The Peoples

A nation is nothing without its populace; a city is nothing but rough metal and concrete without its people to bring it to life. So it was with the Hive, the great colony, where so many came to make a new life for themselves amongst the stars and worlds around the home of mankind. A mixture of nationalities and origins, all now united under one colony, each toiling in a different career and skill set amongst the millions of other civilians that lived and toiled their lives away in the hive, each with their own ideals, goals, ideas and aims for their lives. All these counted for nought when the fall came, and the mutants over ran everything. People died in their droves before the wave of mutation, Hive-sec defence force troopers torn to shreds alongside the civilians they tried to protect, others trampled to death in the panicked stampede of colonists fleeing for their lives to the safe zones, literally crushing those that fell beneath their feet in the terror to get to the safe zones, with their sealed titanium blast doors. People got what family members they could into the safe zones with what items and supplies they could grab before their position and habitat was overrun by the mutants and the final barricades erected by Hive-Sec and the colonist volunteers. Some made it to the safe zones in time to seal themselves away; others found their systems compromised by the number of people, leading to some forcing members outside to die a short and painful death, whilst others volunteered to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of those remaining. In the end if mattered nought anyway when the hive venting itself into the void, the mutants being dragged out into the void or suffocating in the emptiness of the hive, as its peoples hide in their sealed vaults, awaiting the signal that they may return to the outside. It took several days for this signal to come, each vault waiting and listening in near terror for the sounds of claws on the blast doors. When the signal did finally come, the outside was alien to them though it had only been a few days, the habitats were filled with desiccated bodies of human and mutant a like. The survivors from each vault banded together and came together at the preassigned point they had learned upon arriving at the colony to see that only a few other vaults had successfully made it, their numbers barely a tenth of what had sealed themselves away supposedly. From this meeting the initial leaders came together to discuss what to do, each surviving band forming together and taking one of the surrounding habitation blocks for their own, securing it and sealing it away from the surviving mutants and others.

These individual groups eventually became their own tribes in their own right, the people finding comfort in their own bands of people amongst a sea of the unknown. The other tribes talked amongst themselves forming a basic perimeter in which they would protect their tribes, those with martial skill being chosen to help hunt down anything that threatened the tribes, whilst the rest gathered what they could to ensure the tribe’s peoples continued existence. Some took it upon themselves to erect a monument to those that had sacrificed themselves to ensure their initial survival, proclaiming that the “The fallen” would never be forgotten. Some tribes though felt that sticking to one place so close to their original near destruction was foolish and the tribes soon found themselves on the brink of their own destruction once more, a meeting between the tribes leaders led to one of the major tribes being out cast from the rest, stripped of name and simply referred to as “The Lost”. Today the remaining tribes have flourished into self-secured bands of proud peoples, each with their own identity, traditions and values. Each has their own stories of their origins, told through verbal passing and the use of paintings drawn by the founders as they call them, those that first settled the tribe’s lands. Though war between the tribes is not unheard of, it is usually over as quickly as it had begun, usually acting to settle immediate wrongs between the various peoples. Most of the time “the peoples” as they call themselves, spend their time trading with one another and engaging in their own traditional worship lead by their leaders to honour the founders at the Iron Tree that marks the meeting point of the founders after the “Great purging” as the Peoples call it today. Their diversity gives them an identity all their own and many seek the answers to their pasts, their Hunters guarding their ancestral lands, whilst their gatherers seek the parts they need for their people to continue to flourish.

## **The Gatherings And The Peoples Beliefs**

Gatherings of the peoples tribal leaders only really occurs during times of emergencies or for ritual remembrance, when they do gather for other reasons It is often to diffuse tense situations between tribes, or when word of Lost crossing into People’s territory reaches one of the tribes leaders. During these Gathering the tribes leaders will sit around the Iron tree, talking to situation over in a private tent for several days before coming to a final decision. Whilst this is going on the tribes involved in the gathering will often take the time to trade and get to know one another, engaging in competitions of various types from strength to intelligence and all the in between. Other members of the tribes will often take time to swap stories of their peoples during these meetings, in order to bring the tribes whilst separate, closer together as a whole. This is also the time many festivals go on for remembering the fallen, all the different peoples celebrating their memories as one.

**Core beliefs common amongst all the tribes:**

1. Honour the fallen always and often as they ensured our survival
2. Honour the Iron tree and the respect the cradle it represents
3. Learn from the Great Purging, and shun the paths that led the founders there
4. Name “The lost” when you hear of them and Learn from their mistakes

## Peoples Elections

A culture focussed on the worship of their traditions and the preservation of their way of life, the peoples hold a near religious reverence for their ancestors and their shamans who lead each tribe in their rememberance. As such with the Peoples being so steeped in their spirituality, when the time comes to gather around the great Iron tree at the call of their shamans to elevate one above the rest, it is so with a great mass service conducted by the Shamans of the Iron tree as the individual is steeped in their tribes law and rites, and the collective history of the Peoples with ritual daubing of white war markings. In this the hunters reserve the Ritual of the step to select a 'war-chief' from amongst themselves when the shamans call the tribes of the peoples to make ready to fight in the name of the ancestors. Equally when this time is called, the gatherers of each tribe will come together to define the future of the ancestors will, electing a 'Shaper' to lead their feet to places of fortune.

War-Chief - Elected once a year, chosen from amongst the HUNTERS only. Has field command of the Peoples 1st army (Subsequent armies raised will require a further War-Chief to be elected)

Shaper -  Elected once a year, chosen from amongst the GATHERERS only. Has field command of the Peoples army supplies and territory stock piles.

## The Peoples Army

Formed by the will of the tribal leaders, and blessed by the shamans of the iron tree, the quiet step was the answer of a quiet people with a careful mentality to a violent and brutal world. Formed from dozens warband’s of the most warlike and determined hunters, led by the most experienced of their tribes with shamans overseeing their war path, whilst gatherers draw together the needed supplies for the quiet step to carry on their march. The quiet step marches to war with the culture of the various tribes of the peoples behind them, their careful nature as a civilisation lending them a careful nature as an army, utilising forward scouts to ensure they have everything they need to know before committing to the final act.

## The Peoples Relations

Born into a culture that revers its ancestors to an almost deity level, and that instills a loyaty to your tribe from a young age, the peoples are not an outwardly violent culture. Their lives are filled with daily rites and rituals preformed to the ancestors, led by their tribes shaman, topped off by their duties as part of their tribe, the gatherers scavenging the surrounding area for supplies and cultivating food supplies, whilst the ever vigilant Hunters watch the borders for threats and trespassers, their bows and rifles ready to defend their people with their lives if they must. This is not to say they are a peaceful people, cultural clashes and the like ahve lead to wars in the past, and as such these have left their impressions of those other cultures involved on the Peoples as a whole.

To The Peoples Relations

## SubClasses: Hunters & Gatherers

Faction Bonus: Bonus to scout options during downtime

**Hunters**

When the tribes of the peoples wish to settle wrongs amongst them, or when a pack of mutants threatens the tribe, the tribes Hunters are those sent to deal with the issue. Acting as both the eyes and fists of their tribes, Hunters live to protect their people and enact their vengeance on the disease that robbed their ancestors of their birth rights. They move swiftly and silently through the dead hive, tracking down and killing the threats the tribe chiefs point them too, whether they be of mutant or other tribes that wrong their lands.

**Gatherers**

The peoples tribes only last as long as its people do, and the gatherers ensure that they have what they need to survive. Whether it be by trading for extra items, or be it by salvaging what they need from the dead grounds outside of their lands, or sometimes when an old path is rediscovered within their lands. The people wealth comes from the gatherers as they bring to the tribe what they need to ensure their continued survival, their hands and wit bringing them an affinity for ensuring their people have what they need to live on.

Sub class Advantages: "Hunters" start with +1 Hit upon Gen & "Gatherers" are resistant to Disease and Radiation effects

Sub class Disadvantages: "Hunters" May not use two handed ranged weapons or heavy rigs past worn & "Gatherers" Suffer a penalty where the effected time from the Suppressing fire, and stun call is doubled

**Cultural Inspiration:**

Red Indians, Pagans, Mohawk Indians, Picts, Celts, Tribal Peoples societal structure

**What the faction are not:**

Savages, Backwards or Devolved