The Central Vesve

The major base controlling operations here is the camp at Gerrenkzerung. The name derives from an unpleasant orcish word describing in graphic terms what to do with a prone and helpless elf. Vesve Celbits, who form the majority of soldiery here, are exceptionally ferocious and their leaders are virtually all war veterans. Again, three types of operations are important within this broad area.

Testing the Elves: Iuz's forces are vary wary of the grey elves whose lands are in the area around the Timeless Tree. These elves are not aggressive, but they are deadly defenders and their use of traps and magical alarms is second to none within the forest. For this reason, no large-scale attacks are made upon them. Rather, the long-term aim is to encircle them. In the shorter term, occasional forays and spying missions are made to test their defenses and keep track of what they are doing.

Large-scale Skirmishing: South of the grey elf lands and north of the Badlands is a broad skirmish zone which is the main area of conflict between Iuz's orcs and the high elves, rangers, woodsmen and handfuls of Furyondian and Velunese troops based around the wide western Vesve lands. Significant battles, involving many hundreds of warriors, occur here every month or so. Iuz's forces aim to push back their opponents, decimate and destroy the forest within this area, and expand their own frontier camps into a skirmish zone which extends some 20 to 30 miles beyond their current secured border. If the tide of Iuz is to rise within the Vesve, this is possibly the main area of advance. The elves of Flameflower and the Furyondian/woodsmen militias of Ironstead are all too well aware of this.

Testing out Magic: Quite deliberately, magic and monsters which have but recently come into Iuz’s clutches are often initially deployed in these central lands. These include summoned varrangoin, thassaloss guardians, and the testing of the variant vampiric mist spells said to be the subject of research by Iuz's greatest priests. Testing these against the defenses of the grey elves shows Iuz's forces how very intelligent, magic-using enemies react to these new tactics. Using them in the main skirmish zone gives the fastest and most reliable indication of how they may best be used in the battle for the Vesve. Of course, It is very important that rumors and wide-eyed, terrified tales about these new evils gets back to Highfolk and Furyondy, hopefully lowering morale there.

The orc soldiery of the central Vesve are unusual for having a total of some 1,000 losels, the orc/baboon cross, amongst their numbers. Losels are treated badly by orcs, who regard them as little more than animals, and their morale is an appalling 4. However, with their infravision, keen sense of smell, and range of alarm signals, they make useful guards and scouts. Orcs also use losels for springing traps and ambushes, for sniffing out spoors and trails, and as troops for fighting the Beastmen of the central-western Vesve, since Beastmen are one of the very few creatures losels will attack. They are also used at times as beasts of burden, a role in which they are rather ineffective. Orc sub-leaders often speak the stuttering crude language of the losels and are thus able to give them simple commands and orders.