NPC Suggestion: Tao Woods Community

History:
As the Zoroark were driven to madness over the decades after Jasmine’s first visit, they abandoned their days of peace and lashed out at any creature they saw who was not a part of their tribe.  They even invaded the woodlands of what would eventually be called Tao Woods and relentlessly attacked many of the wild Pokémon living there in a bloodthirsty rage.

Many Pokémon died during the first attack, but a few had been able to either fight back or hide well enough.  Among the fighters was a young Pidgey who used a clever combination of Whirlwind and Aerial Ace attacks to save what few Pokémon he could and even endured a few brutal blows to save a Caterpie.  Before then, it was unheard of for a bird to be protecting the bug-types, which were usually considered prey to the predatory Pokémon of the air.  Thus, those who witnessed this were awed, inspired, and most of all, downright confused.

As the Zoroark finally fled from the woodlands, this very same Pidgey spoke, demanding that everyone take to higher ground and led them to what he considered to be the safest spot in the woods.  They obeyed and followed and were even more awed at what they saw upon reaching their destination: to them, it was like a city hidden high among the trees.  From the grand oak in the center, makeshift bridges of vine and planks sprout out in the shape of a massive spider-web pattern to the surrounding trees, where small huts sat upon their branches.

The Pidgey, perched on one of these bridges, explained that he created this place himself after venturing beyond the boundaries of the woodlands months ago and took notice of the crazed tribe of Zoroark drawing closer with each passing day.  He spread the word of his concerns, but none believed him, and so he was forced to build this settlement alone.  He bore no ill will toward the Pokémon, however, and offered them refuge in the settlement among the trees to protect them from the Zoroark and prosper as their own civilization.

Surprisingly, not all were agreed to this as some preferred living in the wild over being domesticated and others thought this was a ploy by the birds to get all the bug-types in one place for an easy meal.  These Pokémon departed from those who chose to stay and went their separate ways while those who remained birthed a new community.

The plan, it seemed, had worked.  While the Zoroark had invaded the woodlands several times, they never bothered to look up as they passed under the hamlet, never knowing that several Pokémon were housed several yards above them.

For being the one who built the place and having the heart to invite the rest of the woodland Pokémon, the Pokémon all agreed that the Pidgey who saved them should be the one to lead.  He set the bug and normal-types as gatherers for berries and the like when the Zoroark weren’t around, the other flying-types were to be his scouts and warn the others of any possible dangers, and the grass types who knew best about the healing effects of berries and herbs were made healers.

As time passed and they were able to avoid the Zoroark, the settlement in the trees grew to be more and more like a civilized commune.  Everyone worked and helped one another to thrive and prosper.  It was starting to reach a point where, one day, the Pidgey began to consider relocating everyone to one of the safer cities beyond the woods.  That all changed, however, when his scouts returned to him with news of a group of strange Pokémon in the field to the South – Pokémon that weren’t Zoroark.

Unsure of the intent of these Pokémon and pondering whether or not it was a Zoroark illusion, the Pidgey commanded the other Pokémon to stay in the hamlet and flew to the South.  He perched within the trees, hidden from view as he watched the small group of Pokémon, who were clearly being led by a green Kecleon wearing a strange, fancy-looking brace around his neck and wielding a wooden cane with an attractive diamond for the handle, scope the land and make plans for building a village of some sort.

The day grew long as the Pokémon set up camp and went over their plans multiple times to ensure that they got their measurements perfect.  They seemed friendly, but the Pidgey was ever-cautious.  Perhaps the Zoroark knew he was watching, he thought, or perhaps they were only friendly to each other.  He couldn’t be sure, not quite yet, and so he remained hidden.

Eventually, night had fallen and his suspicion began to fade.  He let his guard down for but a moment and let out a quiet yawn when something caught his eye.  Movement, in the shadows of the Western forest.  Becoming alert once more, he stared at the spot, but whatever was there didn’t move again.  He began to wonder if it was real or something brought about by exhaustion.  He wanted to warn the strangers, but couldn’t – not when he wasn’t even sure of what he saw, and so remained silent.

It was then, however, as the strangers fell asleep when the Zoroark moved in.  They swarmed over the camp from all directions and attacked the strangers before the Pidgey could even comprehend what was going on.  However, the strangers, in turn, had reacted with a level of violence he had never seen before and drove the Zoroark away after slaughtering more than half their army.

The Pidgey grew appalled at the very sight of so much death, even if they had acted in self-defense.  The green Kecleon's cold and callous reaction to the deaths of even those in his own group, however, was what turned him away.  As the green Kecleon went on about how the Zoroark must've been after some treasure of his, it became increasingly clear that these Pokémon clearly did not value the life of others.  Plus, after what the Zoroark had done, he knew that introducing himself to these strangers would just bring danger to his own civilization.  So he fled back to the hidden hamlet the following morning and told them everything.  They were all in agreement that the strangers from the outside world were not to be interacted with, and so had begun their life in seclusion from the rest of the world.

Generations had passed and the Zoroark had all but left the Pokémon of the woods alone, focusing primarily on the neighboring field that grew into the village called Tao.  The Pokémon in the woods lived a relatively peaceful lifestyle, even as it changed leaders countless times and they never left their home.  More and more Pokémon would sometimes cut through the woodlands, seeking shortcuts as they traveled across the land.  Every time, however, the Pokémon of the hamlet would avoid them by using the trees as cover whenever these trespassers entered their home.

They continued to live without the conflict of war and contact with the world beyond their trees until the day an ice-dragon named Sorbet went on a crazed rampage in the neighboring village.  While the citizens of Tao evacuated their village and battled the dragon Pokémon, the Pokémon of Tao woods suffered greatly as the piercing-cold hurricanes of blinding white snow swept through their hamlet, tearing down bridges and hurling the small huts from their branches.  In mere hours, what had taken months to build and centuries to prosper was violently dismantled.

As they lost their sanctuary, the Pokémon of Tao woods grew sick and injured in the relentless snow storm and some even died before a healer could reach them.  They had nowhere to turn, no shelter left to take, and nobody to go to for help.  The price of their seclusion from the world had finally caught up to them, leaving them to endure the storm and hope it came to an end before they did.

When it finally did end, the Pokémon of the woodlands grew heartbroken at the sight of the wreckage and knew, right then, that something had to change.  They needed someone to turn to in case something like this happened again.  However, they were still wary about the neighboring village, as the story of the first settlers and the Zoroark grew more and more horrifying over time and still rang clear in their minds.

Once they rebuilt their home as close to the original design as possible (although using braided string-shot for bridge rope and carving their homes into the trees themselves this time), a solution to this dilemma was devised by a new leader – a Honchkrow, who was dedicated to make sure his citizens had a safe place to retreat to, should this ever happen again.

His plan was to ambush trespassers who came through the woods with attacks that were designed to merely disorient and distract.  If they fought back, they’d be considered hostile and chased out of the woodlands.  If they didn’t, however, then the attacks would cease and the trespasser would be left alone.  If they didn’t leave by the following morning, then the Honchkrow himself would interrogate them to determine whether or not this individual trespasser was a threat.  He believed that this would determine friend from foe and make their presence to Tao known at a gradual pace, easing his own people into the trust of a civilization they had avoided for generations.

While some Pokémon weren’t too sure about this plan due its very clear flaws, none of them could come up with anything better and thought it best not to question the rule of their newest leader just yet....






Culture:
The community of Tao Woods is mostly made up of typical forest or woodland Pokémon (aka: bugs, birds, plants, and the occasional Sentret or Watchog) and have learned to live as an independent civilization.  Despite their seclusion from the outside world, they’re a lot like every other city beyond their trees; they’ve got Pokémon living their daily lives, raising families, doing jobs, and even shopping (or trading, rather, as they work only to survive and don’t use any form of currency).

They are, as it turns out, a mostly peaceful culture.  Even their justice system is one of little consequence, as whatever crime someone is found guilty of (from as small as theft to as heinous as murder), the punishment is always the same: exile.  This is due to the fact that their community requires every one of its residents to contribute in order to survive.  If one grows selfish or puts the others in danger, then they are not fit or welcome to live among them any longer and are forced out of the woods entirely.  Many would think this kind of method would put the settlement in danger of being discovered, but it would seem that even their criminals hold some sense of honor, or at least care about the place well enough to keep its location hidden from all outsiders.

However, they do have at least one violent tradition among their kind: their method of determining a leader.  Should a leader grow past their prime and declare the settlement’s need for a new one or if one among their kind should challenge their rule, then a public battle is held between the current leader and his would-be successor.  This is done on their ancient belief that only the strongest among them should be granted the right to lead.

None of them would ever admit the following to an outsider, but if the victor in these fights was the challenger, then it would be customary to seal their newfound dominance by swiftly killing their downed opponent.  It’s a tradition, the only serious fighting they ever actually do, and serves as a reminder as to why they avoid the outside world to begin with: to avoid the pain of this kind of bloodshed happening to all of them instead of just one Pokémon.

On a side note, the species of leaders has always been a bird Pokémon of some sort ever since the day the settlement was first built.






Introduced Citizens:

(Currently unnamed)
Gender: Male
Species: Honchkrow
Age: Adult
Nature: Serious
Role: This unnamed Honchkrow serves as the newest leader of the Tao Woods community, despite knowing little about their own history due to a habit of sleeping in his studies when he was younger.  Speaking without the use of contractions, and rarely ever smiling for more than the briefest of moments, this Honchkrow is dedicated to protecting his citizens with a frightening passion and fierce battling style.  However, he will display great hospitality once he confirms someone is no threat to him or the residents of his settlement, going so far as to offer an apology, a ride out of the woods, and even medical care if one would happen to need it.


Galen
Species: Leavanny
Gender: Female
Age: Adult
Nature: Gentle
Role: Galen is the lead healer of the Tao Woods community and demonstrates this with a great bedside manner and a bit of an experimental side regarding medicines that almost always works to her (and, by extension, her patients’) benefit.  You wouldn’t want to get on her bad side, however, as she knows how to make one’s treatment as painful as possible and will not hesitate to act upon this knowledge if she so wishes.



Stryker
Gender: Male
Species: Scizor
Age: Adolescence
Nature: Rash
Role: Up until a recent incident with the first ambush, Stryker was a member of the team set out to test trespassers.  However, he was disbarred from them for being so violent that he nearly killed the trespasser, who turned out to be harmless.  Stryker could be seen as the rebel of the community (although Galen may refer to him more as an unruly brat), and has upset both Galen and his leader multiple times for being too arrogant to even show them a shred of respect unless put under some kind of intimidation.  Once put under this kind of pressure, however, he tends to crumble and beg forgiveness.