INTRO - The Misty Isle
The mysterious, mist-bound isle of Albion is a dangerous place. On the one hand it is a land of endless opportunity, the battle-hungry eager to carve a niche for themselves into its hallowed ground. On the other it is a bleak expanse of moorland full of pitfalls for the unwary.
When the warriors of Albion go to war, it is as much a celebration to them as it is a battle to the death. Men and women covered in ceremonial tattoos and wielding swords and javelins, chariots with deadly scything blades, lumbering giants and powerful druids all strung out on their own battle-rage. War is their culture, and they love every minute of it. While others may think them a nation of primitive savages, there is a reason the island of Albion has never been conquered by the other nations of the Old World. To not give the Tribes of Albion the respect they deserve is the last thing you'll ever do.
LORE OF THE TRUTHSAYERS
Mists of Albion: The Druid breathes out some of the mystical mist that surrounds his enigmatic homeland and envelopes his compatriots, making them hard to target by the enemy. Has a range of 984 feet (300 meters), but can be extended to 3280 feet (1 kilometer).
Wings of Fate: The Truthsayer conjures a flock of enchanted birds to attack his enemies. The size of the flock depends on the amount of power poured into the spell upon summoning. After that they birds will attack anyone the Truthsayer can target (line of sight required).
Light of Battle: A chosen regiment of warriors is protected by a shimmering barrier that deflects enemy missiles and blows. This barrier deflects magical attacks and ranged missiles, and extends 50 meters (164 feet), but that range can be doubled with more magic.
Gift of Life: Dying warriors that are lying broken on the battlefield are granted a new chance, their bodies are healed of all wounds and their strength returned to them. Warriors that are close to death are rejuvenated by this powerful healing spell. All warriors in a 25 meter (82 feet) radius of the Truthsayer will have nearly all of their wounds healed, and their strength restored. It cannot affect those already dead, and it cannot fix broken equipment (such as smashed chariots or war machines, though it will heal their crew).
Blessing of Valor: The prayers of the Truthsayer are heeded in the heavens and his warriors are filled with the strength and speed of the gods of hunting and battle. This spell increases a warrior's physical strength and improves the aiming of those using missile weapons. Has a range of 50 meters (164 feet).
Boon of Courage: The warriors hear the commanding voice of the Truthsayer in their minds, calling upon their honor and bidding them to fight on, no matter how desperate their situation has become. With a range of 50 meters (164 feet), units affected by this spell will become unbreakable mentally, never fleeing no matter what horrors they see, regardless of mind altering substances or spells.
Voice of Command: Hearing the booming voice of the Truthsayer; an enemy regiment suddenly stops in its tracks, doubt filling their minds, hesitation paralyzing their limbs. With the same range as the above spell, the Truthsayer plants the seeds of doubt and fear into his enemies mind. Those with low willpower will be frozen in place with indecision or fear. Those with strong willpower though can throw off the spell's effects.
RECON
Albion warriors aren't really big on scouting or recon missions. Hunters can act as scouts, and Truthsayers can use magic to try and divine enemy movements, but the Albion troops as a whole don't sink much into it.
PRIMARY
Warbands
Mobility: 4
Training: 4
Max Range: Javelin
Preferred Range: Melee
For the fierce Gael barbarians, war is an integral part of life. When a peril threatens the sacred lands of Albion, every valid man grabs his weapon and joins his companions to defend the goddess Danu. Albion is usually in such a constant state of turmoil and upheaval that war is almost inevitable for all Gaels; whether defending his tribe against the Fimir or forced from his homeland by invading Norse, the tribal warrior is almost certain to get into some kind of trouble.
Warbands make up the standard infantry of Albion's tribes. These men and women hold land from the kings and chieftains of their tribes in lieu of military service. Although essentially farmers they have experience in warfare and make excellent fighters, only a foolish foe would underestimate their skill in arms.
Offense: Axes and Swords are the most common, with stabbing spears coming in at a strong third. Sometimes javelins are used, but usually thrown from a mid to close range distance. Clubs are also used, but are more rare.
Defense: Minimal: Leather, a metal belt wrapped around the torso. They will have a shield though, typically bronze or wood (or both). Some tribes specialize in fighting with shields specifically.
Special: Clannach: The warband leaders, called the Clannach, are handpicked by the nobles from the pool of warriors for their martial abilities. They are retained by the nobles, which allow them to focus all their energies in training in the arts of war. They disdain the use of armor, preferring heavy two-handed swords and axes to cut down swathes of enemy foes that dare to stand before the armies of the Goddess. These valiant warriors are the backbone of the Celt armies.
Special: War Fury: The warriors of Albion can work themselves up into such a state of rage that they are able to hit harder than usual and can shrug off attacks. However, once they come out of this state they are left weak and exhausted, so they have to finish their foes off before their anger fades.
Additional Factors:
-Little discipline.
-Large numbers.
-Each tribe has its own particular fighting style, giving rise to a variety of special abilities depending on which tribe the warrior hails from. Some are better with axes, some are better at wrestling, some can survive off the land better, etc. etc.
Woad Raiders
Mobility: 4
Training: 2
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
To die of old age or of disease, that is what the Gaels fear more than anything else in the world. These are shameful and almost unnatural ways to die according to their philosophy of life. To fall in combat is to them the most natural way to leave the realm of the living. This is why the most seasoned fighters always take more risks during confrontations. Cutting down the enemy ranks with their swords and spears, the Woad Raiders hope to find an adversary worthy of giving them a glorious death.
Offense: See Warbands, though they may have a weapon in each hand, disregarding any shield and increasing offensive potential.
Defense: None
Special: War Fury: See Warbands
Special: Drugs: Before taking the field the warriors discard their armor and attendants decorate their bodies with war paint and spike their hair up with lime. Druids then feed them a brew made from a special preparation of herbs and fungi mixed with honey. The brew imbibes the warriors with a sense of invincibility and they are filled with an all-consuming rage for the enemies of the Goddess. Mood altering drugs and pagan rituals usually play a part in their killing frenzy and, although potent, they can be impetuous and disorganized. The sight and smells of battle can make them lose their critical faculties and launch at the enemy regardless of strategy or consequences. When they let themselves be taken by this savagery the Gael warriors become like enraged beasts that only can be stopped by death. They don't care about their own lives anymore as they let an avalanche of blows fall onto their enemies. They are formidable foes on the battlefield, difficult to control but deadly once they close with the enemy.
Additional Factors:
-No regard for their own lives.
-Difficult to control, they are simply feed the drugs and pointed at the enemy.
Youngbloods
Mobility: 4
Training: 3
Max Range: Slings
Preferred Range: Melee
Apprentice warriors who are hoping to share in the glory and riches of their conquests are often sent out ahead of the main battle line to draw out enemy forces, before scuttling back to safety. Such troops are a nuisance that enemy commanders can ill afford to ignore, but are easily dispatched if caught by trained warriors. These missile troops are essential in battle. They are used for screening the deployment of the enemy, harassing them from afar and disrupting entrenched enemy positions.
Offense: Javelins, but more commonly they use slings. They grow to be quite skilled at these, able to bean a man between the eyes and crack his skull with the force. However, slings aren't viewed as manly or worthy weapons for warriors, so it can be a point of mockery to have great skill in such an 'unworthy' weapon. To make up for this imagined lack, Youngbloods train and become very deadly in melee combat, so that if they get caught in CQC, they can prove adequately deadly.
Defense: None
Special: Head Hurlers: Some Youngbloods use a different kind of missile: The Heads of fallen enemies! Dipped in lime, which both preserves the head and burns those it hits, the heads have a terrifying effect on enemy morale.
Special: War Fury: See Warbands
Additional Factors:
-Move ahead of the main army, and hassle the enemy.
-Witness Me! : Youngbloods are eager to prove themselves 'true' warriors, and this may make them act recklessly.
LINE-BREAKERS
Swordmaidens
Mobility: 4
Training: 6
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
The Gael society gives the same rights to men and women. The law of the tribe is neither stricter nor more lenient towards one or the other of the two sexes. It is traditional in Albion's society for females to hold honorary warrior positions. Many women among the Gaels are as fierce and hardy as the menfolk, and the women gain just as much respect as the men in combat. Among the warriors of Albion, women fight alongside their men and are some of the fiercest fighters, making up what they lack in strength with pure ferocity. The Swordmaidens form a caste of warriors that is extremely respected by all members of the clan.
Swordmaidens can be found everywhere there is blood to be shed and honor to be gained. Many spend their time in Bol-A-Hat, regarding it as their duty to defend the village at all costs. Others roam Albion, seeking out fell beasts to slay and mighty deeds to perform. The Swordmaiden goes adventuring to test herself against new foes, honing her already expert weapons skills to perfection. She may also wish to seek out other experts with the sword to see if they are willing to teach her any new tricks. Their skill with the blade can make them a powerful addition to any army.
Offense: Great Swords, and nothing else (in fact, they seem to actively hate the very idea of using any other weapon). They take very good care of their blades, decorating their pommels with precious stones.
Defense: None. They see the use of shields as cowardly, and they wear no armor. To a Swordmaiden, the only defense a true warriors needs is her own skill.
Special: War Fury: See Warband
Special: Variant: Réamhphósta: Many Swordmaidens are determined to join an all-women band of true Swordmaidens at the earliest opportunity. They forsake all male company, on and off the battlefield, coming to view men as inferior at war, and choosing to only associate with other Swordmaidens. These companies are lead by Réamhphósta, the most skilled warrior in that company. She leads her fellow swordmaidens into battle, decides where they will go, and who's cause they will fight for (If they need a cause at all). Should she die (either in battle or by having her position challenged) the next strongest in line takes her place.
Additional Factors:
-The Swordmaidens are chosen for their martial abilities from the ranks of warriors and upon entering service take a vow of celibacy. The Swordmaidens are often as well-trained and well-armed as the warriors of other tribes, learning advanced combat techniques with their preferred arms and coming from much the same military aristocratic background as Oathsworn.
-Swordmaidens will try anything once. Whether it's a quest, voyage, treasure-hunt, or divine mission. Swordmaidens enjoy the feeling that there is little or nothing they cannot achieve, and in many cases they may well be right, too.
Warriors of Danu
Mobility: 4 (5 in Spasm State)
Training: 6
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
Warped ones are a sub-race of humans, descended from ancient matings between powerful beast folk and humans. Over the thousands of years since the beast folk died out, their blood has run thinner and thinner in humanity, so that now only a small number of true warped ones are left. Almost all are born into one of the Tribes of the Earth Goddess, the four great northern tribes of Albion. Indeed, most of the ordinary members of the northern tribes have a little warped one blood flowing through their veins, though not enough that they might be considered a true warped one. The main difference between warped ones and ordinary humans is their ability to warp the Earth Power of the land through their bodies, causing them to swell and warp out of shape into monstrous new forms.
During their training among the clan's fighters, all young warriors learn above all to channel the energies to make the War Fury rise in him. The Gaels call this savagery "Fiann's Blood", referring to their goddess of war. Every year, during a ritual feast, the Priestesses of the Goddess select the warriors in which they have detected "Danu's Blood". The best warriors of all the Gael clans confront each other during this celebration organized in Danu's honor. Only those that are victorious in these trials are given the honor of being chosen by the Goddess and becoming Earth Lovers. This divine gift's power is such in these warriors, that the War Fury can make the Spasm of Fury appear in them, which is a state of murderous madness so extreme that the fighter's body undergoes incredible metamorphoses. These elite warriors are transformed by this symbolic union: consumed by Spasms of Fury, their bodies are torn and twisted and become true wild beasts animated by a pure spirit of vengeance.
Offense: Great Swords and Warhammers. During their spasms, they can wield these with one hand.
Defense: None, though during their spasms their muscles become so dense that they can take an axe blow like a champ.
Special: War Fury: See Warband
Special: Spasms of Fury: Channeling the power of the Earth, the Warriors of Danu undergo a terrifying metamorphosis. Their bodies swell and change, until they are something both more and less then human. In this state they can tear a man apart with their bare hands, survive wounds that would kill his fellows, and his mind is consumed in a frenzied state of hatred and bloodlust.
Additional Factors:
-Warriors of Danu are well known for their bad tempers and fixation on personal honor.
-Very Rare.
Sidhe
Mobility: 7
Training: 8
Max Range: 50 Meters
Preferred Range: Melee
The Sidhe are half-divine immortal creatures, elemental forces made flesh by the magic unleashed in a war between the Fimir and humans. Most of these creatures have adopted forms similar to those of the old Elves, allowing them to move around the surface of Albion. These ones are called Sidhe and they are proud and decadent.
Though the Sidhe are mostly reclusive and prone to keep to themselves, in times of need, a band of warriors might join up with the armies of Albion in battle. Unfazed by everything but the strongest of magic, the Sidhe are more than formidable opponents that makes their foes tremble in fear before cutting them down with their wicked, magical blades.
Offense: Magical blades, and the Sidhe are experts at using them, having had potentially centuries to train and build up their skill.
Defense: Heavy Armor. They are highly resistant to magic.
Special: Elemental Control: Sidhe have a connection to the elements, and can harness them in combat. The elements Earth, Water, Fire and Air (no word on if there's a Sidhe equivalent of the Avatar running around) can all be manipulated on the battlefield, usually with a range of around 50 meters (give or take depending on experience and power of the Sidhe in question). Of course, this power has greatly weakened over time, as the byproducts of Sidhe-human relationships lose more of their power with each generation.
Additional Factors:
-Rare overall, due to both Sidhe reclusiveness and low population.
-Sidhe are almost never afraid. They are, however, a bit arrogant.
-Endangered Species…? : The Sidhe are a declining race, and they have been forced to dilute their immortal bloodline by interbreeding with Gaels. This has swelled their numbers, but successive generations have less and less control over the elemental forces that make the Sidhe such a force to be reckoned with.
-Culture: The Sidhe are sophisticated by the standards of Albion, and have organized their communities along feudal lines ruled by an aristocratic elite since they were first awakened. Each of the great Sidhe houses corresponds to one of the elements of the world, and whilst they present a united front to external threats, internecine divisions rack them. Under the roof of the great houses there is a complex hierarchy of lesser barons, dukes, countesses and so on, each with their own household, personal army, and agenda for climbing the courtly hierarchy. Whilst it is very rare for Sidhe houses to go to war on one another, the tensions of their feudal society sometimes erupt into Sidhe against Sidhe violence; a state of affairs that can be ill afforded by an immortal people to whom no children are naturally born.
Centaurs
Mobility: 5
Training: 4
Max Range: Thrown Axe
Preferred Range: Melee
The terrifying children of the goddess Danu, the centaurs roam the plains of Albion at the sides of the Gaels. Ready to fight in the name of their ideals, they are the symbols of fierce and limitless freedom. According to Gael mythology, the Centaurs are the last beings, along with the Giants, to have been created by the goddess Danu. These half-human, half-horse creatures are among the most feared fighters of Albion. In spite of their imposing size, the Centaurs don't only rely on brute force. On the other hand, they handle their mighty axes with a remarkable dexterity, using them as projectile weapons as well as in hand-to-hand combat.
Offense: They are experts in axe combat, and can throw them for a ranged attack. They are physically strong, and quite skilled in CQC. They can also buck and trample people with their horse half.
Defense: Leather, thick muscles. Some have metal they've traded from others that they can use to fashion into a piecemeal armor.
Additional Factors:
-Aloof with other races and at odds even with their own kind, the centaurs are an old race only slowly coming to accept the modern world. While the majority of centaurs still live in tribes roaming vast plains or the fringes of eldritch forests, many have abandoned the isolationist ways of their ancestors to walk among the humans of Albion. Often such free-spirited centaurs are considered outcasts and are shunned by their own tribes, making the decision to leave a heavy one. In some rare cases, however, whole tribes under progressive leaders have come to trade or make alliances with humans or Elves. Many races remain wary of centaurs, though, largely due to legends of territorial beastmen and the regular, violent encounters the Centaurs have with stubborn settlers and expansionist factions.
Half-Giants
Mobility: 3
Training: 4
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
The Giants were the first living beings with which the Gaels established contact when they settled on Albion. Their relationship was at first that of conflict, as is told in Gael mythology. But today the Giants and the Gaels live on good terms with each other. The vast majority of Giants have even adopted the way of life and the customs of the Gaels.
Though the Half Giants are but a shadow compared to their larger cousins still roaming the plains, they are still much taller and stronger than a human. Despite their impressive muscles, these colossi may seem affable at first. They are far from being stupid, yet their moves are measured as if time flowed more slowly in their eyes. They are slightly handicapped by their relative slowness, but when they act in unison with their Gael brethren, their colossal strength causes great devastation.
Offense: Half Giants fight with a weapon in each hand, typically an axe or a club. Even without a weapon, they are strong enough that a punch can mulch bone and crack shields.
Defense: Leather, and some Half Giants have taken to making whole trees into large shields. Half Giants also possess muscles so thick that they can take for more damage then a human anyway.
Special: War Fury: See Warbands
Special: Sons of Ogmios: The very largest of the Half Giants call themselves the Sons of Ogmios, believing themselves to be the descendants of the legendary chief of the Ogmanans, a great Giant clan of old. Whether or not this is true has yet to be proven, and those that would try to debate the legitimacy of their claim are few in number, for fear of having their words met with an axe to the face.
Additional Factors:
-Origin Story? : The exact origins of the Half Giants (or halfbreeds as they are sometimes called) is not wholly known. Some say they are the offspring of a union between Gael and Giants, others that they are the result of continued inbreeding among the Giant clans for many thousands of years, yet others that the strong Winds of Magic on Albion have mutated men into these beings; while some claim their existence is a combination of all three theories.
-Half Giants don't move very fast.
RAPID RELIEF
Mobility: 4
Training: 4
Max Range: Bow and Arrow
Preferred Range: Melee
The Hunters form a separate caste within the clan. This is because of their dual role within the tribe. They are at once hunters and fighters and thus belong neither to the laborious class nor to the warrior class. However they do mainly make up a warrior elite of which the talents as scouts and as fighters have allowed numerous battles to be won.
The bow, once reserved for hunting, is now a weapon of war among the Gaels. Some of the warriors continue to regard it as a weapon of a coward. Others remember the pain of their brothers chopped up by volleys of bullets before the fighting began. The Gaels have the sense of honor, but they are resilient: only the living can worry about honor.
Offense: The Bow, which is used for both hunting and warfare, to the chagrin of some of the more traditional warriors. Hunters also have hunting knives.
Defense: None, though they may camouflage themselves to their natural surroundings as part of an ambush.
Special: War Fury: See Warband
Additional Factors:
-Can act as scouts.
-Can supply food to the main force by tracking down native plants and animals for consumption.
-Are fundamentally a separate caste within the rest of the Albion warriors. Some find their use of the bow a dishonorable method of combat.
-Excellent trackers.
Hunting Hounds
Mobility: 4
Training: 2
Max Range: Lunging
Preferred Range: Biting
The people of Albion are very close to nature, which is not surprising as the country's religion is nature dominant. Young warriors of Albion who display an affinity with animals are encouraged by the local druids to enter into the service of the hunters. These warriors are superlative trackers and hunters. They undergo instruction from the druids as part of their training and special bonds are created between them.
The tribes of Albion are noted for cross-breeding large and powerful mastiffs with wolves to create lethal wardogs. These have all the aggression and strength of wolves, but are capable of being trained and domesticated. Hunters often go into battle with their hounds; these dogs not only enhance their tracking skills but are formidable fighters too. Many a hunter owes his life to the tenacity and ferocity of their hound.
Offense: Teeth. They go for the hamstrings to bring their foes tumbling down.
Defense: None.
Additional Factors:
-In times of war these wolfhounds are deliberately starved before battle to make them all fiercer, before being gathered into slavering packs and are used to supplement the cavalry, screening attacks and harassing vulnerable enemy flanks. They are trained to target the hamstrings of their foes, making them quite a threat.
-Excellent trackers.
-Often paired with the hunters.
Mobility: 5
Training: 5
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
Wealthier warriors prefer to ride their steeds into battle. Clansmen Cavalry favor horses over the more common chariots as transport. This is due to the versatility of the horse when not on the roads of Albion, which do not extend far into the isle in any case, and also due to the sheer speed of a horse that is not too over-burdened by pulling a chariot.
These fulfill important strategic as well tactical roles on the battlefield. They offer great speed and maneuverability over foot soldiers and act as excellent flank troops. Combined with the ferocity of their warhorses they can also make shock troops towards weaker foes. These brave warriors ride down their enemies beneath the iron shod hooves of their sturdy mounts.
Offense: Swords and Axes, and a Spear.
Defense: Chainmail and Leather, sometimes a shield of wood with straps of iron or bronze.
Special: War Fury: See Warband
Additional Factors:
-Not very disciplined
-Excellent scouts or ambushers
-For Honor! For Glory! : Clansmen Cavalry are out to win fame for their martial prowess in the service of the Goddess. They live for adventuring, spending all their time fighting mighty monsters and tribal enemies to hone their already powerful combat skills to a lethal edge. It is rare indeed that they will turn down any opportunity to cover themselves in glory, however perilous the task.
-They will chase down fleeing adversaries and cut them down.
-Insanely Arrogant: Honestly believe they are the best of the best of the best. Even other warriors of Albion find them tiresome and annoying.
Chariots
Mobility: 5
Training: 5
Max Range: Javelin
Preferred Range: Charging over their enemies
Although most tribal warriors learn at least the basics of driving a chariot, the charioteer has no parallel in either his loyalty for his chosen warrior or his mastery of chariot battle tactics. Devoting his life to driving one warrior's chariot, the Charioteer soon becomes almost as feared and renowned as his passenger, even if the latter is a mighty hero. His expert control of his horses allows him to perform maneuvers with his chariot that seem impossible to onlookers, and he becomes adept at driving his chariot into the heart of a raging battle to rescue his chosen warrior from danger. As for his chariot scythes, they can reap a red ruin straight through a seething mass of enemy warriors. This staggering mastery of chariot driving is what has rendered the chariots of the tribes one of the most feared sights on any battlefield on Albion.
Offense: Scythes on the wheels slice apart all who get near. The horses will trample those who don't get out of the way. The Charioteer also keeps a bucket of javelins by his side, hurling them at those he cannot easily run over.
Defense: The Chariots are made of bronze and steel, the Charioteer may have some chainmail or leather, or he may have none at all. It varies.
Special: War Fury: See Warband
Additional Factors:
-Chariots usually ferry important people around the battlefield, such as leaders or heroes. If those people find themselves in a bit of a jam, the Charioteer will swoop in, run over whoever is giving them trouble, and cart them somewhere else.
-Charioteers often yell taunts of boasts from their vehicle, challenging their enemy to mortal combat.
-Albion chariots are lighter and more nimble then other chariots, granting greater speed but sacrificing durability.
-Charioteers take great pride in their work, both in maintaining their chariots, and their duty of carrying heroes and leaders into battle. They love getting the chance to brag about their deeds and occupation.
Mobility: 7
Training: 3
Max Range: Line of Sight
Preferred Range: Just out of reach
On a magical land such as Albion fey creatures thrive. Perhaps the best-known and most elusive of all fey creatures, Pixies live in the deepest, most pristine forests, swamps and marshes on Albion, but their insatiable curiosity often leads them far from home. They scavenge off the tribes as an efficient way of living and love nothing more than to irritate humans. Such nuisances are often nothing more than that - nuisances. Pixies tend to blow out candles, feed the fire of a soup cauldron until the soup starts boiling over or waking up toddlers in the middle of the night. Fortunately, their nasty tricks rarely seriously harm anyone. Like many other scavengers they are malicious and childish, though they display a fair degree of intelligence which has emerged since the coming of chaos. Most Pixies stand just over five inches tall; though they typically fly about the eye level of creatures they're conversing with in order to maintain eye contact. Pixies talk quickly and easily become overexcited.
Offense: Pixies are rarely much a threat in actual combat. Though some may carry blades, they tend to be the size of matchsticks. Unless you get stuck in the eye, they're more annoying (though painful) then harmful. Still, a swarm of them could potentially take down a full grown man. However, open combat isn't really a Pixies' style. They prefer to trick and play. See Special for more.
Defense: Flight. Their small size makes them difficult to target. And as fae beings, they can become ethereal, only vulnerable to magic.
Special: Befuddling Glamour / Pixie Dust: Pixies spread a magical dust around them as they move, which befuddles those that look at them. Those who look upon the Pixies will soon be placed under a Glamour (unless their willpower is strong enough to fight it off). Those that fail to fight it will soon find themselves transfixed and stupid. They'll bumble around as though drunk, trying to reach and hold the light. They'll take no notice of anything around them, even as the warriors of Albion cut them down.
Additional Factors:
-Pixies can track and home in on a creatures magical signature.
-Pixies are magical beings who mostly keep to themselves, but in times of dire needs will gather together and follow the armies of Albion under the guidance of the Truthsayers. One of the most marvelous spectacles a mortal can witness in the Old World is the Pixies' gathering for war. Hundreds if not thousands of the little creatures join together, following the magical call of a faraway Truthsayer and scurry along paths unseen to others towards their goal. Such a mass of magical creatures brings with it also a great amount of magical energy. Thus all the little beings and the paths they've taken shine bright of magic, whether it's night or day do not matter. Sparkling in indefinite colors, the spectacle is a truly awesome sight to behold. Man and beast alike are befuddled by this rare display of raw magic and stop their chores and whatever they were after.
SHOCK & AWE
Fenbeasts
Mobility: 2
Training: 2
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
Fenbeasts are magical constructs, formed from the mud and detritus of the marshes and animated by the mystic arts. They are incredibly strong, for Fenbeasts draw their power from the ground beneath their shambling feet. Fenbeasts are not living creatures in any true sense and, as such, do not feel pain and have no concept of fear. So hardy is a Fenbeast that is can withstand the strike from a cannonball, reforming its sodden flesh around the wound and even regrowing limbs, should the need arise. With the proper ritual, a strong enough will, and a lot of magical power, a Truthsayer can summon and bind a Fenbeast from one of Albion's many marshes and send it lumbering into battle.
Offense: Massive limbs and incredibly strength, the Fenbeast can swat a man like a fly, shattering limbs with no real effort.
Defense: No armor, but the creature doesn't really need it. It's limbs are thick, but made of swamp materials. Swords and arrows sink into its muddy body, or else pass through it entirely. Any real damage (such as a cannonball), can be undone in a matter of moments.
Special: Rotweed Flies: Vicious flies that live in the swamp, they will continue to live and thrive even as those material shift to form a Fenbeast. When the creature is attacked, the Flies will hone in on the attacker and swarm them. The attacker will find themselves surrounded by a buzzing, biting cloud of insects.
Touch of the Grave: Fenbeasts leech the life out of the area around them. Plants wither and trees rot at their passing. Those fighting them feel an unnatural chill, and while they don't stop regeneration, it does seem to slow in their presence. Wizards that use the Lore of Life will find that, whenever they cast a spell, the Fenbeast grows stronger as it feeds off the parts of that wind of magic.
Additional Factors:
-Fenbeasts are powerful, but there is a reason why they don't see wide use. They require a lot of magic to summon, and must be constantly maintained. If deprived of magic, even for a short while, the Fenbeast will soon begin to loose consistency, crumbling into mud and rot.
-Bloodmarsh: Fenbeasts made from this particular marsh are much wilder, more frenzied opponents.
-Fenbeasts are not very smart, and are typically uncreative opponents.
Stone Thrower
Mobility: 2
Training: 3
Max Range: Artillery
Preferred Range: Artillery
The Gaels invented these towering stone throwing machines based on enemy siege engines during the Dark Shadows. These mighty engines of war launch enormous granite boulders over great distances to cut crimson swathes through enemy ranks crushing and dashing all in their path.
Offense: Granite Boulders
Defense: They are made from sturdy wood.
Additional Factors:
-Slow to fire
-Due to the Albion warriors' preference for melee combat, these don't see regular use.
Mastodon
Mobility: 3
Training: 2 (Mastodon), 4 (Crew)
Max Range: Melee (Mastodon), Javelin (Crew)
Preferred Range: ^^
The mighty and ferocious Mastodons are native to the lands of the Gaels. Their massive tusks rend and their jaws crush and tear the foes of the Goddess. They are fed a mix of crushed berries and herbs before battle that maddens them and numbs them against the weapon cuts of the enemy. On their backs they support wooden towers, faced with bronze and edged with iron, that carry a clutch of warriors that hurl down a rain of javelins onto their foes below.
Offense: Horns and Teeth for the Mastodon, Javelins for the crew
Defense: Thick scales and a numbed sense of pain for the Mastodon, the Howdah on its back is wood faced with bronze and edged with iron.
Additional Factors:
-The sight of this creature terrifies those not used to seeing monsters like it.
-Mastodons are highly stubborn, and cannot be frightened or panicked.
-The Mastodon is slow to build up speed, but when it manages it, it has a devastating charge.
Giants
Mobility: 2
Training: 2
Max Range: Artillery (Thrown Boulders)
Preferred Range: Melee
The Druids of Albion say that the race of mighty Giants that inhabit their island were put there by the Old Ones to guard the island from intruders. Whether this is true, who can say? Yet the Giants prowl the rugged coasts to this day. They wander along the fog shrouded cliffs and hurl boulders down onto hapless ships which come too close to the shore, taking a childlike joy in watching them splinter into matchsticks and the doomed crew struggling in the fierce waves. The Druids have a strange power over the Giants and have used this power to a variety of effects. They have gotten them to construct huge rings of stone that measure the movements of the sun, moon and stars; and they have goaded them int battle, where their strength can easily lay waste to entire regiments of men.
Offense: Giants are incredibly strong, able to pull entire trees out of the ground and swing them about as clubs (the club, it should be noted, is the Giants' most common weapon). They can also hurl boulders into enemy ranks. Giants will also punch, stomp on (smaller enemies), or headbutt (larger enemies) their enemies. Against smaller foes, they may pick them up, either stuffing them into their bags (along with cows, sheep, and other things the giant likes), swallow them whole, hurl them into the enemies friends, or outright squash them.
Defense: Pure size
Additional Factors:
-Clumsy: Giants are ungainly and frequently befuddled. As a consequence, they often fall over themselves. This is often more deadly for those around them then the giant.
-Yell and Bawl: Giants, when faced with an enemy of comparable size to themselves, will yell, bawl, roar and shout at the enemy. This is rather unpleasant for all involved, as Giants are deafeningly loud and almost always have poor oral hygiene.
SPECIALIST SUPPORT
Warleaders
Mobility: 4 (2 if with Shieldbearers)
Training: 7
Max Range: Varies (Usually Melee)
Preferred Range: Melee
The warleaders of Albion are ferocious men indeed, their whole lives being devoted to fighting and war. They are selected by each clan by means of "the strongest shall rule" which decrees that to lead your people, you must be the most competent fighter in the clan. They are out to win fame for the martial prowess in the service of the Goddess, and to lead the warriors of Albion to battle.
The leaders of the Gaels are often impressive individuals capable of boosting the prowess of other troops on the battlefield who look to them for guidance. One way they can do this is to bellow one of the war calls of their tribe or kingdom, causing all Gaels within earshot to fight with great vigor and conviction.
Offense: Any weapon they want, but whatever weapon it is, they will be better with it then any other fighter in the tribe.
Defense: Whatever they want, though typically they get a shield with the tribe's emblem on it.
Special: Shieldbearers: Some Warleaders go to battle carried aloft by two warriors charged with protecting them with their lives.
Special: War Fury: See Warbands
Special: War Cry: See Description
Additional Factors:
-The most deserving warriors or those of high lineage are given the privilege of bearing the tribe's emblem on the battlefield. These signs are usually in the form of stone or wooden totems sculptured and decorated with sacred symbols. Their totems are most often effigies of Fiann, the war goddess of the Gaels. But it happens that these emblems honor the other faces of Danu personified by his daughters, meaning Fertility and Death.
Truthsayers
Mobility: 4
Training: 7
Max Range: Battlefield
Preferred Range: Battlefield
Of all the mysteries of Albion perhaps the greatest is the purpose of the enigmatic figures known as Truthsayers. Known as the true druids by the people of Albion, when the Old ones still walked the Earth they selected a few of the most promising of men and taught them many arcane secrets, with the intention that they pass these on and guide mankind to enlightenment. After the disappearance of the Old Ones they have bound chaos to the North with the Ogham stones. During the deterioration the Truthsayers continued to remain in seclusion passing on their secrets in isolation. But with the advent of the Dark Shadows they have been forced to take a more active role, guiding their most reliable allies in both the defense of Albion and the oppression of chaos marching to war with their fellow inhabitants of Albion.
Truthsayers are strange people, red haired, muscular individuals with spiraling blue tattoos and their mystical rods of command, inscribed with ogham signs. They are able and skilled magic users that try to protect the artifacts of the Old Ones. Sometimes they utilize the Giants to move some of the large and heavy Ogham Stones following their visions of fulfilling the great plan of the Old Ones.
Offense: Rod of Command, a wooden staff that is inscribed with mystical symbols. Not only does it act as a melee weapon, it is durable enough to deflect swords and magical blasts.
Truthsayers are able to use spells from the Lore of the Truthsayers, as well as the lore from either Life or Beasts.
Defense: Magical Shields
Special: Shapeshift: Experienced Truthsayers are able to change their shape to that of any animal. They can take the form of a hawk and fly through the air, or a mighty bear and tear into their enemies with tooth and claw. The oldest and most experienced Truthsayers can even take the form of mighty dragons!
Special: War Fury: See Warband
Additional Factors:
-Truthsayers are naturally reclusive and rarely trust humans. They only emerge to commune with other Truthsayers or when a great threat endangers either Albion or the World at Large.
-Truthsayers are enemies to Chaos and all their agents, and they are quite skilled at sussing out those who have allied with them.
Oathsworm
Mobility: 4
Training: 6
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
Oathsworn are the military aristocracy of Albion. Unlike tribal warriors, they tend to have no profession or skill that is not directly related to war. Every tribe maintains a core of Oathsworn to lead everything from war parties to cattle raids. All Oathsworn are accorded special respect wherever they go, if not for their honor then at least for fear of their quick tempers and deadly fighting prowess.
The Oathsworn's main duty is the defense of Albion. Unlike the ordinary tribal warriors, they can rarely be found on cattle raids into their rival's territories. It is felt that protecting the land and its people from the raids of other tribes, the attacks of the Fimir, and the plundering of the Norse, is far more important than showing off one's supposed valor by stealing a few cows.
Offense: They are given the best weapons in the tribe, and they are trained to use them better then just about anyone.
Defense: The best armor available if they want it.
Special: War Fury: See Warband
Additional Factors:
-Every Chieftain of Albion has a personal guard made up of Oathsworn.
-One is not born an Oathsworn. Such a title is determined by skill alone. If you are an expert with a sword and axe, you may very well qualify for Oathsworn training. Once made an Oathsworn, regardless of your origins, you are regarded with as much respect as the King.
-Due to the amount of respect and praise heaped upon them, Oathsworn tend to be arrogant, and see themselves above the other tribal warriors.
-Oathsworn are all somewhat superstitious, even if not actively religious.
Druid Neophytes
Mobility: 4
Training: 6
Max Range: Battlefield
Preferred Range: Behind the lines
There is no fixed structure to enrolling as an apprentice druid. Neophytes are chosen from among the brightest of Albion's children to learn the secret ways of the Druid, although being a long way from being an accomplished druid, these men have started to master the mystical ways and the battle field is as good a place as any to hone their skills. Many druids are chosen when they show aptitude for the role as a child, though more join as adults, some because they seek wisdom, others because the path of the druid is one of high status and privilege. It takes around twenty years to become a fully-fledged druid and is a long and hard apprenticeship.
Druid Neophytes are sent to the Great Ogham for appraisal by the heads of the druidic order. Many return having only had a brief audience. There are a few, however, that stays and undergoes the secret instructions in rituals and the mysteries. Little is known of what rites take place since no one speaks of what goes on in those sacred myrtle groves. Druids are sworn to secrecy on pain of some terrible forfeit, worse than death itself some say.
Offense: Sickle Swords. They are also adapt at some spells from the Lore of Life, particularly 'Earth Blood' (a minor regeneration spell from themselves and those near them), 'Flesh to Stone' (a spell that hardens the skin of a friendly unit and makes them much more durable), and 'Shield of Thorns' (a defensive spell that manifests a wall of thorns).
Defense: Large wooden shields with iron bands and some magic.
Special: War Fury: See Warbands
Special: Druidic Rites: The presence of the Druids and their chanting greatly increases the morale of Albion's troops. They are much less likely to flee from the enemy, and are better able to resist psychological attacks.
Additional Factors:
-Druids are prominent members of Albion society. To murder one is a crime of unimaginable evil, and even striking one is absolute anathema to commoners and nobles alike.
-What does a Druid Do?: The druids train the bards, who tell colorful and vibrant tales of valiant heroes and great deeds, and they keep alive the souls of men, adhering to the practices of the Goddess, and to look over them with rites and customs to ensure their re-birth and final journey in the afterlife to Magh Melld, the delightful plain and the land of the righteous dead. They breathe life into the land helping the people overcome the hardships of life with their knowledge, carefully handed down for generations.
-Despite carrying swords into battle, Druids aren't that great at CQC.
HEROES & LEADERS
Mobility: 4 (5 in Chariot)
Training: 6
Max Range: Javelin
Preferred Range: Melee
Gwenlaen is hailed as the greatest warrior of her age, her tousled red hair frames her countenance like a lion's mane and her cold grey eyes are sharp and piercing. Gwenlaen is a direct descendant of Lahmfada, the first Sun King who came down to Albion with the Goddess Danu to reclaim her kingdom for her. As High Queen, Gwenlaen is charged with this same task.
In battle, she is a true force to be reckoned with, slaying her foes with no pardon or mercy. She always seeks to find a worthy opponent to battle, but so far, she is undefeated. It is under her leadership the armies of Albion will go to war, and with the blessing of Danu, she will prevail.
Gwenlaen often rides a chariot of polished bronze and bright steel, with cruel curving scythes that can cut down several men to each side. The carriage is drawn by two mighty steeds, a grey mare named Macha and a black one named Saingliu. On the front of the chariot hangs the skull of a large stag, killed by the queen on the inaugural wild hunt, and the heads of her defeated foes hang from banner poles on either side. Many times she has led an army through the gates of Bol-A-Hat to make war on the enemies of the Goddess.
Gwenlaen's presence on the battlefield inspires her troops to greater glory. She emanates confidence and has a clear head in the heat of battle allowing her to command and direct her troops with incredible effect.
Gwenlaen has a healthy fighting spirit and has demonstrated a keen sense of battle awareness and an ability to effectively devise and execute actions on the field. Sure of her strength and her talents as a fighter Gwenlaen truly deserves her nickname as Warrior Queen. Cold and inaccessible, she fancies herself in Lahmfada's image and is ready to make others give her the respect that is up to her pretensions. She leads her tribe's female warriors as well as males, and rare are those that dare question her authority.
Offense: She rides a chariot, described in the Description. Besides the magical weapon described below, she also carries a spear for stabbing and occasionally throwing.
Sword of Ogma: A relic of the Sun King, the Sword of Ogma was used to 'guide the passage of the invisible sun'. It contains the very essence of battle within it.
A magical weapon, the Sword increases Gwenlaen's strength and speed, and can affect even immaterial foes.
Defense: The Black Shield: The shield contains the very essence of darkness, clouding the view of anyone who tries to target the bearer.
A magical shield, it is very difficult to target Gwenlaen (by either shooting, melee or magic).
Special: Torc of Protection: A talisman worn around the neck, this torc grants the wearer invulnerability, but only for a short while.
By speaking the magic word, Gwenlaen cannot be harmed by any spell, arrow or blade for five minutes. It's basically the Mario Star of items. However, after it's use, the Torc is drained for 24 hours.
Additional Factors:
-Warrior Queen: So inspiring is her presence that friendly warriors around her can rally and resist attempts to sway their minds.
Dural Durak - Leader of the Council
Mobility: 4
Training: 8
Max Range: Battlefield
Preferred Range: ^^
Dural Durak is the High Druid of Albion, the highest position an aspiring Druid can hope to achieve. He is the leader of the Council of Druids, protecting the Bastion of the Old Ones and the whole of Albion. Dural Durak often acts as a councilor between the tribes and he even travels across the sea to far-away nations, to speak for Albion. He is the wisest man in Albion, said to be able to see into the future. He is a close friend and confidant of queen Gwelaen, as he was with the predecessor of the current queen, as well as with the military leaders of Albion dating back a few generations.
Dural has been High Druid for as long as anyone can remember, blessing babies, entombing old kings and ordaining new, divining geases, initiating warriors, and generally being Albion's spiritual leader. Dural is fully versatile in potion and herb lore and can read and write Ogham fluently. He is well respected among the tribes and the inhabitants of Albion take great efforts to seek him out and ask for advice. Although he can be secretive and puzzling at times, no one takes this as an offense - as far as Dural is concerned, he is the supreme authority of the land, over and above even the queen. In practice, he does not always assert this authority, preferring to let his Queen make her own mistakes.
Dural has traveled to many places and battled foes beyond number during his long life. Before being elected to become the current High Druid, which occurred at a time when the grandfathers of this generation's grandfathers were mere infants, Dural served Albion as a simple Truthsayer, one among many. It was this determination in his younger years, the will to purge the Forces of Darkness from the world, and to aid the Forces of Light wherever he could, which brought him into the Council of the Druids. During the Dark Shadows, he was appointed Leader of the Council, giving the Truthsayers the strong leader they needed to rally behind. He was the one who defeated the Dark Emissary Kh'nar, who led the Forces of Order to victory on the Plain of Battles, whose magic brought down the Daemons of the Dark Master, and whom managed to balance the Winds of Magic on Albion in the aftermath of the Dark Shadows. Dural has watched with ever-vigilant eyes over Albion since then, protecting it from any harm and when possible, turning his attention towards the nations across the sea and aiding his allies among the other races and peoples.
Offense: Dural Durak is a powerful wizard, able to use spell from the lores of Life, Beasts, and Truthsayers. He is an expert at casting spells, and highly unlikely to miscast.
The Heartwood Staff: This staff is passed down from the old High Druid to the new one on his retirement or death. This simple staff of oak allows the druid to draw upon the natural energies of the world around them.
By simply holding this staff Dural gains even greater magical power, and his spells are cast with greater ease. This effect doubles if he is in or near the woods.
Defense: Magical Shields
The Triskele: The magical symbol of the Truthsayer's calling, this protective amulet also focuses positive energies onto Truthsayers, protecting them from harm.
This tradesman surrounds Dural in a powerful magical forcefield, and grants him a medium strength magical resistance beyond that.
Special: War Fury: See Warband
Additional Factors:
-High Druid: All other druids look to Dural as their leader, and most people in Albion, the Queen included, look to him for counsel.
Morrigan - The Phantom Queen
Mobility: 7
Training: 9
Max Range: Battlefield
Preferred Range: Battlefield
No one knows the origin of this mysterious individual, known only as "Morrigan". Some Gaels says she is the Goddess of War, or at the very least the essence of it, whereas others says she was once a beautiful maiden who died a violent death, whose spirit still clings to life. Some even worship her as a god, hoping to be made mighty in war, either personally or by being given great armies to command. Adding to the superstition that Morrigan might be some kind of god like creature is the fact, that she seems to reside somewhere within the Beast Peaks - a place on Albion which signifies the connection of the mortal world with that of the gods above.
Another person who might know something about her is Dural Durak but every time Morrigan is mentioned while him being within earshot, he turns either uncommonly aggressive or more introverted than usual. Some people and even some fellow druids interpret his wits concerning this topic differently. Rumors range from him having an affair with her or that they once were even very close to each other and that he didn't get over her new calling.
Others claim that they are sworn enemies, always competing who of them both might be the greater magic wielder. Dural himself won't say a word on these rumors but he can be seen from time to time wandering into the Beast Peaks, with an almost insane sparkle in his eyes. Whenever he returns after such ventures he is either even more absent than usual or has an air about him of newly gained wisdom. Whether this might have something to do with Morrigan remains an open question no one among the people of Albion dares to ask their High Druid.
Whatever this Morrigan might be, she appears as a fierce woman, or as a monstrous raven, or as some combination of the two. She can be seen above every great battlefield, in the form of the carrion birds who watch such places hopefully. When appearing on the field of battle, she soars high in the air, borne aloft on the black wings of the raven, able to summon her children to do her bidding and claw out the eyes of her foes. She is seen as an omen of war by the tribes of Albion, raising the spirits of nearby troops, while inspiring fear into the hearts of their enemies.
Morrigan never stays long after a battle, oftentimes wandering around the fallen. As no one dares to approach her while she walks around the field of battle, her purpose there is an unsolved mystery too. Some claim that she is in search for some artifact, although no one can give a clue to what kind of artifact that might be and what powers it houses. The majority of the warriors have settled with the explanation that she prepares the fallen spirits on their journey to the gods. She then leaves the battlefield, soaring high into the air on her raven wings, accompanied by her numerous crows. This is always a moment of deep reverence, for it represents to the warriors of Albion the guiding of the fallen to their gods, with each of the crows carrying the spirit of a fallen warrior.
Offense: The Morrigan is a mid level wizard in the lores of Beasts, Shadows, and Death. Her most frequent spell is the Flock of Doom spell from the Lore of Beasts. She is able to summon a murder of crows with ease, to the point where she can practically darken the skies with them.
The Morrigan can take the form of a giant crow, and attack with a large beak and claws, or buffet people about with the wind from her wings. Even in her human form, she still has razor sharp claws. These all count as magical attacks.
Defense: The Morrigan has the power of flight, and is a semi-ethereal being. It cannot be harmed by non-magical weapon. She can also use magic to defend herself. She can also turn into a swarm of crows.
Additional Factors:
-Omen of War: All Albion units near her, especially those in the midst of a War Fury, find their strength increased. Her mere presence is enough to invoke fear in the hearts of the enemy, especially enemy generals. Enemies must muster their willpower or be overcome by fear.
Cormac Chath - Hero of Albion
Mobility: 4
Training: 7
Max Range: Battlefield (War Cry)
Preferred Range: Melee
Cormac Chath is the Champion of the Sessair, and a sworn defender of the people. He serves Queen Gwenlaen in her war against the Old World invaders. He loves battles, especially if he gets a chance to use his battle cry, for he loves to see his foes fleeing the field in terror. When fighting, he gives himself wholly to the divine rage that emanates from him like an invincible aura of hatred. Peace is anathema to him; he lives only to kill as many enemies as he can - only the Truthsayers are able to temporarily appease his murderous rage.
Off the battlefield, he can be cautious, even somewhat timid at times. Although a very commanding leader if he let himself be, he fears responsibility and dislikes decision-making. In many respects this is a strength of his, since he recognizes that he is not really clever or sensible enough to be a good king.
Cormac is one of the fiercest warriors of Albion. Many tales are told of his deeds in battle, and almost as many of his extraordinarily irascible nature. He is widely regarded as the most quarrelsome of Oathsworn, if not the most quarrelsome of all warriors. He has slain hundreds of foes in battle, and hundreds more for looking at him disrespectfully, or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He can be seen on the battlefield wading through the ranks of the enemy with his great two-handed sword splintering and crushing the bones of the enemy with graceful ease. Woe to any foe that stands in his way.
Offense: Caladbolg Claymore: This two-handed sword makes a circle like an arc of rainbow when swung, and has the power to cut the tops of hills and slaughter entire hosts. It was granted to Cormac Chath by the king of his house after he successfully defeated a Dark Elf raiding force preying upon the villages of the coast.
A magical weapon, this weapon triples Cormac's strength, and does three times the damage an attack would normally do.
Defense: Mail of Morrigan: Said to have belonged to the Goddess of war, Morrigan, the Mail gives the wearer considerable protection in battle.
As magical armor, it grants Cormac a potent defense against most magical attacks, and is more solid then most heavy armor, despite being no heavier then chainmail.
Special: Seal of Chath: A powerful talisman from the House of Chath, the Seal makes anyone who wears it highly resistant to any damage.
Enemies find their attempts to hit Cormac suffer slightly. Attacks are also just off, just barely missing their targets.
Special: War Fury: See Warband
Special: War Cry: Cormac's War Cry is louder and more violent then any warrior in all of Albion. Enemies of his that hear it find the seed of fear planted in their heart, while those who ally with that great land are whipped into an even greater frenzy. Cormac loves his War Cry, and never misses an opportunity to belt it out.
Additional Factors:
-Hero of Albion: A fierce opponent, the deeds of Cormac Chath deeply inspires the warriors around him.
-Cormac's War Fury is so strong, that it is difficult for him to rise from it. A Truthsayer is required to settle his anger after a battle, lest he continue to fight until he finally drops.
Connor McFeud - The Highlander
Mobility: 4
Training: 7
Max Range: Melee
Preferred Range: Melee
Conor Mac Feud fancies himself the best swordsman in all of Albion, and his foes have so far been unable to argue the validity of his words. He often travels high up in Beast Peaks seeking worthy foes to slay, giving him the moniker "the Highlander". He lives only for battle and to prove himself beyond and above any mortal in combat.
Yet it was not always thus; in his younger years, Conor was a happily married man, until one day when a Fimir war party raided his village and captured his wife while he was out hunting with some of the village's greatest fighters. Enraged, he set out after the Fimir himself, never stopping to rest, until he found them. Conor let upon the foe with a bestial howl, cutting down a dozen Fimir before their leader showed up. Conor challenged the foul creature to a duel where he decapitated the Fimir leader with a single strike, causing the remainder of the Fimir war party to flee in panic without their prisoners.
Almost passing out from overexertion, Conor searched the camp for his wife. And found her he did, but it was too late; the Fimir has already ravaged the poor woman, leaving her for dead. Conor held her in his arms, letting out an agonizing cry. He swore revenge for her death and cursed the vile Fimir.
After his wife's burial, Conor was never the same again. He became a loner, spending more and more time by himself, until Conor one day left the village to go his own way. His thoughts were only those of vengeance, and he sought to get it by killing anyone or anything in his way.
Calling out to the strongest of opponents, he wades through the enemy lines, focused only on the challenge of one on one combat, where he can prove himself in the eyes of his Goddess as the sole worthy fighter on Albion. As he says himself, "there can only be one".
Offense: Great Fury: The sword of Conor's father, only used in adventures that were matters of life and death. It is said that Great Fury left no stroke or attack unfinished.
A magical weapon, Conor is highly skilled in fighting with this weapon. It can pierce any armor, and can kill immaterial foes.
Defense: None
Special: War Fury: See Warband
Special: War Cry: Conor can issue a powerful war cry that inspires those near him. Not as good as Cormac's, but still respectable.
Additional Factors:
-There Can Be Only One!: Conor will issue many challenges in battle, to anyone who looks like he might offer a bit of a challenge. He will also accept any challenge given to him.
-Conor has a strong hatred for Fimir. If they are anywhere near the battlefield, they will be his first target.
Amanthas - The Huntress
Mobility: 4
Training: 7
Max Range: Sniper
Preferred Range: Sniper
Amanthas is a reclusive woman, preferring the vastness of the land to the company of other people. However, this wasn't always the case. Amanthas was a very joyful child, always the focus of attention and beloved by her whole tribe, which was a part of the Falianss. The people claimed that she was favored by the gods, chosen for great deeds in the future. Part of that claim is true today: Amanthas is renowned throughout all of Albion for her tracking skills and the proficiency with her bow. No man on the isle can match her ranger skills yet it is not a fate she chose on her own.
Years ago, when Amanthas was only weeks away from being regarded as a full-grown member of her tribe and thus being granted the right to marry, her village was ambushed by a Dark Elf raid during the night. Her father hid her together with her mother and the other children of the village, before venturing out into the night to face the intruders. Unfortunately, the Dark Elves found the hiding place and dragged the children and Amanthas' mother outside. Miraculously, the foreign warriors overlooked her in her hiding place. Unable to escape, she was forced to watch the cruel Dark Elves toying with her mother and friends, torturing them and denying them a quick death. They then ventured further into the land of Albion, in search for more slaves and torture victims. That was the turning point in Amanthas' life. It took days until she managed to shake off the shock. Coming out of her hiding place, she gathered all equipment she deemed useful and necessary for her oncoming task, and set off after the Dark Elf party, neither looking back nor burying her tribe members, for she was unable to look at her tortured relatives without the dark memories being summoned in her mind.
As a member of the Falians, Amanthas was already skilled in reading tracks and hunting, and over the past weeks, during when she followed the Dark Elves' trails, she honed her skills even further. Eventually, after following the trail of devastation, she came upon the hated intruders. Like she was taught by her father, and following the Falians creed for stealth and ambush tactics, she slowly started to thin out the Dark Elf raiding party. The Druchii lost members to traps, stumbled into marshes by being fooled by faulty signs, and some of them just disappeared when no one was looking. Eventually their morale was so low that they decided to return to their ship and abandon this clearly cursed journey. However, it was just on the way back the unseen threats grew even greater, and none of them returned to their ship alive.
Amanthas is a fierce and proud warrior, but she is also highly intelligent and inventive. Across the misty hills and fells of Albion she sits on her haunches, watching the flight of the birds over the crags. She cures her own hides, wearing skins of animals she has trapped, fashions her own flint arrowheads and fletches her arrows with eagle feathers. Around her neck she wears necklaces of bones and feathers, and spirit bundles. Amanthas has little time for gods and goddesses, honoring instead the spirits of the animals she hunts, and the landscape in which she lives.
Offense: Bow of the Sidhe: Amanthas took this bow from the slain Dark Elf raiding party she pursued. Apparently loot from a previous raid, this bow is a potent weapon indeed.
A magical long bow, Amanthas is a sniper with this weapon, able to pick off the enemy from such a great distance that she isn't even visible from the enemy's position.
Defense: Animal skins, and being very far away from the enemy.
Special: War Fury: See Warbands.
Additional Factors:
-Amanthas has a great hatred for the Dark Elf people. If the enemy army has any, she will target them first.
-Master of the Hunt: Amanthas has learned the ways of the hunt and is one of the most accomplished in Albion at stalking her prey.
-Amanthas is a master of setting traps and stealth, and was able to pick off much of a Dark Elf raiding party without them ever finding her.
ARMY X-FACTORS
Morale: 90: The culture is based entirely around war and dying honorably in battle. The more violent the battle, the better.
Logistics: 55: They can cultivate the land (it's what they do when they're not fighting), and they can last awhile without steady supplies.
Espionage: 10: They have hunters and trackers, but that's mostly so they can find out where the enemy is and then go there to fight them.
Discipline: 20: With a tendency to go into War Furies and just savagely attacking everything that's not them, they have just enough discipline to get to the battle, and that's about it.
Army Intimidation: 50: Some strange units like Giants or Mastadons, and some magic as well, but for the most part they're just humans. Barbaric humans, but still just humans.
Reinforcement Rate: High: Every man, woman, and child in Albion is given at least some training, and all are ready to go to war.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
-Politics among the Gael people: Each of the four tribes has its own King. The King is almost always chosen by druidic divination - the favored method being divination by entrails, since that can be carried out in a public place with all the important members of the tribe watching and waiting to see where the blood-trails point. The northern tribes are wary of Kings, considering that they tend to become crazed by power, and so they ensure that their rulers are always either truly worthy, unwilling, or both, by the simple expedient of enforcing a seven-year rule at the end of which the King is sacrificed to the Goddess. A King who continually fails his people - either directly, such as by losing in battle, or indirectly, such as by failing to make the crops grow - may be sacrificed even before his seven years are up.
Occasionally, when the Earth Goddess tribes face a particularly powerful and implacable enemy who threatens them all, they will come together to choose a High King or Ard-Ri. Such a High King is a war-leader first and foremost, and is not expected to rule the tribes in any respect - he simply organizes their warriors until the threat is defeated. The northern tribes are very suspicious of power and politics in every form, and so a High King who does not already possess a great deal of political power is preferred. That said, the tribes do not always get what they want - the Ard-Ri is chosen by the Goddess herself, through the magic of the Stone of Destiny.
-Children of Danu: To the rest of the world, the native Gaels of Albion are a mysterious and barbarous race of blonde- and red- haired men that go into battle wearing strange woad war paint. This is far from being the true story of these people. They have a rich and ancient culture that is based around the family unit, or tuatha. This is not just a single family, but an extended clan led by a tuatha chief. Each of these chiefs considers himself to be a Rhi, or king, answerable only to the High King, the Ard Rhi, and even then there can be contention, especially in times of a weak High King, or in times of famine or trouble.
The extended family, or fine, is the basic social unit consisting of several generations of descendants from one ancestor. When several fine join together, they are known as a tuatha, and are ruled over by a tuatha chieftan, or Rhi. There are 100-110 tuathas in the land of Albion, grouped into local Rhiads to which the clan chiefs owe their allegiance, the kings of these Rhiads owe their allegiance to the High King. Upon the death of the High King a new one will be elected by the Rhiads to replace him.
Outside of this structure are the Druids, the guardians of ancient traditions and judges in disputes between chieftains and kings. They also act as consultants and lead religious ceremonies dedicated to Danu. The people of Albion inhabit the coastal areas, where they have built small villages around and in the nearby caves. The largest town is Bol-A-Hat, where the Ard Rhi occupies most of the time of the year. Smaller settlements for agriculture and fisheries extend around these areas and are increasingly rare in the wild when you get to the dangerous boundaries as Kluruchs swamp or the burial mounds of ancient kings. There are also a number of sacred sites to the Truthsayers in the realm of Albion, often in trees or on hills.
The society of Albion is essentially tribal with a hierarchy of clans all owing allegiance to the king of the dominant clan. Each clan has its own settlement; these vary from a cluster of caves and huts with a wooden palisade, to sturdier forts built on hill tops.
-Culture: Tattoos are commonplace with the people of Albion, some having religious significance but more often they are used as wards to protect them against the weapons of the enemy. War paint, in the form of woad, is applied before battles in a variety of styles either as blocks, bands, stripes or swirling patterns. Woad is a special preparation made by the druids from a coniferous plant extract. Red war paint is also used, particularly by the house of Nessa, its color derived from a herb called Ruaim. It is also common for warriors to spike their hair up with goose fat or lime.
Men and women of Albion are bound by their word and their word is their bond and is sufficient in any transaction. However, there are many blood feuds arising from such bonds, broken oaths are not taken lightly and death can be the ultimate cost in such disputes. A wronged warrior can challenge the wrong doer to a battle of arms to the death. More often though druids arbitrate and penalties are imposed on the guilty party.
The people of Albion believe a measure of a man, or a woman, is not only how he or she lives, but also how they die. It is better to have your deeds immortalized in song than to disgrace the honor of your house. With a glad heart a father would recount the deeds and death of his only son for he knows he will have traveled to Magh Melld and have the favor of the Lady.
Fighting of every sort is an integral part of life among the Tribes of Albion, particularly for warriors but little less so for other folk. Only druids and bards are exempt from the constant cycle of brawling, taunting contests, honor duels, cattle raids and all-out war. Every other able-bodied member of the tribe is expected to be ready to defend his honor, his tribe or his kin at any time, whether with his fists or with an iron sword. This applies to the women no less than to the men, and women warriors are an ordinary sight in warbands. Even women who are not technically warriors are frequently a force to be reckoned with, and in large battles the wives of the warriors will stand at the back of their army, yelling encouragement - and insults at their menfolk, ready to give them a good beating if they show any signs of cowardice.
-Religion: Religion on Albion is bound up with almost every aspect of society, culture, magic and day-to-day life, particularly in the northern tribes. Most ordinary folk pay their respects both to the private gods of their household and kin, and to their tribe's pantheon of deities. Those of high status often worship one or more gods or goddesses in particular, as well as paying lip service to the other deities.
The Goddess Danu is the original deity, the Earth herself. This primal nature means that she has many forms and many areas of responsibility, which can be confusing for an outsider. Her worshipers believe her to literally be the Earth beneath their feet, the entire Isle of Albion. Yet she is also the Moon above in the heavens, counterpart to Lahmfada the Sun God just as the Earth is counterpart to Carnun the Horned God.
Some of the most knowledgeable druids believe she is even the ancient Serpent Goddess, so that all the goddesses are simply other aspects of Danu. Certainly those who delve even a little way into her mysteries know her as the triple goddess, Blodeuwedd, Morrigu, and Ceridwen. These three aspects, like the three phases of the Moon, show her as goddess of constant change - or as she puts it, 'sometimes I am your mother and hold you… and other times your lover who will stick one in your back.' Worshiping Danu can be somewhat random in its results, but when she does give of her full favor it is likely that her worshipers will be very grateful for it. Many of her worshipers also worship one or more of her aspects, although it is also possible to worship Blodeuwedd, Morrigu, or Ceridwen as goddesses in their own right.
The people of Albion believe themselves to be the second of the mother goddess Danu born race. Danu's first husband was the Horned God, and he was a force of nature and fertility, but the father of the people of Albion, Lahmfada, was a bright burning star, and he was called the Sun God.
The Gaels have much of the spirit of the Goddess, though their life spans are short they live them to their full, attacking life with vigor and gusto whether they are fighting, revelling or conducting religious ceremonies.
-The Tribes of Albion: It is said that the Old Ones once gathered all four of the tribes together and asked them how they might best defeat their foes, the forces of Chaos. The Finians muttered that they had best retreat to the Tower of Llenog and hurl spears over the walls at the daemons when they came to lay siege to it. The Falians crawled off into the darkness, whispering promises to slay the Chaos leaders in their sleep. The Fir Domain sat down and talked things over, trying to puzzle out the best plan according to their knowledge of military tactics. The Sessair simply stood up, their axes on their shoulders, and waited for the attack, confident that they could defeat any number of Daemons. The Goddess dismissed all four tribes, never revealing which answer, if any, was the correct one; but ever since that day the Finians have focused their energies on thrown spears and outlasting sieges, the Falians on stealth, The Fir Domain on careful planning and defense, and the Sessair on pride and simply withstanding any amount of attacks and damage.
--The Fir Domain: The Fir Domain are one of the fiercest and most troublesome tribes of Albion. Whereas the Sessair and Finians will go to war as soon as look at you, the Fir Domain are just as eager for trouble but always with an eye to the main chance. Likewise, they can be as cunning as the Falians, but are quite prepared to apply that intelligence and planning to a frontal assault or even an entire war, rather than relying on night raids. If they cannot profit from war, and with minimal casualties, they have no great interest in it. Of course, there could be long-term profit - taking over fertile farmland can be better in the long run than capturing a rich town or fort.
The Fir Domain are a proud and noble tribe, with a long tradition of war and conquest. Though they are rather notorious among the Tribes of the Earth Goddess for their suspiciously un-Gaelic tendencies to plan their battles and organize their troops, most of them retain the old traditions of honor and a certain amount of chivalry.
--The Sessair: The Sessair are the most battle-crazed of all the Tribes of the Earth Goddess. They are renowned for their eagerness to go to war - even without provocation - simply because they like to fight. However, they are not generally interested in conquest or rulership of other tribes for they value freedom above all else and barely tolerate the ambitions of their own Kings, let alone those of any hypothetical High King. Thus it is rare to find them pressing their advantage - they could probably conquer the whole of Tir Nan Og if they could be motivated to do so, but are likely to stop for a feast as soon as they have plundered a barrel of ale or cauldron of mead.
The Sessair are rightly feared as one of the most savage and warlike tribes of all of Albion. They are a savage people, with harsh laws and a stern pride, though they are also ready to laugh and joke if the situation calls.
--The Falians: Unlike the other Earth Goddess Tribes, the folk of the Falians place little importance on directness as a virtue. They will happily sneak up behind an enemy and strangle him, not thinking it the least bit dishonorable. Before an army brings them to battle, they may find their general assassinated and warriors out of action through a dose of hallucinogenic fungi in the mead cauldron. Once in combat they will not shirk from stabbing in the back if the opportunity arises, but their courage on the open battlefield is no less than that of any other Earth Goddess tribe and they will proudly fight to the death in honor duels or battles alike.
However, most are not deliberately cruel and will certainly not go out of their way to attack a non-warrior - they will just not worry overmuch about the casualties of war. The Falians are one of the most feared tribes in all of Albion, not so much for their prowess in battle (which remains considerable) but for the suddenness and unexpectedness with which they strike.
--The Finians: The Finians are a somewhat mysterious tribe, not so much due to deliberate efforts at obfuscation as in the case of the Falians, but simply because of their geographic isolation in Alba to the far north of Albion. What the other tribes know for certain is that the Finians are as fierce and valiant as even the Sessair in battle. This mighty tribe is also noted for the dourness of its members and their relative indifference to what the other tribes regard as the essentials of life, such as fodder, fire, flax. It is said that a Finian warrior could last a week without loving a woman, a month without food, a winter without a fire or a year without clothes such is his astonishing fortitude.
For this reason the Finians are also known as the Tribe that endures. Where the Sessair might win wars by swift, decisive and violent action, the Falians by stealth and treachery, and The Fir Domain by military tactics and the application of overwhelming force, the Finians rely on their ability to simply outlast the enemy. Many an invading army up from Muddy Point in the south has made it as far as the Finians, only to realize that they will never take the great tower of Llenog in a long siege. The Finians would sooner starve to the last man, woman and child than give in, and due to their unmatchable endurance it seems likely that their besiegers would run out of food or fall victim to ice- cold winter long before even the first Finian died of starvation.
The Finians are widely regarded as the most humorless of the northern tribes, though this is unreasonable - it is simply that their grim sense of humor is in marked contrast to the jesting and jollity favored by the other tribes. When a Finian cracks a joke, members of other tribes may find themselves wondering whether it was intended to be funny, or insulting, or a threat - or they may just be surprised that the Lyrian spoke at all about something other than his beloved turnips.
VICTORY GAINS:
Albion warriors as a whole are not likely to hire mercenaries. Truthsayers may convince them to make allies, or convince a third party to work with the Albion army, but it's not their priority and it likely won't last after the campaign.
Technology: Low to None
Wealth and Slaves may be taken, and land will be divided up among the various warleaders.
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