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Friar Buck was a Mobian deer and was a member of the Crazy Kritter Freedom Fighters serving Rob O' the Hedge. He was captured by the High Sheriff and subjected to roboticization, but was later restored to normal by the Bem. He returned to Rob's side along with the other Crazy Kritters, and was present with him and his family listening to the Xorda ultimatum and was also present at the collective assault on the Quantum Dial in the Southern Tundra. When the Eggman Empire re-established control in Mercia, Buck moved to Hideaway in Deerwood Forest, where he continued to aid his fellow Freedom Fighters.
History[]
Mercian Freedom Fighter[]
Friar Buck as a Robian
Friar Buck started his life as a humble student of the Tomes. When Dr. Robotnik began to attack Mercia, Friar Buck worked in secret to keep the kindgom's records and censuses intact. He kept track of the identities of those captured until he too was one day captured and Roboticized. As a Robian, he was forced to serve under the High Sheriff against the rightful king, Rob o' the Hedge. (StH: #58, KtE: #12, CSE)
Eventually, virtually all Robians including Buck were deroboticized by the Bem. When the Xorda attacked Mobius, Friar Buck joined Rob in participating in an attack against the Quantum Dial in the Southern Tundra. (StH: #123, #124, #125)
A New Threat in Mercia[]
The Eggman Empire soon replaced the lost High Sheriff with a new sub-boss: Lord Hood. With the new Dark Egg Legion growing in power, the local Freedom Fighters were forced to take refuge in Deerwood Forest, in the treetop village of Hideaway. While not one to fight directly, Friar Buck took to setting various traps in the woods to disrupt the enemy. This continued even as Rob went into hiding with his family and Bow Sparrow took over as acting leader. When Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel arrived in Mercia, searching for Mighty's missing sister, Friar Buck was able to use his old records to provide them with information on her past whereabouts. When a convenient opportunity arose, Buck, along with his fellow Freedom Fighters, kept the DEL occupied while Mighty and Ray attempted to break into the enemy stronghold in order to find more information and move on from there.
Later, Vector the Crocodile, Espio the Chameleon and Charmy Bee arrived in Mercia, seeking Mighty and Ray. They were attacked by the Legion, but Buck and his compatriots came to their aid. After escorting the trio to Hideaway, Buck and the others explained how they had met Mighty and Ray and seen them off. Thinking that perhaps the two had not succeeded in moving on in their quest, the two teams decided to raid the castle and free any captives there -- including Mighty and Ray should they be among them. Using Buck's resources, the group planned out a route to sneak into the castle and departed at night. However, it turned out that Buck's hidden tunnel was known to Lord Hood, who had left it accessible hoping that the Freedom Fighters might trap themselves. (SU: #46)
Spring-loaded bars soon made the groups aware that they had been detected, and Espio wished to turn back. However, Buck encouraged the two teams to continue, reminding them that they had gotten further into the castle on this attempt than they had in months. Espio conceded the point and altered the plan, and the Chaotix entrusted the Freedom Fighters with their Warp Ring to travel to the dungeon. Buck and his companions freed all the prisoners, but the Friar was forced to tell Bow that no one they had been searching for-namely Rob, his family, Mighty, or Ray-were among them. Bow responded by reverting to his natural speech, and Buck calmly informed him that his "King's speech" was slipping. Friar Buck and the others were then surprised as Lord Hood and his men entered the dungeons, but help arrived as the Chaotix ambushed him from behind after a brief scuffle between him and the Freedom Fighters. Buck then provided encouragement to the prisoners and his friends-calling them "brothers and sisters"-as they made their way out of the fortress, later using the Warp Ring to escape back to Hideaway. After a celebration, the Freedom Fighters bid farewell to the Chaotix as they left to continue their search. (SU: #47)
Personality[]
Buck is generally serene and friendly with a subtle sense of humour. A holy man, Buck prefers not to engage directly in combat, much like Guru Emu of the Downunda Freedom Fighters. As such, he leaves battle to his more aggressive compatriots, though he is quick to suggest peaceful solutions to the opponents of his team. He is also known for utilizing booby traps to subdue his opponents without causing them actual harm.
Appearance[]
Buck is a brown deer with green eyes and tall antlers. He generally wears simple green robes with a cord belt. As a robian, his eyes were red.
Background Information[]
- Friar Buck is a reference to Friar Tuck of Robin Hood lore.
- Despite making his first (albeit brief) appearance in a story written by Ken Penders, Buck wasn't immediately removed from the comics after the lawsuit like Rob and Mari-An were. This may have been an oversight on the part of Archie.