The Clans of LA are an
integral
part of the communities survival. Clans
generally don't have a
strict
code, or set of guidelines, and usually only serve to
purposes.
That
of a governing body, and protection. Within each
clan their are
small
families, very similar to the nomadic tribal system,
this is due to the
large amounts of disenfranchised nomads that make up a
large portion of
the Lost Angelino population. It is the clans
main job to settle
disputes within a clan, and to try and keep disputes
between clans
(such
as territory, salvage and trade right, etc..) to a
minimum.
Depending
on the clan, leadership is usually gained by one of
two ways.........
chosen
leaders, or trial by combat. Not everyone
in Lost Angeles
belongs
to a clan, and those who don't are generally loner's,
and treated with
contempt by those who are. These individuals
receive no benefits
of a clan, they get no protection, and their salvage
rights are not
considered
valid. These people often make the best guides,
especially if you
want to get around in LA without clan knowledge.
Unfortunately
many
of these individuals are insane, and finding one
trustworthy enough to
get you where you want to go can be more hassle than
just dealing with
the clans. For those belonging to a clan, life
is a bit simpler,
but they have to abide by the laws of the clan, and
turn over a percent
of profit to the clan itself, which is usually goods
acquired from the
trade of salvage. Most clans practice communal
childbirth, then
the
child is separated from its parents and raised by the
entire clan....
often
to be traded as slaves to pirates, nomads,
individuals, and even corporations.
At least once a year there will be a clan gathering,
where all the
clans
get together for three days of celebration, trade, and
the settling of
disputes. This gathering is vital, as it keeps
smaller disputes
from
erupting onto war between the clans.
THE NORTHERN
CLAN:
The Northern Clan
is the
largest,
and controls the largest part of Lost Angeles.
They have a large
amount of resources and generally have good ties
with all other clans
except
perhaps the Cannibal Nation. The
majority of the clan are
salvagers,
and sweep the ruins in their territory
constantly. They also have
most of the technical know how, and much of the
Northern clan's
territory
has at least tentative electricity and running
water. The
majority
of the clan is made up of immigrants and former
nomads, although the
clan
leader (David Cockney) is a former engineer, and LA
native. The
leaders
of this clan are chosen, and that leader will stay
in place until it
deemed
he is no longer fit to lead. David has been
the leader of the
clan
since it was formed. The rules of the clan are
simple, in David's
words "don't start nothin, there won't be
nothin". The clan
demands
a ten percent take and deals with most serious
offenses by banishing
the
guilty party.
THE WISHERS:
This clan
inhabits the eastern
section, along the rim of the ruins, made up of
mostly immigrants
trying
to find there way into America, and those banished
from society trying
to figure out how to get back. Referred to by
the other clans as
the Wishers due to their apparent "wishing" they
were somewhere else,
these
men, women and children will scream and beg to
tourists from
rooftops,
gathering under the memorial section of bridge that
extends into Lost
Angeles.
This clan isn't really respected, as they are viewed
by the other clans
as lazy, really doing nothing to further their own,
or anyone else's
cause.
Many members of this
clan are mentally unstable and eventually leave to
become loner's,
other's
join up with other clans. For new arrivals to
Lost Angeles, this
is probably what will be their first home, as most
are so shocked upon
arrival to do anything but look back upon the world,
visible from the
rooftops.
There is no real leader to this clan, as most of the
time it is to
unorganized
and the membership changes too often.
THE SOUTHERN
CLAN:
Controlling the
south side of
LA, this clan is made up of mostly criminals on the
run. They
rely
on theft, and small raids for most of their
resources, they scavenge a
bit, but for the most part live off what they can
steal from other
clans
and those foolish enough to trespass on their
territory.
For this reason the area below sea level controlled
by them is mostly
untouched.
This clan is the source of the most conflicts with
the outside world,
as
well as with the other clans of LA. The leader
of this clan is a
woman named Maria Sanjen, a former Mexican pirate,
she won the role of
clan leader in trial by combat. Many wanted
criminals of the US,
Canada, and Mexico make LA their home, safe from
police and all but the
most resourceful bounty hunters.
THE CANNIBAL
NATION:
The Cannibal
Nation dwells in
the center of Lost Angeles, and is mostly made up of
native Los
Angelino's
left over from the quake. These people are
insane, and their name
is literal. It is said that after the quake,
small pockets of
survivors,
cut off, forgotten by society, and starving
turned to cannibalism
in order to stay alive. For most this was the
final straw in a
series
of horror that finally drew them over the
edge. To travel through
the center of Lost Angeles in any party smaller than
10 is suicide,
even
still the have been known to attack parties of 50
moving through their
territory, as well as make "food" raids on other
clan's
territories.
This is where all the crazies go, and the sight of
them is scary
enough,
many have filed their teeth, and all eat human
flesh. They
usually
attack in small groups of ten or less, but if you
really make them
angry
(such as when Militech sent in a squad of solo's to
retrieve data from
their old office) they can attack full force,
swarming from everywhere
in droves. They generally don't have the
supplies, or know how to
operate machinery, so their territory is without
water and
electricity.
The only boats they use are rafts and canoe's, and
even if they manage
to take a power boat, they will still just paddle it
around
usually.
They scavenge what they can use, and trade with no
one. These are
the most dangerous people you could possibly
encounter in Lost Angeles.