Ogre, Nzunta

There is a legend that the First Born, the ancient ogres, will one day rise up and try to dominate Krynn, as they did in the ancient days. Some scholars laugh at these legends; all of the ancient ogres are debased, bestial creatures.

These scholars are wrong. Hidden on remote islands are the children of the First Born, and age has only deepened their malevolence. They are the Nzunta.

The Nzunta are almost identical in appearance to Irda, their hated brethren; they are tall, slender creatures, averaging six feet in height and weighing 150 pounds. Females tend to be as tall and as heavy as the males. Although slender, they are quite strong, as evidenced by their firm muscles. Their skin tone is a deep blue, almost black, which matches the color of their hair. They have drawn faces with drooping eyelids, which give them a dispassionate look.

The Nzunta move as gracefully as the Irda and their voices are also beautiful, but in a deeper, sinister way. They wear clothing that has been tailored from animal skins; in combat they cover themselves in thick leather hides.

Combat: The Nzunta are eager fighters, but they prefer to battle their enemies with magic. Their ogre heritage and superior strength enables them to strike for 1d10 points of damage with a typical weapon attack. They often use deadly sea snake venom on their weapons (victims must roll successful saving throws vs. poison, with a -3 penalty, or die instantly. Even if the roll succeeds, the victim suffers 1d6 points of damage and is slowed for 1d4 rounds).

The Nzunta are able magicians. They have a clearer understanding of the workings of magic than most races, thus nzunta clerics and wizards gain one additional spell of the highest level they can use.

Nzunta wizards have set up a Black Robes Order. They live under their own principles and make no contact with the Towers of High Sorcery in Ansalon.

Habitat/Society: Because they have a policy of strict racial purity, the number of Nzunta are quite small; there are less than three hundred in all of Krynn. They prefer to rule through their slaves, the Orughi, while they remain behind the scenes.

All Nzunta master the art of shape-changing by the age of 20, enabling them to disguise themselves as humans. Nzunta with Intelligences of 16 or more can begin studying to become Changer Adepts at age 75. This study takes 15 years, but once mastered, Changer Adepts can shapechange; as per the 9th-level wizard spell, up to three times per day. Those with 18 Intelligences can learn to become Changer Savants once they reach the age of 150. Learning to become Changer Savants takes 75 years of intense training, but once the course is finished, Changer Savants can shapechange at will.

The Nzunta have a luxurious existence, thanks to their Orughi slaves. These ogres serve as their troops, their house servants, and their worshipers (the Nzunta believe that the other orders of ogres exist to serve and worship them). They are known for their poetry and their philosophy, but their arts and their sciences tend to be dark and brooding.

There are rumored to be several large colonies of Nzunta in space. These ogres use spelljamming engines to further their plans of conquest.

Ecology: The Nzunta have life spans of about 600 years, with 500-year-old Nzunta not uncommon. They give birth to 1d2 pure Nzunta children per century, until they reach the age of 400. There are other births, but many of these offspring have the characteristics of Orughi and are slain; unlike other ogres, the Nzunta practice strict standards of racial purity. Nzunta are meat-eaters; they eat their slaves in times of famine.