[centre][u][b]The Birchmen Confederacy[/b][/u]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/AofJBft.png[/img][/centre]

[b]-Population:[/b] 10 million
[b]-Faction:[/b] Justinian (Heterodox)
[b]-Capital:[/b] Great Crest
[b]-Government Type:[/b] Tribal Confederacy (with a Theocratic leader)
[b]-Government Description: [/b]
The Birch Tribes are a loose tribal confederacy of various races and species. They are united in their following of the Birch Man, an ancient prophet of an extinct race who, through a pact with the Justinian, wishes to revive his species and re-establish a utopia for his fallen people. The Birch Man is the overall leader of the Birch Tribes, which number in the hundreds. Under him, various tribal and sub-tribal leaders follow his orders, united in the belief that the spirits of the Birch Man's fallen race inhabit their bodies. The Birch Man calls a Clan meeting every five years to discuss the Matters of the Forest. All the tribes are autonomous and have the right to leave the Confederacy as they wish. Not one tribe has left the confederacy since its founding 200 years previous. 

[b]-Head of State:[/b] The Birch Man
[b]-Currency:[/b] N/A (Many currencies are used by various tribes, no unified currency exists)
[b]-Language(s):[/b] Aemerine is the predominant lingua franca but hundreds of ethnic languages and the ancient language of the Birch Man, spoken only by him and his closest followers, are all present too.

[hider=History]
[i]Deep in the forest, where the Birchmen stride, I came across a woman, dead and dried...[/i]

The Birchmen, named for their devoted following to a mysterious being known as the Birch Man, formed the tribal confederacy 200 years ago to better defend their lands against the growing Yuwanist threat in the East. Inhabiting an isolated basin called the Coyle that once lay deep in Yuwanist lands, the Birchmen fought a low-level guerrilla war against Yuwan and Red God factions for 100 years. However, as the Justinian empires pushed forward, the Birchmen found themselves a new enemy - so-called Canonical followers of the Justinian, who branded the tribes as heretics and the Birch Man as a false prophet.

The Birch Man, having united hundreds of once bickering tribes under his banner, has refused the offers of alliances from Western missionaries and reacted violently to attempted conversions of his people within the Coyle. The Birch Man is determined to spin his own version of Justinianism, one which will see the revival of his species in the Justinian's paradise. Although once worshiped as demigods by the races of the Coyle, the last of the Crann, as his species was once known, has firmly encouraged his followers to take up the new God, the Justinian, resigning himself to the position of a prophet. 

Charismatic and popular, the Birch Man's overall goal is to revive his species and he believes that with the help of the Justinian, this is possible. His followers, whose ancestors once worshiped the Crann, believe that their souls will mingle with the revived Crann in the post-Sacrilege War paradise and be elevated to the same position the Crann once held. However, due to the position of other Justinians, the Tribes have had a limited role in the Sacrilege, treated with suspicion by their religious allies, who have been known to clash with them.

Traditionally, the Birchmen have been insular, bickering constantly among themselves. In recent years however, they have brushed shoulders with their numerous neighbours and have found few allies and many enemies. Many believe the Birchmen to be insane heretics and barbarians, who take pleasure in killing for their deer-headed prophet but the Birchmen only wish to make it to paradise with their adoring prophet at the helm.              
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[hider=UNIQUE ATTRIBUTE INFORMATION]
[b]+Isolation of the Coyle:[/b] The Confederacy lays within an isolated region known as the Coyle, which few from outside it have knowledge of. This secrecy has led to the Coyle being easily defended from attack, as many nations believe it to be a dangerous land inhabited by war-like tribes and they are easily susceptible to ambush.

[b]+Guerilla Warfare:[/b] The Birchmen are skilled in ambushes, traps, hit-and-run tactics and causing chaos behind enemy lines. As they lack the unified military and tactics of other nations, tribes often make their own decisions on the battlefield to achieve their goals.

[b]+Reputation:[/b] The Birchmen have gained a ruthless, bloodthirsty reputation in recent years among foes and allies alike for their actions on the battlefield. Indeed, horrific crimes against humanity are not uncommon for some of the tribes but the vast majority have simply adopted this reputation to put fear into the hearts of the enemy.  

[b]-Technological Backwardness:[/b] The Birchmen, due to the isolationism, have missed many advances in technology. Full plate armour is extremely uncommon and the use of pistols is unheard of in the Confederacy. The tribes instead rely heavily on spears, bows and other traditional forms of warfare. This, combined with their lack of tactical unity, has seen the Birchmen avoiding the front lines of battle and instead taking on garrison and scouting roles.

[b]-Lack of resources:[/b] Due to the direct intervention of the Justinian, the male population in the Coyle has exploded, putting a significant strain on resources. The Coyle possesses few mineral resources and only a quarter of the land is arable. This strain on resources has led to shortages in food and weaponry, which have occasionally required assistance from allies.

[b]-Diplomatic Isolation:[/b] Due to the nature of their religion and the suspicious nature of the Birch Man, the Confederacy has few close allies. Only the Union to the North are considered tentative allies, with other Justinians merely permitted to pass through Birchmen lands. Some Justinian nations hold embassies in the Great Crest but relations are often strained.
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[hider=GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION]
[centre][img]http://i.cubeupload.com/WWXf4T.png[/img]
North-West of the Chasm.[/centre]

[b]The Coyle:[/b] A secluded, isolated region in central Meteria, the Red Goddess Talamh once made the Coyle her domain. Heavily forested in parts but also mountainous along the West and South, the Coyle is home millions of beings. The nation is divided into hundreds of subdivisions, split along tribal lines. There are some larger towns and settlements, especially along the borders but a majority of beings live in small towns and villages. Some tribes are nomadic hunter-gatherers but a majority are settled and agricultural. The entirety of the Coyle is under the control of the Birchmen Confederacy. The borders of the Coyle are blurry, however and some within the Confederacy call for the borders to be expanded into the "Greater Coyle".  

Mountain ranges snake along the Eastern and Southern borders with the Concilo Union and the Artiun tribes. Plains cover the eastern region of the Confederacy while the western and southern regions are more rocky. The northern region of the Coyle is covered in thick, deciduous forest that cover over 50% of land of the Confederacy. The Coyle experiences mild summers and cold winters, especially in mountainous areas. Due to the nature of its border, it has recently become something of a passageway to the Northern Frontline with the Turq Lord and the Yuwanists. The Confederacy has a noticeable lack of underground passages leading from the Chasm of Ineffable Odds, most likely due to the effect of the secretive Skull of the Hunter artifact hidden deep in the mountains.

The Great Crest lies deep in the forests and acts as more of a Administrative capital than anything, housing a small civilian population and the political classes of the Confederacy. It is small for a capital town and is infamously restrictive in who can enter and who cannot. The seat of the Birch Man's power lays in the Great Crest, as it possesses the First Contact Shrine to the Justinian.     
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[hider=RACIAL INFORMATION]
[b]Birchmen (90%)[/b]
-Humans (40%)
-Elves (35%)
-Dwarves/Gnomes (15%)
-Other Races (10%)
The Birchmen are a cultural group, who see no difference in race but instead in tribal affiliation. They are united in their geographic proximity, their support of the Birch Man and their belief in the Justinian. 

[b]Non-Birchmen (10%)[/b]
-Missionaries, refugees, foreign soldiers, neutral tribes within the Coyle, rogue tribes, others.

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[hider=RELIGIOUS INFORMATION:]
[b]-State Religion:[/b] Justinian (Heterodox)
[b]-Patron Deity:[/b] The Justinian
[b]-Religion Demographics:[/b] A majority of the tribes follow the Heterodox Justinianism that the Birch Man preaches while a small minority have chosen to interpret his teachings in a slightly divergent way. For example, one small tribe of elves deep within the forests of Coyle still worship the dead goddess of Hibernation (and creator of the Crann), Talamh, and a few others worship the Birch Man as an aspect of the Justinian, following a sect that falls more in line with Orthodox forms of Justinianism. 

A few rogue tribes, which refuse to follow the Birch Man and Justinian, live on the edge of society and worship Yuwanist or Red Gods from neighbouring states. They are hostile to the Birchmen tribes and have been known to collaborate with enemy forces to disrupt the confederacy. These rogue tribes have recently begun uniting under the banner of powerful warlord, who is said to be receiving help from an outside source.
[b]Major Holy Relics/Artefacts in Possession:[/b]

[i]The Skull of the Hunter[/i]
A huge skull uncovered 200 years ago, deep underground, that has acted as a ward against any divine intervention. The Skull is infused with an unknown, ancient magic and it is unknown who created it or what creature the skull belongs to. It has been left in its place of discovery, on the Birchmen border with the Chasm of Ineffable Odds and is a highly guarded secret, with only a handful of beings aware of its existence and purpose. It has proven useful in repelling the hordes of monsters that tunnel towards the Coyle from the Chasm and it's been decided that the artifact will be kept and not handed over the Vault.

[b]Holy Site:[/b] First Contact Shrine - formerly a shrine to the Red God Talamh, who died centuries earlier. It was using this shrine that the Birch Man first contacted the Justinian and had an Epiphany of the Perfect World. An ancient stone fort and town had been built around the shrine previously and the Birchmen simply adopted the area as their capital.

[b]Notable Magical Institutions:[/b] The Doire are an extremely secretive group of magic-users who are close to the Birchman. They are said to have ancient Crann blood in their veins and are highly sought after by the Birch Man as he believes them to be a higher state of being among his followers.

[b]Religious Interpretations/Culture:[/b]
The Birchmen disagree with Canonical Justinians on several points, especially their disdain for "false prophets" and the autocratic nature of several Justinian states. They genuinely believe that the Birch Man, the last of his race, to be a prophet or an "aspect" of the Justinian. Due to the tribes recent conversion to Justinianism (the last 200 years or so), several aspects of old Crann/Talamh worship have been mixed into worship of their new God.

The Birch Man has convinced the majority of his followers that his species souls will inhabit the next world alongside their own and that the worthy amongst them can become Crann. Due to the extreme cultural significance of Crann in the Coyle, many tribes see the Crann as a race superior to their own and wish to join them, to ascend to a form of demi-godhood.

The Birch Man also disagrees with the Exaltarchy of Archonnen on their imperialistic and (in his opinion), quite preferential treatment of certain individuals over others. As the Coyle has been tribal for centuries, many have become used to the somewhat equal ground that they all live in. The Birch Man believes anyone, from the smallest child to the oldest man, can become contact the Justinian. 

The usage of so-called "Epiphany Sap" is also widespread in religious ceremonies in the Confederacy, which is seen as heretic by other Justinians. A mind altering sap taken from certain trees in the forests of Coyle is said to give the user a small glimpse into the perfect world being crafted by Justinian and to put the user into contact with the souls of the long-dead Crann, who are said to impart advice or comfort to the user. The Birch Man actively encourages the usage of Epiphany Sap among his followers. However, the overuse of Epiphany Sap is known to break the minds of those unprepared to use it and they are sent into a permanent state of berserk. 

Finally, proselytising from other gods or branches is widely frowned upon, especially from the Birch Man. He sees the confederacy as united only by their belief in him as a powerful prophet and sees any attempts by foreign nations to undermine him as going against the plan. Missionaries have been banished and even sacrificed in the Confederacy. Although minor differences exist among tribes, the Birch Man tolerates such religious differences as long as they don't diverge too far from his teachings.    
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[hider=MILITARY INFORMATION]
[b]Total Military Size:[/b] 100,000

[b]Listed Heroes: [/b]
Yoe Thickens
Ruri the Fallen
Cahale Igho
Bren Muid
Themaus the Enlisted

[b]Military Doctrine:[/b] The Birchmen are masters of guerrilla warfare, especially in forests. They also excel in sneak attacks and boobytraps. They try to avoid all-out, open warfare due to their inferior organisation and armour and units act independently of each other. The Birch Man is the overall commander but has very little experience with organised warfare, leaving the battle plans to the individual tribes, who act independent of each other in warfare and use whatever means necessary to achieve their goals. 

Military Units:
[b]Deadwood:[/b]
-The Deadwood are a lightly armoured unit, made up primarily of criminals or volunteers who are terminally ill. Their minds are broken by their near-constant use of Epiphany Sap, which cause them to have violent visions and outbursts, seemingly at random. They are kept well away from the Coyle and can usually be found on the front-lines of battle as a form of berserker who kill everything they can before being felled. Epiphany Sap gives them an extremely high tolerance to pain but their broken, hallucination-filled minds often mistake allies for foes. The casualty rate among the Deadwood is extremely high but due to the nature of the Coyle, there will always be beings to take their place.

[b]The Cysquatch Clans:[/b] In the far western mountain range of the Coyle, a unique race of primitive, shaggy beings dwelled in caves, loosely organised into clans or families. They were among the last races to join the Confederacy and have proven to be extremely physically powerful. Due to their small numbers and low intelligence, the Cysquatch are primarily used as pack animals, caravan guards and even siege weapons. They are split into several clans with no clear leader.

[b]Equini:[/b] The largest tribe in the Coyle, numbering thousands of humans and elves, the Equini are a primarily male and extremely war-oriented tribe who make up the bulk of the Birchmen army. They are warriors trained in swordsmanship and archery and are lightly armoured in furs and leather. Extremely devoted to the Birchman, they have been known to follow his orders above even their own leader, Rangan Bloodroot.

[b]The Adhmaid:[/b] The Adhmaid are another large tribe in the Birchmen army, made up primarily of gnomes and elves. They are probably the best equipped unit in the army, possessing the technology to create better weaponry and siege machinery. However, due to the limited mineral resources in the Coyle, they have begun to look further afield for materials to create instruments of war.

[b]The Doire:[/b] Not so much a tribe as a small collection of individuals, close to the Birch Man. They are magic users chosen at random from the tribes and brought to the Birch Man, who believes they possess a small amount of Crann blood in them. The Doire act as a last line of defence in the Coyle, bodyguards of the Birch Man and as a form of secret police in the Confederacy. They root out criminals and spies and are said to be adept magic users. Their numbers are small but they are easily spotted by their distinct lack of tattoos and use of heavy forest imagery. They work in close conjunction with tribal shamans and other tribal powers and occasionally travel outside the Coyle to undertake missions for the Birchmen.

[b]Chun-Fiach:[/b] A small tribe of Elves, the Chun-Fiach have gained notoriety in the Confederacy for their extremely violent conduct on the field of battle. Although only numbering 600 individuals, they are known to partake in head hunting, sacrifice and cannibalism. The Chun-Fiach are not strict Justinians but believe in the long-dead goddess of Hibernation, Talamh, who created the Crann. They only follow the Birch Man's orders loosely as they believe him to be the only being capable of reviving their dead goddess but have refused offers to convert and have violently resisted attempts from the Birchmen to formally induct them into the Confederacy. Although the topic of their destruction has passed the mind of the Birch Man several times, it has been decided that they will continue to exist as long as they stay loyal to the Crann. 

[b]Others:[/b] Hundreds of other smaller and less notable tribes operate within the army, all independent of each other. Some tribes prefer to work alone while others join together into larger units but all follow the general orders of the Birch Man, using whatever means necessary to achieve the goals set out to them. 
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[hider=DRAMATIS PERSONAE]
[url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/06/f5/81/06f581307013ede06b7e3ab96d6f1e41--metal-news-occult-art.jpg][b]The Birch Man[/b][/url]

The Birch Man, the last of the Crann, is the charismatic yet cunning leader of the Confederacy, which has grown from the union of two human tribes 200 years previous to a multi-racial union all under his banner. Standing at 8 feet tall, the blue skinned deer-man towers over his followers and commands them with a powerful voice and a sharp wit. The Birch Man is a firm believer in the Justinian but also in his own power, seeing himself as one of the Justinians most powerful followers on the frontier. However, his overly-suspicious nature and his single-minded determination to bring back his race from the brink of extinction could prove to be his downfall as the climax of the Sacrilege War grows near.

The Birch Man is extremely secretive about his own background and has shared very little of his past, even with his closest followers. His true name remains unknown and he has vowed not to utter it until the end of the world.    
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[hider=EXTRA INFORMATION] 
[optional stuff you may add]
[b]Full History:[/b]
For thousands of years, the great forests of Coyle lay peacefully under the patronage of their creator, protector and goddess, Talamh. A lesser Red Goddess, the Goddess of Hibernation created a small, mortal race in her image - the Crann, the guardians of the Coyle. The Crann never numbered more than 1000 individuals but they were powerful beings, with long lives, multiple faces and great antlers. Talamh foolishly weakened herself creating what she deemed a perfect race and so the legend goes she fell into a deep hibernation, only to mysteriously die in her sleep centuries later later. The Crann, now sole protectors of the forest, soon came into contact with other sentient species. Tribes of elves and men encroached on the great Coyle forests and viewed the Crann as mystical protectors, who silently observed them and helped them in times of need. The Crann were passive creatures, who disliked death and encouraged growth.

Humans and elves alike grew to love and admire the secretive Crann, worshiping them as demigods. The Crann, in turn, worshiped Talamh and encouraged their neighbours to do the same. The Coyle forests, isolated from world events, was a place of peace, one where celestial beings and mortals lived in relative harmony. Some Crann even took up wives and husbands, living among the humans and elves for hundreds of years. They protected their adopted tribes in times of danger and protected the forest from "undesirables". 

But alas, all good things must come to an end. The peace and harmony of the Coyle, Talamh's tiny domain on Materia, was shattered on the eve of the War in Heaven. Without the love and devotion of Talamh, the Crann lost all purpose and sanity. Normally docile, quiet beings, the Crann's worldview changed for the worse. Some Crann committed suicide, others slaughtered hundreds of innocents and one even foolishly took on the Justinian on the battlefield but it ended the same for all of them - death. All bar one. 

After the death of his race and the great calamity that overtook the Coyle, the final survivor of the Crann withdrew deep into the forest, conserving what magic and power was left in the Coyle. The Birch Man, overcome with depression at the violence and his loss of purpose, hibernated alone for fifty years, rarely venturing from the tiny shrine to his presumably dead creator, Talamh. As generations of men passed, the horrid memories of the crimes committed by the broken Crann slowly slipped from the humans collective memory and their legacy was lost to time. 

It was in the ancient shrine to Talamh that the Justinian made contact with the Birch Man, showing him the world that could be under his guidance. The Birch Man, in his epiphany, saw his race revived and their place as the true race of the forests restored. Vowing to achieve the world he saw in that vision, the Birch Man left the shrine at Fort Crest and began to observe the denizens of the forest. To his surprise, most humans had already forgotten the Crann in only a century and now worshipped false, Yuwanist gods who demanded blood sacrifices, keeping the tribes of the Coyle in a perpetual state of war. The Birch Man rarely appeared to the humans and his    
deliberate obscurity led to him achieving a mythical status among the humans. They simply nicknamed him the Birch Man and it is the name he has used since, swearing not to utter his real name until the end of the world.

When the Birch Man became well-known among the Coyle's inhabitants, he began to take a select few individuals to Fort Crest to experience the Epiphany. These few became the Birch Man's inner circle, known as the Birchmen (later giving name to the tribal confederacy) and helped him to convert thousands of followers to his cause. Within 100 years, the Birchman had united hundreds of small tribes and clans of various races to his own form of Justinianism. Despite rarely venturing from the Coyle himself, he has sent tribesmen to every front of the war and openly declared himself against Yuwan.

In the last century, the Coyle has faced few attacks from either side and the population has swelled, with males far exceeding the female population. However, as the frontier has moved further west, the Coyle has also found itself on the front lines of battle and has taken a largely independent strategy of the other major Justinian powers on combating the Yuwanist heathens. Along with their tentative allies to the north, the Concilio Union, the Birchmen have found themselves fighting Yuwanists and the Turquoise Lord along the Northern Front. Rumblings from the the Chasm of Infathomabal Odds to the south-east of the Coyle have also been a cause for concern, as the Birchmen fear raids from the monstrous denizens who lurk beneath the Earth.

[b]List of Historical Grievances:[/b]
-The Turquoise Lord, which has been besieged for the last 142 years, has slowed the rate of eastern expansion, much to the annoyance of the Birch Man, who has maintained a detachment of Birchmen warriors at the siege.

-The Artiun Tribes to the south have faced systematic genocide from the Birchmen and other Justinians. The Birchmen actively hunt the Artiuns for sport and have been known to consume them in times of starvation. Although once they considered the Artiuns potential entries into the Confederacy, their refusal to join the Birch Man and continued worship of Yuwan has made them into one of their biggest enemies to date. 
 
[b]Relations:[/b]
The Confederacy has had few diplomatic relations with outside nations, due to the nature of its religion and the reluctance of the Birch Man to leave his natural domain. However, the Birchmen enjoy warm relations with their neighbours, [b]The Concilio Union[/b], which shares the Birchmen disdain for far-western Justinianism and has established a similar system of multi ethnic harmony within its borders. The two nations have also had limited co-operation in the wider Justinian siege of the Turquoise Lord.

[b]The United Principalities of Aberys[/b] have been known to station troops in the Confederacy to assist in the Northern Front and they have been tolerated by the Birchmen, if treated with suspicion.

[b]Ferrumin Empire:[/b]

[b]The Artiun Tribes:[/b]

Relations with other Justinian dominions are cold, if not outright hostile. While the Birchmen originally had a policy of openness with other Justinian domains, they quickly grew tired of constant accusations of heresy and multiple missionaries being sent into the Coyle. Now, missionaries are turned away and Justinian troops are only allowed in certain sections of the Confederacy.

Relations with Yuwanist/Red God domains are practically non-existent and they are in a state of total war, murdering them on sight. The Birchmen have developed a ruthless, barbaric reputation in their treatment of heathen prisoners.   

[b]Cultural Notes:[/b]

The Birchmen are known for their complex tattoos and body markings that mark their tribal affiliation. In the Confederacy, to be without tattoos is seen as taboo and it is common for outcasts to have their tattoos removed or defaced. In many tribes, beings are more or less equal, apart from the tribal leaders or Shaeman. 
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