Maelstrom

"One time... a Maelstrom Ganger killed a young kid right in front of my eyes, for shits 'n' giggles."

- unknown

Maelstrom is one of the many gangs in Night City featured in both Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk 2077.

Overview
A combat gang formed from what was left of the Metal Warriors, a gang that was almost completely wiped out by the Inquisitors. It has also acquired members from the Red Chrome Legion and Ironsights, who also have grudges against the Inquisitors. While the Inquisitors are a special target for their violence, Maelstrom will also (of course) attack anyone else as well.

Maelstrom members dress in leather and chrome, prefer visible high profile cyberware and in general appear primitive and dangerous. Fully a third of them are clinical Cyberpsychos, and another third of them are borderline. Back when they were the Metal Warriors they held on to a code of honor. When their original leader Hammer was thrown out, the code of honor went as well, and now they will attack anyone. If you're being chased by the Inquisitors, they will probably ignore you and immediately attack them instead. At any other time, you will be targeted.

They claim a turf near the Docks, and are based in an abandoned building there. The area is volatile because many of the businesses in this area covertly support Solos and some corporations. The gang realizes this, and excludes those businesses from their protection racket.

In the past, most of their crimes have been small time, but their hunger for expensive new cyberware and drugs is pushing them to attack larger targets, such as those that serve the Solos and Corporations. So the area is primed to erupt into a bloodbath.

In 2077, the Maelstrom Gang is located in the All Food plant in Night City. With 1,300 members, they are led by Royce after he deposed and imprisoned the last boss, Brick. They are known to have heavy combat augmentation, as well as for using pain suppressors, Reflex Boosters, and street mod optical units of unknown capabilities.

Maelstrom’s territory is the industrial part of Watson. Its factories, the Totentanz Club – you’ll meet them there. They are obsessed with cybertechnology, and their urge to improve the weakness of human flesh is far stronger than their fear of cyberpsychosis.

Philosophy & structure
"And who the fuck're you to say what can and can't be?"

- Royce, Leader of Maelstrom

They are fascinated with cyberware, the Net, the occult, and the pursuit of any otherworldly sensation.

They partition their organization into smaller groups, each responsible for a different part of their criminal empire. Depending on the task, these groups can be as large thirty members- for raids, hit jobs, or protecting valuable cargo- or as many as four or five if patrolling their own turf.

Criminal activity & sources of income
The main revenue stream for Maelstromers comes from smuggling illegal meds and drugs. They also perform hit jobs, which they execute in a bizarre and brutal fashion. Many victims are found dismembered, skinned alive, or found in wet concrete. They also perform well planned and executed heists on guarded corporate transports.

Another prominent source of income is the Totentanz Club, the most popular gangster club and "drink&riot" venue in Night City. Totentanz is located in an abandoned factory where other gangers go to party and listen to neo-death metal music as long as they obey the Maelstrom's authority and customs. If a night at TTC has a body count less than dozen it is considered crappy and boring.

Rumors say that the gang is involved in the production of black market braindance records- especially bizarre, disturbing, and extremely violent ones. Other records they are rumored to produce are call "Numbness", an emotional void that places users in a strange state of mind, which are quite popular among overstimulated BD users. Despite these rumors, the NCPD has found no evidence to prove the Maelstrom are involved in the BD black market.

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