Warlords of the Deadlands
The various gangs that roam the deserts of Ardi-Kokufa are collectively known as the Warlords of the Deadlands. They are usually led by individual rulers, through strength and intimidation and they survive predominantly by raiding settlements or travelling merchants, though some have been known to temporarily ally themselves with specific Lords from The Gleaming City as mercenaries.
Many will have staked out territory in the shadows of the Devilspine or the Burning Talon ranges, or a well defended Klomerati oasis deep in the desert itself. They each defend their territory fiercely from each other. They have developed a strong sense of familial loyalty for those of their gang, and despite the constant vying for power within their gang, they will unite to defend each other from outsiders.
Recent displacement
Unfortunately, the way of life of the Warlords is under a much more serious threat than their inter-gang rivalries. The Soulhusk Chimeras have begun to act in unison under the banner of the @Dead, and they have targeted the warlord gangs as a source of new bodies and territory. Many gangs have already succumbed, and the survivors have started abandoning the desert entirely for safety within the Stonesky Drainage or with The Roving Vintners of the Shimmerlands.Culture
Shared customary codes and values
Gang structure
The various gangs range in size from 10-100, depending mostly on the amount of resources they can control to sustain their numbers. They are relatively disorganised, but most will have a single leader, known as the Warlord. The warlord commands through shows of strength and intimidation, but must proven themselves capable or risk being deposed. Challenges are common for any Warlord that fails to protect their gang.Ethnicities
The gangs are predominantly made up of Mortugurran Devilkin, with some Xiramondians or Stoneskians amongst them. Most curiously, there are often a number of Scrappers who have joined the gangs, bringing with them salvaged technologies. Their society has become something of an amalgam of the two, with Scrappers taking on typical roles of religious or mystical advisors, medics and technologists, while the devilkin take on roles as foot-soldiers, merchantry and leadership.Relationships
it is not uncommon for the Devilkin to use the Scrappers as transport, enabling them to travel vast distances across the desert quickly. Some have even noted that certain Devilkin and Scapper unions run much deeper, becoming something akin to a strange mix between a symbiotic or romantic relationship. These unions are not sexual, but are exremely important to the Gang members, and treated with deep respect.Violence and pragmatism
Warlord gang members are quite violent, but not to an irrational level. Vioelence protects them and each other, and is necessary way of life in the desert. They are not cruel though, valuing a swift, clean kill rather than cause uneeded pain or damage in their opponents. Perhaps this comes from the pragmatic way they deal with the dead. In most cases, dead bodies are used for trade with the Usokufa to be turned into Bodyservants, and damaged goods cannot be easily sold. A good clean kill is the mark of a wise Gang member, and is celebrated. The warlords also recognise the value of trade beyond that of bodies, so will not kill if other benefits can be found.Distrust of outsiders
The only exception to this is any incursion into their home territories. These they will protect at all cost, including knowledge of where they are. Any outsider who happens upon them by accident will be hunted to prevent such knowledge from escaping. Distrust of outsiders runs deep, and joining a gang is a long process of trust and service before any will be invited to visit the home settlements.Gang members in exile
Those gang members who have fled the onslaught of the Soulhusk Chimeras live an uneasy life within the settlements they seek shelter in. They are untrusted, as the warbands have caused many problems due to their generations of raiding up and down the Godswollen River. The gang members tend to stick with each other in fringe areas and slums of the Stonesky, or the Warrens of The Gleaming City, and struggle to assimilate. They are unfairly blamed for every crime or misdemenour that occurs, and clashes are common.Religious beliefs
The warlord gangs follow a sometimes strange mix of venerating either Bilish, the Holy Caldera and even Edifism and the Eternal Threshold. They are usually not very devout however, and treat these things as general guidelines for living they can pick and choose from as needed. Their primary belief with each other - survival, found-family and loyalty to the gang.
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