Forest Orc
The Forest Orcs (Or."Taugong." BS. "Gimba-Hai") were a classification of orc-breeds from the various ages, specially trained for warfare in the woods and forests. In body, most were smaller and slimmer than other breeds, but their senses were sharper, in the ear and the nose, and as trackers they exelled. For this reason they were rivals with other Orc-tribes bred specifically for the task of tracking, such as Gayutars. They were also bitter enemies of the Haladin and Drúedain, who dwelt chiefly in wooded areas far spread, and whom they targeted fiercely. The tale of Aghan of the Drughu and the Haladin family under his protection is thought to have involved a two-individual raid by forest Orcs; and in that tale, thankfully, these Orcs were slain, and their sport cheated.
MERP[]
A prominent example of a forest-adapted Orc breed is the legendary tribe of the Wood-Goblins, a small and wicked folk from the depths of the Old Forest of Eriador. The Wood-Goblins are obedient to the dark magic of the forest and in communication with the spirits of the Awakened trees. Amongst the Hobbits they were legendary and almost mythical, for some had attempted raids onBuckland in the post-settlement era of Sûza, but over time, with the withdrawl of the forest's borders and the activities of Iarwain Ben-Adar, they became increasingly reclusive, and made few attempts against any civilised peoples. They were slanged by Hobbits as Wood-nackers or Boggarts.
The Goblins of the Old Forest were secretive and superstitious. Their three small tribes were led by a clade of Sorcerers, rather than an elite tribe of warriors, and under these they worshiped the evil trees of the forest—not, of course, out of admiration or devotion, but solely in order to appease the dangerous beings. For this reason also, they avoided contact entirely with Tom Bombadil, the eccentric spirit who truely governed the forest. In his presence, Orcs would quail and bolt, and those that didn't he would frighten off like delinquent criminals; hence at his approach, the Wood-Goblins fled, and their camps were pitched mostly in the south of the forest, far from the House of Bombadil. For this reason and others, they by and large avoided any conspicuous raids beyond the wood; they lived on its wild creatures, and the occasional unfortunate passerby, but no further did they dare. They were so reclusive that folk living along the borders occasionally forgot they existed, save in stories told to amuse and educate children, amongst Men or Hobbits.
Lotr RPG[]
In the LOTRRPG, the Orcs of the forest race are equated with the Orcish trackers.
Speculations[]
- The Forest Orcs may have been bred from enslaved Wood-Elves, after the breeding of the first and most ancient Orcs, and thus were a specialized breed.
- The tribal titles of Hora-Hai and Gimba Hai are sometimes applied respectively to the races of forest Orcs and Trackers.
Wood-Goblins of renown[]
- Dorglas
- Druleg