Book

When I first sat down, quill in hand, to pen a history of the sport known as TogBall, I expected to spin a quick yarn regarding the myths surrounding this activity. It wasn't until my first draft was complete that I had the opportunity to sit with my friend Smahsh and read to him what I had composed. Needless to say, he was full of numerous tales (many, of course, returning to the topic of pigs) regarding the sport, and I quickly tossed aside that draft to start anew this manuscript from the perspective of the race known as Togs. Little did I realize that I was embarking on a Tog's-eye view of the history of his race.

Origins
What we now know as TogBall began centuries ago, during the reign of the Empire. One day, a Tog named Rahrin Tah'gho was tending the pens in his clan-home when a piglet escaped. With a loud squeal, it dashed hither and yon, seeking escape into the forests surrounding the Clan. Rahrin, quick for a Tog, called several of his Clan brothers to the scene to help round up the little beast. Fanning out in a circle, they moved forward, pushing it back to the wall of the Clan. The piglet, sensing it was trapped against the stockade, made an attempt at freedom by darting directly toward Rahrin. The Tog leaped at it, hoping to engulf it in his rather large embrace. Alas, he only resulted in partially grasping it. With a mighty heave as it wriggled to break free, he tossed it in the general direction of one of the other Togs who had rushed to his aid.
Thinking Rahrin was playing, the Tog caught the flailing beast, and in one swoop, continued it on its way to the next Tog in the group.

Unfortunately, he missed his target by a Tog mile. The Togs all stood in awe, watching as the piglet soared past the intended Tog, landing with a messy splash in the slop of the pens. (Well, what would you do, if you were a Tog and saw a pig flying?)

The gathered Togs howled with laughter, thinking this great fun. They took the frightened piglet from the pen and began tossing it back and forth amongst themselves. And so, with this simple little act, the game of TogBall was born. For centuries after, a common occurrence in the Clan was the mid-day pig-toss. Word spread among the scattered Tog Clans, as travelers carried tales back about this highly enjoyable game, and its popularity slowly grew.

Roughly 20 years after their enslavement by the S'Kra Mur, the game took a decidedly ugly turn. A group of Togs, kept enslaved by the S'Kra Mur to work some gold mines in the Dragonspine Mountains, took offense one day at the actions of one particularly nasty overseer. Having pushed harder than he should at the Togs, his whip lashed out at the them harshly, drawing blood. One defiant Tog turned to him and bared his teeth, saying, "Chohmp no think good idea Snakeboy push Togs around like do." And with that ominous declaration, Chohmp Bihg'Teeth grabbed the S'Kra and began whirling him by his tail in a frenzy. With a howl from Chohmp and a shriek from the S'Kra, the Tog let go of the tail, sending the S'Kra winging through the air like an arrow leaping from a tautly- strung bow. The Togs, all having played TogBall, whooped it up, having a new type of ball to play with. One of the Togs leaped mightily into the air, grabbing the overseer by his throat and slamming him head-first into the ground. The S'Kra lost consciousness.

This was the first spiking of a "ball" in a game.

Needless to say, the Togs decided that since the overseer was deserving of the pain he would suffer due to his vicious treatment of them, they could continue to use him as the ball. (The overseer expired shortly after, having been given a rough toss around by the assembled Togs.)

This was something new to the Togs - in fact, it was almost an epiphany: not only could they play TogBall, they could use beings they didn't like as the ball. The attempted retribution of the S'Kra on their slaves for the death of one of their own failed miserably, as they were unfamiliar with the rough play of the Togs when it came to this sport. Thus did Chohmp lead his fellow Togs to freedom and into history by killing all the S'Kra at the mine. To this day, all TogBall matches begin with an invocation to Chohmp, First TogBall Captain.

Time passed, and the Togs emerged from their enslavement by the S'Kra. While not necessarily liking their former masters, they generally opted to use other sources for the ball in the now popular game. Goblins, blood nymphs, faenrae reavers -- all were likely to find themselves used as the ball in matches between rival clans of Togs if they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Rules developed that tracked points, giving birth to the scoring system used to this day. Teams arose as well, with rival clans fielding their best warriors to defend the Clan's claims to superiority. It became a point of honor among Togs to be able to claim that their Clan's team of players were unbeatable. As a result, it was not an uncommon occurrence for brawls to break out at inter-clan matches, as the rival sides would do everything possible to divert the opposing team's players from succeeding in scoring a point in a match.