“Tear down the false world! Prove your strength! Live as Zekartaal! Die free!”
The Zekartaal are a people that live, breathe and embody the freedom of a truly natural world. While their history is shrouded in a mystery as yet uncovered, their fanatical goal of tearing down the civilised world is not one that is kept hidden from their foes. Originating from parts of Northern Esterra, it was the nations of Greenweald and Andash that would be the first to feel their bite, and it would be their regions that would be the first to fall to their wrath.
Wild Warmongers
Esterra is not a continent that takes kindly to occupation. Between the avalanches of the Iron Valley, the desert seas of Andash and the very nature of the Greenweald, it has demonstrated time and time again that the natural world has a spirit of its own - and it is a rebellious one. The Concord and many of the other Esterran nations see this as simply the price of doing business, and tackle the challenge with gusto. Yet to others, this is an unheard call, an invitation to greatness, to cast off the weakness of civilization and become strong.
These are the Zekartaal.
Somewhere between a vast cult and loose association of wilderness tribes, the Zekartaal is a way of life. It calls for people to surrender themselves to Esterra. To just let themselves become wild, free and strong. From there they take up stone, steel and strife in an attempt to tear down all they left behind. All will be put to Esterra’s test. The strong will join it. The weak will not survive.
The Zekartaal take varied forms. Often they are lone warbands, groups of wandering wildfolk in great numbers, each with a hunger for conflict and a desire to return the world to its natural state. Allowed to rest too long they can become a serious danger, as they turn nature against civilization with their druidic rituals and draw powerful boons of all kinds to their side. Sometimes, the very forces of nature itself will join the Zekartaal in the form of beasts, creatures and yet greater mysteries.
While not interested in stately ideas such as diplomacy or parley, the Zekartaal are nothing if not preachers. Their ethos of survival of the strong, freedom in wildness and the divinity of nature is constantly communicated in their threatening declarations, curses or actions. They welcome any to join their number who would embrace their savage devotion to serving Esterra against civilisation.
The Zekartaal, in a broader military sense, currently raid the Greenweald and Andash, trying to push one from deepest wood and drag the other to inhospitable wilderness. Previously they were a considerable threat, but one that could at least be addressed regionally. However in years not too far past, a great Zekartaal wartribe formed and destroyed the lost Andashi city of Halibatha in an eruption of roots, vines and hatred, triggering the Pact of the Last Pine between Andash and the Baronies. Few now see them as a lesser danger. Few now question what they are capable of.
The Nation
The inner workings of a culture like the Zekartaal are simultaneously simple and intuitive, whilst also impossible to truly understand. Survival of the fittest in the purest natural world limits the more civilised possibilities, and, aside from the preached word of their way of life, little else is known about how their society truly functions. Regardless, it is clear that they are a people that value great strength and influence among their own, as some form of distinct hierarchy is clearly visible within their ranks.
While the Wartribes are a nation that lives among the wilds, it would be false to say that they have no hospitable structures of their own. They are a people that still require shelter from weather and defences from their enemies, though the methods in which these structures are built vastly differs from what is considered to be “normal”. Examples of this are rare on the warfronts, but canvas or leaf-roofed tents of various sizes, and the occasional building built of condensed and intertwined wood, have been sighted in the past.
Five things about The Zekartaal
Nature is the Only Choice
The Zekartaal are questionably sane fanatics of the natural world, believing that any other pursuit is the path to weakness and lies.
Esterra’s Boon
Whatever is to be said about their philosophy, The Zekartaal are blessed by a powerful form of druidic magic, with rituals, allies and abilities unlike those of the Church or the Shardcircle of the Concord.
Nomadic Strikes
The dispersed and transient forms of Zekartaal tribes makes them difficult to pin down, allowing them to strike deep within enemy territory anywhere that nature is wild and untamed.
Priests and Propagandists
The Zekartaal know in their souls that Esterra is the true filter that will determine if all forms of life are worthy. While they aggressively want to tear down your walls and force you to live in their world, they are also invested in screaming at you, showing you their truth and corrupting your borderlands.
A Threat Alone
The Zekartaal rarely find allies in the world, for their ethos abhors many of those around them. What allies they do find are often like-minded, such as brutish monster clans or powerful creatures of the wilderness.
What The Zekartaal are not
Mindless Barbarians
The Zekartaal are a people with a culture all their own, despite its often harsh and brutal requirements. They are, primarily, a people with families, emotions and ambitions that drive them to ever seek the greatest of their ethos.
Tree-Loving Druids
While there are certainly druids among the Zekartaal, their perspective on nature is warped and driven by their culture. Nature is not to be loved, but respected and feared. It is a danger that is to be survived through personal strength and willpower, which cannot be accomplished if it is torn down and replaced with the buildings of civilization.
Known Forces
The history of war against the Zekartaal has uncovered, or perhaps given rise to, heroes and unique forces of their very own. Perhaps this is part of the natural order of things, or perhaps there is some unknown rule that must be followed by a people lost in the past. Regardless, The Concord has uncovered little beyond the intelligence of war. Below can be found a summary of the most notable of known Zekartaal forces or figures of military influence.
Sister Oak
Perhaps the most renowned of the leaders of the Zekartaal, Sister Oak leads with an earned strength. Armed and armoured in Thunder Oak, one only needs to look to this leader to understand why she is followed by so many. Few to none feel any need to question why it is that Sister Oak fights or what her beliefs may be, for she and all that follow are simply the epitome of the Zekartaal.
The Concord has warred against Sister Oak and her army many times, once even facing the warrior herself on the field of battle with the goal of disrupting her powerful war gear. Her army has proven to show little fear even in the face of death, throwing themselves at any foe that would stand between Sister Oak and her goals even if it meant throwing away their lives. These are the most dangerous and fanatical of the Zekartaal, and Oak has shown no qualms in simply replacing them should they fall.
Sister Oak, while a great and powerful hero, rarely fights alone. Even in times where her army is destroyed, such as after the Battle of The Tribelands in 223AE, she remains guarded by those that have come to be known as “Oak’s Eagles”. These Eagles are famed for their skill in archery, keen eyes and use of Carrionwood-tipped arrows, and are rarely found far from Sister Oak, seemingly taking great pride in being the elites that guard the strongest of the Zekartaal heroes
Further details on Oak and her army can be found here.
Brother Ash
During The War of Molten Moon, Brother Ash made a name for himself as perhaps the most powerful druid of the Wartribes. With a known penchant for rituals of all types and severity, it is little wonder that the Heroes of The Concord have taken to the field to prevent such things many times over the years. Despite this, Brother Ash himself has not as yet faced off against the Heroes of The Concord.
Ash, perhaps due to his nature as both a leader of the Zekartaal and a powerful druid, is joined in battle by more than just his people. Zekartaal follow and fight, as they do in all of the Wartribe’s armies, but no other known force in Esterra contains as many beasts and creatures of the wilds as Ash’s army.
Forest Spirits, embodiments of root and vine, stalk the field alongside those that believe in the path of nature. Hulking creatures of either brutal strength or venomous speed fight in tandem just as those wielding blades would. To fight Brother Ash’s army is to expect more than simple ritualists and foragers.
Further details on Ash’s force can be found here, but no further details on Ash himself are available.
Alder
The newest of the leaders of the Wartribes, and as yet the most untested. Alder, having only become known to The Concord in the year 224AE, is a leader of their own force and little else. This army is known to be a Zekartaal militia of some kind, though perhaps that is simply a Concordian understanding. Having come from North of Ritterswald after Sister Oak’s first and greatest defeat, neither Alder nor her army have been faced in battle as of yet.
No further details on Alder or her forces are available.
Thorn
A creature that was rumoured to be more bird than man, Thorn was known as the primary leader of the cults of The Zekartaal. Little to nothing is truly known about Thorn, but it is widely accepted that he was responsible for the success of the hidden cults of the Zekartaal that had plagued The Concord in its earliest years, particularly the cult once known as The Grain and Grail. The how and why of this is a topic of great discussion, but no true answers have come to light as yet.
Thorn, while once the head of a force of his own, has been missing ever since Concordian armies massacred his forces in Vassertal during the Summer Season of 222. He remains one of the greatest mysteries of the Wartribes, and is still considered a major force within them until his fate is determined, for better or worse.
No further details on Thorn or his forces are available.
Magic in The Wartribes
The Zekartaal do not use magic in the same way that a common Concordian would understand it, and it is said that the Zekartaal hold a great hatred for the use of the arcane itself. There is much discussion across The Concord about how the Zekartaal could hold such animosity for magic whilst also harnessing arcane powers through more druidic methods, but it is widely accepted to be a cultural phenomenon born of an unknown history.
Perhaps the druidic magics of the Zekartaal are a result of their origin in Northern Esterra, or perhaps it is simply a divergent form of magic culminating from their way of life. Regardless, it is an arcane power that seems to tap into the very essence of nature, drawing a particular wildness from the world around them and harnessing it in ways both familiar and strange. The mysteries of Zekartaal magic and its function are as yet unsolved by The Concord, but its effects are consistently felt throughout the continued war.
The Zekartaal in Play
The Wartribes are a historic enemy of The Concord. The war against them was inherited when The Greenweald Baronies and Andash united with the other Realms, and the war has continued ever since. The Zekartaal are an enemy, pure and simple, and this fact has been proven again and again as The Concord persists. While there is no telling what the future may hold, the present facts are not to be ignored.
With this in mind, it is not possible for any characters to have a background originating from within the Zekartaal. Characters are more than welcome to have a history of fighting against the Zekartaal, and it is highly recommended for Andash or Greenweald Characters in particular, but ‘Traitor Zekartaal’ and similar concepts are not themes the Team wishes to allow in a Heroic backstory.
As an influential antagonist, it is likely that the Zekartaal may appear at a Summit, particularly during Confluxes. As such, this presents the possibility that some Summits will allow for players to NPC as a member of the Wartribes, filling a role as required by the circumstance. When NPCing as a Zekartaal, the GOD Team will provide you with a base costume marker and a stat block, the latter indicating what you are playing within the Zekartaal. This will usually contain a rough vibe of character alongside all necessary mechanical details such as hitpoints and abilities.
The costume marker for the Zekartaal is a green and yellow hood, though certain roles may come with additional and unique costume markers. A handy guide to NPCing as a member of The Zekartaal, including an example of costuming, can be found here!
The Zekartaal in Your Events
As such a primary antagonist in the world of Concord, the Zekartaal are a perfect bad guy to have present at Sanctioned Events. Utilising information found on this page and beyond, especially the Known Forces section and available stat blocks, there exists a framework that can be drawn from to ensure that The Zekartaal at your event feel just the same as they do at Summit.
To add to this, the Team has some Do’s and Don'ts when including the Zekartaal in a Sanctioned Event that should help guide you when including them!
Do’s
- Make the Zekartaal feel like the bad guys. The Concord and its realms have been at odds with them for a very long time, do not be afraid to portray them in a way that reflects that! The Team is happy to work with you in your Event Submission if you have concerns about what that looks like!
- Emphasise the core ideals of the Zekartaal. Their briefings should draw from a lot of the information on this page, especially the Five Things about the Zekartaal and What the Zekartaal are not sections. We love seeing NPCs that bring the lore to life!
- Use the existing stat blocks to come up with something unique for your event, and come up with a lore justification for why! Do you want a unique bad guy to be the main villain for your event, or a series of events? Find a stat block that matches the vibe you want for them, and feel free to take and add as you feel necessary to come up with a truly unique Zekarataal character that will be engaging to take down!
Don'ts
- Try to solve existing Summit-based plots at a Sanctioned Event. It may feel tempting to progress or solve existing plots, but the Team will not approve the event if that is your intent.
- Create new and powerful Heroes of the Zekartaal. While there is some flexibility here, creation of characters of the same power and scale as the current leaders of the Wartribes is unlikely to be approved. Instead, work within the Known Forces to create a bad guy that fits beneath or within that power structure, rather than atop it.