Courtyard > Enemies > Pagans Greetings, apprentice. Come to see our little rogue's gallery, have you? Yes. Well, after all - why not? It's important to know about those that might harm you, and there are certainly enough individuals in the City who would wish to harm us. The ones who don't know about us see as a threat, and the ones that do know of our existence - well, sometimes I think they almost see us as trophies. At any rate, best you'd learn their weaknesses before they find yours.

Pagans

Classification: Human Location(s): varies Variations: Villager, Soldier, Shaman Known Weaknesses: sword, dagger, blackjack, arrows, mines, gas

Description:

Perhaps the oldest faction in the City, the Pagans are a group obsessed with nature and its protection. Pagans worship the Trickster - one of the ancient gods whom we now know to be an actual creature. According to Pagan lore, the Trickster created the plants and animals of the world by removing specific parts of his body and planting them in the earth. This legend is where the Pagan religion begins, for they worship the natural world as if it were merely an extension of the Trickster himself.

Pagans oppose technological progress - a viewpoint which has made them the direct opposition to the Order of the Hammer and its own religious worship of the Builder, another of the ancient deities. These two factions have been at war for untold generations - a war now fueled by hate as much as any other reason. During the reign of Karras and the Mechanists, this hate was intensified and Karras influenced Sheriff Gorman Truart to hunt down and exterminate the Pagans - a task he was nearly successful at. The Pagans were able to escape the purge, however, thanks to the refuge of the nearby forests as well as their knowledge of the City's less-traveled routes.

Pagans tend to remain in their own territories and not often seen within the City itself. Recently, however, since the death of Viktoria a few years ago, the Pagans have begun extending their influence into certain parts of the City. They now possess territories within the Docks district and Auldale. This aggressive push for territory is cause for concern among some of our brethren as they fear the balance may be swaying away from alignment once more.

We currently hold an uneasy alliance with the Pagans thanks to Garrett. Despite his hand in the death of the Tricker during the Dark Project incident, the Pagans have been willing to assist him, and by extension us, by aiding in certain ways and allowing passage through their various territories. We must be cautious to maintain this balance, however, lest the alliance end prematurely.

We know very little of the Pagans' internal structure. Indeed, their infrastructure seems to rely on a lack of authority rather than a heirarchal rank system. However, here are the tiers that we know of...

	Variation: Villager In most of the Pagan territories scattered throughout the forest and its surrounding areas, one can find a village of some sort where the Pagans farm and educate their young. At least one of these villages contained a portal to the Maw of Chaos, but it is unknown whether others also have portals or not. Pagan villagers can usually be seen wearing clothing knitted together from animal skins and other natural fibers.
	Variation: Soldier Pagans are not defenseless, nor do they shy away from combat. Many Pagans take up sword or bow and guard their territories with religious fervor. Any who dare enter Pagan territory without permission will soon find themselves facing several armed and angry Pagans.
	Variation: Shaman Pagans who have achieved the rank of Shaman are trained in various magick arts, primarily those of the Earth element. Shamans can be very dangerous if opposed, and conflict with them should be avoided if possible. All Shamans answer directly to the Priestess of the Order, Diana.

Weaknesses:

Pagans are susceptible to the same weapons and tactics as any other human. They can be slain with blade or arrow, knocked out with a blackjack, or killed with explosive force. Of course, the latter tactic is quite noisy and may alert others to your presence. Keep in mind, of course, that anyone slain by sword or arrow occasionally cries out when struck.

Threat Assessment:

Pagans are typically docile unless one is a Hammerite or attempts unauthorized passage through Pagan territory. We Keepers currently maintain an uneasy alliance with the Pagans, but it may necessary on occasion to enter Pagan strongholds in an... unofficial... capacity. Under such circumstances, one must never identify oneself as a Keeper - even under threat of physical harm. In a situation like this, the Pagans should be considered possible foes and be given a high threat rating.

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