The Drowned War #12: Refuse, Survivor's Haven

"Why do you call it Refuse?"
"Because we refuse to die."

Refuse is the largest and most well-known Junk flotilla on Earth, while it provides some level of protection against Pirates and Bone Fishers the “Greatest Garbage Heap known to Man” has it's drawbacks primarily the rise of the Diver Lords and the dangerous commodities sold in the 24/7 market.

Originally set up by Oceanographer Jack Caldwell, and his engineer wife Bani to defend against pirate attacks, Jack and Bani worked tirelessly to fortify their home grabbing every bit of scrap that floated to the surface.
Desperate for any material they could find, and realizing the two of them were not enough to defend against a large attack Jack began contacting and negotiating with other refugees. Initially, Bani opposed his plan to combine their home with other lifeboats, but she acquiesced stating that they would need as much scrap as possible to build their fortifications.
Jack was able to develop a friendship with another survivor, Samuel Carey, via short wave radio. They combined their lifeboats and began forging alliances with pod cities.
One such settlement, grateful for help lent to them, disclosed the location of a functioning Naval Yard. Jack and Sam were aided by a few wayward adventurers in securing more than a few Naval vessels. Though decommissioned and badly in need of repairs, Bani was able to fix and combine these vessels into a floating city.

While it was a good start the settlement would need food and purified water.
Jack and Bani began laying the groundwork for a governing council, five industrious businessmen formed a crew with the intention of gaining control via salvage and commerce.

The Diver Lords, as they came to be called, took on dangerous missions to find old weapons and tech. They braved the dangers of Arboretum to bring back grafts for fruit trees.
Each mission, more dangerous than the next, brought the Diver Lords wealth and fame.
They naturally dominated elections and absorbed the counsel positions.

Jack protested the elections, partially because he suspected fraud, but when his body was found in a stairwell in one of the lower decks protests ceased.

Bani was heartbroken, she believed the Diver Lords were responsible and in her grief returned to the faith of her childhood.

Bani founded the Temple of the Floating Truth, derived from what she remembered of her family's Sikh faith. While publicly they seek to educate the settlement in teachings related to medicine and engineering; unofficially they seek to overthrow the Diver Lords.


The Temple of Floating Truth views the Diver Lords as the embodiment of the five thieves that oppose Sikhism. These “Five Thieves” (or five major weaknesses in character) steal a person's essence and pollute their will to benefit others. Spiritually they represent lust, rage, greed, attachment, and conceit.

The Drowned War #11: Pod Cities, and Junk Flotillas

So let's get into the more desperate population, the scavengers, and refugees of the Drowned War.

Pod Cities
Pod Cities are communities that revolve Personal Oceanic Dive Ships or P.O.D.S.
Shaped like a flying saucer the pods are designed as mobile homes for sea fairing residents. Navigation, bunk area, a cooking station, a waste disposal station, and a small power plant comprise the internal bubble of the vessel. Pods are solar powered, submersible, and capable of linking with other pods in open water. The nomads that live in these communities are the descendants of individuals that purchased them. Many of these communities link up and share resources or search for parts to repair their vessels. Pods aren't well defended, but at least they're a better environment than a junk flotilla.

Junk Flotillas
It's unfortunate, but a fact of life. Some people could not afford passage to a sanctioned Flotilla city-state or to buy a Pod. Having few options the destitute citizens of the world did what they do best, they improvised. Pulling together boats, rafts, or any number of bit of floating scrap they could find these people formed their own floating cities. Unable to rely on traditional agriculture the citizens of these junk flotillas raise bugs and rats for food, they grow crops in planters and waste bins. They do what they can to survive.
Junk flotillas are not protected from the environment the same way city states are, because of this the people who live there are more vulnerable to the elements, and to attacks from human and mutant alike.
The largest junk flotilla, Refuse, has a thriving market in which anything can be bought or sold (including people). Salvage operations are common and the Diver Lords invest in those will to search the ruins for anything of value.
Black Market operations trade goods and services, and there are even snakehead operators that claim they can sneak refugees onto established city-state flotilla (whether this is true or not hasn't been verified).
Piracy is common as Warlords use barges and speed boats to raid other floating structures.
The people who live in pod cities and junk flotillas are desperate and will to do whatever it takes to avoid danger and stay afloat. 

The Drowned War #4: Bone Fishers

In any setting, especially war settings, there has to be a flavor of human savagery. Boogie men that raid and ravage settlements before dragging regular people off to horrible fates. In the Drowned War, that role is filled by The Bone Fishers.

Bone Fishers

The Bone Fishers is a tribe of cannibalistic hunters and wild men. When the Anthropocene occurred society fell apart. Food, shelter, and basic amenities were impossible to come by, and with several people shoved into whatever dry space they could find; it was only a matter of time before the ruthless began to consume the weak.

Bone Fishers gain their name from the weapons and armor they employ, made from the bones of their victims, either as fragments or ground down and made into a cement. Known as skilled hunters and trackers, Bone Fisher's raid settlements and stalk squads of soldiers. Once they've subdued their victims they drag them to their camps to be used as food and materials.

Bone Fisher Tracker

These hunters stalk their prey and pick them off from the treetops and shadows. Their leather armor with bone fragments is often covered in mud and grass to form a natural camouflage.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8

Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d6, Notice d8, Riding d6, Shooting d10, Stealth d10, Survival d8, Tracking d10, Throwing d6

Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 8(2)

Hindrances: Outsider (cannibals)

Edges: Assassin, Marksman, Woodsman

Gear: Bone bow, bone knife, Leather armor with hood.

Bone Fisher Brute

These brutal madmen like to get up close and personal with their prey. Brutes have been known to charge riflemen and even machine gun nest with the intention of bashing their targets skull in. Brutes that act as wild cards cover their bone armor in red smears.

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d10, Vigor d10

Skills: Climbing d8, Fighting d12, Intimidation d10, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d10

Charisma: -4; Pace: 8; Parry: 8; Toughness: 9(2)

Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Outsider (cannibals)

Edges: Combat Reflexes, First Strike, Fleet Footed, Improved Dodge, Improved Nerves of Steel (when a wild card), Sweep.

Gear: Bone armor, skull helmet, bone club

Bone Fisher Wrangler (WC)
Masters of animal husbandry and mild psychics these tribesmen can somehow calm the wild animals around them and use their talents in battle.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Healing d10, Knowledge (biology) d6, Notice d8, Psionics d10, Riding d8, Stealth d8, Survival d6, Swimming d8, Throwing d6, Tracking d8

Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5

Hindrances: Outsider (cannibals)

Edges: Arcane Background Psionics (Beast friend only), Beast Bond, Beast Master, Healer

Gear: Bone Knife, Whip, Animal companions such as a dog or mount

PP: 10

Bone Fisher Chief (WC)
These war chiefs are the brains of open combat. Not the strongest or the fastest, but usually the smartest.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d8
Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d10, Knowledge Battle d10, Notice d6, Persuasion d10, Shooting d8, Taunt d8

Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7

Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Vengeful (Major when the tribe is threatened)

Edges: Charismatic, Command, Command Presence, Hold the Line, Strong Willed, Tactician
Gear: Robes, staff, antler crown.