Striga
Commonly referred to as "ogres" or simply "giants", strigae are ape-like, predatory brutes who dwell in hidden and lonely places across the face of Ispar. For reasons that scholars have never been able to fathom, strigae seem to prefer feeding on humans over other prey, resorting to digging up graves and raiding gallows when live humans prove too dangerous. Though for the most part they communicate with one another in simple grunts and gestures, strigae are intelligent enough to learn and use a few simple words in human languages, often using them to taunt, threaten, or strike crude bargains with potential prey from cover of darkness.
Upright, a striga stands almost nine feet tall, but they most often creep around in a hunch or on all fours. Powerfully-built and covered in patches of coarse, bristly hair, strigae are remarkably stealthy for their size, able to lurk on rooftops or in trees in unsettling silence. Their faces vaguely resemble a cross between an ape and a bat, with yellowed fangs and sharp tusks. Most rely on their meaty, clawed hands to rend prey to pieces, though some prefer to wield tree limbs or stones as crude weapons. A few of the cleverest scavenge or steal human weapons - a striga pack leader with an enchanted greatsword is a fearsome foe indeed.
The strigae have long been credited with all manner of supernatural powers and origins. Gharu'ndim folklore describes them as the reanimated corpses of the improperly buried, while old Sho tales say they are demons of the underworld, sent to punish humanity for its transgressions. In Roulea, they are seen as a lost tribe of humankind, degenerated through ages of barbaric practices. The peasantry of Aluvia, Viamont, and Milantos believe that those bitten by a striga are doomed to a slow, terrible transformation into a striga themselves, while the Silveran claim they are giants of living ice hewn by a spiteful enchantress.
The truth, as far as the wise can determine, is nothing so fanciful - the strigae are simply a large, vicious people of simple intellect and unfortunate dietary practices. Those bitten by a striga do often perish, but only due to infections spread by the strigae's preference for feeding on rotting flesh.
Other Names
Lifespan
40 years
Average Height
9 feet
Average Weight
900 lbs.
