Orphans of Leyland

The Orphans of Leyland are a major cult, a semi-religious order, or the riff-raff of the streets, depending upon the eye of the beholder. They are usually encountered selling souvenirs at the Tomb of Leyland, or processing through the streets selling biscuits, or performing street magic for bystanders. Their robed and deminutive figures are a common sight.

The tough environment of Scott's World has bred numerous 'street associations' or duct gangs as the authorities tend to refer to them. The largest have tended to 'solidify' into official or semi-official organisations, and the 'OL' is the largest.

Leyland (of the original saga), and foundation hero of Scott's World, was reputedly a man of great generosity to those in need. Orphans and street children in the slums, ducts and gutters of Scott's World adopted him as a patron saint, begging in his name and forming small street shrines, eventually centered around the Tomb of Leyland. The constant flow of pilgrims and popu-drama fans to the tomb became highly profitable, and the OL soon found themselves as a fully incorporated commercial interest with a considerable income. They have recently expanded into off-world activities, and small shrines in spaceports are an increasingly common sight.

Whilst originally predominanty children, the OL now has an increasingly complex corporate and investment structure offering lifelong career paths, and many orphans never leave. 

There are a range of conspiracy theories circulating in the popular media regarding the OL, ranging from the sinister to the absurd. Some claim that there are no 'ex-orphans' and that children who reach 18 and who do not have useful skills are recycled as biscuits commonly sold by street processions of orphans when on fundraising drives. Others claim that the 'biscuit money' is being invested in advanced alien technology and heavy weapons, ready for the day when the Orphans will cleanse the ducts and lower streets of unbelievers. All allegations have been strenuously denied in responsible news outlets, 'Cultists Monthly', and the trade magazine 'The Biscuit Seller's e-gazette.'