The Cities

The big cheeses of the post-apocalyptic world. The three bastions of civilisation and the last hopes of humanity. They have their own page here.

The Plains

The country outside of Cities. Lands racked by nuclear and Rift fallout, haunted by vengeful spirits and twisted with poisons born of suffering and pain, the Plains are nigh-inhospitable.

Details

Camps and barracks, cities and towns; their ruins can still be found smattered across the country, irregular and broken like the aftermath of a child's tantrum. Trees still grow where the soil isn't torn by bombs and blood, plants still flourish where the earth isn't glassed with radiation and soaked with bitter rage- but sentient life struggles in the aftermath.

All animals are affected by the radiation- some more obviously so than others. By the 5th generation of a species, a physically unaltered specimen is considered more rare and precious than gold. Mutated beasts slowly repopulate where regular beasts perished. Creatures created by the Gods still breed here too, and creatures born from radiation, experimentation and genetic mutation, aliens to earth but kin to death.

Some settlements linger on the scarred surface- usually full of mutated humans, monsters and/or robots, these folk can withstand the radiation and toxic atmosphere better than most. Be wary of them, though- constant fear and exposure to the outside can mess up a man's mind, and many are driven into insanity.

There is however a federation formed between these scattered populations. Known as the Plains Union and headed by a democratically elected board, this group works to increase bonds between all kinds of settlements and create a unified front against external threats. The Union also controls and maintains all mines created in the Wastelands on Union land.

All three Cities treat the Wastelands as their dumping ground. Anything unwanted is simply expelled into the grounds with little regard to their impact on the already torn earth, which simply rubs salt into wounds that can't scab. The people who live in the Wastelands and Undergrowth alike collect and use the city waste (which usually includes obsolete weapons, failed experiments, surplus drugs, scrapped devices, and other useful materials). These materials are sold between settlements and are a large factor in the Wastelands economy. The rest is supplemented by mining operations, farming, and other provisions of key resources that are sold to the Cities.

Undergrowth

A series of linked underground railroad tunnels and bases, spread far and wide across the country, buried deep below the surface. Most sane people live down there, guarded from radiation but wide open to the vengeful dead.

Details

The Undergrowth is the colloquial nickname for a large underground railroad and town system, originally built during the third quarter of the God Wars. It was intended as both a way to supply soldiers and resources across large swathes of land whilst avoiding the Gods and their kind, and as temporary shelter for the common people while the Cities were being constructed. The Undergrowth featured many army towns and settlements, all built around the central railway lines that hosted the Infinity Train Lines that all ran concurrently and continuously. These complex train systems and settlements needed constant supervision, and thus 0UTRUN was created. Initially a simple program, its job was to manage the trains and their cargo. As the Undergrowth grew larger and more complex, more functions were added to 0UTRUN- the ability to quarantine towns, to manage supply levels, to deduce what settlements and areas needed what supplies when, etc.

During the last quarter of the God Wars the official order was given to evacuate the Undergrowth into the still-unfinished Cities due to the new and sudden arrival of the undead. Whilst the majority of the Undergrowth was never successfully evacuated at that time, those that did were exposed to the Rift radiation and developed mutations, creating the original Wastelanders. 0UTRUN was further updated to cope and was made into an AI, with its main directive being to keep the Undergrowth functioning.

When the Rift was closed the Cities pulled out of the Undergrowth, leaving only a scant population behind- as well as 0UTRUN itself. Because the Cities had gone, nobody was maintaining the system, and gradually parts began to fail. The AI noticed this and in attempt to resolve this it opened up the system, editing the code into a ghost trap- sections of code that work as a mini Contract in themselves, binding wayward souls to them. With its newfound ghostly knowledge 0UTRUN discovered the existence of the surface dwellers and to compensate for the sudden lack of activity in its tunnels, opened up its external entrances- allowing the surface population to flee to the comparatively safer tunnels. This blossomed into the current population of the Undergrowth.

The new population included folk who had originally been within the Undergrowth and weren't allowed into the Cities when the exodus occurred. This meant they knew how to maintain the systems. Although they could not save it all, they managed to get six Infinity trains working again, as well as repair and renovate significant portions of the tunnels. Some parts had to remain closed, either due to mechanical or structural failure or an influx of Rift radiation and the undead. These days, villages and towns occupy where army reserves once sat. Mushroom and algae crops are grown in abandoned tunnels. Fur farming is a common resource down here, with mink, rabbit and cats commonly kept for skins as any crop land is dedicated to food. Parts of the Undergrowth are leased by 0UTRUN to the Big Three for transport, storage, shelter, and expansion routes- but the network is vast and much is left to the people.

This System has become a sovereign state in its own right- ruled by 0UTRUN, the System has lax laws but vicious enforcers in the form of robots. Killer machines, designed by oUTRUN and sold to the Cities, serve as the Law in the Undergrowth and are obedient only to their creator. Every settlement underground is overseen by a Commissioner, an animal-bodied soul capable of wielding mechanical forms.

Outside of the Cities' machines, the System itself still has active transportation- operated and owned solely by 0UTRUN of course- left over from the Wars, and is a way of travelling for those who'd rather risk losing their soul to the undead than radiation toxicity. The Infinity Train, referred to as a singular train despite 0UTRUN running at least sixteen, has never stopped in its routes and even has villages living entirely within the constantly-moving trains, generations born and raised within those steel clad carriages. Stations are heaving trade outposts, the five minute stops at each a flurry of salesmen and goods. The (un)dead pose a constant threat to the safety of the place.

0UTRUN continued to collect ghosts, and soon collected enough to know how to infect other machines. Using its knowledge it infected several biomechanical people within the Undergrowth, and uses them as human auxiliaries to be its voice. The sheer amount of ghosts it has collected means it rivals the Cities in terms of knowledge, and knowledge is power if used correctly. 0UTRUN sells information to the Cities in exchange for parts and supplies necessary to maintain its population and itself. However, it also builds its own machines and performs its own experiments, and is a strong player not to be underestimated. 0UTRUN has the diplomatic advantage of being built by none of the three Cities, maintaining a careful neutrality between the conflicting factions. Of course, this neutrality means 0UTRUN is well and welcome to backstab each City and watch them bleed in turn, and as such despite their deals the Undergrowth is never quite trusted.

The Undergrowth makes money by selling information, but also by selling water. Unlike the Surface, where common crops can grow unaffected by the Rift radiation, crops that aren't mosses or algaes and livestock cannot grow well in the dingy environment of the Undergrowth. But water can. Water in the Undergrowth is clean because it filters through the thick layers of clay and sedimentary rock used to Rift proof the tunnels, and therefore it is valuable. The people collect and sell it to the Cities in exchange for supplies, and sell it to the Surface in exchange for crops and meat.

The Undergrowth is divided into quadrants based upon the four cardinal directions- North, South, East and West. Each quadrant is divided further amongst the people into clans and villages and tribes. The Centre of the Undergrowth is entirely 0UTRUN operated and is not populated by humans. These quadrants and their sections are filled with varying populace and power. The strongest sections are West, Central, and South, with high populations due to the notable lack of undead there and more stable infrastructure supporting higher intensity water farming- not only that, but 0UTRUN itself focuses its factories and thus its protection in these areas. The smaller sections between these quadrants (Southwest, Southeast) maintain a fairly high standard of living as well. North, Northeast and Northwest suffer from the preferential treatments to the South, leading to higher undead threats there. The population fluctuates greatly, and generally it's seen as a more vulnerable area. Its poor reputation is not helped by the infrastructure being the oldest in the entire system.

East is the only section co-owned by a monster- Triumph & Bonneville rule these lands. Because of this, Eastside is viewed as the most dangerous and unstable area to live in, even with its fairly solid infrastructure and average levels of the undead. 0UTRUN itself rarely ventures that far and though there is of course a Commissioner there, he is decrepit and lazy. Eastside allegedly has an illegal population of monsters dwelling in its ranks (monsters are banned from the Undergrowth entirely) and the people there are said to be either sheltering mutants or are so themselves (all mutants and monsters are banned from living below; they have to live on the Wastelands). Interestingly, Eastside is also the quadrant of the system closest to the CotB's territory, with three stations opening directly facing the border line. This convenient location combined with the co-owner being a monster causes quite the controversy regarding 0UTRUN's position on the CotB and their goals. As a result, the North-Eastside section is... not so happy about this arrangement- none of the Undergrowth is, but the NE is the only section willing to create conflict over it. NE is owned by Ivan Zoltak, who heavily dislikes Eastside and is waiting for any excuse to start a "justified" fight (justified fights may go uninterrupted by 0UTRUN).

The Seas

The seas. Turned black from the ashen skies, they hide many monsters and men in their raging waves. The seas were left largely unplundered after the war, only invaded by the City of Boarate and its ships searching and seeking to expand into the depths.

However, the City of Boarate is not the only organisation to seek expansion & protection within the mysterious oily ocean. A rising cause of pro-Gods supporters hide their bases within the Black Seas.