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Albillo's Black Band (La Banda Negro de Albillo)

The masses of Fleabag riders milled around in the grassy hollow between three hills, they had been tracking the Halfling Wagon Caravan for three days now and they were ready to spring their ambush. They had carefully hidden the bulk of their forces in this valley that the Halflings must pass in front of , so far no Halfling Scouts had been detected and so the Goblins must be undiscovered, as soon as the Wagons appeared at the mouth of the Valley they would pour out and take the Halflings unprepared. Giving them no time to form the Waggonburg the goblins would be free to pick off the individual Wagons at their leisure, the Goblins could barely contain their excitement and even more barely control the skittish Fleabags they rode on, each Goblin Warrior looking to their Khan for the signal.

Then across the mouth of the Valley strode the massive Figures of Black armoured Ogres, filling the narrow gap between the hills with a wall of Wood, steel and Ogre, panicked the Goblins looked to the hills, only to see more Ogres and Halfling Wild Runners cresting the hills to surround them. While they had been waiting to trap the Halflings, they had been trapped themselves!

The Goblins had no escape and with a massed sigh of exasperation they threw down their weapons and shields and yielded to the Halflings and their Ogre Mercenaries. Thus was the Cruzcampo Tribe of the Plains Goblins given to the service of the Ogre Mercenaries of Albillo’s Black Company.

The Ogre Mercenary Company of Albillo is one of the most celebrated of the Bands of Mercenaries based out of the Free City of Tyrsis that ply their trade across the plains of Estacarr.

They escort Caravans for Human and Elven merchants and even occasionally they are hired by the Halflings that roam the plains in their might WaggonBergs. 

It is this association with the Halfling Guilds that have inspired Albillo to utilise smaller versions of the Halfling Waggons himself to transport and protect his Missile armed Ogres and allow them to support the fighters of the Black Band from a defended position. Coupled with Albillo’s use of crocodog Wranglers and the recent capture of the whole of the Cruzcampo Tribe of Goblins by the Black Band allowing them to simulate the advance scouting techniques of the Halflings (all be it with less diligence and success)

The Black Band are one of the longest standing Ogre Mercenary Bands operating in Estacarr, they have occasionally been hired to serve elsewhere and have even provided anti-piracy escorts for Merchants shipping out of Tyrsis. The Ogres have gained the name of the Black Band because as an effort to keep maintenance time down to a minimum the Ogres coat their armour in a mix of Tar and paint to give it a tough mat black appearance that helps to prevent it from rusting as well as reducing the give away reflections off shiny Armour. This has added to their Fearsome reputation as well and sometimes just the sight of the hulking black armoured figures striding across the plains or stepping out from a city street is enough to make the most hardened warrior quail.

The Black Band fight under a myriad of Banners, both gifted by former employers or taken from fallen enemies, this habit makes the units of the army very distinctive on the battlefield (even more distinctive than being 10’ tall red skinned warriors does apparently) and spare flags and banners are often draped over siege pavises or the sides of the Fighting Wagons Albillo’s Ogres have come to use.

Due to their occasional employment by the Halfling Tinker Merchant Guilds that ply the great Grassway across Estacarr carrying their loads of exotic spices and rare fabrics to the port of Tyrsis, the Ogres have begun to copy the great WaggonBurg wagons of the Halflings and now use smaller protected “War Wagons” to protect their more vulnerable missile troops from the predations of the various marauders and brigands that prey on the caravans of the Grassway. Where the Halflings have Fortified Wagons large enough to carry all their soldiers, families and trade goods with the occasional large example carrying their own Organ guns for defence, the Ogres have simpler and a lot smaller wagons with drop sides that provide both protection and elevation for their missile troops (Albillo’s foot troops are generally armoured enough to survive without, especially as they have a habit of carrying large Pavise shields to fight behind, equally useful in defending a WaggonBurg in the open plain or besieging an enemies stronghold. Although these Pavises do slow down the Ogres carrying them and some of the Black Company have reverted to smaller shields and hand weapons in order to maintain their speed.

As they lack any cavalry the Ogres also utilise their Chariots to help them to defend against the depredations of the forces determined to part their employers from their wealth, with mounted sergeants riding around and Boomers on chariots racing around to lend their aid wherever the fighting is hardest or the press of foes too numerous, thinning out the enemies ranks with their Boomsticks and blackening the very air around them.

Since their capture of the Cruzcampo Goblins the Black Band has employed small groups of the fast Fleabag riders as scouts and general battlefield Chaff. The bow armed Goblins ride ahead of the Ogres and can be relied upon to bring back news of any enemy their encounter, usually at speed. During battle the Goblins are driven before the Ogres to disrupt the advance of enemy forces and cause confusion (and the occasional casualty from bow fire) and if they survive long enough, they are often seen claiming last minute battlefield objectives and loot on their nimble ferocious Fleabags. Spear armed Fleabag riders are used to escort food convoys and occasional baggage wagons if they are needed but the Goblins are more likely to eat all the supplies if not closely watched. The Goblins also drive Chariots and Blasters for their Erstwhile Ogre master’s and are rewarded with shiny stuff and discarded pieces of broken armour and weapons and have sometimes been known to gather together in mobs with small Pavises in imitation of the Ogres themselves.

Despite the Ogre Mercenaries inbuilt distrust of Magic, they do employ the Odd Warlock here and there to boost the troops morale by blasting their opponents into charred lumps and healing the various bumps and scrapes that the Ogres often pick up in combat.


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