Character notes for "Rainshadow Road"
These are the character notes for "Rainshadow Road."
The Fairchildren
The Fairchildren are an armey made of youth survivors from the Fairchild Air Force Base near the eastern border of former Washington. The base was bombed directly with explosives and Grunge. The only known survivors were youth. A group of tween and teen boys had been on a wilderness camp exercise outside the base and were not exposed initially. After the bombing, some of them went into the ruins to search for survivors, and came back with several small children and infants, but the oldest of the searchers soon died of the Grunge. The oldest surviving member was Fivestar, who was 15 at the End; and the youngest was Maggot, born shortly before the End. By 15 A.E. the Fairchildren have added a few women as camp followers, called armey wives, although they effectively have a group marriage instead of couples. The culture is militaristic and macho, but the boys are all strongly attached to each other and consider themselves brothers. They patrol the drylands of the Columbia Basin on foot, with wardogs for packing and protection. The dogs are a landrace descended primarily from German Shepherd, Rottweiler, and Doberman Pinscher stock from Fairchild Air Force Base with more recent additions from Northern California Black Mouth Cur.
Fivestar -- He has tawny skin, brown eyes, and shaggy brown hair with a short scruff of mustache and beard. His heritage is American; he speaks English and is mostly literate. He is 30 years old in 15 A.E. and was 15 at the End. He is the oldest surviving member and the leader of the Fairchildren, an armey that formed from youth survivors of the former Fairchild Air Force Base. They patrol the drylands of the Columbia Basin on foot, with wardogs for packing and protection. Fivestar's favorite weapon is the Bowie knife; he is formidable both hunting and fighting. Everyone looks up to him.
Fivestar shares his tent with a few other officers. It's also used to store some of the armey's weapons and other supplies, as well as providing sheltered space for meetings.
Cherry -- She has toasted skin, almond-shaped brown eyes, and loosely nappy brown hair to her shoulders. She is petite with shallow curves. She is mixed-race with heritage including American, African, Hispanic, Asian, and Cayuse. She speaks English and Spanish; she is somewhat literate in both. She is 16 years old in 15 A.E. and was 1 at the End. Cherry belongs to the Fairchildren, an armey that formed from youth survivors of the former Fairchild Air Force Base. They patrol the drylands of the Columbia Basin on foot, with wardogs for packing and protection. Cherry is an armey wife who recently joined them and typically sleeps with the younger members. She is learning medical skills and is already good at treating trauma, although she doesn't know much about illnesses or midwifery yet.
The Cayuse are a tribe in Washington.
Lou -- He has pinkish-fair skin, brown eyes, and brown hair buzzed short. He is short and muscular. His heritage is American; he speaks English and is partly literate. He is 26 years old in 15 A.E. and was 11 at the End. Lou is the younger brother of Cap. They belong to the Fairchildren, an armey that formed from youth survivors of the former Fairchild Air Force Base. They patrol the drylands of the Columbia Basin on foot, with wardogs for packing and protection. Lou is skilled with an axe both for cutting wood and for combat.
Cap -- He has pinkish-fair skin, brown eyes, and brown hair buzzed short. He is tall and wiry. His heritage is American; he speaks English and is partly literate. He is 28 years old in 15 A.E. and was 13 at the End. Cap is the older brother of Lou. They belong to the Fairchildren, an armey that formed from youth survivors of the former Fairchild Air Force Base. They patrol the drylands of the Columbia Basin on foot, with wardogs for packing and protection. Cap is skilled with a sword that looks like a long machete on a hand-and-a-half hilt. It works both for clearing brush and for combat.
Lou -- short for Lieutenant
Cap -- short for Captain
Sharp -- He has ruddy skin, brown eyes, and brown hair buzzed short. He has a tattoo around his left bicep. His heritage is American; he speaks English and is marginally literate. He is 23 years old in 15 A.E. and was 8 at the End. Sharp belongs to the Fairchildren, an armey that formed from youth survivors of the former Fairchild Air Force Base. They patrol the drylands of the Columbia Basin on foot, with wardogs for packing and protection. Sharp excels with guns, especially rifles.
Sharp -- short for Sharpshooter
Snuffy -- He has pale skin with freckles, green eyes, and red hair buzzed short. He is tall and muscular. His heritage is Irish-American; he speaks English and is partly literate. He is 18 years old in 15 A.E. and was 3 at the End. Snuffy belongs to the Fairchildren, an armey that formed from youth survivors of the former Fairchild Air Force Base. They patrol the drylands of the Columbia Basin on foot, with wardogs for packing and protection. Snuffy is currently working to earn his rank name. He is talented a dog handler; his favorite dog is Buster. Maggot, Snuffy, and Buster have been sharing a tent.
“Airman Snuffy”
The original Dirtbag Airman, he’s an example Air Force instructors use to train Airmen how not to do the wrong things in hypothetical situations. The difference between the example and the real Airman Snuffy is the real Snuffy is a Medal of Honor recipient. He tried to put out a deadly aircraft fire by pissing on it while simultaneously shooting down Nazi fighter planes.
Buster -- Controller term for full military power: to hurry up, go as fast as possible.
https://sierrahotel.net/pages/aviation-slang-pilot-slang
Maggot -- He has tawny-fair skin, brown eyes, and brown hair buzzed short. His heritage is American; he speaks After English and After Spanish. He is 15 years old; he was born right around the End. He is barely literate. He was an armey but is now a carney. After he ate something that poisoned him, Catcher managed to save his life, but Maggot was so weakened that his squad abandoned him. He shares a housetruck with Catcher.
• Squad. A small military unit consisting of ten to eleven soldiers, normally led by a staff sergeant.
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/modern-military-force-structures
Most of the armeys sleep in small tents designed for 2-3 people. These can hold 3 people alone, or 2 people with some combination of dogs and gear. Huddling together keeps everyone warmer in cold weather.
Fairchildren 2-3 Person Tent Plain
Fairchildren 2-3 Person Tent with Backpack
Fairchildren 2-3 Person Tent Diagram 3 People
Fairchildren 2-3 Person Tent Diagram 2 People Dog Gear
Fairchildren 2-3 Person Tent Person Sitting Up with Dog and Pack
Fairchildren 2-3 Person Tent Repair Kit
Snugpak Scorpion 3 Tent Olive 3 Person 4 Season
Bohica -- She has fair skin, gray eyes, and long wavy brown hair. She is tall and wiry with small breasts and just a little hip. Her heritage is American. She speaks English and is marginally literate. She is 21 years old in 15 A.E. and was 6 at the End. Bohica belongs to the Fairchildren, an armey that formed from youth survivors of the former Fairchild Air Force Base. They patrol the drylands of the Columbia Basin on foot, with wardogs for packing and protection. Bohica is an armey wife who typically sleeps with the older members. She is skilled at many crafts and serves as their muckamuck managing supplies.
BOHICA -- Bend over, here it comes again
The women share a tent, which also holds some of the food, medical, and craft supplies. Injured people are brought to this tent for care.
Fairchildren Women's Tent
Ozark Trail 8-Person 16 ft. x 8 ft. Family Tent with Built-in Mud Mat $49.95 (Reg. $89)
The baggage tents are actually tent cots that stand on legs, keeping the goods safely off the ground. Each one can hold about 350 pounds of supplies.
Fairchildren Tent Cot Baggage Tent
1 Person Off The Ground Oversize Tent Cot by Kamp-Rite $235.37
Clearwater Caravan
Alma Mohamad (65) -- shares a housetruck with Stitcher (16) and Hunter (27)
Catcher (25) -- shares a housetruck with Maggot (15)
Cleaner (28) -- shares a housetruck with Wheeler (18)
Dibble (6) -- shares a housetruck with Digger (20) and Forager (29)
Digger (20) -- shares a housetruck with Dibble (6) and Forager (29)
Forager (29) -- shares a housetruck with Digger (20) and Dibble (6)
Hunter (27) -- shares a housetruck with Alma (65) and Stitcher (16)
Maggot (15) -- shares a housetruck with Catcher (25)
Stitcher (16) -- shares a housetruck with Alma (65) and Hunter (27)
Wheeler (18) -- shares a housetruck with Cleaner (28)
Housetruck 1 (yellow) -- Wheeler (18) and Cleaner (28)
Housetruck 2 (red & brown) -- Catcher (25) and Maggot (15)
Housetruck 3 (green & brown) -- Digger (20), Dibble (6), and Forager (29)
Housetruck 4 (tan) -- Alma (65), Stitcher (16), and Hunter (27)
Alma Mohamad -- She has tinted skin, brown eyes, and long black hair. She is short and plump. Before the End, she was a Syrian refugee. She speaks Arabic and some English, literate in both. She is 65 years old in 15 A.E. and was 50 at the End. Alma is the grandmother of Catcher (25) and Stitcher (16); all of her children died of the Grunge, and presumably their other relatives died of that or other apocalyptic causes. Tough and resourceful, Alma is a carney, elder and leader of the Clearwater caravan. On the road, she drives the last housetruck. She serves as their cook too. Thanks to the Syrian war, she is a crack shot with a gun, equally good at bringing down game or marauders. Alma shares the tan housetruck with Stitcher.
Catcher -- She has tinted skin, brown eyes, and short black hair. She is tall and sturdy with a round face. Before the End, she was a Syrian refugee. She speaks English and some Arabic. She is fully literate. She is 25 years old in 15 A.E. and was 10 at the End. She is a carney who belongs to the Clearwater caravan. Catcher is the granddaughter of Alma Mohamad (65) and older cousin of Stitcher (16). Calm and compassionate, Catcher is a midwife and general medic. She shares the red-and-brown housetruck with Maggot after she saved his life from accidental poisoning.
Cleaner -- She has pinkish-fair skin, brown eyes, and long straight blonde hair. She is slim and wiry. Her heritage is American; she speaks English. She is fully literate. She is the mother of Dibble (6). She is 28 years old in 15 A.E. and was 13 at the End. She is a carney who belongs to the Clearwater caravan. Cleaner is a plumber and sanitation expert. She is a lesbian and shares the yellow housetruck with her partner Wheeler (18).
Dibble -- She has fair skin, blue eyes, and long blonde hair with just a little wave. a little girl, daughter of Cleaner. Her heritage is American; she speaks English. She is learning to read. She is 6 years old in 15 A.E. She is a carney who belongs to the Clearwater caravan. Dibble is the daughter of Cleaner (28). Curious and devoted, Dibble is interested in learning about gardening and foraging, so she shares the green-and-brown housetruck with Digger (20).
Digger -- She has fair skin, dark green eyes, and long wavy red hair. She is 20 years old in 15 A.E. and was 5 at the End. Her heritage is Irish-American. She speaks English and is mostly literate. She is a carney who belongs to the Clearwater caravan. Digger is a gardener who also helps with foraging and cooking. She shares the green-and-brown housetruck with Catcher's daughter Dibble (6), who is learning about plants.
Forager -- She has light brown skin, brown eyes, and nappy brown hair to her shoulders. She wears glasses. Exposure to the Grunge left her skin mottled with dark spots and prone to breaking out in rashes. Her heritage includes African, American, and Asian. She speaks English and is literate. She is 29 years old in 15 A.E. and was 14 at the End. She is a carney who belongs to the Clearwater caravan. Forager gathers foods and craft materials from the wild. She shares the green-and-brown housetruck with Digger and Dibble.
Faceclaim: Alexis Nicole Nelson
Hunter -- She has toffee skin, black eyes, and wavy black hair hair to her shoulders that she usually pulls back in a ponytail. Her heritage is Hispanic-American; she speaks English and Spanish. She is fully literate in both. She is 27 years old in 15 A.E. and was 12 at the End. She grew up on military bases where her parents served, then after the End, some surviving teens from the current base formed an armey. Later on, Hunter joined the Clearwater caravan and became a carney. She shares the tan housetruck with Alma and Stitcher. Hunter can use guns or bows, but does best with blades. She teaches people how to use knives and cuss in Spanish.
Stitcher -- She has toffee skin, brown eyes, and long straight black hair. Her heritage is Syrian; she speaks After English and some Arabic. She is marginally literate in English and Arabic. She is a carney who belongs to the Clearwater caravan. She is 16 years old in 15 A.E. and was 1 at the End. Stitcher is the granddaughter of Alma Mohamad (65) and younger cousin of Catcher (25). Nible and diligent, Stitcher is a seamstress and backup nurse. She shares the tan housetruck with Alma and Hunter.
Wheeler -- She has pale skin, hazel eyes, and wavy brown hair cut to chin length. Muscle damage in her legs makes it impossible for her to walk more than a few steps, so usually she uses a rugged wheelchair. Her heritage is American; she speaks After English and After Spanish. She is somewhat literate. She is a carney. She is 18 years old in 15 A.E. and was 3 at the End. Wheeler is a driver and mechanic who customarily leads the Clearwater caravan on the road. She also excels at trade. She is a lesbian and shares the yellow housetruck with her partner Cleaner (28).