Crystaltime Merchants


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   Also known as the Crystaltime Water Clan. They specialize in filtering and cleaning water, though supplies of fresh water are not turned down.

 

Origin

 

Pre-War

 

     Probably inhabitants of the Midwest.

 

Post-War

 

     From the middle of the 21st Century, this clan rose in prominence east of the "Big Rocks" (the Rocky Mountains). They have maintained their specialization in trading in water, and water-filtration systems.

 

What Outsiders Know

 

    While their caravans bring water to areas with no water source at all (especially along trade routes), the Crystaltime Water Clan is also known for installing water filters. These filters are tended by members of the Clan, and their methods of operation are kepts secret from the locals.

 

The Reality

 

     The Clan is beginning to lose money due to their concentration of water trade. Filter stations are bringing in more and more money, and the Clan has an internal tension between the traditionally itinerant traders and the more sedentary filter operators.

 

Population

 

     They probably number a few thousand in total.

 

Territory and Locations

 

     The Crystaltime Water Clan is rarely found west of the Big Rocks; the big, flat agricultural states west of the Mississippi River are their usual grounds.

 

 

Organization

 

     Each caravan is a family; the three major enclaves each house several families, plus schools and shops.

     

Equipment and Resources

 

    They buy much of their 'ordinary' equipment in Styx and Trade Town, but manufacture their pumps and filters themselves. Guards carry old revolvers and Styx rifles.

 

Vehicles

 

     The usual trading mix of old 4-wheel drive vehicles, heavy trucks, and tankers with water-tank trailers, all powered by gasogen systems.

 

Aircraft

 

     None.