Cú Gcnoc Glas

(Irish) Hounds of the Green Hills

A band of seven slavers sit in a silent circle still in the woods south of Litenåsby. The dying light of a small cooking fire illuminates hard but weary faces. Nearby, four captured adolescent Halflings curl together for warmth. The eldest quietly whimpers to herself as she cradles her broken arm. Slowly the oppressors retreat to shabby sheets for the brief reprieve offered by sleep. A single shadow stays to tend to the still-small flames and ensure their trickets don't slip their chains. The air is heavy and still, and a creeping chill causes the lone one to shiver.
From the surrounding darkness, a black bolt is hurled. A seven-pronged spear buries itself into the belly of the solemn figure - a grunt and a gurgle the only clues to the desanctification of silence. A single breath exhales its ghost into the ether as six more spears breach the space and splay the entrails of their slumbering victims.
Without a word or a sound, a squad of small men bear down to finish off their quarry. After retrieving their weapons the silently step toward the trapped teens, their leader in the center. Four sets of hands lash out to clasp four mouths that gasp and clamp down startled shrieks of terror. Wide eyes focus on the grim figure that leans down to whisper, "it's okay, you're safe now."
By the next day, in an grave did lay, seven bleeding corpses. Had they been found, the world would've known, they'd been bound with their own fetters.
With a sickening crunch and a muted cry the sounds of bone-setting filled the sky while it brightened. Four youths plus eight disembarked at a leisurely pace toward to the nearest village. But only the four arrived to live on from this harrowed tale. The other eight did fade before reaching that place but their memory remains. So be unafraid if a slaver does take, you may end up with a similar story.

— A dramatic tale by Bean Lámhtinn

The Cú Gcnoc Glas are known to exist but remain shrouded in mystery. Rumors of their activity is most common along the southern coast in western Seclora. The most widely accepted belief is that the Cú Gcnoc Glas are a band of hunters from the region surrounding Litenåsby that oppose the Barnema Trade Company. However, it is entirely possible that they are fishers from Hrafting, or skifter nomads. Regardless of their origins, three things are strongly suspected:

1. The members Cú Gcnoc Glas are capable of blending into society as regular individuals.
2. They are seemingly all skilled with Seacht Sleá Fada and stealth.
3. They can either move with great speed or more than one group exists since multiple unique tales have arisen in different cities concurrently.

Composition

Manpower

24 - 405 (Est. by the Barnema Trade Company)

Weaponry

Seacht Sleá Fada

Structure

Unknown. Most common rumors are active squads of eight members. Sheer speculation suggests that 1-16 squads may be active.
The organizational "experts" suggest the following command structure:

• Overall Leader (1)
• Senior Leader (1 per 4 squads)
• Senior Support Staff (4 per Senior Leader)
• Junior Leader (1 per squad)
• Operatives (7 per squad)
• Support Staff (16 per squad)

Tactics

Guerrilla warfare chiefly ambushing targets, avoiding large scale conflicts, weakening supply chains, faking retreat, and leveraging their knowledge of the territory to their advantage.

Logistics

Recruitment

Labour pool is expected to come from sympathizers, local youth, and escaped slaves.
May have ties to Les Petits Arbustes.

Type

Shock

Overall training Level

Semi-professional

Assumed Veterancy

Experienced

Used by

• Les Petits Arbustes