As-written, the xoogs were humanoid slaves created by the alchemist named Zorin, master of the art of Takwin, the creation of artificial life. Zorin created the xoogs to serve mankind. Eventually, he felt that he was not properly rewarded for his efforts and demanded to be made Emperor. When he was refused, he used mind control over the xoogs and turned them into an army. He also used biological warfare and monstrous creatures called terats to fight in his armies. Zorin was eventually defeated. The xoogs gained self-determination. Some xoogs lived among humans, others created their own societies, and others became feral.
One alternative is that the xoogs were never created as slaves. Instead, Zorin was an alchemist and master of Takwin (the alchemical practice of creating life and homonculi). He cured disease, re-grew limbs, made everyone effectively immortal, and was essentially a medical miracle-worker. But, like Dr. Frankenstein, he wanted to push farther, to create new life forms and later existing life forms. For this, the practice of Takwin was banned and Zorin was banished.
Zorin vowed his revenge. He fled into the wilderness and began creating an army of homonculi called xoogs. Xoogs fill the same niche occupied by goblins, orcs, and ogres in other role-playing games. Small and cunning, man-sized warriors, and dumb over-sized brutes.
To his army of humanoid servants, he created a menagerie of frightening monsters. The monsters came in Three varieties: Chimerae, Gargantua, and Terats. Chimerae are bizarre cross-breeds combining elements of several animals. Gargantua are monstrous versions of ordinary animals. Terats are new monstrous species created from scratch.
All such creatures were capable of reproduction and many have established populations throughout Markania. All such creatures are effectively immortal. They will not die from old age but are as vulnerable to death from trauma as any creature. Many possess the ability to enter into suspended animation, allowing them to hibernate for years or centuries at a time.
Zorin used his monstrous army to attack the Nazarian empire. The resulting war lasted for decades. Eventually, Zorin released custom-designed plagues against his enemies, decimating the populations of the Nazarian cities. Eventually, Zorin's army was defeated but Zorin was never captured and his body was never found. He simply disappeared.
The surviving homonculi, the xoog, the terats, the chimerae, and the behemoths, scattered. They became the "monsters" found in other role-playing games. The intelligent ones formed tribes and clans. The monstrous ones sought shelter in caves or ruins or deep catacombs. They entered hibernation when food became scarce but can be easily awakened by a troupe of dungeon explorers.
Many of the xoog integrated into human culture as warriors, servants, and laborers. But these xoog will always be outsiders, and second-class citizens.
It's a minor change, I know. It doesn't really affect the setting's current status quo. All I'm really changing is the xoog origin as human slaves and a little bit of the War or Zorin. But I like the new history as it makes xoog slightly more monstrous and slightly more outsider, as opposed to being integrated from the beginning.
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