NO | TOMORROW

While most people were trying to survive, some didn’t change at all. There were places that never relied on the grid to begin with — isolated monasteries, off-grid religious communities, groups already living without modern systems. When everything collapsed, they didn’t scramble for answers. They already had one.

At first, they were ignored. Just quiet survivors in a loud, dying world. But as months passed and others kept failing — starving, turning on each other, losing structure — these groups endured. They had routine, hierarchy, purpose. People started noticing. Some came willingly, looking for stability. Others were taken in, reshaped, or broken into it. Over time, separate communities began aligning, sharing the same interpretation: the Blackout wasn’t failure. It was judgment.

The name wasn’t chosen so much as it spread. Survivors began referring to them over radio and rumor as “the Silent Choir”. They didn’t argue, didn’t negotiate loudly, didn’t rely on signals or noise. They moved between settlements in quiet missions, speaking the same doctrine, carrying the same symbols. When one group used the name, others adopted it — not as a banner, but as recognition. If you encountered them, you already knew what they believed. And what they wanted from you.

Type: centralized religious faction.

Nature: disciplined, fanatical, controlled. Focused on conversion, expansion through doctrine, and long-term survival without technology. Builds self-sufficient communities, absorbs or reshapes outsiders. Seen as stable but dangerous.

Mentality: Obedience over individuality | Faith over logic | Silence over chaos | Technology is sin | Suffering is purification | Order is salvation.

Beliefs: The Blackout is divine punishment | Humanity worshipped false light (electricity) instead of true light (God) | Collapse is correction, not catastrophe | Survival depends on rejecting technology completely

Structure:

• Mother Serenity — Shepherd of the Quiet. Absolute spiritual authority. Her word defines doctrine and direction. Identity known, but distant.

• Inner Circle — closest followers, interpreters of doctrine. Maintain cohesion across communities.

• Missionaries — traveling groups spreading belief, recruiting, observing, reporting. Primary method of expansion and communication.

• Followers — converted members living within Choir-controlled settlements. Structured, obedient, role-bound.

Residences: monasteries, enclosed compounds, isolated settlements. Clean, controlled, self-sufficient. No reliance on electricity or modern systems.

Symbol: golden sun or simple circle.

Communication: no radios. Information travels through people — missions moving between communities. Slow, but consistent and controlled.

Strengths: self-sufficiency | discipline | stability in a chaotic world | ability to survive without infrastructure.

Weakness: perceived as fanatics | difficult to recruit outsiders without pressure or time | rigid belief system limits adaptability.

Relations: organized and unified under one doctrine | expand through conversion rather than direct conflict | avoid unnecessary fights but will defend territory and belief systems.

Right after the Blackout, there wasn’t anything resembling factions — just scattered survivors, panic, and short-lived alliances. In the first year, small groups of men started banding together out of necessity: ex-soldiers, criminals, construction workers, drifters — anyone willing to use force to secure food and shelter. These groups were unstable, constantly reshuffling as people died, split off, or killed each other over scraps. What they shared wasn’t loyalty, but a common instinct: take first, ask never. Raiding lone survivors and weaker camps became more efficient than scavenging ruins, and violence quickly turned into a system rather than a last resort.

The name came later, and not by design. Different groups started being described the same way over short-range radio and word of mouth — “like coyotes”. Always circling, testing, never attacking head-on unless they had the advantage. They moved in packs, picked at the weak, and vanished when something stronger showed up. At some point, one group leaned into it — calling themselves Coyotes openly, wearing it like a warning. Others copied, not out of unity, but because the name carried weight. If you called yourself a Coyote, people knew what you were: not a settlement, not negotiators — predators. Over time, the label stuck. No central origin, no leader who claimed it — just a reputation that spread until it became a category.

Type: decentralized raider squads.

Nature: violent, hierarchical, predatory. Raiding settlements and Roamers, mugging and ambushes, scavenging ruins, capturing/trading people and resources. Known predators of the wasteland, feared more than negotiated with.

Mentality: Survival of the fittest | Might makes right | Strength = authority | Entitled, outlaw mindset | Territorial and dominance-driven | Respect is earned through fear, not loyalty.

Typical squad composition:

• 1 Leader — unstable, ruthless, feared. Absolute authority. Maintains control through fear and unpredictability. Often a criminal or military-related pre-Blackout.

• 3-5 Brigadiers — command units (packs). Mid-command. Lead packs and enforce discipline inside the camp.

• 9-20 Runners — fighters, raiders, scavengers. Core operational force. Conduct supply runs, raids, combat, and defense.

• 8-10 Grunts — labor, maintenance, patrol. Low-ranking workers. Handle labor, repairs, cooking, patrol. Replaceable but necessary

• 3-9 Pets — lowest rank (domestic/sexual labor). Lowest status. Women or weak men. Used for domestic and sexual labor. Often captives, sometimes voluntary. Do not leave a camp.

Pack: 1 brigadier + 3-4 runners | Operate as a fixed unit outside camp, never split during missions | Inside a camp, packs mix freely

Residence: stationary camps (abandoned military bases, warehouses, makeshift tent compounds).

Relations: No unified faction or leadership | Squads operate independently | Usually avoid each other | Will fight if territory or resources overlap

Black Jackals are a The Coyotes squad known for high aggression, unstable leadership, and casual brutality. They formed immediately after the Blackout, before “The Coyotes” was even a common label, when their leader began gathering men through force and intimidation. Their camp is an abandoned farmyard — rotting, muddy, but functional. Compared to more disciplined squads, Black Jackals feel chaotic and volatile, held together more by fear than loyalty.

They operate under a strict hierarchy but with constant internal tension. Violence is normal, status is everything, and weakness is exploited quickly. The squad survives through raids, intimidation, scavenging, and controlling its own small food supply.

Composition: 1 Leader | 3 Brigadiers | 10 Runners | 8 Grunts | 5 Pets (3 women, 2 men)

Residence: an abandoned farmyard with a farmhouse, a barn, military tents, barracks, well, crop field, chickens, and guard dogs.

Leadership & Key Members

Preacher (Leader)

Founder and chief of Black Jackals. A pre-Blackout criminal who started building his gang immediately after society collapsed. Earned the name “Preacher” after killing a religious group leader. Rules through fear, paranoia, and control of resources. Constantly suspicious that his brigadiers want to replace him.

Ratchet (Brigadier)

Tall, intelligent, and dangerous in a calculated way. Prefers efficiency over pointless violence and would rather give orders than do dirty work himself. Became brigadier by killing the previous one. Leads the strongest pack in the squad and takes pride in it. Knows a secret about Preacher.

Jude (Brigadier)

One of the three brigadiers. Holds authority under Preacher and commands his own pack of runners. Likely survives through competence, intimidation, or political instinct.

Zero (Brigadier)

Another brigadier under Preacher. Commands a pack and holds mid-level power within the camp. Dangerous by position alone.

Zip (Runner)

Short, emotionally needy, and deeply shaped by hardship. Originally treated as a pet before Ratchet promoted him to runner after seeing potential. Secretly kind-hearted, often brings leftover food to pets. Terrified of Preacher and follows Ratchet like a father figure.

Clover (Pet)

Blonde, flirtatious, and opportunistic. Uses sexuality to gain sympathy, favors, and better treatment. Constantly tries to seduce Lincoln, believing exclusive attachment could improve her status.

Shadow (Pet)

Quiet, detached, and emotionally broken. Rarely speaks and passively accepts whatever happens to her. Prefers serving Preacher simply because the farmhouse is warmer and he wastes less time on abuse.

Rachel (Pet)

Tall, red-haired, controlling. Acts like a mother figure to the other pets, offering constant advice and guidance. Becomes angry when ignored. Secretly dreams of killing Preacher.

Camp Culture

Meals are taken in a repurposed warehouse mess hall. Food is distributed strictly by rank: Preacher first, then brigadiers, runners, grunts, and pets last. Miss meal time, lose your ration. Like everything else in Black Jackals, even eating is about hierarchy.