The Moon Guard
Skatown's defense rests on the shoulders of farmers and fishermen who pick up weapons when the season demands it. The Moon Guard is the town's militia, organized each late summer under the direction of the Coach of the Family Council, and their strength lies in brains rather than arms.
Before autumn's raider season begins, the Guard sets traps along Moon Lake and the easier paths to Skatown. Pit traps are concealed along likely approaches. Sniper nests are positioned near the lake and disguised before the first Thrill Kill bands arrive. Fortifications are built from whatever the land provides: earth, stone, and scrap. When the raiders come, the Moon Guard fights from range, using the terrain they prepared rather than meeting the enemy blade to blade.
It works because the Guard's members know this land. They were born on it, farmed it, fished its waters. That familiarity compensates for their lack of professional training. A growing trend among members is to serve as a town Watch during the off-season, training year-round rather than just before the raids begin. These year-round volunteers perform noticeably better when autumn arrives.
The problem is scale. The raider threat around Moon Lake grows each year, and the Moon Guard does not grow with it. There are not enough volunteers to mount an effective defense if the raiders arrive in overwhelming force. The Guard's intelligence and preparation have held so far. Whether they can hold against the next season's numbers is a question Skatown cannot afford to answer wrong.
Before autumn's raider season begins, the Guard sets traps along Moon Lake and the easier paths to Skatown. Pit traps are concealed along likely approaches. Sniper nests are positioned near the lake and disguised before the first Thrill Kill bands arrive. Fortifications are built from whatever the land provides: earth, stone, and scrap. When the raiders come, the Moon Guard fights from range, using the terrain they prepared rather than meeting the enemy blade to blade.
It works because the Guard's members know this land. They were born on it, farmed it, fished its waters. That familiarity compensates for their lack of professional training. A growing trend among members is to serve as a town Watch during the off-season, training year-round rather than just before the raids begin. These year-round volunteers perform noticeably better when autumn arrives.
The problem is scale. The raider threat around Moon Lake grows each year, and the Moon Guard does not grow with it. There are not enough volunteers to mount an effective defense if the raiders arrive in overwhelming force. The Guard's intelligence and preparation have held so far. Whether they can hold against the next season's numbers is a question Skatown cannot afford to answer wrong.
