It had been well over sixty years, perhaps, since the last known human city had been snuffed out.

It was the sort of inevitability that man had refused to face until the bitter end, sticking their chins up high without the awareness that it would only leave their throat exposed to the vicious, biting prey-turned-predators. Those Gifted with supernatural abilities, those Cursed, had long since been oppressed, and united under a common front, they turned against those who had shunned them and cast them into the maw of death. The Unpowered had their nukes, their artillery, every soldier geared up to the teeth with the finest in weaponry.

Each Gifted soldier was the artillery. The particularly lucky or well-trained were their nukes. Beneath their heel they crushed humanity, and rose up to scrape together what remained of the world into something new. For once in their collective existence, they as a whole could be free. Not just the one individual who reigned as a god or a creature of myth, but a community. A population.

Two main factions arose from the dust of the old world. For those who despised the exclusion of the what had once been the world, who longed for a sense of community, there was Liberty. Liberty, who made sure every mouth was fed, that no one was left without a helping hand or a purpose- at the expense of, quite ironically, their freedom. And then for those who simply wished to take what had been there before and make something their own, for those who were hesitant about the collar Liberty offered, there was Erubesco. Erubesco, of fairytale nobility, where you could carve out a place for yourself. Where you could be who you wanted, entirely independent...though the undercurrent of sacrifices made for science, and the clashes of high society, make for a definite trouble in paradise.

As both factions grew, swallowing up the lands around them and expanding further into states and countries, there were some parts of the world that neither dared to touch. Places so ravaged by war that it was simply best to leave them be, and hope that, one day, the earth would restore them to something proper. Healthy. Of course, there were also those isolated spots where neither faction simply bothered to tame. These solitary landscapes were known as the Wastelands, for much of it consisted of waste, ash, and only the occasional burst of greenery that was beginning to devour the wilds.

The Wastelands were a place for those interested in neither group. The reasons varied, of course. Some simply despised the rules of both, opting to take their chances on their own. Some weren’t of the sort that the factions wanted, and some were deserters- having fled after seeing the darker underbellies of their home. The number of refugees only picked up when the war began.

A horrid war that began eight years ago between Erubesco and Liberty. The behemoths, with their clashing cultures and styles of life, couldn’t coexist for long. Soon enough they found themselves at each other’s throats, working in an arms’ race to pluck up the strongest Gifted, or make the larger leaps of knowledge. The conflict dribbled into the Wastes not before long, for battles and skirmishes, or squashing any budding competition in towns, or recruiting some of the more favorable.

This is the world of now. Of the thrashing, animalistic need to live, to preserve one’s way of life by any means necessary.

The question stands, however;

What will you do to survive?

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Much like the fairy tales which parents tell to their children at storytime, Erubesco is based around a concept of nobility, kings and queens, and an idealized view of “good” and “evil”. Towns cluster around grand castle bases, soldiers are dubbed as the “knights in shining armor” for the weak and defenseless, and many civilians go about their life with art and song heavily involved in their schedules. At face value, it appears like a beautiful utopia of prosperity and life.

However, the truth is far darker, as one might expect. Not only are the general issues that tend to come with a monarchy present- inequality, a very unlikely chance of ascending to another role, etc.- but civilian experimentation is very much the norm. While the entire process tends to be kept rather hushed, what occurs beneath the beautiful tiling of the castle floors is very real, and very active. While the glitz and glamor of movie stars and storybook towns may be appealing to many, it is a thin veil to what Erubesco truly stands for underneath it all.

Compared to Liberty, however, one might find the freedom of choice preferable, and Erubesco isn’t the worst place to live. In fact, most of its populace find it quite delightful.

Most.

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The first impression which tends to fall upon the viewer of any Liberty city is a certain...blandness. Nigh-identical buildings and streets, all made up of a monochrome color. A majority of the population reside in their own apartments, and a lack of real vibrancy. However, Liberty’s morals are the main reason so many are drawn; preaching fair rights for all, scorning the pointless harm of her populace, and pushing the belief that, with enough hard work and care, even the weakest can grow into a potential Councillor.

Of course, while Liberty preaches patience towards its people, caring for them and providing for the needs of the loyal, they also push for extreme devotion. The rebellious are carefully groomed into fiercely loyal citizens, and the unity which is so focused upon can have the unfortunate side effect of damaging individuality. The ranking system is a fair deal more complicated when compared to that of Erubesco’s, but retains somewhat of a pattern. There are several sectors of Liberty, with each having seven ranks or less; ranging from the lowly Trainee, to the grand Councillor. Each sector is headed by a Councillor, which work with the Founder- and Leader- on near equal terms to make decisions for Liberty.



While it preaches equality, Liberty is led by people, and certain people can be particularly corrupt. If one desires more luxury in life, they could very easily inform their higher ups of certain activities of their neighbors for boons and the like. Nevertheless, many of Liberty’s civilians are well provided for, and have all their needs met.

Interestingly enough, the Founder of Liberty has been absent for some time, though this bit of information has been kept firmly under wraps by the Councillors.

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Ashlanders. The term applies to nearly anyone who lives in the ashland, or wasteland, or Outside- whatever name you prefer for the vast expanse of ruin and earth that exists outside of the factions’ walls. Unlike what the names would imply, the ashland isn’t all ruin and sand- there are several areas where vegetation flourishes and the scars of man have begun to heal- but there’s enough of it that it’s been dubbed desolate by those who live both inside and away from the lands. Resources are thin, and what communities have manifested are largely composed of nomadic groups or small towns for ashlanders to make businesses, although any group that doesn’t possess a few particularly strong Gifted among its members is often quickly snuffed out.
Life in the wastes is harsh, unforgivable, and often leads to very short lifespans. As such, the Ashlanders that populate it are often harsh and unforgivable themselves. While some retain their humanity and are relatively friendly (if not a bit skittish), others become considerably more ruthless. Mercenaries prowl the ash, hungry for jobs or searching out the targets that they’ve been assigned to- usually by the high-paying factions. Slavers and raiders abound, preying on the weak. However, for all of its harshness, some Gifted might retreat into the ashland for various reasons. Whether it’s freedom, the pursuit of their own morality, or madness, the ashland is never completely empty.