Inuit
Army Lists for 'Hordes of the Things'
By Alan Saunders
After a few hours dabbling around on the web looking at Inuit myths and legends, I can present this set of lists. I have used a number of different sites, so the terms used probably come from all sorts of different Inuit tribes. The basic warrior information comes from Ian Heath's book 'Armies of the Sixteenth Century, Volume 2', which covers the Americas in considerable detail.
Inuit
Stronghold: An igloo encampment
|
Warband or shooter general @ 2AP |
(Chief) |
1 |
|
Cleric @ 3AP |
(Shaman) |
1 |
|
Shooters @ 2AP |
(Inuit with bow, darts and slings) |
5 |
|
Warband @ 2AP |
(Bold Inuit) |
1 |
|
Riders @ 2AP |
(Dog sled with archer) |
1 |
|
Water Lurker @ 1AP |
(Archers in kayak) |
1 |
|
Beasts @ 2AP |
(Animals or pack of dogs) |
2 |
Alternatives: Behemoth @ 4AP (Polar bear or musk ox), Flier @ 2AP (Eagle), Hero or Sneaker (Trickster hero)
Inuit seem to attack entirely by archery, slings and spear throwers, and so are predominantly shooters. A few bolder individuals are assumed as warband, and the chief can be one or the other.
The shaman is an important member of the tribe, but is not its leader. This position is reserved for an old or wise hunter. Shaman intercede between the tribe and the spiritual world and are powerful protectors, but the good ones do not seem to be capable of (or willing to use) offensive magic. A cleric grading seems best.
Dog sleds have been around for at least 1000 years, so are included as a rapid form of transport. An account exists of an Inuit using a bow from the back of one, like a charioteer*. This is good enough for the concept to be part of the list. In the summer, the sled should be substituted for more dogs, of course.
Animals can represent creatures summoned by the shaman, or animals possessed by a shaman, a shape-shifted shaman in animal form, or even dead animals reanimated by the shaman. The basic list assumes the animals ground based and only fairly fierce. The Polar Bear behemoth option is included for more ferocity, the musk ox for size, and the eagle flier for more mobility.
There is a long Inuit epic concerning the adventures of a hero called, in various cultures, Kiviuk, Qiviuq, Qooqa or Qayaq. He is very much in the Odysseus mould, so can be represented either as a bold hero, or a more pragmatic sneaker. Certainly a number of stories hint that his skill lie mainly in escaping danger rather than defeating it.
Inuit kayak fleets frequently attacked European explorers; indeed, most attacks on Europeans were of this nature. A kayak is included to reflect this, although it could be a shaman possessed/summoned sea crater instead if you wish to be more fanciful.
*Concerning this, Charles Rivers writes:
From Page 97 of "East of the Sun, The Epic Conquest and Tragic History of Siberia" by Benson Bobrick
In reference to a 1697 Cossack expedition commanded by Vladimir Atlasov into Kamchatka. "The Kamchadals battled Atlasov on skis, and the Reindeer Kryacks on dogsleds, "one man driving and anouther using a bow and arrow, "
Pictures of this army can be seen here.
Inuit Evil
Stronghold: A shaman's igloo
|
Magician General @ 4AP |
(Evil Shaman) |
1 |
|
God @ 4AP |
(Evil, or at least unfriendly, spirit) |
1 |
|
Beasts @ 2AP |
(Possessed or fantastic animals) |
2 |
|
Water Lurkers @ 1AP |
(Tupilak water creatures) |
2 |
|
Lurkers @ 1AP |
(Tupilak on land) |
2 |
|
Hordes @ 1AP |
(Various minor evil spirits) |
4 |
|
Behemoth @ 4AP |
(Kajutaijuq) |
1 |
The various forces that the Inuit have to deal are too dispersed to be represented as an army, unless held together by a controlling genius. The evil shaman, who is far more inclined to inflict harm than his counterpart in the other list, represents this.
Various spirits, or gods, control all aspects of the Inuit world, and the job of a shaman is to intercede with them in order ensure a plentiful supply of game or good weather and fortune. The god represents a spirit who is exceptionally angry or nasty, requiring a lot of intercession from the good shaman to disperse it. My personal favourite is called Irdlirvirissong, who comes out at night and dances in the sky, making people laugh. If they laugh too much the demon attacks them and eats their intestines.
Minor spirits are included as hordes; easy meat, but they keep coming back.
A number of stories include animals who are up to no good, and one of the stories about Kiviuk has him fighting a two-headed dog.
A lot of the list is filled with Tupilak, as these seem to be the primary means of attack for the evil shaman. The consist of small figurines made of scraps of various dead animals and bits of cloth, which are then animated and sent against an enemy. Note that if the magic animating them is not good enough the Tupilak will run and hunt its creator; this can be represented by the evil shaman rolling a pair of ones when bespelling.
Kajutaijuq is a giant tattooed woman's head on short stumpy legs. It blunders around, bumping into things, which sounds like behemoth behaviour.
I am less than happy with this evil list, and would welcome any suggestions for additions or changes.
Pictures of this army can be seen here.
Terrain
For the right feel, this army should always fight on a snowfield when defending. Most of this should be good going, of course, but patches of soft snow are bad going. An area of ice floes is also bad going, but counts as a water feature. All hills should be steep to represent the difficulty of trudging up the snow or ice covered slopes, or keeping your footing going down them. Glaciers should be impassable, and aerials should treat them as woods; in the world of HOTT, these are big glaciers.