Dog Town
A day like any other day had begun for a group of desperate scavengers trying to keep their head above water as they dug out a pre-war town for scrap. As they toiled in the morning heat, they heard what could only be the sound of barking. Sure enough, as they came to see what the commotion was about, they found a dog fleeing before a rather large mole rat. Jumping straight to action, they charged in to save the grateful canine and found out shortly after that she was domesticated and highly intelligent.
Amazed at the healthy animal, they formed a protectorate at the spot as they believed this was a sign from a higher power. They kept the name 'River' that was displayed on the curiously pre-war nameplate that hung from her collar, despite most of them having no idea what the word meant. It didn’t take long to recruit other likeminded individuals as many wastelanders desperately needed a glimmer of hope that the old world could return. When she gave birth to a diverse litter of puppies it was seen as a good omen that they were on the right path.
Smarter and healthier than any other wasteland dogs, it is obvious that an extreme amount of behavioral conditioning went into the matriarch of these animals. Able to interpret commands on an almost human level, she can use her nose to find specific components and chemicals amidst the chaos of the atomic wasteland. River was also trained to fight, and she made sure to pass on all these traits to her offspring. Stepping out of line in Dog Town will earn a sharp nip in warning, those stupid enough to push it further will be lucky if the protectors can throw them out before they are mauled to death by a pack of angry hounds.
Main Sources of Sustenance
Molerat: An enmity exists between the hounds of Dog Town and the local molerats. Every day the pack goes out on patrol for any trespassers, bringing back their kills to be processed by their human allies. There are many ways to prepare the creature, as 'famously' quoted by a local chef..
"Molerat is the fruit of the sand. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sauté it. There's, um, ‘rat kabobs, ‘rat creole, ‘rat gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried. There's prickly pear ‘rat and honey mesquite ‘rat, broc flower ‘rat, jalapeno ‘rat, ‘rat soup, ‘rat stew, ‘rat salad, ‘rat in tato, ‘rat burger, ‘rat sandwich. That's, that's about it."
Canine Milk: Yes, as gross as it sounds, humans can drink milk from lactating dogs. Higher in fat than that of a brahmin, it is considered a traditional delicacy that supplements the citizens' diet. It must still be pasteurized as normal to remove potential bacteria, which is achieved with several scavenged pressure cookers.
- Population- <100 (and <100 dogs)
- Motor Pool- A few all-terrain vehicles
- Security- Symbiotic human and canine police force
- Leadership- A German Shepherd named River is acting mayor with a human cabinet to interpret and enforce her will
- Caps are the only accepted form of currency in Dog Town. Locals prefer fair exchanges of goods and services but will take caps at about half their value in the rest of the Great Dust Bowl.
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