[hider=Da crib] Location: [img]http://i58.tinypic.com/f41sba.jpg[/img] [/hider] Name: Dela Ah Mons. (Usually translated to 'Men of the Woods') Flag: [hider=No flag, no country. Those are the rules, that I have just made up] [img]http://forums.wesnoth.org/download/file.php?id=29419[/img] [/hider] Capital and Major Settlements: Yggdrasil - Capital, built around a gigantic tree, with the Royal Palace actually inside it. Bifrost - A town on the border that deals with traders and the rare admittance into the lands. Ruler and Royal Family: Vaera Kabal - Queen of the Forest Vannozza Kabal - Heir to the Forest. Leader of the Reavers. People/s: Elves make up the majority of this nation, but there are a few small pockets of other races who have been allowed the settle down. Kingdom Traits: (Custom) Wary of Outsiders: Forget spreading dissent, it is difficult to even get into the nation, as the border is patrolled and anyone trying to sneak in is shot without warning or question. This makes spying and gathering intel very difficult. (Custom) Well Adapted: While some would have trouble traversing the endless forests, and the lack of roads of any sort of landmark, the Men of the Woods move with ease, crossing dense undergrowth like it was a casual countryside stroll, avoiding all the hazards that a less intune man would stumble into. (Custom) Always dark and cold: There is not much Sun to be found in the northern forests, especially at Winter. What little gets through the canopy does little to light up the forest floor, or take away from the bite in the air - something known to the Men of the Woods as 'Lazy Wind', when the wind can not be bothered to go around someone, and so simply goes threw them. While the Men of the Woods can bare it in summer, and wear specially crafted coats in the winter, it can be a severe problem for those not used to a 24 hour cold. (Custom) Watch your Step: The leaves that cover the ground can hide roots, that make trip a man or Lame a horse, or it may just disturb a nest of insects that take their revenge. And all this is when the Men of the Woods are not putting down traps... Military Traits: Masters of ambush Good archers Trained troops (Custom) Wilderness Logistics: From training and experience, all but the Green recruits know exactly how to survive in harsh cold of winter - and the slightly less harsh cold of summer - even when supplies grow thin, and can move large numbers across the roughest of ground with minimal problems. Good equipment (Custom) Shadow Warriors: A flutter in the night, and then an arrow in the gullet is what any invading armies sentries can expect. Anything can happen, at any time, and it is not necessarily limited to a few men. Trade Traits: Agriculture (Custom) Wooden Wonders: Anything wood that comes out of this nation is guaranteed to be a masterpiece, be it a simple idol, or large furniture and even wagons. Flaws: (Custom) Fortification?: The Men of the Woods do not have any walls, or palisades, or anything that could be classed as making a settlement fortified. Terrible boats Even your horses look weak (Custom) Bottle-necked Trade: There is only one place to trade in this nation, and that is Bifrost. Such restrictions can cause the flow of goods coming in or going out to be hampered. Culture: The Men of the Woods believe that each tree is an ancestor, and since they bury their dead with a scattering of for oak, ash or yew, this may have some truth to it. However, this does not mean that they are impractically devout about the wellbeing of the trees, but trees are felled in a controlled manner, and new ones are planted in replacement. Fire is controlled, and used mainly for cooking food, since most of the Men of the Woods do not feel the cold as most would. There are Fire Huts were the elderly and the young are kept when Winter comes around, but in summer nobody pays much mind to the weather. Each village is independent, but can also seek help from others if they need it, and all bring their grievances to Yggdrasil, where the Queen holds her court. Some are on the forest floor, and others create small hamlets in the imagery of Yggdrasil, there elders housed in a large tree that is no where near as magnificent as Yggdrasil, but still good as trees go. A few even combine the two, since there is no official ruling as to how a Man of the Woods should life. Despite their name, they have no set casts, and many women are Hunters and Gatherers, while many men are cooks and tailors. However, regardless of their role in life, every Man of the Woods can wield a bow with a degree of skill. Quite a few leave it at being able to simply pick up a bow if needs must, but others prefer to take their skills higher, and become the Hunter-Warriors. This group trains vigorously, and provides the capital of Yggdrasil with it's meat in peace time, but also lend their bows to the drums of war when one gets it in their mind to try and invade. From these Hunter-Warriors is drawn a special unit, led by the Heir to the Forest, and called the Reavers. They act as a Royal Guard and police force in times of peace, but when war comes down to the forests, they take up their bows and move along the tree tops in deathly silence, looking for those who obviously desire to pursue a new life as a pin-cushion. The greatest bows and finest arrows belong to this sect, as does a meshed emotion of admiration and wariness. These are the Reavers that drop Deaths Head berries into the water supply, and put holes in the food supplies so that rats gorge themselves on the newly spread contents. Military: The Men of the Woods are a rather unorthodox army. Horses do not belong in the terrain, and there are scarce clearings to allow open battles with flashing swords and roaring men. Anyone with that kind of thought would find their weapon buried in a tree as often as a person. Instead, they are equip mostly with bows and short daggers, and let fly with pin-point precision while the enemy stumble around the same square mile they have been lost in for the last couple of days, occasionally finding bodies of their dead as they cross their own tracks. In the unlikely event that the invading army does not freeze at night, get lost and starve, or are simply whittled down to breaking point and run away, they may find one of the small hamlets. In which case, the civilians still at home with scramble up the nearest tree and start shooting them full of arrows. The Men of the Woods are a in essence very good at using the terrain to their advantage, and the Reavers are the spectres that spread death and fear, to 'convince' outsiders they need to go home. However, they would not do very well if they decided to go out and invade someone else, somewhere with warm weather, a good view distance, and flat ground for calvary. Economy: The Men of the Woods are semi-sufficient by themselves, and only need to import a small amount of food to support themselves. Mostly, this food is sea-based since they have very little interest in what is not on dry land. Bifrost is the only city to have an actual currency, since the rest of the nation work off bartering one thing for another, and trust each other to be honorable in the trade. This means that Bifrost can have several different currencies on hand at one time, as well as a large deal of goods, both large and small at any one time. Reputation: The Men of the Woods are seen by as barbarians and uncivilized creatures that would not know even basic courtesy. The Town of Bifrost, is considered by the outsiders to be very much away from the culture of it's host nation, to the point some believe it is meant to be on the other side of the border. However, the truth is rather esoteric, and most that manage to get into the woods rarely come out again, wither it is the fresh - if rather brisk - air or the freedom that is given, nobody knows. But books about these people are slim, while the rumors of whatever they are up to could fill volumes. Some of it is even true. History: The nomads who, in ages past, found Yggdrasil where amazed by it's size and magnificence. They saw it as a sign to settle near the tree, and so a small hamlet built up over the years. Eventually, a single woman was born, with the presence and natural ability to Command. She led the nomads to take control of the entire forests in the north, and was eventually crowned as their Queen, taking court in the giant tree that her home was around. From this, the Men of the Woods put down roots all over, losing a dominant control, but gaining a relationship with the trees around them. Several queens passed, and then one of them had a great idea to make the forest grow even more, so that they, who controlled the woods, would expand their lands without actually having to invade anywhere. This culture endured until the present day, with the actual meaning behind it lost into the sands of time. The Men of the Woods did not have the fire and the bloodthirst to have wars with others, so for the most part it has been a quiet and peaceful place to live. THis does not mean that they trust anyone out there, however, and so they train hard and strong each generation so they may fend off those who seek to harm their lands, while also growing as a people. Misc: (add anything that isn't covered by the rest of the NS)