their molten-hearted god and bringing fiery destruction to their foes. They are lively and popular transients and fill Ogres full of wonder with their ability to bleed magma and cause a wreath of flames about their bodies with each burst of explosive flatulence.[1a]
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Trivia[]
By their appearances alone, both in art and tabletop miniatures, Firebellies appear reminiscent of Polynesians Fire Dancers.