Great Tribes

Great Tribes are either ancient or very large Tribes which command a large portion of land or people within the Great Forest. Tribes can become great throughout history, and some also fall through the sands of time. What makes a Tribe great can be fame, size, power, or wealth. Each Great Tribe has a story, and it is often simply the story being known throughout the Tribes that creates a legend around a Tribe.

The Great Forest is a vast expanse of land, and as a result, there are numerous Great Tribes. Not all of the Tribes would know each of the Great Tribes by name except for perhaps the most famous ones. Any given Tribe, though, would be well aware of any Great Tribes within its vicinity as word of mouth of the exploits of a Chieftain or the wealth of a Tribe travels from village to village over time. Some of the existing Great Tribes are listed here as well a brief on how they rose to fame. There are many more Great Tribes all throughout the region as the region is vast and its peoples as diverse as the forest they live in.

## Five Points Tribe

Hailing from the south-eastern region of the Great Forest, with borders close to the Southern Gate and Eastern Gate, the Five Points Tribe has been amassing power and villages over the past two decades, consolidating power under a brother and sister who share the position of chieftain over the Great Tribe. Tamhas and Brighde Catach are the ruling Chieftains of the Five Points, and their story of conquest is what has made the Tribe famous. Hailing from the same Tribe, originally known as the Myriat, Tamhas and Brighde were the children of Luthais who was chieftain of the Myriat. Luthais was a dreamer and conqueror and had visions of turning the Myriat into a Great Tribe through conquest. This was especially true because the Myriat had a generations old feud with a neighboring Tribe known as the Fallen Leaf. As fate would have it, the Chieftain of the Fallen Leaf was possessed by The Wild one night, and as a result, his son came to power shortly thereafter. However, his son was not a stable person. As a result, the elders in the Tribe distrusted him and foresaw that his rule would bring ruin. So, in secret, they sent an envoy to the Myriat to discuss terms, and what was settled was that the two Tribes, so close to each other in terms of culture if not for the long standing feud, the cause of which none could really remember, would come together as one. However, the current Chieftain of the Fallen Leaf would not go quietly, and both he and Luthais were killed in the ensuing conflict. As a result, Tamhas and Brighde took over both Tribes with Tamhas moving to the village of the Fallen Leaf to assume power.

Yet, the fates were not smiling on them, and it wasn't long after Tamhas arrived that the Druid of the Fallen Leaf fell deathly ill. Some thought it was perhaps due to poison from within, but nothing could be proven. Without a Druid, the Fallen Leaf were very vulnerable to The Wild. However, because Tamhas and Brighde were family, it was easy to negotiate that the Fallen Leaf and the Myriat would merge, abandoning the village of the Fallen Leaf and enlarging the Myriat. Rather than vie for control, Tamhas and Brighde agreed that they would control the new Tribe together. Emboldened by their new Tribe, twice as large as the original, they began to call the new Tribe the Five Points. This was because of the geography of the land where upon five neighboring villages all surrounding a small, lonely peak in the forest, were roughly arranged in the shape of a star. Tamhas and Brigdhe set out to complete their father's dream of creating a Great Tribe by slowly incorporating the neighboring Tribes into their own. This was done partially through warfare but mostly through mutual agreement for as the Five Points grew larger, the other surrounding villages saw the wealth and power being generated and wanted in.

As a result, the Five Points has become a combined power in the south-east. Their lands are close to the southern highway, and the Five Points regularly patrol that area, offering protection to traders and travelers headed either to the Sand Seas or the City on the Lake. Further, as a combined power, the Five Points have found ways to create agreements to share craftsmen and artisans between the Tribes, allowing each Tribe to benefit from the union. Other lesser Tribes in their area are very wary of the Five Points, assuming that one day they may come to conquer them as well. It is a definite possibility as no one knows just how far Tamhas and Brigdhe wish to carry their father's dream.

## Black Forest Tribe

Having achieved the status of Great Tribe hundreds of the years ago, the Black Forest Tribe is a power to the north, near the ocean. The history of this Tribe's rise to greatness is one of myth. It is said that during one year, a great turmoil in The Wild in their area created many monsters that prowled the night. These monsters were even being so bold as to attack villages directly, absconding with villagers and their children in terrifying night raids. Naturally, the Tribes of the area called upon the local Rangers to come and hunt the beasts, but the Rangers, who had been already dealing with the effects of The Wild in the area, were short on number. They were unable to contain the beasts. Terrified, the chieftains of the region called a Gathering. Yet, none felt they had the numbers or warriors to defend the area, and long standing animosity between some of the Tribes in the area also prevented them from wanting to commit their warriors to defending other villages. It was seeming that the region would be consumed by the terrors of the night, but the chieftain of the Black Forest Tribe, Saith Dawes, enraged to the point of insanity by the killing of his young daughter by the beasts during a night attack, rallied support. His trusted, veteran Wildguard, each of whom owed a debt to their Chieftain's family for past deeds, bravely stepped up, and their encouragement also inspired warriors from the other Tribes to bypass their own Chieftains to join the Black Forest Tribe on a great hunt into the wood.

During the long months that ensued, the Black Forest Tribe led a band of warriors through the wood, braving the perils therein and hunting down the beasts. Many lives were lost, and others simply lost their bodies to The Wild. Yet, as grueling and tear filled as the adventure was, the warriors were able to best the forest and destroy the beasts. They returned to their villages with fantastic tales of the monsters they had fought, decorated with the claws and fangs of the beasts they had felled. They brought with them an unmatched knowledge of the terrors of the forest and how to defeat them. The warriors were now hardened veterans, survivors, and monster killers. As such, the Ranger Outfits in the area and other surrounding Tribes took notice of these tales of heroics. Since those days, the Black Forest Tribe has maintained itself as the bastion of knowledge for how to fight the creatures of the forest. Head Rangers send their recruits to the Black Forest village where training grounds have been set up to teach them the ways of the wood. To the current day, warriors and Rangers who hail from the Black Forest Tribe are considered some of the fiercest and deadliest fighters in all of the Tribes.

## Crossed Fangs Tribe

The Crossed Fangs are a war-like people of the south. Their Chieftain, Tecwyn Bellent comes from a long line of conquerors, and he is especially brutal and cunning. The Crossed Fangs have been waging wars across the southern Tribes for generations, and as a result of being especially good at conquest, they have amassed a territory of almost nine different Tribes which have become their vassals. With each new conquest, the Crossed Fangs bring in more people, and with more people comes more skilled laborers and the potential for those with all sorts of valuable talents. Since the culture of the Crossed Fangs is one built around the respect of talent and power, rather than finding themselves subjugated, those with talents instead find a new type of culture whereupon they can succeed based on their skills and merits. Therefore, the Crossed Fangs are able to continue their conquests as their ranks are bolstered by some amazing talents in metal working and weapon making as well as goods manufacture which allows them to trade and amass wealth.

The need for conquest is spurred on by a culture which creates the idea that the strong should control those that are weak. Most of the surrounding Tribes in their region have long since quit being terrified of the Crossed Fangs and have instead formed small alliances among themselves to protect them from Crossed Fangs aggression. However, these alliances have done little to deter the force of nature that is the Crossed Fangs.

## Great Wolf Alliance

Not so much a single Great Tribe as a forged alliance of Tribes, the Great Wolf Alliance exists in the west, near the Western Gate. They are an alliance of thirteen independent Tribes, all of which govern independently but also send representatives to a more centralized Gathering in the Iron Hearts Village, which acts as the centralized capital. The Great Wolf Alliance was forged in response to aggression from a now extinct yet war-like Tribe that had called the region home. Tired of their bids of conquest, three Villages came together under the banner of the Wolf and attacked that Tribe, ending their reign of terror and dispersing its peoples. Since then, many other Tribes in the region have bid for entry into the alliance, and its power base has grown substantially.

The Great Wolf Alliance is a republic of sorts, with representatives from all of the neighboring Tribes acting as governance. It is as inefficient and full of internal strife as any republic, but the power that the Great Wolf Alliance holds over the region is unequaled, and as a result, they command not only a large parcel of land but also a high amount of resources. Order among the alliance is maintained by the individual Tribes, but once apart of the alliance, no Tribe has ever dared try to leave for fear of what such a schism might create. Thus, the juggernaut of the alliance continues to grow and pull more Tribes under its influence. The Great Wolf Alliance has never sought to gain new lands through conquest, but neighboring Tribes feeling the pressure of such a huge power on their borders have come willingly anyways to the alliance as their younger people see the Great Wolf Alliance as a grand opportunity for the region rather than a conquering power.

## Suns Tribe

The Suns Tribe is a single Tribe and boasts one of the largest villages, if not the largest, in the entire Great Forest. Their history is a saga of sadness, as the lands which they inhabit, near the central Great Forest, have always been plagued by The Wild. Hundreds of years ago, what began as a single village started to grow as refugees from neighboring villages began flooding in their village, escaping from the machinations of The Wild which were ravaging their villages. Due to the strong presence of magic in the area, Druids over the years had been unable to contain The Wild. The village of the Suns now sits in an area of relative safety, and as the years have gone by, more and more Tribes have vacated their villages and sought refuge with the Suns who have always welcomed outsiders.

They have experienced many growing pains over the years as absorbing large populations is not easy on the available food and resources of the area. However, they have always managed, discovering new ways to farm or simply becoming better at the hunt. Because of their tenacity, the Suns have continued to grow larger and larger, their village ever-expanding into the wood. They now boast a Druid's College, which trains classes of Druids which they need to maintain their control on The Wild. They are also able to afford contingents of trained warriors who act as the region's protectors. Their boon for having survived the countless waves of refugees and welcoming them with open arms has been to see an amazing growth of wealth and opportunity for their Tribe. The Suns stand as a testament to what can happen when people come together as one rather than let their differences divide them.

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--Neil (talk) 16:44, 19 October 2016 (AST)