People of Needles

The People of Needles are a large conflagration of cultists based inside of a large forest within the Explorable Region of the Gloaming.

Background
Located within a forest that spans hundred of miles in each direction, the ones outsiders call the "People of Needles" are people from a huge mixture of Confederation species who are all dedicated to a faith known as the "Way of the Wood". They're all devout followers of teaching from now-deceased beings known as the six elders, which embody the idea that the woods themselves are a single, sentient organism far more superior than any other in existence.

Active leaders maintain a firm grip over all the devotees and instruct them to carry out any and all tasks which benefit their community, such as gathering food, constructing homes, patrolling the forest, expelling interlopers, etc. They were given their name due to the fact that, when slathering their bodies with it, the sap from a particular tree can cause most species to grow hard, needle-like protrusions from their skin, granting each recipient +1 to all Armor as well as the ability to deal and addition l point of damage during melee combat.

Due to their extremely fanatical and focused nature, many who aren't members of their group fear and distrust them. Their devotion is so strong, that even activities like eating or self-preservation, are considered secondary to their faith. The People of Needles follow their leaders without question, with any non-believers generally not tolerated.

Miscellaneous
Despite its reverence of the forest as a whole, the Way of the Wood doesn't actually hold any of the individual trees, plant or animal life to be sacred in value. As such, the cultists usually hunt the woodland creatures, cut down trees for construction purposes, as even utilize the indigenous flora for medicinal purposes.