The Goatriders Horde

Merciless chaotic vengeance from unhinged savages.

A long time ago, in a not so distant land, there was an ancient forest. This ancient forest was known as the Ancient Briar, and was considered a safe haven for those who sought refuge from the wars that raged on in the surrounding world. Within the Ancient Briar dwelled many inhabitants, all who lived together and protected their domain. What was unique about the Ancient Briar was that it was host to otherworldly artefacts called Spirit Vessels – powerful contructs that harness energy to create wondrous items and entities.

The nature of fostering and harnessing the powers of these Spirit Vessels were the charge of the Ancient Briar druids. The druids would practice harnessing the positive energy gathered from everything in existence. These positive energies were used to create wondrous items and entities by focusing the energies into the spirit vessels and shaping them into a form that is true to the vessels design. Many of the natural energies that existed in the forest had taken residence within such vessels, often becoming notable instruments of war, powerful talismans or more rarely into a sentient construct. The by-product of this practice necessitates the disposal of negative energy, which is immensely potent as it contains all the knowledge and emotions from its positive counterpart whilst drawing upon those experiences to fuel its acrimonious nature. The Ancient Briar druids decided that it was best to store this negative energy under the forest, where it would be protected and contained by the forest and its guardians. 

The guardians who defended these forests were the Briar Wolves, a fierce and proud druidic people, who were renowned for their guerilla warfare and tactical manipulation of their foes. The Briar Wolves were led by Aydan and Jira, and fought with cunning that few could compare. 

Within the Briar Wolves there was a group of diseased and deranged warriors who were avoided and shunned by the rest of their brethren. Zarachriel, Vlorg, Frosgaar, Animal, Maggot and the twins Bork and Gork, all together they were known as the Ferals. The only reason the Ferals were not put-down by their clan is because of Jira – who had taken it upon herself to claim them as her own, and therefore became known as the Mother of the Ferals. It was Jira who showed compassion and saw that the Ferals had a role to play in the wars to come, and therefore bestowed unto them the Protection of the Ancient Briar Ancestors, for they surely would have become victim to their illnesses otherwise.

For this, the Ferals would only listen to Jira and Jira alone. With their blessings of the Ancient Briar Protectors, the Ferals would often run head-first into battle with a ferocity that can only be described as something akin to rabid beasts hunting for blood. Jira, the Mother of the Ferals, would fight alongside her children, joining in on the crazed slaughter, much to the disdain of their brethren. 

Countless battles, the Ferals and Jira would spearhead the charge, creating havoc and destruction in their wake. Numerous foes would oppose them, but few would leave an impression quite like Dayro, a warrior of the White Bulls. So often had Dayro and the Ferals met on the battlefield as ally and foe, that they ended up becoming lifelong brethren, with Dayro being respected so much as to become a bloodbrother of the Ferals.

Wars raged on all the time and become so often that they held little consequence for the most part. 

This would not be the case when the Corsairs decided to make a daring raid on the Ancient Briar Forest.

One fateful day, the Corsairs concocted a plan that would devastate the denizens of the Ancient Briar. Whilst the invaders had bolstered down and formed a defensive line that kept the Briar Wolves occupied, the crew to the rear of the forest carried out their sinister plans with a caravan of oils and powder kegs, setting the forest ablaze. The combination of the flames, mixed with the strong southerly winds made quick work of the Ancient Briar, with burning trees crumbling under the raw intensity of the blaze. Before the Briar Wolves could react, their home had been razed to the ground, with many losing their lives trying to protect their home, some died fending off the Corsairs, and even fewer fled. The Ancient Briar was no more.

As a consequence of the desolation of the Ancient Briar, the ancient spirits that once lived in this domain had perished, alongside their magic that protected those who dwelled within the forest. Not much is known about the true nature of the Ferals deaths in this cataclysmic event, but what is known is what happened next.

Hidden deep below the forest there lied in a dormant state a spirit vessel called Lambis. This spirit vessel had not been awoken for a millennia, and many of the denizens of the forest had forgotten this ancient vessel existed. Lambis is a unique spirit vessel, in that it is a vessel that embodies and amplifies the purest form of the energies that it absorbs. So, needless to say, the negative energies that were once contained by the druids of the Ancient Briar, suddenly released by the destruction of the wards - had sought Lambis’ vessel and flooded into it.  

Rage!

Insanity!

Sorrow!

Pestilence!

Death!... and much more had become a part of Lambis, the last vessel of the Ancient Briar, and this caused it to stir and awaken from its dormant state.

Lambis, awoken and flowing with the negative energies of the forest, surrounded by the smouldering corpse of the forest, sought the most tormented and enraged spirits within vicinity. Upon approach, Lambis saw the grotesque corpses of the Ferals, with their spirits still lingering in torment by the bodies that once housed them, Lambis decided that these warriors would be the perfect carrion to embalm with its malicious intent. Thus the first of the Goat Riders Horde reborn immortal, forever enslaved to change the face of reality and existence through violence and desolation.

Praise Lambis.

Althea continued to fester in turmoil as many sought to make their mark on the land. Warbands quickly made tentative allegiances to form major factions, vying for power and laying claim to territories.

Lands and forts were constantly in a state of devastation with many of the denizens of Althea sacrificing their lives in reckless bloodshed.  Battlefields everywhere became hallowed grounds, filled with the stench of death and decay. Leaders who foolhardily proclaimed themselves as the embodiment of these factions as “Avatars” were just as quick to rise as they were to fall - Mere children desperately attempting to seek attention and praise.

Whilst these false prophets waged war, the Goats went about their lives without raising too much concern from others.  The Goats fought on various sides, and never committing to any of them.During this time, the Goatriders became renown for their reckless savagery and often bemusing pastimes. Many accounts claim them to be gibbering fools playing on logs with knives one moment, and blood-thirsty raiders leaping walls the next. Needless to say, their reputation had earn them monikers as chaos incarnate.

“Can we trust the Goats?” they spat, “They could stab us at any moment” they would cry. 

There is honest sentiment behind these questions.

For the Goats had learnt to march to the beat of their own drum.

Once a Goat has sworn and undergone The Ritual, they knowingly welcome Lambis into their hearts and minds, therefore fostering and nurturing a truly unhinged and unbridled reality.As much as some would find the Goats unsavoury in nature, there are some who came to learn of their ways and found solace and a sense of belonging. Their influence spread, and their numbers grew in time, with some of their ilk being rooted in various distant lands.

From time to time there will be a gathering of Goats from far and wide. On these occasions, only the greatest of rituals are held, such as the performance that pays homage to their founding, and the most revered ritual – The Ritual.

Whilst The Ritual can be held in each tribes home, to be a part of The Ritual at a gathering is a sight to behold.

Arebnak

As the goats grew greater in number, so did their need to split into smaller tribes – that being the way of things for nomadic groups.So onwards a tribe of the goats headed to uncharted lands, enduring stormy weather upon the seas and making land in the far north nestled amongst the white mountains. Slowly they migrated south, eventually arriving in an area known as the Urzadi Steppe. New traditions formed as these goats slowly learnt new things in these new lands, but always they paid respect to their ancestry in the form of rituals.

The goats never stay in one place for too long, always migrating upon the whim of their fancy. They can be found across all areas of the continent of Arebnak, taking on mercenary or hunting contracts from the eastern shores of the confederated Empire and even divulging in cultural activities with the free folk of the west, but ultimately they will usually be found somewhere in between surrounding the Wargrounds itself. For where there is great power, there is also great opportunity, and the goats will always seek to exploit opportunities – for better or for worse.