Verschlingende
Ervenian Era, 1051 AB
Verschlingende are special mobilized forces used by the Gontal Streitkräfte tasked with the destruction of logistical units and supply chains.
Composition
Manpower
Verschlingende are highly trained orcs, hobgoblins, or harpies, that already fought for Gontal as regular troops; they are selected for their resilience, discipline, and creative thinking. All verschlingende, regardless of species, undergo an extensive vetting process that filters out all but the most adaptable and relentless warriors from the Gontali legions and warbands.
Vehicles
Verschlingende are mounted units, either on horses or worgs, and some on wyverns. Horseback riders are known as scorchers, worgriders are known as gnashers, and wyvernriders are known as screechers.
Tactics
All verschlingende use fast attacks, emphasizing hit and run tactics; their camps are minimal, comprising merely of tents which can all be packed and carried atop their mounts. A verschlingende camp can be erected in an hour and disassembled in an hour. Units specialize further in specific tactics.
Scorched earth tactics are commonly employed by scorchers (hence their names), as they exert their horses to their limit, and are able to live off the land before burning crops and slaughtering livestock to deny their opponents from doing the same.
Screechers avoid fighting other aerial forces, as they possess relatively poor maneuverability. Instead, they specialize in deep strikes and vertical flanking, focusing on high value strategic targets. Screechers are also expected to provide intelligence and are often sent on scouting missions.
Training
The most noteworthy aspect of verschlingende training is timed operations; several necessary criteria for a recruit's training completion are related to the time it takes them to carry out certain tasks: erecting and disassembling a camp in 90 minutes; launching a hit and run attack in less than a minute; setting into defensive positions in less than 5 minutes; and so on. A recruit is likely to participate in hundreds of drills to meet the required standards before being assigned to their specialist training
Screechers, whose raids are primarily intended to disrupt supply lines, are trained in identification of key targets, such as granaries, bridges, or craftsmen. To this end, screechers are also taught navigation, cartography, logistics, and engineering.
Gnashers specialize in ambush tactics; their training includes exercises in patience and concealment, lying in wait for days before striking at an opportune moment. They also develop a deep bond with their worgs, training alongside them to mimic pack-hunting behavior, and to use them as more than mere mounts.
Type
Raiding parties
Overall training Level
Professional
Assumed Veterancy
Experienced
Used by
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