The Carvers
The Carvers are a brutal and ruthless collection of gangs in the former North American Midwest best known, and feared, for their cannibalistic practice of carving up human beings to harvest water from their bodies and sustenance from their flesh. Splinter groups of Carvers establish disparate territories and attack travelers along the road, as well as conducting raids on settlements and other survivor groups. Contrary to what their shared name might suggest, the Carvers are not a unified group, like the rival Birthers. Rather, the group as a whole constitutes a variety of warring tribes and clans, all vying for the best resources and territory, and frequently at each other's throats. The lives of other Carvers are not respected nor honored through some shared code. Rather, the Carvers have one rule and one law: all who are not blood are water.
Though the Carvers are not themselves unified under any one leader, many Carver gangs have fallen under the leadership of the man known as Abaddon and his gang/cult, the Apollyon, leading to the two groups to be often confused with each other. In fact, the Apollyon are not Carvers themselves. They are worse. And the Carvers, while horrible, kill for survival, not for sadistic pleasure as the Apollyon does.
Structure
The Carvers have no centralized leader. Though they are frequently thought of and spoken of as a centralized gang, the term 'Carver' can actually apply to a variety of divergent gangs and cults who all share the similar practice of butchering human beings for their flesh and water. They exist across the landscape of North America and possibly abroad as scattered, interwarring fiefs and clusters, vying for territory and prey wherever they meet. Each group's heirarchy is slightly different, dependant on the identities of those comprising each individual gang. Individual gangs often try to make themselves feared and dominant over others by giving themselves symbols, names, and adopting signature practices to single themselves out. For example, the gang known as the Scalpers killed victims by cutting off their scalps before beheading them. Alternatively, one of the largest and most notable Carver gangs was led by the individual known as the Bone King, and practiced cutting out victim's bones and eating the marrow within.
Culture
The Carvers all stemmed from the same organization before splitting into thousands of isolated groups across the former North American continent. As such, they retained many of the same practices and rituals, though they diverge in many ways after years of separation. Many Carvers have elaborate rituals in which captured victims are cut up and drained of their blood, from which the water and vital nutrients are extracted. These rituals are both practical, the main source of nutrition, and dementedly spiritual. Most Carver gangs also observe a 'survival of the fittest' philosophy in which weakness is not tolerated. Those who wish to prove themselves worthy of the gang must demonstrate their strength through acts of savagery and brutality. Admittance into the gang or induction of an upcoming member frequently also involves an elaborate ritual in which the prospect must prove their worth by securing their first victim and performing their first kill. They are then welcomed into the gang by a ceremony of blood in which gang members cut themselves and allow their blood to mix. Those who do not meet the gang's standards are reduced to the status of prey themselves. As the oft-repeated motto of the Carvers states: those who are not blood are water.
Public Agenda
The Carvers specialize in raiding other survivor groups, seizing their assets for the gang and capturing all their personnel for chatel. Splinters of the gang assault targets in hit-and-run patrols, using the cover of darkness or storms to ambush their targets. Their tactics are merciless and leave no survivors to waste. However, they do leave behind gruesome trophies of their conquests to inspire fear and terror, keeping potential resistance to their methods at bay and deepening the dread with which they are regarded by other survivors.
The Carvers are universally hated and feared by other survivors. Generally, any encounter with them proves fatal, unless they happen upon someone so bloodthirsty that they spare them for induction into the gang as a new member. Their name is synonymous with cannibalism, debauchery, and death. This leads many groups to avoid them at all costs; however, their power and wealth in material assets has led some to attempt to form alliances with them. Despite this, given their unpredictable and savage nature, these alliances are usually tentative and fragile, prone to breaking at the slightest provocation, always with bloody consequences. The one exception, and the only instance in which the Carvers have bowed to a united form of leadership, is the subjugation of the majority of the Carver gangs in the North American Midwest by the ruthless cult known as the Apollyon. The only force in Ashrain more feard than the Carvers themselves, the psychotic leader of the cult, Abaddon, forced many of the gangs to pay homage to him, leading to a tense situation which may spell the doom of whatever is left of humanity. The Carvers' most powerful enemy is the Birthers: a matriarchal tribe who values human life above all else and considers the Carvers' bloodthirsty practices an abomination and a threat to the future of humanity. In many regions, conflicts between the Carvers and the Birthers has led to all out warfare, uniting the Carvers under one banner to combat their foe.
Assets
The Carvers are easily recognizable by their identifying gear and armor. Carvers craft helmets and masks from the bones and skin of victims, giving them a terrifying and inhuman appearance. Their patchwork attire consists of armor fashioned from human bones, and scavenged materials from the lost human civilization. Their weapons are crude, often taking the form of knives, swords, and scalpels for carving up victims. They have also been known to carry spiked clubs, blunt force weapons, and even scavenged, restored firearms with precious bullets for special cases.
All who are not blood are water.
Type
Illicit, Gang
Alternative Names
Butchers, Bleeders, Cannibals, Flesh Eaters
Ruling Organization
Location
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