+ inload: Ork forces of the Scallop Stars +

+ Ork forces of the Scallop Stars +

+ The below colour text is drawn from The Scallop Star Purges, a PCRC campaign – please feel free to use it as inspiration for your forces or your own campaigns. +

+ This, like all our campaigns, is supported by a large interactive map [+noospheric inloadlink embedded+] on the PCRC website – built and maintained by the inimitable grahamgilchrist. +

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+ Within a tribe, orks do not recognise leaders that they have not approved; even if that approval is based purely on not feeling quite 'ard enough to challenge them! That said, most orks are – above all else – eminently practical, and they are far more intelligent and capable of cooperation than the Tactica Imperium tends to imply. A warboss or tribal leader is more than happy to enter into a mutually agreeable alliance with another ork of equal stature, though such alliances do rely on the group of orks having a sufficiently powerful enemy to push against.

+ A mob from the Blakk Kuttaz +

+ Orkspace makes up a sizeable proportion of the Antona Australis sector. Most is uncharted, and only the entrance area – the Scallop Stars themselves – are broadly known to Imperial navigation, owing to the Great Culls of history and the short-lived settlement of Imperial citizens within the worlds of the area. The Lord Commander Ultima was of the opinion that trying to gain the element of surprise over the infamously divided orks was of little advantage on a strategic level – judging that resources spent keeping lip tightly shut were almost inevitably doomed to fail. As a result, freebooters, mercenaries and orks that had simply drifted into the Scallop Stars and heard of the impending Crusade began to spread the word.

+ This proved a costly mistake. The Imperial forces ranged against the orks during the Fourth Great Cull was of such size that word spread quickly and began to attract ork groups from much deeper within orkspace than any previously seen. With such a huge amount of aggressors ranged against them, the various ork forces began to swell in size and gather, held together by a dense mesh of promises, alliances and badly-hidden threats.

+ Orks of Da Golden Horde were responsible for the loss of Clan Trago of the Iron Hands +

+ These were not true Waaaghs – the nearest ork cultural equivalent to ideological crusade, which bear as much resemblance to a pub crawl as a military assault – as they did not admit single leaders. None of the warbosses, warlords or commanders were individually powerful enough to direct the groups; but tribal and klan affiliations as well as orky spirit ensured that they were able to act in a deceptively subtle and intelligent manner.

+ Zogbog of da Shooty Boyz is filled with the Waaagh power of the madboyz mob +

+ Trukk boyz under Warboss Snazgutz +

+ One such gathering became known simply as the Stellar Wells Greens owing to their loose aggregation near the Stellar Wells. The Greens were a group of ork fleets, individual spacecraft and mercenary forces that swelled to such size that they rivalled each of the Imperial Purge Fleets. At this critical mass, the Greens became a semi-permanent entity that could strike anywhere along the corewards front, while remaining safely shielded by the Boten Cloud Nebula. Such was the reputation of the Stellar Wells as a good point for conflict that casualties and groups that left through argument, treachery or betrayal were continually replaced throughout the early stages of the conflict.

Famous Craft of the Group

• The Space Hulk Worldburner was positively identified during numerous Void War engagements around the Stellar Wells
• Seemingly built around the hulk of a Pique Lumen battleship, the Slamma's Hammer became infamous for its stealth field technology; accounting for thirteen confirmed kills of Cruiser displacement during the war.
• Guldreg (Breaker of Bones), is testimony of Warboss Grimduff's twisted personality. The halls are filled with limbs and heads of slaves and enemies he has defeated. Some parts are even painted in blood. Other Orks have very little interest, viewing the morbid decorations as "unorky", but it does seem to have considerable more effect on the slaves.

Ork Armies of the Group

• Sunfang Tribe – Orks of this group can be readily identified by the flames they lavishly decorate their vehicles, equipment and even skin.
• Blakk Kuttaz – Skraga Kan
• The Filthy Vandals – given this unofficial name by Lord-General Matys during the Invasion of Kilsnik in the second year of the Crusade, this rag-tag tribe of orks emerged briefly from the Stellar Wells, led by Scurgog One-hand, the orks' were notorious for their desecration of Imperial STC shrines established for the invading human forces. This led, in turn, to low morale amongst the invaders.
• Grim Blades – Typically for a Blood Axe, the leader of the Grim Blades, Sniklug Gortoof Og Nargor, wears attire that is a foul parody of the uniforms worn by the Imperial Guard. Unlike most other Orks, Sniklug wears little decorations; his wrist mounts several necklaces previously worn by high ranking Imperial Navy officers and priests.
• Gouged Eye – Warboss Nazgul
• The infamous pirate Kaptin Gobnaz Nazbad wears a colorful attire patched together from various pieces of expensive fabric the captain had stolen during his raids. After severe facial injuries that took his left eye and tore up his jaw – combat with a Space Marine captain according to his group, the Jolly Gitz (or to a runty face-eater squig, if you believe his rivals) – his lost eye was replaced by an implant. His jaw is kept together with golden rings.
• Da Golden Horde – Led by the famed Snakebite Warboss Dances Wiv Squigs, the horde is famed for recruiting heavily from the feral worlds of Rokshak.
• Bloody Teef Boyz – Known for chewing betel, a rare spice that stain the mouth, teeth and chins of these orks blood red, they are led by the Bloodeater King.