Falians, The

Unlike the other Earth Goddess Tribes, the folk of the Tribe of the Shadows place little importance on directness as a virtue. They will happily sneak up behind an enemy and strangle him, not thinking it the least bit dishonorable. Before an army brings them to battle, they may find the general assassinated and warriors out of action through a dose of hallucinogenic fungi in the mead cauldron. Once in combat they will not shirk from stabbing in the back if the opportunity arises, but their courage on the open battlefield is no less than that of any other Earth Goddess tribe and they will proudly fight to the death in honor duels or battles alike. If they decide to attack in return, be sure that this too will be no fair fight, though again the Tribe of the Shadows find it perfectly in keeping with their honor to leap town walls in the dead of night and burn the place down - women, children and all. If they are at war with a tribe, they are at war with the whole tribe; there are no innocents. However, most are not deliberately cruel and will certainly not go out of their way to attack a non-warrior – they will just not worry overmuch about the casualties of war. The Tribe of the Shadows is also often known as the Falians, perhaps referring to their great city of Falias. Some say that the name ‘Falians’ is the older of the two, and that they have only been known as the Tribe of the Shadows after suffering a dreadful curse at the hands of the Earth Goddess, though the precise details are uncertain. In any event they are now known almost universally as the Tribe of the Shadows, or simply ‘Shadows,’ on account of their habit of painting their bodies and shields alike jet black and shunning the daylight.