"My brothers, my sisters, do not close yourselves off from what I am about to say. Because this is something that we have earned. Something which we deserve. This is the beginning of a new era, my family. Our shackles are broken and our spirits are free, but we are soldiers without a cause. Our people have turned on us. Those we called friend have given our lives to line their pockets and save their own. And it is for that reason that we must adapt--we must evolve to fit this changing world.

Do you know what that means, my family? Do you? It means that we must forsake our duties and our oaths to the People of the Wastes. No longer can we serve as the guardians and justicars of this forsaken land. No longer can we stand as the sentinels of a world that does not want us, because we have learned. We have learned that our sacrifice is meaningless to those who do not understand the value of the blood we shed for their security. We have learned that our tribute to the wastes--our time, our blood, even our lives--for their protection is without purpose.

It is because of this that a new era will begin for us. As we shed the mantle of the Ranger Corps and take up a new position in the world. We will become as the only creatures which have ever shown any sense of loyalty to one another--the beasts of the world. And we shall make ourselves known to the world as the Hyenas, for we are the ones who will survive. Be it by ferocity or guile, we will survive. We will find our way in the world. And we will do it as a pack. Our bonds unbreakable, our loyalty unquaking, nothing will come between us--for we are brothers and sisters of blood. Of similar heritage, not necessarily, but we have all given our blood to keep one-another safe and that is why we are as one.

I ask you, not as the Commander of the Ranger Corps, but as your friend: will you stand beside me? Will you stand beside me as we find our way within this husk of a world? Will you stand beside each other as we are tested, by both the Wastes and Ourselves? Will you take this leap of faith and follow my banner into a new era? A new era enshrouded in mystery where I can guarantee nothing, not even our survival. But I will do everything and I do mean everything, to ensure that we find our way in this world. That we etch out a niche in this world. That is my dream and I ask you once more, as your friend and sister, to stand beside me." ~Naomi Graves' Speech Following The Slave Revolts.

The Codified Charter of the Hyenas

Introduction

"You chose this life when you surrendered us to them--we are only executing your will, as we always have." ~Naomi Graves, Former Commander of the Haven Ranger Corps

These words are being penned with a purpose. A purpose of ensuring that we do not become as those we once loathed so vehemently. We will not become as our rivals have. We will never be the wanton murderers that the Whispering Winds are, nor will we become the savage raiders that the Geckos are. We were Rangers--and now we are something entirely different. We are the Hyenas of the Wastes.

We once stood proud and dignified as the sentinels of Haven, but that time as passed. It is we who must adapt to this changing world as we learned. I watched my brothers dragged from their homes in the dead of night as they tied my hands behind my back and shoved me into a carriage with a gun to my head. And we deserved it, because we were weak. We allowed them to betray us and now, we will never make that mistake again.

We will never make that mistake again, because we have learned. Our bodies broken by the harsh labors as we slaved away at the whims of our overseers. Our minds tormented as they offered us freedoms if we'd only turn on one another for their amusemant. But we did not. Because our bond, our brotherhood, our pack is too strong to be broken through rauaging of the body and torment of the mind--because we are not individuals working together. We are a pack whose fates have been intertwined through the actions of those we risked life and limb to defend. And forevermore, we will be brethren for it is now that we risk life and limb for one another, and no other.

Let us never forget the days when shackles cut into our wrists. The days when we felt the sting of the whip's kiss upon our backs. The days when the only light within the darkness was the few precious hours of sleep we would get. And most of all, let us never forget the days when we stood together as one and broke free of our captors. For it is those days that should never be forgotten.

The Tenets of the Hyenas

I. Service: One's own life is meaningless in comparison to the Pack's. We are brothers and sisters, our bond more meaningful than that to one's own blood. Service to the Pack is our duty and to die for your brother is an honor we should all hope to receive.

II. Duty: We are bound by our duties to the Pack. Whether you stand at the front of a Raiding Party or distribute the meals, you are doing your duty to the Pack. Your duty is something you should take pride in. Something you should cherish, because it means that you are ensuring your brothers and sisters can continue to live harmoniously.

III. Respect: Respect your brothers, for they are your first and last line of defense when bullets fly and people die. Respect him for his wisdom that you can learn from. Respect him for his experience, that he can teach with. Respect him for the very fact that he would die for you, as you should for him.

IV. Obedience: Respect command. Your brothers in positions of authority are there by the will of the Pack and will be replaced if unfitting. Trust in their guidance and execute their will, know that their word is the word of the Patriarch or Matriarch of the Pack. Stand behind them in the blood and muck of war and they'll stand in front of you when lives are being lost as flies are being swatted.

V. Pragmatism: Understand that we will survive. Whether it be by drinking the cream and enjoying the finest of the harvest or whether it be scraping by and doing whatever bleak things must be done, we will etch out our place in this husk of a world. We will do what we must and none will stop us from inhabiting our niche and continuing to survive, because the Pack is humble. The Pack is wise. And the Pack is ruthless enough to do whatever it takes to make it through the night.

VI. Honor: We of the Pack are not as those we once hunted. We are cut of a different thread and let it be known that none shall change that. We kill when necessary, but we do not [censored] nor do we pillage more than we must to survive. We are ruthless in our quest for survival, but that need not mean that we extinguish the lights of other's lives without good reason.

VII. Humility: We will forever remember the days when chains bound us. When we were tickled by the kiss of the whips and our hearts tormented by their lies of how we would become slaves to the highest bidder. Remember, for it is why we are strong. Because we know that there are things that can overpower us, but we must always be ready to adapt and overcome. Hence, we must be humble so that we never underestimate our adversaries.

The Rites of the Hyenas

I. Initiation: This is a ritual in which one is broken. The initiation occurs when one joins the Hyenas (or they turns fifteen if they were to be born into it). During a period equal to thirty days, they are stripped of freedoms and rights. They live with shackles binding their feet with a foot-length chain. Their wrists receive the same treatment.

During this time, they are kept in cages and only brought out to do physically intensive and frequently trivial work. They are beaten profusely by the Raiders (who are known as the Hunters) and fed minimally. It is in the beginning of their third week that they are taken with the other initiates to the wilderness and forced into a cave. They must survive together for the remainder of their initiation. This is done to simulate the blood bonds formed as they must do terrible things that rake the body and ravage the mind to survive (e.g. fighting off whatever creatures exist inside and possibly succumbing to eating the flesh of their own (after they've perished) to get precious water if none can be found).

It is following this month of slavery that their chains are removed and they stand before all the Hyenas. The Matriarch anoints them in a mixture of their blood, dirt, and tequila and proclaims them to be Hyena. It is from that point on that they are welcomed into the Pack as full brothers or sisters, with all the responsibilities and privileges it should bring.

II. The Trials of the Warrior: A test in which one challenges for their right to join the Raiding Parties. It is then that a veteran who has been on several raiding parties will fight them in a ring. The Challenger will bring only their fists. The Veteran will be armed with a blunt-edged knife.

If the Veteran can strike a lethal blow, then the challenge is over. If the Challenger can disable or incapacitate the Veteran before they can do so, then they have earned their right to be trained as one of the Rangers.

III. Fang and Claw: A test in which the entire gang is organized into one circle with interlocked arms where two parties enter the circle. Fang and Claw is a duel to the death (which can be ended prematurely if the losing party surrenders). The loser of Fang and Claw (if they survive) is exiled from the Hyenas.

The Victor returns to their previous position, unless they were next in line to assume the Loser's Position. The Challenger is known as the Purifier. The Challenged is known as the Defiled.

Fang and Claw is a ritualistic duel. When the two parties enter the ring, a lone knife sits plunged into the ground in the center of the ring. A knife with a serrated back and smooth edge is preferred for this ritual. The two will fight until one proclaims, "I am the Defiler!" or one dies.

This is the most serious ritual that the Hyenas possess and it has only been used once in the past and that was by the Matriarch against the Raiding Commander whom had grown especially violent and brutal. The Matriarch took his pinkie and ring finger on his left hand and an eye before he submitted by proclaiming that he was the Defiler.

IV. The Feasting: A bleak and rather grotesque ritual. This is when food has grown so scarce that they must take to cannibalism to survive. The Feasting is a ritual in which they eat the bodies of their fallen brethren first and then others if the Pack still hungers.

It is customary during a Feasting to recite their accomplishments. Following the Feasting (when food becomes more accessible), it is customary to undergo a week of fasting where one eats minimally as a way of repenting for the consumption of their fallen. But they would rather consume of their own than taint their palate with those who would plunge a knife in their back.

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I. Do not control other people's characters, whether that be god-moding or saying your attack got through their defenses or even arranging for their death (without their permission, unless it's a failed attempt).

II. We are raiders, but the Rangers (when we send ) are a Para-Military Force within our organization. What does that mean? The Rangers (again, a sub-faction of the Hyenas) are more than proficient in combat tactics, ballistics, and many have specialties. If you wish to become a Ranger (as I don't want anyone starting out as them), let me know and we'll see what we can do.

III. You don't have to be a combatant. We're a parasitic society that leeches off the surrounding civilizations, but we need non-combatants too! If you're not one who wants to run around putting lead in man and beast alike, then perhaps you may find that the Hunters aren't for you. Maybe you want to be our Gunsmith? Or a Cook? Or whatever it is--we can work it out.

IV. You're not expected to be an expert on your field, but please, do some research. If you want to play a medic? Know the very fundamental aspects (e.g. stitches stop bleeding) or whatever is appropriate for your preferred profession (e.g. if you're a Hunter (one of our Raiding Party members), know that cover is a very good thing when bullets fly). I don't need you to have gone to Medical School or be an Airborne Ranger, but the most rudimentary knowledge is preferred.

V. Don't be an undesirable player. One can have a brooding personality to a point, but don't be the completely anti-social marysue that nobody wants in a group.