WEASELS

During the Knifewinter, the Weasels rose up and took the cities from the humans, each gang taking over corners of the London-That-Was, occasionally jostling for territory between each other - united though, in conserving the City for themselves. Weasels see their City - ‘Mother London’ - as a dark goddess; a savage mother who reveals secrets and tests their mettle. Mother London is always testing them, seeking the strongest to keep as Her own. Weasels are a surprisingly political people - the first stop for any visitor arriving in the City is the Houses of Parliament, where Mayor Chiefweasel Bogart (the current Mayor) gathers news and tribute from Toads. Bogart is a shrewd manipulator – she has held on to the post of Mayor for some time, surviving the yearly Weasel ‘election’ alongside the constant machinations and outright assassination attempts of other Guv’nors.

Mayor Chiefweasel Bogart holds sway over the constant interplay between Weasel gangs – there are between twenty and thirty Guv’nors in the West of London That Was at any one time, each of them with their own gangs, their own signs and colours. The Chelsea Killers, famous for daring night-raids on other gangs, are known for wearing white and blue, while The Opium Poppies are known to buy herbs and mushrooms and wear the mark of a flower. The gangs tend to have a fair spread of ages and genders, with one or two exceptions - The Butcher Boys take only males, while the Punchcard Kids take only females. However, these are rare, as most gangs will show the same lack of gender bias as the rest of the Land.

The Weasels have yet to reclaim the East side of the City, past the ruins and the screams of Foxes. Some expeditionary forces have set out over the years, but none have returned. Mayor Chiefweasel Bogart has forbidden travel East beyond Big Ben and Weasel gangs loyal to her word continue to build barricades and lay traps each morning, to deter the unwary or overly adventurous or worse - foolish treasure hunters.

Whilst the Toads are obsessive with Fash’n, forever changing to the next “in” style, Weasels are pragmatic and, importantly, stylish. Weasels enjoy sharp suits and bowler hats which come in a variety of colours and fabrics, however, it is a given that you can never go wrong with black, or a good pair of shiny shoes. Weasels are always armed, by habit rather than Fashion – you never know when a discussion will turn in to the kind of debate that needs a sharp knife. Weasels prefer weapons that won't ruin the line of a good suit, something small and easily concealed (straight-razors never go out of fashion). During larger arguments, it is not uncommon to see Weasel gang members sporting pistols, swords, axes, armour or cricket bats, but to see a Weasel Guv'nor heavily armed means they are either afraid of trouble, or that they lack confidence in their gang to protect them.

London-That-Was provides more access to finery than anywhere else in the Land. In the ruins of the City, Weasels often turn up fine clothes and materials, which get recycled and remade. In modern times, nothing goes to waste.

Where her stash is… “Doesn't matter who's on your tail, be it Foxes or Badgers, a Weasel always knows where the stash is. Luxuries and spices is where it's at, and Weasels have the only line in on the acquisition of such. Well, except for those bloody Moles who get everywhere they're not wanted. So stow it somewhere safe above ground and deep in a reclaimed space – somewhere you know and trust, lest you find the terrible teeth and scything claws of a Fox waiting for you.” Dr. Gunnersbury Jones, Weasel Treasure Hunter

All Weasels who are old enough to hold a blade are part of a gang. Weasels will always know who is in their gang and who their Guv'nor is. Whilst relationships between rival gangs fluctuate, a Weasel is always aware of their place within their own gang and of which other gangs their Guv'nor is currently forming relationships or arguments with. There is almost always an initiation ritual involved when one joins a gang - not as savage, though, as the Weasel's Rite of Passage, the ritual during which one becomes an Elder.

All Weasels must fight to survive - that's the way of the City. They fight within their gangs jostling for position, with other gangs for control of the city, and with other groups to show their strength. Fighting with the city itself is to fight for survival and what the city asks of her inhabitants. Fighting is what Weasels do best. However, not every fight is with fist or blade - sometimes contests of wit can be sharper than any razor and a Weasel Guv’nor who can prove herself sharpest in mind will often draw themselves more new recruits.

Suggested Character Types: Trader; Gangster; Burglar; Scavenger; Mercenary; Independent Trader; Treasure Hunter; Don; Salesman; Politicians; Antiques Dealers; Fence; Architects; Curators; Bodyguard; Confidence Trickster; Gambler.

Weasel Minimum Phys-rep Requirement: Mustelid mask with ‘Weasel’ markings.

Ferrets, Stoats, Weasels and Badgers have distinctive, different marks. You must NOT use another race's distinctive marks. Please contact us if you have any questions about phys-repping.

• Stoats: Pale or white fur, with tribal markings.
• Ferrets: Rings of dark brown and grey or white markings.
• Weasels: Tan / red-brown fur and a white stripe down the neck and chin.
• Badgers: Black fur and a white central stripe.

• Your nature is “URBAN” - you are affected by all calls involving “URBAN”.
• You may attempt to Stake Claims in any Territory, however, holding Claims in Urban areas will be significantly easier.
• You may not use any item which requires a different Nature.
• You may use any item that requires “URBAN” as a Nature. This includes Clockwork, Steam and Powder.

ALL Weasels have the following Merits and Flaws:

GOSSIP: After every Downtime, you will receive reports of news that has passed around the City.

LONDON IS REBORN: During Downtime, you may perform the Reclaim action in Urban areas.

FIGHTIN’ DIRTY: Weasels are trained from infancy to use short weapons. When using the 'Simple Crafted Knife' Item, with a physrep that is 18” or shorter, a Weasel may call DOUBLE as long as they are not holding any other kind of weapon in the other hand. A Weasel may use this skill with a 'Simple Crafted Knife' in both hands and gain benefit from both weapons.

SCAVENGERS: London-That-Was is a vast treasure-box of forgotten stores and hidden items; and the Weasels have become masters of recovering these treasures. When performing the “Scavenge” action, Weasels will return more goods.

SHIELDS ARE FOR PUSSIES: There is something about using a shield which is alien to the Weasel mindset. Weasel characters are unable to use shields.

NOT TOO CRAFTY: With the exception of “Craft Totem”, “Mastercraft Totem” and “Craft Flick-Knife” you may not take any “Craft” or “Mastercraft” skills at character creation or during Advancement.

Reclaiming London That Was is an arduous process, but an ongoing one. For hundreds of years, Weasels have steadily worked, mile by mile, to draw London That Was up from the ruins. All Weasels have access to the “Reclaim” skill. They may only use it in territories that they have previously Claimed. In addition, they may only Build on this land if they also first Reclaim the territory.

To reclaim a single 3×3 mile Territory of London That Was takes 16 weeks – this time can be reduced by using a team of slaves. For every Rabbit slave that you use, it is reduced by one week, to a minimum of 3 weeks. At the end of this time, there is a brief period of assessment and evaluation, where some of the finest Architects in Mayor Chiefweasel's personal staff will come down to the Territory to give their opinion of what the area was one used for.

At the end of this DT process, you will have unearthed a single building left behind by the Race of Man - and its contents. You will not be able to use this building until the following season. Picking blindly is not advised – not all map squares will yield beneficial results; and some may be actively harmful. Occasionally, Maps are found that describe the whereabouts of useful places to Reclaim.

You have FIVE points to spend on characteristics

You may pick ANY characteristic from the following list

*Cultural Bonus: Weasel Elders may take a free Claim anywhere in the City if you take this Elder Lore. This Claim has the benefit of legal protection from the Mayor Chiefweasel’s Office.