The Tautha

Two tribes and one spirit race make up the three Tautha armies. The Tir and Sidhe belong to the same people and fight differently but they are both close to the Fae and emulate a particular aspect of them and occaisonally have Fae in their armies.

Tautha Warfare

Each of the Tautha armies fight in different ways and also have common tactics and weapons.

The Tir and Sidhe Tautha both employ large numbers of archers for the same reason: to inflict as many casualties on the enemy before contact is made between maidens of each side. Tautha damsels have always had a preference for range combat, not the least reason being the increased danger of close combat. Armour of any kind is rarely worn by the golden haired maidens. The Tautha culture does not have a strong emphasis on war or fighting beyond protection and survival. The Tir and also the Sidhe place a higher regard on the spiritual and magic. The Tir like to use enchantry to create protective barriers to enhance their defensive posture. The Sidhe paint special glyphs on their skin to act as their protection.

The ways of Tautha warfare came into being after the nearly destructive war between the Tir and Sidhe against the Fae. Like the Aryidannan, when the Tautha first arrived they fought the Fae and were almost destroyed. The power and ferocity of the Fae left a strong mark on the Tuatha and as the relations between them knit together the Tir seeked to learn one aspect of the Fae and the Sidhe another.

It is therefore best to consider the Fae first, as they are the premiere power on Tautha and the other tribes imitate them to one degree.

The Fae are a race of spirits. As such their nature is inherently magical and powerful. Fae, when they manifest, can be terrible creatures of lighting speed and thunderous destruction. Against the Tautha the Fae raised the Wild Hunt, their most potent force and it almost destroyed the Tautha completely.

Fae get their power from Groves, places that they are tied to strongly. The closer to the Fae's Grove the more powerful it is. When the Tautha first revealed the Fae it was close to their Groves and so they were at their strongest. Fae therefore prefer to remain close to their Grove although it does mean placing their Grove in greater danger. If the Grove is destroyed the Fae will wilt into nothingness in short time.

Singularly Fae use various magicks to remove interlopers: making their way too hard, misdirecting them, or in the case of Dryads, luring them into their Groves to have their life slowly sucked out to feed the Grove. When threatened by a force too big for a single Fae they group together into fast moving, frightening Warbands. The Fae make themselves look terrifying or alluringly irrestistable, and surround themselves in auras to bring foes to their doom. Confident in their own power they rush at the enemy directly in a tidal wave on foot or mounted on magical steeds and crash right through any opposition.

The Sidhe Tautha like the mad screaming rush of the Fae and half of their own maidens practice the same ruthless charge. Many, to gain even more of the Fae's power, paint glyphs on their naked bodies. The Fae wear no armour, relying on their power to resist harm. The Gaeas Maidens emulating them do the same. Where the Fae nold no or few weapons, their limbs can slice into a maiden as easily as any spearhead or sword, the Gaeas Maidens carry short multi-bladed stabbing and slashing weapons. When in the bloodlust they hack and stab everywhere. But the Sidhe aren't fools. They use their large numbers of archers, half of more of a force, to soften up and disorganise the enemy before the charge is made.

The Tir fight in a completely different way. They do not attack. Instead they sit in a defensive position and wait for the enemy to come to them, firing bows and throwing javelins all the time. Physical protection is much more regarded with the front ranking Javelineers carrying light shields, yet still wearning no armour or anything at all. The Tir Magi use spells and enchantments to improve the defensive position, usually by growing thick and sharp thorn hedgerows across the front of the army and to entangle the vines to the flanks and rear. From behind such defenses the Tir keep up their shooting and the enemy can't get close.

Before the arrival of the Aryidannan the main enemy of all the Tautha were the cold blooded Tentac. How will the Tautha tactics change facing a new and different enemy?

New Opponents, New Tactics

The heavily armed and armoured Hoplite damsel of the Aryidannan, the sunflame-haired as the new arrivals are called, have defeated many Tautha maidens.

The Sidhe have found that their Gaeas Maidens are too lightly equipped to fight face on against the Hoplite and even the lighter armoued Peltae. Their short blades don't have the reach or the power to get past the large painted shields, and they have no defence against the quick jab of the spear which keep them at a distance. The advantage that the Sidhe have is their speed. If they can attack the flank of the enemy line with greater numbers than the defenders they can cause havoc and disorganise the enemy and then as the fighting becomes more one-on-one and in close quarters the skills of the Maidens is realised.

The Tir have also been surprised, and dismayed as lines of unmaiden Hoplites marched through the heaviest fire they could manage of bows and javelins and used their long spears to drive the Javelineers back from the hedge before crossing and forcing the maidens to flee. The defensive posture of fighting meant that the better manoueverability of the lighter Tir couldn't be taken advantage of like the Sidhe had. Seeing that inevitably the Phalanx would reach the hedgerow the Tir have stepped up training in hand to hand fighting and improved the quality of their javelins for thrusting like the longer and thicker spears. Some bands have also called for help from their Sidhe cousins and the fanatical Raver Cult for extra melee potency.

Even the Fae have found it difficult against the resilience of a Phalanx which they can't break through if it is in depth. Like the Sidhe they are using their speed and the frightening charge of Swift Fae steeds to strike at the weakest part of the Aryidannan's army and its flanks and to defeat them from there.

But these tactical alterations are not enough to ensure victory against the invaders. The enemy has thick armour and long weapons and the Tautha, imitators that they are, believe that they need thicker armour and longer spears.

Army Choices

The three diffrent Tautha armies offer for different styles of game play, and a little mix of both.

Spirit Rush: A single Manifest Fae Stand has as good an A rating as two Spear armed Stands and a little lower D. Fae don't get supporting ranks so their line will be wider than a Phalanx and can find the flanks with speed. The Swift Fae are simply speeding trains but only if they charge from maximum range and get the most bonuses for A and Rush. A Fae army is completely comprised of these dangerous maidens; the Sidhe and Tir can take some Stands to give their army extra punch in melee.

Deadly Rain: Tir and Sidhe armies have large amounts of missile armed troops. Every Tir has a bow or javelin. Missiles are capable of slowing down an enemy advance with Push Backs, or by destroying them completely if they have low D or the fire is concentrated on one or two Stands a turn.

Hedgerow hell: Tir armies fight defensively behind hedges that can improve D and/or A ratings of defending Stands. While that makes the army static, a tight denfensive position and may supporting ranks can equalise the combat abilities of a Tir force and a Phalanx.

Painted Beauty: Gaeas Maidens are the core of Sidhe warbands. Not as tough or violent as the Spirit Rush, they try and require heavy missile support. Even so these fast brave damsels can take on lightly armoured maidens and cut through them like a knife through butter. A Sidhe army is also more numerous than a Fae hunt.

Items: Tautha Items enhance the strength of the army. Hedges and Glyphs are only available as items to protect maidens. Fae Items such as Fear and Succubi make enemies easier to hit and as Fae have Rush, increase the number of hits delivered on follow ups which can destroy Stands quickly.

Heroines: Tautha Heroines are not as capable in melee as Aryidannan ones, instead having missile weapons or magic and generally higher Glamour. The Sidhe and Fae have melee specific Heroines like the Witch Silla and Braelghae but like Tautha armies in general they are at a distadvantage fighting head on against the heavy Aryidannan maidens.

Type

Advantages

Disadvantages

Archers

24" range. Can support.

Low melee and defense.

Javelineers

High attack if supported. Short range missiles.

Low defense, require supports for melee.

Rangers / Huntresses

24" range. Elite. Ambush.

Low melee and defense.

Gaeas Maidens

Speed. Rush.

Easy to Hit. Can't support.

Manifest Fae

Speed. High attack.

Cost

Swift Fae

Speed. High attack.

Cost. Rare.

Naiad

Range. Ambush

Monster. Rare.

Sidhe Ravers

Can support. Rush

Easy to hit.

Resources

Fae Tautha Tactics
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Dryad Tactics
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Tir Tautha Tactics
Read...

Mounted Tactics
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Sidhe Ravers
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Tautha Colours
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