Grunta
Gruntas are a species of porcine predators creatures that originally came from Ghur, but race in large stampedes through all realms except Azyr.[1][4]
Appearance
They have matted fur, angry button eyes and razor-sharp tusks. [4]
Taming
There mounts are never truly tamed as the creatures are far too belligerent ever to accept a rider without a fight. When Ironjaw warclans pass through areas inhabited by these beasts, which are easily identifiable by the destruction they leave, hunters try to corner the beasts and hammer bits of iron onto the gruntas, driving the rivets in with their bare fists which act as a sign of ownership. This process also has the benefit of armouring the gruntas and slowing the beasts down just enough to make them possible to ride.[3][5]
War-sties
While gruntas are often corralled in small numbers by "grunt hunts", on the occasions when Ironjawz come across mass grunta migrations - which they believe are stirred up by Gorkamorka - any boys who want to ride a grunta (generally the very brave or reckless) go and construct a War-Sty. The orruks corral as many of the gruntas as possible by building walls of scrap, felling forests for log walls, or simply digging really big pits and then driving the herds into them. Once all the gruntas are packed in good and tight, the orruks rile them up by tossing in things like rocks, iron, and grots into the corral until the gruntas are good and angry, and then the aspiring riders jump in and try to mount up. When everyone still alive has a mount, the rest of the warclan throws open the corral gates and lets the herd loose. The enraged herd charges off, trampling everything in their path, and maybe some boys come back as Gore-Gruntas. Sometimes, a warclan builds a war-sty big enough that every orruk in the clan can mount up, and they ride across the realms in a great, snorting horde.[5]
Mounts
Gruntas are used by the Ironjawz warclans as mounts for Orruk Gore-Gruntas, to ride into battle. Those not hacked apart by their plate-clad riders are devoured by these mounts.[1][4]
Usage
In addition, Gruntas have such an extreme metabolism that they practically devour almost everything in their path. Their digestive system is robust enough to do this. They also devour fallen warriors and bite their way through heavy metal armor. But metals are one of the materials that they cannot digest effectively. Ironjawz have learned to use the precipitated raw metal for their armor and weapons, which they call Pig-iron.[3][4][5]
Bonesplitterz sometimes use Grunta teeth in their icons because the teeth still grow after being pulled out, showing the beast's strong spirit.[6]
Miniatures
A unit of Gruntas being ridden by Orruks.
A Grunta being ridden by an Orruk.
Sources
- 1: Grand Alliance of Destruction, pg. 18-19
- 2: Gore-Grunta warscroll
- 3: Gore-Grunta product description
- 4: Battletome: Orruk Warclans (2019) - Ironclad Hordes, pg. 30-31
- 5: Battletome: Ironjawz (2016) - Orruk Gore-Gruntas, pg. 54-55
- 6: Battletome: Bonesplitterz (2016) - Great War Bones, pg. 14-15
