Realmspace Update:Scro

The Realmspace updates are back!:) Sorry for the long intermission,  other
things got in the way,  but I expect to get several out during Christmas
break,  so here goes:
(note: much of this article deals with Scro in general,  not simply those
of Realmspace.  Also note I raised the max scro level as a priest to 9)

Scro Organization
"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 by Elven intelligence as belonging to two
distinct branches of service,  the Scro Navy and the Scro Marines.

The Scro Navy:
The Navy is the senior of the two services,  and by Scro law a Navy officer
outranks a Marine of the same rank.  The upper ranks of the Navy are
dominated by the War priests,  who control the helms (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,  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 personal typically carry scimiter and dagger
and wear studded leather armor.  Officers often use starwheel pistols.

Organization:  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 ship board "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.
They attempt to overcome this by making use of many goblinoid and mercanary
allies,  these auxiliaries are never assigned aboard Scro vessels except as
passengers.  Allied ships are assigned to Scro battle fleets with a
"advisor",  a scro Naval  Lt or captain,  aboard to insure Scro commands
are followed.

A sample ship complement follows:
Crew of the SN "Wrackblood",  Mantis Class.
Ship's Captain-1 Captain Scro M/P 5/7
1st Mate-1 Captain Scro M/P 5/6
Quartermaster-1 Chief Scro F5
Chief Helmsman- 1 Lt Scro M/P 5/5
Helmsmen- 3 Lts Scro M/P 3/3 (each commands one ship's watch)
Chief Gunners-3 Bosuns Scro F4
Gunners- 15 Sailors Scro F3
Chief Deckhands-3 Bosuns Scro F4
Deckhands-12 Sailors Scro F3
Total Naval complement-40
Total Marine Complement-32 (Two platoons +1 Lt)

Scro marines
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 tend to 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,  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 scimiter 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.

Organization:
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 Lts 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.

_Realmsspace Scro_
The Eviscerator Fleet.
Commanded by Admiral Ryluch (Scro M/P 5/9) the Scro have established a
decent sized battle fleet within Realmspace,  currently they are simply
evaluating the various power groups as potential allies and servants rather
than trying to actively destroy the local Elven forces.  Several battles
earlier in the war,  when small fleets of mantis ships were destroyed
without inflicting serious damage,  convinced the Scro High Command that
this sphere needed a delicate touch.  Enter Admiral Ryluch,  known as the
space fox Admiral Ryluch was responsible for several early victories
against elven forces within other spheres (notably,  the destruction of an
Avariel base in Aeriespace).  His hallmark is careful planing and thorough
intelligence.  In this case he knows his forces are outnumbered
considerably,  but feels confident he will succeed in turning some of the
other power groups against the elves.  He has already managed to convince
the Emperor of Wa (through bribes to certain officials and cleverly
disguised attacks) that the Sindiath line was actually a front for drow
smuggling contraband into Wa!  Wa responded to this elven "threat" by
destroying a Sindiath line man-o-war,  an act sure to lead to war between
Wa and the Elves.  He has also received some setbacks: A Mantis ship sent
to turn Cormyr against the Elves never returned.  Ryluch has since learned
that the intial intelligence was faulty,  Cormyr was a highly unlikely
ally. The Scro not only failed to even speak with a court representative,
they refused to pay some sort of tax and were destroyed on take off (see
Toby Mekelburg's "Cormyr" update).  A beginning colony established near on
the "Gull Rocks" islands of Toril (in the Sea of Swords just west of the
Moonshaes) has failed to report in recently,  Ryluch is beginning to worry,
3 of his precious Mantis ships,  and a tradesman were engaged in the
effort to establish a secure base on Toril,  they are now a full month
overdue. (See Toby Mekelburg's "Pirate's of the Gull isles" post)

Ryluchs forces are relatively small: 1 Battlewagon (the "Eviscerator"),  5
Mantis ships,  3 scorpions,  2 tradesman,  1 whaleship,  and 15 Kobold
arrows.  His ships are crewed by 400 Scro Naval personnel.  His marine
counterpart,  General "Sharpjaws" Grenuk (Scro F12) commands the 3rd
Marines as well as 3/15 and 4/15 of the 15th Marines.  As of yet General
Sharpjaws has not received any allied ground troops to command. The fleet
remains within the Selune's Tears astroid belt most of the time,  Ryluch as
no wish to advertise his presence.  The Whaleship is used as a mobile base
and supply depot,  it also carries the arrow ships.



Notes:
The above contains TSR trademarked material,  as well as paraphrased
copyrighted material.  This use should not be construed as a challenge to
that status.
_Bibliography_
War Captain's Companion: Book 1
War Captain's Companion: Book 3
Books 2, 3 and 4 of the Cloakmaster cycle
Goblin's Return
Lost Ships
Realmsspace
Forgotten Realms Boxed set
Spacefarer's Handbook
Kara-Tur Boxed set
Dragon #189
Toby Mekalburgs' Pirates of Gullrocks and Spelljamming and Cormyr articles

"We look on the same stars,  the sky is common,  the same world surrounds
us.  What difference does it make by what pains each seeks the truth?  We
can not attain to so great a secret by one road..."
Symmachus,  "Memorial on the Occasion of the Removal of the Altar of
Victory from the Senate House" (392 AD)

westermeyer.3@???.edu
Paul William Westermeyer