The scro as presented here are bit anachronistic, but I felt their level of organization warranted it. I've always felt the IEN was usually portrayed too much like the modern US military, but that the scro likely were something like the modern military in outlook. Or rather, that they were a 'professional' military organization. (What that means is a question I'm writing my dissertation on, actually.) I used the Roman army as a loose guideline. Also note I raise the max scro level as a priest to 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 (Goblin's Return, p4)
The Scro have entered the Second Unhuman war with perhaps the best-organized military forces in the Known Spheres. The Scro forces entering known space have been identified as belonging to two distinct branches of service, the Scro Navy and the Scro Marines. Scro officers show a remarkable amount of training, they not only attend the Scro Academy prior to entering service, they are also trained rigorously while in the fleet.
A Note on Language:
The scro speak a form of orcish that has been standardized as their native tongue, but every scro is taught common as well, and many speak elvish. Scro battle commands are almost always in scro, but everyday communication, especially on military vessels, is often in the common tongue. This keeps the troops expertise up, which allows them to understand the battle commands of their enemies. Elvish is somewhat more difficult than common, especially for orcish tongues. At the very least, officers try learn to understand and read elvish (the dialect of the sphere they are entering, if possible) so they can better understand their foes and take advantage of papers and other elvish writing when it is discovered.
The scro language is best shown by using the orc language described in 'Even Orcish is Logical' in Dragon #75, and the bits of the Black Speech found in Tolkien's work (the Black Speech is far less developed then Tolkien's two elvish tongues, Sindar and Quenya). These two forms aren't perfectly compatible, but sound similar. In the few cases where they have different words for the same thing, simply assume the language has two words for the same concept (not an uncommon linguistic occurrence).
Scro vessels are named in the scro tongue, and usually are powerful and dreadful names. Many involve inventive elven deaths, blood, gore, and general mayhem. These names are usually translated into common but other races, who find saying the actual scro name somewhat distasteful (Orcish, even the standardized dialect spoken by the scro, is a harsh, unattractive tongue). The six most famous Scro vessels are Battlewagons, the DAKAKDOG ("Mutilator"), ZOKOZRAD ("Decapitator"), DURBGASH ("Conflagrator"), JAJGAKNARTAG ("Devastator"), GEKRAGAD ("Eviscerator"), and the KOKADOG ("Defenestrator").
The Scro High Command is a council of seven older, grizzled admirals and generals who oversea the war effort against the elves. They answer to the Ultimate High Overlord and the council of 24 Almighty Leaders who represent each of the 24 scro tribes.
An extensive staff of naval and marine officers supports the High Command proper. As these officers, typically the brightest and most promising of the scro military, are most often sent as couriers and inspectors for the High Command among the various fleets, they tend to represent "High Command" to the rank and file. Scro captains, whether Navy or Marine, most often serve a stint in this group before being promoted to admiral or general.
The High Command Staff is divided into four sections, Administration, Intelligence, Training, and Operations. Each of these sections is headed by an admiral or general and handles all details relating to its area of responsibility. Training, for example, administers and runs the Scro Academy where sailors and marines are trained. Administration keeps track of personnel assignments, and the lists of equipment from daggers to battlewagons. Intelligence collates all the information sent to Dukagsh from the fleets and makes it comprehensible, while operations plans fleet movements and deployments.
The Goruruk are the civilian scro, only found on scro colonies or the scro homeworld of Dukagsh. Scro society is highly organized, one of Dukagsh's founding maxims is that no scro is incapable of contributing to the war effort. The Goruruk are the scro who failed to make it into the scro military, or who exhibited an important industrial skill. They make up the greater part of the scro population, and all fulfill specific roles within Scro society.
Each Goruruk is assigned to one of eight Gorgoi, and each Gorgoi is responsible for providing a certain service to the Scro Tribes. The eight Gorgoi are Farmers, Shipwrights, Armorers, Weaponsmiths, Engineers, Tailors, Masons, and Laborers. Upon reaching the age of maturity each scro is tested and then assigned to the Temple, the Military Academy or a Gorgoi. Once assigned to a Gorgoi, a scro may never leave it, nor choose not to work within that field. Every scro city, whether on a colony or on Dukagsh, is divided into 10 wards. One ward is devoted to each Gorgoi, one is devoted to the military, and the final ward is devoted to the priests.
Though the military gets much of the glory, and the priesthood has much influence, most Goruruk are happy; they work hard, come home to clean houses, and occasionally enjoy watching blood sports at the city arena or drinking at a tavern. Scro workers are paid reasonable wages and treated fairly, as much as possible slave labor is used for the more demeaning and unpleasant jobs. Goruruk are not as tough as the military scro and adults only have 2 HD. They are, however, officially part of the scro army and are trained in weapon use (usually spears and daggers). The scro army is led by retired officers from the Scro marines and Navy, who live in honor on the homeworld and are expected to aid in training the young.
Typical Scro career Path:
0-5 Live with parents, trained and educated by mother, listens
to stories of scro heroes
6-10 Live with parents, educated at temple run schools by
priests
11-15 After testing, is assigned to Academy, Temple, or a Gorgoi.
Leaves parent's house for this training
16+ Serves in military, priesthood, or Gorgoi
Scro are polygamous, and have abolished counter-productive orcish customs like female infanticide. Most Scro maintain a household of 2-5 wives on the planet, and each wife typically has 2-5 scro children to raise. Young scro females and those too old to breed assist their female relatives in child rearing. Female scro, no matter how tough or capable, are forbidden from joining the military, as their sacred duty is to propagate the race, according to Dukagsh. The females of a scro household are also in charge of supervising the slaves, when such are present.
The Navy is the senior of the two services, and by Scro law a Navy officer outranks a Marine of the same rank. The War priests, who control the helms, dominate the upper ranks of the Navy. (The helm room of a Scro ship is always consecrated as a shrine to the Almighty Dukagsh and only priests may enter it). This has increased the natural antipathy between the services because the Scro warriors who dominate the Marines are suspicious of spell casters on principle.
The scro Navy's rank system goes as follows 1) Sailor, 2) Gunner, 3) Bosun, 4) Lieutenant, 5) Captain, and 6) Admiral. Ship commanders are addressed as "Captain" regardless of their actual ranks when aboard their vessel. War priests begin as Lieutenants (minimum rank for a helmsman) and thus have a head start over other types in advancement. Admirals never command only one ship. All scro warriors within the fleet should be considered to have the spacemanship proficiency and the Corsair kit from the Complete Spacefarer's Handbook. Naval personnel typically carry scimitar and dagger and wear studded leather armor. Officers often use starwheel pistols.
Ship crews are divided up into weapon or sail crews (varying numbers according to min crew needed for a given weapon). These are then assigned to one of three shipboard "watches" (all Scro ships, regardless of size, have 3 watches). Watches are typically commanded by Lieutenants (on smaller vessels where the ship captain is a Lt. the watch commanders may be Bosuns) The ship itself is the next level of organization. Ships are grouped into ad hoc fleets (typically named after the Flagship of the Fleet) commanded by an Admiral.
The scro fleets are much smaller than those of their enemies, the Elves are. They attempt to overcome this by making use of many goblinoid and mercenary allies. These auxiliaries are never assigned aboard Scro vessels except as passengers. Allied ships are assigned to Scro battle fleets with an "advisor", a scro Naval Lieutenant or captain, aboard to insure Scro commands are followed.
A Note on Ships:
The Scro Navy makes use of many different ship types. The only set rule is that if the scro can find a use for nearly any vessel. While scro fleets, especially after the initial years of the II Unhuman War, are very diverse they do tend to follow certain patterns.
Most scro fleets are built around a large flagship. The preferred vessel is the Battlewagon class, but these are often not available, so Mammoth class vessels are often used instead. The battle line of the fleet is composed of the beloved Mantis class vessels, but many of these have been lost so Scorpion class vessels and Hammerships are often used instead. For patrolling and duty on the second line the scro usually use Scorpion class ships, Wasp ships, Squidships, or, when available, Viperships. Goblin Blades and Mosquito class vessels are used as shuttles and fighter craft. Finally, transports are generally Hammerships, Tradesmen, or Galleons.
Two sample ship complements follow:
Crew of the SN DEZTAGRAT "Wrackblood", Mantis Class.
Ship's Captain: 1 Captain Scro M/P 5/7
1st Mate: 1 Captain Scro M/P 5/6
Quartermaster: 1 Bosun Scro F5
Chief Helmsman: 1 Lt. Scro M/P 5/5
Helmsmen: 3 Lt. Scro M/P 3/3 (each commands one ship's watch)
Chief Artillerists: 3 Gunners Scro F4
Artillerists: 15 Sailors Scro F3
Chief Deckhands: 3 Gunners Scro F4
Deckhands: 12 Sailors Scro F3
Total naval complement: 40
Total marine complement: 32 (Two platoons +1 Lt.)
Crew of the SN DAKAKDOG "Mutilator", Battlewagon Class.
Ship's Captain: 1 Captain Scro M/P 5/7
1st Mate: 1 Captain Scro M/P 5/6
Quartermaster: 1 Bosun Scro F6
Chief Helmsman: 1 Lt. Scro M/P 5/5
Helmsmen: 3 Lt. Scro M/P 4/4 (each commands one ship's watch)
Chief Artillerists: 19 Gunners Scro F4
Artillerists: 32 Sailors Scro F3
Chief Deckhands: 3 Gunners Scro F4
Deckhands: 34 Sailors Scro F3
Total naval complement: 95
Total marine complement: 72 (1 company + 3 Lt.)
Note: Battlewagons are always fleet flagships, and so they usually have an Admiral, General, and their staffs aboard as well.
Typical Scro Sailor or Gunner:
3rd level Fighter
WP: scimitar, dagger, Punching Specialist, Ballista, {plus Catapult
or Jettison if a Gunner)
NWP: Spacemanship (12), Signaling (12), Heraldry [space] (10), Rope
Use (12){plus Weaponsmithing (9) or Armorer (10) if a Gunner}
Typical Scro Bosun
5th+ level Fighter
Proficiencies as above plus Bombard, Starwheel, Sail Manipulation
(9), Shipwright (11)
Typical Lieutenant 3/3 Mage/Priest
WP: Scimitar, Dagger, Starwheel, Punching Specialist
NWP: Signaling (17), Spelljamming (13), Spellcraft (13), Herbalism
(13), Healing (10), S/R/W Elvish, Religion [Scro, Elvish] (12),
Wildspace Navigation (13), Phlogiston Navigation (13)
The Scro Marines are the junior of the two branches but has the better fighting reputation and the greater glamour among the personal-combat loving scro. Marines often view their naval superiors with ill-disguised contempt.
The Scro Marines' rank system goes as follows 1) Marine, 2) Corporal, 3) Sergeant, 4) Lieutenant, 5) Captain, and 6) General. All Scro Marines should be considered to have the spacemanship proficiency and the marine kit from the Complete Spacefarer's Handbook. Marines typically carry scimitar and dagger and wear studded leather armor. Other weapons are issued as needed. Officers often use starwheel pistols and at least one squad per platoon carries arquebuses.
Squads are made up of 3 marines and one corporal. 4 squads and a sergeant make up a platoon (17 scro). 4 platoons and a Lieutenant make up a company (69 Scro). 4 companies and a Captain make up a battalion (277 Scro). Each Battalion typically has 2-6 unattached junior lieutenants in addition. These Lieutenants are used as the Captain's staff and as commanders for multi-platoon units that don't quite reach company size (such as the Marine detachment aboard a Mantis ship). Battalions are numbered (First is the elite home guard battalion), and each company within a battalion is numbered from 1 to 4. Platoons are lettered A-D. Thus "D" Platoon, 1st Company, 11th Marines or in shorthand "D" 1/11. Marine generals typically command all the marines assigned to a given fleet. In addition, they are in command of all the ground forces of any attached allies. It is very unusual to find a Navy admiral without an associated Marine general.
Typical Scro Marine or Corporal:
3rd level Fighter
WP: scimitar (specialist), dagger, Punching Specialist,
Arquebus
NWP: Spacemanship (12), Signaling (12), Heraldry [space] (10),
Zero-Gravity Combat (9), Carpentry (16)
Typical Scro Sergeant:
4th+ level Fighter
Proficiencies as above plus Weaponsmithing (8), Armorer (9), Black
Smithing (16)
Typical Lieutenant:
5th level Fighter
Proficiencies as above for sergeant plus Engineering (9),
Planetology (10), Starwheel Pistol
The Vozagogat is an order of half-scro spies and assassins. Based out of a tower, Vozagogalug, on Dukagsh, the Vozagogat are bred from carefully selected female human slaves. They are essentially human, racially, yet thoroughly indoctrinated in the teachings of Dukagsh. All Vozagogat believe they are the reincarnation of great scro warriors from the past. They see themselves as martyrs, sacrificing their holy scro forms to take the shapes of the inferior humans so that they main gain information vital to the war effort. Because they are fully human biologically, they can easily blend into most wildspace communities. They are few, less then a thousand at any one time, and spend ten years in training, including fieldwork, before entering the order.
Other scro view them with contempt, but also fear them as they are, are skilled warriors and the masters of strange magical powers. Most Vozagogat are psionic wild talents.
