Cigognes
Cigognes (Stork Fusiliers)
Les Songes Drolatiques de Pantagruel:
Woodcuts as game material.
The Cigognes, a loose group of mercenaries also known as the Stork Fusiliers, are chiefly known for their garish helmets, their deadly accuracy with fusils-longues and thin curved swords, and the persistent rumor that they secretly eat human flesh.
Cigognes are recruited exclusively from the Low Mountains, where they practice their sharpshooting skills hunting dire sheep at the higher elevations those creatures prefer. (They're often accompanied on these hunts by Altian wolfdogs.) Outside of this region, Cigognes are almost always encountered in bands, either working as mercenaries or traveling between jobs. In combat, they style themselves after the storks that live just outside their villages -- not the pleasant wizard storks found in many other villages but the huge carrion-eating minaudor storks, with their raw bald heads and gular sacs. The red of the mercenaries' helmets is worrisomely garish.
Because both Cigognes and Towermates often work as mercenaries, the two groups frequently find themselves on opposing sides of a conflict. In those cases, battle will usually result in a stalemate, the two forces' abilities perfectly opposed. Lords and commanders will grumble that the groups do this by design, to drive up fees, but whatever the truth, both are so well regarded in battle that they'll be hired in spite of this risk.
The rumor that Cigognes secretly eat human flesh is untrue. They quite openly eat human flesh, though only that of battle-slain enemy combatants and only during the course of a conflict 1. They view the practice as a matter of practicality as well as psychology. It's unclear whether what amounts to carrion-eating is another way they've styled themselves after their namesake storks or if the name followed the practice.
(Somehow, perhaps due to the sharply limited occasions and quantities, Cigognes generally manage to avoid the well documented negative effects of cannibalism. On occasion, though, a member will develop an unending hunger for the stuff.)
Despite (or because of?) their bird theming, Cigognes do not like Birdmothers. The feeling is mutual.
d20 game stats:
I should probably start including stats for these entries, since they're supposed to be game material....
Cigogne (as 2nd-level fighting man) AC: plate HD: 2 Att: long sword, long rifle 2 #: 3d4 Special: Sharpshot: Take an additional round to aim the rifle, attack at +5.