User blog:Ilniaj/The Primitive Tribes of the World

There are still a few pockets of humans living in a primitive state throughout the world, the isolation of their lands serving to stymie their development. While all societies under the protection of the chief god cooperate when they can, often by sharing technology/expertise when it can be physically transferred and knowledge through magical long-distance communication these societies have been isolated in some way, and thus can only have knowledge transferred, and only that which can be shared through speaking rather than in person. At the lowest, the primitive tribes of the world are iron age societies. While these cultures are very far from each other and by relation, very different, their similarly low technology bases means that many similarities can be observed in their military. Their primitive living has made nearly all of their population a ferocious, courageous, athletic and capable fighter. The teaching of military tactics from other peoples means that they fight in a surprisingly modern style, making use of the effectiveness of ranked formations, and making up for a lack of development with sheer combat prowess and courage. The winds of magic flow through their primitive lands just as easily as they flow through more civilized ones and these societies will make use of them just as readily as nearly anyone else, in fact, more-so due to the lack of mundane technology. Warriors are protected by magical paint and tattoos covering their bodies in intricate patterns and animated constructs born from the earth serving as shock troops. Sometimes, a lack of metal armor is made up for by wearing the tanned fur or skin of one of the many naturally armored creatures throughout the world.

All armies, no matter how decentralized, need a leader to rally around and this holds true in even the most primitive of peoples. Though given different names based on culture, these Warleaders are all ferocious warriors, their whole lives devoted to fighting and war. Each tribe selects them by means of "the strongest shall rule", which simply says that to lead your people in war, you must be the strongest fighter in the tribe. Each Warleader will have subordinate Chieftains under their command and only the most deserving among them is given the privilege of bearing the tribes emblem on the battlefield. These signs are usually a stone or wooden totem decorated with sacred symbols and often enchanted with powerful magic. These leaders carry a blessing from the gods that allow them to shout a fierce war cry, driving those they command within earshot to fight with greater courage and conviction. All of them have become wealthy based on their strength of arms and might ride horses or Chariots. The Warleaders could ride the previous mounts, or be held on a shield by two warriors or ride a mighty mastodon.

The magic users of primitive tribes are referred to in general as the greater Truthsayers and lesser Druids. These mysterious wizards are capable combatants unlike the wizards of more civilized lands with spiraling tattoos covering their bodies and mysterious arcane items. Sometimes, they enlist giants to move the Ogham stones they use to make impressive magical circles for their rituals. It is rare to knowingly encounter one of these mysterious beings, for they are naturally suspicious of all that walk on two legs. Being masters of magic, they are able to shapeshift into beasts of all forms. Yet if these wise men are rarely encountered, their domains are not, which are scattered throughout the wilderness. In such remote places, even the lowliest beets show glimmerings of intelligence and the vegetation grows stronger, wilder and hungrier than it aught.

Should a Champion survive the endless battles while still finding favor in the eyes of their gods, they may attain the ultimate reward for their decades of dedication. Their patron will elevate the Champion to their side as an Archangel, a being of godlike power. They are mighty beyond compare, lordly creatures of awesome might. There are few who don't seek this metamorphosis where they shrug off their mortal shell and become a being of divinity but for every champion who roars their triumph as a newborn Archangel, untold thousands perish on the field of battle or simply fail to gain the acclaim necessary before their mortal form breaks down. Archangels are vast in stature, their gigantic forms twisted into new shapes. They wield powerful magic items and strange abilities and the variations between these beings are uncountable. Nonetheless, it is common for the Archangels to retain their intellect and memory. Some are awesome warriors full of martial discipline and pride. Others are master magisters with the ability to reshape reality itself. Others are peerless marksman, wielding bolt throwers like crossbows or small cannons like rifles or enormous bows. Upon ascending most Archangels go to heaven, leaving the world behind so that there is room for others to attain greatness. Sometimes, an Archangel is sent back to the mortal world to serve as the commander of a faithful army. At other times, a newly transformed Archangel continues to lead their followers who view their leader as a demi-god, which is not far from the truth. In fact, some of the oldest and most powerful Archangels are worshiped as deities becoming local gods for villages, tribes or even countries, acting as an intermediary for their patron deity.

Of the primitive armies, the bulk and backbone are tribal warriors led by a veteran. When a peril threatens their lands every man and woman grabs a weapon and joins their companions to defend it. They come from all backgrounds in peacetime and are generally skilled in some craft or profession as well as war. Each tribe has its own fighting style, using a variety of weapons such as axes, swords, clubs, spears and shields. When a warband is formed, the leading veteran is handpicked by the nobles from a pool of warriors. They typically lack armor, relying on their shields for protection.

Some devote themselves more to war than most, becoming what will be referred to as Raiders and forming the shock troops of the tribes they hail from. These Raiders are clad only in war paint as their only protection and worked into a frenzy through either mental exercise or drugs. This frenzy makes them more capable offensively and fearless in battle but also makes the impetuous and disorganized. The sight and smells of battle can cause them to launch at the enemy regardless of strategy and consequences. They wield a variety of weapons in battle such as spears and shields in the hope they might reach the foe first, two weapons to rain more blows on them or great weapons to strike them hard.

The primitive tribes make use of missile weaponry just like the warriors of civilized lands, though lacking the options for crossbows and firearms that others have. They wield bows, slings and javelins to fight with. Depending on the culture, these missile troops could be highly respected or considered an afterthought. These Skirmishers are most often used by sending them out ahead of the main battle line to draw out enemies before retreating to safety, harassing enemies and disrupting entrenched positions, making them a nuisance that can't be ignored but easily dispatched if caught.

The people of primitive tribes are often closer to nature than in more civilized lands, for good or for ill. Young men and women that demonstrate an affinity for animals are encouraged to become hound handlers, raising War Dogs in packs to hunt and gather food, maintain security and wage war. A well-trained hound can deliver messages and small parcels between tribes and can easily and silently detect and alert its masters to the approach of stealthy adversaries. In times of war, these hounds are gathered into slavering packs and supplement the cavalry if the tribe has them, screening attacks and harassing vulnerable flanks. They are often trained to target the hamstrings of the foe, making them quite a threat.

Hunters and Stalkers form a warrior elite of which their talents as scouts and fighters have won multiple battles. In times of peace, they are responsible for the gathering of meat, ranging far into the wilds looking for prey, usually with their only company being trained animals. Most hunters start of as a Handler of animals, most often war birds of some kind. Tales abound of roaming packs of war birds that seem to know what they are supposed to do even while the Hunter is preoccupied with their own killing. When going to war, Hunters and Stalkers will form into units of their own. The Hunters are the less experienced ones, their skills sharp but mundane. The Stalkers have honed their art so far that they are blessed by the God of the Hunt and can shoot arrows faster than any other.

All societies can be described as islands of civilization within a sea of wilderness and in primitive societies, those islands are even smaller. Naturally, these societies will possess their own equivalent of Rangers, though the title will have a different word associated with it. These Rangers have trained their skills beyond that of the Stalkers and can pick out a priority target in battle and focus the arrows from their bows to slay this priority target. Rangers usually either function alone or lead units of Stalkers or Hunters, using magic bows or javelins to strike down an enemy.

The horse has spread across the world much like man has and are made use of by many warriors throughout the world. A wealthier warrior will ride one, becoming on honored addition to any tribe. A Horse Warrior is an important strategic and tactical asset in a battle. They have greater speed and mobility than infantry turning them into excellent flank troops. The ferocity of their horses also makes them useful shock troops against weaker foes. Horse Warriors will wield shields and spears in melee combat and either Javelins or Short bows at range. Many of them will protect themselves and their horses with war paint.

Some primitive tribes have their horses pull mighty chariots, a charge of one capable of reaping a red ruin through a mass of enemy warriors. The riders wield bows, javelins and spears to strike their enemies at range before running them down, throwing enemy ranks into disorder. A Chariot made by the primitive tribes is often of lighter and more nimble construction than chariots of other societies, allowing them great speed at the sacrifice of durability.

The military aristocracy of the primitive tribes are the Hearthguard, elite warriors that have had their natural strength and skill bolstered by blessings from the gods. Unlike Tribal Warriors, they tend to have no profession or skill unrelated to war. They are guards of Chieftains and Warleaders, take up patrols in the tribes territory or garrison strategic places. They are generally in the thick of any conflict their tribe is in. Hearthguard are armed with either hand weapon and shield or massive two-handed weapons, making them an imposing sight on the battlefield and capable of cutting a swath through an enemy in a tireless attack of sinew and steel. When in battle, they are almost always accompanied by a musician and standard bearer.

Weaponmasters are an elite military unit like the Hearthguard but instead fight more offensively with enormous great weapons or two hand weapons, decrying the use of shields as cowardly and often only being protected by war paint. Whichever is preferred depends on the tribe but Weaponmasters tend to be more ferocious but less disciplined than Hearthguard. Outside of war, they tend to wander their tribes land, looking for mighty beasts to slay, great deeds to perform and other experts to learn from.

There is no fixed structure to enrollment as an apprentice druid. The Neophytes are generally chosen from among the brightest children and while far from being a genuine wizard, they have started to master the magical ways and the battlefield is as good a place as any to hone their skills. In primitive societies, the line between priest and wizard tends to be blurred, believed to be touched by the gods as demonstrated by their ability to master magic. While not excelling in melee combat, Druid Neophytes in battle are armed with dual weapons or polearms, their chanting serving to aid the morale of warriors near them. They can pool their skills into casting spells to bolster their allies or hinder their enemies.

While the details of the rituals vary, there is a sacred method of burial for elite warriors, sometimes after dying in honorable combat and sometimes after committing ritual suicide. His body is absorbed into the land of a sacred place and he will finally rest until called upon to aid his people again. When this happens, he will emerge from the earth in a powerful body made of vegetation, seeking to aid his people however he can. These Viridian Lords are some of the greatest warriors of any tribe, skills tempered by countless battles and able to regenerate from all but the most grievous of injuries. Their very souls have been bound to the land and even when laid low, they will return in almost any circumstance when their body is destroyed.

Fairies are perhaps the best known and most elusive of all fey creatures, living in Fairy Realms whose entrances are in the deepest, most pristine forests, marshes and swamps, but their insatiable curiosity often leading them far from home. Most Fairies stand over 5 inches tall and have bodies made of magic, typically flying at about the eye level of those they converse with to maintain eye contact. Fairies talk quickly and easily become overexcited. They have the mentality of children, often loving to irritate humans. In times of dire need they will gather together and follow human armies. Hundreds of the little creatures join together, scurrying along paths unseen. Such a mass of magical creatures brings with it a great amount of magical energy. Thus all of them and the paths they've taken shine bright of magic. Sparkling in indefinite colors, the spectacle is a beautiful sight to behold. Man and beast alike are befuddled by this rare display of raw magic and stop their chores or whatever they were after. This magic does have a practical effect allowing them to befuddle enemies, causing them to stumble towards them, transfixed by the magic.

One such way that Druids and Truthsayers use magic is to summon the elemental monsters known as Fen Beasts. Fen Beasts are formed by mud, rotting vegetation, the bones of those who have drowned and whatever else is at hand. These monstrosities are not living creatures and so cannot be killed, only destroyed. They are roughly the size of a previous age troll and vaguely humanoid, two arms, two legs and what could be considered a head on top of its rotting body. An unmistakable air of death and decay surrounds them, they have no minds, feel no pain and can reshape themselves to reform limbs that have been blown or chopped off. So hardy is a Fen Beast that they can withstand a strike from a cannonball, reforming its sodden flesh around the wound. They have an elemental strength, drawing power from the ground to smash the enemy with fists as mighty as battering rams.

The Fen Hulk is a gargantuan animated elemental of roiling mud, dead oaks, massive stones, rotting vegetation and countless bones. Slower and more ponderous than their smaller counterparts, Fen Hulks stride across the land with a primitive will. They must be born from a land where a battle has been fought and a Truthsayer slain, for only a soul steeped in magic can hold the wailing chorus of souls together and bind it to a sacred stone. The sacred stone and souls are what animates it. Like a Fenbeast increased to titanic proportions, Fen Hulks are not bothered by the chaos of battle around them and stride through the enemy troops without paying heed to cleaving axe and cutting sword alike. Entire cannonades have sunk into their marshy bodies without leaving a trace. A Fen Hulk's presence on the battlefield will unavoidably have an effect on the winds of magic. A misty haze surrounds the creature and magical energy from the stone in its center pulsate, causing enemy spells to dissipate. Every wide stride turns the surrounding ground into murky swampland, its magic seeping into the ground. It takes great efforts to awaken and bind a Fen Hulk and it is not unheard of that some Truthsayers have willingly given up their lives in the process, the magical taxation being too much to bear. The price is an unstoppable behemoth, who will eventually collapse in on itself and reveal the sacred stone at its core, now standing once more surrounded by marshland.

Unlike the smaller Centaurs that accompany Beastwoman tribes, the Centaurs that fight alongside humans are created from men who have become great heroes, blessed by the gods so that their legs are replaced with the body of a horse below the shoulders, the horse's body size increasing to an impressive level and the human part swelling to match the size of the horse. The easiest ways to tell the difference between a Centaur blessed by the gods and a Beastwoman Centaur is that the pure ones are massive in size, have human ears and can be male. In spite of their imposing size, Centaurs don't only rely on brute force. They handle their weapons with remarkable dexterity, being adept with both projectile weapons such as Javelins, Throwing Axes and Giant Bows and melee weapons. Centaur units are elite fast cavalry above that of horse warriors, they move as fast as horses and their body is easier to control than a horse that someone is riding. While Warleaders and Chieftains are mostly humans, there are Centaurs that have ascended to these ranks, fitting for such blessed warriors.

Having learned from word of mouth with other peoples, some primitive tribes learned how to build trebuchets since these machines are fairly simple and easy to construct. While their heavy size leaves them stuck in place they are capable of launching enormous boulders able to crush crimson swathes through enemy ranks. One common innovation is hurling clay pots filled with tar. These pots are then lit on fire during the battle and catapulted into the enemy ranks, shattering upon impact and spewing their flaming content everywhere with devastating effect. While these pots are not as dangerous in their area of effect, they do have a larger area of effect and the fact that they are on fire makes them quite effective at scaring off war beasts and other creatures.

No matter the land, a large beast can be an effective weapon. The various different beasts that the humans of different tribes have tamed are known to those who have to fight them as Mastodons, their massive tusks rending and their jaws crushing the foe. They are covered in natural armor and their mass is enough to scatter warriors with a single charge. Primitive human tribes place towers on the backs of these creatures, faced and edged with iron. From these towers, a clutch of warriors poke with spears and rain missile fire on those who get near. Any primitive human tribe eagerly captures and breeds Mastodons. Usually, they do so by locating a lone Mastodon and brought into their settlement with the calming aid of a druid, where they are slowly taught to accept the presence of mankind before being introduced into the local herd. After some time, the Mastodon gets trained to be used as both a beast of burden and beast of war. Such is its strength that the mighty Mastodon seldom feels the incredible weights attached to its back, no matter if it is the tribe’s provisions or a battle howdah. In battle, the Mastodon swings its massive head around, ploughing with its giant tusks through the enemy ranks and tossing their warriors aside like leaves before a storm.

Like humans and horses, Giants have a tendency to spread across all the lands of the world. A giant can be convinced to work at the behest of a tribe, either through magic or negotiations. Their immense strength is a great boon to any endeavor, allowing them to haul stone and earth, carry loads and in war, crush the enemy. What a Giant is most effective for is fighting other creatures of similar size, sometimes slaying them with a single swing of its club. They are powerful creatures given to rage easily and often rampage throughout the land to deter any would-be adventurer. Most of the larger Giants slumber in caves and are seldom ever seen by the eyes of man. Some of the younger, more naive beasts are given to sleeping in the open however, prey to monster hunters and thieves, which is of course if the young Giant does not wake.