Potomac Diesel Jock Tribes
The Patrol Line ran from Bahlsmore on the eastern coast through Jaysville at the center, just south of the Red Embankment, to Dickerson near the western waterway. Miles of flat, cleared terrain linked these three settlements, and the Potomac Diesel Jock tribes owned every stretch of it. They were the mobile police force of Bailey Dominus Columbia North, a high-speed network of clans divided by vehicle type and road culture, and anything that breached the Red Embankment and made it past the wall had to deal with them next.
The tribes organized into three family types. The Dualies were the most common: younger Diesel Jocks riding variants of two-wheeled vehicles built for speed and rough terrain, drawn to velocity, adrenaline, and freedom. Off patrol, they were known for drinking, fighting, and fornicating wherever they pleased. Many followed the Virtues of the Kings and Queens Court; a small handful practiced a high-octane version of the Nuclear Family. The Cruisers were the second most common, operating multi-person combat vehicles including battle vans, war rides, and pick-me-up trucks built for rough terrain and sustained engagements. Each vehicle carried a dedicated crew of driver, gunner, mechanic, and road doctor, though all crew members had basic knowledge of every role. The Crowns were the least common and the most respected: families tending massive vehicles on treads, eight, or sixteen wheels that served as mobile field stations. They could drag smaller rides back to settlements, perform field repairs, and tend fuel depots along the Patrol Line. More conservative and calm than the other tribes, the Crowns were given a degree of respect and reverence comparable to road nobility.
Their signature weapon was distinctive enough to identify a Potomac rider on sight. Wide, long-handled double-sided chopping blades with arced axe-blade cutting tips and a giant ball pommel. The ball functioned both as a crushing mace for ground combat and as the ball in a ball-and-socket mount attached to the vehicle frame, allowing riders to hang out and strike at speed without the vehicle slowing down. It was elegant in the way only a tool designed for killing from a moving platform can be.
Bahlsmore served as the primary gathering point, where hundreds of rides collected in areas known as Tribe Parking around the settlement. Signs posted around the parking areas read simply: "Dare ya." Ride theft within Dominus Columbia was functionally impossible. The Red Embankment blocked escape north. The peninsula narrowed to the south. Port masters refused stolen rides. And the Potomac tribes took immense pleasure in hunting down ride-jumpers trapped within the territory. The pre-fall vehicle exhibit in the Keeps of the Lords of Smithson was considered holy ground by many of the Diesel Jock families, used as a reward destination for those who served above and beyond the call of duty. That museum had given the Potomac tribes incredible advantages in engine, transmission, and suspension design over all other Diesel Jock tribes in the wasteland. They knew it, and they guarded the knowledge accordingly.
The tribes organized into three family types. The Dualies were the most common: younger Diesel Jocks riding variants of two-wheeled vehicles built for speed and rough terrain, drawn to velocity, adrenaline, and freedom. Off patrol, they were known for drinking, fighting, and fornicating wherever they pleased. Many followed the Virtues of the Kings and Queens Court; a small handful practiced a high-octane version of the Nuclear Family. The Cruisers were the second most common, operating multi-person combat vehicles including battle vans, war rides, and pick-me-up trucks built for rough terrain and sustained engagements. Each vehicle carried a dedicated crew of driver, gunner, mechanic, and road doctor, though all crew members had basic knowledge of every role. The Crowns were the least common and the most respected: families tending massive vehicles on treads, eight, or sixteen wheels that served as mobile field stations. They could drag smaller rides back to settlements, perform field repairs, and tend fuel depots along the Patrol Line. More conservative and calm than the other tribes, the Crowns were given a degree of respect and reverence comparable to road nobility.
Their signature weapon was distinctive enough to identify a Potomac rider on sight. Wide, long-handled double-sided chopping blades with arced axe-blade cutting tips and a giant ball pommel. The ball functioned both as a crushing mace for ground combat and as the ball in a ball-and-socket mount attached to the vehicle frame, allowing riders to hang out and strike at speed without the vehicle slowing down. It was elegant in the way only a tool designed for killing from a moving platform can be.
Bahlsmore served as the primary gathering point, where hundreds of rides collected in areas known as Tribe Parking around the settlement. Signs posted around the parking areas read simply: "Dare ya." Ride theft within Dominus Columbia was functionally impossible. The Red Embankment blocked escape north. The peninsula narrowed to the south. Port masters refused stolen rides. And the Potomac tribes took immense pleasure in hunting down ride-jumpers trapped within the territory. The pre-fall vehicle exhibit in the Keeps of the Lords of Smithson was considered holy ground by many of the Diesel Jock families, used as a reward destination for those who served above and beyond the call of duty. That museum had given the Potomac tribes incredible advantages in engine, transmission, and suspension design over all other Diesel Jock tribes in the wasteland. They knew it, and they guarded the knowledge accordingly.
Structure
The Potomac tribes organized into three family types defined by vehicle class. The Dualies were the most common: younger Diesel Jocks riding two-wheeled variants built for speed and rough terrain, known for drinking, fighting, and fornicating wherever they pleased when off patrol. Many Dualies followed the Virtues of the Kings and Queens Court, with a small handful following a high-octane version of the Nuclear Family. The Cruisers were the second most common, operating multi-person combat vehicles (battle vans, war rides, pick-me-up trucks) with dedicated crews of drivers, gunners, mechanics, and road doctors. The Crowns were the rarest and most respected, operating massive vehicles on treads or eight to sixteen wheels that served as mobile field stations capable of dragging smaller rides to safety, performing field repairs, and tending fuel depots. The Crowns were more conservative and calm than their kin, and other tribes treated them with a reverence typically reserved for road nobility.
Public Agenda
The Potomac tribes patrolled the Patrol Line, miles of flat cleared terrain linking Bahlsmore on the eastern coast through Jaysville at the center (just south of the Red Embankment) to Dickerson near the western waterway. They functioned as a high-speed mobile police force, intercepting any threats that breached the Red Embankment before those threats could reach the settlements further south. Their signature weapon was a wide, long-handled double-sided chopping blade with arced axe-blade cutting tips and a giant ball pommel that locked into a ball-and-socket mount on the vehicle frame, allowing riders to hang out and strike at full speed without the vehicle slowing down. Ride theft within Dominus Columbia was functionally impossible: the Red Embankment blocked escape north, the peninsula narrowed south, port masters refused stolen rides, and the Potomac tribes took pleasure in hunting down anyone foolish enough to try.
History
The formation of the Potomac tribes as an organized patrol force is not dated in the surviving records. What is documented is that by the functional era of Dominus Columbia, the tribes had established an extensive patrol network along the Patrol Line from Bahlsmore to Jaysville to Dickerson, with Bahlsmore serving as their primary gathering point. Hundreds of rides filled the "Tribe Parking" around the settlement, with signs posted simply reading: "Dare ya."
The pre-fall vehicle exhibit in the Keeps of the Lords of Smithson became holy ground for the Potomac tribes, used as a reward destination for members who served above and beyond the call of duty. The access that exhibit provided gave the Potomac tribes extraordinary advantages in engine, transmission, and suspension design over every other Diesel Jock tribe in the wasteland. That technological edge was not shared lightly.
The pre-fall vehicle exhibit in the Keeps of the Lords of Smithson became holy ground for the Potomac tribes, used as a reward destination for members who served above and beyond the call of duty. The access that exhibit provided gave the Potomac tribes extraordinary advantages in engine, transmission, and suspension design over every other Diesel Jock tribe in the wasteland. That technological edge was not shared lightly.
Mobile patrol clans of the Patrol Line, divided by vehicle and road culture.
Type
Mobile patrol clans
Territory
Patrol Line (Bahlsmore to Dickerson)
Home Base
Bahlsmore
Family Types
Dualies, Cruisers, Crowns
Sacred Site
Pre-fall vehicle exhibit, Keeps of Smithson
Motto
"Dare ya."
