DREG "POPS" MADDOX
DREG 'POPS' MADDOX
If Boone is the soul of this station, then Pops... well, Pops is the jagged, unyielding bone. You don’t just meet Dreg Maddox; you survive him. He’s an elder in every sense of the word, a 'Dryland Dreg' who’s been walking Sector 18 since the sky was still choked with bombdust. No one’s quite sure how old he is—he just says he's 'old enough to have eaten ash and lived to talk about it'. Looking at him is like looking at a piece of seasoned hickory—wiry, thin, but you couldn't snap him if you tried. He’s got that long grey beard he keeps tied back with a leather cord, and hands that stay black no matter how much he scrubs 'em—a permanent reminder of his life as a charcoal maker. To Pops, charcoal isn't just fuel; it’s the secret to life. It’s what cleans the water, settles the gut, and keeps the forge hot. He’s the 'Keeper of the Hollow,' and he treats these mountains like a ledger he’s already memorized. When he joins us for a Wasteland Workshop segment, he isn't there to be your friend. He’s there to make sure you don't do something stupid that’ll get you killed. He calls his advice 'Field Notes,' and let me tell you, if you miss a step in his instructions, he’ll let you hear about it. There’s a friction between him and Boone that you can practically feel through the radio waves. Pops thinks the singing is a waste of good air, but I’ve seen him when he thinks nobody’s looking. He’ll stand there, arms crossed over that stained leather vest, nodding just a fraction to the beat of Boone's guitar. He knows that his boy is the only reason people listen long enough to learn the hard truths he spent a lifetime uncovering. He’s the original 'Old Bones'. He’s the iron in the Maddox bloodline, and as long as he’s drawing breath, the 'Old Ways' aren't going anywhere. The "Old Bones" Stats Role: Wasteland Elder, Charcoal Maker, and Survival Lore Keeper. Age: Late 60s to early 70s. Specialty: "Field Notes" on bushcraft, water filtration, and forgotten truths. Philosophy: "Comfort is the first step toward the grave".