TECHS

Overview
Within the confines of Hoover Dam, a corps of civilian engineers and military technicians developed a sort of camaraderie as the world collapsed around them; they came to see themselves as the last defenders of the achievements of humanity. This self-declared mission led the Techs to largely separate themselves from the general population, devoting their time to research and crafting projects whenever they weren’t repairing or maintaining the Dam itself.

During the CHOTA Revolt, the technology-hating CHOTA and Vistas who sacked the Hoover Dam wiped out most of the Techs. The few surviving Techs managed to escape to Dawson Hill, a pre-Fall industrial complex. There, the Techs built a school of technology that became known as “the University.” Gradually, the Techs rebuilt their ranks. Apt recruits from all over the Grand Canyon Province came to the University, answering the Techs’ call to restore the advancements of the Old World.

The Techs have the strongest technological and industrial base of any of the factions. Owning the largest crafting facilities in the Province, Techs can manufacture advanced items, armor, and firearms in larger quantities than any other group. While they are not incapable of defending themselves, they have comparably less experience in combat, wilderness survival, and diplomacy than the other factions have. They tend to rely on their allies for protection, though some of them have learned to fight.

The Techs are led by the Congress of Science, which is made up of eight annually elected Techs from the eight largest Tech settlements. All members of the Congress of Science have equal say in deciding matters that face all the Techs, but Geoffry McNas, the Dean of the University, acts as the Speaker by breaking ties and keeping the Congress in order. Other Techs’ positions are organized in a set series of ranks, and each comes with its own responsibilities.

There are three primary subgroups within the Techs: the Appliers, the Theoreticians, and the Daedalans. Comprised largely of Techs recruited after the CHOTA Revolt, the Appliers believe that technology should be fundamentally practical, as well as beneficial to humanity as a whole. Conversely, Theoreticians value the advancement of technology for its own sake and are more interested in their private research than in bettering the quality of life. Many Theoreticians have fond memories of the technological achievements in the Hoover Dam, and they are more ambitious than the Appliers about returning to that level of advancement. Relatively new on the scene are the Daedalans, a group of Techs who grew tired of depending on the Enforcers for their personal safety. The Daedalans have designed effective armor for themselves and learned to use powerful firearms. They are just as likely to work as mercenaries as they are to protect dedicated Tech interests.

Leaders
The Techs are not so tightly bound to their structure as the Enforcers are. Techs must be of at least the rank of Doctor to sit on the Congress of Science. Each member of the Congress of Science is responsible for overseeing the interests of his or her electing settlement, in addition to dealing with issues that face the whole Techs community.

Core Views
Advancing science—by any means necessary.

Enemies
The primary enemies of the Techs are the Vistas, who see the Techs’ high-handed, egotistical, and polluting ways as blights on the Earth. The Techs show precious little regard for the environment around them, which is something the Vistas find reprehensible. When the Vistas discover the Techs polluting or causing other problems, they usually mount an ambush, relying on secrecy and stealth to overcome the Techs’ superior technology. The two groups rarely go looking for each other to cause conflicts, but if either strays into enemy territory, there will likely be trouble.

The CHOTA are in some ways more annoying for the Techs than the Vistas, because at least the Vistas have some capacity to reason. The Techs, in general, have developed a “shoot first and not bother with questions” attitude toward CHOTA. Any CHOTA discovered near a Tech settlement will be shot on sight. Techs do not try to reason with CHOTA, nor do they attempt to have normal relations with the Children.

Meanwhile, the Lightbearers are seen as ignorant bumpkins who believe in faith and miracles instead of science. The Techs treat them with derision and disdain, and they have a great number of jokes that mock the Lightbearers. The two groups rarely actively oppose one another; instead, they disagree on philosophical terms and have many heated arguments. If the Techs were ever to be found kidnapping people for experimentation or polluting the environment, however, it is likely the Lightbearers would be some of the first to stand against them.

Allies
The closest allies of the Techs are the Enforcers, due to the similar aims and shared history between the two. These groups readily trade resources and work in each other’s settlements, but all is not perfect between the two. Some of the Enforcers don’t like the elitist opinions of some of the Techs, while some of the Techs think the majority of the Enforcers are uneducated buffoons. Their relationship has its ups and downs but is normally pretty good.

The Travelers are the most ready source of parts and information the Techs have, especially considering the aversion most Techs have to placing themselves in danger. The less-than-moral actions of the Travelers are of no concern to many of the Techs—unless those actions affect the Techs directly. Most Traveler caravans stop by Tech settlements regularly. So far, both groups have found their relationship to be extremely profitable and thus are unlikely to change it in the near future. Of the Traveler subgroups, the Brenhauer and Cleaner families have the most contact with the Techs.