Tusk Riders in Balazar

Introduction

Recently upon the word of the Aid to the Lunar Minister of Provencal Security concerning Balazar and its domains, Uhtan (Warlord) Ravic Deadman has been promised silver and hunting and raiding rights across significant land in Balazar, if he would bring a warband to support the work of the Lunar Empire for 2 years

Uhtan Ravic Deadman has brought 5 rides of Tusk riders north in his Warband, he knows the promises made are unlikely to be kept, but has little interest in land rights or hunting grounds. What he wants is the ability to raid, fight, bully and steal with the backing of the Lunar authorities. He knows this contract will go wrong but wants to cause as much harm and make as much profit as much as possible before it does.

Each ride of warriors is independent and only Ravics brutal personality keeps them together as a warband. The different rides will most often raid and work independently, but come together to camp in their hastily built stockade in the southern West Plain. Gold is paid to Ravic on a per job basis from Halycon and the tuskers riders are often used to  support Barons Blackshields.

Ravic does not believe that any of the Balazarings can stand against his riders and there are few that can. Small bands and individual  tusk riders travel north from the stinking forest time to time to join what is considered to be a successful war band.

broken land pic

Uhtan Ravic Deadman

A grizzled old tusk ride of some 35 years of age, he was been fighting and raiding since the age of nine and is still alive where few of his comrades are. Ruthless, violent, cruel, cunning and vicious he is everything a tusk rider leader should be.

He has travelled all over dragon pass, deep into Prax,  and has been north into Balazar twice before. The Uhtan has successfully lead his ride for over ten years now, but has taken his current title only for the past two. However he found little difficulty in raising five rides for the war band and is considered a successful leader.

Despite his cruelness and demeanour, Ravic is an incredibly bright individual who can see subtleties in situations and anticipate what will happen in the future very well.  This makes him cautious and he makes decisions defensively and always assumes he will be double crossed in any given situation.

Ravic is a powerful servant  of the bloody tusk and has bound spirits in hands taken from a Chalana Arroy priestess, an Issaries priest and a Orlanthi warrior. He rides beast of a Tusker which has been awaken by Ravics allied spirit and is known simply as Gore.

The deadmen

Ravics personal ride are called the Deadmen and they decorate their armour with the bones of humans, and there tuskers with the bones of various mounts so they often look like undead at first glance. There are about 30 tusk riders in the pack. The Uhtan keeps his  4 lieutenants in competition and conflict with each other, but if someone gets powerful enough to be  thinking about a challenge they are killed or thrown out of the ride.

Blood Rain

A ride of 18 tusk riders who are well travelled through dragon pass and down into Kethelia, they are experienced warriors and  are a highly efficient and effective unit.  They have been working with Uhtan Ravic on and off for 2 years now and have a good understanding with him.

The rides Athan is Snape Longeye, a particularly sly individual, who is fond of the ambush and the sneak attack. The rides name comes from the habit of hanging their prisoners upside down, and draining their blood onto the celebrating warriors underneath

A notable figure as well as Snape is ‘Draco the Wild’ an up and coming tusk rider of 14 years, who fights with the vigour of youth and experience of a warriors twice his age. A few in the war band mark him for either great things or a dagger in the back.

The Ironfist

A ride of experienced mercenaries who are much travelled, the ride contains 12 Tusk Riders who are known to worship both Zorac Zoran and the Bloody Tusk. This is their first time working with Uhtan Ravic, but both have good reputations  and expect the arrangement to go well.

The ride is named after a mystic item which the rides Atan wears, this iron gauntlet grants the wearer the power to catch an opponent’s weapon in combat.

The current Atan is Frac the Black, who took the group over 2 seasons ago after challenging the previous Atan. He is a fearsome warriors with nothing subtle about him.

Deathbringers

The 8 tusk riders of this ride follow Atan ‘Raki the Cheetah’ a former Agimori from Prax who was captured and then survived tusk rider initiation over 10 years ago.

Due to Atan Raki  still feeling the needing to prove himself the Deathbringers are more intentionally cruel than other rides. They  also take more risks and have a much higher mortality rate. The surviving riders are very competent and ruthless warriors.

They have rode in Prax and the Stinking Forest previously and have only worked with Uhtan Ravic once before.

Ravagers

A ride of younger less experienced 16 tusk riders from the stinking forest, they are much less experienced and more arrogant than other riders. It is the first time they have followed Uhtan Ravic and he wouldn’t have taken them on if he could have got a more experience ride.

They are good time boys, who have only encountered battle on home turf with superior numbers to this point.  There Artan is a female tusk rider called Wispa who is a competent warrior but has to use  her powerful sexuality to control the ride.

Terms 

Ride – A permanent group of 5 to 35 Tusker Riders  who follow an Atan and have family lies or connections.

Warband – A collection of rides lead by an Uhtan or war leader, this group is only ever temporary in nature and its continued survival is dependent upon the strength of its leader, the opportunity and the current success of the campaign.

Atan – Ride Leader loyal to no one, whose cooperation is earned or bought by a Uhtan

Uhtan – A warband Leader

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.