"If he looks like he could stare down a pack of angry cave bears, he's a Hunter. You can tell, 'cos he'll be wearing a couple of 'em as proof!..."
- —Anonymous Ogre.[2a]
A Hunter taking his quarry back for a feast.
An Ogre Hunter is a solitary, wandering Ogre, an outsider from their own tribe or perhaps even a forced exile. Those that survive become fiercely independent warriors and savvy stalkers of beasts. Bereft of an Ogre tribe's protection and beefy companionship, the lone Ogre Hunter must learn to track and kill, while simultaneously not becoming prey to any ferocious beasts -- it is all too common for the hunter to become the hunted.[1a]
To ward off the severe cold of high altitude, Ogre Hunters dress in layers of skins and pelts and can also be recognised for their tendency to carry an arsenal of weapons, trapping gear, and skinning knives. When one's days are spent stalking Ogre-eating carnivores, it is best to be prepared. Ogre Hunters are incredibly proficient with their specialised wargear, able to kill beasts on the move even at range.[1a]
Role[]
Ogre Hunters are among the most massive and independent of their kind, and think nothing of climbing to the top of a mountain whilst tracking a wounded Mammoth or bull Rhinox. An Ogre becomes a Hunter either by temporarily severing their ties to their tribe to sate their wanderlust, or by being exiled to the harsh white wilderness of the mountains for some slight to their fellow Ogres. Either way these ties are not completely severed and an Ogre Hunter that excels at their solitary lifestyle can drag an impressive kill or two back to the caves on important feast days.[2a]
An Ogre Hunter is generally covered in a network of scars and tattoos, overlaid by the thick pelts of their prey protection from the arctic conditions of the Mountains of Mourn. They decorate themselves with, tusks, claws, fangs and skulls of the cavebeasts that they have single-handedly killed and eaten. An Ogre Hunter will typically have a great beast's skull added to their gut-plate to illustrate their prowess.[2a]
Although most no longer belong to a tribe, Ogre Hunters periodically drag in their impressive kills back to an Ogre camp for a special feast day. Some Ogre Hunters return to the tribe of their origins, while others wander throughout the Ogre Kingdoms. Hunters are popular visitors, for not only do they drag down some of the largest carcasses, but they liven up any feast with their rich wealth of stories about life on the mountaintops. The profusion of horrible scars and displays of beast skulls and impressive tusks also go a long way towards earning the respect of a local tribe. Before long, an Ogre Hunter's solitary ways will take over and they will amble back up the slopes.[1a]
In honour of the first of the Ogre Hunters -- the legendary Jhared the Red -- it is common for a Hunter to keep a sabretusk or two to help sniff out his cave-beast prey. These giant, agile feline predators often have tusks jutting from their lower jaws, used for ripping out the guts of beast larger than they are. Those that prove too difficult to domesticate instead provide both a good fight and good meal for their would-be keeper -- it is a rare Ogre Hunter indeed that cannot boast a set of claw-scars somewhere about their person.[2a]
Warfare[]
A rare female Ogre Hunter
An Ogre Hunter must learn how best to stalk their quarry. Each beast is formidable in its own right and a Hunter must discover techniques to deal with monstrous creatures of all sorts. For instance, it takes great patience to creep into an ambush position near the caves of the great bear-like cragbeasts, while it takes fast-paced double-tracking trickery to throw off a pack of sabretusks once they have caught your scent.[1a]
Knowing how to escape the first blast of icy breath from a Frost Dragon or where to aim a throwing spear to best dispatch a mournfang are lessons that an Ogre Hunter must pick up quickly. All Ogre Hunters bear horrific scars suffered from their many battles with the monstrous denizens of the mountains -- those few errors that don't prove fatal still hurt.[1a]
Miniatures[]
