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The Mountain Walkers

Page history last edited by Michael 6 years, 9 months ago

back to the Index or the Forgotten Paradise

 


 

     They are trackers, hunters, guides and scouts par excellence; to say someone is as skilled as a Mountain Walker is to say he's skilled indeed. Those who survive the rigorous apprenticeship are tough and dangerous.

     They don't have a symbol or mark of their own.

 

Origin

 

Pre-War

 

     Probably they are descended from various packers, ranchers, survivalists, hermits, climbers, and others with experience in the wilderness.

 

Post-War

 

     Originally isolated from each other and society, the Mountain Walkers represent a beneficial development of the survivalist ethos. While they don't need much from outsiders, they are willing to act as couriers and guides, and are widely respected.

 

What Outsiders Know

 

     The Mountain Walkers are secretive and solitary. They know the safest places to get water, where wild life still grazes, and also where to find plants that are edible or have medicinal uses. Some say they can turn invisible and move through the wild lands without leaving any trace of their passing. Mountain Walkers are a quiet bunch, though, not usually prone to conversation with people they trust, much less with someone they’ve just met.

     Just before winter, during the spring, and maybe late in the summer are the usual times the Walkers will appear in other communities to trade. In many isolated communities, they are celebrities; many young men (and some women) want to become apprentices.

 

The Reality

 

     Mountain Walkers aren't traders or warriors; they generally seek to live as caretakers of the natural world. That being said, they are fierce fighters, skilled herbalists, crafty outdoorsmen, and crack shots.

     Few people are born as Mountain Walkers, and Walkers rarely marry or raise families. Instead, they take apprentices from various favored communities in their territory.

     They get along very well with the Makah, the Chinook and other Native American groups, and with the Rangers. They don't get along with the Hand of Jehovah or the and avoid Scappoose. Bone City is theoretically regarded as not-a-problem, but most Walkers feel a bit ... icky ... about dealing with Boners.
     They usually know Unislang, Chinook Wawa and Road Talk, with other languages depending on where they grew up.

     Walkers are rarely found in groups, unless hired as guides.

 

Population

 

     Nobody knows for sure. Probably hundreds at least.

 

Territory and Locations

 

     The Pacific Northwest (from Oregon on north) and the Big Rocks north of roughly Utah. They know of many hidden and secret places in the west. If anyone knows the location of a Morrow Project cache in the Northwest, it's probably a Mountain Walker.

 

Organization

 

     While the Mountain Walkers have a code, they don't have any organization. Some of the oldest, most experienced Walkers generally command respect among their fellows.

     The most respected is Luke

     In the late spring or early summer, the Walkers gather for the, well, Gathering. It's a week of "... mirth, songs, dancing, shouting, trading, running, jumping, singing, racing, target-shooting, yarns, frolic, with all sorts of extravagances the Walkers can invent." Some traders, from the Democratic Republic of America, River Folk, or the Combine, are privileged to attend, as are good friends or family.

    

Equipment and Resources

 

    They are usually reasonably well-equipped, with either cap-and-ball rifles or single-shot cartridge weapons.

 

Vehicles

 

     None. A Walker might have a few pack mules or goats, if he's moving supplies up into rugged terrain.

 

 

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