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Scro warrior

The Scro are a major[5] spacefaring race from the Spelljammer campaign setting,[6][7][8] and can be selected as a player character race.[9]

"My people are impatient - I shall teach them patience. My people are cowards - I shall teach them courage.
My people think only of today - I shall teach them to think of tomorrow. My people lust for elven blood - this requires no teaching."
- Early Sayings of Dukagsh[10]

Overview[]

"... [T]he admirals of all other fleets now at war with the elves were doing what had to be done, following the words and plans of the Almighty Dukagsh, the Scro Father. Only by uniting all humanoids into the War of Revenge could the elves be driven from wildspace like sparrows in the claws of a gale."[11]

The scro are a highly militaristic and violent goblinoid race that are descended from orcish survivors of the first Unhuman War.[6] After decades of careful preparation and planning, the scro finally began the opening stages of their long awaited War of Revenge, and by the time the Elven Imperial Navy took note of their incursion into the Known Spheres, the scro had already conquered two crystal spheres, cleansing them both of any elven presence, and had begun their invasion of a third.[12]

In an effort to bolster their forces, the scro actively recruit mercenaries and malcontents from all races, especially among the various goblinoid races. The scro promise them power and dominion over the Known Worlds, and in exchange they must swear fealty and recognise scro rulership (and pay their tribute on time). No spacefaring nation or organization has officially allied with the scro, though many individuals throughout wildspace work for them. In addition, several spacefaring nations have agreed to remain neutral should the goblinoids and elves go to war.[13]

Description[]

"Thanks."
- A scro general accepting a surrendering elven commander's sword, just before using the same weapon to kill the commander and his surviving troops.[14]

The scro resemble musclebound orcs, but are larger, stronger, and far more intelligent. They average 6-feet in height, with long, sharp teeth. Their canine teeth are often filed to a point and inscribed with various totemic symbols and inset with tiny gems. Their skin tone varies in color from jet black to burnt orange, with various shades of grey, tan, and green in between (and, rarely, albino white). Their eyes have a phosphorescent glow which can be seen in dim light.

Scro, like their orcish forbearers, can see up to 60 feet in darkness. However, they are less sensitive to daylight than orcs, and function normally in bright light. Unlike their orcish ancestors, the scro live for an average of 80 years.

The scro speak an archaic version of orcish, and many are also fluent in elvish: this is because their code urges them to learn the tongue of their ancient enemy - so that when the time comes to slaughter the elven people, the scro can tell their victims, in their own tongue, who is doing this to them. Some can also speak the common trade tongue, though the language isn't widespread.

Scro are usually armed to the teeth and fully armored. They typically wear well oiled, well maintained studded leather, with each stud filed to a sharp point. The leather is always dyed jet black, though the studs may be painted different colors. Officers may wear heavier armor, particularly chain mail and splint mail, and often complete their wardrobe with a night-blue cloak. Scro do not carry standards, but individual warriors may wear an insignia identifying their tribe, either as a shoulder patch or on the left side of the chest.[9][6]

Behavior[]

"The hobgoblins won't work with the orcs, the goblins hunt the kobolds, and the ogres are too dumb to be trusted! The lot of them are only good for catapult loads!"
- Scro fleet officer with bugbear guard.[15]

The scro are a militaristic people, and their entire lives are regimented and oriented around the military hierarchy, with larger and more powerful scro serving in higher positions. Where other race's may choose to serve in the pursuit of glory and fame, the scro seek mayhem, destruction, and the devastation of their enemies.[9]

The scro have an "us against the whole universe" mindset which puts them at odds with nearly everyone they encounter, and ensures they have plenty of enemies to go around. Due to their careful planning and intelligence gathering, the scro know a great deal about other spacefaring races, but they strive to ensure that others remain ignorant of their own existence, save for a few rumors from unreliable sources.[6]

The scro recruit lesser goblinoid races to strengthen their numbers, often deploying them as shock troops and in other disagreeable roles, freeing up highbred scro warriors for more important tasks. Of course the various goblinoids do not coexist in harmony, and relationships between various groups are often riven by intense feuds, especially between the bugbears and hobgoblins, and between the goblins and the kobolds. One race that the scro are notably hesitant to recruit are the orcs. The scro feel nothing but disdain for their cousins, and many orc tribes will have nothing to do with the scro.[16] Certain scro commanders even go out of their way to send orcish auxiliaries into ambushes and deathtraps, reducing their numbers significantly.[11]

Combat[]

Scro live for war, and in their society combat is seen as the highest form of expression. They are comfortable fighting in most environments and are well disciplined. Though they can be just as bloodthirsty as orcs, they have tempered their savagery with pragmatism and strategic and tactical cunning. Scro actually obey most civilized rules of warfare and will not fire on messengers or truce-bearers.

Scro carry numerous weapons and ensure they are carefully maintained. They have a preference for hacking and slashing weapons, including longswords, short swords, scimitars, handaxes, battleaxes, daggers, and spears. They may also carry either a shortbow or a crossbow, or rarely, they may be issued with an arquebus. Some warriors may even be trained to wield more than one melee weapon. Senior officers, such as captains and their bodyguards, may also be armed with starwheels or some other firearms. War priests typically possess a magical weapon with an enhancement bonus between +2 and +4.

The vast majority of scro warriors are trained in unarmed combat, and about a third of their number wear spiked leather gauntlets to enhance their effectiveness. Scro armor is usually studded with sharpened studs or spikes, and will injure any foe the wearer crashes into. Some scro even coat their armor spikes with poison.

If all else fails, a scro can bite with its powerful jaws. Scro consider it especially noteworthy to kill an enemy with just their teeth, and will often finish off wounded foes with a savage bite.[9] A scro who kills an opponent with its teeth may attach a bauble or inset a small gem in one of its oversized canines. They will then take a tooth from their deceased opponent and place it on a necklace called a toregkh. This necklace is prized as a totem of strength, and if it is stolen, the warrior flies into a berserk rage against the offender.

The scro are notably articulate, and prefer to begin combat by shouting long, literate insults against their opponents, to show that they hold their enemies in contempt. The mere sight of a goblinoid spouting offensive alliterations might disorient the most battle-hardened veteran long enough to let the scro gain initiative in combat.[6]

Society[]

"By the Tomb of Dukagsh!"
- Common scro interjection.[17]

Scro live in a regimented society, based on a complex system of laws and customs that call for unswerving loyalty and obedience. Each scro is a valued member of society and has a duty to fulfill. Leaders are respected and obeyed unless they show obvious cowardice in battle. In that case, it is the strongest scro's duty to overthrow the coward's authority and lead the troops in glorious battle.

The location of the scro homeworld is currently unknown. Thus far, they've seldom ventured into heavily populated areas, preferring to keep out of sight until they are good and ready. The scro live in well-planned, spartan cities with stout towers, strong fortresses, and efficient shipyards. Each city has a population of between 10,000 to 100,000 scro, and though they aren't garden spots by any means, neither are they smoky, ugly, or garbage-strewn. Like their orcish forebears, scro are extremely fertile, and can produce litters of up to 5 offspring, most of which have an excellent chance of survival beyond infancy.

The scro are divided into 24 tribes, each of which is led by an Almighty Leader. The entire race is ruled by an Ultimate High Overlord, based on their homeworld Dukagsh, where they are guarded by 24 Captains, one from each tribe. Each tribe has a social rank, with those of lower rank subordinate to the higher ranked tribes. For every four warriors encountered, there will be a sergeant. For every ten scro encountered, there will be one captain and one war priest. Only the largest gatherings of scro include an Almighty Leader.[6]

The scro aren't interested in conquering the Known Spheres. Their sole purpose appears to be nothing short of annihilating all elves and driving all groundling humanoid races out of wildspace for good. The war priests see this, not planetary conquest, as their holy mission. As for those races native to wildspace… well, the scro will need slave labor, and those races will do quite nicely. The scro are merely waiting for the right moment to strike.[6][9]

Religion[]

"Eyes of Dukagsh"
- Common scro interjection.[18]

Scro religion revolves around war, and according to their war-priests, all things ultimately derive from war and all things eventually fall victim to war.[19] The scro revere a one-eyed god of war and vengeance,[20] as well as the hero-deity Dukagsh, the Scro Father.[2] Scro war-priests are trained as both divine and arcane spellcasters,[6] and are skilled in the use of weapons.[19]

History[]

The scro trace their ancestry back to the orc tribes that fought and lost the first Unhuman War. Led by a visionary warchief named Dukagsh, who gathered together as many ship crews and troops as he could, a small fleet of surviving orcish vessels made their way to a remote but habitable planet and settled down.

Recognising that the orcs had lost the Unhuman War because of their one-dimensional ideas, outmoded tactics and reliance on brutality, Dukagsh realized that the orcs needed to become more organized, and that each soldier must be made to realize their full potential. Naming himself the first Almighty Leader, Dukagsh whipped his people into shape in the ensuing years, making sure they learned everything they could about warfare, survival, and even culture. To make sure no one forgot who was to blame for their misfortune, each orc had to learn fluent elvish.

Over time, the orcs salvaged equipment from drifting debris and the wrecks of human, elven, dwarven, and goblinoid ships. Occasionally they even found books and other materials, and Dukagsh made his people read them. Before he died, Dukagsh declared that his people were on the path to success. The old ways were dead, he claimed, and a new race was born, a race that was more than any orc could ever be. He named them the scro.

At his death, his grateful followers named their homeworld in his honor, and Dukagsh's tomb now floats over the planet's northern pole, so that he may look down on his people and watch their progress.[6]

Notable Scro[]

  • Dukagsh was the first Almighty Leader and founder of the scro race.[6]
  • General Grimnosh was the commander of the Sky Shark battalion and captain of the dinotherium Elfsbane.[21]
  • Fleet Admiral Halker was the commander of the Tarantula Fleet and captain of the ogre mammoth Thundertusk. He would later form an alliance with the undead wizard Skarkesh to capture Teldin Moore, the Cloakmaster.[22]
  • Krak was the baymaster stationed in the forward docking bay onboard Gamaro Base in Moragspace.[23]
  • Morkitar was a powerful scro warpriest who was stationed onboard Gamaro Base in Moragspace.[24][25] He was later assigned to lead the expedition to recover the witchlight key hidden in Shadowspace.[26]
  • Commander Urkutz was a Fleet Control officer in charge of issuing mercenary contracts onboard Gamaro Base in Moragspace.[27]
  • General Vorr was second-in-command of the Tarantula Fleet who led the ground forces in the conquest of the elven planet Spiral. He would later lead the forces in pursuit of Teldin Moore, the Cloakmaster.[28]
  • Captain Wrackblood was a scro officer from Gamaro Base in Moragspace who was charged with chartering mercenaries for the coming war effort.[24]

Signature Spelljammers[]

Scro spelljamming vessels are invariably war-ships. Their shipboard weapons are oriented for quickly grappling with enemy ships so that marines may board and engage the enemy crew in hand-to-hand combat. While the scro are excellent strategists, and they do make use of ranged weapons such as bombards and ballistae, their preference for close combat often leads them to make costly heavy assaults rather than sniping attacks.[9]

Scro fleets use many goblinoid designs, including the scorpionship,[29] the kobold arrow,[30] and the ogre mammoth[31] and its variants. However, the scro are nothing if not pragmatic and are quite willing to press other ships into service, including lampreys, eels, tradesmen,[32] viperships, and wasps.[33] Of course the scro have developed their own ship designs, including the deadly mantis ships[34] and the enormous and powerful battlewagons, which are crewed by elite scro marines known as the Brethren of the Knife.[35]

Appendix[]

External Links[]

References[]

  1. Roger E. Moore, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Maelstrom's Eye, 1992, (TSR Inc.), page 154
  2. 2.0 2.1 Roger E. Moore, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Maelstrom's Eye, 1992, (TSR Inc.), page 156
  3. Curtis M. Scott, CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook, 1992, (TSR Inc.), table 5: Age, page 27
  4. 4.0 4.1 Curtis M. Scott, CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook, 1992, (TSR Inc.), table 4: Average Height and Weight, page 26
  5. Jeff Grubb. AD&D Adventures in Space; Lorebook of the Void, TSR, Inc., 1989, Major and Minor Races side bar (pp.50, 52 and 54)
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 John Terra, MC9 Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix II, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Scro entry
  7. Bruce Nesmith, SJS1 Goblins' Return, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Scro entry, pages 61-62
  8. Rick Swan, SJQ1 Heart of the Enemy, 1992, (TSR Inc.), Scro entry, page 95
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Curtis M. Scott, CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook, 1992, (TSR Inc.), Scro section, chapter 2: New Spacefaring Races, pages 23-24
  10. Bruce Nesmith, SJS1 Goblins' Return, 1991, (TSR Inc.), sidebar, page 4
  11. 11.0 11.1 Roger E. Moore, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Maelstrom's Eye, 1992, (TSR Inc.), pages 18-19
  12. Roger E. Moore, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Maelstrom's Eye, 1992, (TSR Inc.), pages 17-19
  13. Bruce Nesmith, SJS1 Goblins' Return, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Background section, chapter 1: The Mission, page 4
  14. Curtis M. Scott, CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook, 1992, (TSR Inc.), sidebar, page 24
  15. Bruce Nesmith, SJS1 Goblins' Return, 1991, (TSR Inc.), sidebar, page 32
  16. Bruce Nesmith, SJS1 Goblins' Return, 1991, (TSR Inc.), chapter 2: Event on Gamaro Base, page 10
  17. Roger E. Moore, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Maelstrom's Eye, 1992, (TSR Inc.), page 17
  18. Roger E. Moore, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Maelstrom's Eye, 1992, (TSR Inc.), page 24
  19. 19.0 19.1 Bruce Nesmith, SJS1 Goblins' Return, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Scro entry, page 62
  20. Bruce Nesmith, SJS1 Goblins' Return, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Witchlight Temple section, chapter 3: Gamaro Base Description, pages 40-41
  21. Elaine Cunningham, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Radiant Dragon, 1992, (TSR Inc.), pages 49-55 (first appearance)
  22. Roger E. Moore, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Maelstrom's Eye, 1992, (TSR Inc.), pages 31-33 (first appearance)
  23. Bruce Nesmith, SJS1 Goblins' Return, 1991, (TSR Inc.), chapter 2: Events on Gamaro Base, pages 12-13
  24. 24.0 24.1 Bruce Nesmith, SJS1 Goblins' Return, 1991, (TSR Inc.), The Mercenary Contract section, chapter 2: Events on Gamaro Base, pages 16-18
  25. Bruce Nesmith, SJS1 Goblins' Return, 1991, (TSR Inc.), chapter 3: Gamaro Base Description, page 57
  26. Rick Swan, SJQ1 Heart of the Enemy, 1992, (TSR Inc.), Selected NPCs section, Appendix, page 88
  27. Bruce Nesmith, SJS1 Goblins' Return, 1991, (TSR Inc.), The Mercenary Contract section, chapter 2: Events on Gamaro Base, pages 16-17
  28. Roger E. Moore, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Maelstrom's Eye, 1992, (TSR Inc.), pages 15-31 (first appearance)
  29. Bruce Nesmith, SJS1 Goblins' Return, 1991, (TSR Inc.), page 59
  30. Bruce Nesmith, SJS1 Goblins' Return, 1991, (TSR Inc.), inside cover
  31. Bruce Nesmith, SJS1 Goblins' Return, 1991, (TSR Inc.), page 60
  32. Dale "Slade" Henson, War Captain's Companion, War Captain's Guide, 1992, (TSR Inc.), Scro Fleets sidebar, page 88
  33. Roger E. Moore, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Maelstrom's Eye, 1992, (TSR Inc.), page 111
  34. Bruce Nesmith, SJS1 Goblins' Return, 1991, (TSR Inc.), page 58
  35. Curtis M. Scott, CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook, 1992, (TSR Inc.), Marine section, chapter 3: Spacefarer Kits, page 35
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