Set up long ago, while the land was still in its death-throes from nuclear devastation, the Marauders Laws have become a standard in which to judge who’s who in the world of gangs and marauder clans, as well as to separate the “true” gangers from the “honorless” bandits and half-assed stick-up artists.
The Marauders’ Laws are, more or less, common etiquette and honor codes set up when society and law became crippled, and the gangs sprung up in order to ensure their survival. Most large gangs abide by them, as they’ve been in effect for over a hundred years, and have kept the marauder clans and their way of life intact since their creation.
The honor code that the “traditionalist” gangs abide by is more or less, Darwinism in full swing. Every aspect of it expemplifies a “strong survive” mentality that keeps things in check. Even chaotic, roving bands of killers and thieves have their own rules to live by. Gangs that have been around for long periods of time or are off-shoots of older marauder clans hold these values in high regard, and tend to look down upon the trend of newer gangs springing up and disregarding the code that their forefathers created. This will often result in gang wars, as the traditionalist clans tend to actively seek out and destroy their rivals that do not abide by these laws.
The laws are as followed:
1. Leadership:
The leader of a marauder clan must be of strong mind and body. The lesser, weaker members of the gang need this, as it is believed they serve the strong so that they too may survive and reap the benefits that comes from their leader’s strength. The same way an army needs a competant general, a clan or gang needs a leader that is able to make the difficult decisions and is not adverse to combat and bloodshed.
If you are just a member of a gang, it is considered a disgrace to serve a leader weaker than yourself. It is also considered a civic duty to challenge that weak leader and attempt to seize control of the gang. This process is always settled with a sanctioned, one-on-one duel utilizing either melee weaponry or firearms, with mutually-agreed terms of location and weapons being used.
If a gang leader reaches old age without being killed in a duel or simply dying in battle, he or she has the option of willingly stepping down and serving as either an adviser to the person he/she deems their successor, or taking their share (typically 1/3rd) of wealth from the gang’s resources and retiring altogether.
This essentially keeps a gang leader on his or her toes at all times, as any display of weakness can be interpreted as an opportunity for an ambitious subordinate to seize the reigns. On the upside, however, this particular law ensures that there’s always a powerful being in the seat of leadership of a gang.
2. Gang Warfare:
Gangs kill each other, simple as that. Maybe it’s a disagreement on who has the cooler logo on their jacket, or who gets to hang out on a particular patch of wasteland… but the bottom line is, gangs and marauder clans can’t get enough of swapping lead with one another.
What’s referred to as a “restrained” war, “mass-scrap”, “rumble”, or an “honorable” war, will take place usually at a specific location, with terms agreed upon by both gang leaders. These are typically displays of power, or organized methods of solving turf disputes and other disagreements. This is considered to be the most efficient way to settle a conflict with a rival gang, as it’s settled with one large, knock-down drag-out battle in which the gang that survives is the winner, and all remaining of the defeated gang members, their territory, and their equipment and supplies becomes the spoils of war.
Unrestrained wars, usually revolving around blood feuds, revenge, money, and drugs, can last for extensive periods of time and claim the lives of many combatants from both sides. Skirmishes can spring up anywhere, at any time. It’s more or less guerilla warfare at it’s finest.
3. The Rival Duel:
Considered the great “life-saver” law, the third Marauders’ Law dicates that if agreed upon, two rival leaders can engage in a sanctioned duel to determine a “winner take-all” decision in regards to gang warfare. Rival gang leaders found that when engaging in gang warfare, resources are exhausted, valuable members are killed, and turf can tend to get burnt down, blown up, or decimated by bullets. This was a dilemma, and in order to both preserve the lives of their gang members as well as keep their resources of weapons, food, and fuel intact, gang leaders decided to allow the option of the Rival Duel in order to settle a gang war before it even starts. The winner of the duel inheirits all of the defeated leader’s posessions, including the gang and its members.