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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
→Nomads
==Nomads==
[[Image:John Blanche Nomad Concepts.JPG|thumb|right|500px|Nomads by [[John Blanche]]{{Fn|2}}]]
'''Nomad gabg''' or '''nomad bands''' wander the [[Necromunda (planet)#Geography|ash waste]]s which lie between the hives of Necromunda.{{Fn|1a}} They form a distinctive social group on Necromunda, and have their own rituals and tribal society which is distinct from the clans of the hives. Rites of passage, ritual scarification and tattooing, [[scragging]] and trophy taking are all known to be practiced among them in various forms. Tribal and personal honour are extremely important.{{Fn|2}}
Few true nomads use vehicles preferring to carry only as much as they can load onto their own back. In this way, every nomad is a fighter and a bearer, ready to defend his own part of a caravan.{{Fn|2}} And when walking they the waste do they not tether themselves together, since that is a good way for one person’s mistake to kill everyone.{{Fn|5}}
Among the nomads that employ vehicles are all types and sizes of vehicles are used: wheeled, tracked, walkers and even exotic skimmers. With some bands preferring to have a myriad of light buggies or bikes, believing speed and manoeuvrability. While others chose a single armoured, slow moving transport-crawler to protect them from worst of the weather.{{Fn|4b}}
===Warfare and raids===
Nomads indulge in continual warfare and inter-tribal feuding for amusement and gain. Nomad [[gang]]s ambush convoys from the hives and other nomads when they can. They frequently attack [[travel tube]]s and disrupt trade between the hives. Raids on [[Merchants Guild|merchant]] convoys crossing the wastes are commonplace, but some nomad bands are audacious enough to make slave-raids on shanties and even hives, if they can get in through damaged tubes or breaches in a hive’s shell. Any storm that breaches the shell of a hive will give rise to anxiety in expectations of an imminent nomad raid. Nomads have also been known to occasionally raid the hives by infiltrating into a hive and then retreating into the ash waste before any resistance could be organised, {{Fn|2}} or just blowing a hole in the wall with missiles.{{Fn|3a}} Sometime they get into the underhive via derelict tunnels uncovered in the ash wastes. Seen as dangerous undesirables by hivers, the nomads are attacked on sight by [[Helmawr]]’s soldiers and [merchant gang]s because of the danger they pose to road tunnels and convoys.{{Fn|2}}
In the toxic ash wastes is ammunition often hard to come by, especially rare ammo, and some weapons are completely worthless: for example are flamers of little use in high wind. For these reasons nomads tend to use laser weapons and those which fire at a slower rate with more effect, so there is as little waste as possible.{{Fn|3b}} A favoured weapon for nomads is the [[Long Rifle]], it’s long range being valuable in the wide open waste. The [[House_Catallus#Double-Bladed_Knife|double-bladed knife]] has become a common weapon of the nomads and a symbol of the Nomads' struggles.{{Fn|4d}}
