The Matlows
The Matlows are the main power that rule territory along the south-eastern shoreline of the river and are bordered by The Blues to the north and the Bridge Folk to the south. Derived from the company of an old Royal Navy establishment, and their families, the Matlows claim themselves to be the true hope for the The Ruined City believing through military-style discipline and structure and a sense of duty to the country (whether real or just pretense) they can restore the city to what it once and more.
Structure
The Matlows adhere to a rank-and-file structure that came from that of the Royal Navy of old, where a person's rank demands respect and where superiors cannot be questioned, and are roughly divided into two distinct classes or castes- the Officers and the Rates.
At the top of both the organisation and the officer caste is The Commodore , who is the de facto leader and who's word is beyond contestation. A person with this position is the ruler of all of the territory the Matlows "protect" and tends to be an individual with a very pleasant and upstanding outer appearance, but whom is utterly ruthless inside, for despite what is proclaimed to the lower ranks, not everyone can reach the esteemed ranks of senior officers on merit alone.
Below them are the senior leadership of the faction- the Commodore's confidantes, favourites and lackies- each with some impressive rank or title, such as First Captain or Commander E, and with an area of responsibility within the clan. From the outside, an obvious comparison would be the Commodore is the King, with the senior leaders are his dukes and earls, although any mention of this comparison would see a Matlow in the brig and facing lashes for insinuating that they are anything but loyal public servants. Each of these senior officers is then supported by the cadre of junior officers, who make up the lower echelons fo the officer class- the lesser nobles, if you will - of the clan, each hoping to impress and intimidate their way up the command chain. Each will have a group of lower ranking people they are responsible for leading, feeding, disciplining and generally looking after. Although looked down on and sometimes abused by their senior counterparts, seeing them as little more than silly boys and girls until they decide otherwise, the life of even the most junior officer (often known as a "Middie") is significantly more comfortable than that of the Rates.
The Rates caste are by far the largest caste, with roughly 70% of the clan belonging to its ranks and, if asked within hushed tones, any Rate would tell you its the Rates who really hold the power and the Officers know this, for if the Rates every decided to mutiny, their sheer numbers and abilities of them would make them hard to beat. Anyone who joins the Matlows, or who was born into the Clan is automatically "Rated" and considered part of this entity, unless they are selected to be brought up into the Officer ranks, but this typically only happens to families of already serving officers.
Much like the officer caste, a rank structure does exist reaching from cadet (anyone between the ages of 0-16) or Able Seaman (AB for short) if they are over this age, to Chief Petty Officer but promotion routes and titles are slightly different based on the pathway the Rate is inducted into. In terms of these pathways, Rates do almost every conceivable job within the clan that can be thought of and which the Officers see as beneath them (even if this is just to cover the fact they lack the skills required)- cooking, maintenance, hunting, patrols and guarding the territory of the Matlows and rarely switch from one pathway to another in their life and so divisions within the Rates can be found, typically let by a Senior rate, or sometimes a Junior Officer and can become as frought rivals with other divisions, but never coming to blows or else the super-strict code of justice would see many hanged around perimeter fences
Culture
The Matlow culture, much like everything else is derived from traditions and the way of life of the Royal Navy of past ages, and so is focused around a unified group of people working together to achieve great things and each person knowing their place within the structure and believing how valuable it is.
Unlike other clans, rank is what is respected, along with the authority is allows, as opposed to brute strength and toughness and so when interacting with a Matlow, its hard not to notice a projection of authority in everything that is said to them, mixed with a hint of disapproval of a persons non-Matlow status
Within Matlow territory and whilst speaking with other Matlows, a dialect of english known as neo-jackspeak is used, which to the untrained ear, sounds like standard scouse mixed with words that make no sense to an outsider just with random alternative words being used for certain things, most of which relate back to life at sea. The use of neo-jackspeak is a point of pride (along with the other traditions that the Matlows hold fast to) for the clan and failure to use appropriate levels of neo-jackspeak has found its way into the list of offenses that can see a clansman/woman sentences to time in the Brig.
Public Agenda
At the core of the Matlow identity is the inherent belief that they are the only chance the city has of being a united settlement as only through a unified approach to the ruins, strict disicpline, structure and a sense of duty that they claim no other clan has, can this be achieved. This is projected through their desire to want to be seen as everyone's protector and relatively polite, if not a little blunt, mannerisms towards others not of a rival faction and so to most inhabitant of the Ruins, they are the nearest thing to "good guys" within the Ruins, although some would argue that their main rivals- the Stevedores - are actually better meaning, since the disciplined life of a Matlow is little better than indentured servitude, whereas the Stevedores have banished slaveyr within Freeport .
In addition to this, the Matlows are always willing to accept new members into the clan - referred to as enlisted Rates - so long as they are unaffiliated and willing to accept the Matlow way of things
Assets
The home for the Matlows is HMS Eaglet - an old Royal Navy establishment within old Liverpool, which was once the most secure site in the whole city. From here, the Commodore rules the territory which includes the surrounding docks from Eaglet up to Coburg and the edges of the Kings dock basin.
History
As previously mentioned, the Matlows originate form the ship's company that existed within the city of Liverpool when the effects of The Exodus were starting to be felt, along with some companies of actual ships that were stationed there at the time.
When the last of the emmigrant ferries were taking off skywards towards The Gateway and the last of the generation ships that were awaiting their final embarkments before departing the solar system for a better life, civilisation across the global was suffering, central and local government ceased to function and for those who were not able to afford passage, a life of banding together in small settlements that took the place of the neighbourhoods that had once existed had begin and ,with that the criminal elements started banding together and embraced the anarchy to establish their own powerbases at the tip of a knife or bullet. Seeing the dangers that existed, those of Eaglet's company saw their only chance for survival was to band together and live out of Eaglet, so quickly their friends and families were hastily all moved within the compounds fence and the gates shut.
Initially, the hope was to hold out and eventually link up with other naval units because they believed central command wouldn't abandon them days and weeks of waiting turned into months and eventually years, and with no sign of other companies and no way to communicate with them. The most senior officer at the time, a Commodore whose name has been lost to history, took the title of acting sea lord and established the society we now know today as The Matlows, for they saw themselves as a single company in a sea of enemies and, much like being in a theatre of war, so long as order and discipline remained, they could achieve anything.
However slowly, and knowingly, their noble vision was diluted and eventually replaced with one the arrogant thought that, as the only true derivative of a central authority that onee existed, it is their destiny to rule all of the Ruins and bring every inch of the old city under their control, before spreading further afield. To this end, most inhabitants of the Ruins see the Matlows as raiders with fancy costumes and stupid titles.
Territories
The Matlows started out in possession of HMS Eaglet, on the banks of the River Mersey as part of the Coburg dock basin. When families where brought into the base the footprint was not large enough and was getting crowded and so the Matlows took control of the surrounding dock buildings, giving any inhabitants the option of enlisting or be thrown into the river. This small influx of rates, along with the families of clan members adopted the old warehouses, dock buildings and even moored vessels as new homes.
In following decades, the Matlows were able to grab more land north of the base going as far as Kings dock, where their northern most border remains today
Foreign Relations
The Matlows see themselves as better than the rest of the inhabitants of the ruins and, despite their desired image, they are not above attacking other clans for territory or discovered resources. They especially dislike The Blues and The Reds, who they see as little more that feral tribes. The view the Stevedores as little better but certainly a closer, more dangerous rival to themselves, whose libertarian and market drive philosophies and industries anf declaration of personal freedom clash with their own. However, due to their size, maritime heritage, similar rank structure and the need for the resources they have for sale, an unsteady truce exists between the two clans. This isn't saying skirmishes don't exist, they are just a little more hidden or ignored.
The Matlows are not isolationists and sop are willing to allow others to trade with them and interact with its clan members, but only within certain areas, such as the foredeck market in Eaglet
Laws
The Naval Code of Justice that has existed for centuries forms the basis for the rules and regulations that govern life for all Matlows, with laws and regulations added or amended to reflect the situation they find themselves in.
HMS Eaglett,
Coburg Dock,
Kings dock Basin
Within the clan, the Chit is the currency used to pay for service and goods and is derived from formal IOUs that used to be common place within the navy. These take the form of official paper notes that are printed in Eaglet, stating values and the issuing paymasters signature and serial number. The number of chits in circulation is the responsibility of the senior officer know as the Paymaster, who makes sure that none are created without their approval.
When trading with those outside of the clan, chits are forbidden to be used and so bartering is how goods are imported or exported from the clan
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments