Wasteland Ghosts

"Nothing's out there so why is you looking? 'Oh, there's something out there alright, there's ghosts, ghosts in the wasteland." -Philadelphia Darkzone Raiders

Structure

Captain McArthur is the current leader of the Keystone Rangers. Despite his age he is the most veteran and effective of the rangers and manages and tracks their movements all across the KOP Wasteland and the Philadelphia Darkzone. The chain of command for the rangers follows that of a Quasi-militaristic structure. The rangers themselves are broken up into different divisions, these divisions are given their own region to survey and protect, the current divisions are as follows:

• Alpha Division: The Nova Wasteland (Philly Darkzone)
• Bravo Division: The Hill Wasteland (Philly Darkzone)
• Charlie Division: Tri-Park Wasteland[ (Philly Darkzone)/li]
• Delta Division: Philadelphia "Old City" (Philly Darkzone)
• Echo Division: King of Prussia
• Foxtrot Division: French Creek State Forest
• Golf Division: Reading Area
• Hotel Division: Iron Hills Wasteland
• India Division: The I-78 Strip

Each division is commanded by a lieutenant, who manages up to three squads, each led by a Sergeant. Squads are between 3-4 men each and often times practice prolonged missions with little to no contact with their main division leaders. A lieutenant and their own squad often times will make a secret camp within a highly secluded and hidden place only findable by other rangers. From here they coordinate missions and patrol patterns for their squads, these squads return in a clockwise fashion and only ever one at a time.
Each ranger is a seasoned hunter and tracker and has the ability to disappear into the wilderness and infiltrate most structures and settlements with ease. Rangers are trained in many forms of espionage, infiltration, tracking, and covert operations, they can hide among a populous or scout out a settlement from several klicks away.

Culture

Rangers are a family; they have long held traditions which were started by the first generation of rangers which made their bones on the transcontinental trail. The rangers value secrecy among all else and will largely only share intel with their own division, each division is a family and acts accordingly, a slight to one member is a slight to all of them. Inter division rivalries are commonplace but never openly hostile as in the end they are all rangers. Due to their hardline traditions and survivalist customs the rangers do not take on a large number of outsiders into their own, choosing rather to raise up their recruits from their own number, as a ranger who has lived and breathed the hunt their whole life is far more effective than one who must be taught.
For those who wish to become rangers there are a series of tests that must be passed. These tests are proctored by a lieutenant Ranger or even the captain himself. The tests consist of feats of stealth, survival skills, intelligence gathering, marksmanship and even hand to hand combat. The expectations for aspirants are high, and many do not make it through the process, but those who do are well on their way to becoming rangers.
After completing the entry tests, young rangers are assigned to a squad within a random division, often times these determinations are based off of the aspirant's performance within the tests. Once they are dispatched to a squad the aspirant must conduct what is called The Long Walk, senior rangers will lead the aspirant into the middle of the uncharted irradiated wasteland blindfolded and leave them there with nothing but a single match and a suicide tablet. The aspirant must then survive for three weeks out in the wasteland before finding their way back to division headquarters. Unknown to the aspirant, new rangers who have completed their own Long Walk within a year of the aspirant's introduction to the division, are tasked with keeping tabs on the aspirant's progress. Once the walk is completed, a naming ceremony takes place where the new rangers choose the callsign of the aspirant, which will be their new name among the ranger division.
Once an aspirant has received their callsign they are officially recognized as a New Ranger and can be dispatched on missions alongside senior rangers to hone their skills. New Rangers are called at random within their first year to monitor any further aspirants performing their own Long Walk.

Public Agenda

The mission of the Keystone Rangers is to protect the settlements and free people of the wasteland from the horrors of the post-apocalyptic world. Due to their NCR roots the rangers also have a particular disdain for the Enclave and have sworn to stop their efforts within the KOP Wasteland.

Assets

The Keystone Rangers have access to the laser weapon and armor technology of the Minutemen, but they have also maintained and passed down their original desert ranger and NCR equipment from the first rangers who cross the US so many decades ago. Much of this older equipment has changed faces over the decades, but still remains true to its core model and look.

History

September 8th, 2255 is a day that marks the effective death of the Keystone Rangers as they were known during the era of the warlords within the KOP Wasteland. This day also marked the creation of the Prussian Militia, who broke away from the main ranger group in order to follow the King of Prussia and become his personal army. Those who remained after the fracture were left to continue their mercenary work across the wasteland, eventually the rangers came across the Philadelphia Minutemen. Many of the old guard rangers respected the minutemen's resolve and their tactics in battle, this kindred respect led many within the rangers to call for an alliance with the minutemen.
With the fracturing of the group many within the rangers believed that in order to survive they would need to once again merge with another group to continue their traditions and increase their numbers. The rangers came to a consensus and decided to merge with the minutemen on September 17th, 2255. Despite the groups merging their forces and manpower, the two factions still remained independent of one another, the minutemen regarded the rangers as a special forces arm of their faction, able to operate independent from the minutemen but still bound to aid them through bonds of comradery. With the help of the rangers the many warlords of the KOP were vanquished and their lands given back to the people to create the different settlements now found across the KOP. Due to their tactics and ability to slip in and out of fortresses and hostile settlements undetected, the rangers garnered the nickname "The Wasteland Ghosts". In 2262 the rangers duty within the KOP had come to an end, their numbers had grown exponentially, but their number of targets was dwindling, as a result many rangers opted to go off on missions within the Philadelphia Darkzone, done to ensure that the threats found within those wastes were properly monitored and kept in check, to ensure the safety of the KOP.
A small detatchment of the rangers remains within the KOP and works with the minutmen to ensure the safety of the many settlements under the minutemen's control.

Ultio Ex Umbris, "Vengeance from the Shadows"

Founding Date

September 17th, 2255

Type

Military, Special Operations Force

Alternative Names

Keystone Rangers

Demonym

Ghosts

Leader

Captain McArthur

Parent Organization

The Philadelphia Minutemen