^w^; Some historical background for the Tatufola/Southern Mossflower tribe as presented by a battle scene.

Now, y'see, given the antagonistic history between "vermin" and "goodbeast" species that goes back into unknown days, original cause lost to the mists of time, the Tatufola and the woodlander groups led by Brockhall's badger line are often not on friendly terms. When Lord Brocktree was aging, Lord Boar the Fighter was training at sea to succeed his father, and Boar's daughter Bella and her mate Barkstripe were coming of age and hoping to reestablish unquestioned badger rule in the whole of Mossflower region. Barkstripe was a warrior in his own right, pictured here with his armor, axe, and broad shield, the decorated helm of Brockhall's oakleaf sigil prominent.

Now, at that time, the Chieftain of the Tatufola noticed the pressure increasing on many clans in the north-central areas and especially on the flatlands borders, with several clans forced to pack up and move further southeast to avoid conflict with new woodlander settlements and Long Patrols. Chief Moramorak, a splendid and fierce marbled polecat, had something to say about that and believe me if Lady Bella and Lord Barkstripe could understand much Tatufola language they would have blushed. Moramorak began rallying the clans in a resistance that Barkstripe and Bella's allies didn't expect--pushing the badgers, their hare guards, and a number of the more war-like groups of woodlanders (otter holts, woodland hedgehog tribes, homesteading mice) out of Brockhall and to the flatlands borders. Barkstripe rallied an army of his own from many more groups of woodlanders and was reinforced by more Salamandastron hares, and on the southwestern borders of the forest met Chief Moramorak's forces in a bloody battle.

The polecat was a great warrior, but the woodlanders had superior numbers and the sun at their back (plus an angry badger, which tends to count for twenty common fighters). Barkstripe and Moramorak clashed, and the badger came out the victor and proceeded to drive the Tatufola's clans off with great force, who had to flee and resettle far south of their original ancestral homelands. For the majority of the Tatufola's history they have excelled in avoiding confrontation with woodlanders, since crossing any allies of the Badger Lords tend to have violent consequences carried out by Long Patrol and others. Chief Moramorak is still revered to this day among the Tatufola, though his fate serves a dire message to the tribesbeasts and a reminder of which creatures truly have power in this country, and which are disempowered. Most Tatufola take huge pride in their ability to survive and thrive in their hunting and foraging lifestyle, in spite of a hostile world and the temptation of banditry that many poor creatures decide to take up.

Tried to lay out this scene so there was no clear "good guy" or "bad guy" (though unfortunate associations with certain surface features... face paint, tattoos, "primitive" garb and the like... tend to do that work anyways in the series' illustrations), but each side looked ferocious and aggressive as you'd expect from two armies about to smash into each other. <w<; Not a single beast in this picture looks anything less than "nope!" to have charging after you!

.>w<; Need a better scan of this one, blurgh.