The Bold and Brave
One of the eight founding tribes of The City of Olympia. Isolationists by nature, the Braves hid among the crumbling ruins of the Ancients’ city, trading only with the other tribes when necessary and otherwise disappearing into the decaying labyrinth.
They took over a vast open space in the area, using it as a camping ground for their center of operations. Isolationists, they used the labyrinthine and crumbling walls around the fields as a defense.
The Bikers brought along with them the magic of machinecraft. Their powers tended to manifest in the awakening of whatever machinery they worked on - making the vehicles faster, giving them powers or abilities they would not normally have. Legend has it that Biker shamans in particular could summon their spirits into the machines themselves, turning a motorcycle or even a car into a weapon of magical devastation.
Founding Documents
Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell albums, Hellrider comics, US Army pamphlets, left-over flyers and signs for the Bold and the Brave Veterans’ Motorcycle Show
Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell albums, Hellrider comics, US Army pamphlets, left-over flyers and signs for the Bold and the Brave Veterans’ Motorcycle Show
Structure
The social structure is nominally based on US military rankings. Regular members of the tribe were known as “civvies”. Hunting, farming, weaving, and other elements of civvie life were overseen by “officers”. Officer rank is established based on skill and knowledge of the craft in question. Diplomacy is also valued the further up the officer chain one rises. The leader is referred to as the Colonel for civilian structure.
The militia arm is full of the “enlisted”. Enlisted rank is established based on combat skill and mechanical knowledge. Enlisted must know how to break down, strip, repair, and care for any number of weapons or vehicles, and have a good head for the hit-and-run guerilla tactics the Bikers are known for. The leader is known as the Sergeant for the militia.
In times of extreme duress, either outright war or uncommon diplomacy, the officers and enlisted elect a “General” to oversee both arms of the tribe. There have only been a small handful of Generals in the history of the tribe before its dissolution, the last of which was General Queens.
Culture
The Bold and Brave were an insular tribe, consisting primarily of dwarves and orcs. While they tried to keep their interactions with other tribes limited, their strong oral tradition surrounding the maintenance and repair of vehicles left them in a valued position in spite of themselves. Even in modern Olympia, the Braves’ motorcycle combat squadrons are spoken of with awe, and their tactics are still copied by gangs and mounted Oracles alike.
The Braves were fiercely loyal to their own, and they baked that fierce loyalty into the culture of Olympia at its founding. Their influence can still be seen in vehicle paint jobs or shop signs that have earned their “stars” - up to five, painted in white against a red or blue background. These stars prove their skill and knowledge are recognized by the descendents of the Braves.
History
When metahumanity awoke into the ruins of their old world, some people clung to the simple, structured order of machinery and military efficiency as a bulwark against the chaos. Some believed metahumanity would need their cars and motorcycles and machinery someday, and the upkeep of those vehicles could not be forgotten in the interim. Some were sure that mechanical superiority would be the only way to survive in this new world. Some simply needed the structure a firmly-ranked society gave them. Either way, the Braves collected those who yearned for structure, discipline, and an outlet for mechanical minds. It is because of them that during the Wasteland Period, the roar of bikers ripping through the moldering alleys of the Ancients’ city remained a common sound.
Dissolution Date
0 DF
Demonym
Braves, Bikers
Given name has been lost to history; known only by their callsign, Queens