The Fortress (H3 faction, H6 style)

[moon11]

Fortress

Aka: The Wild Ones, the Beastmen, Children of the Murk

“Men are weak, the Time of Beasts ia at hand!"

A loose coalition of various Beastmen races alongside some especially feral humans, who call the wilderness areas and especially the swamps of mainland Ashan home. While each tribe lives independant from each other- in wartime they unite under the banner a tempoarily-appointed Beast-King into a single savage horde.

* The Gnolls are Beastmen created through the unholy fusion of man and hyena, with the added mix of some Hellhound blood. After the Orcs had escaped, they were made to serve as light infantry against their created brethren- but likewise rebelled.

* Lizardmen were created by the Wizards to serve as scouts in aquatic, jungle and swamp terrains especially in wars fought against the Orcs and the Naga, interestingly by using the blood of those very same Naga alongside that of skinks, monitor lizards and various other reptiles.

* Trolls are crocodile-based Beastmen, though blood trafusions taken from Breeders and an unknown vile mixture gave them regenerative capabilities and resistance to disease and poison. Over the years the special diet which originally gave them their regeneration had somehow calmed their Demonic urges, denying access to the Bloodrage- although they are still not well-known for an especially gentle nature...

* Some humans also call the swamp home- pirates, aboriginal tribes and deranged recluses. Over the years, only the toughest and most vicious of them survived the uneasy enviroment and neighbours, and they have become as savage as the beasts that surround them.

Originally reclusive and keeping to themselves, the wars of the outside world had recently spilled into their lands- and forced the Wild Ones to bare their claws and defend themselves.

Similarly to the Orcs, the Wild Ones only suffered slavery at the outside world- and the swamp, alongside the beasts they were created from, is the only place where they can live as free creatures. They have no desire for the otuside world and not the barest interest or respect for its culture.

Wild Ones generally fight with teeth, claws and the most simplest of weapons (with sharpened wood, stone and bone being the most common), and metal weapons are very rare amongst them (and usually looted from slain enemies). They don't believe in forged armor, as their thick skins and scales are usually just as powerful as any steel, if not more so. Their magic, collectively called Witchcraft, consits of Elemental magic- especially Dark, Earth and Water, potion and herb-based alchemy and Hoodoo- fate-altering curses of vengeance.

Country / kingdom:

Marawak, the Lost Kingdom, the Kingdom without a King, Land of Beasts (as well as a small outpost in the Pao Islands)

Capital city:

Ssolvara, the Dread Orchestra (known for the hideous shrieking sounds made when even the barest wind passes through the gaping mouths of the forest of shrunken heads which surround the city)

Worship

The Wild Ones worship a complex pantheon of swamp spirits they call Loa, whose distinctive traits are mainly strength or cunnning (and sometimes both). The various Loa are all said to the heads of Borrkan- Dragon of the Wild, the product of Sylvanna's rape by her father Urgash- whose body formed the swampland and whose spilled blood formed the muck, being imprisoned there by the Seventh Dragon Sar-Elam. When the Time of Beasts shall come, Borrkan will burst out of the mud and return everything to its natural wild state- with humans being hunted by the Beasts, and not vice versa. The main difference between Wild One and Demon philosophy is that they do not seek to actively release Borrkan- believing his release is inevitable anyway.

The recent events

The increasingly-common incursions of other factions into Marawak had led the Elder Witches to declare the Games of Tooth and Claw- the great contest between the tribes' finest warriors and magicians to appoint a new Beast King, who will defend the swamp and drive the enemies outside. The encounters with previously unseen cultures had led the Wild Ones to develop new outlooks and political relations- though more often than not quite hostile- with the new invaders.

The Beastmen look down on the Empire's humans as weaklings who hide their soft flesh behind steel armor and pretend to be lords over a nature which cannot be tamed. They also taste quite nice...

Though no worshippers of Asha, the Wild Ones have no practicular hatred of the Undead and some Witch Doctors even practice their own form of alchemical Necromancy.

They hate and fear the Demons as they tend to burn down large parts of the swamp during their incursions and are repulsed by their unnatural sadism (as the Wild Ones kill only for self-defense or the Hunt). At the same time they have a grudging respect for the Fiends as Ashan's ultimate predators.

The Orcs are highly-respected as tough warriors, and are occasional allies- though more often enemies, as they tend to inhabit the same harsh terrain of swampland and jungle and fights over territory are common. The Wild Ones often criticize the Orcs' enraged and reckless fighting style as they claim a survivor is not necessarily the strongest- but more often the most cunning. Also, the Trolls' "betrayal" is something the Orcs' never forgave the Wild Ones for.

The Naga are viewed by Lizardmen and Trolls as reptilian brethren- but at the same time they fail to understand their pretense to human-like, civilized culture and fighting techniques and view it as silly.

The Wizards are viewed as hated slavers and are feared for their powerful and unnatural magic, which is so radically different from that of the Wild Ones. A slain Wizard's head is a highly valued trinket of any aspiring Headshrinker.

Although weak-bodied like the humans, the Wild Ones possess some grudging respect for the Wood Elves of Irollan due to the admiration they show to nature and its beasts- and they often tend to ally against the same enemies. Still, sometimes the Elves view the Wild Ones' methods as too brutal- which can lead to skirmishes.

Finally, the alien Faceless terrify the Wild Ones and the horror of being enslaved and broken like the Mintoaurs drives them to fiercely fight Dungeon forces whenever they surface in the swamplands. Still, they would've liked to "liberate" fearsome beasts like Hydras (as they actually remind the Beastmen of the image of their Dragon-god Borrkan) Drakes and Chimerae into their own ranks.

Fortress warfare: "The swamp fights our war, and we devour what's rest"

Though savage by nature, animalistic cunning also fills a dominant role in Fortress warfare- unlike Orcs, they represent the bestial rather than the Demonic. Bitter experiences have led the Beastmen to understand sometimes their natural weapons and simplistic magic simply cannot match the advanced weaponry and potent magic of the other races in a fair fight- so why fight fair on the first place? Honor is so overrated, unnatural and "human" anyway. While usually inferior to troops of other races in a fair fight (stat-wise), Fortress thrive on guerilla warfare- hit-and-run tactics, nasty disabling abilities and the usage of poison, camouflage and traps. Together with massive numbers- as breeding is one of the Beasts' favorite pastime activities- they can close the gap with armies who are otherwise far superior in statistics and magic.
The ideal fight for Fortress is a prolonged battle of attrition fought over a swamp, to fully utilize their racial ability and home advantages. Many of their troops tend to have unusually high defenses and survivability rates and resistance to disease and posion- which together with their high numbers makes them the ideal faction for attrition tactics (together with Necropolis).

* Military strengths:
Cheap and plentiful troops, powerful debuff abilities, superior defense and hit points, great home advantages
* Military weaknesses:
Low attack power, vulnerable to magic and fire, low mobibility, limited magic access, weak ranged offensive

Hoodoo/Eye for an Eye- fills up with more damage taken by your units, encouraging a slow, defense-oriented fighting style (sometimes it's better to Defend and soak up damage with your tanky units and attack the enemy later). Also fills up automatically when fighting on Swamp terrain (or while defending a Fortress town)- again encouraging a defensive, home-based gameplay. Allows you to inflict a nasty curse on enemy units

Units:

- Core:

Headhunter - Headshrinker:

A short, skink-like Lizardmen wielding a blowgun and a huge machette.

Drowsy
Camouflage (upgrade)
Half Range
Shooter
No Melee Penalty

Marauder - Savager

A flail-wielding Gnoll riding a drooling hyena in a saddle made of bones.

Large Creature
Eater of the Dead
Crushing Bite
Hideous Laughter (upgrade)

Troll - Troll Crone

A large, stooped creature with long arms and dirty sharp claws, its slightly-reptilian face and crocodile tail showing its origins. And amazingly, these ugly things are FEMALE!

Spells
Troll Regeneration
Split (upgrade)

- Elite:

Waspwort - Venus Flytrap

A multi-colored flower which lashes at its enemies with vines- or has surprisingly huge "teeth"!

Mindless
Full Range
Shooter
Fire Vulnerability
Choking Vines
Devour (upgrade)
Hallucinate (upgrade)

Gorgon - Mighty Gorgon

A massive sulphur-breathing bull, whose skin i instead of a network of interlocking dark metallic scales.

Large Creature
Steel Scales
Stomp
Death Stare (upgrade)

Firefly - Dragonfly

A fire-breathing, huge insect, whose eyes glow meacingly and the air around it shimmers with heat.

Large Creature
Flyer
Witch Fire
Fire Breath (upgrade)

Champion:

Basilisk - Lizard King

A gigantic, six-legged heavily-set lizard whose head is surrounded by a "crown" of crystalline spikes, whose claws and teeth appear to be made out of Dragonblood Crystal.

Large Creature
Unlimited Retaliation
Crystalline
Crystallizing Venom
Double Retaliation (upgrade)

HERO CLASSES

Beastmaster


Type: Might
Reputation: Neutral
Neutral Ability: Breeding

---

Lord/Lady of Beasts

Type: Might
Reputation: Tears
Advanced Ability:
Ultimate Ability:

Manhunter

Type: Might
Reputation: Blood
Advanced Ability:
Ultimate Ability:

------

Witch/Witch Doctor

Type: Magic
Reputation: Neutral
Neutral Ability: Swamp Alchemy

---

Hexer

Type: Magic
Reputation: Tears
Advanced Ability:
Ultimate Ability:

Poisoner

Type: Magic:
Reputation: Blood
Advanced Ability:
Ultimate Ability:

[ChimTheGrim]

I'm for the idea of reinventing HoMM 3 towns in a HoMM 6 style.