Mastodon Walker

Gear

Mastodons are mid-sized "deep roamer" walkers, designed for nearly complete self-sufficiency. They often operate away from the tribal flotillas. They are strong in many roles (but best at none), including scouting, hunting, gathering, salvaging, and transporting medium cargo. Smaller walkers or thopters are used to ferry tribefolx, materiel, and information back and forth between roamers and the flotillas. Other specialized walkers are better at missions like combat or mining.

Roamers are generally too small for major agriculture or manufacturing, or to raise a family. It's common for tribefolx on the path of a walker officer to serve on a roamer for at least one year, but few settle on one.

A Mastodon is essentially a missile landship with a small flight deck. If the Mother's Children had a water navy instead of walkers, roamers would be medium cruisers--large enough to be dangerous, but small enough to be expendable. This is partly why most officers serve on a roamer at some point: it's where they learn the lonely, grueling work that keeps the flotillas safe, fed, and fueled.

The Mother's Children revere the beasts called mastodons. One reason is that both tribefolx and mastodons are matriarchal. Thus, the decision to name this class of walker was significant. Mastodon walkers feature prominently in tribefolx' legends and fictional stories. In more than a few, a Mastodon walker and her crew may sacrifice themselves for the good of the tribe.