Orc Marauders

The war in Zao required a high degree of mobility. The answer to this request was the mounted archer. However, it took some time to make this solution palatable to the savage orcs. Barely able to control their blood lust, the orcs easily forgot their intention to stay away from the enemy and steered their mounts into the fray. Those who managed to withstand such urges were often seen as cowards and were widely shunned by other orcs. Only with the coming of their new leaders such prejudices changed. The few scattered Orc Marauders were combined and received additional training. Some of the smarter orcs were picked to support the ranks of the riders and once their effectiveness was proven, the acceptance of the Orc Marauders among the orcs grew continuously.
Used more efficiently, these new units of the orcish horde made the difference that was necessary to tune the tones of war at least for a while. The Orc Marauders attacked the lizard armies from afar. Slowly the casualties drained the strength of the lizard armies and the attacks of the orcs became bolder and bolder. The attacks usually started with Orc Marauders weakening the defensive lines. When the main body of the orcs attacked, the Orc Marauders switched to flanking tactics and caught scattered troops on the run. In more peaceful times, Orc Marauders serve as scouts or hunters.
Only the most daring orcs are chosen as Orc Marauders. Unlike the warwolves, the gnarlhounds are not bond to a specific orc. Rather the gnarlhounds are shared by the tribe and picked randomly before a raid. Given the unpredictability of the gnarlhounds, it is of little consequence for the rider. Since gnarlhounds are prone to frenzy in battle, the Orc Marauders treat their skin with a mixture of gnarlhound excrements and herbs to avoid being ripped to shreds by their own mounts.

Orc Marauders have 235 hitpoints. They are strong against energy and holy damage. On the other hand, they are weak against death and earth damage. It takes 490 mana to convince these creatures but they cannot be summoned. In addition, they are able to sense invisible creatures.

Orc Marauders yield 205 experience points. They carry gold coins, meat, shaggy tails and sometimes other items with them.