Nzunta Ogre

Legend warns that the First Born, the original ogres, will rise to rule again. Scholars laugh, since every ancient ogre they know is degraded. They are mistaken: hidden on remote islands, the dark ogres are the First Born's true heirs, and age has only sharpened their malice. They mirror the fair ogres they hate, slim and strong at six feet and 150 pounds, females equal to males, but skin and hair are both a blue so deep it is nearly black. Their gaunt, heavy-lidded faces look coldly detached, and their voices are beautiful in a darker, more sinister register. They dress in tailored animal skins and armor in thick leather for war.

Eager fighters, they still prefer magic. Their strength gives a normal weapon 1d10 damage, and blades are often smeared with sea snake venom: a save vs. poison at -3 avoids instant death, but even then the victim takes 1d6 and moves slowed for 1d4 rounds. Their deep understanding of magic grants priests and wizards one extra spell at their top level. Their wizards form a black-robed order of their own, with its own rules and no ties to the great towers of wizardry.

Fanatical about pure blood, they number under three hundred worldwide and prefer to rule unseen through slaves, brutish island ogres who serve as soldiers, servants and worshipers, since the dark ogres believe all lesser ogres exist to adore them. They live in luxury, famed for poetry and philosophy, though their arts and sciences are bleak and brooding. Rumor tells of several large colonies among the stars, using starhelms to further their conquests.

All can pass as human by 20. With Intelligence 16+, at 75 one may spend 15 years becoming a Changer Adept, gaining shapechange (as the 9th-level wizard spell) thrice daily; with 18, at 150 it may spend 75 grueling years to become a Changer Savant and change at will.

They live about 600 years, often past 500, and until 400 bear 1d2 pure children per century. Other infants are born, but those showing slave-ogre traits are killed. They eat meat, and in famine they eat their slaves.