Carved gypsum wall panel relief fragment: Assyrian soldiers, some on horseback, pursuing an Arab force armed with bows, arrows and short swords and wearing loincloths, perhaps of animal skin, through open country. Arab, in flight, falling from camel back; fallen figures prone on the ground.
660BC-650BC
North Palace of Nineveh, Neo-Assyrian Empire of Ashurbanipal
It is the same relief that the Masai tribe have.
Prodding the lazy camel seems on par with the „lazy” vibe of Kumba.
Image and museum blurb:
https://www.bmimages.com/preview.asp?image=00357258001
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1856-0909-31-32_2
Tribe of KOOMBA – Primitive Year 992
Before the conflicts broke out on the land, there had been a tribe being considered ignorant with the lack of wisdom. They were treated like slaves among tribes. Some time later, some of their sons having high intelligence rose in rebellion with other slave-like primitive men.
Even though they had great physical condition and great power, they couldn’t but bend their knees to the ruling classes having wisdom and intrigue. After all, these rebels lost their lives, and the rest of the primitive men got expelled. The people expelled from the land had left for the Jurassic Island before the conflicts broke out. But without intelligence, they wandered about all over, and many of them were buried in the sea while sailing.
In the end, few survivors came to find the Jurassic Island and called themselves the “Koomba”.
The Kumba, or Koomba, are the fifth tribe to arrive on the Dream Island. The year is 992. They are a lazy and somewhat disorganised clan.
(„Khumba, a zebra’s tale” is in no way inspired by this tribe. Kumba means „skin”… or „roar”… or „black fruit tree” depending who you ask.)
They are strong nevertheless, with hardy Muscle-Men able to soak damage and dish it out with Boomerangs, which while lacking in range and damage are deadly against spellcasters.
Their armory is mostly full of food items, having only the generic Bows, Axes and Boomerangs as weapons. Their unique Water Shield is said to protect against spells, but doesn’t work as intended, and is weak otherwise, which makes Kumba a somewhat hard clan to get used to.
Their legendary item is the Moonlight Shield. It is a more powerful version of their Water Shield stat-wise. Still doesn’t protect against spell damage or effects.
Against other tribes
In fact, their first enemy is the Muspel tribe, a very dangerous, offensive magic clan. The Kumba must mass Boomerangs and snacks to have a chance of winning.
Synergised, they form an unstoppable force, capable of sniping elves, decimating armies with nonchalant earthquakes and tanking dinosaur attacks. Muspel Wizards, fed with snacks and protected by Muscle-Men are a serious threat.
The other tribes on their side of the Island are the Koaka and the Radumba. They are a challenge, but the Kumba can keep them in check. Boomerangs inflict more damage to Rhamphorhynchuses, Water and Moonlight Shields defend moderately well against Poison Arrows, and very well against the Volcano Spear and Fire Arrows. Plus there are usually Muspel magicians in the back row sending deadly spells.
On the other hand, Radumba’s Wood Shields defend perfectly against the OP and VP deficient Kumba Muscle-Men, with only Stone Axes, Bows and Boomerangs as tools of war, while regular Radumba Arrows pierce through Water Shields with ease.
Against the Tyrano, the Kumba need to be patient. The high stats of Dinosaurs are somewhat countered by the Armory items and Muscle-Man hardiness, but only the expensive ranged Boomerang and melee Axe seem to phase the Dinos a bit.
Against the Canus, the Kumba have a chance because of their hardiness and Boomerangs. The Canus have weak OP and flimsy DP, but their magic power must be drained to win. It’s advised to train VP a bit to have some margin of error during the hit-and-run.
Against the Masai, the Kumba will lose. They have no means of defeating the superior Swords and Iron Shields. Their Boomerangs and Water Shields perform very badly against these items. The only way is to outgun the Masai by massing troops and/or leveling units up until they become unstoppable. Or get help from other tribes.
Against the Romek, the Kumba can finally use their Boomerangs to effectively fight spellcasters. Romek Rangers deal additional damage to Muscle-Men and Commoners unfortunately, so that advantage is countered.
Overall
Overall, it is a weak, lazy tribe. Doesn’t offer much variety, despite having an Armory. Their main strength lies in hardiness and countering spellcasters, but even there they are evenly matched at best. The Canus are infinitely hardier, the Romek can outmaneuver anyone and the Muspel can just dish out deadly damage. Other Primitive-oriented or Dinosaur-oriented tribes can easily defeat Kumba. They must overcome their laziness and act quickly to have a chance.
Other stuff and fluff
Their building style is all about sturdiness (which is chosen as their gift in the ending credits), and notably nothing like the Canus style. Their Sanctuary is a round, compact Stonehenge. The Barracks building with supporting rib-like beams has Japanese Torii energy. They have a forge-style Armory, with chimneys hinting at fire and a freaking LAVA MOAT, which is weird considering their weaponry is mostly stone, wood, food, or Water Shields. Maybe it’s a lazy version of an Armory, as Radumba has it only in their settling second mission. The Kumba Water Shields on the other hand are unique, anti-magical, cool and unexplained. It seems that to craft them, one would need obscure knowledge, high skill and dilligence.
If they worked, that is.
Their color, red, is a primary color. The color of heroes, blood, love, life, masculinity and femininity. The Kumba are big-bodied, lazy slaves. Their color symbolises the body, but also energy, wrath and passion, so it matches their character only partially. The red tribe color with blue, round Water Shields make the Korean flag come to mind.
On a side note, the red dye is relatively easy to make.
Their alignment is good. Their tale is one of shedding shackles, not imposing their will on others. Their Legendary Weapon is in fact a Shield, which hints at their peaceful nature. It is also blessed with the light of the Moon, so obviously the benevolent God Ether watches over them.
