Welcome

Rena

Unsurprisingly, the lawless world after the pandemic is ruled by the strong. In place of the police force, gangs enforce their interpretation of the common law. Though there are many small groups that strive to become gangs, three primary gangs exist in a state of relative uneasy tranquility. These three are Fist, the Imperials, and Jagged Edge.

Smaller, informal gangs do exist, but most of them are either subsidiaries of the aforementioned three, or they are skirting around and dodging the hegemons, who break up unauthorized gang activity within their territories. Even the three 'recognized' gangs stay largely within the territories of their ruling hegemon. Fist and the Imperials operate in Crimson Saber territory, and they rarely trek further south than 57th street, just past the southern border of Central Park. The Jagged Edge, on the other hand, belong exclusively to the Golden Banner, and they can frequently be found roaming Queens, Brooklyn, or Downtown Manhattan for walkers to exterminate and stragglers to subjugate.

Each of the gangs are organized differently, but the lifestyle of a gangster is roughly the same. Gangsters are allowed to keep small, loosely guarded encampments or settlements, which are usually located amongst the urban rubble. Because gangsters have limited means of food (and their land is not conducive for farming), the hegemons literally buy their loyalty by offering them supplies and foodstuffs, enabling them to stay in a fixed location without the need to constantly travel to hunt and gather.

Most gangsters, however, have little threat from Walkers or the average straggler. The gang can offer them protection that many of them could never have on their own, and that is a unified emblem and the chance to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Many disgruntled stragglers join gangs in the hope of living a better life, however marginally improved it may be. The protection and support of a gang is one of the main reasons people join them.

Unlike hegemons, who are much more exclusive and selective with their members, gangs will take most anyone, provided that they are willing to do a test of their loyalty. They have use for both powered and unpowered people, and will make efforts to accommodate new recruits. Those that cross them, however, are usually dealt with swiftly and with superior numbers.

Of the three—the Imperials, Fist, and Jagged Edge, the first two are predominantly under the control of the Crimson Saber, while the latter is puppetted by the Golden Banner. True to their natures, the first two are large, sprawling organizations, with vast numbers and impressive resource caches. The Jagged Edge is a smaller, more tightly bound organization that emphasizes the quality of its members. Likewise, the Imperials and Fist are much better suited for dealing with the denser population centers found in the Saber territory, while the Edge are experts on exterminating the many Walkers found in the Banner's borders.

All of them retaliate against threats with lethal force, and gang-related violence is common because of these vengeful tendencies. The lifestyle of a gangster is difficult and harsh, and many of them don't live for very long. But amongst the surviving population, gangs enjoy some of the greatest freedoms and hold the most direct control of their environment, if only for a short while.