Downtowner Gangs

The Stitchers

Lead by Doc Stitcher, said to be an Ex-Transcendence Downtowner.  The Doc is said to be able to fix “whatever ails ya” but often for a steep price.  Those who can’t afford the treatment can volunteer as subjects for experimental surgeries.  Many members of the gang have also gone under the knife at one time or another, sometimes still bearing scars or stitchwork.  If you slice one of them open, you may find extra parts. Members all wear surgeon’s masks and use ‘Nurse’ when referring to one another.

Alley Cats

A gang of brokers and fixers connected with the enigmatic Mr Alleyways.  This gang is said to contain some of the Downtowner’s best occulters. Their numbers aren’t well known, but they are said to have their fingers in just about every pie in Alleyway Junction.  It’s said that the Alley Cats recruit from the most light fingered grifters, and that experienced Cats can showcase spectacular sleight of hand.

Rat Pack

This splinter group largely sticks to sewers and caves, and does not boast the same pathfinding skill that is renowned across most downtowners.  It’s unclear whether this group originated from “ordinary” downtowners or if a group of ratlike humans was integrated, but today this group is composed of humans with varying degrees of rodent traits, most commonly oversized ears, whiskers, and tails.  The Rat Pack is denigrated by many other downtowners who decry them over differences in culture and supposedly, civility. The average rat is certainly less “stylish”, often sporting tattered clothing or slick with some industrial grime.

Dead Letters Office

Housed in a remote locale, this assembly of couriers and parcel-folk attend to lost mail.  While theoretically innocuous, their task is actually insurmountable. Letters arrive at the office from seemingly all walks of life, all manner of cultures, and sometimes there aren’t enough stamps!  Who can say if the gang accepts this curse by way of curiosity or boredom? Perhaps the delivery of mail is an inescapable calling, and some are drawn to the gang by the same strange force that causes lost mail to accrue there.

Away Team

A fairly small gang of capable pathfinders, the Away Team focuses on making deliveries and collecting payments far away from Alleyway Junction.  Primarily employed by other gangs, they never take contracts against other Downtowners to avoid inter-gang political entanglements.

The Wheelmen

With narrow purview comes many opportunities for mischief.  The visionary tinkerer Wheels employs his gang in gathering old ruined structures and hijacking unused buildings from outposts that have been abandoned or imperiled by outside forces.  The wheelmen are said to run a chop shop that chops shops, and are responsible for installing spoilers on a number of buildings and irresponsibly ditching them at scenic vistas or behind billboards outside town.

Underground Railroad

These serious and dutiful Downtowners consider themselves responsible for bringing the captive to freedom.  A recently formed gang, they search for new groups of people with poor knowledge of pathfinding and help them in escaping any servile or feudal arrangements.

Afternoon Tea Time

With an affectation that suggests faux class, the members of this gang prize and pursue items of lost luxury, especially tea, coffee, and fine liquor.  Frequenting the upper floors of Alleyway Junction, this club is often distinguished by lacey or dapper accessories including top hats, monocles, opera glasses, silk gloves, delicate umbrellas, and other substantially out-of-place garments.

Back Alley Boomboxers

Analyzing various styles in pursuit of the height of dance, these Downtowners form more of an interest group than a gang.  Though it may seem difficult to link dance with one’s survival prospects, the gang profits handily as some of the most capable scavengers of lost music.  Lately they have commit more time and resources to travel, seeking skilled dancers among other cultures, and meeting some small groups as of yet unknown to the Wayfarers.

The Scream Queens

An amenable but somewhat flashy gang, The Scream Queens are enthusiastic about old media and culture, especially old horror films.  An older gang, the Scream Queens don’t often make waves but have noteworthy cultural influence and an uncannily relevant degree of genre savvy.

The Lost Boys

The premier Downtowner footrace crew, this gang prides themselves on quickly navigating rooftops and clotheslines.  Tryouts to join the gang are tough, and they will drop members who can’t keep to a certain speed, especially those who get too old.

Geek Squad

A crew dedicated to scrounging and repair of old electronics.  They mostly keep to a small hideout with fiendish security. They are said to know things about tech that rival the great minds of other factions, and these secrets are jealously guarded.  Most communication with the Geeks is handled through old terminals that can be found from time to time in Alleyway Junction. Power draw to their territory sometimes knocks out power for the nearby buildings.

Quilting Circles

Downtowners have an insatiable demand for patches and custom clothing.  Skilled needle-workers gather in the heights of the alleys, bantering back and forth as they chatter across balconies and display their latest patches, embroideries and crochet.  Membership in a quilting circle is not exclusive with other gangs, and gossip is often traded between the stitches.