The Swallow Hills Militia is a militia and defensive organisation dedicated to defending the small settlement of Swallow Hills, namely the areas of the commercial district and some of the larger, more influential ranches in the ruins of the suburbs, standing in opposition against Bandit and Raider groups, alongside Red Eyes, Feral Ghouls, Bloatflies and Radroaches. The organization is often criticised for being too reliant on revenue generated by taxing residents and collecting toll from sparse checkpoints on certain important roads leading in and out of the commercial district as well as being comprised of a largely volunteer force with very little training and even less combat experience.
In 2100, the once abandoned and ruined town of Swallow Hills, once a glittering gem of pre-war society, was re-inhabited by Human and Ghoul settlers, though it had prior been inhabited by a few of the original, pre-war inhabitants that had survived the Great War through ghoulification. At this time, the settlers were just barely settling into the town, but within months of the first vestiges of the settlement being founded Raiders and Bandit groups had also set up in the suburbs and were launching attacks against the commercial district. In 2104, a militia was finally set up in defense of the town, which had since come under near constant attack. Within four to five months of its founding, the Raider and Bandit attacks were soon beaten into a crawl, with the militia having earned its first successes at a heavy price, with a quarter of the militia having been lost in the near endless skirmishes and battles thanks to shoddy weapons training and little experience fighting raiders. As relative peace became the norm, the militia's training program was somewhat improved, with standardised weapons training and equipment handed out, though this training was limited and the equipment was poor in both quality and effectiveness, with weapons being sourced from the remains of the Swallow Hills police department and ammunition scrounged from abandoned buildings and nearby area. Eventually, when at long last the first businesses and trade between Swallow Hills and other communities were established, the militia finally found a better source of ammunition and supplies, even though extortionate prices meant that these purchases were rarely made in either bulk or regular shipments.
Following a string of successes for the militia from 2115 to 2187, not to mention a string of successful leaders, the town, with Herman Long as its mayor, started taxation to collect revenue for what Long called "public building schemes" in the commercial district, with the militia operating as informal tax collectors. This naturally led to some of the rapport the militia had built up in the years prior with the residents and ranchers being lost. However, this did little to stem the tide of those joining the militia, which had the negative effect of lowering standards of training and equipment management, leaving many with doubts about the effectiveness, and trustworthiness, of the militia. By 2205, the militia was a bloated and untrained force, with numerous volunteers simply making due with Knives and Baseball bats in lieu of firearms. This problem carried on for many more years, with innumerable incidents of abuse of authority and extrajudicial killings, until 2265 whereupon a rising star in the ranks, Seymour Hendrickson, was chosen by Herman Long after a substantial amount of schmoozing to become Captain of the Guard for the militia. His charismatic personality made him not only a highly popular figure with the regular citizens, in spite of his boastfulness and womanising, but his resultant schmoozing made him popular with the more powerful ranchers also. However, his reforms, namely involving the removal of what he considers "useless" volunteers, have painted him as an unpopular figure amongst those who he had removed from, essentially, a cushy job whilst then proceeding to alienate the more socialist of the residents in Swallow Hills by rubbing shoulders with the bigger ranch operations. With the arrival and rise of the sadistic Lucan Seville and his brutal force of motivated and equally sadistic Raiders, this made fears for the safety of the town and smaller ranches and outlying residences far greater, alongside calls for Hendrickson to resign the position, with many of those under threat being hung out to dry by an uninterested Hendrickson.
Equipment[]
.38 Calibre Revolver: The standard firearm of the former Swallow Hills police department and one of the most popular weapons located in the area both in and around Swallow Hills is now used as the standard weapon for the militia. Whilst lacking in range and a very poor fire rate, it has strong stopping power thanks to its 38. calibre rounds and is a commendable weapon at close range, considered the bane of Raiders and Bandits.
.38 Calibre Modified Revolver: A modified version of the .38 revolver, with a long barrel modification to extend the range of the revolver. A metal pipe attached to the barrel, usually with a generous amount of Wonderglue, considered a rough modification and one done in desperation due to the lack of long-range weapons, it is somewhat more effective than the usual revolver, but is still lacking in range.
.45 Submachine Gun: A former crowd control and special weapons and tactics submachine gun, utilized by the Swallow Hills police department, this weapon is now used by the militia in much the same vein, with the guns now used sparingly by the militia except during dire situations, namely a full on assault of the commercial district or a large ranch coming in danger of being wiped out.
38. Caliber Revolver
38. Caliber Modified Revolver
45. Submachine Gun
Ranks[]
Captain of the Guard: The leader of the militia, elected by the town in a majority vote and approved by the mayor. As of 2285, Seymour Hendrickson now occupies this role.
Sergeant: A person placed in charge of handling patrols and running toll booths, the Sergeant operates directly beneath the Captain of the Guard. A highly recommended individual in the militia will be selected and placed in this rank by the Captain of the Guard.
Private: The Private is the most commonly seen element of the militia in and around Swallow Hills, with the bulk of the militia forces being comprised of those of Private rank. Conscripts are ranked up to Private automatically after a year of service in the militia, with their name and the date of their ascension to the rank logged at the main barracks of the militia.
Conscript: Unpaid volunteers usually tasked with carrying ammunition, food, medicine and other supplies out to guard posts, the Conscript works for a year in the Militia before they are automatically ranked up to Private, where they are now, theoretically, fully trained and motivated.
