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The Mar have fought the Drakes for resources for centuries, but even the wizards fear those rare times when the Drakes organize an invasion. To better understand why, read the book.

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Jabber guer

Jabber guer are bipedal reptiles that stand about six feet high. They have short, broad tails that allow them to maintain their balance. Their mouths have three rows of sharp teeth, and they regrow teeth throughout their lives much the way sharks do. Their lips and tongue are quite dextrous, allowing them to imitate a wide variety of sounds and pitches, including advanced speech. They have three-fingered hands with opposable thumbs, allowing them to create and use tools, which they do about as well as goblins. Each arm has a sharp, bony spike that extends just past the top of their hands but not longer than their fingers. Jabber guer clench their hands into fists and punch with this spike (the jabber from which this guer gets its name). Jabber guer have poor depth perception, but it is known that they have color vision. Their strong legs allow them to jump distances of up to fifty feet, if they have a running start. These legs have clawed feet that jabber guer use to knock down, stun, or kill prey as they land from such leaps.

They are carnivorous pack hunters that live far north of the Fens of Reur. It is believed they have built towns beyond the range even of mapmakers, hunting unknown large game in those areas. Little else is known about these guer except that they lay eggs. The Mar likely would never have encountered jabber guer were it not for the incursions of the Mass. Unlike most guer, jabber guer can roam beyond their own territory without suffering extreme hardship. The swamps south of the Fens of Reur might not be able to support communities of jabber guer in the long term, but they pose few problems for a few months at a time. Many scholars suspect the jabber guer are an important organizing force within the Mass. Certainly, they make up a significant part of Drake ranks.

(Introduction contributed by Nightfire Tradition)

Tactics

Unlike most races of guer, jabbers are dangerous even outside of their territory. They are famous as Drake shock troops during incursions by the Mass. In this capacity, they prefer to fight in the open using tactics that have clearly served them well as predators. A force of jabbers moves within a few yards of the enemy, and then the entire unit leaps over the heads of their enemies. As they land, the force knocks down or crushes many of their opponents, leaving the remaining warriors hopefully too shocked to fight back effectively. This tactic serves the jabbers extremely well against forces as large as a few hundred troops, where their leap does not result in the entire unit arriving with warriors flanking it on three sides.

Against legions, jabbers employ more conservative tactics of closing for melee. Even if you don't have legions at your disposal, there are ways to make the jabber leap less devastating. First, don't fight jabbers in the open. A stand of trees or a mass of underbrush between your army and theirs will reduce the number of jabbers that can attack from above at any given time. Second, if you must fight jabbers in the open, take the highest ground available. Jabbers can jump fifty feet forward, but the top of their arc is only about seven feet high — just out of arm's reach. Even a low rise can dramatically reduce the distance they can leap without falling over enemy warriors. Third, if you have time to prepare, fortify your position. A spear hedge will reduce the effectiveness of a jabber leap, but it won't counter it completely. Jabbers will seriously reconsider their approach if they face an army standing ready amid a forest of sharpened wooden posts and spears.

You likely will never face a lone jabber in combat. Mar are not the jabbers' favored prey, so a force of jabbers seldom has any reason to chase down a lone Mar. They keep the company of other Drakes that are better suited to that. Jabbers likewise seldom stray far from the rest of the unit, and probably no mundane warrior should fight more than one jabber at a time.

If you face a hostile jabber, strike it at range before it can move close enough to leap. As it closes, brace yourself for a charge, holding a spear ready to impale it if it makes a straight rush for you. Jabbers know that Mar know they can leap, so they will fall back on a charging attack, if given an opening. Faced with a ready opponent, a jabber warrior will usually leap for the first attack. Don't try to stand your ground. Even if you kill the jabber as it falls on you, its bulk might still severely injure or kill you. Get clear of its landing zone and ready yourself for melee. Fighting a jabber in melee is little different from a Mar warrior except you must be constantly ready to dive clear if it tries a leaping charge.

(Tactics contributed by Weard Girdag Langat)