Longbowmen of Geoff

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The Longbowmen of Geoff is an organization in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game, as part of the Duchy of Geoff region. Players of the living campaign can join the Longbowmen as a meta-organization.

[edit] Overview of the Longbowmen of Geoff

An important part of any army is its archery corps. But the Longbowmen of Geoff are no ordinary archery corps. Armed with the famous Gyri five-foot yew longbows they have trained with since early childhood, the Longbowmen are the best archers to be found in any army of the Flanaess. In Geoff, archery and the Longbowmen are cultural institutions that have shaped the land long before the giants’ attack. The Longbowmen of Geoff count amongst their ranks elven archers from the forests of Geoff and many have close ties to the Old Faith. The Longbowmen’s cultural heritage and varied influences result in a varied fighting force, capable of fighting in any terrain from open field to deep forest, and honed in warfare skills such as ambushes, scouting, and close combat fighting.

In CY595 the Longbowmen rekindled the Old Ways of their organization that had been set aside while they were part of the Army of Liberation. Once again the Longbowmen are independent and report solely to the Grand Duke. And once again the Longbowmen are composed of three different branches, each holding the others in balance and tension that gives strength in the same way that the opposed forces of the bow, pulled string, and arrow shaft give purpose to the bow and flight to the arrow. The three paths of the Longbowmen are the Path of Heroes (Arwriaeth, composed of Longbowmen and Elite Longbowmen), Path of Faith (Crefydd, composed of Longbowmen of the Old Ways and Longbowmen of the Balance), and Dark Path (Fferru, composed of Snipers, Ghost Snipers, and Deep Recon). Each path has a subculture and even secrets. These secrets become known to members once they join a particular path.

Longbowmen are organized by cantrev, reporting to the First Bow but considering the needs of the local Llwyr and the Brenin should they be called to action. One deviation from the Old Ways that remains today is the loosening of the restrictions to allow the use of short bows and composite varieties of either bow.

Despite their name, it should be noted that Gyri of all genders flourish within the organization.