Raiders
"Man is wolf to man. Who in the face of all his experience of life and of history, will have the courage to dispute this assertion?" - Sigmund Freud.
For as long as mankind has existed we have sought to tame the environment around us and to reap it's resources to better ourselves. Be it for mere survival or for luxury, we as a species have invented numerous ways to collect, increase and improve the raw materials we harvest from the world around us. However, for just as long as we have been striving to improve our lot and thrive, there are those among us that seek to predate upon those weaker than themselves and to take what they can. No where is this more true than in The Wasteland where only the strongest survive and the meek are lucky to survive long enough to lick up the scraps. "Raiders" is a catchall term used by the denizens of this blighted world to refer to those who use intimidation and extreme violence to take what they want from anyone who might have what they desire. While they might have other names depending on where you are (Cold Hearts, Bandits, Gangers, Wolfbloods, etc) they are all essentially just murderous thieves looking for easy loot. Yet this does not mean that they are interchangeable with one another. Like their names, they vary greatly in threat level to those around them and in their motivation. While some raiders might simply be lone wolves looking for an easy mark, others might be part of a gang of psychotic drug fiends, members of a brutal blood cult, or even part of a highly organized paramilitary organization. Usually they are made up of relatively small groups led by whoever amongst them is able to keep the other's in line and aren't much of a threat to some of the larger and more cohesive settlements found in The Wasteland. Regardless they should always be treated as dangerous since many a well prepared and defended settlement has fallen to these bloodthirsty bastards due to hubris.