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Chthonic Swinemen

Bogyn's Nastiness Rating: 41 (Horrifically Nasty)

Creature Families: Menoid, Bestial, Chimeric

One of the three races descended from Zonard (see also Halfmen and Boar Men). The Swinemen possess only a rudimentary intellect, and can barely speak Plaincommon (which is astounding considering that language's simplicity). (This inability to articulate has led to the widespread use of the derogatory term "grunters" to describe them, though "squealers" is also fairly common.) While not nearly as bright as their Dolphinthrope cousins, they are every bit as cruel. The Swinemen's malice, however, tends to be more random, undirected, and crude in comparison to the insidious evil one would expect from the Dolphinthropes. They are vicious, nasty, and prone to unprovoked fits of violence; they are also roughly twice as strong as the average human. Luckily, the Swinemen prefer to live underground, and this proclivity results in an intense dislike of bright light- a fact which is put to good use by High Elemenstor Noddy Chillbreezey in Book 9.

Criticism

Some critics have claimed that the Chthonic Swinemen are basically a total ripoff of the Star Wars universe's Gamorreans. This is, of course, pure nonsense, as anyone who has read the series would be able to tell you: the differences between the Swinemen and the other pig-race are both vast and profound. For starters, the Chthonic Swinemen live in caves, while Gamorreans live in space; further, while Gamorreans usually engage in combat using some kind of polearms, Swinemen prefer to fight with their razor-sharp tusks. And the list goes on.