Who are the bandits, and where do they live in the novel, Wildwood (Wildwood Chronicles)?

The bandits are a large group of people who live in Wildwood and consider themselves the natural-born residents of the land. They are able to move in and out of the trees and bushes very easily and are masters at staying hidden. They exhibit many of the outward cultural affects of the Irish with their red hair and social customs. The men have names such as Cormac, Seamus, Eamon, and Angus and tempers that rise quickly. The people are fiercely loyal to their leader whom they call King Brendan. The bandits are convinced that he will lead them to victory over the Governess.

The bandits live in a rustic camp constructed out of tents and rough logs. Men, woman, and children live off the land and the things that they steal from travelers on the Long Road. They live by a code that treats all plants, animals, and humans as equals. The code defends the interests of the poor. Sterling Fox from North Wood, tells Curtis and Prue that the bandits are the remaining descendants of a barbaric people that came into Wildwood centuries ago and laid waste to the civilization that once existed in the Ancients' Grove. No one knows if this is true, but the bandits are sometimes looked down upon because of it.