Gear Rats

Origins and Beliefs of the Gear Rats

The Gear Rats formed in the first years after the Collapse. At that time, the Rust Belt was a stretch of broken factories, silent assembly lines, and wrecked cargo yards. Small survivor groups hid there to avoid shamblers and raiders.

Over time, several of these groups joined together. They shared one belief: machines had kept people alive before, and they could do so again if cared for properly. Many of the Rats were former factory workers, mechanics, or scavengers. They began to talk about all working machines as parts of one whole. They did not call it a god. They saw it as a shared system made of engines, tools, and power sources.

Their belief is simple. If you maintain a machine, it works. If you ignore it, it fails and gets people killed. This idea shapes how they live. They respect machines that function. They distrust people who do not pull their weight.

The Gear Rats see themselves as a war band. Joining them is not easy. New recruits must fight, repair equipment, and work in heat and smoke without panicking. Loyalty rituals involve oil, blood, and steel. These marks show who belongs.

They do not keep written rules. Results matter more than words. If a machine works after you touch it, you are trusted. If it breaks because of you, you lose status or worse. They do not try to fix weakness. They remove it.

Territory and Daily Life in the Rust Belt

The Gear Rats control the Rust Belt. This area includes refineries, foundries, rail yards, and collapsed warehouses around New Vance. These places once supplied the city. Now they supply the Rats.

They strip old sites for usable material. If a machine can be repaired, they bring it back online. If it cannot, they melt it down and reuse the metal. Nothing is wasted if it can still serve a purpose.

Their largest base is Cog’s Forge. It is built around a working foundry. Furnaces, casting pits, and cranes still operate using patched power systems. Nearby living areas are made from shipping containers and welded vehicle shells. Smaller camps guard rail crossings, scrapyards, and key roads.

Life in the Rust Belt is loud and dangerous. Furnaces burn most of the day. Smoke and sparks fill the air. Children learn basic repair work early. Everyone has a job. Some weld. Some drive. Some scout or raid. Others maintain engines and generators.

Food and water are handled the same way as fuel. Storage areas sit side by side. Water is filtered through salvaged industrial systems. If a system breaks, it is fixed fast or replaced.

The Rats force captives and debtors to work. Some earn a place in the tribe. Others fail and are traded away or killed. The Rats believe that unused labor is a waste, and waste threatens survival.

Leadership, Ranks, and Rites

The Gear Rats are led by Cog. He wears heavy armor built from scrap plates, pistons, and braces. He never removes it in public. His voice comes through a damaged speaker, which makes him sound mechanical. This reinforces his authority.

Cog stays in power because he can fight, fix machines, and keep supplies flowing. He appoints lieutenants called Foremen and Forewomen. These leaders must be aggressive and technically skilled. If they fail to deliver scrap, fuel, or working rigs, they are removed.

Rank among the Rats depends on results. There is no inheritance. You advance by leading raids, keeping vehicles running, and bringing resources back. Titles reflect jobs: Driver, Smelter, Rigger, Breaker, and others.

When two people want the same role, they compete. This may be a race, a fight, or a timed repair test. The winner keeps the position.

Rituals reinforce loyalty. The Rite of Ignition marks full membership. A recruit must repair a damaged engine and stand beside it as it runs at full strain. If it holds, they are accepted. If it fails because of their mistake, they are punished or demoted.

Other rituals mark new vehicles, new forges, and major victories. These events involve running engines, scrap offerings, and visible displays of oil and blood.

Refusing orders, damaging equipment, or fleeing combat are major crimes. Punishment is public. Some offenders are exiled. Others are chained to failing machines as warnings.

War Rigs, Weapons, and Trade

The Gear Rats are known for their war rigs. These are vehicles built from old trucks, haulers, rail engines, and construction machines. They reinforce them with armor, ramming plates, and weapon mounts.

Some rigs carry flamethrowers fed by chemical tanks. Others use scrap cannons, harpoons, or crude railguns made from factory parts. These vehicles are loud, fast, and hard to stop.

Infantry armor is made from layered metal plates and welded frames. It is heavy but effective. Many Rats use tools as weapons. Saws, hammers, torches, and cutters are common. They prefer gear that works both in combat and in the forge.

The Gear Rats trade when it benefits them. They sell armor, weapons, machine parts, and repair work. In return, they accept fuel, food, medicine, and advanced electronics they cannot make themselves.

Trade is tense. The Hydro Hegemony exchanges water and purification gear for repairs and protection. The Shadow Syndicate hires Rat crews for demolition or extraction jobs. Even the Citadel Council has quietly bought parts from them during shortages.

These deals are unstable. If a partner cheats them or shows weakness, the Rats may attack. To them, trade and violence are both tools.

Relations and Role in New Vance

The Gear Rats are both a threat and a necessity in New Vance. Their control of the Rust Belt gives them access to metal, transport, and heavy equipment. Their forges can produce weapons faster than most factions.

The Citadel Council sees them as dangerous but hard to remove. Destroying them would damage key industrial zones and invite worse groups to move in. This leads to periodic crackdowns followed by quiet negotiations.

The Solar Guardians clash with them over fuel and generators. Sometimes they cooperate when shamblers threaten shared routes.

The Hydro Hegemony hires them for convoy defense and attacks on rival wells. In exchange, the Rats receive large water shipments to support their labor force.

The Shadow Syndicate uses them as hired muscle but does not trust them. Deals can collapse without warning.

Independent raiders fear and imitate the Gear Rats. Some copy their machines and rituals. Others avoid the Rust Belt entirely.

The Gear Rats keep the city’s remaining heavy industry running through force and labor. They are brutal, but organized. As long as machines still work in New Vance, the Gear Rats will remain part of the city’s struggle to survive.