Tanizi Troupe Concept

This time I present another individual warband sneak peek, The Travelling Troupes of the Tanizi!

During the first reign of the Vampir over what would one day become Morgulia, the lands suffered a full military invasion by a human people from the south calling themselves "Tanizi". Put on the backfoot by the sudden and unexpected onslaught of a technologically superior and better organized military force, The Vampir of that age very nearly lost their hard won realm and, had it not been for the creation of the Vladrac line, very well may have. However, with the advent of the Vladrac, the tide slowly turned and a bloody stalemate was reached until, just as suddenly as the invasion had begun, reinforcements from the south ceased and the remaining Tanizi forces were left to fight and die without recourse to return to their native lands. What caused this turn of events is unknown, but tales suggest that, perhaps, their nation collapsed from internal causes, an assumption that the reticence of modern Tanizi to speak of their native home seems to support. Whatever the cause, most of the remaining Tanizi faced fury and bloody slaughter at the hands of the vengeful Vampir and their human chattel. Those few who survived were cursed by foul blood sorcery to wander the lands ever after, distrusted and unloved, welcome only long enough to remind them of what they can never have... a home.

Modern Tanizi travel the lonely paths in family "troupes", wandering from village to village, setting up camp only long enough to ply their modern trade before being driven out again by the ever growing suspicions of the locals. This "trade" is one of entertainment. Already exotic seeming to the rustic and insular peasantry, they accentuate their appeal through music, dancing, gaudy jests and acrobatics, as well as performance of various skills, including knife throwing and fortune telling, all leading up to the "Play" a performance of some dramatized or comedic tale. All this is performed in as carnivalesque manner as possible and their children are notorious hucksters of whatever crafts they can acquire or fashion. All of this activity draws much interest, if glowers of disapproval from the elderly but, eventually, more and more whisper darkly of minor thefts, improper trysts, and even murders or curses, until the whole family is forced to move on under threat of death and, while these accusations are usually false for the most part, unfortunately enough of them are true to keep most Morgulians wary of them even at the best of times. This, in turn, has bred a healthy paranoia among the Tanizi who, if stumbled upon in the wilderness, will often become irrationally violent. After all, when everyone hates and mistrusts you, it is better to be safe than sorry.

So what makes The Tanizi Troupes different from the other Outlaws from a game standpoint? The Tanizi are entirely nomadic, rarely setting up camp in the same place two nights in a row, and so Tanizi warbands taking part in a battle that does not already require their base camp be set up still set up an encampment in their deployment zone, including any encampment upgrades. Moreover, Tanizi  are masterful entertainers and know well how to draw attention, both for entertainment purposes and for timely distractions and enemy warriors within 6” of Tanizi Champions may not benefit from any other warrior’s Command or Leadership.

Tanizi Troupe warbands also have access to Abilities and Spells that allow them to use ancient and hidden knowledge to their advantage. The Ancient Tales Ability allows them to reroll a Loot die during the Loot phase and their Seers have access to the spell "As I have Foreseen" which allows them to apply +1 or -1 to any one die roll that occurs before the end of the Round.

Have a treat and enjoy the show but do not anger the old woman sitting at the table!