Raider Week: Tower Reversed

Known Markings: 

There are two widely used symbols. Those with an artistic bent or time draw an inverted rook chess-piece. A quicker short form is an upside down "R" with a horizontal bar along the vertical leg to make a "TR"

No standard dress code is enforced amongst the members. However, their esprit de corps shows as each might refer to them-self as a Man (or woman) or the Tower.

Leadership:
Many of the leaders are highly educated, and the rank system is based on school administration.Dr. J.C. Kurtz is the acknowledged Superintendent, and overall leader of the group. Beneath him are deans, professors, TA's, and then simply members.

Estimated Forces: 

The full roster is unknown, but lower estimates place the group in four to five hundred, split between at least half a dozen bases and depots. Some have guessed the figures to be as high as twothousand, though this seems unlikely. Members come from all walks of life, though no Citizens have been spotted in their camps.

Notable Equipment:

Being such a large group with a huge territory, they have been able to recover a great deal of equipment. Their vehicle allotment cover everything from Armored Personnel Carriers to Zodiac inflatable boats. Rumors hold that the group could probably hold their own against any city state army aside from the Vegas Armored corps.

Philosophy:
If there is any one unifying belief, it is that the best way to operate is the carrot and the stick. Those who surrender or pay tribute are treated well, while those who do not may be slaughter by the dozen to serve as an example to others. Anyone who falsely presents themselves as a member can expect to spend a long time dying, because TR takes the groups image and the accord they have struck with surrounding communities seriously.

Background:
Contrary to popular belief, the Death tarot card is not a bad sign. Nor is the fool (often depicted as a man walking off a cliff) an indication of poor fortune ahead, and the hanged man can be a good sign as well However, the tower card always heralds disaster, drawn reversed, only meas there is some mitigation to the tragedy.

Society was falling apart, and the government was proving itself increasingly inadequate to the task of  protecting anyone. Dr. Kurtz took the time to show his ruthless and calculating side, in turn creating one of the smartest and savviest raider groups of the North American Anarchy Zone. His only long term goal seems to be run rampant as long as possible while making a good life for his underlings.

Men and Women of the Tower do not deny being a band of criminals. However, they believe their execution of cruelty to be fair in its own way. The Tower Reversed is the closest North America has ever come to having a Mongolian horde of their own. Kurtz, like the Khans, usually limits the banditry of the group - instead collecting tribute from those who surrender, and making the occasional bloody example of those who do not.

If there is a silver lining to being in the tower's territory, it is that they exert control by being smart, rather than simply ruthless. Usually the group avoids open conflict, instead using blockades and sabotage to wear down enemies. None of the groups leadership sees utility in being evil for evil's sake. Furthermore, TR will often hunt down smaller raider groups or concentrations of reanimates, earning the begrudging gratitude of towns under their thumb.