Design Phase 2
Frankly, Tales with impressive physical strength are far from rare. Indeed it is quite rare for Tales to not surpass ordinary humans in some capacity. The real problem, is that those Tales with great strength, tend to be somewhat flawed for our purposes. In the case of ogres and trolls, this is simply that they trend towards unintelligence and great size, unsuitable for our methods of traveling in secret and conducting small, precise raids. Oni are prideful, and can often be chased off by a variety of relatively simple rituals, in addition to the same weakness of size. Kappa are polite to a fault.
We had heard of a beast however, that does not have these weaknesses. Creatures called Hidebehind. Large beasts, almost impossible to track down for their impeccable ability to hide behind almost anything. Only the rare drunkard, dwarf, or magically inclined tale has ever truly lived to tell of encountering a Hidebehind, due to their aversion to alcohol and lack of any true(or at least active) magic or defenses against such. And even then, few could give any clear explanation of the creatures appearances. Hidebehind are incredibly elusive, to the point where even we have been unable to track the beasts down. Until recently.
You see, having the aid of Osakabehime’s messenger spirits, we have been able to span massive distances of forest with many eyes at once. And, when we cornered one of the beasts, petrified by so many eyes upon it at once, learned of the surprising intelligence of these creatures. For while it could not speak, it certainly understood.
Through this, we have made contact with the Hidebehinds, receiving aid, and learning much about them.
A Hidebehind is, in essence, a bear. In fact, you would be forgiven for mistaken it for one, and this is likely how they have largely escaped Bookbinder attention. For they can simply act as a bear when tracked down. While the abilities of a bear are impressive, let alone an intelligent one, that is far from all the Hidebehind have to offer us.
They are masters of stealth. Possessing the innate ability to move incredibly rapidly in order to escape line of sight, capable of hiding their bodies behind something not even half as large as themselves, and able to leave minimal tracks when needed, Hidebehind are a force to be reckoned with against smaller groups, or when assisting a larger force. For when you believe you may finally have the Hidebehind in your sights, it may in fact be right behind you.
Of course Hidebehind still have weaknesses, make no mistake, but theirs are far more manageable for our purposes. For one, while they may be bears in all but their supernatural abilities and intelligence, well, a bear cannot compare in strength to an Ogre, or a Troll, or many Oni. And they similarly cannot compete with magic.
Secondly, Alcohol is repulsive to them, while they will still gladly fight in its presence, the stench is liable to 'throw them off their game' if you will.
And finally, thirdly, Hidebehind are actually rather skittish. They detest being noticed, and so prefer to avoid large groups when acting as normal, and at all in places it would be conspicuous to find a regular bear. It is unlikely we will be able to convince our Hidebehinds to enter cities or even large villages without groups dedicated to causing suitable distractions nearby, and similarly, they will not fight against notably large enemy forces unless the enemies are themselves being matched by a large enough force of non-Hidebehind allies.
Difficulty: Normal
Roll: 4
In a quiet corner of the endless woods, there exists a small log cabin. Smoke drifts out of the stone chimney from a small hearthfire. The only windows are tightly curtained. A family of bears lives in the home; a mama bear, a papa bear, and their child. A delicate meal of garden vegetables and venison, roasted over the wood stove, graces the table.
A quiet knock on the door disturbs the meal. The papa bear silently walked to the door, and it slid open on well oiled hinges, to reveal a fine parchment on the ground, sealed by wax. The mama bear opened the seal, and spread the message out on the table as the father closed and barred the door.
A moment later, he spoke, his voice low and urgent. “We’ve been found.”
Mama bear stalked up to his side and put a paw on his shoulder. “Should we move?” she rumbled, pulling him close.
“No, this was someone we can’t hide from. And from the sound of it, we won’t be able to hide from Rafal, either.”
“So, what do we do?”
“We answer the call.”
Hidebehinds (B1/5 Units): Powerful and stealthy magical creatures, the hidebehinds hate the eyes of others on them, and prefer to work alone, but are deadly silent and strong as a bear.
Movement PhaseAs before, you can deploy troops to three locations to scout out targets, before finalizing tactics for the Raid phase.
Camelot: King Arthur's Treasure
The ancient King's treasure is on display in the castle. It's under heavy guard, but is immensely powerful.
Control: Royal Guard
Stability: Stable
Jaunt Jolie - Impound Yard
Rafal had a very simple solution to the pirates that resisted him - just take their ships away. These ships are hidden in a quiet cove along the coast, heavily guarded and with the mouth sealed off by sea chain. Recent raids have turned some of the popular conversation against the bookbinders, with mutters of abuse and corruption within the ranks.
Control: Bookbinders
Stability: Concerned about Rafal
Foxwood - Straw and Gold
The natural quiet of Foxwood was not broken by the unrest sweeping the woods, though it's suspected some fighting still took place locally. The mysterious shipments of straw this summer were all intercepted, but the King wants to ensure that the royal currency is untainted by Rumplestiltkin's gold.
Control: Bookbinders
Stability: Foxwood
The Stymph Forest - Quiet
All is quiet in the Stymph forest. The skeletal birds swoop through the trees, screeching in peace.
Control: Nobody
Stability: N/A
Bloodbrook - The Blood Moon
Bookbinders have made it their number one priority in this area to hunt down and eradicate the werewolves that plague the (more) rural areas of Bloodbrook. The bandit king fully supports this, as they have a long-standing grudge against the werewolves due to an old tale involving hideouts and the woods.
Control: Bandit King (Bookbinder ally)
Stability: Stable
Sherwood Forest - Casual Banditry
The concept of "Robbery" is different in Sherwood Forest. Most robberies are non-lethal, purely out of tradition. However, Rafal did not take kindly to the constant theft of the King's war funds, however noble the thieves may be. As such, the thieves have been ordered to "get a real job" under threat of death. Results are mixed so far.
Control: Sheriff of Nottingham (Bookbinder Ally)
Stability: Stable
Malabar Hills - The Old Cathedral
An old cathedral stands tall in the town of Malabar Hills, still active, but forever haunted by the legend of the man with half a mask. It was said he knew the entire building like the back of his hand, but has been unseen for over a century. Local ogres have been hired to aid in the restoration to repair damage caused during the uprisings.
Control: Bookbinders
Stability: Stable
The Ruined Estate - Quiet
All is quiet, the Blue Forest standing proud. The sludge moat gurgles on. A small light occasionally shines through the deserted wood, ownerless and wandering.
Control: Nobody
Stability: N/A
Kingdom Kyrgios - The Golden Spindle
With the raids on tax-avoiding merchants, an example has been made of those who would oppose the rightful king. The gnomes have grown more cooperative with this development, as well.
Control: Bookbinders
Stability: Stable
Borna Coric - A King's Legacy
The Black Knight was entombed in his battle gear, a legendary set of armor and weapons that was originally to be passed down to his son. It's under heavy guard, lest the Green Knight attempt to claim his inheritance. The sighting of Sir Bearington here has put a murmur in the skies.
Control: Bookbinders
Stability: Stable
Maidenvale - A Dragon's Hoard
The dragons supported Rafal very firmly, aside from one or two who preferred raiding to hoarding. With the pesky knights no longer bothering them, they were free to curl up on their gold in relative peace, though Rafal insisted they make contact with the banking system to help provide an additional source of loans to financial institutions.
Control: Bookbinders
Stability: Stable
Ravenwood - Old Enemies and Older Grudges
During the initial backlash to the Bookbinders and the king's coronation edict, Ravenwood was mysteriously calm. It turned out that the witches had simply put a sleep spell on the entire quarter of town the witch hunter families lived in. Rafal came in and bullied the witches into breaking the spell, but an uneasy truce remains here, especially with the witch hunters depleted from the earlier fighting.
Control: Witches (Truce with Rafal)
Stability: Stable
Avalon - Murmurs of Discontent
The recent incident in Avalon has shown a light on the discontent bubbling within the kingdom, and knights always make great press.
Control: Bookbinders
Stability: Tenuous
Author
Topic: Fight for the Woods - Tales United (Read 7839 times)