Orcish Artillery

On the rare occasion that orcs are brought up in polite conversation, the words “inventive” and “creative” are rarely involved. But despite negative stereotypes involved in the intelligence of orcs, many clans are capable of creating astounding machinery. One such example is the orcish artillery- a generous name for a rock-launching, back-mounted catapult that only the most foolhardy, or foolish, of orcs will dare to wear.   Personal Siege Engine The first orcish artillery is said to have been invented when a clan of orcs were defeated in battle by humans using siege engines. In later trying to replicate the advanced weaponry of their foes, the orcs decided the biggest downside was the difficulty in moving the weapon from battle to battle. To counter this issue, the orcs decided to make it portable by strapping the weapon to the back of the largest orcs. The back-mounted weapon is incredibly heavy, even for a large orc, slowing them down considerably, and the smaller size means the thrown rocks are incapable of breaking through city walls like a traditional siege engine. But in the fields of war, the orcish artillery is capable of blasting through several creatures with ease, shattering bones and cracking skulls the whole way.   Technical Improvements As long as orcs continue to use the orcish artillery, they will continue to find ways to improve upon the original design. Large rocks are always great ammunition for these miniature catapults, but many creative alternatives have been proposed and tested by various clans over the centuries. The most common proposal is an even larger and heavier rock, and is likely the easiest to manage. Other clans sometimes use porous rocks that shatter on impact, covering them in oil and igniting them before use for extra oomph. But these rocks are more difficult to prepare and loading, changing the job of orcish artillery from a one-man affair to a team effort, meaning such rocks can’t be launched from the artillery over and over without a pause for preparation in between.