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Description

There are many gangs and barbarian tribes roaming the wilds and wastelands of Lore, from the Wolfbanes of Berck, to the Warheads of the Eastern deserts, but no tribe is more feared or misunderstood than the hordes of the rail-riding Uur-Nomads, better known as the Train Hunters. This nomadic people has its origins in the East, where they were originally a loosely-connected coalition of roaming tribes, conquering unprotected villages and settlements on horseback to expand their mobile empire, which they ruled with an iron fist; yet, their people was highly-cultured and their ways of life, song, art, and music all revolved around horses and travel- to them, living was constantly being in motion. With the end of the Dark Times and the coming of the Industrial Revolution as railways spread across Lore, these nomadic peoples were not snuffed out by industrial progress and adapted to the changing times. Their horses were exchanged for mighty wheeled interceptors, massive steam-driven vehicles cobbled together from a mixture of salvaged train and golem parts, and the Uur-Nomads' way of life became about bringing down the steel behemoths that travel the Loran railroads. For the Uur-Nomads, hunting trains is a right of passage, and every warrior in their ranks must prove himself worthy by bringing down a locomotive on his own; if he is successful, he is not only heralded as a new warrior, but the parts of the train he brought down will be used by his tribe's blackfingers to make his own interceptor for riding into battle. If he fails, he is cast out of his tribe, usually to find his own way in the wastelands as a mercenary. Trains are also the source of life-giving water, food, fuel, and supplies for when the nomads are unable to find them on their own, or when the seasons do not favor their agriculture. In peace times, the nomads' war machines are not left to rust, instead being retrofitted for agricultural usage as tractors and plows, to provide for the tribes' families.

A crucial component of the Uur-Nomads' way of life are the blackfingers, a mixture of mechanics and priests who build and maintain the tribes' interceptors and pray to the gods to ensure successful hunts and protection over their mighty vehicles. It is said that the least-skilled blackfinger amongst the Uur-Nomads is more than a match for the most-skilled engineer of Machine City; their ingenuity for cobbling together powerful war machines out of scrap is unmatched, and it is said that these individuals are touched by Empirius, the God of Industry, himself. Some blackfingers are also responsible for driving these war machines into battle, seated on an elevated driver's pit from where they can stoke the machine's furnace and maintain pressure to its boiler, while a raider or lancer on the prow mans the weaponry for the raid. Oftentimes, a blackfinger and a warrior can be drawn from the same family, two brothers or a father and son working together to ensure victory and spoils for their people.

To aid them in their mission, the Uur-Nomads are armed with a variety of hand-held weapons and tools apart from their interceptors for surgically disabling trains; unlike other gangs like the Railbenders, their goal is not to derail the engine, but to bring it to a halt, while fending off onboard opposition. Blasting pikes are the most preferable, driven between a train's wheels to blow out pistons and knock axles off-kilter to slow down the locomotive, or blow up sections of track to force the engineer to apply the brakes. Hull-openers are a nastier and more direct approach; the whirring teeth of these chainsaw-like blades is perfect for sawing through boilerplate to rip open an engine or sever pistons and brake lines, and they are of course invaluable for boarding parties. In the event the nomads find themselves in close-quarters battle, they carry boarding axes, bucklers, and occasionally salvaged pistols and grenades with them to fight off their attackers. They are a proud and ruthless people, taking no quarter, but they are noble and will not attack personnel trains or those crewed by soldiers or government officials; they relegate themselves mostly to cargo runs, as their intent is to not bring down the hammer of the industrial kingdoms on their heads, but keep their way of life running, like the wheels on a rail.

Description

There are many gangs and barbarian tribes roaming the wilds and wastelands of Lore, from the Wolfbanes of Berck, to the Warheads of the Eastern deserts, but no tribe is more feared or misunderstood than the hordes of the rail-riding Uur-Nomads, better known as the Train Hunters. This nomadic people has its origins in the East, where they were originally a loosely-connected coalition of roaming tribes, conquering unprotected villages and settlements on horseback to expand their mobile empire, which they ruled with an iron fist; yet, their people was highly-cultured and their ways of life, song, art, and music all revolved around horses and travel- to them, living was constantly being in motion. With the end of the Dark Times and the coming of the Industrial Revolution as railways spread across Lore, these nomadic peoples were not snuffed out by industrial progress and adapted to the changing times. Their horses were exchanged for mighty wheeled interceptors, massive steam-driven vehicles cobbled together from a mixture of salvaged train and golem parts, and the Uur-Nomads' way of life became about bringing down the steel behemoths that travel the Loran railroads. For the Uur-Nomads, hunting trains is a right of passage, and every warrior in their ranks must prove himself worthy by bringing down a locomotive on his own; if he is successful, he is not only heralded as a new warrior, but the parts of the train he brought down will be used by his tribe's blackfingers to make his own interceptor for riding into battle. If he fails, he is cast out of his tribe, usually to find his own way in the wastelands as a mercenary. Trains are also the source of life-giving water, food, fuel, and supplies for when the nomads are unable to find them on their own, or when the seasons do not favor their agriculture. In peace times, the nomads' war machines are not left to rust, instead being retrofitted for agricultural usage as tractors and plows, to provide for the tribes' families.

A crucial component of the Uur-Nomads' way of life are the blackfingers, a mixture of mechanics and priests who build and maintain the tribes' interceptors and pray to the gods to ensure successful hunts and protection over their mighty vehicles. It is said that the least-skilled blackfinger amongst the Uur-Nomads is more than a match for the most-skilled engineer of Machine City; their ingenuity for cobbling together powerful war machines out of scrap is unmatched, and it is said that these individuals are touched by Empirius, the God of Industry, himself. Some blackfingers are also responsible for driving these war machines into battle, seated on an elevated driver's pit from where they can stoke the machine's furnace and maintain pressure to its boiler, while a raider or lancer on the prow mans the weaponry for the raid. Oftentimes, a blackfinger and a warrior can be drawn from the same family, two brothers or a father and son working together to ensure victory and spoils for their people.

To aid them in their mission, the Uur-Nomads are armed with a variety of hand-held weapons and tools apart from their interceptors for surgically disabling trains; unlike other gangs like the Railbenders, their goal is not to derail the engine, but to bring it to a halt, while fending off onboard opposition. Blasting pikes are the most preferable, driven between a train's wheels to blow out pistons and knock axles off-kilter to slow down the locomotive, or blow up sections of track to force the engineer to apply the brakes. Hull-openers are a nastier and more direct approach; the whirring teeth of these chainsaw-like blades is perfect for sawing through boilerplate to rip open an engine or sever pistons and brake lines, and they are of course invaluable for boarding parties. In the event the nomads find themselves in close-quarters battle, they carry boarding axes, bucklers, and occasionally salvaged pistols and grenades with them to fight off their attackers. They are a proud and ruthless people, taking no quarter, but they are noble and will not attack personnel trains or those crewed by soldiers or government officials; they relegate themselves mostly to cargo runs, as their intent is to not bring down the hammer of the industrial kingdoms on their heads, but keep their way of life running, like the wheels on a rail.