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Not so many years ago, an ogre was born in the mountainous forests near Agaden Reach. The fact that there are ogres in those areas are well known, so this birt h was no unusual occurrence. According to the common behavior of ogres, the new-born was left alone in the unfriendly wilderness. This orthodox custom is practiced t o see if the new member of the clan has the means it takes to survive in the wild alon e. They (ogres) think there is no point of dragging around a newly born that will g row up to become an unfit to the ways of nomadic life. Considering this custom seldo m leads to the death of the new-born, but instead grants the young his (or hers) f irst honoring scars of battle, it really ain't that brutal and grotesque habit. But to get the story straight we have to get back to this specific infant ogre t hat was placed ontop a small rock in the middle of a clearing. It was in the late winter , and the snow was still falling deeply. His parents planned to return when three nigh ts had passed, confident that their son would either be dead, or proven to have the promising warrior talents and constitution. They would be wrong in both assumptions...

The infant did survive, but in ways that no ogre ever had practiced in these par ts of the realms. The normal behaviour of young ogres that are left alone is to sim ply grabb a curious wolf by the neck and bash it on a stone to get a meal. This, or very similar survival techniques seem to lay natural for ogres, but the ogre of the s tory did not do this. No, when the first contact with the mountain fauna occured, he felt fear (which is rare among ogres, even this young) and tried to back away fr om the curious black bear. As he couldn't walk yet, and hardly crawl, the encounter with the bear was inevitable. The bear stood over him, the cold air around him started to concentrate around him and thicken, providing a thin coverage to prot ect him from the curious sniffing of the bear. Of course, the bear got afraid of thi s odd event and backed off, leaving the ogre alone. For an observer, this incident probably would have seemed like a divine interven tion, but it soon proved not to be. During the next three days, several animals came u pon the infant ogre with different intentions. Some encounters were of the curious k ind, while others were to find food. Regardless of what purpose the animals of the da rk forest had by engaging the ogre, the meetings all ended the same way: Through hi s fears and flickering mind, the infant succeeded in invoke magical ways of protec tion. Though he at this time was not aware of how he created barriers of wind, set fur on fire, and cause the snow around him to melt, it still happend.

When the parents came to the clearing after the three days, they proudly saw the ir son sit near the rock, in a place where the snow strangely have melted. However, they were concerned that there was no proof of battle, since the absence of bone s and animal bodies was obviously clear. This meant that their son probably had be en extremely lucky, which was good, but also hadn't eaten for three days. With mixed feelings they took the infant to them and from this point he was thei r son in true meanings. They gave him a name, Ralraek, which means 'mysterious and lucky'.

The powers of Ralraek slumbered in his mind for the next six years and did not reveal the true nature of him. During this time, Ralraek grow up to become a fully grown ogre, agewise that is. Size, and strengthwise, Ralraek proved to be a source of shame for his parents. While six years old, he had the stamina and constitution of a ogre half his age. He couldn't participate in the violent games and wrestling fights of the young ogres, since he would be crushed to death immediately. Neither was he physically fit to go through the test of manhood at the age of six, which never had happened before in his tribe. However, to save face, Ralraek's parents forced him to go through the test despite the slim chances of success. The first part of the test of manhood included surv iving a fist-fight with a grown warrior, a test he obviously couldn't manage with conventional methods.

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Note Number:	15	Author:	Ralraek
Date:	Mon May 20, 2002; 05:04:39	To:	All
Subject:	Ralraek's Background (Long note)
Not so many years ago, an ogre was born in the mountainous forests near Agaden Reach. The fact that there are ogres in those areas are well known, so this birt h was no unusual occurrence. According to the common behavior of ogres, the new-born was left alone in the unfriendly wilderness. This orthodox custom is practiced t o see if the new member of the clan has the means it takes to survive in the wild alon e. They (ogres) think there is no point of dragging around a newly born that will g row up to become an unfit to the ways of nomadic life. Considering this custom seldo m leads to the death of the new-born, but instead grants the young his (or hers) f irst honoring scars of battle, it really ain't that brutal and grotesque habit. But to get the story straight we have to get back to this specific infant ogre t hat was placed ontop a small rock in the middle of a clearing. It was in the late winter , and the snow was still falling deeply. His parents planned to return when three nigh ts had passed, confident that their son would either be dead, or proven to have the promising warrior talents and constitution. They would be wrong in both assumptions... The infant did survive, but in ways that no ogre ever had practiced in these par ts of the realms. The normal behaviour of young ogres that are left alone is to sim ply grabb a curious wolf by the neck and bash it on a stone to get a meal. This, or very similar survival techniques seem to lay natural for ogres, but the ogre of the s tory did not do this. No, when the first contact with the mountain fauna occured, he felt fear (which is rare among ogres, even this young) and tried to back away fr om the curious black bear. As he couldn't walk yet, and hardly crawl, the encounter with the bear was inevitable. The bear stood over him, the cold air around him started to concentrate around him and thicken, providing a thin coverage to prot ect him from the curious sniffing of the bear. Of course, the bear got afraid of thi s odd event and backed off, leaving the ogre alone. For an observer, this incident probably would have seemed like a divine interven tion, but it soon proved not to be. During the next three days, several animals came u pon the infant ogre with different intentions. Some encounters were of the curious k ind, while others were to find food. Regardless of what purpose the animals of the da rk forest had by engaging the ogre, the meetings all ended the same way: Through hi s fears and flickering mind, the infant succeeded in invoke magical ways of protec tion. Though he at this time was not aware of how he created barriers of wind, set fur on fire, and cause the snow around him to melt, it still happend. When the parents came to the clearing after the three days, they proudly saw the ir son sit near the rock, in a place where the snow strangely have melted. However, they were concerned that there was no proof of battle, since the absence of bone s and animal bodies was obviously clear. This meant that their son probably had be en extremely lucky, which was good, but also hadn't eaten for three days. With mixed feelings they took the infant to them and from this point he was thei r son in true meanings. They gave him a name, Ralraek, which means 'mysterious and lucky'. The powers of Ralraek slumbered in his mind for the next six years and did not reveal the true nature of him. During this time, Ralraek grow up to become a fully grown ogre, agewise that is. Size, and strengthwise, Ralraek proved to be a source of shame for his parents. While six years old, he had the stamina and constitution of a ogre half his age. He couldn't participate in the violent games and wrestling fights of the young ogres, since he would be crushed to death immediately. Neither was he physically fit to go through the test of manhood at the age of six, which never had happened before in his tribe. However, to save face, Ralraek's parents forced him to go through the test despite the slim chances of success. The first part of the test of manhood included surv iving a fist-fight with a grown warrior, a test he obviously couldn't manage with conventional methods.