Moore Blood

**Moore Blood** was the a famous Rustrat raider and bandit in the Wastes who went on to establish the Pit Fiends from wandering bandits in the region, eventually making them one of the most powerful factions in the Drylands. He fathered no known children, though his legacy was carried on by his apprentices and accomplices.

## Biography

### Early Life

Not much is known of Moore Blood's childhood, as he was very secretive about his origins. Shortly before he died, it was discovered that Moore was born to a group of peddlers and thieves in the Badlands, though the specifics of this group is unknown.

At some point in his early teens, Moore moved away from his family to live with a local gang, where he learned to survive in the wasteland. This gang was run by a stoic raider chief named Chief Briggs who taught his comrades that laying low was the best way to survive in the desert, only picking on small convoys and bands of survivors. However, Moore grew to resent Briggs' inaction, believing him to be simply ignorant and weak.

### Leaving the Gang

In 2118, Moore Blood (now 19 years old) tried to convince his gang that they should move to increase their numbers and embark on more ambitious raids. Though when he expected to be showered in praise and adoration, Moore was only met with snickers and opposition. Briggs and his gang of twenty men were convinced that Moore was too eager to make any difficult decision for the gang. Infuriated and frustrated, Moore packed his things and set out to travel the American Wasteland in search of a more determined gang.

During his travels, he scoured the entirety of the western American Wasteland, only finding other small groups and larger groups that would not accept him. One fateful day in 2124, however, Moore was camping in a skyscraper in Angel City (which was mostly inhabited by urchins and scavengers at the time) when he was caught a thief trying to get away with his rucksack. After catching him and taking his bag back, Moore interrogated the thief and robbed him of all he had. His hostage reluctantly told him that he came from a large group of raiders outside the city who's previous leader died during an ambush. Without a proper authority figure, the tribe was falling apart and had resorted to thieving instead of raiding. Seeing an opportunity, Moore demanded that the thief bring him to the raiders so he could speak with them.

As they arrived in the camp, Moore saw that this group was made up of at least 50 men and women, and even had a small convoy among them. With the thief as leverage, Moore made a series of demands. As he negotiated to make sure these demands were met, the raiders started to realize that Moore wasn't like the other psychopaths and thugs that attacked their camp; he was meticulous and ambitious, as well as intelligent. As he gained their trust, more and more people started to realize that he could very well be their next leader. The following morning, the raiders had officially decided that Moore would be welcome as their leader.

### Rise to Power

As his first order of business, Moore demanded that his gang move into the city and set up a bastion. While certainly difficult due to the unstable structures in the area and the small groups of survivors living there, he deemed it an important first step in growing the group. Over the next few weeks, Moore's gang constructed an outpost in the heart of the city under the still-sturdy freeway, fighting off the occasional thief. Some of the more capable hermits in the area were recruited as guards and workmen, while others were sent out to scavenge supplies. After months of construction, the raiders had built an impressive complex with guard towers, several living quarters, and even a training arena. Naming their headquarters "The Snake Pit" to intimidate would-be assailants, the raiders named themselves the "Pit Fiends".

In the early months of 2125, Moore and a handful of his greatest fighters tracked down Briggs' old gang. Approaching them one hot day at their camp in an old gas station, Briggs immediately recognized his old accomplice and thought that he had returned to simply brag about his new gang. As a crowd gathered, Moore stated that he had no intent to gloat about the Pit Fiends, but simply came to allow his old family into his new life, as he claimed that even their differences could be put aside in order to come to a mutually-beneficial outcome. However, as Briggs' gang was packing their things excitedly, Moore silently ordered his men to gun down the twenty-or-so brigands as they were distracted. Now known as the Massacre at Blue Star, this violent and dishonorable event has become widely known as the dynamic beginning of the Pit Fiends.

As the years went on and the Pit Fiends grew, they established a stronger grip on Angel City. Soon, rumors began spreading of the vicious gang of bandits that lived in the city center, and Moore realized that he was on the path towards prosperity, like he always wanted.

### Moore's Apprentices

In 2133, Moore Blood began personally training fighters hand-picked from the ranks of the Pit Fiends; some as young as 11 years of age. After they were sufficiently trained in military combat, they were taught the ins-and-outs of politics. His ultimate goal was to have one or more of his apprentices succeed him after his death, leading his gang with the same ambition and intuition.

One such apprentice (who adopted the name 'Moore Guts') would become a favorite of Moore Blood. The two had very similar ways of thinking and were never far from one another.

### Death

On the first days of 2138 (at the age of 38), Moore Blood would fall ill while returning from a raid in the Blooding Fields, likely due to heat stroke from a lack of water. On his death bed, he spoke with some of his closest friends to tell them of his early life and what he had planned for the Pit Fiends if he would survive. However, on January 16, Moore Blood was found deceased in his bed. His body was burned in the Snake Pit with the attendance of his entire gang, and was followed by a unanimous decision to hand over the rank of leader to Moore Guts.

## Personality and Traits

Known for his intuition and silver tongue, Moore Blood would often deliver speeches before battles to invigorate his warriors and to intimidate his enemy. He had a very strong sense of respect for his peers, but would become angered quickly when respect was not returned. In his later years, Moore would become less involved in the military strategies of the Pit Fiends, handing that responsibility over to his peers.

## Trivia

* The rank of Moore was directly named after Moore Blood.

## See Also

* War Pigs
* Angel City Guards
* Dieseldrinkers
* The Gunfields
* Paradiso