[OOC] The Dust: Relaunch

[Syben]

Roleplay Status: Open

Day 2
Year 2381: 346 Years After The Fall

The Immortals of Dust

Created by Aeonumbra

The Cast

Aeonumbra - Alexandria Svet-Yulia
SirBeowulf - Samuel Biggins
Lightning Fast - Cyrus
Monochromatic Rainbow - Vladimira Kovalik
TheMadAsshatter - James Knight
Bobert778 - Ivan "A"

The Story So Far

Act One

Russel City Showdown

Lucania, The Heiress of the Castalia Family, made the presence of herself, and her mafia family, known to every resident in Russel City with a brutal display of public torture and mutilation, By accusing and murdering a Winged Guardian Captain of 30 years, Adam Worth, for the rape and murder of over 150 females. He is also the alleged murderer of Lucania's past female lover and fiancee, Salem, as accused by an emotionally brutal Lucania. General Paxton Bradley of the Winged Guardians has had his hand forced into action, taking the ideals of a dedicated soldier, Jonathan Diederich, not only into consideration, but to action, for fear of losing control of Russel City to the Castalia Mafia, or to total anarchy.

All that was put on hold when an experiment in a laboratory went terribly wrong, unleashing a massive horde of hollow arachnids upon the wastes–headed straight for Russel City. A front line defense has already been established by the Winged Guardians, who are unconvinced of the gathering Militia's usefulness and have turned common citizens away from the defensive position.

The fate of Russel city hangs in the balance.

Not Alone at Isolone

Alexandria Svet-Yulia has sent out a call to gather Immortals at Isolone, utilizing information brokers to spread the news. Upon arrival at Isolone, Alex was met there by a man with an unknown purpose, calling himself James. Upon further discovery, the entire town of Isolone has been brutally massacred, leaving over half of the structures in the town burned out or collapsed.

News:

• New creatures have been added!
• Clarified a rule about Immortal's power, and the joining in the key points resource, hopefully clarifying the intention of the power acquisition.
• Added "Power Use" to the key points section.
• Updated FAQ

Roleplay Resources

Map of Dust

Map Legend:

• Circles are Towns, Villages, and Cities. For detailed information reference "Towns and Cities".
• Stars are large Cities, or the acting capital for a faction.
• Black Lines are pre-existing roads, paved dirt paths, or otherwise frequently traveled tracks.
• Dotted Lines are pre-existing tram tunnels. Red Lines indicate a functioning system of lights.
• Gold X's are collapsed tunnels. Red X's are tunnels too dangerous to explore any further.
• Yellow lines are stretches of hot sands and tall dunes.
• Orange lines are areas of desert consisting of dirt, rock, shrubbery, trees, and cactus.
• White lines are expanses of desert flats, with sparse wildlife, plants, and barren trees.
• Green Zones are agricultural areas created and owned by The Gaens.

The Large Mountain is named Mount Marathon.
The Small Mountain is named Mount Nike.
The Isolone Mesa is called The Big Empty.

The Marker at the bottom indicates travel time by measurement of days by foot based on 24 hours, and 60 minute hours by vehicles averaging 45 mph.

• The standard for foot travel is an estimated average of 3 mph.
• The standard for vehicular travel is an estimated average of 45 mph.

The Math

The average person can walk 3 mph, this is adjusted to 2 mph due to the terrain. this math is based on a full day, 24 hours. 2 x 24 = 48. A vehicle moving at 45 mph would cross the same distance in about an hour. 48 / 45 = 0.93. 93% of 60 minutes is about 55 minutes. A person can jog about 8 mph, adjusted to 6 mph due to terrain. A runner can run about 10 mph, adjusted to 8. a "fast" runner can go about 15 mph.

Scale by Math
Walking 2 mph: 1 = 24 hours, 2 = 48 hours.
Jogging 6 mph: 1 = 8 hours, 2 = 16 hours.
Driving 45 mph: 1 = 1 hour, 2 = 2 hours.
Hauling Ass 80 mph: 1 = 30 minutes, 2 = 1 hour.

The Key Points Resource

Immortal Key Points:

• Immortals must have an eye mutation, other mutations are optional.
• An Immortal must join with a spark to gain the phenomena.
• Immortals are resistant to other Immortal's phenomena.
• An Immortal's joining must derive from an extreme situation, or a GM approved special circumstance.
• An Immortal may not have any phenomena without a spark.
• An Immortal may never directly apply their power inside of someone.
• An Immortal may never manipulate relatable components from withinside someone.
• An Immortal may never directly manipulate an object another Immortal is wielding.
• An Immortal may never fly. Levitation is allowed, but must be discussed with me.

The Spark Key Points:

• The Spark will die, if separated from its host after joining.
• The Spark's joining must derive from an extreme situation, or a GM approved special circumstance.
• The Sparks have their own personality, and names, and share mental occupancy of the Immortal's body.
• The Spark may choose to mentally converse with the Immortal, or not.
• The Spark's name must follow the guideline of name and title. Example: Aeshma the Hunter.
• The Spark may be associated with specific emotion(s), and may influence the Immortal's based on this.
• Some Sparks may know each other's names, titles, emotional associations, and/or personality. Nothing else.
• Sparks may observe things through the Immortal's eyes that the Immortal may not remember or notice.

The Awakened Key Points:

• An Immortal may not communicate with their spark until at least partially awakened.
• A spark may influence an Immortal's emotions, retain memories, and look their eyes without being awakened.
• An Immortal may not become awakened without my approval.
• The Immortal may swap consciousness with their Spark only during the awakened state.
• A partially awakened Immortal may not revert back to their normal state, until fully awakened first.
• An Immortal needs to meet a certain criteria of conditions to become awakened.
• An awakened Immortal will always be more powerful than an unawakened, or partially awakened.
• An awakened Immortal may have increased abilities, and/or new abilities.
• An awakened Immortal will always be covered in a black chitin, or carapace like armor.
• The Immortal's body resides within this armor.
• If the awakened armor is broken, the awakened state is dispelled.
• Awakened states may range from beastial to humanoid, sentient to feral, controlled to uncontrollable.
• Awakened armor is impervious to all but the highest caliber firearms.
• The awakened state is not instant, and times may vary.

Power Usage Key Points:

The percentages are intended to show importance as a factor with power use. These are also rough estimates and explained only enough to give you an idea of the scope of what to consider when your character uses their powers. These are not exact numbers, nor are they definitive rules, and ultimately only exist to help give an idea on how power use affects the Immortal. It's up to you as the player to interpret what is said here, and apply it.


• Life Experience [15%]: Does this play an important part in use of the power? Ultimately, science says your heart is a muscle and there are ways to keep it strong and healthy. In a scenario where an old man lead a long, healthy life (or as much as one can be on Dust) versus a young homeless drug abusing alcoholic the old man is quite likely to win, just based on the strength of their hearts.
  
• Casual Use Overtime [30%]: This is a much more important factor. Think of this like snakes and venom; Adult snakes know how to control it whereas baby snakes will just dump it out with reckless abandon. Think of this also like using a machine for the first time, your inexperience is likely to put unwarranted stress on it. Driving a car for the first time puts more than average stress on it as opposed to a comfortable driver. Continual use and exploration of powers breeds a sense of familiarity and control about them. A really good example is Alex: Right now she fires wild arcs and blasts of lightning, half electrocuting and half exploding whatever she attacks. A more experience Alex could focus this arc into less of an explosive burst of energy into a concentrated strike of lightning. Explosive burst, versus a precise, controlled bolt; It's pretty clear which one uses less.
  
• Exponential Bursts [20%]: Another decently important factor. Pretty much the opposite of casual use and experience this is like leap frogging across the pool of comfortability. Casual use is more like an upwards slope, whereas this is a spike that rises and drops (Graph metaphors.) Emptying your entire payload into an attack and resolving the fight quickly could be effective, but leaves you using your power much less often and bursts an immediate sizable stress on the heart, as opposed to gradual stress like the form listed above. If the only experience you have is firing torpedos of power, a person with more control and familiarity of power use is probably going to last longer. This is really the Strong and slow, or weak and fast argument. "A candle that burns twice a bright, lasts half as long. This is a much more dangerous form of combat because if you don't resolve the fight quickly, you are left with nothing, and to continue in this manner would do much harm. Firing too big of a blow in a single instant could very likely put stress on the heart, enough to cause trauma or damage even though you only fired a single blast: Tell that to the smoldering ruins of the village you annihilated as you fall into cardiac arrest.
  
• Range [20%]: This is really just a "straining" modifier. The longer the rocket travels, the more fuel it must use. The bigger the missile, the longer it travels, the more fuel it must use. Pretty straight forward and clear cut. It is theoretically possible to extend one's range of use over time, but not in hugely significant amounts. It's also possible that over time, the distance of use will be less of a burden. I do commend all of you though, you all seem to have good control of this factor and have placed constraints on this, which is all perfectly fine. I don't worry about extending range, as the ranges we have established now are more than adequate in most cases, but it can always be discussed. The more important factor is building that casualness and having distance become less of a burden.
  
• Multiplicity [15%]: This is less of a factor because it's more modified by all of the factors above, yet still important. The more you carry the more stress is put on you sort of deal, actually kind of an obvious factor. Two missiles, more fuel, and going up the list from there.

Hollow Key Points:

• Hollow Variations:

• Humanoids: These hollows can range from typical humanoid size, to much larger. Normally they tend to be between 5 and 12 feet in height. These humanoid hollows are not limited to humanoid specific features.
• Behemoths: These hollows are normally very large, and can range anywhere from a large vehicle to a small building. It is speculated that these hollow have the potential to become much bigger.
• Hordes: These hollows are typically very small, and act as their name suggests. Typically reported in sizes from large insects, to small animals, and can range in numbers from dozens to thousands. Hollow Classifications do not apply to hordes.

• Class 1 Hollows:

• Can typically be handled by a group of armed civilians, a few guards, or an Immortal.

• Class 2 Hollows:

• Can typically be handled by a large group of well armed civilians, a guard squadron, or an Immortal.

• Class 3 Hollows:

• Can typically be handled by multiple squadrons of guards, or 2+ Immortals.

• Class 4 Hollows:

• Can typically be handled by an army, with vehicles, and artillery, or 4+ Immortals.

• Class 5 Hollows:

• Kill yourself.

Roleplay Rules

• Respect your GM: I will do my best to respect you, your feelings, and your opinions as long as you respect the fact that this is MY world. Please do not argue with me or anyone I choose to make a moderator, and if you absolutely must, please do it over PMs. I accept critique and input as long as it is done with relative courtesy. I do however, reserve the right to change my mind.
  
• Immortal's powers are less effective against other Immortals, there should never be an actual fight that is resolved in a single blow. However Standards, nickname for regular people, are very susceptible to these powers externally. No power may be used against another organic being or creature internally. Any damage must come from the exterior.
  
• When one Immortal uses their power directly against another Immortal, or something they are in contact with, it becomes a contest of will. For example, a metal manipulator may not rip away metal items from an Immortal's hands. Another example, a lightning user may not instantly electrify an object another Immortal is holding. This prevents Power-play.
  
• Before starting world wide events, large plot movers, or other such events please PM me to ensure it does not conflict with unrevealed lore or current plants. I also reserve the right to take anything your character does and twist it into afore mentioned items to incorporate their actions into story progression.
  
• I incorporate as much depth and consistency as I reasonably can within a fantasy world full of mutants, lasers, and the like, and I expect you to at least attempt the same. Or, be open to making edits or changes. Characters magically stumbling upon what they need are one of these situations, please try to make it believable, Otherwise I may ask you to change it.
  
• When applying, your character shall be posted in the OOC. For discussion and approval.
  
• I am prone to using gore, violence, killing children, trauma, and taboo subjects. I even describe breasts, albeit vaguely. This roleplay is for those who are mature enough to handle such things. Players Must be 18+.
  
• This roleplay does not use the Turn-by-Turn system. Here, we go Day-By-Day. Users are allowed to post as much as they like, or as much as needed. At the end of the posting cycle, once everyone has concluded for the day, the post must be marked with -End Day- to make us aware that you are ready to begin the next day. The next day does not begin until I say so. I still expect posts at least once every two weeks. Extensions are permissible, I would like proof of progress but everything has a circumstance. "Life" is not always an excuse, I have a busy life too.
  
• This roleplay and all of its participants also adhere to The Fundamental Rules of The Guild and Moderation Policy in the RP Sections.
  
• Lastly, all and any disputes between two players that cannot be resolved should be brought to my attention for resolution concerning anything in regards to the Roleplay, It's Characters, or It's Progression.

Character Sheet

• Eye Mutation is Mandatory

[h3][center][color=lightcyan]Basics[/color][/center][/h3]
[img][/img]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b] 
[b]Appeared Age:[/b]
[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Weight:[/b]
[b]Eye Color:[/b]
[b]Hair Color:[/b]
[b]Physical Disabilities:[/b] 
[b]Physical Identifiers:[/b][list]
[*]
[*]
[/list]
[b]Appearance:[/b]

[h3][center][color=lightcyan]Background[/color][/center][/h3]
[b]Residence:[/b] 
[b]Profession:[/b] 
[b]Aligned Faction:[/b] 
[b]Relatives:[/b] (
[hider=Backstory]
[/hider]
[h3][center][color=gold]Gear[/color][/center][/h3]
[b]Weapons:[/b][list]
[*] [b](Name)[/b]: 
[*][b](Name)[/b]:[/list]
[b]Armor:[/b] 
[b]Ammunition:[/b][list]
[*][b]Dirty Rounds:[/b] 
[*][b]High Grade Rounds:[/b]
[*][b]Heavy Ammunition:[/b] [/list]
[b]Backpack A:[/b][list]
[*]Items Within[/list]
[b]Miscellaneous:[/b]

[h3][center][color=navajowhite]Immortalis Information[/color][/center][/h3]
[b]Manifested Phenomena:[/b] 
[b]Unique Abilities:[/b] 
[b]Strengths:[/b] 
[b]Weaknesses:[/b]

Creature Creation Template

• Use "Hollow" as a prefix to species classification. (IE: Hollow Arachnid)

[center][img][/img][/center]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Species:[/b]
[b]Rarity:[/b]
[b]Behavior:[/b] 
[b]Location(s):[/b]
[b]Key Points:[/b][list]
[*]
[*]
[/list]
[b]Appearance:[/b]

Cities and Towns Format

Ideas for Production

Ideas for Industry
Ideas for Sciences

Classification by population

Village: 50-80 people
Small town: 100-500
Town: 600-9,000
City: 10,000 - 90,000
Large City: 100,000 - 1,000,000
Metropolis: 1,000,000+ (as in, there are more than a million citizens)

Faction colors

Neutral - mediumorchid
Motum Diversum - red
Aqueous - steelblue
Gaen - lightgreen
Edenites - oldlace
Forsaken - black
Seditio - undecided

Format

[hider=cityname]
[h2][center][[color=(faction color)]cityname[/color][/center][/h2]
[color=lime]Faction[/color]:
[color=lime]Classification[/color]:
[/hider] 
[color=lime]Population [/color]: ### Est.
[color=lime]Production[/color]: 
[color=lime]Notable Areas[/color]: Key landmarks, impressive old world restorations, monuments, etc.

[color=lime-]Description[/color]:
Talk about the general idea of the city; production, key landmarks, etc.

Talk about the area outside the city / town.

Talk about the area inside the city / town.

Talk about the people.

Talk about the problems and dangers.

Frequently Asked Questions

So, are we playing Immortals or what?
Yes, that is the idea. You can however have alternate characters that are not Immortals.

Are the Immortals actually Immortal?
No. The 'Appeared Age' section in the Character Sheet is purely aesthetic, when I shave my face I look like a twenty-two year old baby.

What is "Tuning"?
"Tuning" means that a character must come into contact with whatever is associated with their phenomena to be able to manipulate it. Some characters, and powers, do not require this limitation.

Are Immortals protected underneath faction law?
Technically no, most would argue that the laws are for humans, and the Immortals are demons. But It can happen if you wish it.

Where do I start?
Wherever you want. As whatever you want. Doing whatever you wish.

Do an Immortal's powers pass down to their kids?
No. The Immortal is the way there are because of contracting a mutagenic virus. An Immortal's children have the same chances of everybody becoming an Immortal, The Hollow, or never getting it at all.

Can my character speak another language in the native alphabet?
Yes. Using such things as Kanji or Cyrillic are fine. No Translation, or Pronunciation is required, but if you feel the need to do so please use a hider at the bottom of the post.

So like, is there a moon or what?
Nope. Moon is gone. Though the night's a pretty dark, it's more like the new cycle of a moon. There's illumination, stars, etc. So dark, but not a wall of pitch black darkness. Characters can still see somewhat alright without additional lights, all that's missing is the heavy glow from the moon.

But Aeon, without the moon-
Let me stop you right there. I don't give two shits about your definition of realism and realistic world properties. It's a post apocalyptic fantasy, there's leeway. I keep a pretty decent balance between creativity and realism. So don't fight me with realism, that won't always apply.

Can drugs increase power usage? Can they prevent heart failure?
This question is so relevant, at least half of my character use drugs haha. There are no drugs that can prevent the failure of an Immortal's heart from power use, only mask the effects until they eventually kick the bucket, theoretically increasing stamina but not removing the danger. ("I am the danger").

Special Thanks

I would like to firstly give special thanks to a few sources of my inspiration: Fallout 3, and Fallout New Vegas, Metro 2033, and Metro 2033: Last Light. I have borrowed a few ideas, or plan to in the future, from these amazing games.

A Very Special Thanks to everybody who helped contribute to the lore.

And a super special tip of the hat to all of my players for helping make this survive.

[Syben]

A.R.K Public Resources Terminal

Factions

The Seditio

Written and Compiled by A.R.K

Information Uploading..

The Forsaken Order

Written and Compiled by A.R.K

It is recorded that The Forsaken Order was originally formed only days before The Fall. A conglomerate of different societies and coalitions formed together under one man, though his name has not be provided for our knowledge. This newly arisen force, The Forsaken, moved to protect themselves, they were deemed unfit for survival by the current rulers of the world before The Fall. It is said that many of these people were nothing simpler than farmers, housewives, librarians, and the like. Common, everyday people, the tiny gears that spin and churn within the deepest inner workings of a functioning society. Like us, they found their way underground into a bunker to wait out the devastation that followed days after. Though there methods for doing so were less than peaceful. Looking to achieve only survival from their place on the bottom rungs of the social hierarchy, the descendants of these people have greatly changed the previous orientation of purpose.

The Forsaken Order we know today are nothing short of barbaric raiders. Their society is but the tiniest inklings of social order scraped together into a patchwork system. They are ruled by one man, a tyrant, who proves himself capable of leadership by challenging the former. This challenge will always result in death of one of the participates, and perhaps any audience that strays too closely. Upon victory, the new King may choose to reinstate new chiefs. This order of replacement is usually carried out by executing the previous chiefs.

Despite their lack of civility and social structure; they do have apt economic practices, and a fearsome military. They achieve great economic stability through their many mines located up and down along the western coast. In fact, all of their settlements have at least a single mine; all except Forbes, which is their trading hub. Though trading with The Forsaken Order is always a risky business, the ample supply of available metals makes it necessity. The threat of being attacked is high, most common from raiding parties or slavers. The act of killing one another is not taboo in their society, and is encouraged to keep the people strong. Disputes are settled by the blade, from anything to insults to looking at someone wrongly.

The Forsaken is a brutish and deadly society to find oneself living among, especially with every man, woman, and child taught to fight. Anyone is subject to gladiatorial combat, unrestricted by gender or age, albeit a child who has not reached their tenth year may not participate, however they may elect an appropriate stand-in to fight for them. Loss of a challenge does not always result in death, one could be maimed or crippled. Regardless of the outcome, if one does not achieve death, the loser is sentenced two years in the mines, and the victory obtains all their possessions. Additionally the victor may choose to take the loser's job, adopt their children, or even the very clothes on their back at the moment of defeat. Children who are not adopted and find themselves without parents become street urchins, as a child underneath his tenth year may not own anything he cannot carry.

At anytime a person may be subject to join their army, The Legion. Most go willingly, like blood thirsty mongrels ready for a fight. Those who refused can be executed, or sent to the mines, it is the decision of the chief overseeing the draft. Technically they do not have a standing military force, when no longer needed the soldiers return to their daily lives. Though there are paying jobs that cover the need for patrols, and the King's person force of Legionnaires, The Soulless, which act as the royal guard, and police force. The largest number of Soulless reside within Ironhold, where the King himself reigns.

<Document End>

Motum Diversum

Written and Compiled by A.R.K

The Mobiles descend from a man known simply as Mark. When the great steel doors parted, it was he who led the people around him out into the new world. He was one of the protected, before the fall, he ran an empire based solely on the purpose of moving by the power of one's own feet, for any purpose. The only exception to this was long distance travel, but Mark did not deal in that. No, as he believed in the former world, so he did in the new. He was the first to suggest leaving, trying to make a home out of this new hostile wasteland. It is rumored that when questioned why, he turned to his people, his smile glinting in the bright light of the new world as he paused upon the threshold of the known, and unknown, and spoke the prophetic words of: "Just Do It".

Years afterwards Mark and his followers had established a foundation for Motum Diversum. More than one of the survivors had a skill with cloth and leathers, which became one of their main sources of trade with the many other factions rising up in Dust. Though Mark and his followers had a broad range of skillsets, all of which were used to found the trade empire we have today, spanning central Dust. Russel City remains the capital of Motum Diversum, and the largest trade city on the island. Motum Diversum follows nearly all of the cultural teachings of the old world, including Capitalism. A society where one's own hands determine their fate and prosperity.

The Winged Guardians patrol through the streets of the cities, ensuring against unjust actions and prejudice. They are a widely accepting empire, and promote that each individual find their own way through success, religion, and anything in the like. The leader of this faction is known as the Executive Officer, and the governmental system maintains its function through is exclusively unmatched system of trade. It provides the most business, employing many skill sets, and it host to a number of self-controlled, and hired caravans. Though one is more than welcome to function independently, it's a hard bargain against the government's guarantees of safe arrival and replacement of lost goods.

Additionally, Motum Diversum managed to made a land grab along the southern coastline, more specifically, the city of Serenity. There, a government owned and operated hydroelectric power dam is the only source of substantial power, which the Executive Officer sells fervently across the island, making Motum Diversum the wealthiest and most profitable faction. Additionally they have the longest, lit tunnel system reaching from Serenity to Aspin. It is also relatively safe, though travel through tunnels is always done at ones own risk. These tunnels provide the fast movement of items between the territories it touches, and a nearly impervious to a raid. This system is also provided to The Forsaken Order, though there is no tunnel that spans across their border. This deal provides quite beneficial to Motum Diversum, cheap metals, and leverage over the tribe itself.

Motum Diversum is allied with the Gaens, who are more scientifically focused than anything else. Provisions of power and tunnel systems prove beneficial to both, more so to Motum Diversum who receives the best in medical supplies and other chemically produced goods. Motum Diversum also has a trade agreement between themselves and Aqueous, power for water. Providing power to their pumps results in greater efficiency, which means more water.

Motum Diversum's leaders are appointed by the previous Executive Officer, or in cases where the Executive Officer is deceased before appointment, through descending rank of the governmental company. Impeachment of a Executive Officer requires the unanimous vote of all other Executives, who in turn are not allowed to meet in secret. The Executive Order of Impeachment can be overturned by public opinion, which is requested through a draft of signatures to hold a public court. These other executives are; but not limited too; The Executive of Security, Trade, Provisions, Power, and Maintenance, and fall underneath the Executive Officer in rank.

Motum Diversum is perhaps the most well established, structured society, and have an impressive degree of territorial security.

<Document End>

The Gaens

Written and Compiled by A.R.K

This society is devoted wholly into the pursuit of knowledge, though they do dabble in a good amount of agriculture. These scientists did not descent from bunker survivors. Rather, their ancestors knew about The Fall before anyone else had the slightest ideal of impending doom. The old world had an institution in place, dealing with space and its exploration. One branch of this organization adapted space technology to underwater environments. This particular place of refuge was located deep beneath the ocean's surface, and with difficulty, survived The Fall. Though considering the ratio of bunkers to the ark, it did considerable well. Many bunkers failed or were destroyed.

This, and all other terminal systems are maintained by these Gaens. This technology is provided across the land, publicly, and is maintained by independent users. The Gaens hardly ever travel, and outsource their protection from Motum Diversum, most scientists choosing never to leave their facilities, which are state of the art. Their structures were built of the grueling process of deconstructing what was left of the Ark. Some parts hard to be fabricated, but their capital of Aspin is a sound infrastructure of old world building methods. They have independent power sources, but lack in comparison to that provided by Motum Diversum.

The society of the Gaens are not like the others, yet there are no reports of civil unrest or infighting. They are led by "The Professor", who oversees all of the functions of the Gaens. The Professor employs as many associates as needed, who then employ assistants, who then employ their own staff, of varying titles. The Gaens are the most adapt producers of clinical supplies, crude fuels, and agricultural provisions. Without them, much of the new world's technology and resources would be unavailable for some time yet.

Though many fruit and vegetable bearing flora exist within Dust, The Gaens are the only ones with actually fertile land, allowing them to grow a substantial amount of varied crops. It is unknown how this is possible, what technology powers it, or if the amount of fertile land will ever increase. Many look in envy upon these two stretches of unique land, prompting the Gaens to buy protection.

<Document End>

The Edenites

Written and Compiled by A.R.K

Next to nothing is known about the Edenites. Only scraps of information are available. Pre-fall they were a zealous religious group, that managed to claim a bunker for themselves. Now they live in Northwest Dust in seclusion, any attempts at contact are met with acts of violence, or the individuals disappearing altogether. They do purchase water from Aqueous, though it is unknown how. They do not however, purchase power from Motum Diversum.

They are very secretive, and very protective of those secrets. Even the Handymen of Aqueous do not speak of what their lands are like. At the right time, and place, an Edenite might be seen, wearing a white cowl and matching robes. Though their activity or status is unknown, most are simply scene walking, somewhere. It is recommended to avoid the Edenite border at all costs, which is marked every quarter mile by a pure white spike in the earth, rising about six feet tall.

<Document End>

The Aqueous

Written and Compiled by A.R.K

Aqueous is a society that draws heavily from old world, pacific asian elements. The people of Aqueous descent from a mixed race of pre-fall politicians and foreign delegates. Though the people themselves are not in total likeness to the old world's race of asians, they do however have a general trend of almond shaped eyes and paler skin tones, though in this world is almost unavoidable to achieve some form of tan. They are perhaps the only society to still actively use their bunker, which is rumored to be quite extensive. The Aqueous are overseen by a council, in which a head councilmen presides over. Though Head of the Council, this is merely a status, and only the Head of Council may appoint another Head. The Head has only a set of minor powers other council members do not; the ability to elect a new head, critical information or items, and the ability to break a tied vote during council. The Head does not vote with the regular council members.

The Society itself is based on a value of tradition and honor, where children follow their parent's footsteps, and dishonor is an excuse for one's life to end, or be challenged. Unlike the Forsaken, these challenges of honor are ceremonial. A time is set after the challenge, where anyone may attend. The fight is done to the tempo of musical drums, and presided over a member of the council. These are done with non lethal swords, and upon completion the victor restores, or retains honor for their family. The loser may choose to take their own life, and restore honor to their family, or live a life of shame in the eyes of their family. One who is dishonored is akin to a common street bum, they lose status and rank within the family and may meet discrimination and prejudice in daily life.

The Aqueous are also known for their military, though through technique rather than size. A member of any family, may be trained under family guidelines. They then may apply for The Noblesse,. The Noblesse duties fall everywhere from enforcer, to public agent, to police like duties. The Noblesse fall under the command of appointed generals, but can be overridden by councilmembers, who can only be overridden by The Head, and only temporarily. The result of any commands being overridden open the subject up to debate and speculation.

The Aqueous also have the only working supply of water, a reservoir deep within the earth the mountain that is fed by oceanic waters. The saltwater is processed into freshwater and piped across Dust. Because of the agreement between Motum Diversum and Aqueous, buying a supply of water for a settlement is not very expensive, and is done with relative ease. Aqueous is the only faction able to cross over any territory lines with protection provided by the respective faction's leader, but only to maintain water lines. They are the only known faction to be among the Edenites and return. Though they are tight lipped over what happens there.

<Document End>

Aqueon Religion

Aqueon Religion

Written and Compiled by A.R.K

Special Thanks to @Darcs for writing this article.

After the Fall, what remained of the eastern pacific was, generally speaking, a confederation of wealthy individuals with a vague understanding of a religion that had been tertiary to them for most of their lives. Religion provides a certain comfort, and those who could afford to survive the end of the world as they knew it, spent a significant time returning to the religions of their homelands. The 30 years spent in the bunkers saw a rise in the reliance and understanding of those beliefs, and those who knew more; who preserved documents, who could recreate recall the proper rites and rituals, those who could teach it, or at least what an imperfect and privileged memory could tell of it. Basically, they saw themselves emerging as leaders in the world of Dust.

The bunkers in what is now the Aqueous region quickly formed tribes based on ethnic lines, splitting between the Korean north, the Central Asian south, and the Japanese central region. Over 300 years they became united over shared resources, negotiations, the rise of other nations, tradition, and, the cross pollination of their religions.

Today, this religion is known as Shengriantō.

Shengriantō is a fusion between the Old World religions of Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Tengriism, and Shinto with heavy ethical-sociopolitical teachings being derived from Confucianism and the ways of Ancient Japan. Founded officially in 2105, Shengriantō has a focus on maintaining honor, following the traditions of your bloodline and country, and ancestor worship. Shengriantō believes enlightenment can be achieved through particular the cultivation of an honorable life basically 'picking up from where your ancestors left off' and as such has a heavy emphasis on the importance of the family, both through blood and oath. This stance rests on the belief that human beings are teachable, improvable, and perfectible through personal and communal endeavor.

From it's Buddhist parents, it derives that the ultimate goal is to reach transcendence, not by elevating oneself to the status of the gods (the kami, asura, and deva). But instead, by living in harmony with the gods, nature, and others you can achieve immortality for your consciousness (shen) practically, by going about a "right way of living." In Shengriantō, there is no morality and ethics separated into 'right' and 'wrong,' instead, there is what is honorable, and dishonorable. By living an honorable life, your shen achieves immortality through those you touch.

In this life, while living honorably, we must also achieve feng shui with others (through shared traditions and oaths), with nature (through active rituals), and the gods, through worship-- One must only allign themselves with one group of the gods-- the kami (those gods who represent perseverance and creation) asura (those who represent power and destruction) and the deva (those who represent intelligence and rebirth). Asking for the favor of gods outside of your chosen pantheon is seen as one of the most dishonorable acts one can make, and while those who worship a pantheon that is not your own are not considered enemies, you are to consider those who share your own pantheon family. If a homeless man were to come to your home and ask for food and shelter, and he shared your pantheon, it would be considered as dishonorable as switching pantheons altogether.

Breakdown by region:

• Northern Aqueons (descended from Old World Koreans) follow Shengriantō for it's ethical and philosophical virtue, and tend not to align themselves with the gods
• Central Aqueons (descended from Old World Japanese) have waning or casual faith in Shengriantō and tend to worship the kami
• Southern Aqueons (descended from Old World Central Asians) practice Shengriantō rigorously and worship the asura and the deva

History

The Fall

Entry Date: 1/1/2035
Subject: <#%$)_(!@#$?>
From: ISCE
To: <%@#)$>

It wasn't our fault this time. This record exists for the sole purpose of shedding light on the unfortunate event that is about to befall us, should anybody remain hereafter; if you are reading this, then you are all that's left. But this was not our fault, humankind did not do this. Maybe it was fate, destiny. The work of god, trying to wipe the slate clean, to see if the little germ in his great cosmic experiment was worth nurturing, is worthy of survival. Some speculate that this... this thing, was sent by another race somewhere from deep within the universe, known or not. But it was not, our, fault. This testimony alone serves to provide trial and judgment for humanity. Perhaps indirectly we caused this, through our multitudes of radio waves echoing out into what many feel is empty space. Maybe our constructs, our satellites, rockets, or debris caused some kind of... involvement. But I swear on my final moments; We are not guilty.

January 1st, 2035: International Space Communications and Exploration had revealed findings previously hidden from the public to media stations across the globe; simultaneously broadcasting on every channel, in every country with the capability of seeing it. Classified Subject, The Orb, was on a collision course with Earth. Previous attempts to shatter the object, minimize planetary damage, proved completely ineffective. This could be just an unfortunate coincidence of the universe, but the object consisted of a material impervious to everything that had been thrown at it. It is perfectly round, and dark as night, without an imperfection to be seen upon its surface. We don't know what it is, we don't know why it's come to end us; but worst of all, we don't know how to stop it.

In roughly a month's time, The Orb will cause a total eclipse as it slingshots around the sun, picking up enough speed to shift mercury out of orbital alignment as it passes. Roughly twenty minutes later, the object will collide with earth, ending humankind as we know it. The object is projected to impact in central Canada, evacuations are already in place. There is a chance that the earth won't break apart, but even that isn't enough to have hope. Should the small chance of the Earth remaining intact come to pass, global devastation will still occur through natural phenomena. The entire continent of North America will break apart, Tsunamis will wash the earth <#@$_#$)>[Clean of our Sins]<)_#@>, An ice age will begin <!@#>[Freezing the Demons of Society]<#%#@> <<3xc::Error::Document Corrupted.>>

<<Rebuilding Document...>>
>...5%
>...33%
>...67%
<<Finalizing>>
<<Success.>>

And when the Earth thaws there will be nothing left but a wasteland, of desert, rock, and salt water. There is a small glimmer of light, we could survive that. We are the hardiest, most adaptable creatures on the face of this planet. We could survive. I refuse to believe this is how we end, our legacy cannot die here. Preparations have been in place for years, bunkers that could save thousands of us. The supplies could hold, we could emerge into a new world to rebuild, a world of <#@$_=)+>[Dust]<#$_7#$) <<^#$=+{}2!#$Critical Error>>
<<Rebuilding Document...>>
>...4%
<<Failed>>

Entry Date: 1/22/2035
Subject: <#{#$}>
From: ISCE
To: <-#_$%[&^}>

We are scared, panic is sweeping through the very streets as I write this. My neighbor was dragged from his home by masked thugs, they shot him and his daughter out in the front yard. Christ... she was only six. I'll be relocating soon, but I had to document this just in case something happens to me. I have a gun, by God I've never felt the need to use it until now. I don't have much time, the cars will be here soon. I'm being relocated to a shelter, specifically for important people. I would let as many in as our supplies would support, but unfortunately that's not my decision. The underground bunkers exist only in the wealthier countries, and they are filling up quickly with... specific individuals. Engineers, scientists, athletes, superstars. There is no room for the common man, only those with status and money apparently. There is widespread looting and violence. Reports from the United Kingdom came in, armed farmers took a bunker by force and closed it. It was a massacre. There are ten days left, it will be a day when all of the Earth stands still, to watch, as we die.

Every hour the object continues to increase dramatically in speed, it seems so far that the predicted calculations are correct. In a few days it will enter our system, passing by us harmlessly until it reaches the Sun, where it will come back for us. There is a cult forming, calling themselves the Edenites, they preach of The Orb as if it were a god come to deliver us from sin. They're crazy, the lot of them. Ironic though, they choose to dress in all white, instead of black. The orb is black, why would they pick white? What compels them to worship this object of destruction? Can they not see reason? Some are rumoring they are moving to take a bunker of there own, though they are tight lipped. Nobody will talk, they all have this glassy-eyed look in there eye, like hopeful children waiting for their father. They're <@#%_{&>[The Chosen]<@#$&*>. Pure Madness! How can the hope to be<#!@_-+$#^>[Brought Forth Into the Light]<#@%_?><@#$%!?> <<^&Error::Document Corrupted%>>

<Rebuilding Document>
…<#$%?>

Entry Date: <!#_+!%>
Subject: <%&^_}?>
From: IS<?$@>
To: <&@!(^>

Time is drawing near. God, it's so cramped in here. It's musty, and it smells like sweat. If the plumbing fails I may just hang myself. So many are missing, or haven't arrived yet. We number just over a hundred, and this place was built for so many more, a thousand at least. We wait for others, but there is talk of closing the door. A new force as rising up in this wake of catastrophe, taking advantage of the situation. For however many days are left, anyways. Cities burn across the world, and they have the audacity to make promises of a better life! But the blind like kind words, hopeful words, as long as they do not have to deal with the problems themselves. It's almost like another cult. But this one is much deadlier.

Just yesterday this new faction, Calling themselves The Forsaken, arose up out of nowhere, claiming six bunkers for themselves. These <@#%_>[Devils]<#@$..?> have us scared, but the guards assure us there are lookouts. They are the only ones with guns. Where did they take my gun? <@%?%^&*+_@$#%?>

<@#$[And in the light of the new dawn, as the fire washes over our bodies and cleanses us of sin, our soul shall shine with the purity of The Mother, we shall ascend up into the heavens, free or mortal shackles, to join our beloved Father..]#_#@%?> <//Error: Document Unreadable>

Entry Date: 2/1/2035
Subject: <Syntax:Error:[EDEN]>
From: ISCE
To: <#@%^>
<Data Partials Missing>
<Recovering..>
>...17%
>...42%
>...86%
<Success.>

This is [?] it. The [?] End is near. We watched on the monitors as [?] The Orb veiled the Earth in darkness. Less than half an hour to live, and somebody tried to hack us. They were trying to unlock the door, it's open now, only by a few inches. Those [?]massive doors can no longer save us, the crack of light radiating in from the outside lamps is blinding. Somebody tried to pry it open, the vehicle is still parked there, but the [?] guards shot them. We have the facility under control again but the door is wedged open, we can't move the vehicle. The lights are also off, the whole system has gone corrupt, something off in the distance is on fire. [?] What are these symbols? Who are the Edenites? The Mother? [?]

I hope somebody finds this, someday. The words of a dead man. God P... I miss you so much.

[?][?]

Sincerely;
<@#%_>

P.S <?#%{?>

<Directory End>

Aftermath

Entry Date: 3/6/2235
Subject: Aftermath
From: The Watcher
To: ARK

To; The Associates of Record Keeping
A hundred years, how time flies.

February 1st, 3035. The object approached final velocity as it slingshot around the sun. What the scientists of old did not predict though; as the object passed by Saturn it shifted course erratically, passing through Saturn's rings. As a result, chunks of debris collided with our moon with such velocity that it actually slowed down. Coastal counties experience tidal phenomena but with focus turned towards The Orb, the reports were not widely known. Anyways. The total eclipse caused was not from the object itself, but from the moon. Rather, the object collided with the moon. Whether the object itself is sentient, or the reason for it's presence is or not, the moon was not a calculated factor.

This may be the sole reason the Earth did not shatter, though it did affect us dramatically, almost as dramatic as the object itself. All these unnatural forces created an entirely new world, Old Earth will forever be but a memory. This explains why there is no moon in the night sky. The frequent meteor rains are from debris orbiting our planet and being pulled in. This debris does contain some of the same properties as the object, but for unknown reasons.

As The Orb crashed into most of central Canada, the immense force of it entering our atmosphere wreaked havoc on our Ozone Layer. That, and coupled with the plethora of natural disasters, the following wave of fire, the ice age induced by thick clouds of dust shrouding our planet; are all plausible events that have lead up to the world today. Rock, desert, barren wastelands. Most of the Earth was covered in trees and greenery, hard to believe right?

The Northern United States broke a part broke a part as a result of the collision, you are located on one of these fragments. The World is entirely reformed, even the fault lines appear to be shifted, but that may be faulty equipment. I wouldn't attempt to weld a boat together, ocean sensors are picking up a lot of activity. Sonar blasts are systematically destroying my aquatic equipment, whatever is down there is highly intelligent. You have you warning.

The state of things still needs much explaining, but I can tell you this. For Unknown reasons the object as diminished greatly in size, it probably has the circumference of a large island now, though it exists at the bottom of the ocean floor. That's where my sensors first were destroyed by the way, coincidence? Anyways, this thing contains a host of unknown elements. This is the reason for all the modern day monsters, the adapting and failing genetic lines. The new diseases and viruses, everything that can't be explained by modern science. There is something else too.. but I must do more research before I try to explain the unfathomable.

With all the disruptions caused by the object hitting us, our ice age was short lived thankfully, maybe a few years, ten at most. The world thawed just in time for you lot to crawl from your little holes in the ground and start again. I understand it was a rough process, I myself was a part of it. Though we did not have so many deadly creatures as we do now, though that's how it goes in a desert wilderness; Not much use for a herbivore. I'm surprised we made it at all, let alone were able to make a home out of this hostile little island. Get used to it, with whatever those are in the ocean, it's unlikely that we'll receive contact for some time.

Sincerely,
The Watcher

<Document End>

The Hollow

Entry Date: 2/14/2236
Subject: The Hollow
From: The Watcher
To: ARK

Dear Associates of Record Keeping;

I've been doing a lot this past year, but I have an important discovery. It seems that the object brought something with it, I'm unsure what it should be classified as; Disease? Virus? Bacteria? Any of those will do. I call it The Sickness, a fitting name really. It hits its victim through their blood. I haven't been able to figure out where it comes from, or how it infects us, but I know it comes from The Orb. It has to, let me explain.

The Subject will begin to show symptoms of a normal cold. Runny or Stuffy nose, Itchy or Sore throat, Cough, Congestion, Slight body aches or a mild headache, Sneezing, Watery eyes, Low-grade Fever, and mild fatigue. This is what makes it so hard to catch in time. These colds symptoms can last anywhere from a few days, to a week before the subject moves into stage two. Luckily for us is it not transmittable between the infected and the uninfected.

Stage two consists of only a handful of symptoms, this is what you want to look for, this is how you know somebody has The Sickness. The area around the eyes will become dramatically darker, resembling bruising around the eyes. The victim's eyes will become spider webbed with dark lines, like an allergic irritation, but black in color. Failure of any, or in rare cases; all, of the five sense can fail during stage two. This stage can range anywhere from a day, to a week. Typically depending on how strong and healthy the victim is, the stronger and healthier, the worse the final outcome it going to be.

It should be noted that once a victim is confirmed stage two, death is inevitable. There is no way to stop what it going to happen. Stage Three results in death of the host, by mutation. The Sickness is like an organic, microscopic oil. Once in the body, it travels to the heart and begins replicating. Rather than attack anything specifically, it kind of oozes across the body, traveling along veins until it coats all of the proper inner workings of the human body. Upon dissection it should be noted that all organic tissue inside the host is black; The blood remains unaffected.

Stage Three never lasts more than a day or two, causing extreme weakness and fatigue. The victim will suffer a heart attack, dying human. What comes next is why I feel this can only come from The Orb. The victim's body will begin to twitch, then spasm widely; the whole process takes only a few moments. The Sickness will then move to the exterior nearly instantaneously, spreading in the blink of an eye until the victim's flesh is as black as the night. It will then evolve the host's body into a mutation, I've found that no two are every the same.

The specimen I had hear proved incredibly difficult to kill, and I was prepared. During the process of the awakening, the creature is fully aware, and is highly intelligent. This specific variation had something akin to a scorpion's tale, and two enormous, incredibly hardened shields on the arms, which it used to take cover behind as it attacked with it's tail. It also appears to have had the ability to fire acidic liquids from it's mouth in a steady stream. The results of this experiment were unfortunate, and I will no longer continue my research on live subjects.

I've dubbed these unfortunate individuals the Hollow, based off an old novel I read once.

Sincerely,
The Watcher

<Document End>

The Immortals

Entry Date: 9/24/2237
Subject: The Immortal
From: The Watcher
To: ARK

Dear Associates of Record Keeping;

Further research into The Sickness has led me to a new discovery concerning stage one, or the intial infection. According to my findings some of us can adapt. I don't know what the original purpose of this illness is, to weed out the weaker human beings and let a race of superiors reign over the new world, or as a way of eradicating all of us. Regardless, some our bodies can adapt to and utilize this foreign bio-agent in advantageous ways. These people I've been referring to as The Immortals, though I have not come across any specimens that actually are immortal, it was just a fitting name.

Instead of contaminating the organic tissue of the body, this foreign agent for some reason will attach itself to the productive area of the heart, forming a bond with the blood cells, unlike those who contract the lethal version of this. The host of this mutated version of The Sickness will experience a way to cause unnatural phenomena willingly, immediately in some cases. I call this alternate version of The Sickness, The Spark. It acts like a catalyst that allows The Immortals to cause specific phenomena at will, without it these feats would be impossible.

I actually had two subjects to analyze this time. Subject A was able to manipulate organic plant matter within a mile radius, subjecting the plants to his will in such a way that he could cause them to sprout roots of varying sizes, with can span a length itself of one mile. He was unable to change the atomic properties of the flower, into anything other than what it was. This phenomena seems specifically focused on the grow and control of these vines.

Subject B was able to manipulate ink of any variation. We tested will both common writing ink, and an organic ink compound found within specific species of aquatic animals. She was able to manipulate this material wholly, but was unable to materialize it such as Subject A could. She was able to however make it move to her will, including hovering in the air, and way able to make it obtain any dimension of shape, down to the finest of details. It can be of no coincidence that this particular subject enjoyed painting, her works of art typically made using ink.

These Immortals are astounding, but also incredibly dangerous. Subject A had a mental breakdown and was easily able to rip a hole through the facility, even though his participation was completely voluntarily. Subject B is capable of tracking ink she has previously manipulated, and we are going to do our best to apprehend Subject A before he hurts anybody, but caution is advised.

It is still quite unclear what causes this whole process, but the results can vary widely. Though, this is just speculation, two people could share the same phenomena inducing powers. I would like to study that.

Sincerely,
The Watcher

<Document End>

The Spark

Entry Date: <!@$?>
Subject: The Spark
From: The Watcher
To: ARK

Dear Associates of Record Keeping;

Prolonged studies have shown something incredibly astounding about these Immortals, about their drive, their Spark. Within each host, we know, resides a variant strain of The Sickness. What we didn't know, something we couldn't comprehend at the time, is this is not just a virus. It's a sentient, living creature. It seems impossible, but let me explain.

When contracted, The Spark is nothing more than a virus in likeness. But, as it finds a host and develops, it becomes intelligent. It doesn't replicate itself through Mitosis within the bloodstream, those fragments are actually pieces of its body. Not only that, but it doesn't just attach to the blood, it latches onto everything. Every atomic building block that makes up an Immortal, also shares space with the Spark. The nature of this relationship is symbiotic, however I have been unable to discern why the Spark is unable to separate itself from its host. Small gene splicing experiments proved successful, but only for a short while. Without the host, the Spark will die. Additionally, the separated atoms have an atomic attract with one another, meaning if they come in too close of a proximity they will merge. The Spark's atoms seem to actively seek out it's former counterpart. Putting the Spark's atom, with one other than it's host will not start the merging process. However, when applying an extreme situation, the Spark will join. It will choose to live.

Somehow the phenomena the Immortals possess is linked to this process. Merging with a new host, under certain circumstances, will evolve a new phenomena. Without such stipulations, the Spark will not merge with anything other than its host. I have been unsuccessful in trying to decrypt this genetic algorithm. What is the link between the three?

I've had many subjects to analyze, and I've come to the conclusion that each Spark has a personality as well. Some subjects seemed able to converse with a voice in their head. Preliminary results showed Dissociative Identity Disorder. However, recent findings bring to light proof of the Dual-Soul Theory. Two souls inhabiting one body. Some subjects are able to hold a mental conversation with the spark, but they seem unable to change conscious places.

It should also be noted that the Sparks name themselves. They are fully aware, sentient beings, that can learn and experience emotion just as we do. Though, each different spark seems to be strongly associated with a different emotion like Sorrow, or Haughtiness.

<Document End>

The Awakening

Entry Date:<!@#_)?>
Subject: The Awakening
From: Th? W?tch?r
To: ARK

A video of poor quality and reception plays. A man's face appears on the screen, although it is pixelated and no detail can be made out. The visual cuts out for a moment, replaced by slowly ascending black lines and static, before cutting back in. A fire rages in the background, and beastial howl, followed by gunfire and explosions obscure the man's voice.

"I don't know if I'm going to live through this," he begins. An explosion jars the camera, throwing the man forward as he turns to look behind him. His face appears back on the camera a moment later as he straightens is. "These findings must be reported!" He shouts, covering his head from falling debris as a large explosion shakes the facility once more. A terrifying screech resounds throughout the speakers of the terminal.

"My god.. do you hear it?" As if to emphasise his point the screech came again, so powerful this time the camera's image freezes and distorts."If you are researching these monsters, Stop!" He shouts desperately, looking around him in a panic. "These.. These people are not human! They are here only to destroy us!"

Gunfire fills the speakers as the screen lights up with bright light. The scientist whips around quickly, the sounds of something enormous crashing through a wall are audible as the camera topples from its position onto the floor. The new image shows a better angle of the destruction wreaked upon the lab, although this room looks far more intact than those farther off in the image. Small rubble litters the floor, as do overturned gurney's surrounded by smashed glass. Paper lies everywhere, and off towards the left a bloodied hand is visible, without the rest of its body.

"Doctor-" The creature's scream drowns out the voice of the new arrival, followed by a hail of gunfire. The image warps again and a white static emits. When the image comes back the pixeled doctor is back. He is on the floor, staring into the camera.

"Kill them.. YOU MUST KILL TH-" The figure is dragged away screaming in agony. The partial image of a soldier steps into view, their weapon's muzzle ablaze as they fire on the large shadowy mass dragging the doctor away. He screams for what seems an Eternity as he is dragged down the hall. The camera is shaking too much, and the resolution is too poor to make out any identifying qualities of the monster disappearing around a corner.

"GO GO GO!" The soldier shouts. Her footsteps are joined by many others as they charge through the room, some of them seem to be carrying very heavy weapons. The reach the hallway, "FIRE!" The soldier screams as she charges down the hallway, a fresh magazine in her weapon. Two the soldiers take a knee, firing large tube like weapons. A metallic screech emits from their weapon, leaving a trail of smoke. A split second later two explosions jar the facility, and the camera. But the image persists.

A black armored figure mottled with red blood soars down the hallway, crossing the visible, adjoining hallway, and continuing further down out of site. The soldiers begin to backup slowly, as the rocketiers reload. A blackened blur pierces through one of the rocket soldiers. His screams fade quickly as he is whipped out of sight, towards the direction of the creature. The second rocket soldier manages to reload, but is stabbed faster than the video can capture, and whipped away.

"Retreat! Retreat! Run for your lives!" One of the soldiers yells, running down the hallway. The beast appears back into view with a snarl. It's tail rips through the fleeing soldier with such speed that the corpse doesn't stop moving as the soldier's blood sprays out in a mist in front of them. The body loses its velocity as it falls into two halves, cut diagonally across the torso.

Suddenly the camera moves, upwards and away from the creature. Through the rapid motion and blurred images a battalion of soldiers moving towards the creature are barely visible. A new wave of gunfire emits through the speakers of the terminal, accompanied by familiar explosions. The camera jostles as the person carrying it flees. The person trips, and the camera spins as it slows to a stop. The image falls onto a white robed figure, with an auto-pixelated face.

The last sounds played through the video are those of footsteps pounding closer, and the crunch of the camera being crushed.

<Video End>

Weather

• Rain: It nearly never rains on Dust, at least not naturally. While the days may become cloudy or overcast, the only causes of rain are unnatural occurrences.
  
• Meteorite Showers: From time to time rocks will pummel the Earth, varying in size from marbles to baseballs. These meteorites are either white or dusty gray, porous, and typically come down aflame.
  
• Dust Storms: Are pretty common among the sandier, dune areas. Though these dense clouds of sand can pick up anywhere on the island. Speeds and intensity vary, from being gently buried alive to having your clothes and flesh torn from your body.
  
• Heat Quakes: Rarely the earth with tremble and split, creating a heat fissure. Some of these fissures have been reported to release founts of magma.
  

[Syben]

A.R.K Public Resources Terminal

Cities and Towns

Arclight

Arclight

Faction: Neutral (Protected territory under Aqueous)
Classification: Town
Population : 4,000 Est.
Production: Mining, Automotive Manufacturing, Munitions Manufacturing, Metal Working, Gunsmithing, Stone Cutting, Marble Working.

Notable Areas: The Arclight Mine, Restored Automotive Plant, Restored Munitions Factory, Metals Foundry.

Description:
Arclight exists solely as a mining and manufacturing community, shipping raw metals and processed goods. They provide a steady stream of earthen resources; metal, stone, and marble. Their main staple of trade are the munitions and ballistic arms they create; they are not proficient enough in the advanced areas of gunsmithing to achieve a profitable margin from it. The restored automotive plant is used mainly for parts and pieces, rather than whole construction, but does provide an income.

The area around Arclight is a mixed desert. Lots of rocks, cactus, and shrubbery, with a few thorny trees and plants in between. Despite being located upon the side of one of the great mountains, there exist few hills around Arclight, mostly remaining semi-flat with a few small rises. There is also a considerable amount of wildlife in the vicinity; only a handful of which are not hostile or dangerous.

The area within Arclight shows the calloused hands of dedicated fabrication. Many of the buildings are welded together from scrap metals, and those created from the foundry. Though they do not have any protective walls around the town itself, the houses are formidable in their own right. Very little are restored ruins, or wood. The main outer shell of the structures are typically thick metal, with bars over windows and metal shutters. The metalwork inside is thinner, but well crafted.

The people are burly and tough, even pleasant once you get past the abrasiveness of most. Nearly all of the males patriotically work the mines, leaving most of the smithing and crafting to the women. Though, you'll hardly find a clean person there, everyone is either covered in some form of dirt or grease, and the local fashion trend seems to be "Leather Apron".

Not many problems exist around Arclight. The occasion spider infestation, big or small, within the mines, and the hostile wildlife are about all there is to worry about. The town has never come across anything that couldn't be shot to death.

Ashford

Ashford

Faction: The Gaens
Classification: Small Town
Population : 400 Est.
Production: Chemical Technology, Metallurgy Sciences, Studies of Cave Fauna and Flora, Mushroom Farming.

Notable Areas: The Ashford Caverns

Description:
Ashford is more of a science facility than an actual town. Only those dedicated to specific areas of science, and the mushroom farmers, live there. Primarily research is done on the caverns themselves, concerning the specific things that grow, live, and breed there. Anything from fungi and moss, to animals, insects, and bacteria. Additionally Ashford follows the common theme of the Gaens, being producers of a food source. A variety of mushrooms are host to the caverns, and the edible ones are largely cultivated, growing quickly and up to twelve feet in height. There are also minors studies there, such as the practise of using chemical compounds to melt away useless rock, while leaving behind more precious metals and gems.

The outlying area around Ashford is a mixed desert. Lots of rocks, cactus, and shrubbery, with a few thorny trees and plants in between. Being located upon the side of one of the great mountains, there exist a scattering of hills and slopes south and east, while the north and north-east remains semi-flat. There's not an abundance of wildlife around the community itself, though humanoid threats have caused the town to seek protection, employing security of Motum Diversum. The front most system of caves and caverns have been sculpted into the mushroom farms, with much of the science taking place from deeper within.

The area within Ashford is sleek and simple. Their buildings consist of pieces from the great Ark ship, fabricated together into laboratories, and bunkhouses. Though there are no specific, individual places of residence, there are barrack-esque community homes, with a living area, kitchen, and sleeping area. There's not much danger behind the sleek, metal walls and the tempered, bullet proof glass.

The people there are polite, if not a tad overly eccentric. Though some of them hold much disdain from human contact, others are quite friendly and much less cynical. The mushroom workers are most brusque and speak freely, though that may be due to the fact that a mushroom lager flows freely during downtime.

The most trouble Ashford has is the threat of banditry from roving bands of raiders or slavers. Not many animals trouble the facility, and any that do are quickly handled by the Motum Security Force. Occasionally wildlife within the caverns causes a stir, but there are typically only few injuries and even fewer deaths.

Aspin

Aspin

Faction: The Gaens
Classification: City
Population : 12,000 Est.
Production: Agricultural Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Medical Sciences, Weaponized Sciences, Earth Science, Biology, Formal Sciences.

Notable Areas: The Greenfields, ARK Reactor Core, ARK Library, ARK Terminal Server Farm, Disease Center, Zoology Animal Zoo, Botanical Gardens.

Description:
Aspin itself is a milestone for science and technology. Comprised mostly of pieces from the ARK ship, Aspin is a modern academy of science, accepting all applicants in the pursuit of knowledge and discovery. Though the city's studies touch nearly every branch of science, there are a few main focuses in which most of the manpowered is applied too. Though a few of the smaller, key operations include the Reactor Core; which can take a small amount of energy and substantially multiply it: The ARK Library; where the terminals information and coding databases are compiled and shared with the public: And The Terminal Server Farm; which is the only server farm capable of maintaining all Terminal information based traffic, logging, and storage.

The Greenfield is a critical objective for maintenance and study. An expanse of greenland that has kept relics of the old world alive on it's fields. Many old world plant life, and crops exist on this land. The field is approximately 48 miles long, and 16 miles wide.

The outlying areas around Aspin are sandy dunes, and expanses of hot yellow sand. The winds that blow across the desert do not bother Aspin much, as they reside behind walls in which the blowing sand banks upon. Sandstorms to pose some annoyance, but for the most part, only the heat reflective off of the uniform surface poses an issue to those wandering outside. This area is mostly home to reptiles, small mammal like creatures, and birds of prey.

The area within Aspin follows the theme of its other towns and settlements, sleek gray metal pieced together from the ARK ship. The majority of the great vessel exists within this city, though parts of the city are fabricated from Dust methods, it hardly shows due to the process in which the Aspin workers build their structures. The streets are of packed earth, set with shaped stones. A team of sweepers helps remove excess sand from the city.

The personality of the people of Aspin come at great variety. One will find every kind of personality trait amongst the people there. Though most are no-nonsense scientists, the personalities of ordinary staff and families are as widely varied as any city.

Aspins problems consist mostly of only those regarding science in nature. Unsolved equations and elusive theories plague every scientific mind. Though, in the more physical sense there is always the potential for a mutagenic viral outbreak. Most wildlife stays away from the walls, and humanoid threats don't dare to challenge the city and its hired security.

Bakersville

Bakersville

Faction: Aqueous
Classification: Village
Population : 70 Est.
Production: Trade

Notable Areas: The School

Description:
Bakersville can hardly be considered anything other than a gathering of people with a common purpose. But for formality, and technicalities, it is classified as a village. Even though all of the outlying buildings are ruins of the old world and are in a desolate state of decay. The only building worthy of mention, flagpole and all, is the school. Repaired with whatever scraps were on hand, a team of scavengers used this as a base of repleshentment. Now however it has become sort of a pilgrimage for some scavengers, some making their way there to trade whatever the find along their journey, before considering themselves actual scavengers. The building has been repurposed from a facility of teaching to a sort of large inn. Travelers may stay as needed, and trade with the merchants, usually older persons unfit for travel anymore. A few legacy families still live there, to maintain and operate the school for future generations, and as a monument in scavenger culture.

The outlying area around Bakersville is mixed desert. Though it is considered the rocky fields of cactus, there do exist some of the other common features of a common mixed desert; thorny trees, shrubbery, and the occasional desert flower. There are large amounts of wildlife that roam around the hills around Bakersville. The flattest part in the whole area is that of the ruined town, and the school. Despite being a pilgrimage site for scavengers, many still claim the outlying area still holds secrets within its hills.

The area within Bakersville was obviously once a town, turn to rubble after The Fall. The buildings are crumbling relics of a distant age, with only a few still resembling actual places of residence. Many are just fragments of wall surrounded by rubble. The old asphalt roads still exist here, though they are heavily pockmarked, cracked, and nearly buried beneath dirt. The school itself is a bit ramshackle, though organized. The classrooms repurposed into inn like suites for travels, with the larger areas locked for storage. Most of the trading happens within the old gymnasium, where one can claim an unused stall to show their wares. Most of the windows have been boarded up, but in such a fashion as to allow moderate security, and still allow the inner parts of the old school to be lit up. It is still recommended to bring a lamp.

You'll never find a better haggler than the merchants of Bakerville, those of the legacy family who live there full time. They are wise, tactful, and operate with a certain degree of cunning; to which a man may find himself a new set of laces in which he had to trade his shoes for. When not business dealing, they are friendly and quite accepting of all people, with any story. They are one of the very few who openly do not fear Immortals, and are even rumored to harbor fugitives, for a price.

Despite the plethora of wildlife around Bakersville, the school never finds itself having a problem larger than a small rodent, or the occasional spider. Outside is quite another story, as the area is host to a number of species, many of which are not herbivores. For some, the risk is not worth it to travel to Bakersville, one could find themselves dead a thousand different times by just crossing the road. It's even been rumored that a man was dragged from an open doorway off into the deserts. (It is also rumored that scavengers later looted the body.)

Brimson

Brimson

Faction: Aqueous
Classification: Town
Population : 3,500 est.
Production: Hunting, Leatherworking, Animal Husbandry, Butchering.

Notable Areas: The Pastures

Description:
Brimson is the kinda town where everybody knows each other, and gossip flows as freely as ale. This town survives by the desert wildlife that exists around it. The families here make enough profit to keep their town afloat, and still buy their wife that sunday dress they've been wanting. The major output of this town is hunting, and the goods that go with it: Meats, Leathers, and the likes. They also have a formidable way of pasturing the more neutral creatures for "breedin' and feedin'". Other than that, not much else is notable about this town. Most of the work is done out of homes, or little shops on the corner. The largest, most notable landmark are the fiercely protected pastures, in which a man could find himself hung for trespassing on.

The lands around Brimson are wild and untamed. They find themselves host to a number of creatures from those pack oriented animals hunting through the rocky hills, to reptiles slithering their way across the dust, dirt, and sand. The lands around Brimson should only be traversed by experience hunters and scavengers, there's no place for new blood, who will likely find themselves killed by a plant before an animal gets them.

Inside Brimson the place feels like an old world suburbia. The houses are restored ruins, and with paint made from animal... bits, it almost feels homely. Almost, except for the rabid wildlife running amok through the streets. The old world roads here are not that bad, and the holes have been patched with packed dirt and tar made from... animal bits.

Most of those living in Brimson are rough and tough, animal wranglin' cowboys, who enjoy sour ale, sour women, and a good old fashion mob from time to time. Most are taught from an early age how to hogtie, skin, and properly eat the animals around. The women don't take nothin' from no one, and are likely to punch you in the face for being cross with them. Though once outside the hard, thorny shell of the residents, underneath they are quite mirthful and happily content with life. This feat is usually done through a few mugs of that before mention beer. Though there are some sweeter gals, they usually find themselves on the wrong end of the stick. There ain't no place for those soft of heart here, where a men and women wrestled in the streets, are thrown out a window, and are lynched by mobs.

Brimson is one of the very few towns without any real problems; let me explain. The dangerous critters of the world their children hunt for sport. Their women use watered down poison as a spice. The men hogtie large, dangerous carnivores for fun. And death is just another chapter in life, as long as you didn't die a coward, you died well, and most will not shed a tear when they pay their respects. Instead they are more likely to party in your name after the funeral... should there be something let to bury. Bandits give Brimson a very wide berth. The last troublemaker to roll into town, tried robbing a family, was subdued by a gentleman, and executed by his son. His seven year old son.

Copper

Copper

Faction: Neutral (Protected territory under Aqueous)
Classification: Town
Population : 2,200 est.
Production: Mining

Notable Areas: The Maw

Description:
Copper is the most unfortunate place one could find themselves. The man production, and only production here, is mining: Minerals, Ores, and whatever else these unfortunate people dig up. None of this is done willingly however, as Copper, while a neutral territory, serves as a prison. A coalition exists between Motum Diversum and Aqueous, each contributing to the prison security force. Though technically in Aqueous territory, Copper is shared by both factions for harboring their criminals. Far more come from Motum Diversum, as Aqueous' cultural methods do not invoke a lot of criminal activity.

The immediate vicinity of Copper is flat, and barren terrain. Clear cutting operations are performed around the compound for at least a rough mile, making an attack very unlikely to happen, or even succeed. Beyond the killing zone, the clear cut area, the terrain slopes downward from the mountain side, looking like any other mixed desert. Few rocks, but lots of shrubbery and cactus.

Copper is surrounded by high walls, 12 feet approximately, make of welded together scrap. Much of the wall is made up of abandoned vehicles, with the gaps sealed with bits of scrap metal. A catwalk, only accessible from the guard towers, spans the entire half moon wall, each edge ending against the natural wall of a long cliff. The town itself, other than the fenced off guardsmen quarters and warden office, and the respective mess hall and other facilities, exists within the tunnels, lovingly nicknamed "The Maw".

The Tunnels are where the prisoners live. It takes the clearance of three, heavily guarded, and heavily fortified checkpoints. The first, warrants against outside attack, the second is for processing and clearance, and the third is basically a metal wall with a door, with two narrow slits for heavy machine guns, and additional slits for personnel. No prisoner is to even enter the floodlights that light the large tunnel before the internal barricade, unless summoned. An Exception is made for the day of quota, every seventh day, where two prisoners are allowed to push full minecarts through the door, which the track passes through all the way outside to a loading area. Each prisoner has a full division of guards on them at all times, usually no less than six.

Within The Maw there is a large tunnel that leads straight through to Ironhold's Death pits. Provided one could make it there, and even if the prisoner's could bore through the massive, round metal seal that has been in place long since before The Fall, there are much easier ways to seek certain death. This task is near impossible as the only contraband allowed through are pickaxes, which have been proven to not even mar the metallic surface.

Living within The Maw is another thing all together, some say it's the closest to hell you could ever get living. There is no social structure, no order, and no purpose other than to fill the quota. The gangs within are highly unpredictable, but are most certainly violent. The guards do not intervene as long as the quota is met, and nobody approaches the barricade, which is the easiest way to seek death. Upon arrival no map is provided, you wear only the clothes on your back, and present with a pickax. Each prisoner has a separate quota, their own cart with their name bolted to the front on a heavy metal plate, and are expected to have it filled by the end of the week.

The only real problem of Copper, is living there. The guard life is pretty easy, eat, sleep, exercise, run drills, guard. There are enough guards there that are even permitted days off. Because of the clear cut, nothing approaches the thick walls other than caravans, guards, and prisoners.

Dead-End

Dead-End

Faction: Neutral
Classification: Small Town
Population : 220 est.
Production: Trade, Glass

Notable Areas: The Smelter

Description:
Dead-End is one of the loneliest little towns on Dust. The name literally means that it's a dead end, there's no point of even going to the town unless you're a caravanier. There exists one tiny, dusty little tavern which is also a trade office, the post master, the trade master, and the general store, and the barbershop all of which are run out of the tram station. It's no wonder why the man who owns the Inn is the town's unofficial mayor. The town only stays alive by baking sand into glass in a big smelting complex, restored to functionality. It's comprised of three buildings, the warehouse for glass, the ovens for baking glass, and the crawler shed. There exists no storage for sand because one could walk outside and begin digging. The crawler shed is home to two large, old world construction vehicles that once went by the name of bulldozer, a large bucket wagon is attached to the back to be filled with sand. The filling process is done by shovel.

Dead-End's terrain consists of.. sand. Sand everywhere. Sand in your eyes, sand in the streets, sand in the homes, sand in the soup!! With no walls to keep the sandstorms out, the entire town runs the risk of being buried, like a snow day, but with sand. Fortunately their production deals with sand, and any excess piles are just bulldozes to the smelters. The road into town is less of a road, and more of a flat line weaving between large sand dunes.

The area within Dead-End is still sand. There just happen to be dome-like buildings haphazardly constructed in the sand. These buildings are one to two-story domes, with a hatch on the top and a ladder leading down the outside. The Smelter however, does not share this dome shaped construction, and great pains are taken to ensure the great double doors can open for the crawlers. If one did not know what to look for, the could miss the partially buried town all together. Fortunately, the floors of the homes are mostly smooth stone, with the inevitable thin layer of sand. Built on top of ruins of old structures, the metal domes are able to receive power.

Also quite fortunate, is the tunnel that has it's very own dome over the entrance, is lit, is relatively safe, and leads all the way to the Parkland junction. It's by this tunnel that Dead-End moves its glass, using hazardously made trams upon a powered rail.

The people of sand.. I mean Dead-end, are quiet and reserved. They don't get a lot of visitors, and don't really have an inn to speak of. In fact, most of them are quite easily startled. They're not violent, they don't commit crime, and they go about their tasks with reserved candor. Most however, are eager to grill that rare visitor for news of the outside world.

The problems of Dead-End are relatively small ones. Mostly the birds of prey, sizable enough to carry off a child, don't bother Dead-End much. The dune reptiles typically hunt each other, and only rarely bother the people of Dead-End. The only real problem about Dead-End are the sandstorms, which are just as likely to suffocate you as to tear the cloth from your body, and the flesh from your bones.

Dresden

Dresden

Faction: The Gaens
Classification: Town
Population : 3,200 est.
Production: Weaponized Sciences and production, Defensive Sciences and production, Automotive Sciences and production.

Notable Areas: The Automotive Plant, The Highway

Description:
Looking for a death ray? Dresden is your place. This scientific community is a mix of science and family life, and the arts of war. Here is where all your fancy laser guns, plasma rifles, disintegration rays, and other non-ballistic tools of destruction are researched and likely created. Though not the only place to manufacture these types of weapons, is is a main export, and the schematics for them come from here. Additionally the same goes for defensive tactics, armors, self-maintaining automatic turrets, and sonic repulsors. The Dresdenites also are responsible for the main export of vehicles, which are typically armed and armored, and come from the large, restored automotive assembly plant. Which functioning assembly lines and all! Though with all good things of science, the research starts broad and narrows down to the focus of Dresden's main exports, like laser optics and engine mechanics.

Dresden is a relatively flat, coastal town, despite being miles from the coast. There exist few hills, most being along the mountain's edge, and lost of plant life. As with all areas of dense plant life, comes wildlife. More notable though, is the highway which is the best looking piece of road around. The Dresden scientists used a combination of excess automotive fluids, sludge, and some chemical waste to repave the road. Unfortunately years later the road workers all died from some chemical reason or whatever. That's not important. The important part is that the road is smooth, and whole, all the way from the northern tunnel junction, and about halfway to Fairbury. One could cruise in peace, without bumps or potholes, enjoying the crisp ocean breeze, as it toasts the flesh on your face.

Dresden is another one of those classic wasteland suburbia towns. The squat square homes, with their desert lawns, and straight avenues create kind of a homely feel. Although the town is much larger than appeared, as the nice restored areas gives way to the dirtier, slum-like areas, and then to the unrestored ruins. Effectively creating a buffer of poor workers between themselves and those ugly ruins. Really though, the status of one's living conditions really depend on the amount of effort put into it. The slums are technically more a camp of the unfortunate, a cancer on the town of Dresden. The unwanted and the undesirables living there, separated from the higher class. Unfortunately the road workers died before they could repair the actual roads in the towns. Oddly enough nobody is willing exposure to deadly chemicals to fix them either.

The Dresdenites are a varied, and mixed people. They do not discriminate, unless you're poor, or you have funny eyes and can make people explode with a flick of your wrist. The important workers and scientists, and the poverty stricken hold great disdain for each other. Yet a man is as likely to befriend you, a random stranger, as threaten your life and rob you. Crime exists mostly in the slums, due to people moving there seeking opportunity. Most of them finding out that they are not smart enough to join the science teams, and the menial automotive assembly work has been completely filled, with the worker's children getting the job, optionally, in an heir like manner after the parent retires.

As stated previously, Dresden is host to slums, rife with poverty and crime. Though higher end areas housing scientists, automotive workers, and the actual residence of Dresden are well guarded from the slums. With patrols night round on the streets and important facilities, outsourced from Motum Diversum of course, not even wildlife really bother the more important residents. Slaver parties do happen by occasionally, but they steer clear of the well armed and protected neighborhood and target the slums instead. With no real security force of their own, the slums are left to their own devices as long as they don't bother the upper class.

Eternity

Eternity

Faction: The Edenites
Classification: Metropolis
Population : Unknown
Production: Unknown

Notable Areas: The Obelisks.

Description:
Eternity, perhaps aptly named, is a mysterious place with very little actually known about it. It is rumored that a single man stood upon the precipice of the great mountain and observed the city through a telescope. It is a monolithic structure, a mass of buildings colored to the light browns and yellows of dust itself. A massive, sandstone wall encompasses the entirety of the city, with enough watchtowers dotting its perimeter that it looks appears as a crown from a distance. The metropolis does not trade with anybody, no exports or imports crossing its borders. Nothing crosses its borders, nobody comes in and nobody comes out. Those foolish enough to try never return, and their fate remains unknown to those wise enough to stay on their own corner of dust. A forsaken army once tried to add the lands of The Edenites to their empire. The entire army never returned. The city has grown so large that it encompasses three others, the names of which have long since been lost to us.

Beyond the colossal walls the expanse is nothing but flat, sandy desert, with winds that blow violently enough to rend the flesh from one's body. There is nothing but the white hot expanse of sand, cooked underneath the sun to a point of burning flesh upon prolonged contact, and no shelters exists between the borders and the city. There are however, at random intervals, with no real pattern placement, large, white obelisks penetrating through the fields of sand. Their purpose is unknown.

There is nothing known about the happenings inside the immense walls of Eternity. Other than the metropolis seems colored to the hues of earth and sant, suggesting that the entire settlement is made from sandstone.

There is also nothing known about the people of Eternity, or the Edenites altogether, other than they dress in white, hooded robes, and can be seen wandering close to the edges of their borders from time to time. The do not appear armed, but will fire upon anybody who crosses the threshold.

There are no existing documents relaying any sort of information regarding any events that could be considered problematic for Eternity. Their entire existence is a peculiar secret.

Eton

Eton

Faction: The Forsaken
Classification: Town
Population : 7,700 Est.
Production: Mining, Metal Working, Gunsmithing, Stone Cutting, Explosives Manufacturing.

Notable Areas: The "Boom Factory"

Description:
Eton is a town formed by a collection of growing huts and pitfires around a large complex known as the "Boom Factory", the center of the tribalistic town. A enormous complex of patched metal structures, broken windows barricaded with wood, scrap, and hide, and a labyrinth of walkways and rooms. Due to the more primitive nature of The Forsaken, it's not technically considered restored. More, converted. Decorated with skulls, cured hides, pointed wood barricades, and other tribal, raider like aesthetics. It produces minerals and metals for its empire, selling the prettier gems across their borders for profit, as they prefer more things along the lines of bone tooth necklaces and garish tattoos. There exist no walls, and no real standing guard, but who would be stupid enough to invade a people who dance in fire for fun?

The area beyond the large tribal fires and makeshift huts is a sloped expanse of desert filled full of cactus and other spiny plants, which are used in permanently marking their flesh with ink. The town is located on a flat, rocky outcrop that resumes its slope upwards toward Quinton, and downwards, ending just before Locke. It's grade is not steep enough to actually be considered part of the great mountain, but the result of living in this area have resulted in powerfully built bodies.

As stated previously, inside the area of Eton there are no walls, which only reflects the bare bones social structure they maintain. A rough system of honor and duty, and strong feelings of amusement towards public displays of death and maiming. The mines are worked by those actually deemed strong enough and worthy enough, as if it were a privilege to break one's back all day long hauling the treasures of the mountain. Within the great complex of the "Boom Factory" a small tram station exists, powered by a treaty with Motum Diversum. It isn't very large, and no powered train runs through it. Any vehicles that run the track are hand powered, except for the occasional gasoline fueled buggies.

The people here are wild and erratic. They respect only those who they can't best, which also serves as their system of rank. Displays of blood in gore in the street, often the results of a challenge, are of no bother to man, woman, or child. It wouldn't be uncommon to find the loser being molested by the victor, of which gender is no concern. In fact, a child born of someone's better is considered an honor, as that child will likely grow up to be strong and worthy of life. These acts of sexual depravity are not met with screaming and tears, as softer folk often exhibit, but rather haughty challenge full of taunts and insults, as if it were just another challenge for the molester to win. Here they do not discriminate against one's choosing of a life partner, or "Chikan", meaning soulmate. Slaves are also not uncommon, and usually result in the loser of a challenge begging for their life. Begging is something the savages of Eton view as a forfeit of one's life, an act more despicable than taking one's own life.

Even animals are afraid to venture here, probably turned away by the smells of their cooking brethren, or the people dressed in the hide akin to the animal's own. Humans on the other hand, would be just plain foolish to attack this settlement. They are as likely to be cast into the society forcefully, at the lowest social rung, as to be raped and set loose, or just plain killed.

Fairbury

Fairbury

Faction: The Gaens
Classification: City
Population : 10,100 Est.
Production: Marine Science and Biology, Hydroponics, Medicinal Research, Textiles, History, Robotics.

Notable Areas: The Textile Mill, The Hydro Farms, Atlantis

Description:
Fairbury is a large city, perhaps the only Gaen city made mostly from scrap, albeit constructed to look as nice as possible. Not many A.R.K resources were donated to the steadily growing settlement, much to the city's dismay. However they made do. They mostly specialize in ocean science, but it is a dangerous job. Fairbury is also the leading city in medicinal research, over production.

Atlantis does not refer to the lost city of old, found in many existing books of mythology. It's a pet name given to a sunken mall, connected through the flooded tram tunnel. One must begin their dive in the middle of the tunnel to reach the underwater complex. It takes roughly two hours of swimming, with the help of webbed flippers designed after a species of aquatic animal. The Mall itself however is dry, free from water. Years of patching, and the installation of an airlock allowing them to slowly jettison out the gathered water, have recently opened up the city to the minds of science. Because of the nature of the once underwater mall, much of pre-Earth's history and technology has been preserved, and it responsible for many of the restorations today. It's been converted into a massive facility of research and science, and with the needed for constant repairs, mechanics willing to work inside and out are paid very handsomely. At each level of the mall there exists and emergency airlock room, with oxygen fed tubes that run through the tram tunnel, incase of emergency. The mall consists of thirteen levels, and many rooms left to be explore.

The Hydro Farms are the second area of greenery existing on Dust. A canal of water reaching inland, converted into a botanical garden and farm through the use of water canals and a flood control gate. It is unknown why this area persistently remains green, but through careful nurturing it is able to quickly grow mass amounts of floral goods.

The textile mill is as exactly as it sounds, a large plant for cloth and woven fabric goods. This makes fairbury the largest supplier of modesty fine clothing, ranging in all styles.

The area around Fairbury differs depending on one's orientation. Located on the edge of a mixed desert of cacti and shrubbery, the immediate southern vicinity is an expanse of flat salt plains. An old weathered road leads into the city, the worn asphalt almost completely overtaken by the harsh conditions of the desert.

Within Fairbury the streets are relatively nice, made of carefully packed soil and religiously kept smooth by mechanized plowing machines. The houses may be of scrap, but the city perhaps most closely resembles one of the old world. A layer of ruins exists around the city, which is been designated as a Gaen wonder of the world. Green overgrowth of vines and trees have taken back this outer layer, grass growing rampantly through the unused streets. It's both beautiful, and dangerous.

Within the middle of the ruins, approximately twelve blocks of hazardous foliage of green hues, and budding flowers every color of the light spectrum, exists Fairbury itself. Once one has crossed through the danger of such a wild and untamed ruin of collapsed structures and winding maze like paths, safety awaits. Fairbury is protected behind solid metal walls, patrolled by hired guard that fend off the wildlife with high powered weaponry, who maintain their best not to damage the ruins too badly. The tram entrance exists peacefully in the very middle of the city, guarded only by scientific minds concerned for the safety of others.

The people here are as varied as anywhere else. The general theme however is zealous protection of the beautiful ruins, covered in the green overgrowth of the old world (even if the occasional plants does have a flesh hungry maw, and despite the droves of wild animals present). They also harbor a fervent need to protect their own, and Atlantis. Otherwise they are quite polite and happy, with the occasional scrooge or scoundrel in their midst. When not in their white coats embodying the endeavors of the mind, they were fine clothing made in their very own textile mill. Generally, they exhibit the same fashion and characteristics of an older area of polkadot dresses, and gender specific duties, with a twist of modernization as woman work just like the men do.

One does not simply tell themselves "I'm going to Fairbury." Passage through the ruins is incredibly dangerous, and most enter and exit with a heavily armed escort, which offer their services for a modest price. Many of these escorts are available for hire. The area is rife with wildlife at every turn, most of it hostile. Even the plants seem predatory, many are full of toxins, sentient like appendages, and, or, maws full of teeth ready to consume anything that falls prey to it. Though the residents are very safe behind their walls and their mounted guns, travelers must exhibit the highest form of caution when traveling to and from. It's for this reason that caravans often brave the ruined city, as merchandise sells for hefty profits.

Forbes

Forbes

Faction: Forsaken
Classification: Large City
Population : 127,000 est.
Production: Military, Automotive Manufacturing, Munitions Manufacturing, Metal Working, Gunsmithing, Livestock, Slavery, Alcohol, Tobacco, Dyes, Textiles.

Notable Areas: The Arena, The Throne, The Wall, The Market.
Description:
Forbes is the very center of all Forsaken activity. Ironhold is the fortress from where the Forsaken King rules, but Forbes is the trade hub. This city stands against the testament of time, as it is another relic of the old world. This once pristine city, now lies in a ruined state of decay and despair. Most reconstructive building work is done with patches of scrap or animal hide. Instead of flowery adornments, the typical fashion statements are bones, necklaces, and various pieces of animal. Many of the larger old world buildings have crumbled or toppled over. The asphalt street and sidewalks are shifted in places, prone to wide trenches and dramatic height differences. A large, thick wall composed of rusted vehicles cleared from the streets, and bolstered with scrap and rubble keep the sand out of the city. Outside the walls the tops of ruins poke through the sandy dunes. Forbes has over a hundred thousand people living within, though the city is quite large and most areas are not crowded.

One of the main features of Forbes is their official arena. An immense circular structure able to hold approximately 60,000 people according to old world standards. Though for large combative events, the residents of Forbes seem to find a way to squeeze inside. Once a playing ground for baseball teams, the field has been converted into a sandy pit of blood and sweat. Participants go through the locker rooms, converted to holding cells for slave fights, through the dugouts, which now house an array of weaponry, and then out into the killing grounds. The walls separating the spectators from the participants have been reinforced. On occasion a creature, or even a hollow, is brought in for sport.

The Throne is an old civic building, presumably the old world mayor's office. Much of it has collapsed, leaving only two rooms. The main entryway, which is a large hallway with a throne of steel and bone residing at the far end, and a large room behind that for the Forsaken King's rest and pleasure. The Throne is positioned right in between two staircases, half collapsed. To either side of the throne room are doors, blocked by rubble and sealed with scrap. Large marble columns line the walk up to the throne, none of which are wholly intact.

The Market is the one place in the city that is always crowded. Once an enormous old world mall, much of it has been cleared out and bolstered for trading purposes. Still, stalls and merchants hawking their wares can be found all around the exterior, especially concentrated in the main parking lots. It's here where everything can be found, and bought. Mother's sell their own children if the price is good enough, and vice versa.

The area beyond the walls is an endless expanse of sand dunes. Though, as the wind blows and shifts the sands, it's very common to see old world ruins poking through the sand. The wall protects the inhabited parts of the city, keeping out the massive sand drifts. However, Forbes is frequent to sandstorms, so sand is a common thing inside the city itself, like many other places of Dust. Fortunately refuge is readily available within the mass of ruined buildings.

The area within Forbes, as previously mentioned, is ruined stone and concrete patch with skin, scrap, and other salvage. Despite the readily available space, much of the empty buildings are collapsed or undesirable, as the common mutated pest can often be found within these dwellings. The streets aren't bad, composed of dried, cracked asphalt. Though the terrain can be rough and difficult to navigate, as entire sections exist on different height levels and trenches from small to wide run throughout the city.

The people here come from all walks of Forsaken life, though they all share the same bloodthirsty callousness. Most of them aren't considered nice, or even pleasant, but they still maintain a tribalistic code of honor. When not brawling, or killing, in the streets, official disputes are settled in the arena, though typically there's not much in the way of victorious spoils. Forbes is the only Forsaken City known to somewhat tolerate travellers from other factions, needed to stimulate Forsaken economy.

One could consider living a Forsaken life a problem in itself, but in the people's eyes, there are no problems. Only challenges.

Jonestown

Jonestown

Special Thanks to @OneEyedChurro for writing this piece.

Faction: Neutral
Classification: Town
Population: ~3,100
Production: Ideological/Single-Issue
Notable Areas: Crewcastle, Jones Dynamics

Description:
Jonestown exists almost entirely as a testament to social experimentation and the effectiveness thereof- under a doctrine of the citizens' own making, called the 'Flux Laws', does the town operate as its own entity. Evidence of the Flux Laws is easy to see, as Jonestown exists almost eternally in a state of flux and changing, from the "government" that runs it to the complexes and labs that exercise production, little about the town of Jonestown will stay the same month-to-month.

At the beginning of each month, the permanent residents of Jonestown meet in what is called the Crewcastle, a building that looks to be the remnants of (or simply modeled after) an old-world courthouse, and it is there that they vote on several things. First and foremost, they are given opportunity to vote on a problem that plagues the city; this ranges from things like "not enough food" or "buildings in disrepair" to things like "bandits nearby" or "Immortal in town". If a problem receives enough votes, it is declared Jonestown's Precedent. The citizens then vote on whether or not a leader (or group of leaders) is needed to handle the problem. What this all amounts to is an environment where one leader will often only be in office for as long as his Precedent exists, as experts in various areas (i.e. A woodcutter when the Precedent is "need wood" or a farmer when the Precedent is "need food") are only elected when knowledge in their expertise is required. Jones Dynamics, a rather large multilevel complex full of differently sized rooms, walkways, balconies, and tunnels, is where people take the appropriate action following the monthly meet at the Crewcastle. Jones Dynamics is also in a state of flux from month-to-month; it may be a place to store the wood and food or it may be a place where architectural or defense research is done. Jonestown is not a place that has a set goal or production, and its denizens are self-proclaimed "masters of none". The neutral months are what trouble most citizens, however, and those are the months where no problem is set as Precedent and thus the city has no leader nor purpose. It is during these times that the town guard sees its numbers raise exponentially to serve as both a police and guardian role.

The area around Jonestown is a mixed desert, a pleasure given by its relative proximity to the coast. Is is relatively flat and shrubs and dead trees can be found dotting the landscape, though to the north and west there exists some hills and slopes, separating them from the nearby Ashford. There is some wildlife around, though they aren't much of a threat and normally pass the town by on their way towards water.

The buildings of Jonestown are simple, but carry an almost old-world charm to them. The town is surrounded by a low mud-brick wall, and the same material has been used to make several of the buildings. Many still tend to be an amalgamation of wood, metal, and mud, however. Several communities can be seen built around each other, separated almost into quarters with the main roads as their dividers, with the grand Crewcastle on the eastern-most end of town with Jones Dynamics next door. Around this "inner" section, and often times pouring over the low wall, is the "slum" section, with much smaller and squat huts meant to house merely a person or two.

The citizens of Jonestown are fairly scholarly and theoretical, often liking to hold conversations about their government and its success, as well as about problems they think should be set to Precedent. This means they often come across as self-absorbed, and those thoughts aren't entirely misplaced. The people of Jonestown have gotten used to the luxury of openly voicing their opinions on things, whether you want to hear it or not. The other type of citizen is one who lives there simply to give themselves purpose- they won't voice their opinions very much, but will happily work towards the Precedent or even guard the town with their lives as long as they are allowed to continue to live there.

The first and foremost problem troubling the noisy people of Jonestown are the bandits and raiders that often like to take advantage of their Precedent state and attack when most of the populace is working towards something other than defense. Public unrest is also often a problem, as well, as sometimes the population can't agree on a Precedent which leads to neutral months, which no one seems to be particularly fond of, even though it offers better protection. It would be difficult to actually take over Jonestown, however, as massive power changes tend to really piss everyone off into rebellion.

Sel

Sel

Special Thanks to @Darcs for writing this piece.

Faction: Aqueous
Classification: Small town

Population : 125 Est.
Production: Paper, Ink, Art, Culture, Modern Religious scrolls, Geisha training, Southern Shengriantist Monks
Notable Areas: The Maiko quarters, The Temples, Southern Shengriantist Shrines, Sayuri's Grove, Khan's Yurt Shanty Town

Description:
If Tas is a testament to the vices of Old World Sino-pacific culture, then Sel serves as it's literal opposite. Less a town and more a gigantic temple dedicated to the cause of preserving the virtues, traditions, practices and culture of the Old World and Dust. Sel also creates art, religious texts and trains those accepted in the ways of the Geisha both Old World and new and serves as a gathering place for Southern Shengriantist Monks. At one point, Sel was an Old World amusement park, miraculously preserved by the Fall, it's transformation into the plastic sacred ground that it is today was done by the first early Shengriantist monks and volunteer help from the Khans. In a 200 year event known now as "The Divine Transformation," the grounds were re-purposed into several traditional temples, shrines, statues dedicated to the gods, meditation grounds, and training groves.

The area outside of Sel is generally flat desert dotted with shrubbery and mutated flowers. The closer to Sel one gets, the more flowers one can see-- an attempt to regain the beauty of the land by monks, now forgotten. Technically not part of Sel, would be the extensive community of tents one would have to approach before getting into Sel proper, these are the yurts owned by the Khans of sand-- a nomadic group of men and women dedicated to the days of the Mongolian Empire. The have a spiritual agreement with the Monks of Sel and have a constant garrison of protection surrounding the city. Further away from Sel, are the packs of hollow and corrupted Immortals-- which seem to be increasing by the day.

The interior of Sel is the impressive result of 200 years of religious dedication. What was once a mouse themed amusement part, now holds stone shrines and wooden temples and lodgings all in accordance with Heian era Japan. Artisans and Geisha have reworked, over long periods, the 'rides' that once gave praise to capitalism, into testaments to humanity's praise to the Deva, the only true and just Gods.

The men are either Southern Shengriantist monks, religious pilgrims, or artisans who seek sanctuary from the harshness of Dust in the protected borders of Sel, the women fall similarly, either being Priestesses, pilgrims, Geisha, Maiko (Prospective Geisha/In training), or artisans. Generally, Sel citizens are a kind and peaceful, if slightly isolated and naive about Dust and the ways of the world.

Tas

Tas

Special Thanks to @Darcs for writing this piece.

Faction: Aqueous
Classification: City

Population : 190,500 Est.
Production: Bootlegging (alcohol and water), Live entertainment, Gambling, Whores
Notable Areas: The Kowloon Walled Skyscrapers, The Blue Light District, "The Still", River Dragon Arena, 50 Dragons Memorial, Khan's Yurt Shanty Town, Surrounding Corrupted Villages

Description:
Ah Tas. A glorious testament to the resolve of the seedier elements of the Old World Sino-Pacific culture. Although culturally Aqueon since the town's founding, almost days after the first Aqueous bunkers were creaked open, Tas was an independent territory for much of the first two centuries following the Fall. Their incorporation into Aqueous proper was (and still is) a highly discussed and debated topic-- Tas, despite being seen as 'dishonorable' by the Central and Northern Aqueous regions and having an Asura following that isolated Shengriantist Deva devotees and traditionalists alike. They were an undeniable financial asset to Aqueous-- built off of stolen and bootlegged water and alcohol, sure, but still, one that the Aqueous purists couldn't deny.

Following it's inclusion in Aqueous, Tas has been something of a black sheep among Aqueon cities. Although they fly the Aqueon flag. The city is a den of those willing to dedicate their lives to Old World vice, unofficially run by the River Dragon Triad. They're a territory fiercely devoted to their independence. Tas, via the River Dragons, is allied with the United Triads of Aqueous, as well as the Khans of the Sand Seas, and the traders of The School. The city has a large following of secessionists, who believe south Aqueous should separate from the greedy Central region and the silent Northern region.

The area around Tas is controlled exclusively by the Khans of the Sand Sea. Holding an agreement with the River Dragon Triad. The Khans, a loosely united force, easily identified by their creole Mongolian tongue, patchwork armor, wild hair, and yurts, patrol the areas of Southern, Western and Northern Aqueous, known collectively by locals as 'the Great Sand Sea' the area closest to Tas, the Southern Sand Sea, is known for it's traveling merchants, famous Aqueon wandering Geisha and Shengriantist monks (often protected by their own devoted caravans of Khans), as well as occasional shanty towns of exiled corrupted Immortal/Hollow fusions as well as the more dangerous wandering bands of low level hollow. Tas, both walled and insulated by a well populated yurt wall from visiting khans, only has to worry about its infamous water shortages and dry desert winds.

The River Dragons hold over 50,000 dedicated members among their ranks, but refuse to expand beyond the borders of Tas due to their honor and agreements with the other Triads and clusters of Khans. Of the city's population, 43,000 citizens reside in the 'The Kowloon Walled Skyscrapers,' an incredibly densely populated super slum, composed of 4 Skyscrapers connected by wall and layers of shanty town and ticky-tacky, modeled after the old world Kowloon Walled City. Within the dragons are sights both astounding and horrifying-- as well as the pulled that claims to keep souls in an otherwise easily escapable atmosphere of fear and pain-- The Blue District-- The best whores, music, drugs, and soul in all of Dust proudly purporting the superiority of Tas' ethnic Chinese heritage over Central Aqueous' Japanese ancestry.

Those who live in the Walled Skyscrapers, tend to be heavily involved with the Dragons, or simply in the Dragons, and as such, the area is one where Aqueous rule is worth about as much as spit in a bucket. Anarchy reigns and violence is much more frequently employed to solve problems and visitors and residents alike often need to display more care to protect their lives than merely their wallets. They are an incredibly unique and intelligent people, though-- citizens are intellectual, and value ingenuity and creative thinking-- carpenters, pick pockets and fast talkers often share the same traits in Kowloon, Tas. Traits that improve the city within a city, and keep you alive, are reflected and amplified in these criminally minded citizens from birth. They are all also incredibly independent-- members of the Triad won't hesitate to remind you that the River Dragons are the result of 80+ years of deals, wars and conquests of 50 unique triads and gangs, each of which still influence the identity of the Dragons and Walled Skyscrapers.

All within about a block of each other, are the bits of land Tas and Kowloon find themselves less known for, but still manage to attract pilgrims nonetheless. The 50 Dragons Memorial and the River Dragon Arena are closely related areas of Kowloon-- the Memorial is an exquisite scavenged tin sculpture featuring busts of each Triad, Gang, and Tribe leader that led to the creation of the Dragons-- behind these busts are the emblems and mascots of the gangs, themselves surrounded by an impressively long and intricately sculpted tin river dragon. Inscriptions below the busts detail information of the old gangs, and well as plaques explaining the creation of the Dragons. On the Tin 'River Dragon' are the signatures of every member of the River Dragons-- past and present. This artistic monument, sculpted by Sel's finest, is in front of the River Dragon Arena a Colosseum recreated from an Old World football field. The Arena is the location of most of the city's music festivals, as well as all the city's sports-- most popular by far being the blood duels, sponsored by the River Dragons.

To contrast the heavily, Triad involved memorial and arena, the location known as "The Still" is a black hole of secrecy-- a club in one of the darker underground location of Kowloon-- the bar is invite only-- guarded by men with futuristic and impossible weaponry and Old Old World armor in seemingly perfect condition. These men speak an unknown sign language, and don't appear to share affiliations with any major factions.

Outside of Kowloon, one is given a much more 'normal' city. Although each citizen of Outer Tas is still almost completely economically independent on the Dragons that reside in Kowloon, dangers are much less frequent, protection payments are much rarer, and the only dangers come from STDs and gambling debts. Water is bootlegged from Central Aqueous here, and the general citizen is much less criminally active and also less likely to be Chinese-- or even distinctly Aqueon. Outer Tas, compared to the bedlam that is the excessive wealth swirled with the extreme poverty of Kowloon, is much more resemblant of a quiet, almost suburban, middle class area in a city like Serenity.

Just with more foreign tongues being spoken.

Creatures and Anomalies

Reported Anomalies

Apparitions

Apparitions: Often found in dark places or at night, these ghostly sightings are very deadly. Citizens have reported hallucinations, losing consciousness, falling ill, death, and a host of other things when coming into contact with these spirits. It's also been reported that these spirits, while usually standing still or replaying a loop of their past lives, can also move, and make noise. These apparitions should be avoided at all costs, but are incredibly hard to see in the darkness. As of yet, there seems to be no way of displacing, or even attacking these ghostly figures.

Lightning Anomaly

Lightning Anomaly: More often found in the tunnel networks, if at all, this is basically a ball of lightning that moves slowly, electrifying anything that comes to closely to it. This anomaly is quite rare, and has never been officially reported to have been seen on the surface. The few times it has been reported are from tunnel sightings.

Documented Creatures

Annelids

Skiev

Name:Skiev
Species:Hollow Worm
Rarity:Uncommon
Behavior:Aggressive, Nocturnal
Location(s):Exclusive to Sandy Dunes
Key Points:

• grow up to 3 feet in length
• bloodsuckers
• attack in swarms
• afraid of fire

The Skiev is a swarm class worm hollow that have hyper evolved from the old world Macrobdella decora better known as leeches, to survive their now much dryer environment. Primarily located near the south end of the continent by Dead-End, Skievs live far from roads inside the giant dunes that make up the yellow zone. Their habitats extend as far as the less populous areas around Forbes but there have allegedly been sightings as far north as Wolf Water. These highly aggressive critters will swim through the dirt at around 20 mph when they are ready to attack their prey and will circle them in the sand similar while they take turns jumping at their prey attempting to latch on. Once one has successfully grabbed hold the rest will soon follow until they have sucked their victim dry. As terrifying as these creatures are, if you are able to seek shelter even if it's inside a car you should be safe. If this is not an option it is recommended you find a stone to stand on and carry a torch with you and wait until dawn. While something as small as a torch won't dissuade the creatures from attacking, burning one is the safest and quickest way of getting a Skiev to let go once they've attached themselves to you. Skievs tend to swim in schools of 30-50 all though it is hard to get a specific number due to their method of hunting.

Avians

Styx Owls

Name: Styx Owl
Species: Bubo virginianus infernus
Rarity: Common
Behavior: Hostile if provoked, Predator, Scavenger
Location(s): Dust's Mountains
Key Points: Almost exclusively nocturnal, territorial during the night, live in cave hollowed into the rock faces of Dust's mountains.

Appearance: The most immediately noticeable trait of the Styx owl is its massive talons, long, hard, and sharp enough to pierce steel. The birds are large, slightly larger than an Andean condor, with a wingspan of about four meters and a weight of nearly 20 kilograms. They bear a distant resemblance to the Great Horned Owl, but the feathered "horns" of the pre-apocalypse owl have given way to rigid and wickedly pointed barbs, albeit with feathery fringe. The birds are considerably darker and in fact almost pitch black, hence their name, and have retained the nearly silent flight of the Great Horned. Their eyes are generally a liquid gold color and are striped through with jets of black. Their calls are for the most part like those of the Great Horned, save for their attacking cry let loose when they are but moments from striking their target, which sounds uncannily like someone screaming in rage and despair- another inspiration for their name.

Canines

Bloodhound

Created by @Aeonumbra and @TheMadAsshatter

Name: Bloodhound
Species: Canis Lupus
Rarity: Very Common
Behavior: Hostile, Predator
Location(s): Everywhere
Other:

• Bloodhounds are almost exclusively nocturnal, or found in dark places such as tunnels and caves.

Appearance: Bloodhounds are characterized by having a body structure akin to a wolf, though there are some key features to take note of. First and most importantly is their fur, which is naturally very spiky, rigid, and harder than typical fur, giving their fur the capability to pierce human skin, though it is a rare occurrence. Their fur tends to be neutral colors; mostly shades of black, grey, or white, though there are some with brown spots on them. They have green, highly reflective eyes, giving them a ghostly visage in dark environments if their eyes catch some light just right. Finally, their ears tend to be shaped like arrowheads on the top of their heads, making one's silhouette appear like a demon.

[Syben]

Information Broker Reports

Bulletin: Alexandria Svet-Yulia is gathering Immortals at Isolone.
Type: Quest
Faction: All

Bulletin: The Castalia mafia family is moving into Russel City to take over control from the Winged Guardians.
Type: Quest
Faction: Motum Diversum

Bulletin: Something strange is stirring in the sands around Dead-End
Type: Rumor
Faction: Neutral

Bulletin: Hollow activity has increased around Sinoma
Type: Rumor
Faction: Aqueous

Bulletin: Reports of a Forsaken army gathering outside of Forbes.
Type: Rumor
Faction: Motum Diversum

Bulletin: Reports of civil unrest in Serenity
Type: Rumor
Faction: Motum Diversum

[SirBeowulf]

Senpai giveth and senpai taketh away.

Work will be done on the character. Expect it soon.

[Syben]

Just so all applicants knows, we will beginning on the morning of Day 3.

@SirBeowulf Worry not, I have noticed you.

[TheMadAsshatter]

Is it cool if I just copy+paste my character from the previous RP onto this one?

[SirBeowulf]

Samuel

Basics

Name:
Samuel Biggins, sometimes called 'The Bard' or more likely 'That Guy With a Harmonica'.
Age:
Twenty-six.
Appeared Age:
Nearing his thirties. You can blame the crow's feet on the apocalypse.
Height:
Five foot ten inches.
Weight:
One-hundred and fourty five pounds. "Fuck metric." - Sam
Eye Color:
A shiney copper that spreads throughout his entire eye. No sclera or pupil.
Hair Color:
A rusty brown. Hair could probably use a wash.
Physical Disabilities:
None, thankfully. No crippling injuries as of so far.
Physical Identifiers:

• He's got a sweet ass beard.
• Typically keeps any old wounds under clothing. He's got some scars, old scratches, a bullet wound or two.

Appearance:
Average. Other than the strange eyes, you probably wouldn't throw a second glance at him if he passed you by in a busy market. Hell, you've seen stranger. Height is average, weight is average. Well, for the setting. He could probably do to throw on a few pounds, but hell, you're not gonna put on weight on beans and canned peaches. The beard is typical fare for a wastelander, and the hat? Well, the hat is cool.

Clothing is usual fare as well. Anything that isn't threadbare or rotting is good for him. Current attire consists of a fashionable blue striped hoodie and brown cargo pants. Cargo pants are best pants.

Background

Residence:
...Sam is pretty much homeless.
Profession:
Scavenger. Roamer. Pursuer of shiny stuff.
Aligned Faction:
Neutral. He usually tries to stay away from the Forsaken. Those guys are assholes.
Relatives:
Dad's still alive. He thinks. Alexander Biggins.

Backstory

Okay, let's just get this straight. Samuel is pretty much a new-age hobo, akin to the many other hobos that populate the island.

His parents? They were also hobos. Pretty much the typical title any person can have. Alexander Biggins was another typical scavenger, and his mother, Lillian, was another typical scavenger. They got along by sticking low and not taking risks. Keep your head down and stay as incognito as possible. Grab anything of value, don't haggle too much, and just generally stay average. People who are different stood out, and standing out is the worst mistake you can make.

So that's what they taught little Sammy when he eventually was born. It was a bit of a surprise, but hell, any condoms left over from Pre-Fall are long rotted. Still, they weren't the kind of people to abort him or abandon the child. They managed to scrounge out a little hidey hole to call home near Harlem and raised the boy as best they possibly could. He turned out pretty well.

Years later, the boy is around sixteen, and Mom and Dad have been taking him out to scavenge, teaching him their trade and generally making a living for themselves. Things were usually good. Their three pairs of eyes managed to find good things, and anything dangerous tended not to attack packs of multiple people. Sure, food was pretty scarce, and some days they had to go hungry, but in general, things were good.

That is, until one day they happened upon the abandoned remains of a pharmaceutical company. The entire place was full, completely untouched by any scavenger or finder. The skeletal corpses should've told the reason why, but Sam was too cocky back then. He told Ma and Pa to keep going, that they could handle whatever had taken out the previous inhabitants.

He should've listened to them. But he didn't. Turns out, the place was full of The Hollow. It was a breeding ground for them, and the drugs they had managed to get into didn't help. They were hopped up on drugs, most of them faster and speedier than a normal Hollow. Alexander forced Sam into a ventilation duct. Sam had to watch as they tore his own mother in two. His father only lived by playing dead, sitting there motionless while tears ran down his cheeks.

Let's just say, Sam was kicked out. Forced to go on his own. His father probably turned to the bottle while Sam turned to music. He ignored the policy of 'stay incognito' the day he managed to find a perfect condition harmonica. Turns out he had a knack for it. Any people he came across, he played for then. Somewhere along the line, Sam gained access to his Immortal powers. His 'Spark' as some might call it was just a single performance, likely the best he'd ever done. The onlookers were crying at the end of it, the haunted melody getting to all of them.

It was later that night when he noticed his eyes had changed, now a full shining copper that replaced his old cyan ones.

Gear

Weapons:

• Katt: Katt is the old beaten up Kalishnakov automatic AK-47 rifle he wields. Its seen its fair share of use, and now sports dents, scratches, and even burn marks. Don't ask how he got those. The weapon still works like a champ, regardless of its tear.
• Black Betsy: Remnants of the past can reveal a lot. A little old game called 'baseball' was a good inspiration for the name of his aluminum steel bat. He still holds the card for the namesake's owner.
• Peashooter: An old nine millimeter pistol that makes up for its lack of punch with a few extended magazines Sam managed to find, giving the pistol the capacity of an SMG. Point shoot. Fire until empty. Its a simple weapon.

Armor:
Sam usually doesn't wear much armor, at least not like some others who trick themselves out with old power armor relics. Besides, you wouldn't need armor in the first place if you didn't get spotted. A simple bullet proof vest is all he really needs for protection of his vital bits.

Ammunition:

• Dirty Rounds: About one hundred and twenty rounds for his AK, fifty or so for his pistol.
• High Grade Rounds: Keeps a nice stash of thirty on him. Turns out, people like giving tips to a musician.
• Heavy Ammunition: As of so far, Sam has no RPG rockets. Sadly.

Smelly Rucksack:

• Items Within

- Typical supplies one might need for scavenging. A mag-lite torch with two fully charged batteries. Rope is also needed, you never know when you'll need that stuff. He's got a full face mask for when the sands get too dusty or you're going into a toxic zone. A single air tank. Enough food for about a week. Enough water for three days. A big canteen is thanks for that. A set of matches and a pot, a fork and spoon as well. Binos. Some other stuff not worth mentioning. The rucksack smells like bad leather.
Miscellaneous:
His harmonica aptly named 'Ol Mac.'

Immortalis Information

Manifested Phenomena: Musical Illusionism
Unique Abilities:

• Musical Prowess - His manipulation of music has led to Sam being a great artist, able to play songs that could bring a tear to the most pessimistic old man out there.
• Illusionism - Given enough focus, and time to play something, Sam can literally manipulate space and time. Or something, he really isn't clear on how it works. Results can vary, usually. He can make an image of a floating brook, surrounded by green pastures. Or, he can form twin daggers in the air that soon find theirselves in the gut of an unsuspecting raider. Hell, he might even be able to form an anti-material rifle or rocket launcher, but what kind of song would be related to that?

Strengths:

• Who The Hell Is That? - Not many people know Sam by his face. His reputation as a bardic man proceeds him, but to the average soul, he's just another hobo scavenger.
• Many Pretties - Being able to scavenge is an art alongside music. Being able to find that hidden can at the way back of the cabinet, or managing to come across the well hidden cache of old military supplies is something not a lot of people can do.

Weaknesses:

• I Just Sorta Hit Em - Sam isn't really... proficient with weapons. All of his knowledge has been self taught, he's never gotten any real professional training. His tactics with a baseball bat are to keep swinging. With his AK? Point and click at the enemy until they die. It works well enough, but he has no real skill or brawn.
• Are You Really Playing A Song In Battle? - His Immortal powers aren't really that useful when it comes down to it. To actually summon a sword out of nothing requires complete and total focus while he plays a ballad. As some might guess, a fight isn't the best place to pull out a harmonica and start playing. Any lapse of focus leads to the 'spell' failing. Especially for more complicated items. And even then, he has to memorize tons of songs and hope they relate in some way to what he wants.
• Everyone Else Is Doing It - Live long enough in the wasteland and you start to care less about 'negligible effects' of drugs. Sam is pretty receptive to drugs, and he's tried a lot of them before. If it takes the edge off and lets you be happy for a few hours, why not? Booze and cigarettes are probably his main vices. Lung cancer sure is fun.

Tell me if I fucked anything up. Also, hey Hatter!

[Syben]

@TheMadAsshatter Absolutely.

Pondering if I should make a thread for the rest of the collab, or just tell people to read up on the old IC if they want specifics. Think we finished the last part of the collab, but there are 44 pages, and shit got heavy when I went solo there at the end.

Decisions hm..

[Syben]

@SirBeowulf Normally Elitist Aeon would be like "well you need to expand this" and blah blah. This is by far the most interesting Guardsman Bob Stereotype I have ever seen, on top of that you've changed my desired perspective on the spark condition. Normally attracted through an extreme, deathly situation; I find the ideal that he attracted his spark with the sweet sweet sounds of harmonic. Sparks do have personalities, and I find it plausible that a musically inclined spark, would be inclined to a musical person. He is approved. Though fro critiques sake, the backstory could be expanded on just a bit. The "fuck it" attitude of your character is amusing when incorporated into his sheet, but it's cuteness wears off just a tad with the lackluster details.

That being said, you have my approval on Sam, our second "hobo" character. (Permitting that Bobert comes back to join me.) Toss him into the characters tab.

Disclaimer: I reserved the right to alter my decisions at any given point and time, usually in the form of minor edits or concerns with power usage. This is typically a rare event though, so fret not young squire of the wastes.

[clericbeast]

When filling out my sheet, does it matter if I keep the same colors present in the template? (When I used colors in role play posts, I typically stick to one. Would that be all right?)

[Syben]

Use whatever colors you wish =)

[clericbeast]

@Aeonumbra

All right, thanks. I'll probably only stick to one, then - sorry, too many colors tend to strain my eyes.

[Syben]

No worries but I should warn you... *delves deep in the archives for that gif I made that one time* Found it.

BUT I SHOULD WARN YOU SIR-

[SirBeowulf]

@SirBeowulf Normally Elitist Aeon would be like "well you need to expand this" and blah blah. This is by far the most interesting Guardsman Bob Stereotype I have ever seen, on top of that you've changed my desired perspective on the spark condition. Normally attracted through an extreme, deathly situation; I find the ideal that he attracted his spark with the sweet sweet sounds of harmonic. Sparks do have personalities, and I find it plausible that a musically inclined spark, would be inclined to a musical person. He is approved. Though fro critiques sake, the backstory could be expanded on just a bit. The "fuck it" attitude of your character is amusing when incorporated into his sheet, but it's cuteness wears off just a tad with the lackluster details.

That being said, you have my approval on Sam, our second "hobo" character. (Permitting that Bobert comes back to join me.) Toss him into the characters tab.

Disclaimer: I reserved the right to alter my decisions at any given point and time, usually in the form of minor edits or concerns with power usage. This is typically a rare event though, so fret not young squire of the wastes.

@Aeonumbra

Thanks for accepting me, matey. I hope I won't disappoint. As for the bane of my existence, backstories, sorry about that. I'll add onto it a bit more if I can. As for his Spark, what should I do about that? Should I give it a name or throw it a personality section on the sheet? Expect shit tons of links to harmonica music now.

By the way, what's a Guardsman Bob?

[Antediluvixen]

Will be rejoining and bringing in a new character whose CS has yet to be written, I'm go to re-add Vladimira (with a bit of polish of course) right? (And I'm working on the other character as well.)

[Darcs]

How dreadful.

I'll put Lucania's updated CS up sometime soon. I was given Octavia and Bento, so I guess I'll do something with them also, they'll have updated post-modernist CSes from Lucania's perspective of them.

I'm also making a few more, because playing only bourgeois swine is quel.

[Lightning Fast]

I threw my character sheet up as well. There may be some minor changes (particularly if the perk is still valid), but nothing I can really think of at the moment.

[Syben]

@SirBeowulf No Worries Mate, Glad to have ya. Also a guardsman bob is a stereotype of the guild (pre-fall) along with Mary Sue and Steve. The latter being those flawless perfect beautiful characters of charisma and epicness, etc. Guardsman Bob refers to a plain Jane type character with nothing special; IE: In a medieval setting a man with nothing special about him and only wielding a sword is no different than a guardsmen, duplicate, copy, clone troopers, etc. I used that term as a very loose translation meaning I love how you character is kind of plain, at first glance, but with a uniqueness to him that is very interesting.

tl;dr: Aeon saying things meaning he likes your character.

@Monochromatic Rainbow Absolutely.

@Darcs Glad to have our lovely resident crazy aboard hehe.

@Lightning Fast Yes it is.

[Antediluvixen]

Glad to have our lovely resident crazy aboard hehe.

@Aeonumbra

>Not me.

>Weeps silently.

This. Must. Change.

(Should have the CS up by tomorrow evening ideally.)