Ecology of the Scro Pt 1

The Ecology of the Scro-
As told by Lt. Sark of tribe Throatripper, Scro Marine Sharpshooter
for the Long Knives Skirmishers

        Over three hundred years ago my people had their beginnings in the
pathetic  loss of the first unhuman war. Every scro child knows the story
from the moment they can speak, it is ingrained into our thinking and our
understanding of life. Dukagsh, the first Almighty Leader led us away and
forge us into a new race, a new purpose. In the process, he made himself
our god.
        The scro are unique among most races in that we have only one god. We
are monotheistic, and we look to Dukagsh for all our blessings and all
our needs. To understand my people you must understand our god, and how
he trained our minds and bodies to becomes weapons of his will.
        Study and Struggle. It is our great adage, uttered by Dukagsh centuries
ago. It explains the core way of life for the scro, our strength and
versatility but also our rage and battle lust. First we study. We study
ourselves, our worlds, other races and all their interactions. We learn
from them, we understand them and then we use all that knowledge to the
end of our ultimate goal to destroy the elves. What we learn we
reconsider. We meditate every day. Every scrap of wisdom and knowledge we
sift through again and again to find the treasure we seek.
        At a young age we each choose a Mohr Kraz- a Life Study. We choose an
avenue of knowledge and seek to learn as much as can be learned for that
specialty. We record our progress and take notes as we master our avenue.
When we die those records join the others of every Scro who came before
and amplify our understanding of that subject. The next generation of
Scro will consider those words, test them and peruse them and select what
works best for obtaining our goal. Poor or inaccurate works are
destroyed, only the proven continue on through time.
        We study because knowledge is power, ignorance is death. We know we are
a young race compared to the others among the stars. But we grow at a
rapid rate, our last study of the matter revealed over 120 million scro
within our domains. When we started we were little over 2000 strong. Yet
without knowledge we could not move these millions to new worlds, we
could not feed them, we could not prevent plague and disease and we could
not prevail over our enemies. We have learned mastery of our bodies and
minds. We have learned magic, the laws of the universe and how they each
vary from sphere to sphere. We study so that we will always deal from a
position of strength. If we cannot do so then we do not engage in any
contest until we can. We do not concern ourselves with mad rushes for
power or gratification. Dukagsh taught us patience. We do not fear being
called cowards. The final battle and the count of the war answers all
such questions.
        Then we struggle. We scro are raised to view life as a struggle; to be
won day by day, hour by hour. We are harsh, and violent because we feel
strength is gained that way. Strangely we do not turn this nature against
ourselves as a whole. Individuals will always do as they will, but as a
race we have integrated into our lives the precept of caring for our own,
and not betraying our race. We are scro. That is the final answer in many
an argument that might have turned to blows, but ended instead in
camaraderie and oaths of loyalty to each other and their houses. This was
also taught by Dukagsh, that our being Scro infinitely outweighed all
arguments and personal differences. Our enemies outside are many. We need
not waste time fighting among our own.
        This unity, this integrity of my people is the greatest foundation of
their power. We scro are unique among the races because of this. At least
they believe it to be so. For over three hundred years we have been
growing stronger, building our skills and knowledge until we felt we were
ready to begin our divine task. Dukagsh led his people and they bided
their time, waiting until he felt victory would be inevitable. Dukagsh
never lost a fight in his life. He is unwilling for us to lose as his
children also. Setbacks and delays are inevitable. But the victorious
progression through the span of the war is inevitable. They believe this
to be true also. The elves do not know that we never planned to defeat
them quickly. The steps we have made have been great, but all of space is
wide and many more spheres are unknown to us still. This war has gone on
for eleven years. My people have planned on this war taking over a
hundred years. Our lifespans are longer than the orcs. We live as long as
humans. The elves live for hundreds of years. Our children and our
grandchildren will wage the last wars that eradicate the elves. They will
continue to learn and adapt and grow for every event and every change
that is needed. The elves will be the same as always before. The elves do
not change and they are slow to learn. It is their nature and at times
their strength. But to the scro it is a weakness. The scro believe this
too. Sometimes I think they may be right.
        I am Sark, of tribe Throatripper. It is an old tribe and an odd name. It
signifies the glory of the death strike with a scro’s own teeth, the
means by which we build our honor and reputation. It is an acceptance of
our vicious nature and our feral beginnings. When we as skilled warriors
and tacticians defeat an opponent and then step down, revert to a primate
and taste the blood and life of our foe as it flees from his throat. I
have done it myself many times, against many foes. “My torekgh is heavy
with teeth, and my tusks are bright with jewels”. It is a compliment
unique to my people. Yet even today I wonder at the practice. It is
acceptance of both sides of our nature, the high and low.
        I am Sark, a scro Marine and a Sharpshooter. I was part of the elite
Swiftstrike units. I began my warrior time fifteen years ago. I am twenty
six years old. Most scro began at this age. We mature quickly. Some scro
have started at the age of nine. By age ten most scro are six feet tall
and close to two hundred pounds. Some are bigger.
The scro understand the value of new weapons and new things. Dukagsh
understood gunpowder. He used a double barreled arquebus in his own time.
Since then we have crafted better weapons and learned new skills. Our
craftsmanship gets better every year. The dwarves envy some of our work.
They wonder if we gained our knowledge from them somehow. We did. Part of
it. We learn from every race and every world we encounter.
        Fifty years ago though, the course of my people was very different than
what it is now. At that time my forebears wrote that they expected
another hundred years perhaps even two hundred before the war could
begin. Our numbers were great, but we could not build enough ships to
expand to other worlds and challenge the thousand years of growth for the
elven imperial navy. So we continued to hide ourselves and explore
quietly seeking knowledge and any new ideas that could help us. Fifty
years ago a scro scout ship entered Moragspace. That scro scout changed
the course of the scro yet another time.
        Moragspace was at first glance a dead sphere, with no value
strategically and perhaps a mining value. A few miner scouts were sent to
the sphere to examine the endless debris fields of the sphere. An
archaeology team also came to determine the history of the sphere and how
it came to be as it was. The miners returned with reports of good iron
deposits and much of the black rock that burns for heat, that the dwarves
call coal.
        A mining expedition was ordered and a small military detachment was sent
to guard the miners and provide escort for freight ships. But then the
archaeology team made the discovery of a dead gammaroid shell in the
sphere, and within the shell locked in hibernation a witchlight marauder,
one of the great primary marauders. Immediately the scro sent a sizable
force to Moragspace in addition to the first. Warpriests took it as a
sign from Dukagsh and Dukagsh did seem pleased. The benefits that came of
this initial discovery to the scro were many. But the greatest discovery
had not been made yet.
        General Falchatz had been placed personally in command of the operations
in Moragspace and the eventual building and creation of Gamaro base. He
was a great warrior with heavy torekgh and bright teeth. His Mohr Kraz
was the history of great fallen empires. By his study of them he had
learned much and written several volumes still read and studied by my
people today. He spent much time with the still present archaeology team
while the base was slowly built and the primary marauder contained. The
team discovered the remnants of an ancient empire that had spanned all
four planets within this sphere and discovered that they had a very
advanced culture and understanding of engineering and construction. The
people of the sphere had called themselves Morag, and somehow the name
had stayed on old flowcharts through the centuries until we scro entered
it again and continued to call it that. The morag had evolved in planets
that were hollow, and lived within those spaces until also discovering
other planets and exploring via spelljamming. But then some great tragedy
struck their sphere and one by one each planet was destroyed and
scattered like the shells of eggs about the sphere. Only a few large
bodies still existed in the sphere and all were smaller than most moons.
        The Morag had highly advanced methods of manufacturing steel using iron
and coal and other processes. They rivaled the dwarves in their ability.
The Morag also used smokepowder weapons and had created a simple cheap
powder for guns from simple ingredients that worked in their own sphere
and a few others. This was recovered along with many other things and
soon Gamaro base became the center of a large mining and smelting
operation where we produced steel in large quantities for our ships and
weapons. General Falchatz had decided that placing the smelters near to
the mining operations would reduce production time. Like wise he then
decided to place ship construction yards near to them also. Instead of
wasting time shaping the metal to fit the ship at the ship yard he made
the furnaces turn out only parts for the ships we build and build them to
what we needed. We discovered the Morag had used a black oil to
strengthen their steel and manufacture many things. Me began to harvest
this oil as well and put it to use. General Falchatz also took a gnomish
invention- a steam engine and made it work. He  took away the foolish
gnome contrivances and put the engines to use moving heavy objects,
building lifts and then land vehicles on wheels that could carry large
amounts of ore across the asteroids. We used the black oil for this also
and soon had found many uses for these steam engines and hydraulics
filled with black oil. We began to manufacture our own Greek fire and
improve our weapons. Soon our gunsmiths were producing more reliable
weapons that were stronger and lighter. Then General Falchatz decided to
contain the bullet and powder in a single cartridge that was loaded and
readied long before a battle to simplify the use of our weapons. Then the
gunsmiths soon followed with a brilliant invention. The cartridge allowed
them to design a weapon that held more bullets and could be fired many
times before reloading. Looking back to Dukagsh’s double barreled
arquebus they designed the revolver, a hand held pistol that held
cartridges in a rotating cylinder that fired and turned across a waiting
barrel. Years later the gunsmiths built the first lever action rifles,
that held cartridges in a tube under the barrel and loaded and emptied
and reloaded the bullet with a movement of a lever, allowing another
quick shot. I was among the first to use these rifles and still carry one
to this day. I have even offered to allow it to be examined by the elves
and others, but all have sniffed their noses and turned away. It is a
scro weapon they say. It cannot be useful or work. That is their folly.
        We scro saw a change within ten years that revitalized the empire. We
began to use steam engines and Falchatz construction ideas on all our
worlds. Soon our production of ships was keeping up with and exceeding
our demand. We had many resources before, but had not thought about how
to best Marshall them. Within thirty years our fleet had doubled and we
began to seek allies among the old goblin kin on many worlds. We offered
them ships and gave them furnace helms to join us. We found the
hobgoblins to our liking, somewhat teachable and eager to organize and
learn. They were not such cowards as the others. The rest we also worked
with but relegated to lesser tasks and opportunities. Jettison fodder is
always in short supply.
        All of this was general knowledge to all scro within the sphere. Only a
few knew the full truth, and I only obtained it when I worked a special
mission on detail for General Falchatz at Gamaro base after it was
rededicated as a central waypoint and launch for preparation for the war
effort that was to commence soon. It was twelve years ago and I was the
newest member of the Gamaro Swiftstrike team. I had been assigned as a
special aide to General Falchatz and he had taken me along to assist in
his Terat Sha- his morning struggle. You would call them exercises. As he
went through his combat training and we ran in full armor around the
perimeter of Gamaro’s topside inspecting the weapons platforms as we went
he asked if I enjoyed the use of firearms. I told him yes and he smiled.
He then took us to the bottom side of Gamaro where the training fields
are located and we fired a few arquebus, a newer matchlock, and then the
newest flintlock we had issued to our warriors. I attained my position on
the Swiftstrike teams as a sharpshooter and acquitted myself well that
day before the General’s watchful eye. Falchatz easily kept pace with my
shots out to 200 yards. He then asked me if we could hit a small scrub
tree 500 yards away. I eagerly said yes and hoisted the new flintlock
loading in preparation and mentally preparing for the long shot. I knew
it was farther than I had ever been able to make with any other firearm
but I knew that the flintlock was supposed to have a greater effective
range. The tree was a good size target but I aimed for the trunk,
adjusted and fired. Falchatz waited for some time and then silently
walked forward toward the tree, I quietly joined him. When we reached the
tree, I saw to my joy that the lead ball had struck the tree and
flattened against the bark only partially penetrating. Falchatz was
impressed and clapped me across both shoulders. “Dukagsh has fathered
your line young Sark! A fine shot from a difficult distance. Of course
here on Gamaro there is no wind to account for or shifting of light from
water. But you know this. Look here though. What has failed here?”
        He pointed to the tree and the flattened bullet still visible. I
answered him that the bullet did not penetrate the tree because it did
not have enough power left to penetrate the armor of the tree even though
it had found its mark. Falchatz agreed then asked “Where does the fault
lie, with the bullet or the flintlock?”
        I was not sure. My own Mohr Kraz was the use and methods of firearms in
combat and war. I had studied some of the works of the gunsmiths, but I
did not pretend to understand all their math and workings. I answered him
I do not know, but it may be both. Falchatz smiled, “You are right. Come
with me.”

Continued post 2
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