Wojtek

Wojtek (pronounced voytek) is hero of the Polania Republic. A hulking male brown bear, he is the constant companion of Anna Kos. Together with her skills as a sniper and his incredible brawn and ferocity, they are a powerful team.

Scythe History[]

On a hunting excursion with her grandfather, Anna discovered a mother bear who had died in a trap. Huddled next to the bear was a young bear cub. Taking pity on the animal, Anna scooped him up in her arms and took him home, much to the dismay of her grandfather.

Anna and Wojtek, as she named the bear, quickly became inseparable. They even developed a form of communication using sign language.

When Anna grew up, she decided to use her marksmanship to aid her country. Wojtek joined her as she enlisted in the newly-formed reconnaissance troops in the Polania army. Together they traveled across the countryside becoming living legends as they distinguished themselves in battle and showed compassion for even the poorest farmer.

When the Factory shut down and rumors began swirling about a growing Rusviet force, Anna and Wojtek accepted a mission to ensure the unity and independence of Polania by securing the eastern border and patrolling the lands around the Factory.

Iron Harvest History[]

While Anna was learning to hunt deer with her brother Janek, they were gutting the carcass when Wojtek's mother, likely desperately hungry, charged Janek. She was, however, killed by an intervening pair of Smialy recon mechs of the Polanian Army who carried away her body. While Janek left with the soldiers, Anna was collecting the deer meat when Wojtek, then just a small cub, arrived looking for his mother. Finding only her blood, he sat down and began to wail. Pitying the now-orphaned bear, Anna carried him home, where she would raise him. From then on he would be her constant companion and fierce defender. Although he seemed to get along well with humans, Anna's father Piotr made him stay in a cave some distance from the village.

One day, Rusviets entered the area looking for Polanian rebels, and Anna immediately ran to get the now-grown Wojtek just as they were ambushed by Rusviet Vanguards. With his help, they easily overpowered the soldiers and gathered nearby militia to drive the enemy from the village. When they were ambushed again, this time by Colonel Lev Zubov and his colossal mech, Anna was nearly crushed by falling rubble. Acting quickly, Wojtek grabbed Anna and tossed her out of the way, taking the debris on himself. Thankfully, he was not seriously hurt, and later carried the barely-conscious girl to safety.

Together, the pair rallied some Polanian Riflemen, liberated some POW's, recovered some lost mech units, and took a nearby train depot. A counterattack led by Zubov nearly crushed their exhausted forces, but reinforcements lead by Anna's uncle Lech allowed them repel the attack and rescue Piotr, who would unfortunately die from his injuries.

Together with Lech, Anna and Wojtek captured a war train full of supplies and set off to break through the Rusviet blockade around Kolno.

Weapons[]

Being a bear, Wojtek needs no weapons but his size, weight, speed, claws, and teeth. He is very powerful against infantry units, and bullets barely even slow him down. Far more durable than Anna, he can even withstand protracted bursts from flamethrower mechs. He will aggressively charged unless ordered back by Anna, panicking enemy units into focusing all their fire on him while she picks them off from a distance.

Abilities[]

Ferocious Attack/Call Wojtek: Wojtek charges into the fight once he and Anna are engaged, but if called he will immediately rush to his friend's side.

Passive: Wojtek is a helpful and good-natured bear outside of combat, and heals a nearby infantry unit over time. Once finished, he will seek out any other wounded troops near him.

Trivia[]

The name Wojtek is a diminutive form of the old Slavic name "Wojciech" (IPA /ˈvɔjtɕɛx/), meaning "Happy Warrior".
Wojtek is based on a real life bear from WWII, who was discovered as a cub by members of what would become the 22nd Polish Artillery Supply Company. To get around regulations on not having pets and mascots, the soldiers enlisted him as a private, and later promoted him to Corporal. He even participated in the battle of Monte Cassino, helping his company by carrying and stacking crates of artillery shells alongside his human brothers in arms. Wojtek passed away in 1963 at the age of 21.
- While the real Wojtek was a Syrian brown bear, the in-universe Wojtek is likely a Eurasian brown bear.

Lore

General

Factions

The Factory

World of 1920+
Airship