Bakan’Grod Subterranean Scouts

The unique location of Bakan’Grod compared to most other cities has tested the dwarven military. Exposing many new challenges to be overcome by dwarven might. In order to tackle these relentless, ongoing problems, the military scouts of the city are tasked with anything from reconnaissance to outright sabotage. The scout division is required to be highly adaptable to each situation in terms of the individual and the composition of the unit itself.    

A Typical Scouting Party

  It is never wise to go alone into the darkness. A scouting party can consist of as few as three and as many as fifteen depending on requirements. The larger the scout group, the more versatile the group becomes, allowing for further subdivisions and enabling flanking manoeuvres or a higher diversity in skillsets.   A general overview of some of the more common roles is as follows:  

Sapper - Units with specialist training who are responsible for and are able to utilise small amounts of gunpowder to clear fallen debris from tunnels or cave systems.

Guard - The backbone of a party that runs into an inescapable skirmish. Usually equipped with a heavy melee weapon and tall shield.

Blocker - Designated to the task of falling back to bolster rear positions in the event that a threat is too great. Specifically to slow advancements of an enemy or threat.

Cartographer - Experts in mapping of terrain and topology in three dimensions while always keeping on top of the group's current location and time required to retreat back to civilization if required.

Scribe - Recordkeepers and knowledgeable on the ancient runic languages of the dwarves of old.

Prospector - Able to conduct tests on ore deposits to determine purity and probable size. In addition to this, a prospector is also able to determine the location of underground reservoirs.

Tracker - Foul beasts leave all sorts of trails behind them when marauding around the depths. Avoiding the threats or being better equipped to face them head on is essential. Especially when closer to the surface.

Tapper - Responsible for providing rations of food, ale, Liquid Flame, whetstones and other miscellaneous repairs.

Miner - Specialists in the creation of new routes or in the preparation of traps.

Camoufleur - Designers and artists in their own right, a camoufleur is able to create additions to armour, kit and mudkits to enable the party to move through the depths undetected.

A core of three scouts are usually tasked with general tasks and reconnaissance. These smaller groups would generally consist of a cartographer, scribe and guard.      

A Scouts Field Pack

  The kit of each member of the unit is as varied as the roles themselves. However, a commonality comes with their standard issue bundle. Wrapped in mycelial ‘ghost’ leather, a bundle contains a small pick, stub-stick hammer, chisel, tall hipflask, skinning knife, hatchet and a trowel. The idea behind this kit is that if a dwarf is caught in a tunnel collapse or gets stranded, they will be able to treat wounds, break through stone or provide themselves with enough high-calorie ale until assistance arrives.

Adapting to New Threats

  Ever since the flood of attacks on the upper city, scouting teams have been going dark. The few reports that do come back speak of attacks by orcs, men, elves and even beasts. It’s as if something has been driving them underground. Scouting parties are now being dispatched with higher skirmishing and fallback capabilities to help tackle the losses. It is likely that the doors to the city will be closed and the scouts will be tasked with fending for themselves or traversing deeper to nearby cities in the cluster.    

This is a submission for my second Summer Camp - I hope you enjoy the world I am building!