The Badlands is the term for the irradiated desert that covers most of the world. It is a land of salt and brimstone, populated by the limping, mutated remnants of wildlife and the foul inhabitants of Terra that have adabted to the harshest surroundings. In the least irradiated portions of The Badlands, there are oases of hardy prehistoric ferns and black pines that have withstood the area's acrid irradiated atmosphere. Most of The Badlands, however, is made up of sprawling gray deserts and cityscapes.

Reclaimed technology is generally found in larger cities, whereas smaller cities make do with the twisted machinations of the current time. The current technologic era is most similar to that of the early 1900's -- Electricity, small planes,internal combustion, and the factory assembly line all exist, though calculators, satellite technology, computers, and jet engines are all only found in ancient ruins and deep underground. Due to the existence of things like history books and instruction manuals, the technologic era has started much earlier now than during the time of man, and has skipped the steam age as part of their industrial revolution. Even though rifles are in mass production, swords are still being forged every day.

The mutants who live in The Badlands are as harsh and unnatural as their home, borne from humans who struggled in the poisonous land with escalatingly grotesque birth defects. These mutants have not only lost their humanity in a genetic sense, but in a mental sense as well -- Concepts such as filial piety, consensual sex, and mourning one's dead are foreign to them. Cannibalism is a commonplace fear tactic and food source, and leaders remain in power for as long as they are quick-witted and strong enough to avoid assassination. Only one thing is true about The Badlands; It is a foul place, where all things good have been forgotten.

Orcs -- mutated humans with hardened skin and fangs -- make up the bulk of THe Badlands' population, followed by humans and The Illithid, a psychic race of cephalopod-like humanoids. Among the wildlife are the usual mutant variants of common wildlife, sandworms, and the cactusmen -- living plants, and among the few lifeforms who can tolerate the planet's nuclear caps.


Terra is the name for the parts of Earth that remain unspoilt and free of radiation. Ruled by Tiberius Khan, Terra is known for its bountiful wildlife, abundance of trees, and widespread use of magic. Though much of it is only a fraction of lush and green as it was millions of years ago, it is still considered the more comfortable region of the world by far.
Humans make up the bulk of Terra's denizens, followed by the elves. The outer regions of Terra, closest to The Badlands are ruled by the hardier dwarves, gnomes eager to tinker with the machinations of the more savage parts of the world, and scores of dragons, which usually counteract any resurgences of sandworms.

Most of Terra has a negative view of technology, citing it as the reason for The Last War. Most have outright rejected technology and refuse it in their villages, making those with cyborg prosthetics -- an option for the wealthy, but nonetheless option -- pariahs and scapegoats in the more rural villages.