Overgrowth of The Undying - Dystopia Rising (11441882) PDF

D ystopia Rising: Overgrowth of the Undying is a regional source book to be used
in conjunction with the Dystopia Rising table top gaming system. This book is
designed to provide further details in regards to the territories of the Overgrowth,
the Remnant strain, the Natural One strain, the Rover strain, territorial threats, as
well as details in regards to the Nuclear Family religion. This book is not intended
for use as standalone content, nor is any of the content representative of actual
places, people, or organizations.
A supplement book for the Dystopia Rising Table Top game for The Rust Empire
Copyright Eschaton Media Inc. and Dystopia Rising LLC 2016
Leah Bender (Order #11441882)

Dystopia Rising
an Eschaton Media Production
Original World Concept
Michael Pucci
Executive Producer
Ashley Zdeb
Writers
Michael Pucci
Catie Griffin
Kelsey Desrosiers
Additional Materials
R.M. Sean Benjamin Jaffe
Editing
Thomas Buchanan
Megan Jaffe
Layout
Michael Pucci
Design
Joshua Brain Jaffe
Artists
Helen E. Simmonds
S.C. Scola
Ralph Attanasia
Cryssy Cheung
Zach Herschberger
Joshua Brain Jaffe
Anastasia Marston
Andrew Scott
Matthew Volk
Cover Artist
Cryssy Cheung
ISBN: 978-1-939785-35-0 Copyright 2016 Eschaton Media Productions
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, mechanical,
electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of Eschaton Media Productions
All illustrations and images are property of Eschaton Media Productions or used under the allowed rights of public domain.
Dystopia Rising is a registered trademark of Dystopia Rising LLC, and may not be used without written permission of Dystopia Rising LLC.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Introduction 5 138 Aberdine’s Oasis 192 The Mile High City
139 Valley of Monsters 193 The Slopes
Chapter 1: Flesh 6 140 Factions of I-Die-Low 194 Dead Springs
144 Well Known Folks 194 Blood Cliffs
6 Rovers of I-Die-Low 195 Dead End Rockies
18 Natural Ones
27 Remnants 196 The Colosseum
35 Nuclear Family 145 Yellstone 197 Groups of Influence
146 Big Sky Ranch in Lorado
Chapter 2: Blood 47 147 The Wayward House 205 Well Known Folk of
148 Three Bears Bar Lorado
47 Origins of Mutation 149 Factions of Yellstone
48 The Mortis Amaranthine
49 Dimethyltryptamine 153 The Only Reliable 209 The Drylands
52 Mutations in Vegegation Person in Yellstone 201 White Sands
56 Mutations in Critters 210 The Great Divide
66 Mutations in Beasts
77 Apex - Mutations 155 Skatchen Land 211 Bomb Bay
157 Skatown 212 Ugly Acres
158 The South Bridge 213 Red Farm
Chapter 3: Bone 84 160 Widow’s Park 214 The Bunker
84 The Overgrowth 161 Traveler’s Waystation 215 Groups of Influence in
86 Western Overgrowth 162 The Moon’s Lake the Drylands
87 Bleeding Depths
88 Forests of the Unmaker 163 Groups of Influence 217 He Who Makes the
89 The Nightmares Heart in Skatchen Land Drylands Known
91 Fort Wash and Talkie 168 Well Known Folk
92 Powdered Road
94 Factions in the of Skatchen Land 219 Deserter
Overgrowth 220 Progress
98 Notorious Persona 170 The Tinderlands 221 Green Desert
102 Westward Excess 171 Old Wives town 221 Crush Valley
104 Gateway 172 The Shell 222 The Flats
105 Bottoms Round 173 Tent Town 224 The Dunes
107 Bell’s View
108 Genesis Cradle 174 The Stone Circle 224 Caravaner’s Dream
109 Rovers Rest of 175 The Poisoned Hills 225 Rottie Lake
Freakmount 176 Groups of Influence 225 The Spires
110 Factions of the
Westward Excess in the Tinderlands 226 Ruin of Man
180 Well Known Folk 227 The View
118 Mountaina of the Tinderlands 228 The Slums
120 Sweet Grass Country
121 Sweet Grass Ranch 229 Glow Wastes
122 The Dead Forest 183 Lorado 230 Toowilluh
123 Unbearable Mountains 184 The Wildfire Wastes 231 The Silo
124 Bull City
125 Misery Swamp 185 Paradise Acres 232 Hell’s Edge
126 Factions of Mountaina 186 The Burnlands 233 Groups of Influence in
131 Well Known of Mountaina 187 Hell’s Garden Deserter
134 I-Die-Low 188 Saw River 241 Well Known Folk of
135 The Rim 189 Forgotten Outpost Deserter
136 The Noisy Jungle 190 Home
137 The Pit
191 The Crossing
3
DEDICATED TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO CREATE WORLDS INSTEAD OF EXCUSES.
KEEP AT IT AND NEVER GIVE UP.
-ESCHATON MEDIA-
4
The Overgrowth and the surrounding regions are a strange place.
A wild and unkempt territory where over-oxygenation has created massive creatures that roam
among giant plants, filled with poisonous creatures and deadly monsters, and where the Strains
try to burn back the rampant growth to build new homes. This is the place where rich soil and
mutated plants have built some of the best potential for the rebirth of humanity, as well as
some of the worst threats that have ever walked the planet.
And here, buried out in the middle of the wastelands, miles away from most civilizations,
lays some of the biggest hints for the history of the fall of mankind. Here in the middle of
nowhere you can find secrets that were locked away, miles from prying eyes, and kept safe by the
inhabitants. In the Overgrowth and surrounding territories, you will find communities forged
out of oppression, you will find excesses born from nothingness, and you will find clues to a
grand pre-fall conspiracy to control an overpopulated planet.
Where do you hide the most important secrets? You hide them in a place where no one would
bother to look.
Where do the largest threats rise from? They rise in the areas where they are given time and
space to grow.
Welcome to the Overgrowth. Here be monsters.
5
“It’s difficult to know if a Rover likes you, but it is easy to know if a Rover loves you
or hates you. If a Rover isn’t sure where you stand in their life, they will treat you as an
honored guest. A Rover will be a gracious host, a wonderful companion, a great entertainer, and
an amazing guide to the road. All of these things a Rover will do barely knowing you. The music,
the stories, the food, and the companionship that you would expect from a lifelong friend; that
is what a Rover offers new faces and people.”
“But the passion that Rovers show to strangers in no way compares to what love and devotion
they will show to true friends and loved ones. Not only will a Rover climb mountains and dive
deep into the Grave Mind itself to save someone they love, they will mark their loved ones and
family so that all other Rovers will know that a perceived outsider should be given the benefit
of the doubt as a friend.”
“But never wrong a Rover and let them live. A Rover that hates you will turn you away from
the fire and companionship of their family and all other Rover caravans they meet. A Rover
will work tirelessly, endlessly, to ensure whatever slight you have caused them will not go
unpunished. While a Rover may not just punch you in the face like a Merican, or eat your bones
like a Lascarian, by the time they are done you will wish they had just killed you.”
“Don’t believe me? Let me tell you the story of the Settlement of Harang. Harang was a
Merican settlement just south of the Overgrowth. There, a number of Rovers had come together
to break bread and swap supplies. The hosts of the settlement, devoted to the Nuclear Family,
saw our ways as ‘evil and communist activities’ and that we were no better than the Red Star in
their eyes. When the Rovers were politely leaving, one of the Mericans added insult to injury.
Wanting to look bold in front of the community, that Merican took a shot with their pistol and
struck a Rover family member in the back.”
“The Rovers did not turn and open in violence right then and there. With the town jeering
they left silently with their heads held high. The Rovers gathered, they spoke, and they waited.
They waited until the matron of the community was having a celebration of the season of her
birth, and all of the extended family was present at the settlement.”
“Today there is not a single stick of that settlement still standing, nor a single member of
the community old enough to know better that was left alive. You cannot find Harang on the local
maps, nor can you find any written records of its existence. Now it only exists on the lips of
Rovers that would remind the world of what happens when they are crossed.”
6
The Nature of a Rover
The Rover is an interesting Strain due to their shared evolution over such a wide geographic area.
Rovers are a traveling community of people who have taken to the road as a genetic and cultural
instinct. What is interesting is that across all discovered territories, some form of Rover has been
found walking the wastelands.
Considered cousins to the high octane Diesel Jocks, the Rovers are a community and culturally
minded people who travel from place to place as a means of survival. Commonly known as traders,
caravan guards, entertainers, and scouts, the Rover is perhaps one of the most genetically adapted
strains for a life on the road.
Rovers travel as single units as well as massive caravans from location to location. As Rover
caravans travel, these kings of the road tend to pick up cultural and technological nuances from the
places they visit the most. The Rover learns language, medicine, faith, music, stories, and lore from
both massive cities as well as small settlements, allowing the individual Rover to become a mixture
of dozens of cultures. It is not uncommon to find Rovers covered in trinkets and bits of fabric found
commonly in far off places, or using tools and techniques unknown to locals.
This mashing of cultures, supplies, and techniques causes the Rover to have a very eccentric and
cobbled appearance. One should not be surprised to see a Rover wearing gang patches from Old York,
fabrics from the Under Sea, and weapons machined in the Iron works.
In addition to learning from the cultures they have visited, Rovers trade and share information
and knowledge with one another. As Rovers gather together on the road, or at short-term places for
respite, Rovers trade information and knowledge like currency. Warm weather supplies are traded to
Rovers heading to hotter climates, while layers are traded to Rovers heading further to the frozen
wastes of the north.
With all of the trade of knowledge, ideas, and supplies, it should be known that there are certain
items that are not as easily or freely traded among the Rovers. Scarves, swatches of knotted fabric,
or sections and lengths of particular dyed rope often with small trinkets attached to them are
tightly guarded and rarely given out. These ties, scarves, and trinkets are identity markers for each
Rover. A particular color fabric knotted in a certain way may be the marking of being a member of a
Rover family. A length of rope knotted with a frayed edge may be a bond that has a matching part worn
by a life mate. A scarf may be the last remaining token of a Rover’s parents (and grandparents before
them).
These tokens are the embodiment of the memories and culture that bind the Rover to who they are.
7
History
The history of the Rovers as a Strain requires, appropriately, a thousand miles of foot work
and a lot of conversing to uncover. As each community and culture of Rovers tends to have their
own folklore about how their family came to be, it becomes difficult to intertwine all of these
stories together and produce a single source of origin. Finding the origins of the Rover is like
tracking down a rumor of a story of a piece of folklore that has a single grain of reoccurring
truth within it. However, with enough effort and spending countless years listening to old
Rovers tell stories around a fire, you may piece together a history of the road.
Rovers, I believe, originated as a Strain during the fall of humanity. The period of time in
which we believed humans were snuffed out like a candle was actually more akin to the slow dying
embers of a camp fire. Small settlements of what would later evolve to be Genjian attempted to
withstand and fight back against the coming inevitable corruption that is the infection.
These settlements of the last standing humans were extremely self-sufficient, but as the first
generation gave way to the second, they had need for outside travelers between the strongholds
and settlements to carry and trade supplies between them. These bands of condemned roving
traders would very quickly become carriers of the infection we now carry, and within the first
generation of outside life the Rovers were born.
One could theorize that the evolution of the Rover Strain, and the carried infection, is
what eventually led to the downfall of the human strongholds and the birth of the Genjian.
However, we have no solid documentation

or proof that this is the actual case. If
there was any evidence or proof that the
rise of the Rover Strain caused the creation
of the Genjian, we would not be surprised
if that information was eradicated many
generations ago.
To modern history, the Rovers as

a people have a culture of unspoken
communication that has evolved based on
sections of fabric, scarves, and hanging
talismans. These tokens of culture not only
identify an individual as a member of a
particular caravan or family, but also can
be used to convey unspoken communications.
We have documented some of the more commonly
found and used communications of the Rover
community, however, without a doubt each
family has unique nuances that they use
within their own localized culture.
8 8
Evolution
The Rover, genetically, is the closest evolution of Strains to pre-fall humans. Looking over
what remains of medical notation and historical documentation from before the fall, there is very
little in the way of genetic alteration between the base physical form of the Rover and what is
described in the pre-fall Human.
While Mericans have evolved additional knuckles, and both Red Star and the Nation of Accensor
have developed extensive mutations to the evolution of the brain, there is very little about the
Rover that genetically makes them different from pre-fall humans.
What physical mutations we do find that separate the Rover from the pre-fall human exist
primarily in the musculature and nerves of the legs as well as other small physical variations
that seem to have evolved from a life of living on the road. For one, the musculature of the legs
of a Rover is much denser than that of any other Strain. Capable of walking for days on end,
carrying heavier weights, and traveling longer distances, the muscles of the calves and legs of a
Rover are akin more to tightly knit cabling than rope-like muscle. While this higher density does
not prevent a Rover from never having tired legs, it does take the average Rover much longer to
become tired on long trips.
In addition to the highly adapted musculature of the Rover’s legs, the Rover has a much larger
lung capacity than many other Strains. We are unsure if this is part of a cardiovascular necessity
to enrich the blood of a Rover to power themselves over long distances, or, as one of our Merican
assistants stated, “helps them keep talking for long periods of time without shutting up.” I tend
to lean towards the higher need for air, and less towards the lungs simply functioning as billows
for speaking.
Lastly, Rovers have had a complex cultural evolution that has taken amalgamations of dozens of
existing communities and cultures. These visually adaptive, if not somewhat clashing, aspects of
Rover dress cause a unique multiculturalism to the appearance and dress of a Rover. A Rover that
spends time traveling through Pure Blood or Vegasian territories may find themselves adorned with
makeup. Later, as the Rover travels through Natural One territories the Rover may find that makeup
used to make tribal markings and localized iconology.
Socially, the Rover has evolved into family based communities that see their elders as being
leaders to listen to. Often times reveling in community and life while on the road, the Rover
defers to their family leaders as a community of elders. While every Rover family may have their
own traditions and laws, it is most common that Rovers attempt to discuss their conflicts and work
out issues instead of immediately fighting. A culture that communicates and listens well is rare
outside of the Rover caravans.
9
Visual Identity
Rovers have a visual identity that embodies an eclectic gathering of wasteland cultures combined
with a strong self-defined cultural accent and style that makes the adopted aspects uniquely their
own. While a Rover commonly incorporates aspects of fashion and culture from the communities they
travel through, the combination of fabrics, colors, textures, and modification for life on the road
makes the clothing uniquely Rover.
In addition to the contrasting materials, cuts, designs, and cultural origins of their clothing,
the Rover culture has a tendency to use a combination of strips of fabric, scarves, and rope strung
trinkets to adorn themselves. Often times hanging around shoulders, off hips, the edge of sleeves,
and around wrists, these tokens of life and culture are easy to wear for countless miles of walking
as well as identifiable enough to be spotted by other Rovers in the know. While these tokens and
markings are never as garish and ostentatious as to get in the way, it is not uncommon to see Rovers
adjusting and retightening knots and markers on their person.
Rovers are strong legged, long-winded, and active people who travel both alone and in large
groups. Rovers are picky about those they would spend the majority of their time with (in particular
on the road) and have no qualms about spending their time traveling alone instead of around those
that they find unacceptable.
There are some nearly universal color and knot codes used across a large number of the Rover
cultures. Using specific combinations of knots, colors, and locations of adornment, a Rover can
pass information along to fellow Rovers without ever speaking a word. There are also means of
communication and expression that are kept within localized Rover communities, which are normally
taught to only family members or extended family
10
A Story Written in Knots and Fabric
Most Rover scarf codes can be broken down into four parts: location, color, material, and
knot. The combination of these four items tells a story that is much more complex than one
could initially guess. There are secondary traits, such as the location of the knot and the
inclusion of trinkets or other colors to cause patterns that can add additional details to
a single scarf. Here, we will go over some of the most basic of scarf details.
Location
Around the Neck: Pertaining to family

Hanging from Neck: Related to non-Rover family
Over the Shoulder: Pertaining to outsiders
Around the Forearm or Wrist: In regards to business
Around the Waist: In regards to self
Hanging from Waist: In regards to the spirit (religion)
Around the Knee or Ankle: In regards to an enemy
Color
White: Love or compassion

Blue: Brewing or pertaining to water
Yellow: Travel or shipping
Green: Growth or health
Red: Violence or war
Black: Wealth or comfort
Material
Single Cord: In regards to responsibilities or charges

Braided Cord: In regards to interests or passions
Single Fabric: In regards to status or standing
Braided Fabric: In regards to life events or changes
Knot
Overhand Knot: Friend

Figure Eight Knot: Family
Sheepshank Knot: Hired
Bimini Twist Knot: Debt
Surgeons Loop Knot: Honor
Poachers Knot: Conflict
11
To help explain how these combinations of knots and colors work, we will give and discuss a
few examples. If a Rover was trying to express that they were single and were of age for being
wed, they would take a white colored, single piece of fabric and tie it around their hips or
mid-section ensuring that it did not hang. This would combine self-love-status to communicate
that they were single. However if one were take that same piece of fabric and tie both a figure
eight knot and a bimini twist knot into the fabric (traditionally both ends) then it would
suggest that the person wearing the bind is betrothed to a marriage arranged by their family
(self-love-status-family-debt).
If a Rover was attempting to let other Rovers know that they were a hirable mercenary,
then they could wear around their wrist a red colored braided cord that ended in a sheepshank
knot (business, charge, violence, hired). If the same Rover wanted to express that they were a
representative of an entire mercenary company, they could wear a necklace like hanging of a red
braided cord that ended in a sheepshank knot (non-Rover group, interest, violence, hired). If
the same Rover wanted to express that they were a person of some standing within a mercenary
company they could wear a red necklace like hanging of a red braided cord that had both a
surgeons loop knot and a sheepshank knot in it (non-Rover group, interest, violence, honored,
hired).
Color and knot code can also be used to take a single piece of fabric and record major
events in a family’s life. Knots that have been tied certain ways, and then dyed certain
colors, can express particular events in a family or individuals life. If a fabric is read as a
timeline, with one end being the start and another being the end, fabrics can be a recording of
histories. Trinkets may be attached to signify different outside connections or key events, and,
as Rovers pass away, the scarves may be collected from the fallen and given to the surviving
family members. This would allow a Rover to recite major events from their ancestor’s lifetimes
and continue from fabric to fabric as a recounting of the history of their people.
12
To Speak and do as the Rover Does.
Rover culture varies from family to family, however there are some universal constants that
can be found in even the most remote tribes. These cultural constants, primarily developed from
life on the road, have been taught from family to family and generation to generation to ensure
the safety and longevity of the Rover community.
Blood Debts – When a Rover saves the life of another Rover, or performs a deed that is on par
with saving an individual’s life, at times a Blood Debt is offered. The debt giver cuts their
palm and promises to repay the great favor that has been done for them, or die trying.
Breaking Bread – It is difficult to find well prepared meals when wandering the wastelands.
With this in mind, it has become a tradition of the Rovers that when you are sitting and sharing
a meal with someone, that you cannot do wrong by them. Hospitality provided, and received, is
a sacred bond between the host and the hosted. If someone is rude while receiving a Rover’s
hospitality, that individual may make an enemy for life.
Buried Footprints – A tradition among the more superstitious Rovers, it is a tradition to

“bury footprints”. A Rover who believes they are the target of some ill luck or curse will
stand in muddy soil until the sun dries the earth around their feet. After stepping out of this
completely dried spot, the Rover will dig up their foot prints with a shovel. Taking the soil
that was around the footprints and putting the soil in a jar, the Rover will then bury the jar
deep in the earth. It is thought that bad luck tracks after people, and that if a Rover were to
bury their tracks then bad luck will need longer to find them.
Cobbler of an Age – Young Rovers are trained in how to repair and upkeep boots. Being a
person who walks for hundreds of miles, your shoes are important. When a guest is brought into a
Rover family for the first time the youngest members of the family (if great respect is offered)
will come out to repair and clean the boots of a guest while they sit at the table. If done
well, and silently, when a guest stands up from the table they “magically” find their shoes in
better condition than they were when they sat down.
Family Accountings – Knowing your lineage and who your family is important for roaming
families. On both the warmest day and the coldest night of the year traditionally the most
respected member of a Rover family will open a case that holds the scarves and history of those
that came before them. The speaker verbally accounts the history and names of those that came
before so that the next generation will know their family history.
Miles of Pages – Rovers travel a lot, and because of that, they need to travel as light as
possible. When Rovers (in particular those in rocky regions) are traveling and have maps from
other Rover families, traditionally pages of notes are ripped out of maps and journals as they
are no longer needed. These notes are used as fuel for fire, repurposed as paper, and otherwise
are removed to lighten the load. Besides, once a Rover has walked a direction OBVIOUSLY they
have little intent of walking the same path again.
13
Taking of Shoes – An individual who is no longer welcome on a caravan or staying in the
home of a Rover will find that they wake up without their shoes. This is to hobble and slow the
individual down as the rest of the caravan keeps moving forward.
Offering a Debt – Rovers are good on their debts, and a life of travel teaches them what it
means to be in need. When a Rover says that they owe someone, or that they are in their debt,
they mean it literally. A Rover will work to repay that debt as soon as they can. A common phrase
is “A person is weighed down by their debts, but can carry a thousand more of another’s.”
Offering of Trinket or Fabrics – If a Rover wishes to mark someone as a friend, family

member, or a co-worker, they will often offer small strips of meaningful colored fabric or small
trinkets hanging from leather throngs. These are not full-fledged fabrics, cords, or scarves but
they are meaningful between the Rover and the person who was gifted it.
Rock Stack – Rovers can sometimes be competitive. A common tradition among Rover families
is to carry stones great distances, and to stack their stone as high as possible. Often times
rock piles appear on the top of mountains, in hard to reach crags, and even on the wide arms of
massive trees. A contest in good fun, Rovers occasionally return to their stacks to see a pile of
other stones placed on top of theirs making a small pile. Not wanting to be outdone, a Rover will
travel further and place a new stone on top.
Tagging a Tourist – Similar to when a Rover provides a trinket to another person, tagging a
tourist is a tradition where an individual is given a gift as a sign to other Rovers that they
are not to be trusted. When worn as a token openly, these trinkets often times warn other Rovers
to completely distrust an individual. The most common tourist mark is a small carved stick,
wrapped in thread, and hung as a badge of honor.
Telling of Stories – When you travel for your life, it is difficult to keep a written history.
With this in mind it is very important for Rovers to keep an oral history that is shared not only
with family but with guests. A Rover caravan never knows when they could run afoul, and with that
Rovers need for their family history and record to be carried by Rovers and non-Rovers alike.
Wash in Running Water – Many Rovers will not clean themselves in stagnant pools or baths.
This makes sense on many levels. First, it is more difficult for a zombie to crawl to attack you
when fast waters surround you. Second, when you clean yourself in stagnant waters you are only
steeping yourself in your own wastes and filth. Third, stagnant water often times gathers unseen
diseases and parasites in the water. With this in mind, running water is the preferred cleaning
source for most Rovers.
Weaving of Cloths – When families or individuals come together, there is the tradition of
weaving of cloths. In the case of a marriage, the individuals each offer an unworn fabric to
their loved ones, which is braided and knotted with their own personal cloth. This bonds the two
together, and even if the fabrics are separated, shows the imprint and coloring of where the two
fabrics were once brought together as one. “A cloth is only so strong. A braided cloth can lift
the world.”
14
Advantages
• Rovers are renowned for their mastery of the open road and the long haul, and gain +2 dice to all
Navigation and Scrounging checks.
• Rovers have developed a superior capacity to resist levels of exhaustion that would be the end of
other road-weary travelers. Rovers suffer no penalty for being “Fatigued”, and treat “Exhausted” as
though it were “Fatigued”.
Drawbacks
• Rovers make their lives on their stories and their travels, and this comes with a fair share
of pride. If a Rover feels he has been “bested” socially, especially if embarrassed or otherwise
made to look bad, he loses -2 to all Social checks when dealing with the same person or their
cohorts until the Rover can one-up them and restore his honor.
• Rovers don’t take well to being pinned down by the confines of settlements or cities. If a
Rover hasn’t travelled the open road within the last month, they lose -1 die to all Survival
checks until they can get themselves back on the road.
15
Well Known Rover Groups
Doctor Badi’s Traveling Apothecary
Deep in the Overgrowth, where creatures and massive monsters hunt within the overgrown forests
and jungles, travels the world renowned caravan of Doctor Badi’s Traveling Apothecary. Picking
up and changing its location with the season deep within the Overgrowth, the Badi family
harvest herbs and medicinal extracts from not only the plants but also the animals and insects
that haunt the Overgrowth.
The eldest of the Badi caravan, Doctor Eugene Badi, is a man with salt and pepper hair and a
stocky frame who is often found surrounded by dozens of family members. All day and night, hard
working caravan members bring supplies in from the Overgrowth which Doctor Eugene checks for
quality.
Within the caravan, multiple stills are constantly roaring, bubbling, and producing medicinal
tinctures that are traded and sold to those fortunate enough to find the traveling apothecary.
Rumored to be able to cure any disease, fix any ailment, and even help push back the infection
itself, the attentions of the Badi Traveling Apothecary are highly sought after by settlers in
the area and merchants across the wasteland.
In addition to the hustle and bustle of gathering resources and producing distilled medicines,
the twenty or so caravans that make up the traveling apothecary are a legendary resource of
knowledge and history. With brewers, doctors, Graverobbers, historians, and some of the most
entrancing entertainers one would have to actively desire to NOT learn to remain ignorant
around the traveling apothecary. Even with purposeful ignorance, most who spend any time around
the traveling apothecary come out wiser for their travels.
The traveling Apothecary follows a route that they traverse with the seasons. This allows
the caravan to return to key locations when particular produce, herbs, or creatures enter
vital harvesting cycles. With this ability to regularly traverse the undergrowth, in addition
to their medicinal ability, the traveling knowledge that the Badi caravan possesses is highly
sought after by anyone looking to travel through (or survive) the Overgrowth.
Kentuck’s Caravan Outfitters

In the land that is saturated as much with the Kings Court as it is whiskey mash, it should
not be surprising that the spirit of freedom and expression lives deep within the local
residents. For every Priest of Sound or wandering missionary that wishes to take their life on
the road, there is a need for a sturdy caravan and traveling supplies. If a would-be pilgrim is
truly blessed or in the know, perhaps they can have their traveling supplies provided by the
Kentuck Caravan Outfitters.
Some of the most efficient and hearty travelers in the wastelands, the Rover Kentuck family
design and create custom traveling gear that is promised to be stronger than the wastelands
themselves. Well known for their woven packs that are both lightweight and sturdy, boots that
can walk for hundreds of thousands of miles before wearing out, and clothes sturdy enough to
survive years of abuse on the road.
The price tag on most Kentuck products is higher than most wasteland travelers are able to
afford, but rumor has it that there is a tradition of altruism within the Kentuck family.
16
Members of the Kentuck family are known to travel all across the wastelands, and with them,
they carry additional supplies on their back. Traveling with musicians, explorers, or trade
caravans carving their way across the wastes, if a member of the Kentuck caravan finds an
earnest person in need then there is a chance that the Kentuck caravan member will gift much
needed gear.
They leave boots for those whose bare feet have been bloodied by the trails, packs for those
who carry the world on their shoulders, clothes for those who need shelter, and gear for
travelers who have many nights of travel ahead before they see home. Even when the Kentuck
caravan member doesn’t have extra supplies left to gift, each member of the caravan is a
master cobbler and tailor who will repair and mend the clothes and shoes of those in need.
While a member of the Kentuck family will not speak about their craft, nor teach their
skills, nor accept payment from those that they view as earnest and pious travelers, the
Kentuck family is a stickler for hospitality. If a member of the Kentuck family has been
treated poorly, or offered ill hospitality, they will knock loudly on the caravan as they
leave during the night.
Braun Heritage Family

Traveling between the lands of Oilberta and the outermost border of the Reach is a slow
moving caravan that carries an immeasurable weight with them. The caravan, often mistaken as
a small army at first, collects and tightly guards thousands of lost traditions of the Rover
people. Inside armored caravans, protected by tireless snipers and well supplied guards, are
the scarves and histories of families which no longer walk the wastes.
When a caravan or family becomes extinct, it is both a duty and an honor for other
Rover families to travel to the northern reaches of the Merican wastelands to find the Braun
Carvans. Here, family trees that have come to an end are stored and recorded by the Braun
family.
Each night when the Braun family comes to rest, the scholars of the caravan in turn recite
the names and history of one of the deceased family lines. Each night a different family
has their traditions and history recited, and each night the air is filled with the haunting
memories of Rovers past. It is said that the Braun family at this point could spend years
reciting the lineage of fallen families without repeating a single family that has been lost.
These scholars of Rover history, when pressed on the subject, express that it is an honor
of love that they are able to carry the history of their people with them. While traveling
and collecting the stories of the fallen may not be as glamorous as many lives of adventure
that Rovers could experience, the Braun family feels as if they have walked and lived the
journeys of tens of thousands of Rovers who have come before them.
17
“I’m not SCARED of guns you idiot.”
“If you think pointing a gun in my face is going to make me scream like a child then you
have listened far too much to the Telling Visionaries. I don’t like or trust guns. That gun of
yours has a minimum of three moving parts. Those parts rust, degrade, and misfire regularly. Your
chamber could get clogged from the swamp you waded through. Your gunpowder could be wet and not
fire. Your firing pin may be bent. Your cylinder could be rusted and jam. Hell, you could just
miss me because the rifling on your barrel is off.
“My axe on the other hand? It has no moving parts. It is a solid tang of metal wrapped in
leather to allow me an easier grip on it even if it did get wet. The ball at the bottom is known
as a skull crusher. The shaft I wield it by can break sword just by blocking them. Mud, rain,
snow� doesn’t matter. My weapon will always work. I know that I have enough strength in my arm
to cleave your silly ass gun in half, crack your arm right up the middle, and cause your elbow
to explode into a mist of blood and bone fragments.
“However, if you do pull that trigger, you better pray to whatever imaginary gods you
worship that you kill me with the first shot. Because if you do not kill me, I am going to take
that stupid firearm of yours, bend it around the handles of that ridiculous Iron Horse, and I am
going to shove the entire twisted metal mess right down your throat.”
18
The Nature of the Natural One
To the majority of society, Natural Ones are seen as some mixture between backwards savages
and uneducated wilderness freaks. While it is undoubtable that there are some Natural Ones
that fall into both of those categories, the vast majority of Natural Ones that reside in the
wastelands are pragmatic people who have adapted and adjusted to living in the broken wastes.
Natural Ones, as a culture, have grown accustomed to relying on themselves and their community
instead of being reliant on transient technologies.
To the Natural One, weakness and dependency on technology was the downfall of the pre-fall
human. To a degree, it is difficult to argue with this logic. According to some recovered
documentation, the majority of humans that lived before the fall were less active on a day-to-
day basis than most Natural Ones are within the first few hours of their day. They sat stagnant,
relying on their technology to provide all aspects of daily life. It is rumored that many pre-
fall humans did not know how to hunt, fish, track, or even tend to their own wounds if they were
injured.
Pathetic.
Natural Ones are a community-oriented Strain which has adapted to the world instead of
allowing themselves to become soft and reliant on “things.” Natural Ones carry robust equipment,
simple devices that will serve their purpose reliably for generations to come. While the Natural
One will not rely on motors, firearms, and other impermanent technologies, a Natural One has no
qualms about using tools and weapons that are both reliable and enduring. In the mind of the
Natural One, it is an individual using a tool and never an individual relying on tools.
19
History
When the fall of humanity came, there were those that were already surviving off of the
land. Naturalists, survivalists, and the most intense sport-adventure travelers had already
learned to cast aside the comforts and crutches that high-society had to offer. They lived off
the land, off the grid, and away from the meaningless distractions modern society provided.
It should not be a surprise then that these people, those who were the most ready to survive
without global society, thrived when global society itself came to an end.
It is difficult to pinpoint when the survivors in the woodlands and rural refuges evolved
into the Natural One strain, but most assume that before the final fall of man and after the
initial contact there was a point where the fungal strands of the Grave Mind began to permeate
further and further away from the high density cities and towns that humanity had created. Once
the infection provided by the Grave Mind began to mutate and adapt to different forms of living
and unliving material, there was a point where the spores and growths of the Grave Mind found
their way even into the most reclusive natural reserves.
Natural Ones, as a people, lived for a long time in their secluded tribes and communities in
the uncharted wastelands. Only distantly aware of one another, and in most instances unaware of
the evolution and repopulation of the other Strains, it should not be surprising that the first
interactions that the Natural Ones had with non-Natural One communities was filled with strife.
Conflict over settlers expanding into Natural One territory, Natural Ones waging war on the
technologies that brought ruin to humanity, as well as conflicts of culture and faith abounded.
The Natural Ones have held onto their territories, and a number of younger Natural Ones
have taken to “invading” the more populated outsider’s settlements with the hopes of reforming
the weaker Strains that live there. Some Natural Ones have taken to receding further into the
wilds of the wastelands, looking to have no interaction with the expanding populous of the
repopulating Strains.
20
Evolution
Natural Ones have undergone two very different evolutions in their time: genetic and
cultural evolution. Speaking purely on a biological level, the Natural Ones have evolved to be
stronger, faster, and healthier than most other Strains that reside in the wastelands. With
stronger arms, swifter hands, and keener eyes than other Strains, the Natural Ones are adept
and brutal combatants with all manner of blade.
Natural Ones have also undergone a

number of cultural evolutions that have
been key in ensuring their survival.
Natural Ones are, at heart, xenophobic
when interacting with outsiders. Trusting
their local community and family and
innately distrusting outsiders is not only
a cultural aspect of the Natural Ones
community, but also an evolved tendency
that has become ingrained into the genetic
memory of the people. This xenophobia has
not only prevented the Natural Ones from
contracting earlier (and more vicious)
forms of the infection early on, but also
has allowed the Natural Ones the ability
to exist in a form of balance with their
environment. Since the environment that
surrounds a Natural One is just as infected
with spores and growths of the Grave
Mind as the individual Strains are, this
cohabitation is encouraged and reinforced
by the infection deep in the Natural Ones
genetic makeup.
Culturally, individual Natural Ones

and their localized tribe are heavily
influenced by the environment by which they
are surrounded. Those found deep within
forests may find themselves taking a very
symbiotic relationship with the environment
around them. Natural Ones in burning
wastelands and Natural Ones in frozen
wastelands may appear visually completely
different from one another in clothes and
tradition while keeping the same core
separationist mindset regarding the main
body of society. It is not unheard of for
Natural Ones that have taken up residency
in the more industrialized wastelands and
the territories that are more heavily
irradiated to adapt and re-purpose old
world scrap and resources into their more
primitive equipment and clothing.
21
Visual Identity
The visual identity of a Natural One changes drastically from territory to territory, with
both the natural surroundings of a community and the localized customs of the culture weighing
in heavily on their dress, form, and design. There tend to be reoccurring themes in regards to
the build, musculature, and rites of passage that most Natural Ones undergo however.
Natural Ones are survivors, above all else. Due to the years of surviving in the wilds
using only the tools that they could build from their environment, Natural Ones tend to have
denser muscle mass in the torso and arms. Even the more slender Natural Ones tend to have
highly defined muscles that allow them to not only survive in the wilds but also use close
quarter weapons to devastating effect. Of Natural Ones, the stockier and healthier members of
the community are the ones that should be truly feared. The genetic strength of a Natural One
redoubled with sheer size can create an unstoppable juggernaut of strength.
Natural Ones tend to have community markings

in the forms of jewelry, tattoos, or brands.
Some more reclusive Natural One communities have
complex customs and rites of passage that are
used to prove that a child has grown into an
adult.
Natural Ones use their environment and

salvageable materials to create more enduring
and long lived equipment. It is not uncommon
for Natural Ones to have armor that has been
repurposed from salvaged Diesel Jock rides,
clubs made out of the firearms of enemies, and
weapons forged to withstand immeasurable abuse.
Natural Ones tend to have almost a morbid

sense of humor in regards to the failures of
the outside world. It is not uncommon to find
Natural One homes decorated in rusted out
firearms, ornamentation made out of bones of
their enemies, or entire caravans worth of
“weaker technology” stripped and repurposed.
22
Shared Culture
While every Natural One community has localized traditions that truly set the identity of the
culture, there are a number of common and reoccurring cultural customs that are found among
the vast majority of communities. While these traditions may be interpreted and approached in
different ways, the spirit of the tradition is prevalent across most communities
Adoption – It is common place that if a Natural One community is on the brink of eradication,
that stronger Natural One communities will adopt the weaker culture into their fold. When this
occurs, the suffering community is often seen as a lesser or second-class part of the community
until they prove otherwise. When a weaker culture is adopted into a stronger culture, the
weaker community is expected to adopt the culture of the stronger community while the stronger
community adapts and absorbs the strongest traits from the old culture.
Coming of Age – Across most Natural One tribes there is a point where a child is no longer
considered a child, and is thrust into the world of adulthood. These coming of age ceremonies
may be religious rites, social celebrations, or contests of proving ones adulthood. While the
traditions related to the coming of age vary from community to community, it exists across
almost all Natural One cultures.
Community Upbringing – While there is the individual family within Natural One culture
(often times made of any number of members or genders and not restricted to procreation needs)
most children are raised by the Natural One community as a whole. While the biological parents
will often times see to the food and physical needs of a child, a child in a Natural One tribe
is taught and protected by the entire community.
Raiding – Being xenophobic, it is not uncommon for Natural One tribes to wage war on
outsiders. Commonly known as raiding, Natural One tribes will ride or sail to established
settlements to engage in guerilla war tactics. Raiding destroys the technology that weakens the
culture as a whole, takes materials to be repurposed by the tribe, and ensures that the Natural
One tribe as a whole becomes stronger than the enemies in the wastes.
Rites of War – When it comes time that a Natural One tribe has decided that another culture,
settlement, or tribe threatens the survival and spirit of their community, then it is time for
war. Natural Ones have a varied number of traditions that they undertake in a time of war. While
some cultures paint themselves with certain herbs, other cultures may have spiritual leaders
make sacrifices and sermons in the name of victory. Regardless of the specifics found within the
individual Natural One community, there are processes that are undertaken in a time of true war.
23
Advantages
• Natural Ones gain +2 Dice when using Primitive ranged or melee weapons.
• Natural Ones have gained incredible resistance to the infection, and may re-roll one failed
roll during a bleed out (this includes re-rolling the Critical Failure result).
Drawbacks
• Natural Ones disdain technological equipment and suffer -4 dice to any check involving
understanding or using technological items (including all fi rearms).
• Natural Ones are a prideful and superstitious lot, carrying with them a piece of their home
land at all times. If they should ever lose this token, they lose -1 die to all Survival checks
until they are able to return to their home land to replace it.
24
Well Known People of the Natural Ones
The Frozen Wind
In the northern-most reaches of the Merican wastelands is a series of tribes that are known
as the Frozen Wind. This war-focused culture, while bloodthirsty and murderous, act as they do
for what they believe is a noble cause. The Frozen Wind believes that corruption, weakness, and
illness of the mind and body is bred in major settlements, and that it is their responsibility
to keep that illness contained within the cage that is the city.
Found outside of most major settlements in the wooded or overgrown sections of the
wastelands, the Frozen Wind raids caravans and slaughters farmers and settlers who look to
expand outside the confines of existing settlements. The Frozen wind dedicate their lives to
stalking the woodlands around the Iron Works, sabotaging railways, cutting telegraph lines,
slaughtering settlers, and culling any outward advancement of civilization.
Armed primarily with throwing axes, javelins, hand axes, and short blades, the Frozen Wind
uses stealth and ambush techniques to cull their enemies. While the approach and the initial
moments of an attack made by the Frozen Wind are silent and subtle, the evidence left after
their assaults is anything but. First, the Frozen Wind burn their victims down to their last,
ensuring that the fallen will never rise again as a sentient person. However, if the bodies do
rise as the undead they are spread open, tied to trees, and otherwise left as a scene for those
who would find them. Homes and caravans are ransacked, burned, and rendered forever unusable.
There are only two kinds of people that the Frozen Wind looks to spare on its rampages:
Rovers and children. Rovers are spared because the Frozen Wind knows that Rovers will never
truly be a part of society and eventually will take to the open roads leaving the illness of the
city behind. Children are spared so that they can return to the city with details of the horrific
acts that have happened, so that those within the city know that they should cower within their
walls.
Tenders of the Wilds

The wastelands are a scarred and horribly damaged place. With irradiated air, poisoned soil,
and remains of the pre-fall culture littering the landscape, it feels as if the planet will
never return to its natural state again. There are entire islands of garbage floating in the
ocean, piles of deadly toxins stored beneath the earth’s surface, and miles upon miles of vast
nothingness where there are no such things as indigenous plants.
The Tenders of the Wilds know the job that is front of them is going to be difficult, but
they are determined to do the best they can to heal the wastelands wounds. The Tenders of
the Wilds are numerous tribes of Natural Ones that walk the wastelands looking to return the
wastelands to such a state where the natural process of growth and evolution can start again.
Many of the Tenders of the Wilds are essentially Naturalist scientists, learning how to correct
soil acidity and the means to store and transport toxic materials. By carrying non-indigenous
plants into toxic regions, the Tenders of the Wild believe they can start the growth and rebirth
cycle of the world.
Beyond their efforts to repair what damage has been done, the Tenders of the Wilds act to
ensure that the Strains of humanity do not continue to screw up what little usable environment
are left. Performing espionage, sabotage, and orchestrating slave revolts, the Tenders of the
Wilds are ongoing thorns in the side of mechanized process. Many forges, mills, and crude wells
have fallen to the intelligent and calculated activities of the Tenders of the Wilds.
25
Servants of the Undying
While not a strictly Natural One organization, the innermost workings and highest Strain
membership within the Servants of the Undying are unquestionably Natural Ones. The Servants of
the Undying are a sect of individuals that worship the Mortis Amaranthine and the role it plays
in the cycle of creation and destruction.
In the eyes of the Servants of the Undying, the Mortis Amaranthine is not a threat to be
feared, or something to be fought against, but instead an aspect of day-to-day life that should
be respected and revered as much as one respects life itself. It is the belief of the Servants
of the Undying that without the Mortis Amaranthine, and the infection that all things carry, the
world would have ceased to exist at the time of the fall. Without the infection, humanity would
have not been able to evolve beyond its fragile existence, would not have been able to adapt to
the higher levels of toxins and radiation that have swallowed the whole world, and there would
be no place for sentient life or natural growth.
The Servants of the Undying believe that the Mortis Amaranthine has reborn the world based on
what memories and thoughts have been carried into death. A sort of over-soul where the identity
of self is dissolved and introduced into a singular shared enlightenment, the Mortis Amaranthine
then attempts to grow and build a world based on the memories of the fallen. The Servants of the
Undying believe that this attempt to return things to a faulty status quo explains the iconic
behavior of the Strains, it explains why delicate or sensitive items that are considered iconic
to the pre-fall are found despite the traverses of time, and it explains why the undead exist.
The undead exist because the Mortis Amaranthine has tried to fix someone too many times. Like
a piece of pottery that has been shattered over and over again, the undead lack the drives and
awareness to be sentient any more.
The Servants of the Undying seek to find the answers to understand the Mortis Amaranthine
in all things. While the largest section of the sect is found in the wilds, exploring the
unmolested areas where the Mortis Amaranthine acts without influence from the Strains, they are
also found in nearly all major religions and cities. This group, while not a secret, usually
does not broadcast its intent or interests to the outside world.
They keep hidden because the world is filled with many stupid people who would fear them,
distrust them, hate them, and attack them because they do not understand the Servants of the
Undying.
26
“I want you to close your eyes.
Just sit for a moment with your eyes closed. Don’t worry, you are safe here. I want you to
think about your mother, your father, and your family. I want you to think about your friends.
I want you to think about the last time a man gently touched you. I want you to remember the
feeling of a smile, a hug, a kiss. I want you to remember the last time you felt truly safe in
another person’s arms knowing that in that moment you can trust them.
Now I want you to know something. Your parents and your family, when they cared for you,
in truth may never have wanted you. You were an additional mouth to provide for, another
defenseless thing to take care of. I want you to remember your friends and know deep inside that
for as many times that they laughed with you and smiled at you that there were just as many
times that they degraded you when you were not around.
Think about the last time he held you and know that he was thinking about someone else; you
just happened to be the warmth that was there instead of the warmth he wanted.
Hold onto that moment, feel that sense of need. Feel that frustration knowing that every time
you heard the words “I love you” that it was nothing more than desperate words spoken from a
sad and lonely place desperate in the dark.
You asked me what it is like to be a Remnant. In the little pit of misery that you just dug
for yourself know that there is nothing you can imagine that will ever come close to the silent
desperation that is being a left over. A mistake. A mutation. Unwanted. Unloved. Unneeded. We
are the left over scraps that were unfortunate enough to be given life.
And when you open your eyes to find yourself left by our caravan, and you are alone in the
dark, know that the darkness does not love you and neither does anyone else.
Because only Remnants understand that we all die alone.”
27
What it Means to be Left Behind
The Remnant is the unfortunate circumstances that occur when neither Strain in an inter-
strain mating occurs. In addition, Remnants are the product of same Strain breeding in which
certain environment stimuli or latent genetic mutations come to the forefront in a child. It is
possible for two Strains which are capable of live-birth reproduction, where both parents are
perfectly healthy, to produce an offshoot that is genetically different than their parents.
Some Darwinists take Remnants as proof of the fact that the genetic makeup that creates
each Strain is still straining to evolve and become stronger. Unfortunately for Remnants, very
rarely does mutation offer any form of advantageous mutation. For every ten thousand mutations
that occur, on average, only one mutation is in any way shape or form more functional than the
birthing parents.
What is worse in regards to Remnants (beyond the suggested question of true genetic heritage
and parents) is the fact that the vast majorities of Remnants either are sterile or are
extremely limited in their options for reproduction. The mutated genetic birth that produces a
Remnant changes the visual, physical, and genetic makeup of an individual so much so that many
find themselves incapable of fertile reproduction.
However, for those Remnants not killed or abandoned to die at an early age, Remnants can
grow to be somewhat productive members of society. Latching onto faith as a means to find
community, Remnants are often desperate to not only find a place where they belong but also to
try and prove their worth to the community around them.
Sadly, for most Remnants, the knowledge that there is likely no place for them in this
world or a culture to adapt to provides eternal torment and sadness. With each expression of
love and acceptance around them there is always a nagging doubt in the back of their head that
constantly reminds them that they do not belong.
28
The History of the Unwanted
Remnants are genetic offshoots that are a result of unstable mutations as well as
environmental toxicity and poisoning. As each Remnant is born there is a high chance that either
the Remnant or the birthing mother will die in childbirth. Many cultures view the birth of a
Remnant as being a sign of ill omen, a blight on a family, or a sign of infidelity.
While Remnants that are born from traditional Strains are often seen as a curse, it is a
rare blessing when a Remnant is not only capable of childbirth but also surviving the birthing
process. For each Remnant that is born there is a high chance that the mother who is birthing
or the child will die in labor. As most Remnants are born sterile, or are incredibly restricted
in suitable mates for reproduction, the number of Remnants who are able to bring a child to term
are up against odds that are astronomically against both the child and the parents.
Remnants have a place as second class citizens in most cultures. A Remnant is not smiled
upon by Red Star cells, are cast away from Pure Blood communities before they are seen, and
left to fend for themselves in Natural One communities. Even Retrogrades who give birth to
Remnants, if the poor child is born with untainted skin, have a passing hatred for the Remnant
who couldn’t even “properly come out ugly.”
In cultures that have a higher degree of compassion in the community, occasionally faiths or
benefactors take mercy on the Remnant culture and provide safe havens for them. Spirited away
from the community as a whole, Remnants are gathered together to grow up away from society. With
the most deformed never being able to re-acclimate to culture, those Remnants who are fortunate
enough to be provided for in their most defenseless years grow to understand that they truly
have no place in this world.
Occasionally Remnants are adopted by truly loving people, given a means to survive, and are
provided a caring home. Even without culture casting aside the Remnant, the Remnant child will
grow to know that they are not only different from everyone around them but somehow unwanted.
The history of Remnants is truly sad since they have no history, and very little chance of a
future.
29
Evolutions Experimental Years
Remnants are the biological mutations and offshoots that are a byproduct of a rapid, forced,
evolution. Since each Strain carries its own variation or Strain of the Grave Mind fungus (and
a large number of viruses and diseases at the same time) each birth that combines mixed Strains
as parents, or takes place in an environment which could agitate or cause mutations during the
gestation period, has a very high potential to produce a Remnant child.
This does not mean that every single time mixed Strains reproduce together that a Remnant
will be produced. There are instances where one parent’s genetic code, Strain of infection, and
physical traits are dominant in the production of a child. In these instances of mixed Strain
reproduction, one of the two parents Strains may take full dominance and produce a child that
only has one of the parents Strain identities.
A child that is born with mixed-Strain parents, but was born as a single Strain of one of
the Parents, is much more likely to have a Remnant child when they reproduce later in life.
While one parent’s genetic offerings may be dominant in a birth, this does not completely
remove all influence from a mix-Strain birth.
Remnants, if they are allowed to survive birth, often times have a number of mild mutations
that mark them as different without providing any particular evolutionary advantage. It is
thought by some that somehow the Grave Mind has mutations and variants of its infectious
material in all things. All animals, plant life, and physical matter on the surface of this
planet have become permeated with the infection. If this is true then it would explain why some
Remnants are born with birth defects that include traits commonly found in the animal kingdom,
shortcomings and physical weaknesses derived from different biologies trying to work together,
and mutations where in the Remnant’s form seems to be an attempt to adapt to an environmental
influence. Some examples of these environmental mutations would be non-functioning gills found
on a Remnant whose family spends most of its time at sea, thick hooves instead of feet for
Remnants born in a burning hot desert, or mutations that provide particular skin coloring or
patterns to help a Remnant hide in their environment.
30
How to Recognize those that Do Not Belong
Remnants are mutants. Without common parents or extreme environmental conditions most
Remnants are genetic aberrations that should each be considered as their own Strain.
Unfortunately for Remnants, the vast majority of Remnants are unable to reproduce. This is
due to the fact that very few Remnants share enough genetic similarities with either other
Remnants, or a dominant Strain, to be genetically compatible.
When looking at Remnants as a whole, instead of the individual, there are certain mutations
that are more commonly found in Remnants than others. These mutations vary from obvious
physical mutations to more subtle mental conditions brought on by flawed development. While
the following common traits of Remnants are not all inclusive, these are without a doubt the
most common mutations found across most Remnants. In addition, while these mutations are most
commonly found when particular Strains were part of the genetic parenting of a Remnant (when we
could track down who the parents were), these are without a doubt not one hundred percent cause
and effect in regards to parents and the resulting mutation. The number of variables that come
into play with the birth of a Remnant (latent genes, environmental effects, mixed parenting)
often times makes for a nearly unpredictable resultant of inter-Strain birthing.
Abnormal Bone Growth – Over production of bones in a Remnant can produce a variety of
mutations within a Remnant. Brittle bones, bone spurs, over development of bone length beyond
joints, and bone growth causing petrification of muscle or limbs are all common place in
Remnants. Found primarily in the Remnant children of Pure Bloods, Solestros, Reclaimers, Semper
Mort, and Lascarians.
Discoloring or Minor Bioluminescent Traits – Discoloration of the flesh in either patches,

or, over the entirety of the body is common in a number of Remnants found in the Overgrowth
region of the Merican Continent. Also commonly found in the north near the Iron Works, as
well as in the remains of Old York, Remnants that have developed patches of discoloration that
drastically stand out from the rest of their body. Like patches found on dogs or cows, these
blotches of coloration or bioluminescent glow are never as strong of a glow as an Iron Slave,
but easily out a Remnant for their mixed heritage. This discoloration or glow is most commonly
found in Remnants who have Yorkers, Iron Slaves, or Rovers as a genetic parent.
Gigantism – One of the few traits revered in the occasional Remnant, gigantism is a
condition where a child grows to be exceptionally large and strong. Often over eight feet tall,
Remnants that suffer from gigantism not only suffer from joint pain but often times have issues
fitting into society due to their size. Remnants with gigantism tend to be born from Merican or
Genjian genetic parents.
31
Lycanthis – Physical mutation that causes the Remnant to have minor animal traits in their
physical form. The most common occurrences of Lycanthis include eyes, ears, teeth, or phalanges
that have more animalistic features. These physical mutations commonly do not take over 10% of
the Remnants physical form and offer little in the way of actual function. Lycanthis is found
primarily in Remnants where one parent was a Natural One, Salt Wise, or a Bay Walker.
Observative Syndrome – A genetic mutation in the formation of the brain, skull, or neural
pathways can produce more subtle mutations incomprehension and emotional development in a
Remnant. Remnants have been to be known to suffer from severe depression, autism, attention-
deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, or stunted emotional growth. Observative Syndrome
is most commonly found in the children where one of the parents was a Nation of Accensor, Red
Star, Vegasian, or a psion.
Progeria – An unfortunate mutation commonly found in Remnants, this condition causes an

accelerated aging within the Remnant that can make a child of ten years of age appear like an
adult in their twilight years. By the time a Remnant with this condition reaches their teenage
years, the Remnant may appear to be a hundred-year-old adult. Fortunately, or unfortunately by
your perspective, the regenerative nature of the Infection allows the Remnant to continue to
live as their accelerated aging continues into their mid to late twenties. Progeria is found
primarily in Remnants where one of the parents was an Unborn of Teixiptla or a Retrograde.
32
Advantages:
• Remnants are cultural chameleons, and more easily deal with other cultures. They gain +1
die for any social Survival check dealing with people of other strains.
• Remnants make up for their lack of cultural identity through a chosen calling, craft, or
trade, starting with a free Skill point in one Skill of choice. This is a focal point of pride
and purpose for the character. This Skill point does not count towards the Skill’s cap or
cost of advancement.
Drawbacks:
• Remnants suffer minor health problems and mutations due to their mixed heritage, making
them hard to care for when injured. They suffer -1 die to all survival checks involving
recovering from injuries.
• Remnants are prone to vices as a result of their isolation, and must choose an addiction
to suffer as a minor disadvantage, but do not gain the character creation points this would
normally grant.
33
The
Nuclear Family
Welcome to the Neighborhood

“There was a time, longer ago than most now remember, where every person lived their life
as if they were an island forgotten in the ocean. People lived alone. People didn’t live alone
like a wanderer in the wastelands today lives alone. No. People lived in massive settlements
larger than a hundred times the size of our neighborhood but never knew one another. People in
those days lived in a world filled with an immeasurable number of other people to interact with.
However, despite there being so many people in the world most people never truly connected with
others.
“People lived in a strange world back then. People spent over half their lives in rooms
where they listened, but were not allowed to speak. In these places of training they were
conditioned to respond to bells and whistles and clocks instead of being interacted with like
a person. People would spend the majority of their day having limited connections with the
‘neighbors’ they happened to see on a day to day basis. The people they worked with. The people
they traveled next to. The people who happen to enjoy the same gladiatorial sporting teams.
And as people lived their life, and ground away the time that they existed, they were not
truly happy. People had been trained to place happiness and community below the importance of
generating wealth.
“This is why it is important as us, as a chosen family, to come together regularly. In a

world that is not as kind as the ones our ten times removed parents lived in, we must remember
that we are truly family. We must remember that we can rely and provide for each other. We must
remember who it is that we work extra to provide for. We must remember who it is that we fight
for. We must remember who it is that stands next to us as family, who stands next to us as
community, and who stands against in opposition. We must know who it is that wishes to destroy
the individuality of the Nuclear Family. We must know who does not wish us to excel to the
highest of our potential, so that we may cast them out of the neighborhood.”
35
Definition of the Bonds of Family
The Nuclear Family, as a faith, is one of the most successful and widespread dogmas in the
wastelands of the post-Fall world. The success of the Nuclear Family has less to do with the
driving tenets and religious design of the faith providing enlightenment, and more to do with
how the concepts of family and community provide a safer environment for the individual members
of the Nuclear Family. A faith which organizes the individual into groups which protect and
provide for one another, and then take those groups and networks them together as a larger
community, provides a strong network of protection and provision in an area.
While this may seem like a Red Star utopian environment where all love, share, and provide
for one another, the fact is that the Nuclear Family has little to do with from the ideals of
universal equality in a community. Instead, the Nuclear Family preaches specialization and
advancement of the individual as means to constantly raise the bar for the community as a
whole. As each individual looks to excel individually, and provide better for their individual
family, the individual family excels. Maybe the individual who worked harder provided better
resources for their family than the family next to them. Now the neighbors see the success
of the individual, and they too are driven to individually push themselves so that they can
keep up with their neighbors. While the Red Star would treat every member of a community as an
equal, and see that each person will provide for the whole, the impetus of the advancement of
the individual and the encouragement of a social hierarchy based on individual merit and family
merit pushes for a degree of competition between individuals and also entire families. With open
competition, each individual and family is driven to be their best.
This is why the design of a Nuclear Family is important for the expansion of the individual,
the localized family unit, and the larger Neighborhood. While the roles adopted within the
confines of a Nuclear Family religious sect have nothing to do with gender, it does have
everything to do with authority and direction within a family. This authority, direction, and
focus was passed down from the father of the first conceptual family, “The Ward.”
Even the name of the progenitor of the faith has to do with the culture and community
designed within the Nuclear Family. The Ward, or ward, signifies not only the father that comes
before all fathers but also in name dictates that the first father of the faith too was a child,
a ward, at some point.
36
Hierarchy of the Faith
The Nuclear Family has a very distinct structure, organization, and assignment of roles that
allows for the specialization and advancement of the individual, the family, the neighborhood,
and the community. Each of these layers of authority, officially or unofficially, trumps all
authorities beneath it save for the instance of Father and Mother. In the instance of Father
and Mother, each side of the Nuclear Family has equal say, and equal focus on guidance, but in
difference spheres of influence.
Community – A Nuclear Family Community is a network of interconnected Neighborhoods. These

are normally found in larger settlements such as Fallen Angels, Bravo, Old York, the Under Sea,
and the Iron Works. A community is a network of neighborhoods that ensures that Neighborhoods
are not only able to interact with one another peacefully, but that all Nuclear Family within
the Community are truly providing to their highest potential. Community Leaders are a series
of individual Fathers and Mothers that represent different families within a Neighborhood.
Community Leaders come together regularly to ensure that the Community as a whole thrives, and
to negotiate issues between neighboring Neighborhoods. To be a Community Leader is an honor
bestowed on the best Father and Mothers of the best Families in the best Neighborhoods.
Community Leaders also oversee the creation and directions of the Community Watch, massive
trade relations of caravans, as well as setting community standards (laws). While Community
Leaders without a doubt have the most power in a large settlement, Community Leaders are always
under the scrutiny of the Community as a whole. If a Community is overall happy with the
actions of a Community Leader, they will find themselves leading for a long period of time. If a
Community becomes displeased with a Community Leader, that Community Leader may find themselves
either removed from power or removed from the Community as a whole.
Community Watch – An organization of individuals that have been given a martial or

authoritative status within a community. At times acting as guards, police, and a form of secret
service to the Community Leaders, the Community Watch ensures the marshal and legal needs of
the Community as a whole. Members of the Community Watch are publically known, are expected
to have public meetings that other faith members may attend, and are expected to be held
accountable to the community as a whole. The Community Watch is treated with different levels of
trust and acceptance depending on what community you are visiting. While some families entrust
the Community Watch to be the soldier, investigator, judge, jury, and executioner in means
militaristic and legal, other communities believe that only with strict over-watch and limited
authority may the Community Watch remain earnest and honest with their provided power.
37
Neighborhood – Within a Community is a Neighborhood. Neighborhoods are a series of
Families which reside and interact with one another in religious, social, and economic aspects.
Neighborhoods are the most common organization of the Nuclear Family, found in the wastelands
across mid to smaller settlements with Communities only existing in larger settlements.
The Neighborhood is overseen by the Fathers and Mothers of the Families that reside within
an area in a group known as the Neighborhood Council. These Fathers and Mothers oversee a
Neighborhood by religious council to determine the acceptable morality, physical needs, and
safety of the Families allowed within a Neighborhood. In times where the Nuclear Family is in
high population or a particular dangerous area, a smaller version of the Community Watch (known
as the Neighborhood Watch) may be formed by a Neighborhood Council. In smaller communities
instead of a full Neighborhood Watch, a single “Coach” can be named.
38
Coach – The Coach is the enforcer, religious community judge, and executioner for a smaller
Neighborhood. Serving traditionally in the same way that a Neighborhood Watch functions, Coaches
have been named by larger Communities to act as a specific tool to the Community Watch groups.
Often times trained in investigation, torture, assassination, and physical combat, the Coach of
a Neighborhood or Community is a dreaded but necessary member of the culture.
Family – The Family is the primary religious structure of a Nuclear Family religious group.
Made up of a number of Fathers, Mothers, and Children, the Family operates as a competitive
organization that uses the terms of Father and Mother to represent the leadership of the
religious chapter. While it is more common than not that Nuclear Family chapters are not an
actual relationship of a mother and father producing genetic children, when children are born
of Nuclear Family Communities they are without a doubt brought into the Family.
Most families function with one Mother and one Father to oversee the needs of the family. In
a rare instance, where the needs of a family are particularly specialized, a Family may have
multiple Fathers and/or Mothers. As these titles are position of religious authority instead of
positions within a physical group, it is uncommon for religious leaders to want to share their
authority with others.
Father – The Father of a Nuclear Family is considered the authority in regards to aspects
of menial and material life. Overseeing the safety, training, economics, and resource gathering
for a family the Father is a role completely divorced of gender. Fathers of the Nuclear Family
focus on the material needs of the religious Family while working in conjunction with their
spiritual counter-part the mother.
Fathers oversee many rites of passage in regards to the material world including training
in combat, vocational work, and other banal aspects of day-to-day life. Where the Father
intersects with interests and drives of the Mother is where the physical needs of a family and
the spiritual needs of a family intersect during family time.
Mother – The Mother of a Nuclear Family is considered the authority within a family in
aspects of spiritual and emotional life. Ensuring the emotional, psychological, and spiritual
needs of a Family the Mother is traditionally the Priest which brings a Nuclear Family together.
The Mother is charged with overseeing the religious rites of the Family, ensuring that the
mental and emotional health of the Family are taken care of, and providing much of the spiritual
guidance of the faith.
Mothers oversee the rites of religious growth, and advancement within a Family. It is the role
of Mother to determine when an individual should no longer be considered a Child and instead
raised to the standing of Father or Mother.
Children – Most members of the Nuclear Family are considered Children. From the newest
members of a Family to the most long serving follower of the faith, the Children make up the
body of the Nuclear Family religious structure. Provided with no responsibility to ensure the
religious or physical needs for the faith in an area, the Children are members of a community
who sometimes require guidance from the Father and Mother, but are for the most part left to
live their lives.
39
A Further Look at the Laws of Family
Faith is family. Keep your family close, and God is on your side.
What is interesting about the first tenet of the Nuclear family is two-fold. First, it is in
regards to the individual’s devotion to the faith and the involvement of their faith in the
day-to-day activities. The Nuclear Family asks that the individual member of the faith keeps
their religious Family close to them. Close is a term that not only depicts staying within the
same physical area as your Family, but also to keep them in the forefront of your mind in your
daily activities. Thank you Mother, thank you Father, we Children will do what is best for our
Family.
The second aspect of the first tenet that is interesting is the suggestion of godhood as
being an exterior concept. Most faiths in the wasteland focus on material, historical, or
abstract ways to organize as religions. To the Nuclear Family we understand that godliness is
something that is beyond our own capabilities of comprehension. There is a force outside of our
own abilities that affects and influences the world that we, as members of the Nuclear Family,
live in.
To some the concept of godliness is an expression of the unified actions of the greater
Community. Acting with the devotion of many, with the interests of the Faith driving above all,
the Community may be capable of acting in the way of godliness. To other members of the faith
godliness is defined by the immaterial bond that is created within a Family, Neighborhood, or
Community that supersedes the devotion to one’s own self.
Others still feel that the inclusion of the concept of “God” is a reliquary of the old
world. If these words were brought to the Nuclear Family from a time before the Nuclear Family
was a faith, then it could be assumed that those that came to found the Family had some form
of unenlightened spirituality before becoming the founders of our faith. This unenlightened
spirituality probably attempted to refer to the immaterial bond of life that is created through
community and culture, and referenced this abstraction as the catch all of “God.”
On the lips of children, Mother and Father are the translation of the word God given from the
divine unto the unworthy. Thank you Mother, thank you Father.
Never argue with your Parents, they know what is best for you.
The Nuclear Family lives and dies by the hands of those who have ascended to the roles of
mundane and religious leadership. The combination of the Mother and the Father are the Parents
that will lead the faith. Without devotion to the decision makers and guides of the Nuclear
Family, there is no bond of trust. Without trust, there can be no love. Without love, there can
be no true devotion to improvement of self and community. Thank you Mother, thank you Father.
40
The Family does not falter nor waiver.
The Family endures, no matter what.
Families will be tested, and tested routinely, in these damned wastelands. The family must
be devoted to one another even when, especially when, they do not like one another. The family
as a religious organization requires that all members excel personally, but never at the cost
of the Family. Thank you Mother, thank you Father.
Love thy siblings, even when they snitch to Father.

It’s for your own good.
Mother and Father provide. It is the responsibility of Children to inform Mother and Father
of the actions of their fellow members of the faith so that Mother and Father can guide justly
and for the best of the Family as a whole. Thank you Mother, thank you Father.
When you make a mistake, admit it.

If you don’t, you only make matters worse.
Errors happen. While every community would love for all of its members to never err, it
is understandable that members of the faith will occasionally slip up and make errors. Being
earnest and telling Mother, Father, and Family about your mistakes allows Mother and Father to
guide the Family better in the future to avoid these errors.
It is always better to admit your mistakes instead of having your siblings snitch to Mother
and Father. Thank you Mother, thank you Father.
Always treat others with respect, the neighbors might be watching.
This tenet of the faith dictates that each member of a Neighborhood must treat all with
respect and act in respectable means. The Neighborhood Council dictates what is socially and
culturally acceptable within a Neighborhood, ensuring that all members within the Neighborhood
have written or unwritten laws to live by. As a Neighborhood is led by the Mothers and Fathers
of the Families within the Neighborhood, and the bulk of a Neighborhood is made of Siblings who
are required to inform Father and Mother of your errors, it is best to live with respect to your
neighbors so as to not have your actions brought before Father and Mother. Thank you Mother,
thank you Father.
41
Do not fall to the lures of Communism,
and beware the Red Star influence.
Communism attempts to hide itself in the trappings of what the Nuclear Family has created.
Communism claims that all are even, all are equal, and that all should provide for one another
unquestioning. This acceptance without drive for individual advancement weakens the Community.
Communism states that all should have equal say and be treated as equal voice. The lies and
lures that Communism uses in the guise of equality states that we should not have Mother to
assist us and decide for us in times of conflict of Faith. Communism hates faith, hates Mother,
and by that hates what you stand for.
Communism states that all are equal and that no individual should stand apart from the rest
to make the decisions that must be made for the advancement, wealth, and health of the Family.
Communism hates wealth and advancement, and with that, Communism hates Father.
The Red Star are born of flesh that can never have faith in the bond, but instead devote
themselves to mediocrity. The Red Star are born of flesh that is incapable of seeing the merit
of the individual and the health of contest and development. Communism is to Community as a
fever is to an illness. The fever is a sign of a greater issue that must be eradicated. While
we may appear healthy by removing the symptom of Communism, we will not truly be healthy until
we remove the sickness of the Red Star. Thank you Mother, thank you Father.
42
Groups and Organizations in the Neighborhood
Within the faith of the Nuclear Family are a number of subsects which have taken the
teachings of the Ward and applied these teachings to not only the faith, but also different
aspects of life. While some of these Family structures may seem strange, these sects are not
considered heresy or standing against the interests and drives of the Nuclear Family.
The Neilson Family

Closely tied to the Telling Visionaries, the Neilson Family attempts to be the spitting
image of the visionary scripture defined perfect pre-fall families. Usually with exactly two to
three children, two parents, and occasional visits from in-laws that live in the Neighborhood,
the Neilson Family design is a surreal experience to witness.
Neilson Family followers are often considered the most unnerving members of the Nuclear
Family due to how unshakable their devotion and faith is. This would not be surprising if one
were to realize that most Neilson Families are a Nuclear Family of Accensorites and Remnants who
have adapted to become conceptually perfect family members. Neilson Families are often times the
strictest and most evangelical members of the Nuclear Family faith. This extremist devotion is
actually the very spark which causes the strange connection between the Neilsons and the Church
of the Telling Visions.
Many members of the Church of Telling Visions see the Neilson family as a template that
needs to be used to tell the ancient stories of the scriptures. With so many cautionary and
moralistic plays of the pre-fall Telling Vision including the conceptual Neilson Family, members
of the Telling Visions use real life Neilson Families as a canvas to paint stories from the
Telling Vision scriptures. Many Neilson families have been the subject of the attentions of a
devoted Nemesis from the Telling Visions looking to inspire “the viewing audience.”
This strange symbiotic interfaith relationship benefits both the Nuclear Family and the
Telling Visions. To the Neilson Family, they are bringing the faith of the Nuclear Family to
the heretic Telling Visionaries. To many Telling Visionaries, the Neilson Family is an outdated
concept that exists only as a canvas to paint visionary scriptures for others to see. Only time
will tell if the Neilsons will convert the Telling Visionaries they interact with, or, if the
Telling Visionaries will bring the Alpha and Ohmega to the Nuclear Family. Stay tuned!
The Atomic Home

The Atomic Home considers itself the future of the Nuclear Family. To those who are not
a member of The Atomic Home, this religious sect walks dangerously close to the heresies of
communism.
While Nuclear Families traditionally have the roles of Mother and Father to oversee the
needs of the spirit and the material respectively, the Atomic Home has taken the definition of
family positions a step further. The Atomic Home, while containing any number of Mothers and
Fathers, also contains positions such as “loved neighbor,” “estranged cousin,” or “wealthy
uncle.”
43
The idea of “siblings” can be extended further to create sibling relations between those
that are not born of blood. In some communities, all of the members of the community not holding
position of “Mother” or “Father” are considered “Siblings”. While this has a heart of compassion
and caring to it, one must remember that it is the responsibility of the “sibling” to watch and
tattle on their brothers and sister. This adaptability and liberal definition allows members of
the family to oversee more specialized needs and decision making processes of the Atomic Home.
A “loved neighbor” may be a member of another Family who is welcomed at events hosted by the
Atomic Home without exception. An “estranged cousin” may be a person who was of the Nuclear
Family faith, and is still considered a friend to a particular Family, despite the fact that
they have left the faith.
This more wide definition of family, to some, is a corruption and removal of the authority
of Mother and Father. This thought process is often times supported with a history of internal
conflict as evidence. With the extended defined Family of the Atomic Family, there is more
opportunity for areas of authority to overlap or conflict with one another.
Many Diesel Jock tribes, traveling caravans, and Old York gangs that are of the Nuclear
Family have adopted the less than traditional structure of the Atomic Home to account for their
fluctuating and traveling lifestyles. While this does not please more traditional members of the
Nuclear Family, it is better to have a Community of both roads and neighborhoods than to have a
Community defined only by those who stand still.
Valued Hosts
Valued Hosts are strange aspects of the Nuclear Family. Often overseeing less than savory
professions such as prostitution, theft, or murder for hire, those who are known as Valued Hosts
adopt their employees as “sons” and “daughters” of the family. Each member of a Valued Host’s
family is expected to behave by a certain set of parameters, to follow rules set by the Valued
Host, and to act as a repetitive of the Nuclear Family at all times. The rules outlined by the
Mother and Father of a Valued Host family often times parallel the social and legal needs of
the profession they oversee.
Valued Hosts may not be invited to most formal Neighborhood gatherings, however, whenever
there is an unofficial social gathering in a Neighborhood the Valued Hosts are the lords of the
back yard celebration. They are the ones orchestrating and controlling the flow of addictive
products, ensuring that less than desirable members of the community have fatal accidents, and
taking care to make sure that the business of pleasure stays well in Family care.
Members of Valued Host families have different experiences based on the morality code
applied by a Neighborhood. Some Valued Host families live on the outskirts of a settlement,
and are only spoken of with hushed terms in the darkest of rooms. In other, more progressive
Neighborhoods, the Value Host is an active part of the community who happens to oversee dirtier
needs of a community.
44
The Neighbors we do not Invite To Dinner
Every neighborhood has stories of families that, well, just aren’t right. This is true
in culture as a whole, and it is just as true in regards to the Nuclear Family faith. As the
culture of the Nuclear Family community grows and expands out into the world, there are of
course the downtrodden or misled individuals who wish to take the teachings of the Ward and
purposely or accidentally pervert the teachings. These heresies are sometimes seen as wayward
children who need correction, neighbors who need some guidance, or blights on the community that
should quietly be removed without any consideration.
Children of the False

It is said that there is a distinct sect of the Nuclear Family that claims to be of the
Nuclear Family, but lack either a Father or a Mother role in their local faith factions. This
near heretical group known as the Children of the False have taken the teachings of the Nuclear
Family, danced dangerously close to the community design of communism, and exists without
leadership of either a Father or Mother. They organize themselves in packs where the family of
Nuclear Family members treat one another as complete equals, without acceptance of any faith
outside of the localized Family structure, and without acceptance of any specific leaders in
either the mundane or spiritual factions.
It is rumored that the first pack of the Children of the False were born from a cluster of
orphaned Remnants looking to build a faith and fellowship within their numbers, but had no
desire to risk being refused or abandoned by spiritual parents as well as birth parents. The
Children of the False reside primarily in the jungles of both the Overgrowth, as well as the
Iron Jungles of Old York and Fallen Angels.
The Order of Seventh Born

Given how often that children do not survive their early years of life, many families who
are invested into a stable Neighborhood take the opportunity to have large families. These large
families assist with farm work, work to defend both property and the neighborhood, as well as
ensure that a family line continues to be carried into future generations. With the growth of
communities and Neighborhoods to support larger and larger populations of people, so too comes
those who wish to take power within the community.
One such power hungry group is The Order of the Seventh Born. More of a cult than a
religious order, the Order of the Seventh Born is a secret society within the Nuclear Family
structure which reaches out to Pure Blood members across a number of established Families.
Members of the Order of the Seventh Born operate from within a number of families to ensure
that wealth, influence, and power remains within the control of the order. Placing the sects
interests above the direction of the Fathers and Mothers of each individual Nuclear Family, and
creating a surrogate family that networks wide across a community, the Order of the Seventh
Born manipulate entire settlements for the purpose of putting wealth and power in the hands of
the few.
45
It is rumored that the Order of the Seventh Born has influential ties within the Pure Blood
Lineage League, Murder Incorporated, and are the secret crime bosses that oversee the activities
that even most Valued Hosts would not touch. The network of the Order of the Seventh Born are
the skull and bones that is the skeletal structure of illicit and illegal activities. Drug
trade production, orchestrating slavery raids, slave trafficking, assassination, espionage, and
economic warfare are all tools in the repertoire of the Order of the Seventh Born.
The Order of the Seventh Born is, to a degree, the dirtiest secret of the Nuclear Family.
Any territory that is large enough that the Order of the Seventh Born has interests in it, is
large enough that the Nuclear Family Neighborhood finds themselves in need of the resources that
the Order of the Seventh Born can provide.
The Family Eternal

Within the Nuclear Family there is a sect that has taken the lessons of the faith in a
perverse direction known as The Family Eternal. A cult found primarily on the western coast
of the Merican wastelands, the Family Eternal is not as far spread as many other sects of the
faith.
The Family Eternal is the creation of a Full Dead known by the name of Father Maddox. Father
Maddox, a charismatic individual, is said to be inspired and driven by the voices of the dead
who still walk. As a Full Dead who is capable of speaking to the living, and claims to hear the
whispers of the long dead, this predatory leader quickly collected hundreds of followers to his
cause.
Father Maddox, who acts as both Mother and Father for his Nuclear Family, claims that the
bonds of the Nuclear Family are not severed with death. Instead, Father Maddox claims that the
undead not only share an overall shared sentience, but also are capable of being family for all
eternity.
Members of the Family Eternal see themselves as the children of Father Maddox. As a
charismatic leader of the people, Maddox is assisted by a number of Full Dead who act as the
Family Counselors of the Family Eternal. Father Maddox and the Family Counselors have created
a cult of personality which extolls that the shambling dead are not only still people, but
unfortunate lost members of an extended family. Within the confines of the stronghold of the
Family Eternal, blood lettings and self-mutilation as means to make offerings to the shambling
dead ancestry happens on a regular basis. When a member of the sect dies, instead of being put
down forever, the undead body is brought to a shrine like township that has been constructed
and maintained by followers of the Family Eternal. Here in this entombed city the “enlightened”
Full Dead may walk among the Family Eternal to listen to the whispers of the grave.
46
Origins of Mutation
The wastelands are a cruel and unforgiving place to survive. Ranging from poison ridden and
completely encompassing jungles to perfectly dry deserts of glass and rust, surviving in a world
made of hatred and destruction requires adaptation. It should not be a surprise then that given
the potent and drastic environmental changes over the past few hundred years that the plants,
creatures, and even people that survived the end of days have adapted to their environment. From
rat-coons and Raiders to Retrogrades, the evolutionary cycle has been kick-started by a number
of influences and environmental stimulations.
While the latent environmental changes, super diseases, and the radioactive wastelands do play
a part in the adaptation and evolution of all life, the truth is there is a more direct influence
into the re-growth of the world. That influence is a two-part combination of a chemical known as
DMT and a biomass known as the Mortis Amaranthine (Grave Mind in the common vernacular).
To understand the roles of these two key influences on the post-apocalypse evolution of the
world, we need to first have a limited understanding of what these two pillars of reality are,
and, how they interact with one another.
47
The Mortis Amaranthine
The Mortis Amaranthine is a series of biomasses that appear to have grown in correspondence
with the period of history most would refer to as “the Fall.” These biomasses have reproduced,
spread, and grown in number to incalculable population density in the post-wasteland world both
above and below ground. It is theorized that the Mortis Amaranthine can be mapped via limited
historical record to be points of origin of the first “hot zones” of infectious outbreak during
the first days of the fall.
The most potent “hot zones” appear to be a series of thirty three bioengineering plants
around the world. It is unknown if these plants released the plague on purpose, or if the
operations and activities of these locations inadvertently brought about the perfect storm to
kill humanity. What is known is some of the environmental issues that the world faced.
Pre-fall scientists warned of overpopulation and the effects humanity’s continued consumption
had on the environment. News clippings report a massive worldwide famine due to engineered
plants becoming incapable of adapting to a new biological threat. Records report that there
was warfare raging between countries for what would be considered lifetimes over resources,
supplies, and philosophical disputes. It is believed, by notes found in Genjian strongholds,
that there were secret organizations of the rich influencing world markets, sedating the masses
via additives in their water supply, and introducing poisonous materials introduced via the most
economically available food sources.
The world was under control, and then that control was lost.
At the peak of this hotbed of activity, where humans turned on one another for food
and resources, a new threat grew from the labs that once stood as the benchmark of human
advancement. Evolving biological agents which reacted with toxins that had already been
introduced into the largest portion of the world’s population.
This is where information becomes shoddy at best, as we do not know how control was lost of
the genetic creations that would later become the Mortis Amaranthine. If these outbreak points
happened on purpose as a means to cull the population of the world, or if they were released by
some horrific means of accident, an adaptive fungal enemy to humanity was born.
Humanity faced a new top agent of the food chain. A creature that was capable of infecting,
spreading, and learning from its environment and hosts at a startling rate. As the creatures
continued adapting, infecting, controlling, and eventually animating biomasses, humanity lashed
out with its most devastating weapons to stem the spread of the infection. Nuclear weapons,
detonated midair to destroy the world’s delicate technologies and transportation systems, as
well as ground borne detonations with the hope of stopping the extinction of mankind.
The nuclear option did not prevent the spread, as pre-fall humans had hoped. A desperate act
was decided upon and the final acts of “Operation Rock Salt” began. Scientists had found that the
infection would not spread as quickly in host bodies that were carriers of other blood borne and
genetic diseases. While most suffered painful adaption and infection within days, those that
carried a number of other diseases would last months without showing signs of infection.
Desperate measures were taken, and mankind embraced one form of plague to fight another.
However, as humanity found ways to prevent the fungal infection from embracing the physical
bodies of humanity the Mortis Amaranthine was learning to adapt and bind to a new substance:
Dimethyltryptamine.
48
Dimethyltryptamine and the New Evolution
Dimethyltryptamine (DMT for short) is a building block of reality that is documented from
before the fall, but post-apocalypse scientists have been completely incapable of identifying
or finding in the modern form. It is possible that this structure is so small that our limited
tools have prevented the re-observation of this outlined “reality building block” that has been
notated in pre-fall journals, or it is just as likely that the desperate pre-fall scientists
were completely incorrect in regards to the importance or existence of this “reality building
block.” This chemical was reported to have existed not only in pre-fall humans, but also in
a number of plants and organic substances. Human scientists were unsure of the exact uses or
purpose of DMT, however, a number of early adapter “hedons” found another use.
What has been able to be determined is that there is some degree of relation between the
existence of dimethyltryptamine and the perception of reality, the processing of time, and the
comprehension that most would associate with sentient life.
While this is a fascinating study that is much more complex than our brief introduction
gives credit, what is more fascinating (and relevant) is how the Mortis Amaranthine interacted
with the “spirit molecule.” The Mortis Amaranthine adapted. It absorbed this element into its
evolutionary cycle. It used the sources of DMT as a means of influencing not only the untapped
portions of the minds of humanity, but to create a degree of hive consciousness and psionic
phenomena. The poor bastards of the pre-fall had to deal with psionic undead before they even
had sturdier Strains or means to resist the influences of the mind.
The DMT binding allowed the Mortis Amaranthine the ability to spread and adapt into
different, non-sentient, focus points for infecting the world. The Mortis Amaranthine began to
unravel its own creations and adaptive bodies, and rebuild them to suit a world that it would
eventually overtake.
But with the advances of the Mortis Amaranthine into the realms of “spirit” and the soul, as
it began to develop the building blocks of what we would consider the precursors of psionics and
the ability to focus one’s faith for miracles, there was a new development. Mental imprints. As
much as the Mortis Amaranthine was adapting and adopting other life forms into its own spreading
form, it too was being influenced by the collective subdued consciousness it was absorbing.
The Mortis Amaranthine, while not developing anything that we would consider human sentience,
was instead learning the collective memory of a world that would be dissolved and absorbed
generations before the rise of the first Strains. Before the first Full Dead would ever open their
eyes, before the last human fell to become a long struggling Genjian, the Mortis Amaranthine was
forming a concept of how the world should be through fractured memories recreated by DMT-bound
collective consciousness.
49
The Hypothesis of Re-Creation
As we extrapolate further and further from the field of calculable and measurable science,
we are left with a number of unprovable answers to countless questions. We know that old world
materials should have long since been destroyed and lost to the annals of time. We know that
the technology from before the fall would all but be destroyed. We believe that the geographic
outline of our world does not match the way we believe it SHOULD have expanded (looking at pre-
fall maps and compared to modern maps). Why is it that the world exists as it does? Why do the
undead continue to shamble around, and why do they come from the grave over and over again? Why
do we find resources that should be long gone? Why has our forms evolved in the way that they
have, outside the limited evolution of lesser sentient creatures?
There is a single Hypothesis of Creation that is either hated, or loved, by the collective
scientists and historians that still exist within the wastes: The Hypothesis of Re-Creation.
Lacking tangible, measurable, evidence that we can point at as proof the Hypothesis of Re-
Creation is argued from a points of science, religion, and philosophy with a great fervor.
The Hypothesis, summarized, states that the adaptation of the Mortis Amaranthine to adopt
the DMT molecule, and the creation of the psionic link between “infected” sentient creatures,
influences what the Mortis Amaranthine recreates and produces. The shattered, inaccurate, and
conflicting memories and thoughts of the pre-fall victims of the Mortis Amaranthine, combined
with the more recently evolved Strains, guides the Mortis Amaranthine in evolving a world based
on the dreams, thoughts, and memories of those that came before us.
The most tangible proof of this theory exists in two places: The Overgrowth and the Dune
Sea near the Lone Star. The Overgrowth exists in a near nightmare state where the creatures
that exist within the twisted plant life would be closer to the nightmarish memory of “wild
creatures” and “dangerous places” grown from a geographic location where very few people have
active memory and imprint of the actual geography.
Similarly, the Dune Sea seems to adapt and shift on a regular basis. While many believe this
is due to the Mortis Amaranthine having tendrils very close to the surface, another theory is
that the Mortis Amaranthine does not have a solid imprint of what should exist in the giant
areas of sand and nothingness. This theory is given more potential validity when one discusses
the terrain of the area with Full Dead with memories of the pre-fall Lone Star region who confirm
the area was primarily filled with cities divided by giant seas of near nothingness.
What does this mean? Little in regards to our day-to-day lives. Unfortunately the sheer volume
of pre-fall minds combined with the lesser education of post-apocalypse Strains produces a
massive chaotic ocean of consciousness. It has been suggested by those not understanding the
scope of this implied suggestion, that if we “just think happy thoughts” then when we die
and travel to the grave we can then influence the future of the wastelands. While this could,
theoretically, be true the overall process would be similar to changing the color of the ocean
by using single drops of paint at a time. Eventually we could change the color, but, it would
be long after we were forgotten by our accessors.
We need to find a new way to influence the future of our existence, otherwise our
grandchildren’s children may face a world even more influenced by the horrors of our memories.
50
Direct Importance: Unchecked Evolution
While many of the details of the nature of the meaning of existence, reality, and the
development of the wastelands are fantastic to consider these greater concepts mean next to
nothing in regards to the average wasteland survivor. While the occasional Pure Blood locked
away in a laboratory, or a Genjian that is a part of a pre-fall culture may focus on these
larger picture items, the fact is that these larger concepts mean nothing in regards to
individual survival.
These greater concepts, do, however explain some of what we see in places like the Dune Sea
and the Overgrowth in regards to animal mutations. The unchecked and near limitless potential
of creatures that exist in these new “reality mutating environments” provides for creature
variations of unimaginable size, strength, and lethality. In addition, it does seem to suggest
that the larger networked “infection” carries a template for the next stages of evolution for
this planet, and, that the direction that our world is going is not yet completely written in
stone.
We can not change the past, but we might be able to influence what will be.
51
Mutations In Vegetation
The following listing of vegetation is the most commonly found useful (or notable) plants to
be found in the Overgrowth. While there are thousands of stories of carniverous plants that
consume entire Rover caravans, the fact of the matter is that these individual aberrations are
rare enough to not be worth notating. In the instance that a survivor were to come across a
carnivorous plant, we would hope that the surviving wastelander would return to the spot with a
large volume of oil and a reliable source of fire.
However, a plant does not need to be capable of chewing you like a Zed to be a threat. There
are a thousand different insidious ways in which the plants of the Overgrowth can turn a
hardened survivor into a fine degree of mulch with no effort expended.
Plant Name: Bloodbane Root
Terrain Commonly Found In: Dry plains and low

valley scrub, as well as jungle outlying environs
Physical Description: Produces a red sap that

when brushed against or touched, if not quickly
wiped away, can eat through clothes. The plant
itself resembles a thickly-stalked bulbous burgundy
flowering bush. The Sap can be harvested in glass
bottles, as it doesn’t have an effect on non-
organic matter. The sap can be washed off with
water, or rendered inert by sprinkling it with
salt.
Plant Name: Dancing Vines
Terrain Commonly Found In: Deep in the Overgrowth
Physical Description: Looking a bit like poison

ivy, Dancing Vines are actually worse. Prolonged
contact with the leaves of the vines can result
in seizures and even death if ingested. However,
even brushing against the plant releases toxic oils
that can cause a twitch, sort of “St. Vitus Dance”
that places the sufferer at a serious disadvantage,
especially with delicate efforts.
52
Plant Name: Deadling Trees
Terrain Commonly Found In: Moist and warmer

climates. A large grouping of them make up the
Dead Forest.
Physical Description: Part fungus and part

plant, the trees of the Dead Forest appear to have
arms and legs, mouths and eyes, teeth and nails
embedded in their trunks. More disturbing, though,
is that the mouths sometimes move, groaning from
long-decayed lungs. Bloody sap drips from the
trees themselves—zed attractant for the walking
dead. The trees act like Venus fly traps, grasping
the closest dead body and absorbing it.
Plant Name: Devil’s Flower
Terrain Commonly Found In: Dry plains and, oddly

enough, deep jungle clearings
Physical Description: In the spring, the purple

Devil’s Flower produces pollen that if inhaled,
can cause paralysis, seizures, or even death. This
creates corpses, which attract the insects that
the flower uses to pollinate itself. The smell of
death and rotting meat indicates the presence of a
devil’s flower, which also can attract larger, more
dangerous scavengers.
Plant Name: Fernmeat Fronds
Terrain Commonly Found In: Anywhere in the

jungle
Physical Description: Thick, heavy aloe-like

ferns that vary from four feet around to the
size of building, Fernmeat fronds are heavy and
supple leaves that can be sliced open and grilled
to produce a heady, slightly sweet and flavorful
“Steak” or just eaten raw. Fernmeat is what
supports the bulk of the diet of many of the Lost
Giants and the various dino-types in the jungle
like Bisonbeaks and Thunder Lizards. Nutrient-rich
and healthy, they would be valuable as crops if
anyone could determine a way to grow them anywhere
else. Alas, all attempts have failed.
53
Plant Name: Greater Pitcher Plants
Terrain Commonly Found In: Near ponds,

streams and marshes
Physical Description: Greater pitcher

plans are deep, cup-like plans about ten
feet tall. They smell remarkably like cotton
candy and come in all manner of bright,
enticing colors. However, once you fall in
it is remarkably difficult to climb back out
again. The walls are describes being like
“trying to climb glass covered in mashed
potatoes.” That’s when you notice that the
knee-deep water you’re standing in burns like
acid. Pitchers have taken Strains as victims
before, but usually not very smart ones.
Plant Name: Lasher Vines

Terrain Commonly Found In: Deep jungle and
riverbanks areas
Physical Description: Lasher vines grow

very, very quickly. Not cartoonishly fast,
but certainly fast enough to root up and
engulf a full campsite in almost six hours.
Numerous expeditions have returned to a camp
to find it hopelessly ensnared in thick,
wiry vines and lose valuable time hacking
equipment, vehicles, and supplies free.
Plant Name: Needle Grass
Terrain Commonly Found In: Near swamps and

still bodies of water in temperate climates
Physical Description: With a sharp tip and

razor sharp sides, this type of grass can
cut ankles and legs if you aren’t careful.
It appears to be a blue-green in coloration,
and can actually be harvested and pressed
into a fairly tough cloth that is reasonably
comfortable to wear and takes dyes well.
54
Plant Name: Sweet Grass
Terrain Commonly Found In: Wide plains and

grasslands surrounding the Overgrowth
Physical Description: Sweet Grass is usually

light green in color in the spring and summer
and turns to yellow in the autumn and winter. It
possesses an unusually sweet taste, and can be
boiled and eaten. However, eating too much of
it over an extended period of time can lead to
diarrhea and indigestion, and eventual starvation
— a condition called the “Poor Man’s Disease.”
Sweet Grass is a huge threat to farm livestock due
to the fact that it is an invasive weed.
Plant Name: Water Grass
Terrain Commonly Found In: Dry Grasslands and

near riverbanks and smaller lakes and ponds
Physical Description: Short, scrubby, spongy

grass that coats large, sunny plains, Water Grass
retains almost all water that it absorbs in its
spongy vegetation. By squeezing the plant, you
can usually harvest an ounce or two of water from
it. This can be inordinately valuable, as the
grass acts as its own filer, removing virtually all
toxins, minerals and even sucking up bacteria and
diseases as nutrients.
55
Mutations In Critters
In the Overgrowth and surrounding territories are a number of insects that are exclusive to
the area. They can be massive in size, uniquely evolved in purpose, or deadly enough to handle
living in the Overgrowth. From insects that are larger than a person to small swarms of bugs
which cause subdermal infestations, even some of the simplest lifeforms in the Overgrowth have
evolved and developed unique tactics and means to either kill or escape hunters.
When dealing with insects and other creeping critters in the Overgrowth there are some
simple rules you should consider. First of all, if it is an insect that is brightly colored,
chances are good that it is incredibly toxic or poisonous. In nature, brightly painted
creatures are considered the most deadly. Evolution has allowed these brightly colored
creatures to develop means of communicating their lethality to other animals without having to
constantly get into fights. This tactic is also found in Pure Blood society in regards to the
flamboyancy of makeup and fashion. We do not recommend that you suggest there is some sort of
tie between the toxicity of insects and Pure Bloods to Pure Bloods however. They often do not
find the correlation complimentary.
For those creatures that are not brightly colored, you should still assume that the
insect in question is either toxic or has developed some means of defense that will be rather
unpleasant to anyone who has stumbled into contact with them. Insects have learned to emit
odors that draw larger predators, have developed techniques for stealth, have evolved to use
swarm tactics, and even have physical adaptations that could be considered psionic in nature.
With this in mind the following advice is offered in regards to insects: just don’t touch
them unless you have very specific knowledge to be capable of touching them. In the instance
that you do have specific knowledge of a species and know it to not be deadly, you probably
still don’t want to touch the insects in fear of what molds or spores may be clinging to its
body.
56
Creature Name: Branch Hanger Earwig
Terrain Commonly Found In: Found in the Overgrowth, the Branch Hanger Earwig can be seen
within branches of trees and beneath leaf litter.
Physical Description: The Branch Hanger Earwig looks horrifying at first glance with a long,
flat body, long legs and what appear to be massive pincers that protrude from their abdomen.
Light brown in color, these insects can reach about a foot in length.
While these insects may look terrifying, though, they’re relatively harmless. They use the
massive pincers that they have to actually hang from trees. There, they wait for passing birds
or other flying insects that they then snag from the air before devouring. With that said, these
insects can deliver a nasty bite if you accidentally run into them while stumbling through the
Overgrowth.
Combat: While mostly passive, the Branch Hanger Earwig will deliver a formidable bite if
attacked. It usually hangs passively from branches and catches flying animals and insects with
its arms before delivering its powerful bite.
Mechanics:
Agility 2, Appearance 1, Brawn 2, Endurance 1, Knowledge 1, Luck 1, Wiles 3

Movement 4/8 Health 4 Defense 3 Resolve 2
Skills: Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Escape 2, Brawling 1, Stealth 1, Feral Minded
Attack: Bite 3 Damage
57
Creature Name: Broad Mane Antlion
Terrain Commonly Found In: Found in the sandier areas of Mountaina.
Physical Description: If you don’t see a Broad Mane Antlion, you shouldn’t be surprised.
These massive insects bury themselves underground in the sandier areas of the region where
they’re found. Forming pits in the ground, these creatures lie in wait for prey to pass by.
This wouldn’t be such a big deal if the Broad Man Antlion wasn’t so, well, big. These insects
can reach sizes of four feet long, which means that they seek out prey that’s the size of around
a person—though they will also prey on rabbits and smaller mammals or even birds. With large
pincers in front, the antlion will usually decapitate its prey before devouring it in its den.
Combat: The Broad Mane Antlion will lie in wait beneath sand or loose soil. When prey falls
into this sinkhole, the antlion will grasp it with its powerful jaws and try to pull it beneath
the ground to devour it. If prey attempts to escape, the insect will use its powerful legs to
kick up loose soil and debris, attempting to hurl larger pieces at its prey to disorient them
and cause them to fall back into its pit.
Mechanics:


Special: Outside of unique circumstances, the Broad Mane Antlion should be in cover (+5
defense)
Attack:
Bite: 3 Damage
Bury: 1d6 damage
58
Creature Name: Burning Blister Beetle
Terrain Commonly Found In: In dead underbrush in darker regions of the Overgrowth
Physical Description: Burning Blister Beetles are creatures roughly the size of a grown
adults hand with a set of barbed pincers between two and four inches in length. These insects
earned their name two fold. First, Burning Blister Beetles give off a shimmering orange to red
bioluminescence when looking for mates. In high population areas the shimmering glow of hundreds
of these insects clinging to the vines, trees, rocks, and dead vegetation along the forest
floor of the Overgrowth can make entire sections of the Overgrowth appear to be on fire from a
distance.
The second way that these insects have earned their name is due to the fact that both the
pulpy interior of the insect and the fibrous exoskeleton of the creature, when dried, make
fantastic accelerant for starting camp fires. The oils within the insect are fatty enough to
burn, and when dried, the crisp fibers of the creature’s body work as incredibly good kindling.
One should keep mind, however, that until a Burning Blister Beetle is dried out it is not
flammable. Many Mericans have lost fingers in the pincers of annoyed Burning Blister Beetles while
attempting to light a living insect on fire.
Combat: Burning Blister Beetles are passive creatures, unless you stumble across them during
a mating swarm. During a mating swarm 1d6 insects will attack each turn until the scenario
becomes a “horde combat scenario” (see core rulebook on how to handle shambling hordes).
Mechanics:
Agility 5, Appearance 1, Brawn1 , Endurance 1, Knowledge 1, Luck 1, Wiles 3

Special: Tiny -2 Penalty to Attack
59
Creature Name: Devil’s Tree Mantis
Terrain Commonly Found In: Found on trees and plants in the outer reaches of the Overgrowth.
Physical Description: The Devil’s Tree Mantis is possibly one of the most horrifying
creatures you’ll see in the Overgrowth. Stretching two feet in length with red eyes and wings,
this insect looks downright formidable while “presenting” when it’s being threatened by a
predator. It will stand up on his four back legs and stretch out its two front legs to seem much
larger than it is.
The Devil’s Tree Mantis has colorful red, yellow and black splotches that contrast against
its green body. While this may seem ostentatious, the colors blend in well within the heavily-
forested Overgrowth and, in particular, the Devil’s Tree. Hundreds of these insects can be found
on one of these trees during the spring, which is during the insect’s mating season. Otherwise,
these insects prefer to keep to themselves.
Combat: The Devil’s Tree Mantis is largely harmless during most of the year. If threatened,
it will stand on its back legs to make itself look larger before launching itself at someone and
biting them. While bites can be painful, they’re not lethal. However, during the mating season,
these insects become far more aggressive. They will often launch themselves as a group upon an
intruder and devour his remains.
Mechanics:


Special: Flight. Defense increases by 4 when moving in flight
60
Creature Name: Giant Pus Moth Caterpillar
Terrain Commonly Found In: Found on trees and plants in the outer reaches of the Overgrowth.
Physical Description: Giant Pus Moth Caterpillars are about 9 inches in length, and look
relatively harmless at first glance. Large and green with two yellow stripes down its back,
these caterpillars largely use scare tactics when confronted by a predator. They will “rear up”
on their back legs, presenting the large, prominent, owl-like “face” on their heads to make
themselves look larger than they are.
These caterpillars can usually be found alone. However, if they find their favored tree or
plant, then you can find a swarm of them devouring the leaves there. Largely harmless, these
creatures are sometimes also harvested as a food source in the Undergrowth. However, they are
only usable while still caterpillars since as soon as they create a cocoon, their quality is
reduced drastically. The only major risk of collecting these animals is their ability to spray
a highly acidic substance from the “horns” located at their rear end.
Combat: If threatened, the Giant Pus Moth Caterpillar will rear up on its back legs and turn
to face its attacker. If the predator persists, the caterpillar will turn and spray out a stream
of acid that can eat through clothing, armor, and skin.
Mechanics:

Skills: Awareness 1, Brawling 1, Stealth 1, Feral Minded

Special: Ranged agility acid attack 1d6 acid damage per round
61
Creature Name: Harpoon Tailed Scorpion Fly
Terrain Commonly Found In: Found in plains and on the outskirts of the Overgrowth rather than
in forested areas.
Physical Description: When you see a Harpoon Tailed Scorpion Fly buzzing toward you, you know
that you’re in trouble. This insect looks a bit like the front end of a wasp glued to the back
end of a scorpion with wings. Usually a dark yellow in color with brown markings, the Harpoon
Tailed Scorpion Fly is about seventeen inches in length, and makes a characteristic “buzzing”
noise while flying.
The Harpoon Tailed Scorpion Fly, despite its name, doesn’t deliver a deadly sting like so
many other insects in the Overgrowth. However, what it does do may be much worse. The insect
will often wait until a mammal is asleep before landing on it and then “stinging” it with its
scorpion-like tail. The insect will then insert eggs into the host. After 24 hours, these eggs
will hatch and begin to consume the flesh of the host, causing irritation and fatigue since the
larvae deliver a low-level toxin that has a soporific effect on their host. Left untreated, the
host will experience muscle spasms and then death before the larvae transform and burst from
the host’s body as fully-formed insects.
Combat: The Harpoon Tailed Scorpion Fly tends to be relatively passive until it’s time to lay
its eggs. Then, it will latch on to the nearest mammal or warm-blooded creature and insert its
eggs with its tail before flying off. If attacked and pinned, this insect is known to deliver a
“sting” that delivers a toxin that has a soporific effect on its attacker.
Mechanics:
Agility 6, Appearance 1, Brawn1, Endurance 1, Knowledge 1, Luck 1, Wiles 3

Attack: Sting 1 Damage, ignores armor
Special: 24 hours after the sting, a lump appears. Med check at difficulty 6 to remove larvae
otherwise wound will erupt with a baby swarm of Harpoon Tailed Scorpion Flies doing 2d6 damage
ignoring armor.
62
Creature Name: Magma Beetle
Terrain Commonly Found In: Found at the edge of the Overgrowth and in other forested areas.
Physical Description: The magma beetle stands out starkly against the lush, green environment
of the overgrowth. With dark red, orange and black markings, the colorful beetle can usually be
found beneath bark or in leaf litter.
While this beetle is relatively normal in most regards, it transforms completely when a forest
fire occurs. At that point, swarms of these beetles will fly towards the fire rather than away from
it. There, they’ll mate and then lay their eggs beneath the bark of trees, since their offspring
relies on the nutrients from the burned wood.
Because its mating cycle relies on burned wood, the magma beetle has also developed another
feature. Once the male mates with a female, it will intentionally enter a blaze and set itself
to smoldering. It will then spread this fire to other locations, effectively spreading its
breeding ground to other locations.
Combat: This beetle can deliver a small bite if threatened. However, more worrisome is its
ability to spread fires. It can quickly turn a contained blaze into an out-of-control wildfire.
Mechanics:
Agility 4, Appearance 1, Brawn 1 , Endurance 3, Knowledge 1, Luck 3, Wiles 3

Skills: Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Escape 2, Brawlinging 1, Stealth 1, Feral Minded

Special: Swarms of Magma Beetles will carry fire sources to cause giant fires
Special: Flight. Defense increases by 4 when moving in flight
63
Creature Name: Mammoth Hornet
Terrain Commonly Found In: Forested areas or plains.
Physical Description: The mammoth hornet is smaller than some of the other insects that you
may find in the Overgrowth, but it’s also one of the most dangerous. With its striking black and
yellow markings and fuzzy body, the Mammoth Hornet usually isn’t found alone.
This insect usually forms colonies that gather together in a large, round nest that is
constructed out of mud. Because the insects are so large, the nests can usually be found on the
ground in the form of large mounds. The colony itself usually extends far beneath the surface of
this mound, though, in a series of passages where the insects care for larvae and their queen.
Combat: These insects usually attack en masse. When one insect is threatened, it secretes a
pheromone that draws in others. The wasps sting a victim that threatens a hive, leaving a large
welt while injecting a small amount of poison. While one sting can be harmless, dozens can be
lethal.
Mechanics:

Special: Tiny -2 Penalty to Attack

Special: Should be treated with horde rules
64
Creature Name: Toxic Mouthed Swallowtail Caterpillar
Terrain Commonly Found In: Found in the outlying areas of the Overgrowth and in dry plains
where the Bloodbane Root grows.
Physical Description: The Toxic Mouthed Swallowtail Caterpillar looks almost like any other
caterpillar you may find. That’s assuming that you ignore its brightly-colored orange spines—bor
the fact that the rest of its body is blood red, or the fact that touching it can result in a
nasty acid burn.
The fact is that these insects feed one some of the most poisonous plants to be found in the
region, the Bloodbane Root. Incorporating this toxicity into their spines and body, the Toxic
Mouthed Swallowtail Caterpillar also has a toxic bite that can deliver a nasty dose of poison.
Combat: This caterpillar largely remains motionless unless threatened by a predator. If the
poisonous secretions on its body don’t deter the threat, then it will deliver a quick bite to
the predator.
Mechanics:

Special: Brawling attacks or other skin to skin contact causes attacker 1d6/2(rounded down)
Attack: Bite 2 Poisonous Damage
65
Mutated Beasts
The Overgrowth is a deadly crucible for evolution heated with unstable mutations and a
“loose guidelines” interpretation to the laws of nature. With the Overgrowth’s climate staying
primarily in the realm of 60-90 degrees Fahrenheit all year round, its terrain greatly varied
from swampland to colder mountainous regions, and with environmental factors that range
from highly irradiated areas that areas of high oxygen content the potential for growth and
adaptation in the Overgrowth is near limitless.
With layers of habitats divided between the Overgrowth floor, deep into the brambles, to
creatures that have only existed on top of the dense jungle canopy, the number of birds,
reptiles, and animals within the Overgrowth is amazing. What is more amazing than the incredible
variety of creatures that have developed within the Overgrowth is the fact that nearly every
damned creature in the Overgrowth is deadly in one way or another.
Creatures in the Overgrowth have developed tusks, claws, spikes, and teeth to take care of
would be predators and intended food sources. The birds within the overgrowth have developed
techniques to use the naturally formed vegetation and environment to swoop down and impale or
smash victims on spikes and rocks. The bears within the Overgrowth have developed tacky fur to
allow debris to cling to their fur as a form of camouflage (while attracting food sources in the
form of scavengers). Even the ape creatures, which developed in a completely different way in
Old York as Gun Chimps, have learned to start building simple spears and clubs to use as they
ambush.
66
Creature Name: Canvas Constrictor
Terrain Commonly Found In: Warm, sand and rocky
terrain such as deserts and cliffs
Physical Description: The Canvas Constrictor is

so named for its color and its danger. Commonly
found among the brightly colored sands and shrubs
of brushlands or deserts, its scales are often
comprised of beautiful patterns that make it blend
with its environment – or as much as it can.
Despite its colors, an adult Canvas Constrictor
can easily be up to twenty feet in length, made
of little more than coiled muscle and an internal
hunger that makes it extremely dangerous.
While the Canvas Constrictor can live off of

a meal for days at a time, acquiring a meal that
large often means waiting until the dawn and
evening hours when small desert settlements have
fallen asleep or caravans have been broken down
for the night along the side of the road. It’s
then that the Canvas Constrictor will creep in and
wrap itself around its prey, choking it alive in
the cover of night.
There are stories of mothers waking up to find their partners or children wrapped in the coils
of a Canvas Constrictor who crept into tents and lean-to homes while people sleep. The only
solace is knowing that once the Canvas Constrictor has its prey, it will be satiated for weeks
before its next attack, but defending against a Canvas Constrictor is notoriously difficult, if
not impossible.
Combat: The Canvas Constrictor is non-venomous, but it will use its powerful muscles to wrap
around their prey, crushing the ribcage and suffocating them alive.
Mechanics:
Stats: Agility 4, Appearance 2, Brawn 6, Endurance 3, Knowledge 2, Luck 2, Wiles 4
Skills: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Brawl 5, Stealth 5, Feral Minded
Attack:
Crushing grasp: 2 Damage, Splash on +1
Wrapped Grip: Roll Brawn+Brawl for damage per turn. Requires grasp first
Special: Attacks to Canvas Constrictor that has succeeded in a Crushing Grasp will also deal
damage to individual in crushing grasp. Total roll of Crushing Grasp sets the difficulty to
escape crushing grasp.
67
Creature Name: Devil Beast
Terrain Commonly Found In: Prairies and
grasslands in both temperate and arctic
climates
Physical Description:
: Named for the
massive horns that curl off and around
its skull, the Devil Beast is a large
and heavily muscled creature that roams
long-abandoned plains and savannahs.
Despite being herbivores, the Devil
Beast has few natural predators – both
because of its size and its tenacity
for survival at all costs. Their
long, wickedly curved horns often
have remnants of their gored prey
still hanging off of them, and
their thick coats are often covered
in dust and dried blood.
Roaming in massive herds, a stampeding

pack of Devil Beasts can spell disaster
for small trading posts or caravans,
tramping everything in their wake – it’s
not uncommon for war-mongering individuals
to rile Devil Beasts into stampeding
through enemy territory as a cheap way of
beating down a town. Prairie settlements
frequently employ look-out towers so
they can spot the dust clouds of stampeding Devil Beasts from afar and take the necessary
precautions for survival – and most often that means a desperate evacuation.
Taming a Devil Beast as a mount is considered a feat worthy of only the most intelligent and
hardy warrior. Though there are only rumors of individuals managing to ride a Devil Beast, some
Natural One tribes will send out their young tribesman to try and tame or capture a Devil Beast
as a rite of passage. Even those who are unsuccessful in taming one, the meat of a Devil Beast
will provide enough food for more than a dozen people in a tribe.
Combat: Devil Beasts use their horns to gore their opponents in one on one combat when
cornered, but are more often found in herd settings where sheer numbers are more likely to
overwhelm any enemies they might encounter.
Mechanics:
Skills: Athletics 1, Awareness 5, Brawl 2, Feral Minded
Attack: Antlers 4 Damage. Charge 8 Damage
68
Creature Name: Elkhorn Deer
Terrain Commonly Found In: Mountain
slopes, forest edges, and wide plains
around the Overgrowth
Physical Description: Looking a bit like

a cross between an elk and a deer, the
Elkhorn Deer is far larger than their
normal brethren, standing just a little
smaller than a Plague Moose. The calves
are often captured by ranchers in order
to raise for their meat since they’re
difficult to breed in captivity. A full-
grown Elkhorn Deer can be aggressive if
threatened, and can impale a man with its
antlers.
Elkhorn Deer travel in herds of six

to twelve animals, with the young
staying to the center of the group. The
herd will circle up in the event of an
attack, males on the outermost with their
antlers out. They’re tough as hell and
fight hard, making them more than a match
for a seasoned hunter. Their docile
appearance has caused more than one
amateur game hunter to suffer some painful
injuries from having underestimated these
creatures. However, it’s worth it.
Elkhorn hunts are popular with the local tribes. They’re a valuable kill. They produce an
exceedingly warm leather, their antlers are strong enough to be fashioned into decent weapons in
their own right, and the meat is tender, rich, and high in iron and vitamins. A single Elkhorn
buck can feed an entire family for a whole winter if handled properly.
Combat: Elkhorn use their most obvious weapons, their massive antlers. They’re even more
effective than it looks, and facing down an angry Elkhorn is virtually taking on a solid wall
of bony spikes in combat.
Mechanics:
Attack: Antlers 4 Damage. Charge 8 Damage
69
Creature Name: Eagle Hawk
Terrain Commonly Found In: Wide plains
or forests that range from temperate
forest to rainforest
Physical Description: The Eagle Hawk is

actually several types of large raptor that look
similar in both shape and size. Large birds
of prey that have about a 10-foot wingspan,
these animals can usually be differentiated by
slightly different wing coloration. However,
because most of them have similar hunting
habits, they’re usually lumped in together.
There are some defining features and habits that make the Eagle Hawk distinct. The cry of the
Eagle Hawk, both harrowing and shrill, is usually heard shortly before a death. While Eagle
Hawks have a tendency to follow other predators and then thieve their prey prior to ground
predators being able to attack, it’s not uncommon for Eagle Hawks to linger near a farmer’s herd
animals and pick off small or young herbivores. The cry of the Eagle Hawk is considered bad
luck, and animal handlers will usually use it as a sign that they need to quickly move their
herds before one of them dies.
Combat: Eagle Hawks will use predators or farmers to find small pretty and thieve it before it
can be killed, diving in and snatching them off the ground with wickedly curved talons.
Mechanics:
Attack:
Claw- 1 Damage, Splash on +2
Clawed Grip- 1 Damage per turn
Peck- 1 Damage, Splash on +3
Special: Unlimited Flight: Eagle Hawk can lift up to 200 lbs in its claws
70
Creature Name: Giant Blue Raptor
Terrain Commonly Found In: Swamplands and
waterways
Physical Description: A water bird with

powerful legs, talons, and the ability to
spear large fish or even people with its beak,
the Giant Blue Raptor is known throughout the
region of Skatchen for being deadly. Although
it frequently retains a hunched posture in
order to watch the water for prey, at its full
height the Giant Blue Raptor is well over the
size of an average person, appearing more like
a hulking water giant than an animal. Despite
its name, its feathers aren’t actually blue,
but are more grey in color and it possesses a
feather-like ruff around its neck, making
it appear almost ghost-like as it travels
slowly across the edges of the river,
waiting and watching for prey.
While Giant Blue Raptors more

commonly keep to themselves, they
are extremely territorial, especially during
mating season. Giant Blue Raptors mate for
life, and will meet with their partner twice
a year in the same area to lay eggs and guard
them until they hatch. Although Giant Blue
Raptor eggs are often considered a delicacy,
obtaining one can often mean death. It’s not
uncommon to find the corpses of intrepid hunters
along the riverbeds during the Giant Blue
Raptor’s mating season, a giant hole through
the torso where the beak or talons were driven
through.
Combat: Although it can only fly in short spurts, if at all, the Giant Blue Raptor uses its
powerful legs and long, sharp beak to spear its prey and shaking them until the neck snaps.
Mechanics:
Attack:
Special: Unlimited Flight: Giant Blue Raptor can carry up to 100 lbs
71
Creature Name: Prairie Lion
Terrain Commonly Found In: Plains and grasslands
Physical Description:
About the size of a
modern-day cougar, the
Prairie Lion is a large
cat with a mane-like
ruff around its neck and
shoulders. Evolution and
difficulty of prey have
given this feline a unique
adaptation: although
its fur appears to be a
mottled tan color, it
adapts to its environment
to better blend in
sunlight or shadow. During
the day, the Prairie
Lion’s coat appears bright
and almost orange in hue
to match the dusty cliffs
and rocks; as the sun
sets and the sky darkens,
it tends to take on a darker appearance with more browns and blacks. This has made the coat
of the Prairie Lion prized amongst both Purebloods and hunters for its beauty and its nearly
camouflaging abilities.
The Prairie Lion uses its natural ability to hide and will remain in one place for an extended
period of time in order to catch the rare prey that passes through. Usually preferring to
hunt alone, the Prairie Lion depends on stealth in order to take down the weak and the weary.
Although its preferred meal is a young or sickly Elkhorn deer, it makes lone travelers or
hunters equally easy targets as they pass through the Prairie Lion’s territory.
Combat: Quiet and patient, the Prairie Lion waits for an opportunity moment, using its natural
camouflage to wait for prey to move in close, then uses its wicked teeth and claws to subdue its
target.
Mechanics:
Attack:
Bite 4 Damage, Splash on +3
Claw 3 Damage, Splash on +2
Special: When attacking from initial ambush, first attack is at +4 Brawl
72
Creature Name: Rad Yote
Terrain Commonly Found In: Rad-
infected wastelands and areas where
nuclear fallout persists
Physical Description: Rad Yotes are

difficult, if not impossible, to find
during the day. While the sun shines
brightly above, areas where Rad
Yotes commonly live appear empty.
It’s unknown if they simply find
rocky outcrops to hide and sleep
in during the heat of the day,
or if the Glow has given them
unusual abilities to appear
unseen during the daylight
hours. Many a traveler
has begun to cross a seemingly safe flatland during the day, only to feel the fear of seeing
pockmarks of moving glow at night. That is when the Rad Yote strikes.
The Rad Yote is easy to see at night as it travels across the wastes, identifiable by its
patchy fur that gives off a sickly yellow glow. They are tall animals, larger than most dogs
with their heads coming to above waist height on a man, with a narrow frame and impossibly long
legs. It’s with these legs that they chase and corner their prey, able to travel miles across
the wastelands to pick out their target.
While the Rad Yote sometimes travels alone, it’s more common to see them traveling in packs;
their hoarse yipping echoing through the evening as they corner unwary caravans and hunters. Rad
Yotes use circling tactics, moving their prey into a position that’s most advantageous for them
to strike. Even when they attack is inevitable, they often ‘play’ with their prey, leaping in
to take sharp bites with their infectious, glowing teeth that look like dangerous smiles in the
dark.
Combat: Using group pack tactics in packs of 3, 6, or 9 at a time. Rad Yotes attack at
nighttime by circling their prey and moving them into a circle of death before using their claws
and poisonous teeth to finish their enemy.
Mechanics:
Attack:
Bite – 5 Damage, Splash on +4 (On successful Splash Damage, Bite is toxic)
Special: Day Blinds – Rad Yotes become translucent in direct sunlight providing them success
on Stealth Rolls on a 3,4,5,6. Rad Yotes find out of the way locations to rest during the day,
absorbing light as part a form of photosynthesis.
Special: Howling Beacon – Rad Yotes glow sickly yellow at night. Awareness checks succeed
against Rad Yotes on a 3,4,5,6 at night.
73
Creature Name: Rocky Mountain Monster
Terrain Commonly Found In:

Mountainous areas
Physical Description: The Rocky

Mountain Monster gained its name
not because of ferocious habits,
but because it remains more myth
than fact. They are one of the
few creatures that survive on the
mountains that edge the Overgrowths,
surviving in the heights with few
natural predators to kill them.
Medium sized herbivores, these
scraggly-furred creatures have long,
thick curled horns around their
heads and bony protrusions similar
to armor plates around their vital
organs and spine.
This is not to protect them from attacks, but to spare them from potential hazardous falls,
or small avalanches that occur on the mountainsides. While there is some variation in fur
thickness or color depending on the mountain region, all Rocky Mountain Monsters bear one
similar trait: their feet. Their feet are harden hooves which can cut into rock and stone,
finding grip in even the most sheer terrain.
Attempts to tame Rocky Mountain Monsters, on the rare occasions that they’re seen, are a lost
cause. Almost delicate-looking hooves have given these creatures the ability to move through
the rocks, cliff sides, and even snow with ease. It has made them near impossible to capture,
much less kill, and they flourish as much as they can in a difficult environment. Pack animals,
Rocky Mountain Monsters are often seen in herds comprised of one or two males and several
females, identifiable by their smaller horns.
Combat: Naturally defensive animals, Rocky Mountain Monsters avoid people, but if cornered and
cannot escape, they will use their large, thick horns to ram enemies off of the cliff sides to
their deaths below.
Mechanics:
Attack:
Lifting Head Smash – 1 Damage, Splash distance of 5 feet knockback at +2
Special: Rocky Mountain Monsters are +4 to Agility checks involving footing or balance.
74
Creature Name: Shadow Vulture
Terrain Commonly Found In
In: The skies
above cliff sides and rocky outcroppings
Physical Description: Notoriously dangerous

for their silent flights that shadow Cliffside
Natural One communities, the Shadow Vulture is an
enormous bird whose wingspan appears like a dark
cloud above its prey. Its feathers are actually
comprised of red and brown colors, but its flight
high in the sky gives it an appearance of a dark,
looming shadow flying high overhead while it waits
for its chance to strike.
Shadow Vultures are easily large enough to take

down human-sized prey and frequently do so. While
they are patient and quiet scavengers, Natural
One tribes have made it a rite of passage to hunt
and kill a Shadow Vulture. This has made the bird
become more of a predator than an idle carcass-
eater, and its danger has increased over time.
It will wait until a weak or dead creature is on
the sand below, or it will respond to threats and
attempts to attack, spurned into violence.
While the bird’s short, curved beak is better used for tearing meat off the bone, the Shadow
Vulture’s killing strike actually comes from its speed. Its large wingspan and light body give
it a brutal efficiency when it swoops down, extending its talons out at the last moment to snap
into its enemies with enough force to kill. From there, the Shadow Vulture will carry its prey
away to high clifftops, their nests evident by the hanging skeletons from rocky outcrops.
Combat: Large and patient, the Shadow Vulture will follow weak targets until they perish, or
will respond to attacks with violent force.
Mechanics:
Attack:
Special: Unlimited Flight: Shadow Vulture can lift up to 200 lbs in its claws
75
Creature Name: Snipeteeth
Terrain Commonly Found In: Shrub
and brush land, warmer climate areas
Physical Description: Snipeteeth

are nature’s survivors. No one is
sure whether Snipeteeth started off
as lizards or cats, but now they
are something in between. Long-
bodied and low to the ground,
Snipeteeth have thick, scaly
skin that mottled brown fur will
grow out of in patches. This gives
Snipeteeth some ability to camouflage
as well as use their thick hide
to defend themselves from enemy
attack. Small and quick, they are
solitary hunters who use their
viciousness, not intelligence, to
take down prey.
Day or night, packs or single prey, Snipeteeth will take any opportunity to attack and sink
their long, wickedly curved teeth into their target. Their saliva is similar to a Septic Zed’s
and it will infect and slowly kill any target that does not immediately survive the attack.
Snipeteeth attacks are fairly common for travelers and caravans passing through brush regions.
Those who are unwise enough to step out from the protection of their caravan will quickly find
themselves being chased by Snipeteeth, whose speed can rarely be surpassed by simply running.
Unfortunately, even dead Snipeteeth provide no help to travelers. Once perished, Snipeteeth
give off pheromones and noxious fumes that frequently attract other predators, making Snipeteeth
a danger whether they are dead or alive. While their scaled and furred hide make valuable armor,
it often comes at the price of attracting animal predators, even after the skin has been tanned.
Combat: Quick and without thought, Snipeteeth will use any opportunity to snap their
infectious bite into prey and tear them apart bite by dangerous bite.
Mechanics:
Attack:
Poisonous Bite – 2 Damage, Splash on +3
Special: Toxicity – On Poisonous Bite, toxins from bite continue to cause poison damage at
1 damage per round per success past Splash
Special: Lethargic Bite – On Poisonous Bite, victim is -2 Agility for number of hours
equal to Splash success roll. Cure is medical check at difficulty 6.
Special: One Last Insult – On demise, Snipeteeth release an odor that attracts other
creatures to the area. In 1d6 turns other animals or undead may be drawn into the area.
76
Apex - Mutations
In the thousands of miles that make up the twisting expanses of the Overgrowth are a few
massive aberrations of evolution that exist as rumors, legends, and for the rare individual
terrifyingly confirmed truths. These creatures, known commonly as Super Beasts or Lost Giants,
are massive entities whose very presence is humbling. The Lost Giants are a menagerie of massive
serpents, terrain shifting beasts, and horrific mutations that could level entire settlements
without even being aware of what they are doing. These creatures are the sorts of near natural-
disaster level occurrence where you do not fight and you do not engage; you simply run, hide,
and silently worship to whatever faith you believe in.
On occasion, Rover caravans can be seen leaving a region at high speed. If, for whatever
reason, you see these caravans running without any care for the condition or quality of the
belongings on them- run. Drop anything you have, forget what plans you had, and do not worry
about anything other than your own survival. By the time you feel the ground shaking from the
movement of some of these massive creatures, it is very likely already too late for you.
Beware the Overgrowth. Here there be monsters.
77
Creature Name: Claymore Jaw Jaguar
Terrain Commonly Found In: Deep jungle regions of the Overgrowth in the Canopy
Physical Description: Over 800 pounds of coiled, feline, killing machine. With dark fur, eyes
that can track in daytime or night, claws that can rip caravans to shreds, and teeth capable of
biting straight through armor as if it were paper, the Claymore Jaw Jaguar has been gifted with
all of the tools needed to slaughter indiscriminately in its deep Overgrowth domain.
A solitary hunter, the Claymore Jaw Jaguar hunts primarily at nighttime. Using thick tree
trunks and large rock outcroppings as its preferred point of ambush, the Claymore Jaw Jaguar
moves silently and swiftly in for assassin grade kills. When ample food sources provide
themselves available, the Claymore Jaw Jaguar is known to drag carcasses into the thick canopy
of the Overgrowth to store for later.
According to Natural One legends, the Claymore Jaw Jaguar also chooses to hunt for sport when
it does not need food.
Combat: Ambush from high ground, stalking from tall grass, and approaching in the dead of
night are all tactics of the Claymore Jaw Jaguar. In the instance that it has misjudged its
intended victim and begins to lose a fight, the Claymore Jaw Jaguar will use its incredible speed
to escape.
Mechanics:

Skills: Athletics 8, Awareness 8, Brawl 5, Stealth 8 Feral Minded
Attack: Bite 8 Damage, Claw 6 Damage Splash on +2

Special: Rolls to hit succeed on 5 or 6 instead of 4, 5, or 6
78
Creature Name: Gale Wolves
Terrain Commonly Found In: Hunting in swarming packs throughout the Overgrowth
Physical Description: These massive furred beasts have a canine head, thick back and leg
muscles, and each are roughly four to five feet tall from ground to shoulder. While a single Gale
Wolf is intimidating, normally this sort of creature would not find itself listed in the category
of Super Beasts. However, the tactics, cunning, and vast numbers involved in a Gale Wolf attack
is truly devastating. Like packs of silver furred hurricanes, Gale Wolves ambush with hit and
run tactics in packs of up to two dozen Gale Wolves.
With silver fur, pitch black eyes, massive teeth, muscular necks and jaws, and keen senses of
sight, smell, and hearing Gale Wolves leave little in the way of survivors in their wake. The
only evidence commonly found after a Gale Wolf attack is small strips of debris, hundreds of
massive paw prints, and patterns of blood on the ground.
Combat: Gale Wolves attack in swarms. The “runt” of a Gale Wolf pack is sent outward as a
scout to find large food sources. When the runt finds a target, it lets off a single howl which
calls all of the rest of the Gale Wolves to descend on its location. Gale Wolves attack from
ambush, strike hard, and drag their victims into the Overgrowth in one swift motion. Running at
full speed with a full sized person in their jaws is not an issue for a Gale Wolf. Gale Wolves
never attack in packs less than six.
Mechanics:
Special: Rolls to hit a Gale Wolf succeed on 5 or 6 instead of 4, 5, or 6

Special: Gale Wolves are immune to all Psionics.
Attack:
Bite - 8 Damage, Splash on +4

Throating – 6 Damage, Splash on +2
79
Creature Name: Iron Tusk Mammoth
Terrain Commonly Found In: Rockier terrain and lower density portions of the Overgrowth
Physical Description: Iron Tusk Mammoths are terrifying creatures to behold. Standing between
fourteen and eighteen feet tall at the shoulder, these creatures shake the ground as they move
their 9-11 tons of girth. Walking on four legs with massive sloping heads, the primary weapons
that the Iron Tusk Mammoths have are their incredible strength combined with a pair of massive
tusks protruding from either side of a long prehensile nose appendage.
The Iron Tusk Mammoth is covered with a matting of heavy dark brown fur which layers deep
enough that most jungle barbs and bites never actually touch the leathery skin underneath. From
the mineral-heavy vegetation diet of the Iron Tusk Mammoth comes the creature’s most unique
aspect: rust on its hooves and tusks. The fibrous material that makes the tusks and hooves and
tusk is amazingly strong, reinforced with naturally occurring metal. As Iron Tusk Mammoths grow
older, and their tusks are used in day-to-day needs, more of the metallic content of the tusks
becomes visible. The more active an Iron Tusk Mammoth is, the shinier its tusks and hooves are.
Combat: Iron Tusk Mammoths do not attack unless they are defending young or threatened. Iron
Tusk Mammoths stomp on, run through, and destroy threats with their massive tusks.
Mechanics:
Special: The first two points of damage every turn are negated by heavy fur.
Attack:
Gore: 15 Damage, Splash Damage at +3
Charge: 20 Damage, Splash Damage at +2
Stomp: 15 Damage, Splash Damage at +5
80
Creature Name: Sky Burner
Terrain Commonly Found In: No single terrain region, the Sky Burner seems to migrate
Physical Description: Reports from settlements around the Overgrowth occasionally describe
seeing pillars of smoke coming from wildfires deep within the Overgrowth. A couple notations made
by pictograms of the indigenous Natural Ones of the Overgrowth depict a mountain with eyes that
appears to erupt like a volcano.
The truth is more disturbing. An embodiment of the secret blasphemies of radiated mutations,
the Sky Burner is a single entity that roams deep in the Overgrowth and only witnessed from the
distance. A creature standing nearly 40 stories tall when it lifts itself to its rear legs, the
inhuman form of the Sky Burner strikes fear and paralysis in those that witness it move from the
distance. The Sky Burner emits a dull blue glow from internal pockets of radiations which it
seems to respirate into the environment. Near the top reaches of the canopy of the Overgrowth,
the heat emitted by the terrifying Sky Burner causes the vegetation surrounding it to smolder,
burn, and emit toxic smoke trails behind where the irradiated monstrosity walks. Appearing like
the tip of a mountain in the distance, the crowned head of the Sky Burner is obscured in belches
of steam, smoke, and debris from fires. It is theorized that the Sky Burner buries itself in the
soil, only coming up once every year or so if it’s breathing tubes and heat exhaust areas become
blocked. No one has ever seen the Sky Burner eat, or even have a mouth, however both the Church
of Darwin and the Final Knights have claimed the Sky Burner as an icon of their faith.
Combat: The Sky Burner does not fight. Creatures that come close to it simply cease to be.
Mechanics:
All life forms within 1/2 mile of the Sky Burner can identify an increase in atmospheric
temperature. Animate life forms sometimes stampede attempting to escape the area.
All life forms within 1/8th of a mile suffer 1d6 radiation damage per second.
All life forms within 1/4 of a mile suffer 10d6 radiation damage per second.
All life forms within 1/16th of a mile suffer 50d6 radiation damage per second.
81
Creature Name: Thunderbunny
Terrain Commonly Found In: Mid-density Overgrowth and highly toxic areas
Physical Description: If it wasn’t so god damned big and dangerous, the Thunderbunny would
probably be the most adorable monstrosity you could come across in the Overgrowth. With large
ears, a button nose, and luscious fur the Thunderbunny looks like the sort of animal that
you want to keep as a pet. While the urge to pet a Thunderbunny is high, the fact that a
Thunderbunny is roughly 2,000 pounds of powerful kicking machine.
Thunderbunnies are herbivores, consuming about 90 pounds of the dense overgrowth vegetation
every single day. Thunderbunnies have evolved to have stomachs capable of ignoring most
consumed poisons, teeth and digestive processes capable of chewing through and digesting
plant barbs and vegetation spikes, with thick fur coats to protect Thunderbunnies from would
be predators. Thunderbunnies make burrows in pockets of poisonous or radioactive materials
allowing the toxic materials to soak into the outer layer of their fur coat. With the outer
layer of a Thunderbunny’s coat being insulated from the Thunderbunny’s skin from a protective
lower layer, the Thunderbunny uses this toxic outer coat as one of its defenses against
carnivorous threats.
Combat: Thunderbunnies will run unless cornered or protecting young. During attacks it uses
its incredibly powerful haunches to warn of predators before starting a flurry of kicks.
Mechanics:
Movement 20/40 Health 80-110 Defense 15 Resolve 5
Special: Brawling and melee strikes on a Thunderbunny result in the attacker taking
1d6 damage from toxic fur.
Special: Thunderbunny may perform two full actions per turn with full dice assignments.
Treat this as if it had two full dice sets and two full sets of cards to use per turn.
Attack:
Kick - 10 damage, splash on a +1
Bite – 5 damage, splash on a +2
82
Creature Name: Undead Titan
Terrain Commonly Found In: Areas found with a number of crystal outgrowths
Physical Description: Undead Titans are strange creatures. Reports state that they are actual
forms of undead, however, the massive disproportionate size of the Undead Titan dares to ask
the question: what the hell was the Undead Titan in life? Reported to be standing between 35
and 40 feet tall, with a humanoid form, and consisting of decayed flesh the Undead Titan(s)
are creatures to fear. Reports differ, but it would seem that the single bi-pedal form of the
Undead Titan walks somewhat like a large ape would walk, using both feet and hands to move
through the thick jungle. It is also reported that Undead Titans, over time, develop a number of
much smaller arms that sprout from its back. These limbs do not seem to be able to be actively
controlled by the Undead Titan, but they do grab hold of anything that brushes against them.
Undead titans give off a stench that can be smelled for miles around them. This odor not
only can cause gagging and sickness in living people, but draws the undead toward the massive
creature. Dozens of shamblers, hunters, and tanks slowly work their way through the underbrush
towards the Undead Titan. Undead Titans are reported to consume the dead as much as they do the
living, absorbing the flesh of the fallen into their own form. The worst part of witnessing an
Undead Titan is their eyes. Looking at the eyes of an Undead Titan you can actually make out
thousands of smaller eyes which have formed into a segmented larger eye, not unlike an insect.
Combat: Undead Titans tend to remain motionless until food sources come towards them,
sometimes years at a time. If a food source tries to escape the Undead Titan will follow for a
time until it finds another food source to consume.
Mechanics:
Movement 10/20 Health 150-500 Defense 10 Resolve 10
Special: Rolls to hit an Undead Titan succeed on 5 or 6 instead of 4, 5, or 6
Special: Undead Titans are immune to all Psionics.
Attack:
Ground Slap - 15 damage, splash on a +2
Bite – 10 damage, splash on a +2. Bite is followed next turn by Chew.
Chew – 5d6 damage per turn. Does not count as action
Additional Growth Arms Grab/Claw – 6d6 damage (multiple arms attack as one).
Stomp to Prone – 30 Damage, splash on +1
83
The Overgrowth
“Why don’t you come take a seat near the fire?
“You surprised to see life out here? Well, you shouldn’t be. If you look around you this is
one of the most alive places in all of the wastelands. The canopy of trees reaches high, the
plant life in the region is hearty, and the creatures that live in this overgrowth are larger
and stronger than anywhere else in the world.
“That feeling of dizziness you have? That’s because the air here is so damned pure. The
massive radiation that you are accustomed to out in the rest of the world, all these wild
growing plants eat that poison right up and shit out pure air for us to breathe. Makes things
around her grow bigger, stronger, and much healthier. We got bugs the size of dogs, dogs the
size of horses, horses the size of elephants, elephants the size of monsters, and monsters the
size of gods around here.
“But not everything around here is perfect. We also got miles and miles of that death fungus
above ground to the southwest of here. That big ol’ mold mass that shits out the undead. Yeah,
the Grave Mind thingy. We got miles and miles of it above ground intertwined with all of the
nature around here. I’m telling ya, if you see fields and mountains of green and purple moss
with little stickers in it, you need to turn your ass around and go the other way. Past that
moss is a land where neither the living nor the dead really belong.
“Now I see you resting your hand on that shotty of yours, and I know you are thinking ‘When
does this old coot go from tour guide to robber looking to take my things?’ I can’t blame you
for thinking that, I remember what the world outside the Overgrowth was like. I remember how
the world was before my family and I left it all behind.
“I am not going to rob you. I would be a horrible host if I invited you into my camp and then
robbed you. Neither will my family, who are currently waiting in the caravans and the jungle
with their rifles pointed at you; waiting to see what kind of guest you are.
“So why don’t you take your hand away from your gun, and take some of this bread and honey.
You look hungry, you look desperate, and I would rather feed a starving man a little food than
have to worry about burying another body so that we don’t attract carrion.”
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Western Overgrowth
The Western Overgrowth is to all accounts the most twisted section of unchecked plant life
in the Merican wastes. Spanning from the borders of Vegasia and nearly reaching to the eastern
reaches of the Rust Empire, the Western Overgrowth offers much in the way of life, but little
in the way of civilization. With giant conifers to the northern reaches which make travel near
impossible, to the twisted and mutated brambles closer to the heart of the Overgrowth, to the
sharp and uninvited twisted portions of the Overgrowth to the south there is little sign of
pre-fall humanity left here.
This is not to say that the Overgrowth is not important to the history and meaning behind
the fall of humanity and the rise of the Strains. On the contrary, some would argue that
understanding and researching the Western Overgrowth is the very keystone to understanding the
mutation and growth of the modern post-apocalypse world. With aspects of the Mortis Amaranthine
near or above the surface, with the plants literally carrying actively mutating genes, and with
the miles of toxic plants that cause both mutations and hallucination, one could say that the
Western Overgrowth is the home of the truth.
While there is very little in the way of settled territories within the Western Overgrowth,
there are a number of Natural One and Rover communities that have adapted their lives to living
in the deepest reaches of the untamed space. Combining a mixture of necessary savagery with
adopted spirituality, the Rover and Natural One cultures of the Western Overgrowth are at times
as uncivilized and deadly as the terrain to which they have adapted.
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The Bleeding Depths
The Overgrowth is over hundreds of miles in breadth, with many unique vistas. However, the
most quintessential image of the Overgrowth is an area known by locals as the Bleeding Depths.
Deep inside the more traversable terrain of the Overgrowth, the higher canopy trees gives way
to a gnarled and twisted wilds. Thick veins of barbed vines, gnarled trees coated with fungus,
and deep lightless passages traversed by native animals cause all but the most dedicated to
turn back.
Within the Bleeding Depths the more “natural” plants of the wastelands give way to twisted
bioluminescent growths that are born of fevered nightmare dreams. Crystalline growths seeping
toxins grow from warped trees, shimmering lichen clings to everything, and the sponge-like soil
leaves pools of brackish water in heavier animal prints. The lower floor of the Bleeding Depths
is alive with multiple foot long termites thriving from oxygen rich air, consuming massive
volumes of felled woods.
As the Bleeding Depths goes deeper, and the barely traversable animal trails dive deeper
into the darkness, the faint glow of the mutated plant-life and eerie radiance of the insects
provides a vision breaching on madness. Near the center of Bleeding Depths is a span of hundreds
of miles of multicolored crystalline structures dotted with erupting water wells. Here, in
the heart of Bleeding Depths, the thick foliage has preserved one of the strangest “natural”
sections of the Merican wastelands.
Dotting the territory are a number of naturally formed pillars of multicolored crystal
formation spanning thousands of feet high and surrounded by hardened sediment jaggedly reach
up to the sky above. On the ground, thousands of smaller crystalline structures vibrate gently
across the miles of open surface. For the few survivors who have ever seen Bleeding Depths
crystalline heart, the place seems both alien and familiar at the same time. The humming,
vibration, and visual keys of the Bleeding Depths seem to trigger an unshakable sense of Déjà
vu in those that visit the site.
Here within the deepest recesses of Bleeding Depths, within the crystalline fields, resides a
tribe of the Unborn of Teixiptla known as the Poisoned Thorn. This unique strain is more deeply
colored with infection than even other Unborn of Teixiptla found in the wastelands.
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The Forests of the Unmaker
The living and breathing bionetwork that is the Overgrowth hides a disturbing fact that
exists deep within a territory known as the Forests of the Unmaker. While to the North West
the Overgrowth is teaming with active, massive, primitive life, the territory marked as the
Forests of the Unmaker supports little in the way of sentient animal life. While the forest and
mountains in this region seemingly provide the required natural resources for life to flourish,
no living creatures reside within the Forests of the Unmaker for long. This is due to the fact
that deep within the Undergrowth is an exposed biomass that is known as the Mortis Amaranthine
- commonly known as the Grave Mind.
Surrounded by millions of undead who seem to have no drive or desire to leave the area, the
Forests of the Unmaker are a combination of bright green, red, and purple fungus intertwined
with a thriving mass of bleeding muscle tissue. The Forests of the Unmaker have only ever
witnessed by maddened Full Dead and Remnants who have been able to survive long enough to tell
the tale. However, no Full Dead or Remnant that has ever returned from the Forests of the
Unmaker has done so with their mind completely intact.
The Mortis Amaranthine is not a place that one can actually physically enter, but instead a
decayed bio-organism that causes one’s mind to leave perceivable reality. As sentient creatures
enter the Forests of the Unmaker, if they are able to survive the millions of undead within
the region, they begin to slowly lose grip on the perceived concept of reality. Described as
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a sensation very similar to death, and passing through the grave, what details are gleaned
from the “hallucinations” are strangely the same. Impression of bursting into a space outside
of reality that seems to be inhabited by millions of disembodied beings and creatures. Here,
strange crystalline devices and machines make millions of welcoming fractal entities. A sense
of being wanted, and giving up the flesh, is quickly overcome by a horrific sense of losing the
sense of self.
As the visions continue, the mortal form continues about its day-to-day existence. The
individuals, not aware of their physical environment, become entranced by nonsensical voices
babbling in visible and five-dimensional forms. Attempts to speak, and communicate, instead seem
to generate themselves as a form of transient creations of reality.
All the while during this existential trip, the mortal form of those within the Mortis
Amaranthine continues to exist unaware of their physical environment. As the natural threats of
starvation and terrain hazards offer both mortal difficulties and opportunities for the living
to “snap to” back into the post-apocalyptic world, so too do the undead threats present pose
themselves as both threat and means of return.
The Nightmare’s Heart

To the southern reaches of the Overgrowth is a region known to locals as the Nightmare’s
Heart. While oftentimes locations in the wastelands are given names that are either historic or
relevant to those that record the maps, the fact of the matter is that the Nightmare’s Heart is
a literal definition of the experiences of many who have traveled through the terrain.
At the southern reaches of the Overgrowth, the taller sky reaching trees have all been
forgotten in the northern mountains, beyond the nearly unpassable region of Bleeding Depths.
Here in the southern reaches of the Overgrowth exists a territory of thick bramble, incredibly
varied plant life, and brush that varies from four feet to eight feet tall. These rapidly
growing, quickly mutating, and incredibly varied plants seem to radiate from a single source.
A religious holy land for the Church of Darwin, here in the Nightmare’s Heart a heavy spore
cloud clings to the air most days and nights. Within the spore cloud, tens of thousands of
plants can be witnessed to evolve to their current environment on a daily basis. With obscenely
quick growth periods, adaptation durations, and varied life spans, the Nightmares Heart is a
living hotbed of the evolutionary process in progress.
The spore cloud that is suspended in the region and a number of infectious materials cause
those that would witness the miracle of the Nightmare’s Heart to do so from within protective
gear. However, despite the fully functioning suits the attendees at the Nightmare’s Heart often
describe having incredibly vivid nightmares before growing ill. Reports of dreams of a pulse-
like vibration in the earth are considered either prophetic vision or as a sign of terminal
infection.
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At the epicenter of the Nightmare’s Heart, at the most dense portions of the cloud, is
the recovered remains of a pre-fall structure. Here followers of the Church of Darwin have
painstakingly recovered artifacts of the old world from beneath the layers of rich loam to
in an attempt to recreate what existed here before the fall. Many of those who embark on the
pilgrimage to the center of the Nightmare’s Heart know that this is a fatal pilgrimage. They
know that those who work within the spore clouds will eventually die in the name of their
faith. However, given the devoted and almost fanatical nature of many members of the Church of
Darwin, this site is never at a lack of loyal attendees working to rebuild the pre-fall site.
With progress only having truly been made in the most recent years, the first signs of this
site having been a pre-fall commercial bioengineering lab have come to light. The Church of
Darwin at the Nightmare’s Heart pray to find the secrets of the Heart, and hope that it will
shed light on the seemingly organic nature of the infection within all of the surviving Strains
of humanity.
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Fort Wash and Talkie
It is the order of the Fallow Hopes to take the fight to the damned, to push back the creep
of corruption that is consuming the earth, and to bring wrath upon those that have tainted the
world. The inmates of Fort Wash and Talkie have embraced these tenets, and have accepted that
the time for their Final Walk was at the moment of their accepting of the faith. The Inmates
have accepted the command of walking dead men.
Fort Wash and Talkie is a series of entrenched bunkers and walled defenses that penetrate
beyond the reaches of the edge of the Overgrowth. Housing a fair number of “Inmate” members
of the Fallow Hopes, the roads leading through Fort Wash and Talkie are known as “Death Row.”
Riddled with stone and debris bunkers, carved into the earth beneath, and overseen by jumpsuit-
wearing inmate guards from the Fallow Hopes.
Culture within Fort Wash and Talkie is not the same as standard settlements in the
wasteland. More akin to a military base with a small community under martial law, the existence
of faiths heretical to the Fallow Hopes and the allowance for second chances are not offered.
Within Fort Wash and Talkie, those that travel through the territory are searched before and
after entering the territory. Signs or reliquaries of heretical faith are reason for immediate
confiscation of all supplies carried by a caravan and the execution of those that carried said
items. Execution involves the slow death of impalement outside of the walls, so that the
suffering and slowly dying do not rise again, and can act as bait in their dying hours.
Heretics to the Fallow Hopes are treated kindly in comparison to those that are found to
be psions. Anyone wishing to enter or pass through Fort Wash and Talkie goes through a mostly
reliable screening process. Each person entering or passing through the territory must walk one
by one down a narrow corridor walled on two sides by iron bars. Beyond the iron bars of the
narrow corridors are a series of Blind Hunter zombies. Chained at a distance outside the range
of normal awareness of the undead, the Hunters are found to be more sensitive to the existence
of individuals with psionic potential. If the undead react, the visitor never leaves the chamber
the undead are stored in.
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Powdered Road
North of Fort Wash and Talkie is a route known as the Powdered Road.
A legend to all those that do not actively travel the Overgrowth, the
Powdered Road is an inlet route that travels north westerly into the
Overgrowth. It originates out east in the Western Excess, and runs deep
into the Overgrowth.
The Powdered Road starts at its eastern most end in the heart of the
Western excess, where the road starts wide and well maintained. The further
west the Powdered Road winds, more and more splintered paths branch away
from the Powdered Road to north and south bound caravan lines. By the time
the Powdered Road reaches the Overgrowth, the well-tended road gives way to
becoming a series of a few dozen smaller roads running in parallel.
The Powdered Road is one of the few routes that links the middle of
the wastelands out to the western shores, traversing through some of the
deadliest regions of the Overgrowth via a series of spindly and dangerous
roadways. With the regions of the Overgrowth being as unpredictable and
impossible to traverse as they are, nearly every caravan that dares travel
from the western shores to the Western Excess crosses paths on the Powdered
Road instead of risking the barbed wilds of the Overgrowth. Here, deep
within the Overgrowth, the Powdered Road offers very little in the way of
means to avoid other travelers but instead funnels travelers headlong into
one another.
Given that the Powdered Road branches outwork like veins in a body, any
number of individuals with cross purposes could travel the Powdered Road in
the Overgrowth. Bone Collectors traveling from the wastelands of Vegasia
in the Southwest, mercenaries from the Iron Works traveling southward
to gather resources and sell materials, entrenched Fallow Hopes members
from the reaches of the Fort Walk and Talkie encampment, and any number
of murderous thieves and disingenuous highwaymen working for their own
purposes.
The Powdered Road is said to have earned its name from the crushed and
powdered bones of those who have died on the road, and have been ground
into the earth by traveling caravans.
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Factions in the Overgrowth
The Overgrowth does not provide a place welcome for people to setle. Surviving in the
gnarled and twisted reaches of places like the Bleeding Depths and the Forest of the Unmaker
requires a skill set unique to the region: Knowledge of local flora and fauna, finding resources
within miles of poisonous terrain, and the ability to both hunt and defend yourself from the
creatures that stalk the Overgrowth. Between the incredibly large insects, massive beasts that
have built immunities to the hallucinogenic toxins in the ground, and the strange behaviors
of the undead that exist in the region means that anyone that lives in the Overgrowth must be
specialized for this particular taste of the wastelands.
The Overgrowth only has a few locations that would even be passingly considered
“civilization,” so the majority of the culture that exists consists of pocket encampments
carved out of the wild places.
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Inmates of Fort Wash and Talkie
The Inmates of Fort Wash and Talkie are a militant order who have sworn to serve the
faith of the Fallow Hopes unto their final breath. Within the faith of the Fallow Hopes there
are a number of infractions and heresies that the faithful could perform that would result
in execution by their superiors. The Inmates are all individuals who have taken the walking
guardianship of Fort Wash and Talkie as a fatal way to redeem themselves in the name of their
faith.
Every member of the Inmates is a Fallow Hopes member who has been found wanting in regards
to their faith, or a member of the Faith who has taken their final walk into the wastelands. A
combination of the faithful attempting to redeem themselves, doomed soldiers of the faith who
have accepted their death, and some of the most battle hardened miscreants fill the ranks of the
Inmates.
Inmates, when accepted into Fort Wash and Talkie, undergo a process of indoctrination that
ensures their acceptance of their terminal watch. New Inmates have their heads shaved, have
their cell and unit numbers tattooed on their brow, and have all their worldly possessions taken
from them. Inmates are provided a single water container that holds one day’s worth of water, a
single rations container that holds one day’s worth of Iron Rations, a single leather jumpsuit,
one set of scrap armor, and a utility combat blade.
Munitions, explosives, armor, and higher quality materials are overseen by Cell Block
Leaders and are only provided in limited rations as needed for specific patrols. Cell Block
Leaders are an upper caste level of the Inmates, most of which are born of the Nation of
Accensor, whose dedication to the interests of the faith are unshakable.
The Inmates of Fort Wash and Talkie perform daily strike missions into the overgrown
territories, eradicating and preventing the spread of the infectious creatures found within the
area. In addition to combating the undead and hellfire spawned mutated creatures the Inmates
spend a large portion of their time burning back the rapidly spreading growth of the Western
Overgrowth.
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Temple of Evolution
“To evolve, we must understand the nature of our rapid evolution.” This general concept
of understanding the mutation and process that caused humanity to become the modern post-
apocalyptic Strains that exist today is what drives the Temple of Evolution. The Temple of
Evolution is a branch of the Church of Darwin which had been built at the epicenter of the
Nightmares Heart.
The Temple of Evolution is a physical temple located underground. The temple, built in the
remains of an old pre-fall nuclear fallout shelter, offers a place for the temple members to
live where the spore cloud of the above region is not clinging in the air. Entering and leaving
the physical temple requires climbing down a thirty foot ladder into an antechamber landing.
The antechamber has a pair of pillbox style rooms which frame the first entrance to the Temple
of Evolution. On the far side of the room from the ladder upward, the floor slants downward into
a stagnant pool of heavy water. This water, covered with a film of spores and pollen, is where
temple members must pass through to enter the temple proper.
It is the belief of the temple members that the process of washing in the irradiated waters
will kill the spores that cling to the clothing of members entering or leaving, or simply
wash the spores away. So each time a member of the temple wishes to enter or leave their home
they must swim beneath the waters, swim forward through an underwater drainage pipe, and come
up on the other side of the wall. Here, in the second anti-chamber, members of the Temple of
Evolution strip the gear and clothing they wear in the outside world. These clothes are stored
in metal grid boxes, which temple members will wash with high pressure hoses.
After this process of climbing, an irradiated swim, and stripping all outerwear, members of
the temple put on simple robes and join the rest of the temple members inside.
Inside the underground region is a series of buildings that serve only two purposes.
Everything in the Temple of Evolution either supports the life of the temple members or is used
in attempting to historically, scientifically, and spiritually understand the nature of the first
mutations and evolution. Within the temple there is an entire section which has been dedicated
to recovered data from the pre-fall regarding the events that brought about the end of the
world. Here doctors and scientists perform experiments to determine how it is that humanity
evolved into the strains, and what environmental conditions combined with purposeful stimulus
to survive what should have been the end for all of humanity.
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The Poisoned Thorn
In the Bleeding Depths is a tribe of the Unborn of Teixiptla named the Poisoned Thorn. Less
than a hundred in total population, most of the wastelands are completely ignorant of their
existence. The Poisoned Thorn is a sequestered community that shares a trait; they are unique
carriers of even a higher density of infectious materials than the other born of their Strain.
The high degree of infection can be seen in both their deeply discolored veins as well as with
the jaundiced color of their skin. Upon closer inspection one would see that the distended veins
of the Poisoned Thorns are swollen and discolored with an oily sheen similar to that of crow
feathers.
The Poisoned Thorn reside deep within the Bleeding Depths of the Overgrowth within a short
distance from the crystalline structures within the nebulous regions of the depths. The Poisoned
Thorn have built their community above the overgrowth’s floor, and intertwined their homes
and community within the toxic plants and deadly thorns that grow heavily in the area. It is
believed by the tribe that their unique appearance is directly related to an inherent resistance
to the deadly toxins the plants carry, which protects their settlement from the oversized
creatures that reside within the forests depths.
The Poisoned Thorn see the crystalline fields as a holy place, and have formed a religion
based on ancestral mythology involving their dead god sleeping shallow beneath the ground. The
crystals that grow from the earth are shards of great barbs that had pierced the body and heart
of their god, and the tribe believes that the first of the Poisoned Thorn stood up from the blood
their dead god had spilled.
In tribute to their god, once a year the best warriors of the Poisoned Thorn leave their
home and travel many miles to where the Overgrowth begins to grow thin. Here the warriors search
for outpost encampments, travelers, or wanderers to capture and bring back as living sacrifices.
Those that are captured and brought back to the crystalline fields are fed well, dressed in
fine hand woven clothes, and are brought out to the crystal fields during the new moon of the
winter months. Here, the faith leaders of the Poisoned Thorn cut the throat of the captured
sacrifice with a barbed ritual knife made painstakingly from shards of the crystal growths.
Regardless of how far along the infection has spread in the captive before the sacrifice,
once the ritual is completed, the sacrificial offering never opens their eyes again in life or as
a zombie. Instead, their mind is forever caught within the crystalline fields and woven into the
subconscious of the Mortis Amaranthine.
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Notorious Persona
Within the twisted terrain of the depths of the Overgrowth it is rare to find civilizations.
Instead, most people outside the fringes of the Overgrowth don’t know that “civilized” life
really exists in such a chaotic and dangerous area. However, for the settlements immediately
around the region of the Overgrowth, rumors and legends exist of groups and individuals.
The following are a number of individuals that are whispered of, and only truly known, to
a handful of people within the Overgrowth. To those who do not live in, or spend time on the
fringes of, the Overgrowth these people might as well not exist. However, to those who travel
within the brambled and dangerous regions, these people are legend.
Setchor Lomen
Legend has it that deep within the
Overgrowth is a Natural One by the name of
Setchor Lomen. Traveling with only a handful
of her pack mates, this hunter has left the
traditions of her homeland and faith behind.
Born as a member of the Tribes of the Seasons,
Setchor was one of the finest warriors of her
tribe. She was fast, she was smart, she was
strong, and she was deadly with nearly every
weapon she picked up.
It was only natural that when it came

time for Autumn to rule the seasons,
that Setchor would lead the tribe.
During the culling season that Setchor
was leader, the tribe hunted and
killed many enemies and threats in the
region. Setchor led the tribe to raid rival
neighboring settlements, to strike at cities
which had grown weak, and to increase their
territory tenfold. All of this was attained in
one season.
However, when the season turned and autumn turned to winter, Setchor refused to give up
leadership. She demanded that anyone who would take leadership of the seasons must be able
to take it from her by force, to take the rule of the tribe by blood, and that she would not
release control of the seasons to someone who was weaker than herself.
It was then that Setchor began to understand the truth of the Final Knights, and left the
tradition of her tribe behind. Setchor led her tribe for one full year, ignoring the traditions
of the Seasons, and in that time her tribe grew by bloody conquest. However, those that held
true to the old ways and remained loyal to the Tribes of the Seasons made plots to remove
Setchor from power.
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After a successful raid, the tribe celebrated with drink and meals. Those that survived were
lauded as victors while those that were lost in the conflict were memorialized as heroes. As the
celebration continued, one of the tribesmen slipped a poison into Setchor’s drink. She fell to
the toxins within the bottle, and when she rose again, she found that nearly her entire tribe
had abandoned her body near the edge of the Overgrowth.
Only a handful of tribe members remained loyal to her and stayed with her body while
the infection took hold. These loyal tribe members travel with her to this night within the
Overgrowth, where Setchor lives and hunts in the traditions of might and strength. Here Setchor
proves that her pack is truly the most alpha dominant beings, capable of fighting and felling
beasts one hundred times their size.
It is rumored that those that Setchor Lomen finds that survive in the wilds of the Overgrowth
are sometimes given the option to join her pack. It is even rumored that once she has enough
warriors, forged in the death and chaos of the Overgrowth, that she will leave the territory to
find her old tribe.
Curie Pierre of the Temple of Evolution

As a sign of eternal dedication, when
ascending to the position of Curie each member
of the Temple of Evolution forever discards
any name they were known by before evolving
into leadership. In the past thirty years
there have been two Maries and one Pierre who
have served as the leader of the Temple of
Evolution. As the old leadership falls, they
pass their protective hood and mask to the new
generation to wear as they take over. This
gesture not only passes the authority of an
image from person to person, but also ensures
that the new Curie understands completely that
the individual person is not important in the
Temple of Evolution. Only the cause and the
purpose of finding the evolutionary spark is
important.
The current Pierre of the temple

has taken the works of the Maries and
Pierres that came before him and
made some amazing advancement in the
field of the evolution of humanity.
By taking the seemingly unrelated fields of
pre-fall plant bio-engineering, mass food
production, population growth projections,
and historic records of systematic outbreak
points, the Curie has made some very
interesting theories. It is the current
Curie’s theory that the evolution of humanity
was not initially intended, but instead
occurred as an unforeseen mutation.
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Furthermore, it is the theory of the current Curie Pierre that the breakout that caused
the fall of humanity was intended as a means of population control. Originally designed as a
means of long-term conditioning of the masses of humanity, it theorized that major economic
and production groups from before the fall purposely placed chemical compounds in the cheapest
available food as a means of causing health defects. This indirect attempt at population
control was only one part of a multi-faceted program that was intended on culling the majority
of humanity from the planet.
When population hit an all-time high, it is the theory of the Curie that this program spun
into more desperate measures. Wars that enveloped the entire world. Socio-economic warfare.
Manufactured diseases. Deadly addictive materials released into the world as recreational drugs.
Genetic mutation of plant matter so that it could not reproduce (thereby limiting available
food). Finally, an engineered event was released at thirty three production facilities around
the world. These facilities would provide the first steps of the undead plague, and trigger the
evolution of the Strains.
Knowing the names of these thirty three locations, Curie Pierre has theories in regards to
the evolution of the Strains and the faiths, believing the Strains were never meant to be. It
is his theory that humanity tried to kill itself off, save for those they stored in a form of
suspended animation. A suspended animation that too went wrong, and created the Strain known as
the Semper Mort.
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The Westward Excess
The Reclaimed Overgrowth
“Welcome to the promised land my friend. A land where you can truly raise a family and
rebuild a community. Look around you. As far as the eye can see there are vegetables to be
harvested, wild boar to be hunted, hay to be cut, and veloci-chickens to be herded. It is a
cornucopia of food, potential, and community.
“Of course we do have issues that we have to deal with on a regular basis. We occasionally
have issue with caravans of less than neighborly folk passing through our area, trying to take
advantage of our community. There are also the undead that are drawn to the area and somehow
find their way out of the Overgrowth.
“And of course we have to make deals with the Diesel Jock clans in the area. They make some
sort of fuel out of our produce, and if we don’t give it to ‘em they are just going to fight us
to take it anyway. We also have issues with desperate slavers coming up from the Vegasia region
as well as down from the Iron Works. Plus we do have the occasional bout of disease that rips
through the region.
“Not to mention in the fall there is the entire push by the wildlife to try and consume
as much food as possible before the harvest and the winter months, which always brings some
trouble. We have to set watches along the edge of the Overgrowth to give us warning for when
the massive beasts come climbing out of that jungle. There is nothing like having to deal
with a couple building-sized creatures trying to consume their weight in plant and animal. Of
course, by animal, I mean our livestock and us.
“Oh, and there is the fact that every few years the head honchos of Vegasia decide to run
their Guts and Bolts racing tournament through our territory. By the time they get this far
they are wild eyed and desperate. Makes for a situation when these greed driven racers come
ripping through our network of small towns looking for supplies, or Mother and Father forbid,
they break out into open warfare in our communities. I remember about six years ago that this
giant Flat Back mounted with these flame jet spewing hoses went wild on a team of Iron Horse
riders right in the middle of town. Of course after the fires settled down and we buried those
folk who died their last, we had to rebuild the town� but that’s what community is about!
Helping one another in a time of need. I tell you, we almost should thank those drivers because
what we built in place of the old town is MUCH better than what we originally had.
“What? You’re leaving? Where are you going to go? Travel with the Rovers into the Overgrowth
so they can steal your shoes and leave you for dead? Or maybe you want to go live with those
Red Star down in the Salt Lake Commune.
“You ain’t Red, are you?”
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Gateway
While officially named the town of Gateway, nearly everyone who travels through the region
refers to the town of Gateway as “Little Wardville.” This nickname is not one that the residents
of Gateway appreciate very much, and given their feverish pride in their home town very few
people would dare use the name within earshot of a local.
Gateway is a Nuclear Family owned settlement that takes its dedication to community
and family in deadly earnest. The town is organized into a series of five “residencies” and
neighborhoods. With the “Downtown Gateway” residency in the center, the rest of the population
resides in North, East, West, and South Gateway. With each outer residency hosting a population
of between two and four hundred people, the settlement of Gateway is without a doubt a bastion
of repopulation.
Each residency has roughly twenty homes with connecting farmland, water reservoirs which
help maintain crops during the dry season, and all of the basic community support businesses
any moderate sized settlement would need. In Downtown Gateway the central courthouse, anti-Red
Star league, hospital, markets, and artisan shops can be found.
While the structures of Gateway are primarily made of wood with thatch roofs, there are a
few stone and sturdier structures that function as town centers (in the instance of rad storms,
larger swarms of threats, or other states of emergency). These buildings, treated as commonplace
property of the town, are overseen by the municipal council. With a large number of Iron Slaves
functioning as the property of the state collective, the settlement of Gateway has sprouted from
the dreams of law and order.
And the municipal board of Gateway keeps a close eye on their town to ensure that this is
how things will remain. The municipal board, and a number of employed citizen agents, function
as a means to keep a watch on the neighborhood. If the citizen agents were to witness any “un-
neighborly activities” or pro-Red Star inclinations, the municipal board acts in whatever means
they feel are in the best interests of the town. While sometimes the best interests of the town
involve a quick conversation to ensure that the neighborhood remains on point, many times it
involves black bagging members of the town in the dead of night and ensuring they are never
heard from again.
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Bottoms Round
A few days travel to the southwest of the town of Gateway rests the small permanent
encampment of Bottoms Round. Bottoms Round is a ranching community that raises, butchers, and
salts meats for sale and trade to neighboring communities. Bottoms Round in most instances
would just be considered an outlaying ranchers community of Gateway, however, the need for
militant minded people to ensure the safety of the herds has caused a town to grown to match
the population of the area.
In Bottoms Round there are very few laws, and no known political structure. Instead, twenty
major cattle barons have carved out sections of the wasteland as a way to raise cattle for
profit. The issue is that with such a large number of cattle in there area, there are difficulties
that tend to regularly occur in the wastelands.
The first issue that the barons of Bottoms Round deal with are the undead. While most undead
won’t chew on cattle (can’t infect them the same way they can a person) the constant noise,
smells, and activities in the area will draw undead for miles. One particularly badly timed
“Digger” undead could cause a stampede or a number of cattle to be injured.
The second issue that the barons of Bottoms Round deal with is when it comes time to
slaughter. Originally the barons would slaughter cattle as it was needed, but they found that
the constant smell of fresh blood and the cries from the animals would draw undead and raiders
to their camps all year round. So instead, the barons of Bottoms Round have agreed to only
slaughter animals three times a year. This is accepting that the settlement is guaranteed to be
hit with an onslaught three times a year, but, it is better to be able to predict when these
activities will happen instead of it being a constant threat.
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The third issue that the barons of Bottoms Round deal with is cattle theft. The herds that the
barons keep are prize crops, and worth a ton of money to anyone with half a brain for selling
resources. With so many “cash cows” being in the fields, the barons need to be concerned about
outsiders as well as their neighbors stealing their animals.
Lastly, the barons of Bottoms Round need to deal with the very help they have hired. In the
wasteland, finding people skilled at guarding and killing who also have good intent is about as
likely as finding a cute Retrograde. With this in mind, the barons are always on the watch to
make sure their own hired guards don’t turn on them, attack their families, or cause chaos. Many
barons have brought in brothels, bars, and other means of entertainment to keep their hired guns
preoccupied (and happy) in the downtime between onslaughts.
Bell’s View
Located just a day’s travel directly south of Gateway is the entrenched settlement of Bell’s
View. With limited laneways into and out of the city by land, Bell’s View was a perfect location
for a settlement to entrench and defend themselves from the threats of the wastelands. The city
of Bell’s View spread outward from its city center, the Final Knight Citadel of Offrut.
Bell’s View functions as a much smaller settlement than the territory of Gateway. With the
restrictions of the waterways and the necessity for secured locations the overall terrain of
the area has caused a restriction in the volume of resources that can be produced in the area.
In addition, the settlement of Bell’s View has a much less organized (and lenient) system
of policing its community and overseeing the territory. In short, the settlement of Bell’s
View is a settlement that is overseen by the religious order of the Final Knights as well as
a particularly depraved and ruthless order of the Light of Hedon. These two groups provide
no division between the functions of faith and the direction of political control within the
settlement.
This means that the streets of Bell’s View are often filled with excess, violence, crime,
and chaos. While this breeding pot of pain and pleasure has no mercy for those that do not
excel within this environment, those merchants and thugs who are capable of adapting to the
environment find themselves capable of fighting and stealing their way to power. That is of course
assuming that the person climbing is willing to play ball with the religious leaders of either
the Final Knights or the Light of Hedon.
Despite its dangerous nature, the settlement of Bell’s View has a lot of travelers that pass
through the area for short periods. Rovers looking to refill supplies (and have another Remnant)
find the dangers of Bell’s View much more acceptable than risking the regime of Gateway. In
addition, members of faiths other than the Nuclear Family can often hide their devotion just
long enough to resupply and get out of the settlement of Bell’s View.
On occasion, even the occasional deviating member of Gateway finds themselves falling from
grace and visiting Bell’s View. While often times these visits come to no real harm, the
blackmail potential and threat of disapproval from the Gateway municipal board cause a very
high risk.
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Genesis Cradle
Hidden out in the massive hills and irradiated scrublands is a single pre-fall complex that
still stands. With massive stone and concrete walls encompassing a grid of nearly 10 square
miles, this settlement was created and tended to through the entire fall of man and into the
post-fall era. This Genjian stronghold seems to be planted in the middle of nowhere with no
signs of pre-fall roadway or structural settlements around the building. On the outer walls of
the structure, thick layers of paint have marked the walls with a Genjian Mon on every third
panel. This Mon, an image of a bird flying upward inside an arched circle, is the marking of the
Genesis Cradle stronghold.
The Genesis Cradle is a Genjian stronghold which repurposed themselves after the fall of
man. While records indicate that this location once was used as a remote stronghold to store
data on the initial infection, as well as reports of a pre-fall conspiracy of population
control initiated by a hidden ruling organization from before the first stages of the fall of
man, this data has been given a new purpose. This purpose is three-fold. First the inhabitants
of the Genesis Cradle must study mutation in relation to the infection to find a way to produce
a new breed of Human. Second, the Genesis Cradle must find a way to use pre-fall technologies to
sustain this new genus of humanity, or provide a means of safe shelter away from the infection.
Lastly, the Genesis Cradle must destroy any and all inhabitants of the planet that carry the
infection within it.
To make progress on this function, the Genesis Cradle has set a number of hidden operations
around the wasteland that are all working independently (and unknowingly) towards this single
goal. While one organization is researching pre-fall nuclear weapon technologies, another group
is breeding slaves to encourage mutations to occur, and another group is working on recovering
old world information and artifacts in regards to technology.
While the Genesis Cradle understands that they will not achieve their goal in one lifetime,
or maybe even ten, their influence and connections within organizations such as Murder Inc,
the Fallow Hopes, the Pure Blood Lineage League, the breeding programs of the Iron Works, and
extremist Darwinist organizations should bring concern to anyone aware of their activities.
Unfortunately, to date, no one is aware of the intent of the Genesis Cradle.
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Rovers Rest of Freakmount
Freakmount is not as much a town as it is a temporary Rover encampment that is always being
visited by at least a dozen caravans. A location north of Gateway and well outside of the
reach of the Overgrowth, the Rovers’ Rest of Freakmount is a series of temporary structures
surrounding a few permanent buildings built out of the rubble of the old age.
Freakmount is primarily constructed using caravans, reclaimed materials from the area,
temporary structures, permanent yurts, and a number of make-shift buildings roofed with brightly
colored fabrics. With each caravan of Rovers coming into the area leaving a mark of culture,
color, and history to the area the Rovers’ Rest of Freakmount is awash with culture. The air
normally smells of cooking food, spices, hot brews, and cold drinks. There is always the sound
of music or performance somewhere in the Rovers’ Rest of Freakmount.
Freakmount has potable water from natural wells, easy access to a number of different well-
traveled roads, and due to the number of caravans that travel through the area on a regular
basis, Freakmount is a fantastic location for bartering resources and gaining information. While
there is no official government per se in Freakmount, the caravans tend to each temporarily claim
small resting spots as their own to habitat and police. When threats come in from the outside,
depending on the size, either the Rovers’ Rest of Freakmount unifies to defend their temporary
home or they all pack up and leave for a short period.
Eventually, the Rovers’ Rest of Freakmount ends up once again becoming a hub for Rovers once
the threat has passed.
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Faction of the Westward Excess
Outside the deep regions of the Overgrowth, where the Strains have begun to re-civilize
areas of the wastelands into developing frontier communities, there are a number of
organizations that have sway. These groups, for better or worse, have a stranglehold of control
over the regions they are in.
While this control does allow for a degree of order and structure to be built, the near
limitless power and influence of these groups causes environments that range from fascist
regimes to unstoppable numbers with cult like devotion. Be it making people disappear,
controlling the resources of an area, ensuring that all people “fall in line,” or mandating
religious devotion the degree of control these groups have in the middle of the wastelands runs
completely unchecked.
We present to you some of the biggest, and most unstoppable, groups that exist in The
Western Excess.
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Municipal Board of Gateway
The settlement of Gateway runs in perfect order. The families within the community provide
for their neighbors, work hard, and live wholesome lives. So wholesome that the consumption of
distilled non-medicinal items is strictly forbidden. So wholesome that marriages are chosen by
the municipal board to create “the highest level of potential growth of the community.” The
settlement is so wholesome that people in the neighborhoods do not have locks for their doors,
because only people who have something to hide need to keep their neighbors out.
The settlement of Gateway lives under the complete control of a secret organization known as
the Municipal Board. The Municipal Board oversees day to day life within the community, has
dozens of hidden spies and sleeper agents, ensures that trade is fair, and micro-manages much of
every citizen’s daily life.
The Municipal Board chooses what families will marry together, and gives direction for how
many children each family should have. The Municipal Board ensures that every townsfolk is
trained and programmed to respond to outside threat, or outside ways of thought, with vehement
hatred and violence. The Municipal Board hunts down people who act against the interests of the
community or are resistant to the control of the Municipal Board, and uses their sleeper agents
to have those people vanish. People die all the time in the wastelands.
If there are properties or goods that the Municipal Board feels they need (or really just
want), all it takes in manufacturing witnesses or evidence that a town member is deserving of
being punished. Perhaps a town member could be found to be a godless heathen, given into the
excesses of Hedon. Maybe a town member can be found working against the town for their own greed
and wellbeing. And if the Municipal Board truly wants to completely destroy a family, and take
everything it has, all that needs to be done is manifesting evidence of pro-Red Star activities.
No one in the community will ever forgive Red Star lovers.
The Municipal Board does not have a public face, but instead places their decrees and
requirements on public posting boards in Downtown Gateway. These decrees are always marked with
a silhouette stamp of what the town knows to be “Mother” and “Father.” The bottom of each decree
is signed with “Thank you Mother, thank you Father.” When the Municipal Board acts through its
agents, the citizens of Gateway are trained from an early age to thank the agents by saying
“Thank you Mother, thank you Father.”
Brainwashing and conditioning are a part of living in the safety of Gateway.
Thank you Mother, thank you Father.
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Silent Neighbors of Gateway
The Silent Neighbors of Gateway are a society of secret police which answer only to the
Municipal Board. Provided with papers of authority, near unlimited power, and the direction to
find and remove threats to the community, the Silent Neighbors cause as much fear as they do
peace within the city of Gateway.
Most Silent Neighbors dress just like everyone else in town. Combining retooled materials
with newly machined fabrics, the Silent Neighbors fade into the crowd as part of the community
until they are needed. When a Silent Neighbor finds sedition, moral depravity, or pro-Red Star
influence, the Silent Neighbors report back to the Municipal Board or take it upon themselves to
respond in the moment of threat.
The largest role that the Silent Neighbors take is befriending traveling visitors, working
as guides for caravan members traveling through the town, discovering which caravans need to
be executed due to their unwholesome ways, and ensuring that visiting caravans do not stay
too long in their community. Appearing as interested merchants, friendly neighbors, would be
guides, or even just as friends the Silent Neighbors attach themselves to caravans or travelers
that have come into town to work as spy, judge, and sometimes executioners.
The Silent Neighbors are organized in such a way that only Silent Neighbors of the same
precinct know one another at a glance. The identity of Silent Neighbors of different regions
of town are kept secret from one another, so that the different groups of Silent Neighbors can
keep watch on one another. A Silent Neighbor of North Gateway is not as likely to abuse their
power or work against the Municipal Board if they believe they could be watched by a Silent
Neighbor from one region over.
The truth is, nearly
one third of all residents within Gateway have been taken into the ranks of the Silent
Neighbor. Because each region is kept secret from the others, one in three people feel that
they are the “thin line of safety” that keeps the community held together. The truth is that
all of the Silent Neighbors function to keep each other, and the rest of the community, in a
state of control.
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Harvesters of Bell’s View
The Final Knight sect of the Harvesters of Bell’s View are a militant order which functions
surprisingly well as a unit. While most Final Knights are more individually focused, looking to
ensure their own personal strength instead of working with others, the Harvesters have decided
that they have a purpose and a cause that they must undertake in the name of their faith. They
must protect the names of the thirty three “demons” of hell as is outlined in their faith.
Many Final Knights believe that the thirty three names of the damned are intended to be
philosophical concepts that each individual attempts to achieve, but never truly can attain.
This sort of “eternal journey” works well in the faith, as it is intended to force individuals
to strive to be stronger each and every day of their life. However, the Harvesters believe that
there is more of a historic reference in the thirty three instead of it just being a form of
spiritualism.
The Harvesters believe that the names of the thirty three relate to the original infection
vectors of the infection, and the names of the thirty three gives the places in the world where
the outbreaks originated from.
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The Harvesters believe that the Final Knights originated from a secret society before the
fall that discovered the intended plans for population control, and exposed those plans to the
world. By releasing the names of the thirty three locations, the pre-fall Final Knights (they
believe they were an order of “knights” by another name before the fall) were able to cause an
uprising against the secret powers that be.
This makes sense if you consider some of the vaguer and less defined aspects of the faith.
Why would the names be important for power, if the names were not a part of the faith doctrine?
They believe that once the names were recorded, however, what was once a political and social
order became the faith of the Final Knights and muddled the facts in religion.
To the Harvesters, “Thwart those that would promote the false truths of the divine” was not
an order to be against other faiths, but instead a directive. A directive to point out that the
secret cabals that had enslaved humanity had intertwined themselves with mass reaching pre-fall
religions and used them to control humanity.
The directive to “Use the thirty three names of the infernal to gain more power” is, to the
Harvesters, not a spiritual path, but instead a directive to find and reclaim the thirty three
points where the plague first started so that the truth of what happened to humanity can forever
be exposed. Thirty three points that they believe were recorded in the Citadel of Offrut.
Marked of De Sade
The Marked of De Sade are a sect of Remnant members of the Light of Hedon that have taken
their devotion to the faith to terrifying extremes. Functioning as a means for horribly mutated
and otherwise ostracized Remnants to find a home of unquestioning acceptance, the Marked of De
Sade are as much a feverish cult as it is a criminal empire.
The Marked of De Sade are Remnants who have accepted the Light of Hedon, and undergo a
baptism process of such excess that it often times causes the death of those who would join.
Months of excesses of the body, mind, and soul would leave most Strains as broken and jabbering
zombies after a few months. However, Remnants tend to be particularly driven towards dedication
of faith, and find reserves (and resistance to infection) that allow them to push further than
other Strains are capable of handling.
After their yearlong baptism of excess, members of the Marked of De Sade are given a number
of facial tattoos and arm brands that will forever mark them as a member of the faith. Any
visible Remnant mutations that the individual have are glorified and made to be marks of pride
instead of reasons for shame. Horns are painted, discolorations are outlined as central points
of tattoo pieces, and any malformed limbs are decorated with jewels and paint.
The Marked of De Sade oversee the organization and production of all materials that are
considered vices in the settlement of Bell’s View. Addictive brews such as Red Mist, Mother’s
Milk, Fame, and Understanding are produced and sold not only in the streets of Bell’s View but
are also sold to a number of caravans to resell around the world. Incredibly potent, but low
quality, intoxicants are produced from the plants that grow wild in the area and sold in bulk
to both north bound and south bound caravans. Without a doubt these brews are then watered
down, re-bottled, and sold throughout the wastelands at every caravans post and trade spot in
the wastelands.
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The Circle of 12 Knots
The Rovers’ Rest at Freakmount does not have an official government, but, there is without
a doubt a structure and order that is found within the collective community. Each caravan of
Rovers that comes to the settlement knows to choose a representative for their family. That
family must take a single piece of red fabric, tie twelve knots in the fabric, and have that
fabric hanging from their neck for as long as their caravan is represented in the community.
The representative becomes a member of the Circle of 12 Knots while they are within town,
and, are considered both the authority for the family as well as the person who will accept
punishment on behalf of their caravan. While this is a great honor, it is also a great
responsibility. If a member of a caravan commits a crime against another family, it is the
wearer of 12 knots who will be focused on for mediation and punishment. If a caravan has been
wronged, it is the place of the wearer of 12 knots to ensure that justice is served for their
family.
In times where two families cannot agree about a wrong that has occurred between two caravans,
the representatives wearing the 12 knots will settle the score. By tradition, the two caravan
representatives will take their knotted lines and wrap one end around their hand. The other end
of the line is handed to the representative from the opposed caravan. The two, each holding the
ends of one another’s red fabric in their hands, fight one another with their hands clenched
around the fabric. Kicks, close quarter punches, strangling with lines, and wrestling normally
occurs until one of two ends happen. If one family’s fabric rips, they are considered in the
wrong. They must make amends, pack, and then leave the area. The other way the contest between
two families ends is when one of the combatants holds both fabrics in their hand. The losing
family is considered forfeited, and the losing family is absorbed into the winning family. The
losing bearer of the 12 knots is cast out, or often takes their own life.
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Mountaina
“Hey there! Yeah, you there. You don’t see anyone else around here right now, do you? Think
you can help me with this wheel? Our wagon ran over one of these roots and it tore up the tire.
There’ll even be some food in it for you if you help me out. We got plenty to go around.
“That’s what I don’t much like about this area, by the way — it’s the plants. They grow large
and tall and ruin anything that has to do with civilization. Kind of like the Natural Ones
around here. That’s a joke.
“Don’t get me wrong — I love traveling. Hell, I’ve spent my entire life on the road with my
clan. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t like some places more than others. I like people, you
see. And this land? Well, it’s not a land for people. It’s a land for the wild.
“And really, that’s what makes it beautiful here. Blue - colored mountains covered in curling
mist rise up in the distance as morning light slants through the trees and reflects off of clear
lakes. Rivers bubble and flash among the rocky terrain. And on a nice day, you can walk for
miles without even noticing the strain.
“But that doesn’t mean it’s safe around here. You’ll run into Natural Ones, of course.
They can be a bit standoffish, but they’re not what you really have to worry about. No — what
you really have to be concerned about are the monsters on the mountains. You can hear their
cries in the mornings and evenings — and you’d better think twice before heading into their
territory.
“Of course, there’s some good trade to be had around here. That’s what my clan is doing, you
see. There are a few horse farms and ranchers that have set up shop. It makes sense, too. The
only way to really travel around here is either by foot or by horse. The roads are too rough
for anything else. Of course, we don’t have the luxury of only taking horses — got too many
trade goods so we take our wagon.
“Thanks for helping, by the way. You’re welcome to share our meal and rest a while before
traveling on. Just remember, you don’t want to be caught out alone when the fog rolls down from
the mountains.
“That’s when the monsters come out to play.”
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Sweet Grass Country
There are places in this world where the sky seems to stretch on for ages, unbroken except
for the mountains in the distance. Waves of grass ripple like the sea, bending to the wind
that blows from the north. If you’re lucky, you may see one of the ranch houses dotting the
landscape — a place to rest before moving on.
This is the place of the rancher and the horseman. This is wild country — as wild as it gets.
Cool brings the scents of sweat and blood and mountain air. This is Sweet Grass Country.
The first thing you should know about this area is that it isn’t like other major settlements
around the wastes. This is a place where smaller towns and ranches dot the landscape. Named
for the genetically modified sweet - scented and sweet - tasting grass that has overtaken the
natural grasslands, this region seems relatively peaceful at first.
Cattle and horse ranching is big business in Sweet Grass Country. Natural One and even
some Merican settlements have sprung up around the trade, and they’re quick to defend their
livestock. Rovers constantly pass through on dirt roads, trading in large, open - air markets
that they hold with the farmers in the region.
The biggest ranch in the region is the Sweet Grass Ranch. Here, Natural One overseers have
spent generations caring for and breeding for horses. Ever the survivalists, this ranch has
also branched out to farm crops.
With that said, there are some dangers in the area. Walking through the waist - high
grasslands isn’t advised, especially with the wandering zed that hide within them. While zed
are unintelligent, it seems that some have learned to tail the large herds of cattle and horses
in order to find a meal. This makes ranching one of the most dangerous occupations in Sweet
Grass Country.
There are some benefits to the area, though. The grass itself can be picked and boiled —
eaten like a vegetable. Most people who live there say it has a sweet taste that’s similar to
carrots. However, they’re careful not to eat too much. In large quantities, it can cause a
stomachache and eating it on a daily basis can actually cause poisoning and eventually death.
The important thing to know is that Sweet Grass Country is a place where you can only keep as
much as you can defend. And when it comes to outsiders, the people in this area are far from
friendly.
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Sweet Grass Ranch
Fields and fields of grass stretch outward in either direction, unbroken but for the rivers
that race through its expanse and the mountains that rise in the distance. But among the grass
is a small lodge and a few outer buildings. This is the Sweet Grass Ranch, the last settlement
you’ll find for miles around — if you can call it that.
The ranch has existed for as long as anyone can remember; a stopping place for Rovers and
other Natural One ranchers in the area.
Sweet Grass Ranch itself consists of several buildings clustered together. There’s the main
sleeping hall, where Natural One ranchers not on the job spend their nights; there’s a building
designated for meals and cooking and there are several outlying buildings for families. There
are also several barns where supplies are kept.
Mainly, though Sweet Grass Ranch consists of fields and fences. Crops are grown in orderly
rows, and herds of cattle and horses are bred and raised in nearby pastures.
While Sweet Grass Ranch does grow crops for those living on the ranch, though, their main
export is livestock. The Sweet Grass Ranchers are famous in Mountaina for being some of the
toughest Natural Ones in the region. When traveling through the area, you can often see five
or more ranchers with their massive herds of cattle or horses, driving them across the grassy
plains and defending them against the wandering zed.
Although Sweet Grass Ranch consists mainly of Natural Ones, it’s not uncommon to see Rover
caravans camped near the ranch’s borders. Colorful tents and wagons remain stationed for weeks
before they move on through the dirt tracks in the grasslands. The Natural Ones of Sweet Grass
Ranch usually trade with the Rover caravans passing through to the north for necessary supplies
that they can’t get on the ranch — metal to repair farm tools and other items.
The ranch isn’t without its dangers, though. Hordes of zed can amass on the grassy plains
surrounding the ranch, and the Natural One ranchers often have to go out on horseback, diverting
the zed with noisemakers as they pick them off one by one over time.
The most important thing to remember about Sweet Grass Ranch, though, is to be respectful
while on the land. If you’re not, you’re liable to get yourself into a whole lot of trouble.
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The Dead Forest
The trees don’t whisper. They don’t rustle. They don’t murmur. No, the trees of the Dead
Forest groan. The moans echo through the wastes surrounding the forest, creating an ever -
present cacophony that continues whether or not the wind blows through the forest’s branches.
There are legends surrounding the forest. Some say it’s the Grave Mind’s punishment set upon
the Earth. Others say it’s simply the next phase of evolution. The reality is that the forest
is a plant mutation — a genetic anomaly that has been infected by the Grave Mind itself.
Most will tell you the forest has been there forever. But it only recently began to change
a few generations ago. That’s when the first of the “dead trees” pushed their way through the
ground. Their roots ran deep, clutching at any dead bodies to use as fodder. Using the nutrients
of these corpses, the trees then absorbed the bodies and incorporated them into their branches.
Part fungus and part plant, the trees of the Dead Forest appear to have arms and legs, mouths
and eyes, teeth and nails embedded in their trunks. More disturbing, though, is that the mouths
sometimes move, groaning from long - decayed lungs. Bloody sap drips from the trees themselves
— zed attractant for the walking dead.
Despite the horror of the forest, there are very little zed to be found within it. The fact is
that the trees act like Venus fly traps, grasping the closest dead body and absorbing it. This
makes the forest one of the safest places to travel through — as long as you’re wary of the
forest’s “mouths.” Even as part of a tree, a zed can still deliver a nasty bite.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the forest isn’t dangerous at times. If the trees haven’t
received enough nutrients, it’s said that they’ll start going after live prey. This is why Rover
caravans will often hire the Wardens in the region to drive hordes of zed into the trees from
time to time.
Within the forest itself are a series of waypoints — small cabins and strongholds that have
been set up along the path through the forest. Don’t stray from the path, though; it’s rumored
that those who would take advantage of a caravan roam the darker parts of the forest — not to
mention the risk of a hungry tree seeing you as prey.
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Unbearable Mountains
You wouldn’t think that the Bear Mountains would be settled in any way when you first approach
their base. As far as the eye can see, there are trees and rocks. And yet the mountains are one
of the most populated areas in the region — simply because they’re so remote. Located just east
of the Dead Forest and south of Bull City, this area isn’t all that hospitable.
However, the Natural Ones of the region have created their own settlement. A semi-permanent
establishment, the log cabins and lodges stave off the winter cold of the mountains. Traders
will sometimes venture to the settlement in order to trade for furs, fish and other products that
the Natural Ones glean from the mountains.
Fortunately for travelers, the Natural Ones mark “safe” trails with piles of stones. If you
know the region well enough, you can usually find your way through the mountains with the help
of these standing stones.
The Bear Mountains don’t just harbor these Natural Ones, though. They also hold a variety of
dangerous plants.
There are the dead trees, similar to the ones that can be found in the Dead Forest, amidst the
normal growth. There are also vines of what might have once been poison ivy. Instead of a rash
and itchiness, though, the leaves cause seizures to those that brush against them. And there are
brambles with thorns that are at least six inches in length and as sharp as a needle. In other
words, if you’re going to travel through the mountains, you had better bring a guide.
Perhaps most notable in the area, though, are the lakes. These sources of fresh water attract
the local Natural Ones as well as the animals in the area.
While the woods can provide rich resources to those who know how to navigate them, there
are dangers in the mountains found nowhere else. At times, a thick fog rolls down from the
mountains, coating the area in a thick blanket. The Natural Ones of the region know to stay
inside their lodges when this occurs — or hide as best they can. Within the muffled cover of
fog, creatures come out from the forest — creatures best left unseen. And the cut - off screams
of those not wary enough can often be heard within the mist.
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Bull City
Bull City is a hollowed - out hull of what it once was. Rubble litters the area, mostly
overgrown with plant-life. Vines snake over torn houses and trees sprout in the remains of
roads. No one lives in the area — at least not really. The truth of the matter is that Bull City
only comes to life once a month at the rodeo.
Head just outside the remains of the pre-fall settlement and you’ll find that a lot more care
has been taken to clear the area. Trees and bushes have been pushed back and cut down. A large
arena filled with dirt has been constructed complete with stands and a patched, metal barrier. A
few posts around the arena mark areas where snipers keep stationed during the rodeo. And a few
hundred feet distant are what appear to be lines and lines of cages, chained and locked against
anyone who would enter — or anything that would escape.
Each month, the scent of cooking meat fills the air, mingling with the scent of sweat and
unwashed animals. Both travelers and locals come to the area not only to show off their
livestock, but also to compete in one of the largest tournaments in the region. Betting is
rampant as men and women test their mettle in a series of competitions in order to win a prize
— assuming they survive.
There are several competitions. There’s the usual competition in livestock and even food
contests. What everyone is really there for, though, are the competitions in the arena.
Monstrous birds that roam the Sweet Grass region are captured and fought for sport. Massive
bulls with sharpened horns are ridden for as long as possible. There are even survival contests
where the last man standing wins the prize.
The cages that stand along the edge of the arena are the areas where these animals are
harbored. A week before the rodeo, these creatures are partially starved and beaten, maddened to
the point of peak aggression. When they’re finally released, they cause chaos the like of which
few have seen. The sniper posts aren’t there for show, either. In case one of these creatures
escape, it’s up to them to take it down.
While the rodeo can be dangerous and deadly, there will always be competitors that travel from
around the region. The prizes are large enough to keep a steady flow of competitors — even if
there are only a marginal amount of winners.
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Misery Swamp
The sound of rushing water gurgles above everything else, a constant presence. And yet beneath
that sound is the rumbling of something more ominous — the hooves of the herds of animals that
journey to this place for a drink of water before moving on.
Just east of Sweet Grass Ranch is a place where even the most hardened Natural Ones fear to
tread, a place of fetid swamps and rushing water. This is Misery Swamp, a location where only
the foolhardy live and the downright idiotic travel. Misery Swamp is more of a floodplain than
anything else. During drier seasons, animals venture to the location en masse in order to find
water to drink. However, this also means that the location is fertile for all manner of plants
and mutations, which makes for difficult and dangerous territory.
Needle grass, which is razor sharp on its sides, can be found growing at the edges of the
swamp. Further in, you can find poisonous flowers that will harm the unwary and mossy, lichen -
like plant with their own kind of bioluminescence that glows eerily at night.
While the plants themselves are dangerous, there are also the animals. Massive herds of
aggressive bison-like animals visit the swamps for a drink. Massive fish lurk within the depths
of the swamp itself and merciless insects swarm by the thousands during certain seasons, eating
everything (and everyone) in their general vicinity.
There are those who manage to live on the outskirts of the swamps, though. A Natural One
settlement, simply known as “The Fort” is located on the northern edge of this swamp. There
are just a few clusters of buildings built on floating docks connected by bridges. Largely self-
sufficient on the fish that they catch and the tools they create from needle grass, this group
can be especially wary of traders and those passing through. In fact, it’s better not to stop
to greet them — just in case.
125
Factions of Mountaina
The communities and overall culture of Mountaina is that of an earnest and hard working people
who wake up every morning knowing that a lifetime of hard labor sits in front of them, and a
limitless number of people looking to steal the fruit of that hard labor stands behind them.
Focusing on farming the edges of the Overgrowth, the people of Mountaina benefit from rich soul,
oversized farm animals, and a plentiful bounty that waits for anyone willing to put up with the
occasional massive beast that could eat an entire farm, onslaught of raiders, or breakout of
undead that somehow find their way towards the overgrowth.
Assuming that the earnest folks of Mountaina can deal with all of these daily threats and
endless toils, overall life isn’t that bad by post-apocalypse standards.
Sweet Grass Ranchers

You can recognize these men and women from afar just by the way they look. Tanned by the
outdoors, hair highlighted by the sun and usually riding a horse, a Sweet Grass Rancher is easy
to spot — especially in an area where there are few people around.
These ranchers are the major caretakers of the Sweet Grass Ranch, the major settlement of
Mountaina — if you can call it a settlement. Largely peaceful, they spend most of their time
tending to cattle and livestock, shepherding herds to the fields surrounding their lands.
What these ranchers are most notable, though, is how far they range. In teams of three or
four, these men and women ride out far into the grasses surrounding the ranch in order to
protect their herds from attack. One person will act as the scout and search for threats before
they come anywhere near the herd. If he sees one, he’ll ride back to the others and hopefully
they’ll be able to move their livestock before it arrives.
Of course, not everything always goes as planned. Sometimes, massive creatures appear from the
grasses without warning, threatening livestock. Although there is very little that the Sweet
Grass Ranchers can do, the do what they can. These men and women carry crossbows, clubs and
blades. They usually flank a creature and then pummel them to a pulp, relying on their mastery
of horsemanship in order to provide them with maneuverability.
While the ranchers mostly focus on their herds and crops, they are known to help travelers
from time to time — mostly as a way to get them out of their hair. They will warily share their
campfire and even point travelers in the right direction to the nearest settlement.
While these ranchers can mostly be found in the plains of Sweet Grass, their home is Sweet
Grass Ranch. Most have families, and they all work together as a community to raise enough food
for leaner times and to trade with the travelling Rover clans that happen to pass through the
area. As a family, these ranchers thrive.
126
The Meloy Clan
When it comes to the Meloys, you’re likely to find a deal. This Rover caravan travels all
through Mountaina and the surrounding region. Buying, selling and trading whatever they come
across, this group of Rovers is an opportunity for any trader in the area. The Meloys are a
relatively friendly bunch. Used to mostly dealing with Natural Ones, they don’t normally trade
in high - tech equipment. Instead, they prefer to buy farm implements to sell to Sweet Grass
Ranch, or even seeds and grain.
It’s easy to pick the Meloy Clan out from other Rover clans. They all have the same family
scarf around their necks: yellow braided with green. Many of them look similar, as well, which
isn’t all that surprising considering that most of them are part of the same extended family.
They’re known for their sandy brown hair, slight build, and brown or green eyes.
What’s worth noting about these Rovers is that they also trade in livestock. Most people joke
that you can hear the Meloys from miles away, or at least the bleating of their goats. Strung
behind the caravan and herded across the plains, the livestock is transported from the Sweet
Grass Ranch to neighboring settlements for trade.
The Meloys themselves are usually friendly to anyone they meet, offering a space by their
campfire for the night. And anyone who gets the chance to meet the clan is in for a treat.
Wherever the Meloys camp, they set up a small town. Signs unfold from caravan wagons, tents are
set up, and small businesses are run. In Mountaina, everything is so spread out that no one
settlement has everything — and that’s where the Meloys come in. With people that specialize
in everything from cutting hair to dentistry to doctoring to weapon - making, the Meloys are a
welcome sight on any far-flung ranch in Mountaina.
There is one thing to know about the Meloys, though: never cross them. Blood is far thicker
than water in this clan, and they will stick with each other through thick and thin, even if it
means throwing an outsider under the proverbial wagon.
127
Wardens of the Dead Forest
The Dead Forest is seen by some as a blight on the Earth — a place where the trees themselves
are infected by the dead. And yet there are those who care for the tree there — who feed the
forest. Because if they didn’t, the trees themselves would devour the living.
The Wardens are Natural Ones that live within the forest itself. And while most trees are
infected by the fungus therein, there are still plants that thrive in the area that can be used
as food. And while most animals stay away from the forest, there is still enough game from
mutated creatures that Natural Ones can live off of the land there. Mostly.
The Wardens were originally just a group of Natural Ones that took advantage of the fact that
the Dead Forest seemed to be naturally free of zed. Over time, though, they realized that they
needed to “feed” the forest new bodies in order to keep it from seeking out living flesh; that’s
when the Wardens first came into being.
You can always recognize a Warden by

the way they dress — practically. You
can see them in tough, canvas pants
or long shorts for the summer, sturdy
boots and belts with pouches for fire
starters, food and anything else they
may need while out and about within
the wilderness.
These men and women are,

essentially, the caretakers of the
forest. Seeing themselves as watchers
and guides, the Wardens care for
the Dead Forest, driving zed hordes
into it during times of “drought”
and leading caravans through it if
need be. Unfortunately, feeding the
forest causes it to also reproduce
and spread, branching out to new
ground. In fact, if it weren’t
for the Wardens, the forest would
probably grow to cover almost all of
Mountaina.
The Wardens actually patrol the

borders to the forest, culling new
sprouts that appear almost overnight.
Armed with fire and machetes, the
Wardens cut back the forest almost as
quickly as it expands.
128
Rodeo Wranglers
Bull City is known for its rodeos: the massive performances where men and women compete to see
who’s the best at what they do. There’s everything from Goliath Wrangling to Tank Riding, and
it’s up to the Rodeo Wranglers to organize the events and make sure nothing proves to be too
fatal.
The Wranglers act as coordinators and even performers for the rodeo itself. It’s their job to
not only procure creatures for the rodeo, but to corral any animals in the ring if things get
ugly.
While the Wranglers are, essentially, all one group, each specializes in a different job. Some
are Snipers, positioned around the rodeo ring to take out animals and zed if they get out of
hand. Others perform the logistics of the rodeo, taking on managerial positions. Still others
work with Wardens of the Dead Forest to collect zed attractant to lure in massive zed, which are
then captured for the rodeo itself.
The Wranglers look a bit like the Mericans of Lone Star, wearing boots and hats to keep the
sun off of their necks. Mostly made up of Remnants, Natural Ones, and Mericans, the Wranglers
can usually be seen around Bull City. They all wear a small medal on their chest, which defines
them as being part of the rodeo. Made of whatever piece of scrap they can get their hands on,
the medal looks a bit like a cow skull with mountains beneath it.
It’s said that the Wranglers have dealings with ranchers from the Sweet Grass Ranch. Because
the Ranchers are known to range far and wide, the Wranglers often tag along in order to seek out
and capture massive creatures from the plains for their rodeo. Using a combination of horses,
lures, traps and weapons, the Wranglers manage to sedate and capture “monsters” for their shows.
While these men and women are mostly friendly — after all, that’s good business — keep in mind
that they’re determined to run a fair rodeo. Trying to bribe the wrong Wrangler to get ahead may
cost you more than just your place in the show.
129
Mountain Men
The Mountain Men aren’t really an organization. They’re just the people that live in the
Unbearable Mountains, some of the most treacherous terrain in Mountaina. And while these men
and women work together, no one who knew the area would call them unified — unless the mists are
around.
You can recognize these men and women by their gruff appearances and practical clothing. They
dress in furs in the winter, but quickly shed them for lighter clothing in the summer. With
sturdy hiking boots and packs that allow them to range far from their homes, these Natural Ones
are more than prepared for the inclement weather of the Unbearable Mountains.
Perhaps most notable about these Natural Ones are their height. They seem much larger and
taller than a typical person — or even a typical Natural One. Many murmur that they, like the
creatures that live in the mountains, have been warped by the infection to become something
else.
Most of these Natural Ones are grouped into families, each family living in a log cabin of
their own. Most of them have some kind of garden that they plant to supplement their food, and
they’ll often trade with other families in the surrounding area.
It’s important to note, though, that a Mountain Man’s first thought is always survival. They’re
just as likely to help you out as they are to leave you in the wilderness if it means their
life against yours.
You can’t really blame them for this mindset, either — not when you see the Unbearable
Mountains for yourself. The winters are harsh and the summers are harsher. Mists roll off
nearby lakes and become trapped in the mountains, cloaking the creatures there that come out to
hunt. While there are stories of Mountain Men taking down these creatures on a habitual basis,
the truth is that most of the time, they rely on sturdy walls to keep the monsters at bay.
130
Well Known Folk of Mountaina
Given how removed most of Mountaina is from major settlements in the wastelands, it should be
of little surprise that anyone that is “well known” in the Mountaina region is well known in
the eyes of a few dozen local citizens and a couple of handful of daring travelers that have
gone through the area more than once. With travel through, and around, the Overgrowth being
as dangerous as it is most people find themselves one small area of safety and settle in those
parts. If you happened to spend some time in one of these little farmer communities, well, maybe
you have heard of a couple of the following folk.
Corrie Sanders
“Abrasive” would be a kind word about Corrie. This woman is one of the hardest and meanest
ranchers this side of Mountaina. She drives a hard bargain and she knows how best to wrangle
those that follow her — for better or worse.
Corrie is tall for a woman, standing just below six feet. With muscled arms the scars that you
get from a lifetime of hard labor, Corrie is definitely an intimidating presence at the ranch.
This woman wasn’t always the head of the ranch. She actually managed to wrest power away from
her father, a man by the name of Marrow. He refused to trade with outsiders at all and Corrie
saw that this was slowly diminishing the ranch’s resources over time. Supported by others, she
swooped in and took control. Since then, the ranch has been far more open to outsiders — though
there’s no telling when another power shift could occur.
Rusty
Each of the Rodeo Wranglers is specialized in
a certain area; there are those who are better
at the business, those who are good at acquiring
creatures for the arena and those who are best
at being armed guards. Rusty, though, is best at
one thing: putting on a show.
With bright red hair and a freckled face, this

Remnant is known for his wild stunts — both in
and out of the arena. One time, he rode the
back of a Goliath in the ring when it got out of
hand. Another time, he outdrank six Mericans.
And yet another time, he managed to tame one
of the mutated creatures from the Unbearable
Mountains — until he had to kill it before it
grew too dangerous.
The thing to remember about Rusty is that he’s

a wild card, and there’s no telling what he’ll
do next. Sure, he may be crazy, but at least
he’ll make sure everyone is entertained.
131
Jade
“Shut the fuck up. I don’t care who
you think you are, but you better be
quiet in the mountains. Why? Because
they’ll hear you. They’re always
listening. And I’m going to expose
them for what they are.” – Jade,
Mountain Man
Jade may know how to take care of

herself and may be one of the best
guides in the Unbearable Mountains,
but to say she’s sane would be a lie.
Jade is known far and wide for her
crazy theories, though a few people
believe she might just be onto
the truth.
If you ask the locals, Jade

has always existed. There
are stories of the time she
waited for days, crouched
behind a bush, in order to
ambush a creature she thought
was connected with the mists (even
if it did just turn out to be a
badger). There are also stories
of when she captured three of
the strongest Mountain Men in
the area and held them for two days
before finally believing that they were
innocent.
Jade will tell anyone who passes through the Unbearable Mountains about her somewhat crazy
theories about how the mists of the mountains are created. She believes that they’re actually
exuded by the Grave Mind, harnessed by some sort of strange technology.
Like many Natural Ones, Jade is well-muscled, her face tanned from a life spent outdoors.
Sharp, green eyes are set in a face that’s framed by dyed, dark hair. It’s difficult to determine
her age beneath all of the dirt and grime, but most would place her around her 30s.
While Jade is known as being crazy, though, she does know the mountains better than anyway. As
the locals say, she’s tougher than a bear and feistier than a wildcat. You’ll probably want to
stay on her good side.
132
133
I-Die-Low
Well if you’re going to be travelling with us for a bit, I figure you should know a bit about
the surrounding area. You see, we’re headed toward I-Die-Low. Yeah, I know. Weird name. But it’s
pretty spot on when you think about it.
As wild as Mountaina is, I-Die-Low is tame. Here you got your farms and your people — sort of.
You see, the dust storms in the area rage something fierce. And if you’re not careful, you’re
liable to get swept up in one.
There are a few different sections of I-Die-Low. On the edges near the Overgrowth is some of
the richest soil you’ll ever encounter — which may explain all the farms that have popped up
along this border. But living so near wild and untamed plants has its price; the farmers have
to deal with zed and other threats on a daily basis.
However, some would argue that’s better than the other section of I-Die-Low — a section where
winds rage and radioactive dust swirls in the air. Some say there’s some pretty good scavenging
to be had out in the wastes of I-Die-Low, but you have to be very quick and very clever to get
in and get out before a storm comes barreling down on you.
In fact, the only people who can really manage it are Diesel Jock caravans. If you’re lucky
enough, you can hire a Diesel Jock and their ride to take you out to some of the more famous
sites in the area. Careful who you choose, though; there are stories of men and women who have
been stripped clean and left for dead in the middle of a storm.
Hell, it may be safer to travel with Rovers. Sure, their rides can be a bit slower — but at
least you’ll be alive at the end of it. And there’s more of them, too. Just remember to be
respectful, or you’re likely to get in over your head real quick.
There aren’t many that travel to the center of I-Die-Low, but those that do come back with
some strange stories — massive zed that tower over everyone, strange hideouts constructed of
metal and rust that house raider clans, and storms that can strip flesh from bone.
As for the farms, well, they have their own problems. Creatures come out of the Overgrowth,
and it’s a daily struggle to cut back the growing plants from the crops.
134
The Rim
The Rim is the border of I-Die-Low, and probably the only real habitable piece of civilization
in the region. Farms stretch one after the other, crops blending in between leafy green trees
and grass.
Life isn’t easy in the Rim. The soil may be rich, but that just means that farmers have to
fight incursions of plants each and every day. The farms themselves are also stretched along a
long strip which means that if you run into trouble, you’re miles away from any help.
That’s why most of the farms have turned into family units, forming a tightly - knit group
with people that protect one another. Most people in the Rim are followers of the Nuclear Family
— not all that surprising considering the organization.
And while you may be miles from any help if you’re out in a field, at least there’s the
possibility of running across the Watch. In a bid for self - preservation, each Family on the
Rim has one members of their unit spend time in the Watch every month. This group of men and
women spend their time roaming the fields and farms, taking out any larger threats that may come
from the jungle - like growth surrounding the fertile dirt.
Because these farms are so spread out, most of the denizens of the Rim don’t get much in the
way of civilized company — or the ability for much trade. That’s where the Meloy Clan comes in.
They, and other Rovers, come to the Rim to trade for food in exchange for more permanent goods
that they pick up along their journey across I-Die-Low and Mountaina.
The farms may be spread out, but there are some traditions that the people of the Rim hold
close. Each time a creature is killed by the Watch, the closest families will gather together
to cut up the creature and parcel it out to eat at a type of impromptu celebration. These
families also do a similar custom when someone moves in with another family; as a celebration,
the families go out and hunt an animal to bring back for a family meal.
Mostly, though, the people of the Rim spend their time tending their farms and hunting any
large creatures that emerge from the surrounding forests.
135
The Noisy Jungle
The jungle doesn’t seem all that scary at first. Soft dirt with ferns and shrubs carpets the
forest floor at first as dappled sunlight streams through the leaves. Then the trees crowd closer,
the shrubs and ferns mostly disappear, and you realize that you’ve gone far deeper than you
meant to go. And then you hear the screeching.
The Noisy Jungle isn’t just a name. It’s a fact. The forest is crowded with all manner of
creatures, but the largest and noisiest of these are the large birds of prey that spend their
lives in the canopy, hunting large creatures, such as deer — or even people.
In the early mornings and at dusk, you can hear chatter and screeching in the woods. There’s
the flapping of wings and the shifting and creaking of branches. And while many of the predatory
birds are active only during the day, there are a few that swoop down at night on silent wings.
While the birds themselves would be enough of an incentive to stay away, there are also other
animals within the forest other than the birds of prey. This is where you can find swarms of
insects, squirrels scurrying along trees, deer, massive forest cats and even a few packs of
wolves.
While Noisy jungle is largely kept by the animals, there are strange growths that can be found
within the forest. Strange types of mold grow on the trees, and some even say that there’s a
type of phosphorescence to some of the fungi that give some locations in the forest an eerie
glow at night.
It’s these pieces of fungi that cause some daring denizens near the Rim to venture into the
jungle. When harvested and dried, then can be snorted as a hallucinogen. And while there are
those who argue about its uses in medicine, it’s mostly used as a type of drug and sold to
caravans who then bring it to other locations in the wastes.
The pieces of fungi go for a high price since they’re so hard to collect, and you can find many
who are willing to brave the forest in order to earn a bit extra in trade the next time some
Rovers come around.
136
The Pit
It’s said that the Pit used to be covered with forest and grass — a place where people once
lived before the Fall. But then something happened. The winters became warmer. The climate
became drier, and all vegetation fled the area after the bombs fell from the sky.
Now all that’s left is the Pit — a sad excuse for a landscape where dreams have already died.
If you pass the farms from the Rim and go through the Noisy Jungle, more and more vegetation
will give way to blasted sand and harsh winds. Savanna will then give way to desert.
The wind whistles past dunes and scrub as the sun beats down with its merciless heat. The air
itself shimmers during the day as creatures scurry to find some kind of cover.
Very little lives in the desert, and even zed seem to avoid the place. But one thing that
people have to worry about are the sandstorms.
Towering hundreds of feet high and whipped by vicious winds, a combination of dust, sand, and
radioactive particles can blast anything in its path. It’s said that some storms are strong
enough to strip flesh from bone — which may explain the lack of the zed in the region.
Even so, there are those that journey into the area. The remnants of long - forgotten
buildings can be found, and some say that there is a lot of scavenging to be found — whether
it’s from the past or from caravans that were unlucky enough to get caught in a storm. But if
you go into the desert, be sure that you have a guide. Otherwise you won’t be getting out again.
In fact, the major travelers of the desert are Rovers and a handful of Diesel Jocks. Rovers
tend to know the area well enough to be smart about travel — and know when to seek shelter
during a storm. Diesel Jocks tend to just out-ride the storm — though the remnants of a few of
their rigs show how some unlucky few weren’t quite fast enough.
137
Aberdeen’s Oasis
Within the hell that is I-Die-Low, there are some places that are less hellish than others —
or at least one place. And that place is Aberdeen’s Oasis.
There’s not a lot in terms of people around Aberdeen’s, but that’s still a lot more in
comparison to the rest of I-Die-Low. While the small town only consists of a couple hundred
people, it’s pretty much hopping in comparison to the rest of the region.
Being the more “civilized” portion of the area, this is where traders, salvage parties, and
others flock. If they don’t flock for the company, then they definitely flock for the water, which
is rare on the edge of the Pit.
The town itself is made up of sand - blasted buildings created from scrap and wood. Winds
often whistle between houses, swirling dust from the nearby Pit. But here there’s at least the
chance for life. Trees and vegetation spring in small tufts from the ground, and the people
here are a bit less downtrodden that those who risk the fury of the Pit.
With civilization, though, comes people — and some of the darker sides of humanity. It’s said
that hit men and mercenaries hang out around the local bars in Aberdeen’s, and thieves are more
likely to steal your hard - earned (or ill gained) goods than not.
Even with this seeming lawlessness, though, there is a type of order found within the town.
The Constable usually settles most disputes — if he feels like it or if you pay him. And
sometimes thieves may even wind up with some kind of punishment (if you’re lucky).
What this town is truly known for, though, are the artifacts that are picked up by Jonesing
expeditions in the nearby Pit. If you’re lucky, you may just see some very rare items pass
through town. Of course, you have to be quick to snatch it up for yourself. There are buyers
and thieves waiting everywhere for the closest and best opportunity.
138
Valley of Monsters
There are places in this world where even the brave fear to tread. The wind whistles through
the Valley of Monsters, howling and sounding like wild beasts or the restless dead. But nothing
stirs in the Valley — nothing save for the roiling dust that whips by exposed bones, bleached
by the relentless sun.
There are many stories surrounding the Valley of Monsters. Some say this is where you can find
the remains of giants — creatures that existed well before the Fall. Others say this is where
you can find the worst creatures this side of I-Die-Low.
Most people avoid the valley, but it does present a relatively flat and easy passage to other
locations — and so those who want a short cut tend to pass through it. Unfortunately, those who
do usually don’t come back alive.
While there are massive bones in the Valley of Monsters, the truth is that there’s something
far more deadly that resides in this location other than creatures: people. A half-wild society
of Remnants can be found within the Valley of Monsters — and they tend to look poorly on those
that invade their territory.
The Remnants have actually made crude houses high above the Valley itself, using the jutting
cliffs in order to construct their homes. Bridges and extensions connect the houses where these
people make their homes.
While these Remnants are violent toward outsiders, they do have a soft spot for other
Remnants. Because of this, any Remnant entering their valley has the choice to either join them
or suffer the fate of most others. Nine times out of ten, the Remnant joins the community.
The Valley itself, unfortunately, has little in the way of resources. The Remnants mostly
rely on robbing the caravans that pass through. Very rarely, they’ll send a few of their group
outside to Aberdeen’s Oasis to trade. However, these people largely remain secluded in their
valley, content to view themselves as monsters.
139
Factions of I-Die-Low
Folk in I-Die-Low are the very definition of settlers. This is not to suggest that somehow
the residents of I-Die-Low are somehow the new frontier of society, but instead, the term
“settler” is used to describe a group of people who determined that I-Die-Low was somehow good
enough, and they settled for the torment and trouble that comes with living in the area.
With fertile soil, scrap yards in the distance, and occasional calm bouts one could
occasionally see why living in I-Die-Low would be worth it. The area doesn’t have a larger
slaver threat (yet). The territory does support moderate commerce and resource production. Hell,
the territory even can look picturesque if you are looking in the right direction.
However, every group and community that resides in I-Die-Low knows that all it would take is
one particularly nasty irradiated sandstorm, and the entire settlement would be gone. Maybe that
is part of the allure? A quick death instead of a long and lingering one.
The Rim Watch

The farmers of the Rim are about as tough as they come, mostly because they need to be. But
the toughest of the lot wind up in the Watch that the families that live in the Rim set up in
order to protect their land.
The Rim is a dangerous place; monsters from the nearby forests usually wander onto farmlands
in search of food and water during the dry season. And while many families in the Rim train
together to protect their lands, there are those who aren’t equipped to deal with one of these
animals by themselves; that’s where the Watch comes in.
Each month, each family nominates one person to enter the Watch for 30 days. During those 30
days, the family member will work with others in the Watch to train themselves and protect all
of the family lands in the Rim.
Because of how extensive the Rim is, the Watch largely relies on horses for transportation.
They usually make a circuit of the lands, and try to stay accessible to all families.
If danger strikes on someone’s land, it’s up to the family to send a messenger to the Watch.
Depending on the scale and size of the danger, the Watch will send a certain amount of its
representatives to deal with the problem. The others will remain in the same location to act as
a secondary set of forces, and also to deal with any other problems that may arise during the
same time.
That’s not to say that the Rim Watch is always successful. Sometimes they simply don’t get to
a location in time — or sometimes they just can’t handle what’s out there. Even so, the Watch
tends to succeed more often than not.
Mostly, the Watch patrols the perimeter of the Rim and tries to get rid of or deter any
animals and creatures before they become an issue.
140
The Creatures of Monster Valley
Monsters live in the valley — at least that’s what Rovers claim. There are creatures that
look like men and women — but act like animals. They will tear travelers apart limb from limb,
unwilling to talk or negotiate.
And yet these monsters aren’t actually monsters. They are simply the outcasts of society — the
mistakes that will never fit in. These creatures are actually Remnants.
Long ago, a Remnant from Aberdeen’s Oasis found himself at odds with another man; the result
was murder. Fearing for his life, this Remnant fled to a valley where superstition reigned and
constructed a life for himself.
His whereabouts didn’t stay secret for long, though. Soon, word spread about a place where
criminals could flee. The Remnant panicked when the first criminals arrived, and killed them in
order to keep the horror stories of the valley alive. Then one day, a Remnant arrived; unable,
or perhaps unwilling to kill a fellow Remnant, he invited the man to join him. They were soon
joined by others of their strain, and formed a type of family within the valley.
These days, the Remnants of the valley keep mostly to themselves, unless someone appears
within the valley itself. That’s when the Remnants take action.
With lookouts posted at the entrance and exit of the valley, the Remnants will attack any
caravans they appear. They will then hold the people in the caravan captive, killing anyone who
happens to be something other than a Remnant.
For Remnants, though, the Creatures of Monster Valley give them a choice: join or die. The
Remnants that choose to join will find themselves inducted into the strange society while the
others will share the same fate as their non - Remnant companions.
The Remnant society itself is somewhat primitive and relies on caravans entering the area.
Because of this, some Remnants are sometimes sent out to act as “guides” to the valley, luring
in unsuspecting caravans that are then looted for their bounty.
141
142
Pit Guides
Those that journey into the Pit may be some of the most reckless — or most insane — people
around Aberdeen’s Oasis. But one thing can improve their odds when venturing into the sand -
blasted area — and that’s having a guide.
Pit Guides can usually be found in and around the more - civilized portions of I-Die-Low.
Trained in how to survive even the harshest conditions, most of these men and women spend their
lives relying on their wits and their luck. Because the Pit is so dangerous, Pit Guides can earn
quite a bit guiding people through the wastes. These men and women know the very few places to
find water, know how to judge when a sand storm is about to hit, and know where to find shelter
from storms. They also know the areas where you may just find relics from before the Fall —
strange structures that rise from the sand.
Of course, some Pit Guides are more reliable than others. And some Pit Guides aren’t actually
guides at all. Because of the amount of money they get from guide work, Pit Guides are often
imitated by people who just don’t know what they’re doing. Recently, there’s been a string of
frauds that have led caravans into the Pit — only to have none of them ever return.
Pit Guides themselves are a close-knit group, and can often be seen having drinks together
or celebrating. While you might think that they’d be in competition with one another for guide
work, the fact is that they know that the only way to survive the Pit is to network with other
guides and learn all they can about the conditions of the day.
The Steelheads
When it comes to groups in Aberdeen’s, there’s one that stands up above all the others: the
Steelheads. A group of miscreants, thugs and bullies, the Steelheads have started to push their
weight around in the small town. The Steelheads used to help patrol the streets of Aberdeen’s
and break up any trouble. Somewhere along the line, though, the Steelheads became more thug
than police.
These days, the Steelheads will push into bars and public places, trying to intimidate people
into given them their hard-earned money. They mostly rely on strength of numbers in order to
accomplish their goals. However, most Steelheads individually will back down from an actual
fight. Because of this, the locals haven’t done much about them; what’s the point when if you
throw a punch, the Steelheads will leave?
It’s easy to pick out who and who isn’t a Steelhead. Steelheads tend to shave their heads and
wear leather jackets with boots. While some of them wear wide-brimmed hats, others prefer to
keep their heads exposed to the cruel sun on a daily basis. Each of them has an insignia on the
back of their jacket: a grey skull that signifies their “group.”
For the meantime, the Steelheads content themselves with petty crimes and bullying rather
than any large-scale plans. But there is word that the Constable has shown some interest in
the group. And if he winds up joining or taking over, the entire town of Aberdeen’s may be in
trouble.
But he wouldn’t actually do that, would he?
143
Well known folk of I-Die-Low
The Constable
Most people don’t actually know the Constable’s name — or even how old he is. All anyone
really knows is that he’s as badass as they come, and he’s the one that’s kind-of, sort-of in
charge of Aberdeen’s Oasis.
The Constable look as if he could be anywhere from his 30s to his early 50s. With a muscular
frame, cowboy boots, a wide - brimmed hat and a patchwork leather coat, he carries himself in a
way that’s all business and no fun. He drinks like a sailor and swears like one too — but never
in front of women. If you look closely, you’ll see the gun that he usually totes on his hip and
the knife he keeps on his belt.
If there’s any trouble in Aberdeen’s the Constable is usually the one people run to. Whether
or not he’ll help, though, is another thing entirely. The Constable is known for only help those
who can pay — or those who have a good enough story to cause him to step in.
Creature
The Valley of Monsters is ruled by one man:
Creature. A sorry excuse for humanity, he’s
devolved into something less than a man and
something more than a villain.
Very few have seen Creature and lived to

tell the tale. But most agree that he’s
monstrous in appearance. Like most Remnants,
Creature suffers from some kind of mutation;
in his case, it’s red, flaky skin that
covers his entire body, making him look,
at a distance, as if he has scales or a
perpetually bad sunburn.
Most also agree that Creature is a special

sort of insane. He’s gathered other Remnants
to his side, claiming that society doesn’t
accept any of them and that they can create
their own “family.” However, he also
slaughters anyone who is not part of the
same Strain — no matter if they’re adults
or children. There’s even rumors that he
eats the flesh of those he’s killed. Whether
or not that’s true, though, is cause for
speculation.
144
Yellstown Settlement
“Now that you know a bit about the major regions around here, you probably want to know a bit
about the one settled area. No, I don’t mean Sweet Grass Ranch — though that is probably the
nicest you’ll get in Mountaina. I mean Yellstown — the only place this side of Mountaina where
you’ll find actual society. Mind that I use the word “society” in its loosest of definitions.
“You see, a long time ago, Yellstown was more wild than civilized. Animals thrived in the
region, using the hot springs in the winter in order to survive even the harshest conditions.
Vegetation flourished and grew as strange plants appeared. And only those who knew the area well
dared to venture into the forested region, known more accurately as the Bleeding Depths.
“But there were those from Sweet Grass Ranch that wanted to expand outward. With the help of
Mountain Men, these farmers learned survival tactics for the wild. They moved into the region
and began to build a small town to the north, eking out a living by hunting wild game and fishing
the nearby streams. They even managed to keep from offending the tribe of Unborn of Teixiptla
found to the south.
“These days, Yellstown Settlement is one part wilderness and one part country town. There are
bars, homes, and even a few stores. Though possibly the most interesting part of the town is
the fact that it’s managed to last as long as it has. Then again, that could partially be due
to its residents.
“The people of Yellstown are as tough as they come. Made up mostly of Natural Ones, the town
has a rough - and - tumble feel to it that you can only find in the remote reaches of Mountaina.
“Of course, there are some parts of Yellstown Settlement that are best avoided. The outskirts
of the town host some people that most civilized people would view as crazy. Some of them
conduct strange rituals, believing that it helps the settlement survive the harsh weather
conditions found in the mountains. And some of them are simply antagonistic to a fault.
“The fact remains, though, that Yellstown is one of the only places where you can find actual
people in the region. So if you’re planning on passing through, you’d better be prepared to
stop there. And if you do stop there, you should also be ready for some of the strangest and
roughest people this side of Mountaina.”
145
Big Sky Ranch
Within the mountainous range of Yellstown Settlement is Big Sky Ranch, an outpost that
specializes in raising and taming wild game for meat. And while the ranch itself isn’t much to
look at, the organization within the ranch is almost impressive.
The ranch itself consists of a number of small sheds and wooden buildings. All of these are
connected by crude fencing that’s been reinforced with wooden spikes. When you take a quick
glance at the ranch, it looks almost bucolic with the herds of elkhorn deer and other animals.
But a closer inspection reveals what the ranch really is: a place of constant war.
Pointed stakes and pitfalls dot the outside of the ranch. Those who aren’t invited onto
the land often wind up falling into one of these traps and either have to wait for a passing
rancher to walk by, or resign themselves to a slow and unpleasant death.
The traps and fencing is necessary, though. Big Sky Ranch lies right on the outskirts of the
Bleeding Depths. Although the land has been cleared for ranching, the ranchers are in constant
battle with the Overgrowth that threatens to turn fields into thick forests. Combine that with
the worry that the Unborn of Teixiptla will come to take their livestock — or worse — and you
have a recipe for a paranoid bunch of Natural Ones.
Because of this constant sense of being in danger, the people that live on Big Sky Ranch
tend to be more superstitious than most. Each year, they select one of their number to go
on a pilgrimage into the Bleeding Depths. There, the individual must leave on elkhorn deer
in exchange for one of the crystals that can be found within the overgrowth. It’s said that
completing this particular ritual heralds good luck for the rest of the year. If this ritual
is a failure, though, then it’s said that it will be a bad year for both Big Sky Ranch and
Yellstown Settlement
Most of the rest of the year, the ranchers concern themselves with husbandry and making sure
wayward creature or zed don’t wander onto their land. Every so often, they also hold fairs and
livestock shows for others in the region.
146
The Wayward House
Within Yellstown Settlement you can find the Wayward House. Just one of the buildings within
the town, it sticks out sharply from the others. A three-story, wooden building that looks as
if it will topple over at any moment, the Wayward House is one of the most historical locales
in the region.
Wayward House was actually one of the first buildings created in Yellstown — though it started
with only one story and a basement. A small family, the Waywards, ended up moving into it and
eking out a living by trading with Big Sky Ranch.
The Waywards soon fell on hard times, though. During a harsh winter storm, the family wound up
nearly dying of starvation. It’s whispered that the family ate their youngest son in order to
survive the winter.
Unfortunately, their bad luck didn’t end with the winter. It’s said that the oldest child
ventured into the Bleeding Depths — and there met with the Unborn. Learning their rituals, he
returned to the Wayward House after his parents died and began conducting a series of strange
rituals — forming a cult around him within the house. He constructed a second and third floor
of the house to have more rooms for more people. And for years, the house was talked about in
whispers.
Since then, the master of the house has died, leaving the remnants of his cult inside of it.
While most drifted away in order to live in other parts of town, though, a few remained to keep
up the rituals that made Wayward House famous.
These days, the Wayward House is made up of several added-on rooms and floors that have
extended it to become a monstrosity of a building. With an indoor kitchen, several bedrooms and
several common rooms, the house is now an icon within the Yellstown Settlement.
There are whispers that a cult is still active within Yellstown Settlement. But very few are
quite sure what it entails. Those that live within the house itself are civil when they’re in
town and doing business, so the locals have very little cause for worry about the house and its
denizens.
However, there are strange noises during the full moon, and some swear that they can sometimes
hear screams of those who have been captured and are about to be sacrificed.
147
Three Bears Bar
Three Bears Bar is known as being a mellow place — mostly because there just aren’t enough
people in Yellstown Settlement to keep it filled at all times. However, it’s also the only place
where you can probably find a room to stay in, a hot meal and a drink — assuming the proprietor
is sober enough to serve you.
Three Bears Bar looks like any bar in the middle of nowhere. It has a well-worn floor, smells
of cheap booze and spicy meat, and is dimly lit by flickering candles. There’s one thing that
makes it stand out, though, and that’s who it’s owned by.
Three Bears Bar has been operated by one of the best hunters in the region, which you can
easily tell by the trophies hung on the walls. While the bar itself started with just three
grizzly heads hanging as decorations, more have joined them since the bar has opened.
The bar itself keeps odd hours, only opening when there are enough customers in order to make
it worth it — and sometimes only when travelers have stumbled into town and need a place to
stay. The rest of the time, the Three Bears serves as a type of impromptu hunting lodge.
While most people in Yellstown will say that Three Bears is a halfway decent place to go to,
all will agree that there’s something creepy about the lodge. It probably has something to do
with the fact that the owner often ventures into the Overgrowth. There are rumors that say he
actually speaks with the Unborn and makes deals with them while hunting in “their territory.”
However, most are too afraid to call him out on it.
Each year, though, the Three Bears Bar holds a hunting competition. The hunter that brings in
the largest, most impressive, and rarest game receives free drinks for the rest of the year,
and gets to have their kill professionally skinned and mounted as a trophy. They can either
choose to keep the skin, or they can have it join the many others on the wall with their name
inscribed next to it.
148
Factions of Yellstown
In the Yellstown settlement, most people know to leave well enough alone. “Leave well enough
alone” is a common enough phrase in the area, used mostly when telling children or outsiders
that they are being too meddlesome.
While Yellstown is not what most would call a hotbed of activity, it seems that this little
settlement has more going on to it than it would like to show. While these small town secrets
and designs are nothing in comparison to some of the power playes made in settlements like the
Under Sea, Vegasia, or Old York; they can be just as deadly for folks who just wouldn’t leave
well enough alone.
In Yellstown, there are folks who ensure the “status stays quo” and that people are left to do
what they like without question.
149
The Wayward Sons
Mystery surrounds the people at Wayward House, and most denizens of Yellstown Settlement don’t
care to poke at it any further. After all, why bother something that best left well enough
alone? Especially if bothering it can cause you a whole mess of trouble.
In reality, the Wayward Sons are a type of Nuclear Family cult that have taken up residence
within the Wayward House. Founded by Matthew Wayward, the cult sticks to the principles of
family and unity above all else.
If it were just about family, though, this cult would probably fit into Yellstown society with
no problems. The fact of the matter is, though, that this cult takes a darker turn.
Matthew Wayward ventured into the Overgrowth when he was a younger man after an altercation
with his birth family. There, he ran into the Unborn settlement within its depths, the Poisoned
Thorn. Fascinated by these people, Matthew became obsessed with their customs and ways.
While most would normally become a sacrifice for the Poisoned Thorn’s ritual, Matthew managed
to speak to the elders of the tribe and plea to become one of them — to join their family.
Needless to say, the Unborn rejected him and cast him out from their society, viewing him as
too unclean to even sacrifice.
Matthew’s obsession, though, continued. He returned to Yellstown Settlement and took up

residence in his family home. There, he began crafting a family of his own — a cult who resided
within the house and acted as a family unit.
Matthew took things a step further, though. In order to determine who was most loyal to the
family, he gave an opportunity each year for one to venture into the Overgrowth — around the
time the Unborn conducted their ritual. Most years, Matthew received more than a few volunteers;
the one who did not return was heralded as a type of family martyr.
These days, the Wayward Sons aren’t nearly as powerful without their leader, who ventured into
the Overgrowth himself when he grew old. However, they still treat one another as a family, and
they still conduct their yearly ritual of human sacrifice — even if they aren’t the ones doing
the killing.
Of course, there are those within the Wayward Sons that say it’s time to look outside the
family for willing martyrs. Their own numbers are growing less and less each year — and it may
be time to do a bit of recruitment for the sake of the family.
150
Elkhorn Deer Wranglers
Elkhorn deer are tricky to find, catch, and even trickier to breed. That’s why Big Sky Ranch
has to supplement its tame animals with wild stock every once in a while — and that’s where the
wranglers come in.
These men and women spend their time traveling the mountains of Mountaina, seeking out wild
animals to capture and bring back to the ranch. But capturing these creatures aren’t easy; like
most things in Mountaina, they’re more dangerous than they appear.
Elkhorn deer are massive as far as animals go. Not as large as a plague moose, but still
quite a bit larger than a regular deer, Elkhorn Deer travel in vast herds on the edge of the
Overgrowth and through the plains that coat the mountain slopes.
Unfortunately for the wranglers, elkhorn deer can also be extremely aggressive. If a wrangler
isn’t careful, he may have a bad encounter with a bull elkhorn deer. And if that happens, he
may find himself impaled by the animals’ rack of antlers.
That’s why wranglers tend to hunt after dark. The elkhorn deer don’t have good night vision,
so wranglers tend to try and snag calves at night to then tote back to the Big Sky Ranch.
Succeeding in this task, though, takes more than a little bit of planning. The wranglers rely
on a certain poison that they create from certain plants in the Overgrowth. This poison ensures
that an elkhorn deer will stay asleep and won’t cause a fuss as it’s being dragged off to its
new life of captivity. When night falls, the wranglers head out to the fields and shoot poisoned
darts at a few of the calves. They then wait for it to take proper effect, and then quietly
creep out and grab as many of the calves as possible.
Sometimes, though, things can go horribly wrong; sometimes not enough poison is put on a dart,
or sometimes a bull catches wind of the wranglers and starts panicking. And if this happens,
then there’s sure to be an injury or two among the wranglers — or possibly even a death.
By and large, though, the wranglers act professionally and know what they’re doing. And
they’re the only ones in the area that are competent enough — or crazy enough — to take on the
capture of these animals.
151
The Twisted Sisters
A group resides on the outskirts of Yellstown Settlement — a group that’s constructed a few
ramshackle buildings to live and, and who have dedicated their lives to the survival of the town
itself. While most people view these men and women as zealots, the group prides itself on being
prepared for almost any type of threat.
The Twisted Sisters are actually a group of Tribes of Seasons. Made up mostly of Natural Ones
with a few Remnants, this group trains night and day as a type of town guard against the threats
from the Overgrowth.
It’s not clear when this group first originated. Some theorize that it’s a type of warped
section of Murder Inc. that’s been left to its own devices for generations. Others say that it
still has ties to the shady organization. Whatever the case, the Sisters appear to be in the
town to stay.
While the Twisted Sisters dedicate their lives to protection, they also tend to change their
actions depending on the “cycle” of the year. In the spring, they make sure the wranglers get
where they need to go in order to capture calves for Big Sky Ranch. In the autumn, they watch
closely for any trouble from the Wayward Sons, and for the rest of the year, they watch the
forests in order to ensure that no animals wander into town.
The Sisters also realize that a town cannot flourish without new people being brought in from
time to time. Because of this, they monitor population levels and sometimes send one of their
number out into the world to attract more people to settle within Yellstown Settlement. Usually,
the tactics that they use are successful.
This group isn’t all good, though. The members of this group also realize that death is part
of the natural cycle — and some simply need to vanish from the town so that it can function
a little bit better. There are times where troublesome townsfolk simply vanish in the night.
And while the town may be better off for it, many view the Twisted Sisters with a wary sort of
caution because of these disappearances.
152
The Only Reliable Person in Yellstown
Hunter Bart Stowe
Bart Stowe is exactly what you’d expect from a bartender in Yellstown Settlement. He’s large,
doesn’t take any shit from anyone, and is one of the scariest men you’ll meet.
His hands are scarred from dealing with animals in the field, and he often spends weeks at a
time in the Overgrowth. Exactly what he does, though, is often debated. Most say that he’s out
there hunting. Others say that he’s doing something else entirely.
There are whispers about

Bart Stowe’s connections
with the Twisted Sisters —
and how he helps them when
they decide to take action
against someone in town. But
whether or not these rumors
are true remains cause for
speculation.
Despite all of the rumors

and theories about Bart
Stowe, if nothing else,
Bart Stowe is a reliable
and direct person when it
comes to interactions. If
Bart likes you then you
will immediately know. The
grimace on his face remains,
but, his gruff conversation
takes a kinder undertone. If
Bart does not like you on
the other hand, chances are
good that you will be dead
before you could make it to
the door.
Your best bet is to either

be best friends with Bart,
or to keep your interactions
as neutral and business
minded as possible.
153
154
Skatchen Land
“Hey, you there. Yeah, you. You’re not planning on going north alone, are you? You are? Well
you might want to think twice. I mean, there’s really nothing out there that’s good. But then
again, you look like the type of person that’s got nothing to lose.
“Me? I’m just a traveler, myself. I mostly make the journey to get to a few other places — not
that it’s any of your business.
“But hush now — do you hear that? It’s haunting — the sound the wind makes. It’s a low whistle
that howls along the grasslands and into the mountains. You can look and see nothing for miles
around — nothing save the grass and the sky and the sun.
“And that’s just the problem with Skatchen; there’s a real chance of getting lost out here.
I don’t mean the type of lost like you get in one of those big settlements with all those back
alleys and passages. I mean the type of lost where you can wander for days and days without
seeing another soul — the type of lost where you’re more likely to starve to death than find
someone to end it quickly for you.
“Don’t get me wrong, though. It’s not all bad out here. There are a few places where you can
rest for the night — towns within the grasslands. But you have to know where they are, and you
have to be sure to get to them before nightfall. Believe me when I say that you don’t want to
spend too many nights out here — especially in the cold season. The winter storms that blow
down from the north are frigid enough to make travel near impossible.
“What kind of settlements? Well there’s Skatown, for one. That place is located right along
the major roadway through Skatchen where Diesel Jocks sometimes travel through to other places.
And there’s always the Rosetown Farms — though I’d stay clear of their fields if I were you.
“By and large, though, Skatchen is kind of deserted. Really, you should consider going
elsewhere. Seriously. There’s nothing to see here. You should just turn around.
“Why am I so adamant about you turning around? Well no reason at all. How about we travel
together, friend? It’s always better to travel in numbers.
“Just remember that I warned you.”
155
156
Skatown
There isn’t much in the way of civilization in Skatchen Land, but if you had to point out one
place, it would be Skatown. Here you’ll find a small collection of buildings that likes to call
itself a “settlement,” though “ragtag bunch of ingrates” would be closer to the truth.
Because of its out-of-the-way location, Skatown has a strange culture all its own — and it
mostly revolves around farming. Everything depends on the grain that Skatown brings in for the
winter, so it’s not surprising that the farmers in this area are pretty serious when it comes
to protecting their crops.
The town itself revolves around the seasonal crops that are brought in — in this case, mostly
grain. Children are expected to help with the harvest, and men and women work together to bring
in the bounty.
Most of the houses are laid out on a narrow street which runs through it, connected to the
larger roadway that Diesel Jocks use to ride through. Each season, riders will stop in the town
in order to trade for food supplies for their longer journey ahead.
And yet this town has a darker secret among its denizens. Once a year, the town is plagued by
Thrill Kill Raiders — the raiders that are able to get by pretending to be Remnants or Mericans
for most of the year. Because of the strong Nuclear Family following, most of the people in town
will refuse to kill those infected by Thrill Kill, instead viewing them as a misguided portion
of their family.
During harvest, those who are not infected by Thrill Kill are instructed to either fight or
bind those who are. The town itself is filled with the screams of those who have been infected
by the disease, and who clamor for torture. And yet the townspeople rarely kill those who are
taken by Thrill Kill, instead opting to keep them alive until they calm down after the harvest
is down.
The rest of the year, the town itself is almost perfect — assuming you can stand being out in
the middle of nowhere. Skatown even has a small school where children are taught how to read
and what kind of fertilizer is best for crops.
Just remember not to visit during the harvest — unless you want to meet a Thrill Kill Raider.
157
The South Bridge
Imagine a place built around water, where half of the year is frozen solid and the other half
of the years is all movement and quickness. That’s South Bridge for you — and those who live
there are quick to adapt to the changing seasons.
It’s likely that South Bridge once was a bridge. These days, though, it’s just a bunch of
pilings stuck within the water that are used as support beams for what’s been constructed today.
When you first enter South Bridge, you’ll quickly find that it consists of a bunch of houses
and docks that are lashed together against the rushing river water. Most of the houses are
positioned against the beams that rise from the water, and actually are positioned above the
river. Ladders lead down from these houses and onto floating docks, which rise and fall depending
on the season.
While most of Skatown is preoccupied with farming, the district of South Bridge gets most of
its food from fishing. Because of this, a lively trade of dried fish in exchange for grain has
started up between the main town and South Bridge.
During the harvest, most denizens of South Bridge tend to hole up in their houses, allowing
Skatown proper to deal with the Thrill Kills in the fields. During the winter, though, the icy
South Bridge gets too cold for comfort; in fact, it gets too cold for proper survival. After the
harvest and before the cold really sets in, most people that make their homes in this watery
location actually head into the main town to live for the winter.
Because of the lack of help during Thrill Kill season, many in the main town actually look
down on those who live in South Bridge, viewing them as a lesser class of people. Most people in
South Bridge, though, bear the insults. After all, it’s either that or freeze to death during
the winter.
However, there is a younger faction within South Bridge that chaff against the status quo. And
if things continue as they are, it’s likely a small spark may actually turn into a flame.
158
Home of the Mad
Just south of Skatown and a bit north of South Bridge is a place that is only used once a
year. It’s a place where screams echo through the hallways and where chains rattle in the dark.
It’s a place where the insane are gathered together in a group in hopes that they won’t have to
be killed during the Thrill Kill season.
When Thrill Kill first broke out in Skatown, the denizens of the town quickly realized that it
wasn’t necessary to kill all of those infected. After all, they were mostly sane for the rest of
the year, so why not lock them up during Thrill Kill season? They would complain and probably
be a pain to deal with, but at least they’d still be alive at the end of it.
Skatown tried several methods when it came to dealing with the Thrill Kills. They tried
locking them up in family homes, or keeping them all in one house. They even tried just having
them led around on a chain and a leash. In the end, though, Skatown decided the best thing to
do was create their own jail.
That’s when “The Home” was created. While it’s now referred to as the Home of the Mad, the
Home was constructed as a way to keep people with Thrill Kill out of harm’s way for the time
being. The Home consists of a series of rooms — or cells — that are carefully barred against
exit. Those who have Thrill Kill are also chained within their rooms in order to prevent them
from attacking any “doctors” who deliver their food on a daily basis.
The Home itself is only fully staffed during Thrill Kill season. The rest of the year only a
few individuals live in it to keep the equipment fully repaired and check the cells every few
weeks to test their integrity.
The Home itself, though, wouldn’t be able to exist were it not for the help of the Field
Doctors who spend their time wrangling the Thrill Kills and making sure they arrive safely in
the Home.
Of course, those who work in the Home are often at risk of contracting Thrill Kill if they
get too close to a patient. Even if they do, though, they have the comfort of knowing that they
will receive care within the Home if they come down with the disease.
159
Widow’s Park
It looks almost beautiful in the summer. Flowers sway in the breeze, next to carefully kept
paths. A few trees that can survive the harsh winds of Skatchen twist and bend. But if you look
more closely, you may see the marked stones lining the paths — the ones with names and dates of
people that have been lost.
South of South Bridge is Widow’s Park, a place that’s even more morbid than it sounds. This
isn’t where the dead are placed. Instead, this is where the dying go to find their final rest.
Long ago, the denizens of Skatown realized that disease spreads far and fast in a small
community like theirs. Having certain types of Bad Brain Syndrome, and other diseases didn’t fit
in with Skatown policies.
This is probably why all of the denizens of Skatown came upon a universal decision; if a
disease was too contagious — or there was no hope of treatment — then that person would be
escorted to Widow’s Park to meet their end.
Most people from Skatown go to Widow’s park on their own initiative. And if they do go by
themselves rather than with some forceful prompting, then the process is relatively painless;
they are given a stone with their name on it which they can place anywhere within the park.
Then, the person is expected to go into the “Widow’s House” on the property — a small shack
where they wait out the rest of their days — or hours — in silence.
The practice may seem cruel, but it’s a good way to help prevent the spread of untreatable
diseases. And once someone passes through the Grave Mind, it’s possible that they’ll be cured
and be welcomed happily back into the town.
Of course, this makes Widow’s Park a place that’s usually avoided on a day - to - day basis.
However, there are those who do visit it from time to time to pay their respects to those who
passed through and simply didn’t come out the other side.
160
Traveler’s Waystation
During the spring and the summer season, the roar of engines can be heard from far off,
echoing along the road that passes through the vast plains of Skatchen. And while only a few
journey so far, Skatown welcomes every single Diesel Jock that happens to make the journey.
Of course, most people in Skatown don’t like Diesel Jocks running all over their town, and
that’s exactly why they created the Waystation.
The Waystation itself doesn’t look like much from the outside. It’s a long, narrow building
that is usually empty during most of the year. When the Diesel Jocks come around, though, it
transforms into something else entirely; it becomes a crowded hive full of stalls, makeshift
beds, and everything you’d want to buy in a tiny town like Skatown.
During spring and summer, people from the town visit the Waystation in order to trade food
for metal, farm tools, and anything else that might be useful for the rest of the year. While
the Waystation is only really active while the Diesel Jocks are in town, it’s a shame to leave
a building completely abandoned for the rest of the year. That’s why Skatown uses it for other
purposes.
During the autumn and winter, the Waystation is converted into a place for celebrations and
get-togethers during the colder months. A large fireplace is set inside the building, which is
stocked for town - wide celebrations for X - Mas and other important Nuclear Family holidays.
While most people within Skatown survive under the usual rules for marriage in the apocalypse
— which is simply moving in with the person you’re most compatible with — there are those who
also celebrate moving together by holding a party at the Waystation. There, the couple invites
friends and families to drink, dance, and enjoy themselves for a few hours during the darkest
nights of the year.
161
The Moon’s Lake
If you follow the fast-paced river of South Bridge to the south, you’ll soon find that it pools
in a massive lake, as round as the moon itself. During the summer, many people in Skatown head
to the lake in order to enjoy themselves for an afternoon.
People from South Bridge also head to the lake in order to do some fishing. However, they
quickly leave once the seasons begin to turn.
Just like everything else in the town, things change in the autumn. During Thrill Kill season,
the lake attracts raiders of all kinds to the waters. Some say it’s because water sources are
few and far between in Skatchen. And some say it’s because there’s something in the water
itself. Whatever the reason, Moon’s Lake becomes an increasingly dangerous place as summer
turns to fall.
Because of this threat, Skatown has developed its own type of military in order to deal with
the problem. While most are only poorly trained, they’re smart enough to create pits and traps
around Moon’s Lake, and also to make use of guns rather than close quarters combat. This, in
particular, is what has kept most raider clans at bay.
In fact, the town has constructed a few small, hidden wooden huts around the perimeter of the
lake. These aren’t for shelter as they are sniper’s nests — used just in case things get out of
hand.
Yet there are those who point out that raiders are growing in numbers — especially since the
town refuses to kill any Thrill Kills that were once a part of the town. While this situation
is currently under control, it’s possible that the town itself may be overrun in the future.
For now, though, Moon Lake remains peaceful — even if no one has yet to solve the mystery as
to why it attracts so many raiders during a certain time of year.
162
Groups of Influence in Skatchen Land
The Doctors
Each season in Skatown, the town becomes overrun with Thrill Kills. Fortunately for the Thrill
Kills, though, there’s a plan in place to contain them and keep them alive.
That’s where the Doctors come in. Most of these volunteers only take up the job as a doctor
during Thrill Kill season in autumn; the rest of the year they work as farmers or teachers or
fishermen. But when the first Thrill Kills begin to appear, they immediately drop what they’re
doing and begin their time in the Home of the Mad.
The Doctors are responsible for catching, containing, and taking care of Thrill Kills. The
process itself has been refined over generations, and most Doctors are comfortable with capturing
a Thrill Kill. Because Thrill Kills are relatively intelligent for raiders, though, Doctors have
to constantly change tactics in order to capture them.
The Thrill Kill season starts when the Doctors get together to discuss how best to contain
any wayward Thrill Kills. The Doctors actually keep a list of anyone infected with Thrill Kill,
and so are often able to “catch”
a Thrill Kill before they show
symptoms during the season. For
those that are newly infected,
though, the Doctors have to come up
with the best method of containing
them.
The methods that the Doctors use
can be anything from sedation to
simply knocking a person out, tying
them up and dragging them to the
Home of the Mad.
Most Doctors are actually

relatives of the Thrill Kills who
are cared for within the Home.
Viewing it as a way to show a type
of family devotion, these Doctors
are dedicated to making the Thrill
Kills as comfortable as possible
while still keeping them chained up
in cells.
Of course, caring for Thrill

Kills doesn’t come without its
dangers. And many Doctors find
themselves infected with the
disease during one season or
another.
163
The Family Council
When it comes to who runs Skatown, everyone looks to the Family Council. A group of
individuals made up of a Father, a Mother, a Coach, and a few select children, the council
functions as a way to head day - to - day operations within the town.
The Mother and Father of the council rule for life, and are the ultimate authority on any
major decisions. Father will largely determine when the preparations for Thrill Kill season
start, while Mother usually concerns herself or himself with the construction of new grain
silos for the crops being brought in. Coach, in contrast, is responsible for training the
guards that monitor Moon Lake during the autumn season.
Of course, this means that anyone who disagrees with the decisions of Mother and Father have
little voice in what happens in the town. Because the town itself is so religious, most are
expected to accept Mother’s and Father’s decisions, even if they don’t necessarily think it’s
the best choice.
There are still ways to influence the Council, though. Each year, there’s the opportunity for
children to be elected in a position of some power. These children can’t change a decision
that Mother and Father have already made; however, they do sit in on major discussions about
policies in the town. Mother and Father will listen to each child and take their words into
account before eventually coming to a decision.
While Mother and Father are in their positions for life, there are times where they go into
“forced retirement” — and that’s in the instance if one of them contracts Thrill Kill. If that
occurs, then a new Mother or Father is selected from the most promising candidates in town.
Lately, there have been rumors that people in town have intentionally introduced the disease
to Mothers or Fathers whose policies they don’t agree with. However, there is yet to be any
evidence that has been found.
There are also a few hiccups as far as South Bridge is concerned. While this region is
technically part of Skatown, the denizens of the area have recently clamored to have their own
Mother and Father in the area. Whether this will turn into a second council, though, remains to
be seen.
164
The Moon Guard
Each autumn, raider tribes flock to the Moon Lake. And each autumn, the Moon Guard is there to
greet them and protect Skatown.
No one is quite sure what attracts the raiders to Moon Lake. The fact of the matter is, though
— they come. When Skatown was first developing, it was constantly overrun by raider clans during
the autumn. In fact, most citizens journeyed south to Mountaina in the late summer in order to
avoid the season.
As Skatown grew and as farming became more and more profitable, though, it became clear that
there needed to be some other way to deal with the raider tribes in the autumn — and that’s when
the Moon Guard was created.
Headed by the Coach of Skatown, the Moon Guard is made up of men and women who spend the late
summer training and the autumn fighting against raiders. To say that the guard is highly trained
would be a lie. Most of the people in the guard are simply farmers or fishermen. However, they
take their job seriously — and more of them are intelligent enough to know that their strength
lies not in arms, but in their brains.
As summer draws to a close, the Moon Guard sets up traps all along the Moon Lake and on the
easier paths to Skatown. They also make sure that the hidden sniper nests they’ve positioned
near the lake are properly disguised before the Thrill Kill season begins.
While the Moon Guard’s main task is ridding the region of raiders, there is a growing trend
among them. As Skatown grows, a few guards take their duties to the next level and act as the
town Watch during the rest of the year. These men and women tend to train during the “off”
season, as well — and usually do better in the field when autumn rolls around.
Of course, there is always the threat that the growing amount of raiders will one day overrun
the town. And if that day happens, there is currently not enough individuals within the guard
to make much of a difference when it comes to the town’s survival.
165
The Mad
Skatown has a strange sort of culture. Not only do they refuse to kill Thrill Kills, but
they’re also determined on not calling them raiders. Instead, they’re referred to as “The Mad,”
individuals who have managed to stay alive as Thrill Kills despite their condition.
It’s very rare to have such a high concentration of Thrill Kills all in one location, so it
shouldn’t be all that surprising to find that they develop their own sort of grouping during the
months that they’re not Thrill Kill active.
During the spring, summer and winter, the Mad in Skatown tend to associate with one another
rather than their families. They still understand some family ties, of course — and they act
accordingly. But the majority of their time is spent with others of their own kind.
The fact is that the Mad never recover their intelligence after being infected with Thrill
Kill. They’re far more violent than they once were — even if they won’t outright attack people
during the spring, summer and winter — and they rarely have the same personalities.
This is possibly why the Mad tend to come together on a daily basis, talking together about
simple things — and the best ways to torture a victim nearer to the Thrill Kill season. The Mad
have even started to develop their own kind of sign language — ways to communicate so that the
general populace doesn’t understand them. As more and more Thrill Kills appear, this strange
type of culture continues to develop.
More disturbing is the fact that more and more Thrill Kills show up each year. While most of
them are infected townsfolk. There are those who wander into town who have no association with
any of the families within Skatown.
Needless to say, the rest of the denizens of Skatown become nervous when the Thrill Kills come
together in this way. Some even threaten violence. As long as Mother and Father deem that the
Thrill Kills should be saved, though, the raiders remain safe within Skatown — wolves within
sheep’s clothing.
166
Widow’s Watchers
Within Widow’s Park, there are those that keep a constant watch on those who enter and exit
the area. With cowls covering their head and most of their faces, these men and women remain
mostly unrecognizable in the small town.
The Widow’s Watchers are made — not recruited. They are the men and women who have had a loved
one succumb to disease — or who are doing penance on behalf of a family member who had to be
dragged to Widow’s Park while they were ill. A relatively secretive group, the Widow’s Watchers
spend most of their time quietly watching the small building that remains within Widow’s Park.
While the Widow’s Watchers may seem superfluous at first glance, they’re an integral part of
how the town functions. Whenever someone falls ill with some kind of incurable disease, they
are required to go to Widow’s Park to wait out their “sentence” before they die. The Widow’s
Watchers are charged with making sure the person doesn’t leave the park after they’ve entered —
and are also charged with dragging those there who are more reluctant to enter.
Most Widow’s Watchers only spend a short time among the group; it’s encouraged to spend a year
with the Widow’s Watchers after a loved one has died in a type of mourning period. However,
there are those among the group who serve for much longer; these few individuals are the ones
who take a much larger role in the settlement.
Those who spend years within the Widow’s Watchers are actually tasked with keeping an eye
day in and day out on the Thrill Kills. They’re told to document any information about them
accordingly before handing it over to Mother and Father. Most of the Widow’s Watchers aren’t
sure why Mother and Father are so interested in the day-to-day activities of Thrills Kills.
However, they perform their duties as necessary.
167
Well known folk of Skatchen Land
Father Nicholas Riley

Father Nicholas Riley has been the
Father of Skatown for years and years. He
first became part of the Family Council
when the previous Father was stricken with
Thrill Kill. Since then, Father Riley has
done all he could to cause the town to
thrive — or so he claims.
Father Nicholas looks like an average

man in his late thirties with brown hair,
tanned skin from the sun, and a stern but
welcoming face. He usually wears a pair of
glasses, and is often seen with whoever
happens to have claimed the place of
“Mother” on the council.
Although Father Nicholas is looked

up to, he has instituted some strange
policies over the years — policies that
seem to be focused on watching the town.
And some have wondered exactly who he’s
watching the town for.
The Coach
No matter who fills the position, the Coach in Skatown is always the same. He’s usually a bit
burly, has a beer gut, keeps a slight stubble, and has a voice that rings out whether he intends
it to or not.
While the people who fill the position change almost form year to year, the spirit of Coach
always remains. He’s in charge of marshaling the town’s forces against the raiders in order to
ensure that Skatown isn’t completely overrun.
The position of Coach doesn’t just last for a year, though. And many have wondered why most
Coaches give up their position after so short a time. Most believe that it has something to do
with Father, but none have been able to confirm that fact.
168
Doctor Elise Wilson
Most of the Doctors that work in the Home only
do so once a year. Elise Wilson, though, takes
charge of the place year round, making sure
that all the cells are secure, and checking and
double-checking the chains within them.
You wouldn’t think that Elise was up to the

task by first looking at her. With her pale skin
and constant cough, the Remnant seems like she’d
be more suited to be in a sick bed herself
rather than caring for Thrill Kills. However,
Elise has found her calling when it comes to
dealing with the Thrill Kills.
During the season, Elise takes special care

of each “patient.” She talks with them, makes
sure they’re comfortable as possible, and takes
samples for further study. Although she claims
she’s not a “properly trained doctor,” Elise
has enough research notes on the Thrill Kill
disease that would make anyone think twice about
calling her inexperienced.
Exactly what she’s doing with all the research

though, is anyone’s guess.
169
“
The Tinderlands
There are parts of Skatchen that are fertile, with grain and wheat in abundance. And then
there are parts of Skatchen in the west where the air itself sucks the water from your body —
place that might as well be considered a desert.
The Tinderlands of Skatchen aren’t exactly a desert. There’s little in the way of water, of
course, but it also doesn’t have the sand and dust that you’d expect out of a desert. Instead,
dry, scrubby grass coats the land, stretching from horizons to horizon.
Most things can’t live in The Tinderlands. With winds that whip dry snow across the region,
the area can become inhospitable during the winter months.
However, there are those who manage to eke out a living in The Tinderlands through the use of
ingenuity and an impressive amount of stubbornness.
In The Tinderlands, you can find a small settlement or two within the wastes, depending on
dried meat for their food. You can even find wandering bands of Rovers that have adapted their
lifestyle specifically for the harsh environment.
But what really makes The Tinderlands stand out are the animals that live there. Herds of
Elkhorn Deer are only part of what make this area unique. There are also massive elephant -
like Tuskhorns and even large, wild Prairie Lions that make their homes on the plains.
In fact, The Tinderlands are almost like a more - temperate savanna in terms of the fauna
that’s there. And with this burst of wildlife comes others — hunters who would hope to
capitalize on the bounty before selling their wares in more - civilized areas.
But there are dangers for venturing into The Tinderlands — especially unprepared. This is a
place where Mother Nature is a harsh mistress — and deals out a deadly price.
170
Old Wives Town
One of the few towns in The Tinderlands, Old Wives Town is more of a pit stop than an actual
town. It has very little to recommend itself for an extended stay. However, it does have one
thing that other places within The Tinderlands lack: water.
Most people take water for granted anywhere else in the world — but not in The Tinderlands.
People have to either squeeze it painstakingly from the scrub grass that coats the prairie, find
the very few underground springs that dot the region, or carry it during their journey.
Old Wives Town has its water in the form of a well, which is able to supply the entirety of
the small settlement. With that said, there aren’t many to supply. On a good day, there are
about a hundred people that live in Old Wives Town, though most of them come and go depending
on the season.
There’s a rumor about Old Wives Town’s well, too. It’s said that a priestess of the Tribes of
Seasons once wandered into the town, which was dying of thirst. Seeing the need of the people,
the woman poured out a vial of water onto the ground. Some of the people ridiculed her, but she
told them that if they dug where she poured her flask, they would find water; someone of them were
desperate enough to try it and sure enough, they found what they were looking for. To this day,
most people in Olds Wives Town are part of that religion.
What Old Wives Town is really known for, though, is its trade in big game and furs. If you
venture to the area during the summer, you’ll find everything from Devil Beast heads to Prairie
Lion pelts. There are even those who have managed to capture live animals — though those are a
rarity, and are mostly requested by Purebloods far to the south who view them as a curiosity.
The town itself is rather simplistic in nature. Other than a few, shoddy buildings, there’s
nothing much that causes it to stand out — except for its underground network. When winds rage
during the winter months, those who stay through the winter venture below ground, using the
tunnels they’ve hollowed out there in order to withstand the cold.
171
The Shell
The Shell isn’t actually a bunker. If it was, it would be far more secure. As it is, it’s what
appears to be the remnants of a bunker — a tunnel with a ladder that leads downward into what
might have once been a metal - lined room.
These days, though, The Shell has been expanded and improved upon — at least according to the
Lascarians that live there. They’ve dug tunnels outward from the main “room” that they found,
and have since created adjoining rooms where families can live.
Rumor has it that The Shell once belonged to several Genjian. But that all changed when a
tunnel from nearby Old Wives Town broke through. That’s when a few Lascarians wound up taking
The Shell for themselves — forcefully. Needless to say, the Genjian didn’t last long.
Although the oldest Lascarians will claim that The Shell had impressive technological
advances, there’s nothing left of those advances today. Instead, the inside of The Shell acts
more as an entryway to the rest of the Lascarian tunnels beneath The Tinderlands.
The Lascarians themselves often trade with those in Old Wives Town. However, they largely
prefer to keep to themselves and the company of their own. They mostly survive by hunting on
the surface at night, bringing back large animals to skin and eat once the sun rises.
While the Lascarians claim that they have nothing that’s really all that advanced, there are
those who believe that may not be completely true. The Lascarian tunnels run long and deep, and
the Lascarians themselves seem to be able to capture and take down game far more easily than if
they only had primitive tools.
Because of that, there are those who venture into The Shell in an attempt to try to steal from
the Lascarians there. Those who do, though, rarely meet with a pleasant fate if the Lascarians
manage to catch them.
172
Tent Town
When you first see it, you might think that your eyes are playing tricks on you. It’s a dozen
or more tents that rise up from the flat plains of The Tinderlands, colorful canvas sturdy even
in the breeze. A few people mill around outside, tending fires or seeing to animals. In fact, it
looks like a veritable town.
The town itself is actually a Rover clan, called the Fortin Clan, which is surprising in a
place like The Tinderlands. Nicknamed “Tent Town” by outsiders, this clan moves from place to
place with their tents, horses, goats, and cattle.
While it may look as if these Rovers thrive within The Tinderlands, actually surviving is a
daily struggle. The Rovers bundle themselves up with cloth and furs against the cold, their
scarves flapping in the breeze and from their belts. They use their animals as a means to keep
warm during the coldest nights, and also use them as a type of food.
The Rovers partially survive by hunting during the seasons when animals are abundant. But when
animals leave the region, the Fortin Clan survives on goat milk mixed with a bit of goats’ blood
as a type of food.
However, the hardest part of The Tinderlands is the lack of water. Fortunately, the Rovers
know a way to help mitigate that issue. If you squeeze the scrubby, spongy grasses found in The
Tinderlands, you’ll wind up with a bit of water. Squeeze enough, and you’ll be able to fill an
entire container. Some Rovers spend their days doing just that in order to supply a bit of extra
water to their caravan while they’re in between water supplies.
If you come across these Rovers, they’re more than hospitable. All they ask in return is
something for your stay — whether it’s a few coins, sharing some of your food, or even a story
if you have nothing else to offer. If you cross the Fortin Clan, though, be prepared to receive
a special brand of Rover Justice.
173
The Stone Circle
It seems almost eerie — placed in the middle of nowhere with no one around. Some say that it’s
a sign from before the Fall. Others say that people placed it there afterward as a memorial to
all those that have fallen in The Tinderlands. Still others claim that it’s a signal to those
who know the secret of the place — a signal to tell them where to find a safe haven.
The place itself, though, isn’t much to look at when you see it during the day. It’s simply
a ring of large, stone mounds that have been placed on a flat plain. The middle of the ring is
cleared of scrub and brush so that only sand shows, though the outside shows quite a bit of
vegetative growth.
Yet there are rumors surrounding the circle — so many that at least one of them has to be
true.
It’s said that if you stand within the center of the stones at midnight, the spirit of the
seasons will appear to you in physical form and tell your future. Others say that a natural
spring will erupt from the center of the stones during a certain time of year during the full
moon. And still others say that hidden somewhere around the stones is a door to a world that
tells all of the secrets that were kept before the Fall.
Whatever the case, the location has become somewhat famous within The Tinderlands. People from
around Skatchen purposely venture into the arid region just to see the stones and try to figure
out their mysteries.
However, actually finding them is difficult. Only well - travelled wanderers like the Fortin
Clan or the hunters that range across The Tinderlands know exactly where the circle is. If
others want to see it, these guides will ask for a nominal fee to show them.
While it’s likely that the mystery surrounding the stones is simply superstition, strange
noises can sometimes be heard at night around the stones. Though that could just as easily be
the wind.
174
The Poisoned Hills
Flat plains eventually give way to rolling hills if you venture far enough into The
Tinderlands. And the scrubby, water grass that so characterizes the rest of The Tinderlands
slowly is beaten out by other, more exotic plants.
If you go far enough into the Poisoned Hills, you’ll notice something unusual: no bird song.
No animals rustle the grasses, no giant herds can be seen in the distance. All you can really
hear is the low hum of the few insects that manage to live in this area. The fact is that the
Hills hold a number of poisonous plants that can be fatal if not treated with care. There’s the
twisted flower, Bloodbane Root, which produces a red sap that can eat through your skin if not
quickly wiped away. There’s the Desert Nightshade, which has leaves that can cause a painful
rash on your skin that can last for weeks. And there’s the Devil’s Flower — relatively harmless
in most seasons. In the spring, though, it produces a pollen that when inhaled can cause
paralysis, seizures, and even death.
Most people avoid these hills due to the plants that thrive on them. However, there are
those who actually seek out the locale because of the plants. Because these plants are so
poisonous, some seek to use them as poisons and as weapons. The pollen of the Devil’s Flower, in
particular, would be extremely deadly if weaponized. So far, though, no one has managed it.
While there are many plants in this locale, there are also insects that take advantage.
There’s the Purple-Spined Caterpillar that actually feeds on the leaves of the Devil’s Flower,
and produces a similar toxin in the spines that line its back. When it eventually metamorphoses
into a butterfly, it retains some of the poison in its body. This means that any animal that
eats the insects winds up suffering an almost fatal encounter — teaching it not to eat another
butterfly that looks the same.
175
Groups of Influence in The Tinderlands
The Shell Rats

Within the confines of The Shell is a group of Lascarians that like to call themselves The
Shell Rats. Living within the relative peace and quiet of their underground tunnels, these
Lascarians seem relatively normal — on the surface.
The fact of the matter is that these Lascarians stumbled on a Genjian stronghold when they
entered The Shell — and found a wealth of technology to prove it. Their discoveries didn’t end
there, either. They expanded outward to find more tunnels with more technology stashed inside.
Because of this, The Shell Rats are some of the most technologically advanced people within
Skatchen — if only because they stole the technology. They have guns that work more smoothly
than others, and conveniences that include running water which is diverted through pipes from
deep beneath the surface.
By and large the most treasured items, though, are the diaries that were discovered within The
Shell. The journals are said to tell of life before the Fall. Though only the Lascarian Scribes
within The Shell know if that’s actually true or not.
While survival is important within The Tinderlands, The Shell Rats see themselves as history
keepers. They preserve the less - useful artifacts that they find, and carefully record and re
- record any notes that they find within the tunnels. There are two “Scribes” at any given time
among The Shell Rats whose sole jobs are to keep the writings from The Shell safe for future
generations.
The other Bunker Rats are charged with protecting The Shell itself, and also understanding how
the artifacts that they find actually work — or whether or not they can be fixed if broken.
Needless to say, the technology makes the Lascarians wary if anyone sneaks into their tunnels.
There have been several break - ins over the last few decades. Though most of those who broke
in wound up being the next Lascarian meal.
These days, though, The Shell Rats see the limitations in their study, and are eager to learn
more about what they’ve found — which means an enterprising historian may just be allowed to
see within The Shell itself.
176
The Fortin Clan
When it comes to surviving The Tinderlands, the Fortin Clan consists of the best experts out
there. Raised since birth traveling across the dry plains, these Rovers know the best locations
to find water, food, and stay during the night.
While the Fortin Clan lives in The Tinderlands, this wasn’t always the case. The Rovers once
roamed the plains in Sweet Grass Country in Mountaina. However, that’s when they encountered
the Meloy Clan. While the two clans got along well at first, an argument between two young men
broke out one evening while the two clans were camping together. One thing led to another, and
the two clans found themselves at odds with one another.
The fighting between the two clans lasted for months. Eventually, though, the Meloys won out.
The Fortin Clan — or what was left of it — quickly left to find a more suitable home. Eventually,
the Fortin Clan came upon The Tinderlands — and they’ve been there ever since.
These days, the Fortin Clan does its best to survive the harshness of The Tinderlands.
However, they do have some interesting merchandise that some journey far and wide to find:
poisons. Each year, the Fortin Clan visits the Poisoned Hills and harvests plants from it. They
then use the plants in brews and liquors that they then sell to interested buyers. While some
of the things they create are medicinal, most of the tonics are actually subtle poisons that
can be slipped into a drink or injected with a needle in order to cause a painless — or very
painful — death.
Other than their small trade in poisons, the Fortin Clan also trades in horses and goats.
While they do use most of them in their caravan, they are willing to part with one or two every
so often when one of the mares gives birth.
If you’re lucky enough to encounter the Fortin Clan, remember to be as polite as possible.
They take their hospitability seriously — especially after their altercation with the Meloys.
177
The Dryland Hunters
Some people live in The Tinderlands because they have no choice, and then there are others who
are seasonal travelers. It’s these seasonal travelers that are the most famous within Skatchen
— mostly for the trophies that they bring in.
One thing that The Tinderlands are truly known for are their animals. Vast herds of Devil
Beasts cross the plains, and Elkhorn Deer are a common sight. There are rabbits, Prairie Lions
and even Eagle Hawks that seem to block out the sun itself with their wingspan.
With these animals, though, come hunters. People journey from all over in order to get a
chance to hunt some of the big game that can be found in The Tinderlands. And while many are
successful in their hunts, not all of them survive.
In fact, only the hunters that do manage to make a successful kill get to receive the title as
being a Dryland Hunter. This semi - elite group of hunters get together once a year and hold a
type of competition to see who can bag the biggest game.
Of course, this sort of competition draws in quite a crowd. Stationing themselves in Old Wives
Town, the hunters can be seen preparing their gear to go out into The Tinderlands.
The winner of the competition doesn’t get much in the way of a trophy. Instead, they’re
elected by the other Hunters to travel to Skatown and Three Bears Bar, where they present the
animal as a way to show the proprietor there who the best hunter in The Tinderlands truly is.
When they’re not having a competition, though, most of these hunters take an active part in
the northern fur trade. Keeping themselves in and on the outskirts of Old Wives Town, they
gather as many furs as possible before taking a caravan south in order to trade and sell. Some
even go all the way to Skatown in order to catch the Diesel Jock caravans that sometimes pass
through.
While you may not think it, the fur trade can be especially competitive, and there are times
where the hunters are at each other’s throats when game grows scarce.
178
The Cult of Stone
The Stone Circle within the middle of The Tinderlands is certainly an attraction. However, few
would call it a place of worship. Yet there are those who do exactly just that — the Cult of
Stone. The cult itself started when a caravan became lost in The Tinderlands. Scared and dying
of thirst, the caravan paused next to the stones. There, they waited through the night, resigned
to their fate.
That’s when a miracle happened. The stones suddenly seemed to murmur — as if speaking to the
people there — and water began trickling around the stones. The members of the caravan gulped
greedily at the water and stored some in their canteens, quickly moving on the next day.
While most in that caravan forgot the incident, there was one that remembered: Simon Barrows.
Stunned by the incident, he revisited the stones to see if the words he heard were simply a
figment of his imagination — or something more.
When he returned, Simon waited outside the stones for days. He patiently remained until,
finally, he heard words again — seemingly coming from the stones themselves. Excitedly, he wrote
them down as many of the words as he could hear: Go, Find someone else.
Simon went out into the world, preaching about the speaking stones in the middle of The
Tinderlands. These days, he has quite a following who visit the stones each year as a type of
pilgrimage to hear what they have to say. Sometimes the stones remain silent, but sometimes
words seem to be spoken to the followers for their ears alone.
The cult itself, understandably, is rather small. However, Simon is gaining followers. And if
it keeps going at the rate that it is, the stones may find themselves with quite a few people
hanging around them in the future.
179
Well known folk of the Tinderlands
Derth, Bunker Rat Scribe

Known only as Derth by the other Bunker Rats, this Lascarian is one of the revered scribes
within the compound. And although he appears to be old and possibly senile, this Lascarian is
possibly one of the most intelligent individuals in Skatchen.
Derth walks with a limp, and can usually be seen with books or pages in hand as he mumbles to
himself. His rooms speak volumes about the Lascarian, since they’re covered with diagrams that
seem to show connections that aren’t really there.
That doesn’t mean that Derth doesn’t have useful information. He’s horded it and collected
it over many years of his life. While he may not have all the puzzle pieces, he certainly has
quite a few of them.
While Derth may not be completely sane, most Bunker Rats treat him with respect, if not for
his age then certainly for the knowledge that he keeps locked away in his mind.
Lyle Fortin
When you see Lyle in The Tinderlands, you can see that he’s been tempered like a piece of
steel by the harsh conditions there. With weather - beaten skin, brown hair lightened by the
sun, and piercing eyes, Lyle is a person you’re always polite to — no matter what.
Lyle is actually the patriarch of the Fortin Clan, making sure all of his immediate and
extended family members remain in line as they travel across The Tinderlands.
In addition to being the head of his Rover family, though, Lyle is also an experienced
poisoner. People travel for miles around in order to purchase some of his family recipes, which
have been passed down from generation to generation.
180
181
182
Lorado
“You’re going the wrong way, son. Seen people with that look in your eyes before - that dead-
eyed walk coming from Hell Dorado or Holy Wood, trying to find your way east and making good
time, but there ain’t nothing left inside you. Most folks, the see the smoke in the distance and
they head north or south. But you ain’t gonna, are you? I ain’t gonna stop you, but I wouldn’t
be no man of faith without tellin’ you exactly what you’re walking into, son.
“People out here, they live and die in Lorado. They come here from all over lookin’ to make a
mark in the unknown, and if they’re worth their salt, maybe they’ll stare fear in the face and
make a little while. Get hard feet and harder hearts while the jungles lick at their heels and
try to eat ‘em alive. From where you’re standing right now, I bet you’re looking out there and
thinking it’s awful pretty. You’re right, son. It is. But that’s the thing about Lorado - looks
are deceiving.
“You make it past here, you’ll be starin’ the desert straight in the face. Sure, you heard of
Diesel Jocks, but you ain’t seen any like these, boy. Transporters and highwaymen. If the roads
are the veins, they’re the blood that’ll make sure you survive. Past that, the roads of the
Rock - mountains, snow. People who are born and die on those paths and never see anything else.
You won’t find a single caravan or iron horse that way - roads are too narrow for that. Just men
and women of the trails, hard as nails and twice as strong.
“But none of that is what you should really be worrying about, boy. You should be worrying
about the east. That green you see in the distance? Looks like life, but it’s not. It’s death,
and it’s gonna keep creepin’ for you. Eats everything alive, and what’s left inside it are
things men ain’t supposed to see.
“Me? Yeah, I’m heading east. Somebody’s gotta beat back those jungles. The Burners are comin’
and they’re gonna cut back the growth and pave the way for living men. The smell of ash on the
air, that ain’t the end. That’s the beginning, and she’s singing her siren song to call the
people back home. Like I told you, boy. Looks are deceiving on Lorado. The folks you meet might
seem hard as stone since that’s what they’ve grown up knowin’, but they got a kindness in them
and a want for more.
“I’ll tell you what, boy. You walk east with me, maybe you’ll find some work. Might just be the
cut of the wind, but I think you got the smell of ash on your skin.”
183
The Wildfire Wastes
East of Mile High City and past the long stretch of deserts is what remains of the most
underpopulated region of Lorado for any strain, but also the largest population in terms of
fauna and flora. Large stretches of land, once pre-fall plantations, have become overgrown
monstrosities that stretch tall and wide and what wildlife survived has adapted to live in
unlikely conditions.
The ground is rife with thick networks of roots that rise to the top of the earth like veins,
as long as they are wide; the insect life that lives among the roots and low branches are
rumored to be as large as an iron horse, their chitinous shell coveted as armor. High above,
thick leaves block out the sky and soak up the rays of the sun, pushing the outgrowth ever
further.
Most of this land is the great unknown. It’s so thick with life that it has become death. It’s
a place of fear; a place of endings and beginnings, if any intrepid soul is brave enough to grab
them. The smartest travelers and settlers avoid the region entirely, choosing to head either
south or north rather than run the risk of being eaten alive by the unknown wilds that exist in
the east.
But not all those in Lorado allow the desire for safety to create fear. Enterprising Pure
Blood communities, seeing the potential for profit, began moving into the region and producing
livestock in mass quantities, breeding prized meat from the mutated wasteland creatures that
occupy the vast network of overgrown croplands. And every summer the smell of ash takes to the
air and the Burners come, setting their blazes of wildfire to clear out large swaths of the
overgrowth and make way for new communities to reclaim the lands of their ancestors. It leaves
this area of the region with a smoky taste to the air and gray, ashen earth that gives it its
namesake.
184
Paradise Acres
If you follow the ash-gray path that cuts through the center of the Wildfire Wastes, it will
bring you to a single destination: a clearing burned down and rebuilt by the hands of men
beating by the wilderness by strength of arm and flame. Paradise Acres is indeed what the name
suggests, particularly compared to its surroundings. On every side of the plantation that lies
within its center, the Overgrowth pushes ever closer and yet never overwhelms, constantly pushed
back by the Burners and funded by the money-slick pockets of Lucky Jim.
Paradise Farms and Lucky Jim were among the first to successfully beat back the jungles of the
new world and claim a piece for themselves. They quickly found that the ashen earth that the
Burners left behind made for excellent growing conditions and were able to capitalize and profit
in a land where most farming regions were utterly dominated by the wilderness where they exist.
Stretching for a handful of miles in either direction, Paradise Farms’ claim to fame comes
from its livestock and crops. No matter the season, the farm produces incredible amounts of
food, both for the settlers in the region as well as the unique livestock the area produces.
It’s not uncommon to see cows the size of small shacks or chickens that could be mistaken for
hunting dogs. Lucky Jim himself claims to have a whole herd of goats that could be used for
riding that are better than any iron horse.
The success of the farm and the increase in production has caused a small settlement to bloom
around it; most of the populace either works for the farms or is trained as Burners, beating
back the land for the community to take more. There are rumors, however, that Paradise Acres has
begun to push too far, and is unearthing old creatures and horrors that were better left hidden
in the deep fauna of the jungles.
185
The Burnlands
Before the end times, it was said the Burnlands were the real Promised Land. Acres of food
– crops for miles and cattle to feed thousands of hungry mouths. What it transformed into was
beyond what mortal men could tame. The crops grew thick and tall into vast jungles which bred
monstrosities within them, only caricatures of the creatures they once were; the new landscape
devoured farms and farmlands alike and never stopped growing. Once upon a time, a man might
have raised a goat for food or milk, but to try to do so now would be asking for more than any
farmer could handle.
But man was not meant to be beaten back by nature. Thus the Burnlands were born.
The Burnlands are an ever-expanding line across the jungles of The Wildfire Wastes. Every
summer, the Burners push in and torch more of the fauna in an attempt to push it back and
reclaim what once belonged to humankind. In the wake of the ash that’s left behind is fertile
farmland in which new villages are born; if they survive the fall and winter at the edge of
civilization, then they are almost guaranteed flourishing crops of food and plentiful livestock.
Many scavengers and Jones alike frequently find work along the edge of the Burnlands, prying up
ancient treasures and machines that were once buried under the thick and tangled vines of the
wastes. In the Burnlands, fire doesn’t mean devastation; it means profit for all.
However, existing on the Burnlands doesn’t come without its costs and the risks of moving in
on new and unclaimed territory. The Burners’ fires cause spikes in Cinder activities across the
region over the summer, and every year new horrors are unearthed from deep within the tangled
vines where no man had dared to delve for years. Competition for the best new farmland can also
result in cut throats and broken caravan wheels – a different and just as deadly monster for
intrepid newcomers to the Burnlands.
186
Hell’s Garden
Every night the setting sun touches the strange outcroppings of rocks, painting the stones in
bright reds and oranges; they cast their shadows across the horizon, punctuated by the distant
rumblings of drums and the rumbling of iron horses. This is Hell’s Garden.
Deep within the trails that crawl along the mountains, followers of the Tribes of Seasons have
long since made this a holy place of their faith. It’s here that all the seasons flourish and
all of them can be found in kind: the cold winds of winter that whip along the mountain peaks,
the flat heat of summer in the valleys and the shifting of the colors in the trees during fall
and spring.
It’s here that many Tribes of Season have found a permanent home, existing within the perfect
harmony of nature. While it is near impossible to grow crops in Hell’s Garden, the most of the
inhabitants have learned how to nurture and herd the goats and sheep that occupy the area.
However, the Tribes of Season aren’t the only people to call Hell’s Garden an important cultural
relic and the peace of the Seasons is often overshadowed by its disruption.
Diesel Jocks in Lorado use the trails as a rite of passage and a challenge to themselves and
each other – if you can get your ride through the treacherous passes of Hell’s Garden, then you
have a place in anyone’s caravan. The roads are narrow in some places, thick with mud or gravel
in others, and the natural rock structures that haven formed in the Garden threaten to fall at
any time; even with successful rides through Hell’s Garden, significant damage can be done to
the Garden in the process. It’s not uncommon to find abandoned and broken rides from Jocks who
have failed the trail littering the sides of the roads.
While the Tribes of Season and the local Diesel Jock communities have come to an uneasy truce
on traveling through the region, conflicts still arise and it’s often a matter of whose temper
is going to spike first before trouble erupts again.
187
Saw River
The Saw River begins in the Crossings and cuts across the entirety of the region, and where
the River flows, life flourishes. Beginning high in the Slopes, the river cuts down through the
mountains and provides lifeblood to all of the croplands through the Wildfire Wastes. When the
Burners begin their yearly culling, they use the Saw River as a marker for how far to push,
giving them the ability to both extinguish errant and dangerous fires, as well as provide further
life in the region as farmers and caravans move into the new Burnlands.
Like much of Lorado, much of the river and the communities that once existed around it have
been lost inside the jungles of the Wildfire Waste. With the land being nearly impassable, the
Saw River remains one of the only reliable methods of transportation from one end of Lorado to
the other. River boats are able to journey through the more dangerous regions of the wasteland
jungles, and while the voyage itself might mean several days without seeing sunlight while the
fauna leans high overhead, it’s often the only option to get past through the Wastes and on to
safer territory.
The river is plentiful with fish and other wildlife, with rarer and larger prey existing closer
to the jungles than the fields. This makes it an appealing location for fishmongers who might
want to risk a more dangerous catch deeper in the Wastes, where a fifty-pound fish could feed a
man for days rather than a net full of scrawny, irradiated runts.
Scavengers and tinkers find the Saw River just as profitable as fishermen, as the streams down
from the mountain bring down a different sort of prize. With a keen eye and the right luck, rare
metals come washing down the higher peaks of the Slope to be plucked up and sold for a steep
price. It’s made territory along the exposed parts of the river prime real estate for merchants
and armorers alike, as plying their trade along the shore can be much easier than delving deep
into dangerous mine shafts that threaten to collapse at any moment.
188
The Forgotten Outpost
The Wildfire Waste collects the lost and broken things of the world, absorbs them, and takes
them whole. Sometimes the jungles spit you back out more broken then before, and sometimes it
makes you better and stronger. This is how the Forgotten Outpost was born.
The Forgotten Outpost was the community who built in the wake of the first Burn, sending back
the jungles for miles in either direction. What they learned is that the jungles grow back
faster than anyone expected, but the first settlers were too stubborn to give in. They survived,
and in the wake of their survival, their children adapted to the struggle. Whether by necessity
or through whatever damned science that made the jungles of the Wastes grow in the first place,
the Forgotten Outpost breeds Remnants who are especially suited to survive the culture of their
world.
Many children of the Forgotten Outpost are born with innate camouflage, or adapted hands and
feet to climb through the jungles with greater ease. Some have learned to see in the dark and
others have grown with elongated ears to hear for dangers in the deep. However, where one might
expect these Remnants to be lauded and prized for their newfound adaptations, what occurred was
the exact opposite.
The Forgotten Outpost stands as an example of what the horrors of the Wastes can create if
it’s not cut back. Burners point to the Forgotten Outpost as an example of what will happen to
everyone if they don’t control the land that they exist in – they will become freaks, one with
nature and lose their minds and their bodies to the environment they live in. Growing up in the
shadow of inbred failure, some children of the Forgotten choose to be Burners themselves to fight
back against the stigma that has been born against them, but most choose to live an irrelevant
existence the quiet and undisturbed edges of the Waste, safe from scrutiny.
189
Home
Where the Forgotten Outpost is looked upon with fear and disgust, Lorado looks to a brighter
example of what their futures could be. Set in what was once jungle-infested land, the ashes
of the Burning have created a hard-working community of builders, scientists, and farmers that
have beat back the edge of madness instead of becoming a part of it. At the end of a long,
well-maintained dirt road is a red and white sign that has greeted many weary travelers to a
piece of comfort: “Welcome Home!”
Home is everything it says it is. It’s a place for families, a place where hard work means
a good meal at the end of the night and everyone watches out for each other. What started as
a small waypoint for traveling Nuclear Family members to find a piece of their faith in the
wilderness has grown into a thriving settlement of survivalists. Still primarily populated by
the faith of Nuclear Family, Home has stood strong for years on one founding principle: if you
want to live at Home, you must put in all the work that keeps Home.
Citizens of Home are stubborn to a fault, raised to work with dedication to protect their
pride and joy. To that end, Home is looked upon with admiration; no threat from the jungles,
the mountains, or the plains has ever brought Home to its knees. Unlike the Forgotten Outpost,
which submitted to the jungles in order to live, Home has never forgotten its roots and every
year they are often the first to come to the Burning and offer their services – and their lives
– to keep the Home as the beacon of pride for Lorado.
Run under the watchful leadership of Father Margaret, this intrepid daughter of a farmer and
businesswoman has a keen eye for keeping the community safe, whether it’s by beating back the
wilds around them, or pushing out wayward strangers who threaten Home from within. While Home
still stands, there’s still a future for everyone out in the Wastelands.
190
The Crossing
Any traveler entering the Crossing proper faces an intimidating journey. They must cross the
Burnlands from the East, the mountains and mesas from the North and West, or the barren deserts
to the South. But if they survive the Journey, they arrive in the heart of Lorado where the
dream of making your own way lives long and true.
The heartlands of this region are vibrant with trade and travelers from nearly all walks of
life. It’s not uncommon for caravans to meet and mingle for impromptu trade moots and those
moots turn into trading posts, and then living towns. Travelers bear trade from all regions of
the Lorado, prized and mysterious possessions from the mountains and jungles as they travel to
their ultimate destination.
Despite the frequency of trade and travel, most that make it as far as the Crossing have a
final destination in mind: the Mile High City. It’s here that travelers from as far as Hell
Dorado and Old York come seeking a new way of living on the promise that a man can live as he
pleases as long as he can make it on his own. Their dreams may take them out of the Mile High
City as Pure Blood families seek employees for their outside ventures. They may become couriers
on the thin-aired Slopes, or negotiate trade routes to the Jocks in the South. But this much is
clear: if you want to work in Lorado, it begins in the Crossings itself.
But the Crossing bears a darker stain as well. There are those who are disenfranchised by the
independent spirit that exists within the rolling hills and gentle mountains of the Crossings,
rejected by the Pure Bloods and merchant families within the Mile High City. What could have
been valuable allies within small communities outlying the area are now becoming potentially
dangerous towns of the poor, the needy, and the very angry.
191
The Mile High City
Deep within the center of the Crossings is the Gem of Lorado itself: the Mile High City, the
living and breathing heart of the region that supports much of the ventures in the more difficult
areas to live and work. The Mile High City is occupied by Pure Blood families of old, and the
intrepid nature of the city has flourished through the funding of ventures that have created a
renewed expansion all over the Lorado.
While still retaining their finery and sense of self-worth, the Pure Bloods of the Mile High
City are distinctly more geared to the outdoors and survivability that most others of their
Strain. It’s not uncommon to find brightly colored, but travel-worn and worldly Pure Bloods
taking ventures that lead them outside the city’s borders and into the roads, traveling more
like Rovers than families of high blood and influence. However, having never forgot their roots,
it’s not uncommon for Pure Bloods coming of age to use this as a way to start their own ventures
and leave the Mile High City to create capital of their own.
However, the core of the Mile High City’s wealth and prosperity comes down to the Lineage
League. Pure Bloods and their associates tied into this society fund various ventures throughout
the city, into the Crossings and deep into the Lorado itself, attempting to recover valuable
historical information lost to time. But for anyone not wrapped into the Lineage League, the
consequences can be damnation to an underground society of equally intrepid thugs and murderers.
They are not privileged. They are the black soot underneath the heels of the Pure Bloods who
try to paint gold coats on the ugly exterior of a once thriving city. In truth, the success of
the Lorado is built on the backs of the broken, and beneath the smiling energy of commerce is
an ugly sneer of resentment and the rumbling of rebellion. The wants and money of the few have
managed to keep the rumbling of revolt in check, but as further communities of the bitter grow
in the shadow of the city, the prospects of peace don’t seem likely to remain for much longer.
192
The Slopes
High above the conflicted Dead Springs territory stands, snow-capped mountains tower into the
skyline far above any conflict, disease, or threat of war. To exist in the Slopes isn’t an easy
life: losing a limb from the cold is about as common as zeds in the overgrowth. But for those
who have a natural sense of independence and survival, the Slopes provide a secret, hard-earned
paradise.
Only those who truly understand what it means to live on their own can call the Slopes their
home, but it breeds a spirit of ingenuity that few others can claim. They’ve devised their own
methods of travel across the feet-tall snow and have mastered the art of finding food, shelter,
and good hunting in a place where it seems like no life should exist. The challenges, however,
are perhaps more immense and less easily solved than those of the ravage lands of Lorado below.
The things that kill you on the Slopes are not raiders or bandits or even zed; the thing that
kills you on the Slopes is yourself. Arrogance, pride, and being ill-prepared leave brightly
colored corpses all across the pristine, snow-white inclines of the slope. It’s rare you cross
the path of another traveler, much less another trader, and it makes those who have tried to
escape the ugly circumstances of Lorado learn to trust themselves and only themselves.
It’s because of this that it’s said the best Postmen come from the Slopes. They are the
ultimate survivors, the ultimate travelers. Young Sainthood trying to test their own will and
capabilities as Postmen will often begin their journeys at the bottom of the Slopes and never
come down. But those who do are often unstoppable forces of will that are met with a respect
worthy of any Saint.
193
Dead Springs
If a traveler tells you he hails from the Dead Springs, it means one of three things: he’s a
liar, a killer, or a dangerous survivor. Caught between deserts and mountains, the Dead Springs
is little more than crumbling ruins that used to be a scrounger’s paradise. It’s not called
Dead Springs because the land’s bounty has faded or that the city is abandoned – to go to Dead
Springs is like walking into a hangman’s noose.
Some say that the old armies of Merica rose up against the citizens and created a war in which
no one could escape; others claimed that the creeping, crawling overgrowth caused a madness
that turned even the most sane men into less than an addled, bad-brained raider. However, the
general consensus of the rumor mill is that satellites crashed from the skies above and gave
Dead Springs its name.
Although Dead Springs is quiet, it is deceptive. The scavengers and treasure-seekers that once
picked through the ruins quickly turned into ruthless bands of mercenaries who sought the wealth
that all the rumors spoke of. Because of the low-level radiation that exists over the vast
majority of Dead Springs, what could have once more been a thriving community never received
the attention and money that the Pure Bloods provided to other towns within Lorado.
Just past the ruins of the old city exists a stark, empty field where even the all-encompassing
jungles seem to fear breaching: Satellite Field. The twisted wreckages of arcane mechanics
have long since been picked clean of valuables and in its wake have come religious fanatics,
fascinated by its resistance to the Overgrowth which has absorbed the majority of the region.
The Templars claim the area has the power to wipe the area of any life left in Dead Springs;
Darwinists protest that the old military bunker and the skeletons of ships around it hold the
secret to saving the whole of Merica. The conflicts over the territory quickly bled out into the
rest of Dead Springs, leaving it war-torn and as hungry for answers and religious proof as it
is for blood.
Blood Cliffs
To most, the Blood Cliffs are either a paradise or a horror depending on your allegiances. As
the sun sets over the rocky outcrops, it reveals dozens, perhaps hundreds, of communities and
homes built deep into the dark red rocks of the cliff sides; within those deep red rocks are
many eyes that stare outward, wary of outsiders, and protective of the community that they have
built within.
The Blood Cliffs represent two groups of individuals working together in camaraderie unique to
Lorado. Believing that they had found a paradise, Natural Ones quickly settled into the Blood
Cliffs, but found themselves unable to effectively defend themselves, pinned against the cliff
side as they were. It made for a natural slaughterhouse against any enemies that turned their
gaze to the area. Their solution came in the form of working with Lascarians, desperate to find
a new home after being driven out of their collapsed and often profitless ancient mines.
194
Together they built shallow tunnels and homes set into the cliff sides. Raised above the
grounds, it gave the Natural Ones a heightened position to defend their territory and it gave
the Lascarians a place to dig and create a new network of tunnels that suited their needs while
understanding the necessity of structural integrity. Contrary to popular belief, the Blood
Cliffs didn’t earn their name from the red stones it’s made out of; it was made entirely from
the waves of raiders that would try and attack, only for their blood to end up coating the
walls of the cliff sides in death.
This doesn’t mean Blood Cliffs is without enemies, the most dangerous of which doesn’t come
from below – it shadows them from above. While the jungle created a myriad of mutated creatures
on land, it has also forced the evolution of birds that hunt the skies for larger prey. The
shadow of great vulture wings precedes death among the Blood Cliffs more than anything else.
These predatory monsters use the Blood Cliffs as their primary hunting grounds, picking off
defenders who are foolish enough to remain exposed once the vultures’ wings begin to soar
above. To kill a Shadow Vulture is more than a rite of passage among the Blood Cliffs: it’s a
valorous act, one that will raise the community stature of an individual to nearly legendary.
Dead End Rockies

A man can live and die in the Dead End without seeing another soul. Occupying a land half
covered by ice-deserts and thick jungles that spread out from the Eastern Plains, the Dead End
makes up miles and miles of barely known trails that intrepid explorers are still attempting to
record and map.
While it’s too treacherous for caravans, this is often the ultimate destination for many
Rovers who seek new stories and the allure of the unknown. The Dead End Rockies earned their
name from the vast majority of travelers who enter the trails seeking to make their own trails,
only to die and let their deaths carve a path for those that come after. To live within the
Dead End is beyond sacrifice; it is allowing the space for progress and discovery while knowing
that the likelihood of leaving is little to none.
There will always be some who unwittingly walk down the path of the explorer without truly
understanding to what they have committed . To that end, there is a small sect of the Tribes of
Season who collect the Lost and guide them back out of the frozen or jungle-thick wilds that
travelers unwittingly try to traverse. They are the saviors of the Dead Ends, angels on earth
who bring lost souls back to the promise of life and civilization instead of damning themselves
into solitude and death.
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The Colosseum
The approach to the Colosseum isn’t identified by sight; it’s by sound. Once a religious site
of the King’s Court where bands would battle – sometimes physically – in the names of their
Kings and Queens, it now represents an area where any armed conflict can be solved by combat
instead of full out warfare.
Regulated by Julian King and his band of professional mercenaries, those who enter the
Colosseum agree to its terms: there is only one victor, and that victor is decided by nothing
short of life and death. Once a victor is decided, this ends whatever conflict existed; if the
opposing and losing force decides to push their cause forward after losing, King’s mercenaries
will step in and smother them whole. Given that, King’s mercenary band is mostly composed of
those who have won trial by combat in the Colosseum; very few choose to push that boundary.
The Colosseum itself is a deep ravine built into the brightly colored drags and rock
structures that form a pit and natural seating for those who wish to watch the fights. It’s a
popular form of bloody entertainment in Lorado, to the point where many Pure Bloods and even
Vegasians have begun trying to make an industry of creating gambling and luxuries there. Those
who have the money will find themselves afforded more of a show then just a ritualized combat.
Once a year the blood will be cleaned from the stone floors and Julian will pay homage to the
Kings of old by replacing warfare combat with a battle of the bands. Crossing the Wastelands
from the far east and west, bands will come and compete for massive crowds to claim a prize as
the greatest band in Merica, the highly attended spectacle guaranteeing a place in the minds of
the thousands who cross the Wastes to listen and see the future Kings of Merica.
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Groups of Influence in Lorado
The Burners
The Burners are dead men. They are the bringers of civilization and the tolling of the damned
in kind. For those who bear the marks of ash on their skin and on their clothing, they are
destined for a quick, brutal life that will be snuffed out like a candle’s flame. A Burner is
lucky if he lives to see even five summer burnings; most perish in the flames, and those that
don’t often die from the terrors of nature that are exposed as the jungles are pushed back,
or from the Cinders that follow in their wake. But Burners are looked upon with equal parts
fear and admiration. For though they are marked as dead men, they are also those who will bear
civilization to its glorious fruition again.
The Burners are a society of volunteers who believe in that once upon a time, humanity was
able to beat back all that was in nature and once more, he shall rise above the flames and
conquer the land. They began as a group of scientists and researchers who tried to explore the
parts of the old world buried in the jungles. They believed that in doing so, they might be
able to find out what occurred, and in the wake of that knowledge, rebuild. However, the effort
and acts to find that knowledge became the ultimate goal of the Burners as they discovered that
in the wake of pushing back the jungles to search for answers, outposts and towns would build
in their wake.
Many people who join the

Burners are those with no place
else to go, but their outlook
isn’t always dire. They consider
their lives, and their ends,
to be one of purpose. When
someone becomes a Burner, they
are a Burner for the rest of
their days. They often choose
new names to represent the end
of their past life and the
beginning of the last of chapter
of their stories.
Leadership of the Burners is

decided purely by who has been
there and burning the longest;
this has undeniably been a woman
known only as Capelle, who has
been the Burn Master for the
past seven years, well exceeding
the life expectancy of most
Burners.
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The Russell Family
For as long as there has been Lorado, there’s been a Russell within it. A prodigious Pure
Blood family with connections across all of Merica, the Russells are well known for cracking
open the mountains and rivers and spilling the ancient metals within them. Like most folk of
Lorado, the Russells are still hard working. They treat their business with the utmost respect
and if someone has a word of promise from the Russells, it is treated with as much value as the
gold that they pry from the earth.
If it’s a metal, a mineral, or even a rare rock, the Russells will find a way to pull it from
the ground and make a profit off it. It’s through the effort of this family and their work
that the currency of Lorado was put on the map and it became a place of trade and business.
Similarly, crossing the Russell family is about as dangerous and stupid a decision as anyone
can make out in Lorado. To bear a mark of ill will from the Russells means being forsaken from
most parts of civilization, as much of their empire spreads anywhere a mountain or river can be
found. However, the Russell Family is not without its troubles.
Members of the Russell Family or its business are most often identified by distinguished gold
badges with elaborate R’s at the center. While the vast majority of those employed under the
Russells work the mines or the riverbeds for materials, it’s not uncommon to see traveling
tradesman seeking new business opportunities as the edge of civilization expands. Under the
hand of its current patriarch, Kerry Russell the Third, the Russell family has seen a decline
in mining materials up to the surface and has become a huge proponent in forcing the Burners
to push further and further out to expose more land for them to mine. Rumor has it that the
gold has all but dried up for the Russell family, but mentioning any word of it to a Russell is
against better judgment.
The Forgotten Ones

Living within the Forgotten Outpost are those which society has forgotten. Rather than
building anew with each Burning, these Remnants have grown and adapted so deeply with the
jungles that they have become one of the only groups who are able to survive without fear.
Living half in the broken-down settlement and half in the jungle themselves, these Remnants
have used their mutations to become – despite what others might say – the ultimate survivors.
They are universally shunned, but have become a necessary evil to anyone wishing to do
business within the jungles themselves. They are able to guide small or individual groups of
travelers through the fauna or pick out animals for farmers to grow future livestock from.
The best hunting comes from within the jungle itself, and those who have been forgotten are
evolutionarily suited for the task. Even the Burners reluctantly work with the Forgotten Ones
in order to determine what the best and safest route is for their yearly burns.
Forgotten Ones rarely leave the settlement or the jungles themselves, but when they do, it’s
usually with purpose, such as delivering goods, repairing broken materials, or to purchase
the rare but necessary items that cannot be made and found in the wilds. While Forgotten Ones
have no formal leadership, they are easily recognizable outside of their settlement since the
majority of their mutations focus on surviving within the deep jungles.
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Curs Brewin’ Company
Infamous for the best damn brew you ever did have, if you are getting drunk in Lorado, the
Curs Brewin’ Company is probably the group who made the brew. Believing firmly that both misery
and community breed alcoholism in kind, Curs has achieved relative success and distributes their
hooch from the Mile High City all the way across to the plains of Home. While the location of
the brewery itself has been held in secrecy for years, rumor has it that it’s tucked deep within
the mountains, using the ice-cold snow from the Slopes to make their hooch.
In truth, the Curs is more than just a brewery; it’s part business, part gang, and part
racket. While others have tried to make new brewery companies in Lorado, they are often quickly
and mysteriously stamped out. Where a bar shuns from selling Curs brews, it’s not uncommon for
thugs and thieves to appear in town and drive out business altogether.
It’s no coincidence that the most successful and industrious settlements drink Curs. To
have and sell Curs means protection; to rebuke it means inviting in disaster and violence.
Ultimately, serving Curs seems a good trade-off to most rather than risking the alternative.
However, there is a small silver lining. Curs will often hunt down new brewers or those who
wish to learn, and rather than start up their own business, will have them work and brew for
Curs themselves. This helps the spread of Curs and often develops strong trade ties between
developing settlements and surrounding towns who all have one thing in common: everyone needs
to make and drink Curs.
199
The Calbrini Society and the Traveling Oasis
Founded on the belief that there is still hope in a dying place, the Calbrini Society exist
to spread survival and good faith in the Wildfire Wastes, carrying with them what hungry and
dehydrated travelers call the Traveling Oasis. Seen roaming through the deserts and plains
alike, those who follow the call of Calbrini bring food, water, and hope wherever they travel.
Settling in a new location every day, they share their gifts to any who would sit with them and
only ask for one thing in return: something good, whether it’s news, a story, or a material
possession, to carry with them through the wastes for the next travelers they might encounter.
Those who walk with the Calbrini Society are not of one faith alone. They are Sainthood of
Ashes and Tribes of Season and Telling Visionaries, and some ascribe to no religion at all. The
common factor between all individuals is the belief that survival is best made a mutual endeavor
and can be done through helping one another build up rather than through murder, cut-throat
affairs, and deceit.
To that end, those who are a part of the Calbrini and the Traveling Oasis are treated in
high regard. Those who lift a hand against members of the Calbrini are almost guaranteed to be
blacklisted wherever they run to since the word of the Society travels far and wide. Even the
thugs of Curs are known to share a brew or two with traveling Calbrini members before sending
them along their way.
Although the Calbrini very rarely settle in one location for any stretch of time, where they
do linger to resupply, they will often repay their presence by digging wells, reinforcing
buildings, and helping create a foundation for future prosperity.
200
Jock Jumpers
It’s easy to hear the rumble of mufflers and the crackling of engines from almost anywhere
within Lorado. Even on the high, snow-capped landscape of the Slopes, Diesel Jocks have learned
to thrive, creating custom-made wheels meant to bear weight across an otherwise difficult
landscape. And where the Diesel Jocks go, there are bound to be Jock Jumpers that follow.
Most Jock Jumpers are harmless, hitchhikers and rovers who lift rides or stowaway in vehicles
while they cross the often-brutal landscape of Lorado. Long considered a rite of passage for
anyone who wished to cross the region, it’s still considered a widely accepted and safe mode
of travel for those who travel alone and might not be able to afford the high fees of the
riverboats.
But as resources become scarce, both riding as a Jock Jumper and accepting passengers has
become more dangerous. Assault, vehicle theft, and even murder have become shockingly common,
as living in Lorado grows tenser. In order to combat the culture of violence, the Rovers of
Lorado employ unique sets of scarves and color combinations to single just who is safe to pick
up and who is better left in the dust. A Diesel Jock who has killed betraying Jock Jumpers is
obvious by the amount of thumbs he hangs off of his ride; that alone is often enough to deter
those with ill intent.
For those who pick up a friendly Jock Jumper, history demands compensation enough that if the
passenger can be trusted, they’ll often be offered a ride. Bearing trade from all corners of
the region, Jock Jumpers frequently carry rare and odd valuables for trade and payment – or for
the lucky Diesel Jock that’s picked up a Hedon, one very good night.
201
The Green Saints
An unlikely bastion of good will, the Green Saints are the bastard children of two frames of
mind: humanity has many hurts to bear that might not be healed by faith or medicine, but can be
solved through alternative methods. Drugs that open the mind, heal the soul, and in doing so,
heal hurts deeper than mortal wounds can ever create.
Rumor has it that the Green Saints were formed from the love affair of two Accensorites, one
of Hedon and the other a Sainthood of Ashes, trying to find common ground within their faiths.
In the end, they found their bond in how they choose to serve their community to bring healing
to those who have the deepest hurts, allowing them to savor the life they have.
If there’s a drug you desire, the Green Saints have it – whether it’s shipped in or produced
within Lorado itself. Balancing between charity and survival, the Green Saints rarely charge
monetary fees for their goods but require a trade of goods or services, particularly those that
feed back into the community.
While the roots of the Green Saints are steeped in rumor and hearsay, the current leadership
insists on atheism, sharing alike the benefits of the green path without fearing the argument of
faith. A Retrograde by the way of Grant Coven, he carries the blooming cross of the Green Saints
across the entirety of Lorado, from the shunned citizens of the Forgotten Outpost to the high
society of Home and the Mile High City.
202
The Hop Heads
While Curs Brewing continues to clearly dominate the whole of Lorado with their hooch, they
are not without resistance. Independent brewers trying to make their name in the shadow of
Curs were forcibly – and often violently – shut down. Many of them reacted by forming a secret
coalition; half business and half black market. The vast majority of their hours and effort go
directly into coming up with new and ingenious brews that directly undermine the profits and
intentions of Curs.
Acting as the Robin Hoods of alcohol, the Hop Heads believe in strong, new, and homebrewed
recipes for hooch, but their existence is frowned upon by Curs Brewing and anyone forcefully
allied with them or their associates. They also do everything within their power to ransack
shipments and crops that lead directly into Curs stills. Because of the nature of their work and
the huge organization they strive against, members of the Hop Heads are often held to a level
of secrecy not unlike Murder Inc. or the Black Market.
Those seeking membership into the Hop Heads don’t write applications or seek to be vetted –
they are found. The Hop Heads seek brewers looking to break the mold of what brewing means, who
believe strongly in community in the support of independent endeavors, and those who will risk
their life for the ideals they believe in. Those who count themselves amongst the Hop Heads are
destined to a short, but brilliant life that pushes against the idea of what is good doesn’t
necessarily have to be what is the most widely accepted and mass produced.
203
Dead End Gang
Legend tells that the history of the Dead End Gang begins in an old war that took place in the
heart of Lorado. Tired of being controlled and seeking to reclaim their own lives, one group
fought against Pure Blood control to break apart the government’s grip. The battle that took
place at The Aspines was a losing one, but the memory lived on past the death of the world.
The Dead End Gang lives the dream that should have been born from the Battle of Aspines. Their
beliefs seem hedonistic in nature, but driven to the farthest end of extremes. It doesn’t matter
what your vice is, you follow it to the ends of the earth. Violence? Kill whoever you wish.
Drugs? Make them. Steal them. Take them all until you reach an eternal high. Sex? Don’t fuck
like tomorrow’s never coming, fuck like your lover is hell and you’re living the life with her.
There’s no formal roster or initiation process to the Dead End Gang – you simply become one by
the nature of your person, coined by the very nature of your destination: you’ll hit your dead
end eventually, one way or another. Antigovernment and antiestablishment to almost a fault, any
attempts at controlling the Dead End Gang result for equally bad results for everyone around
them. It’s easier to let a Dead End quietly burn out and ignore them rather than try and beat
them down, as any attempts to restrain their freedom result in fueling their fire.
The Dead End Gang’s message passes through murderers, drunks, junkies, and whores; once they
find one of their own, the Battle for Aspines lives on and continues to remain unforgotten. If
you find yourself at the lowest of low points in your life, you might find a hand on your shoulder
and a whisper in your ear: “Have you heard of the Battle for Aspine?”
204
Well Know Folk of Lorado
Burn Master Capelle
Capelle is a woman who looks
well beyond her years. Her skin is
leathered and scarred from the flames
she starts and her hair is cropped
short to save what’s left of it from
becoming ash and dust. Short and
narrow, Capelle doesn’t make for an
impressive figure, but she carries
herself like a silent Goliath and
the rest of the world treats her as
such.
Like most Burners, no one is

certain of her history before she
began her Burning. Rumor has it
that she was a criminal from further
west, a slave, or a Forgotten One
from deep in the jungles who burned
away her flaws. No matter the truth
or lies behind the story, one thing
is certain: where Capelle goes, the
Burners follow her.
For seven years, Capelle has led

the Burners, calling them back with
plumes of red smoke that signal
high in the skies of Lorado. As the
longest lived Burner, she chooses the location of the Burning every year based on where the need
is most for new land, or by guidance from the Russell Family or the Forgotten Ones. Being a Burn
Master is a position of respect, but being a Burn Master as long as Capelle has means that her
word might as well be written in stone.
Perhaps by virtue of how long she’s lived, Capelle isn’t as dour and bleak as most of her
fellow Burners. She has a flat sense of humor and a quick wit that has benefited her success in
negotiating and leading the Burns every year. She takes immense pride in her work and what it
means for all of the Burnlands and those who live within it. Despite that, Capelle is still
content in the fact that she is a Burner, and someday she will die and the flame will be passed
on to someone else.
205
Lucky Jim
The proprietor of
Paradise Acres, Lucky Jim
earned his name by being
just that: extraordinarily
lucky. A Merican farmer
with a penchant for risky
business deals and good
gambling, Lucky Jim has
survived longer than most
Mericans dare to dream and
has been plenty successful
to boot. Where it might be
easy for people to look
upon him with jealousy
or anger, it’s a rare
occurrence – because while
Jim might be lucky, he’s
shared his luck for the
betterment of his people.
He’s easy to distinguish

when you’re wandering the
Acres. Tall and lanky-
limbed with a sunrise

emblazoned over the red,
white, and blue jacket that
he wears, Lucky Jim is rarely without a smile and a hollered hello for anyone who passes by.
The sides of his hair are just beginning to pepper with gray and Lucky Jim will still swear up
and down that he’s never seen the inside of the Grave Mind once.
Lucky Jim was one of the first to approach the Burners with dreams of starting fresh in a new
land. In the terror of the Overgrowth, it’s Lucky Jim’s well of optimism that shined like a sun
in the darkness. Through every adversary and every defeat, it’s common knowledge that “there
ain’t nothin’ that can get ol’ Lucky down.” To that end, those who work for him have developed
a hard-working and generally positive outlook, which stands to reason why it is one of the few
consistent and gainfully producing outposts that deep within the Overgrowth.
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Calamity
While the Forgotten Ones tend
to keep to themselves, their
adaptability within the jungles
of the east has made their
presence a necessity, and none
are so valuable than Calamity.
Rumor has it that she is a
bastard child of a prominent
Pure Blood family now living at
Paradise Acres, but Calamity
doesn’t speak of her past. In
truth, Calamity doesn’t speak at
all.
Tall and lanky, Calamity might

seem like a normal wastelander;
she dresses plainly and keeps
her blond hair shaved out of
convenience. But behind her
greasy bandana is a mouth not
even a mother could love. With
jaws more like a jungle predator
than a woman, Calamity was
built to survive of whatever
prey exists in the wilds of
the Undergrowth. She’s nearly
without lips, replaced by a
gaping animal maw, elongated
teeth, and a coarse tongue,
making the bandana she wears
pulse with every breath she
takes.
But in the wake of her horrors come incredible gifts. Her night vision and survivability have
made her one of the most long-lived Remnants the Burnlands has ever seen. Only Calamity can take
foolish (and well-paying) travelers deep into the overgrown tangles of vines. Only Calamity can
catch the prey that Pure Bloods prize for their own livestock. If you need something within the
depths of the dark and ravaged lands, you come to Calamity.
But Calamity, acutely aware of her own physical horrors, will never come to you. It’s rumored
that she runs a Tribes of Seasons cult deep within the jungles, forsaking the rebukes of society
and building one of her own, unseen amongst the vines.
207
Grant Coven
If you need a cure for what ails you, Grant has it and he’s willing to share; his kindness
is undoubtedly what made him the de facto leader of the Green Saints. Unlike most of the
organization, which fall underneath sects of either Hedon or Sainthood of Ashes, this Retrograde
has remained uninfluenced by any faith. This agnosticism, in combination with his unusual work,
has left him in particular decent regard with most settlements within Lorado.
Grant might have been a pretty person, but the rot has left his cheeks with empty holes and
one eye and its surrounding skin has sloughed away from the bone. It puts his disarming, almost
charming smile completely at odds with the rest of him. All of this is kept underneath a half-
mask that hides away his missing eye and the majority of the rot on his cheek, built from the
taxidermied hide of a mountain goat’s face.
With a keen mind for organization and a firm belief in the benefits of bettering the community
through (unusual) medicine, Grant has turned the Green Saints from a misunderstood group of
druggies to a viable and well-loved part of Lorado.
Julian King
Some say that there is no one individual
more powerful than Julian King. Rumor has
it that Julian King is an industrious Pure
Blood, others say he’s just a Remnant who
fell off a caravan to the Forgotten Outpost
whose mutations are hidden just beyond the
tattered and stained edges of his armor. In
either case, Julian’s skills at managing the
ins and outs of people and their politics
have left him squarely at the top of the
Colosseum.
No one has ever seen Julian fight – or

if they have, they haven’t lived to talk
about it – yet he manages a loyal band
of mercenary gladiators who defend their
loyalty to Julian up to their dying breath.
Short and stocky, Julian doesn’t cut an
imposing figure, but his words can be as
sweet as honey or as cold and sharp as ice.
It’s this that’s the secret to Julian’s
power: words are sharper than any blade
that’s ever been brought to the Colosseum’s
bloody arena.
208
The Drylands
Even in Lorado, there are some places where the Overgrowth can’t reach – places so close
to the edge of death that even the greatest breath of life that the jungles provide just
dissipates, withering away into nothing. Compared to the tangled vines and vast forests toward
the east, the south is a wasteland.
It’s a hell on earth. It’s rocky outcrops and cracked land where walking into it is akin to
choosing an undignified and fatalist death. But the things that have managed to survive here are
those which you should fear the most. The things that walk out alive are the ones that will
kill you.
For the few and scattered outposts that exist in the Drylands, Diesel Jocks are the only
method of transportation that doesn’t completely guarantee death, and even then, it’s no easy
ride. There aren’t many people who choose to go to the tiny bastions of civilization that exist
in the desert either, mostly occupied by a mix of highly religious outposts and self-sufficient
survivors that have chosen to run away from the Overgrowth by hiding in a different sort of
death entirely.
But don’t go into the Drylands expecting kindness. You make your worth, make your way, or you
die trying in the deserts, crushed like dust under another Jock ride.
209
White Sands
The ugly jewel of The Drylands, the White Sands outpost is set deep within the deserts. The
community survives on trading rare herbs necessary for making specialized drugs that only
grow in the cracked earth and sand, seeing occasional Diesel Jocks who venture out to make
collection. But for the most part, White Sands community is left alone – and with good reason.
They want nothing to do with society, with the jungles, with the Burners or any of the
reclamation and the excelsior of Lorado. They are perpetual outsiders, lost men and women who
will do what they can to survive and nothing more. Most of them who are individuals who have
lost their homes or families to the wild and never recovered, fully believing that all of it is
useless and death in inevitable.
White Sands is recognizable from a distance by the yellowish, nearly white roofs of the homes
that have been built deep into the sands to protect them from potential sandstorms. It also
provides convenient protection from undead like Cinders that thrive in the heat and vast, open
terrain of the Drylands.
Those who come to White Sands seeking a new home most build it themselves: it’s part of the
process that proves you can survive. If you can’t create your own shelter, manage to farm out
your own meager food and water, then you’re no better than the fools back in civilization and
you’re as good as dead.
The Great Divide

While White Sands might be an easy miss for those who aren’t looking for it, it’s impossible
to ignore the Great Divide. A crack in the earth that spans miles, it is a deep abyss of which
the full landscape is only exposed at high noon. Otherwise, parts of it perpetually exist in
states of shadow. Like a monstrous maw opening from the earth, it wisely drives most Diesel
Jocks away for fear of losing their ride.
But this is the secret source of survival for White Sands. Those who can manage to traverse
the steep sides and follow old, crumbling pathways deep into the Divide can find shadowed copses
that still hold food and life within. And more than that, the ultimate life source: water. It
presents an arduous and dangerous journey for even the most experienced survivor within the
Drylands, and it’s a travel that is taken with explicit care and only when there is great need.
Rumor has it that deep inside the Divide are dark secrets that are just as powerful as the
food and water within. Long before White Sands rose up from the earth and was born, raiders had
long since made the Great Divide their dangerous nest.
It’s only a matter time before the raiders grow restless, rise up from their hive, and search
for better prey beyond what the rare individual from White Sands provides. And if anyone can
survive the desert crossing, it’s them.
210
Bomb Bay
A lake in the middle of the desert should be a paradise – an oasis, a place where life
thrives and society rebuilds. Many a first time traveler into the fringes of the Drylands have
come across Bomb Bay first and believed they found a new home, but the cracked signs and long-
abandoned buildings are only the first sign of the small hell that kills desperate travels.
The gem-like lake in the middle of Bomb Bay is covered in corpses, those who believe they
have found drinkable water only to have it be the last thing they’ve drank. The newer dead are
easier to recognize than the older ones; the salt and chemicals reclaim bodies and calcify them
into floating stones.
Those who have seen Bomb Bay and have been wise enough to turn away suspect that something
within the lake has prevented the Grave Mind from reclaiming the bodies of those who have died
there, making it the early and final resting place of many a fool who chose to stay behind.
It’s for this reason that its attracted both scientific and religious minds, but between the
arduous journey, difficult terrain, and almost inhospitable landscape upon arrival, very few
sagely minds have been able to discover the roots of truth within Bomb Bay. And the more people
travel there, the more have been lost.
It’s long since been rumored that the remnants of Bomb Bay is actually the final attempt by man
to recreate some of the salt lakes in Deserter in order to better protect themselves from the
Overgrowth and the Grave Mind that crept with it. It’s a struggle to say whether research can
discover what is left there in the middle of the forced loss of life.
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Ugly Acres
Past the desert, where the Overgrowth hasn’t been able to reach through the cracked and
hellish Drylands, there are still pieces of lands which remain largely untouched and unexplored.
A wreckage of old farmland, decrepit highways, and abandoned military facilities, the Ugly
Acres earned its nickname from an obvious source: when you first leave the desert, it looks like
you’ve done nothing but reach another piece of hopeless landscape.
But there are small gems hidden within the tall yellow grass and crumbling buildings. Those
who have made Ugly Acres their home have lived a quiet existence vastly apart from all the
troubles that touch the other parts of Lorado, from the tide of raiders in the Drylands to the
Overgrowth which is still largely unknown to most of the people who have made their life in
Ugly Acres.
As secluded as they are, the individuals who grow up in Ugly Acres often die there as
well. They’re gentle people, almost painfully innocent in how apart their lives are from the
terrors of the world. Since the population has remained so low, there are few zed and even
fewer raiders; most of their deaths come from mutated animals, accidents, or even rarer, the
occasional murder.
But as life becomes worse in the more occupied parts of Lorado and more people travel through
the desert seeking solace, the amount of strangers who come into Ugly Acres is increasing
yearly. New faces are appearing; old ones are leaving, dying, or disappearing. Ugly Acres is
changing.
Some of them come with good intent, but some see a fortune in fleecing the innocence that
hasn’t yet fully been realized. Ugly Acres is a land on the cusp of becoming what could be the
purest, perfect stretch of land in Lorado or a dark shadow that stands to show what happens when
you allow the worst parts of the world to take over.
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Red Farm
Nestled between the crook of a stream and a long stretch of fields, the Red Farm was built on
the remnants of an old world cattle farm. Relatively untouched until recent years, many of Red
Farm’s occupants still dig up pieces of the old world among the thick grass and crumbling ruins
of buildings that still exist over the stretched acres of land. But the curious thing about Red
Farm isn’t where it is – it’s the people who live there.
Red Farm gained its nickname as a community composed almost entirely of free Iron Slaves.
Given the low populace of the region, most of the people who live on Red Farm have never known
slavery, but have grown up around the industrious and hard-working culture of their own Strain
enough to understand the worth of their own labor. At night, it’s easy to pick out Red Farm
from a distance, the gentle glow of dozens of Irons visible across the treeless, flat terrain
from miles away.
The vast majority of crafted goods and food in Ugly Acres comes straight out of Red Farm, and
while Ugly Acres is still one of the smallest new settlements in Lorado, the Red Farm brand is
attached to most of the goods that people use in the area.
But as more people begin to discover Ugly Acres, the citizens of Red Farm are also in the most
danger. Having known only a life of seclusion, some enterprising Vegasians have stumbled out of
the desert and right into the living gold mine of the Red Farm. Slavery is a new and frightening
term to Red Farm, and the reality of it is beginning to come more tangible as whole families go
missing, sold into slavery or into the Pillar of Man as experiments.
It’s driven fear into Red Farm for the first time and has created a more cautious culture where
only friendship, openness, and an honest ingenuity existed previously. And the more people who
are able to cross the Drylands, the more Red Farm’s glow will begin to die out.
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The Bunker
Even out in the middle of a flat and exposed environment, Lascarians have found a place to
call their own. The remnants of an abandoned military outpost, Lascarians moved in and quickly
capitalized on a network of underground tunnels that move from building to building, expanding
them as necessary and using the topside structures as lures for both predators and prey.
While the Bunker began as a fairly typical Lascarian community, easy access to a variety of
scrap and related materials made them infinitely more dangerous. They are, by far, one of the
most heavily and strangely armed communities in all of Lorado. For years, the Bunker and its
inhabitants created most of the weapons and armaments that anyone in Ugly Acres might require,
although the need remains quite low. Given that there are so few enemies within Ugly Acres,
they’ve gone about creating their own, both from internal splinters in the tunnels and from the
dead as they kill more and more of each other.
The Bunker is the first area in the Ugly Acres where Grave Mind activity has begun to truly
pick up, though pinpointing the exact location of where its surfaced hasn’t happened yet.
Perhaps more concerning is the fact that in recent years the tunnels have been extraordinarily
quiet, despite the heat of tempers and too many weapons to count.
The active rumor is that the want for violence became too high and one of the splintered
Lascarian groups blew up a nuke inside the tunnels and underground. The occasional rumbling
beneath the earth has risen to the fear that there are dozens, maybe hundreds of undead now
trapped inside the tunnels, just waiting for prey to pass close enough to give them the
motivation to crawl out onto the surface.
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Groups of Influence in the Drylands
Asp Head Defenders
Lorado faces more than just the never-ending expanse of the

Overgrowth; there are other dangers, some of which most of
the settlers are barely aware of. Located at the outskirts of
the Great Divide, the Asp Heads consider themselves the last
line of defense from the raider threat that exists deep within
the cracks and canyons of the desert.

They exist with the fear that, given
the unknown resources in the Divide,
the population will overflow and Lorado
will be caught in a pincer between the
terrors of the wild jungles and the
monsters who were once men deep in the
desert.
The Asp Head Defenders have taken upon

themselves to be the quiet, largely
unknown guardians of Lorado. Composed
mostly of sharpshooters, quick-footed
assassins, and keen-eyed infiltrators,
they sustain themselves through what
they steal off of the corpses of those
they kill. While their raider targets
provide them with weapons, food, and
armor, it also can cause significant
problems. The Asp Head Defenders
themselves are dangerous, and a few each
year are lost to join the raider bands
becoming worse enemies than they were
before.
Given their location, it makes

recruiting difficult at best. The Asp
Heads pick up the occasional recruit
shunned from White Sun or a mercenary
at the end of their days, but not foolish enough to join the Burners. Inevitably, the Asp Heads
will cease to be the last line of defense against a burgeoning raider population. There’s little
left to hold back the tide that threatens to spill blood through the deserts and beyond.
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Pillar of Man
There are those who make the treacherous journey to Bomb Bay seeking old treasures buried in
the salts, but there are others who come seeking nothing but the knowledge of man’s strength in
the face of death. The Pillar of Man are half scientists and half theologians, believing that
the secret to escaping the grasp of the Grave is hidden someone in the flats of Bomb Bay where
corpses are supposedly never reclaimed.
Unfortunately, it makes the nature of their experiments quite gruesome and the victims of
science are rarely, if ever, willing. Captured travelers, men destined to be executed for their
crimes, or even gullible members of the sect itself often find their end in Bomb Bay for the
future of science and discovery.
Some die encased in salt, while others die buried in the sands or drowning in the false lake
of Bomb Bay. Through it all, those who call themselves Pillars of Men stand nearby to record
data and try to make sense of the world before and the future that they share.
It’s made what once looked like a booming town into a living cemetery. After they conduct
their experiments, the Pillars of Men tend to disappear as quickly as they appear, out with the
swift and rising sands and back into Lorado again.
Outside of their presence in Bomb Bay, it’s been next to impossible to determine their
membership, or how they choose the time to return to Bomb Bay. But their travel to the desert
is often heralded by quiet disappearances, kidnappings, and the selling of slaves all across
Lorado, only for their corpses to reappear in sand and salt again.
The Bolts
The desert isn’t hell, the desert isn’t heaven; it’s filled with stuck-up, fatalist assholes
who have no idea the fun they’re missing on. Their loss and the Bolts gain. The Bolts aren’t
all Diesel Jocks, but if you’re going to roll with them, there’s no better place to start then
with the Bolts.
A fanatical cult, they build and race their own desert vehicles across the Drylands; they live
for the adrenaline high of pure horsepower between their thighs and under their ass as they tear
across the desert. They’re Diesel Jocks, Rovers, Remnants, Vegasians, and Pure Bloods. Doesn’t
matter who you are or where you come from as long as you build your ride and race it like hell
is at your ass.
There are more racing gangs in Lorado than the Bolts, but they are by far the most well known
for the fact that their race leader isn’t a Diesel Jock, but a Rover. No one knows where Falc
is from, but he reappears every year for the races with a new ride and before he disappears
into the deserts again, he’s recruited dozens more into the Bolts to race in his stead while
he’s gone.
Compared to the rest of the ‘regulars’ who choose to travel or live in the Drylands, the Bolts
are laid back and treat their existence with a dose of nearly fatalist humor. They recognize
the life they’ve chosen, and while being recruited into the Bolts is significant, most of them
have been living the lifestyle already.
Live fast, drive fast, die fast.
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He Who Makes The Drylands Known
Falc
Half myth, half man, Falc is the self-proclaimed leader of the Bolts, Lorado’s largest and
most well-known racing gang. He’s a Rover of middling height but with the hardened, tanned
muscle of desert living and working on more than just caravans. If the legends are true, Falc
wasn’t able to bring his family caravan across the desert in the attempts to flee the Overgrowth;
he was the only one to survive. After swearing to never lose a member of his caravan again, Falc
began to build and ride his own rigs.
Falc reappears every year

for the races, usually with a
brand new ride that he crafted
by hand in a different part of
the Wastes. His ride tells the
tale of where he’s been, and
in part, where he’s going, and
though he only stays for as long
as the race takes, he always
leaves his second in command
for that year with his old ride
before he moves on again. It’s
more than a status symbol – it’s
a sign of trust, the same as
a Rover giving a scarf. It’s
Falc’s kindness, resilience, and
determined attitude that have
left him the leader of the Bolts
unchallenged, even when he’s
away.
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The Burning Buffer:
Deserter
“Welcome, pilgrim. Have you come to better know yourself?
“Oh yes, that’s why people come here from all across the Wastes. Deserter is a place where one
challenges themselves and what they believe in. It is a place of discovery; a place that tests
faith.
“Those who choose to follow the path of the spiritual will find themselves amongst the
vast salt plains, where no life deigns to grow, in order to make themselves grow. They find
transcendence – or, as the case may be, die trying.
“There are others here too, if you were to go south. Heathens, all of them. Those who have
disregarded their faith and the betterment of their spirits in order to please themselves on
the physical plane. The deserts are full of them, beyond hedonism and into a descent of true
madness, simply waiting for the Grave Mind to collect. That’s where they hold the Moot, you
know. No, not for Rovers. Diesel Jocks. You can smell the stink of them from miles away.
“The further south you go, the more madness you will find as people have chosen to rebel
against a chance to find themselves. Constant warfare, remnants of an old world and its
destruction. Caught between those who perished in the past and how it happened, and the future
of their own deaths. They are afraid. Afraid to die because of what might happen to them. It’s
quite sad, really.
“But you don’t look like one of those. You wouldn’t choose to walk the southern path,
would you, pilgrim?”
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Deserter
Between the Chaotic Overgrowth, the race routes around Vegasia, and north of the shifting
sands around the Lone Star is a territory known as Deserter. Deserter is one of the hottest,
driest, and most inhospitable areas in the Merican wastelands. Not traveled except by religous
extremists, fast moving Diesel Jocks, and the occasional lost Red Star looking for the S.L.C.,
there are only a few dots of what passes for civilization in Deserter.
Deserter progresses from salt filled desserts, to nearly impassible rocky crags, to eventually
becoming the outer forest that leads to the Overgrowth to the North East. With only a few small
settlements to serve as outposts of travel, the ruling parties and leadership of each of these
settlements have risen to the state of god-emperors in very small communities.
Other than sand and salt, the only other things commonly found in Deserter is religious
zealots using the harshness of the region as a combination of right of passage and pilgrimage.
With the blistering heat, lacking water, and limited food sources it should not be surprising
that many religious extremists find themselves having “holy visions” when their dehydrated
bodies spend far too long in the blistering sun.
Progress
For many who travel to Deserter or are born there, Progress is a sacred place. It’s a place
to where those who consider themselves truly faithful will travel, passing through Crush Valley
and into the Green Desert to the lake that makes up the largest part of the northern territory.
The rough, almost unlivable terrain that spans most of Progress makes the journey one that can
easily court death if the traveler isn’t clever.
And to that end, many of those who make pilgrimage through Progress do not survive. It’s
not uncommon to find corpses caked in salt, their bones picked at by both flying and flatland
predators that manage to live in Progress. Many of the corpses and grave markers act like a map
to the journey north, through the Flats and to the lake where it’s said that even those who
aren’t Accensorites can find a feeling of ascension.
Those who survive the journey, or those who are simply smart enough to never take it, often
find themselves in the City of Saints in the heart of Crush Valley. Nestled against the rise of
the mountains to the west, the City of Saints is the closest thing Deserter has to civilization
outside of the SLC communes.
The City of Saints is the center for those who are people of faith or wishing to become one.
Originally a massive Fallow Hopes complex known as the Tabernacle, it is now divided into
several unofficial districts in which each faith has its own embodiment. Temples of Hedonism,
industrious family complexes of Nukes, and solemn outposts of Sainthood servitude are all
common sights. There is even an outpost of those with no religion at all, a commune of Red Star
known as the SLC.
While the groups existed without conflict for years, recent skirmishes of religious dissent
that have nearly broken out into wars of faith have prompted a neutral ground that has turned
into a broad, multi-cultural marketplace, as dangerous as it is a necessity for those seeking
goods and services.
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Green Desert
Like most of the Deserter, the Green Desert looks like kindness and life, but hides an ugly
truth. Unlike the true deserts further south, those who stand on the edge of this territory
won’t see the never-ending golden dunes.
It’s green shrubs and brush as far as the eye can see, right to the edge of the Saltlick where
all life seems to end. The problem is that the region bares just as much as chance for death as
any traditional desert. Hidden in the brush and low trees are predators that have adapted to
hunt their only prey: those who travel through it.
Pockmarked by winding, often dead end paths where traveler’s religious journeys have come to
an unexpected end, the Green Desert is one of the few havens for natural predators in Deserter.
Without a natural source of clean water and food, packs of Yotes will cling to the lowland scrub
and pick off pilgrims and atheists alike, leaving little more than bones sticking out of the
bushes as a sign of the violence that has occurred.
It makes anyone who lives through the passage in the Green Desert natural-born survivors.
Even merchants, only traveling as far as the City of the Saints to ply their wares, are hardier
and weapon wise than many who travel the wastelands of Merica. To that end, it’s not uncommon
for those who are well-worn and regular travelers across the Desert to help each other and
themselves.
Hidden in the sparse trees and buried in the sand beneath them, there is a network of hidden
caches that contain essentials for survival, or sometimes small resting spots for weary
travelers to catch a few safe hours of sleep before they move on. Many pilgrims seeking their
religious enlightenment are required by their faith to leave behind these caches in order to
help others of the faith who struggle on their journey. To that end, they are often the only
reason why some travelers even come close to surviving the crossing.
Crush Valley
One of the few viable farming lands in Progress, Crush Valley is so named for its unique
location: a low lying valley sunk between the mountains the Salt Flats, it could have been a
piece of paradise that is now crushed with far too much life for a small swath of land.
While the highlight of Crush Valley is the City of Saints, it only occupies its center. It’s
the remains of a much larger and broader urban sprawl that stretched from the mountains almost
to the edge of the Great Lake itself. However, any attempts to rebuild and populate the rest of
Crush Valley by the City of Saints have been met with failure and violence.
Crush Valley wants to kill you. Reclaimed by raiders, gangs, and struggling mercenaries alike,
stepping outside of the City of Saints and into Crush Valley is knowing that you are willingly
walking into a lions’ den. They steal, they hurt, they abuse until you join their ranks for fear
of death and integrate until the you that you were before is gone.
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The problem is that as the City of Saints becomes more populated, there are fewer choices
for places someone can safely live. The only option for many of the newly initiated faithful
looking for a home is to push out into Crush Valley and pray for the best. More than once, there
have been religious moots on the neutral ground of the City in order to decide how to deal with
Crush Valley, but like most meetings between the faiths, no decision or direction has ever been
determined.
Instead, Crush Valley has been allowed to languish. Those within it have grown stronger, and
the chances of them pushing inward for a taste of blood and war are growing higher by the year.
If there is anything that will kill the City of the Saints, it will come from right next door
to them as Crush Valley observes all of their weaknesses and internal struggles.
The Flats
If the Green Desert is a challenge for a pilgrim, then the Flats are the cherry on top. The
green brush gives way into dry, arid land that stretches through the western half of Progress.
From a distance, it might be mistaken for snow if the pure white land wasn’t below a pristinely
blue sky in the middle of summer. It makes the journey across the flats seem hopeless, almost
never-ending. There’s no food, no water, and the only shadows in the sky are the wings of the
vultures that wait for death to take those unworthy of the journey of faith.
The flats are pockmarked with the signs of those failures. Corpses of the faithful, caked and
preserved in salt, mark those who never completed their pilgrimage. They have died surrounded
by the trappings of their religion – lanterns, the dying glow of radiation, books – and stand
as markers for newer travelers attempting to cross the salt desert to the Great Lake.
Because the corpses are so well preserved, they have remained as trail markers for those
who are continuing their journey. It’s not uncommon for pilgrims to leave little trappings or
offerings near the corpses they have passed on the way to their destination. It makes it very
easy to tell which are the well-traveled paths through the Flats – with corpses covered in
leavings – and those who are walking off the beaten trail and, in most cases, are likely to end
their journeys just as poorly.
Despite the presence of the unusual travel markers, it’s easy for a pilgrim to get lost and
end up heading in the wrong direction. The more travels try and fail the journey, the more
corpses, and the more unclear the correct path to take. The only sure sign that a pilgrim is
headed the correct way is also the strangest thing that exists in the Flats.
Simply called the Dead Tree, the only thing that remains of the man-made metal structure are
the rusted and empty branches that stretch high to the heavens. Nearly a hundred feet tall, the
Dead Tree’s narrow shadow stretches long across the desert, luring in travels to let them know
that their journey is nearly complete. Though no one is sure where it came from, rumor has it
that the first Pilgrim, a man of the King’s Court, built it to give hope to those making the
crossing.
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Canvas
Across the whole of Deserter, there a vast sense of loneliness and emptiness. It can come in
broad, sweeping plains of white and green, such as in Progress, or it can be like Canvas: bright
patches of color that stretch for miles, cresting into canyons and cliff sides, or long, gentle
waves of golden desert. Where civilization has turned Crush Valley into a dense hive of teeming
life, Canvas stretches far and open in almost every direction.
Canvas is so called for its appearance, both from a distance and for those who travel within
it. It makes up a broad belt of land stretching from border to border across the middle of
Deserter. Despite the name being derived from its open sense of color and light, there are two
main highlights of the region that persist almost through its entirety.
First, very few communities choose to make this part of Deserter as their consistent home.
While there are annual gatherings, ritual travels, and religious influences that drive people
into Canvas, not many of those who travel into it choose to stay. Those that do stay are
destined for a particularly harsh and potentially short existence.
The reason why is because of the second significant feature of the region. Left alone to its
own devices with almost no human hands or influences to guide it, Canvas has grown a variety of
extremely dangerous fauna and flora that roam the region with the only natural predators being
each other.
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The Dunes
With its deep, rolling hills and golden horizons, there are few structures that mark
the Dunes because its landscape is constantly shifting. The desert winds and sandstorms
perpetually change the topography, and with the addition of few obvious landmarks to begin
with, the Dunes have earned their name from their only notable feature: the endless, golden
seas.
It’s made it a notoriously difficult area to travel through successfully; no maps are ever
accurate and most of the old roads have been buried. Successfully crossing the Dunes usually
involves one of two methods: picking a northern or southern star and following it to the edge
of the desert, or tailgating the biggest party this side of the Wasteland.
The Dunes is where caravaners, Diesel Jocks, and anyone with a mechanical mind and a heart
for a party find themselves once a year. The yearly gathering of the Dunes caravans is more
than a race – it’s a celebration of life and the achievement of mankind in the harshest
places; it’s proof that joy can be found where death would only otherwise survive. To that
end, the entire affair is as much a flagship of Hedon as it is for all those who challenge
themselves by racing their strange machines hand-built to do nothing but cross the desert
sands.
But it’s also when the deserts bring out its strongest dangers. The creatures which have
managed to live and survive in the Dunes use this opportunity as prime hunting ground. If
people aren’t losing themselves to the sandstorms that whip across the surface of the sands,
then it’s not uncommon to find the bodies of travelers wrapped in the thick coils of the man-
sized desert snakes that have made the Dunes their home.
Caravaner’s Dream
Likely one of the most unaptly named areas in all of Deserter, it is a large swath of land
in which travelers pass through simply for the sake of travel in such a seemingly attractive
area. Deceptively beautiful and expansive, it begins after the desert breaks away into low-
lying shrubs and slow crawling rivers, the landscape turning from ever-changing dunes of sand
into craggy spires or strange, inhumane shapes.
It’s the latter that has given the area its second name: Traveler’s Nightmare.
The twisting rock formations that ebb and flow for the stretch of miles have made it the
perfect area for both human and animal ambush. Somewhere between a mountain cat and a giant
lizard, Snipeteeth are four-legged creatures with carnivorous teeth and hard patches of
mottled, thin fur over scaly flesh that has given them an uncanny ability to blend into most of
their environment.
In addition to the dangerous predator life, bands of raiders and thieves alike make quick
work of unwitting travelers who choose to pass on the less occupied roads in hopes of finding
short cuts or avoiding being eaten alive by Snipeteeth. The foolhardy will find themselves as
little more than slaves as a best case scenario, or worse, bones on the edge of the highway.
This is truly how the area earned its name and nickname: only the most experienced caravaners
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understand the correct paths to take through the region, and happily charge (sometimes
literally) an arm and a leg to take travelers through. The best businessman and merchants are
born on the roads through Caravaner’s Dream, and it’s often still the only safe way to transport
goods.
Rottie Lake
If the Great Lake is a home for Saints, Rottie Lake is its bastard cousin. Although it’s more
lakebed than lake, the thick, sulfurous mud never fully drains, making it impossible for most
caravans or Diesel Jock rides to pass through. It’s fine by them, since there’s only a few people
who ever bother to go to Rottie Lake and it’s no one that anyone would wish to associate with.
Popularized by Ethel Brodis, the salt lake and its bed have long since had healing claims that
have drawn people to it. In an area of the West where looks often mean everything, Retrogrades
and Remnants are frequently drawn to the lake in the hopes that the muds healing properties will
slough away the ugliest parts of themselves.
There have been enough claims of success to continually draw people to the area, desperate for
a second chance at beauty. After paying Ethel’s high fees, they are allowed a chance to soak
and cake themselves and the thick, acrid mud of Rottie Lake. Depending on how bad a case is,
Ethel’s fees can range anywhere from a few trade notes to years of servitude and a first born.
Ethel’s cronies often travel from place to place around the Wastes, selling miniature packaged
bottles of the mud from Rottie Lake, said to cure physical impurities. A keen businesswoman with
a supposedly honest heart, Ethel has been able to capitalize on the lake’s supposed properties
between her traveling business and the lakeside resort.
While it’s done well enough to continue to grow and expanding, the healing properties of the
lake have long been contested. Yet every time there is enough negative rumormongering, there
seems to be a few more pieces of positive evidence and always enough for Ethel to keep her
business going and to further attract customers.
The Spires
In the center of Caravaner’s Dream is a place that’s more like a desert warzone, the eye of
a storm. Visible from a distance by the long, perilous-looking rock structures that reach high
into the skyline, the Spires is the only thing that’s close to civilization in the Dream. While
most might suspect that this might be home to the Tribes of Season, seeking to be closest to
the cycle, or Natural Ones looking to become one with their environment, the inhabitants of the
Spires are a little more unusual.
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The Spires make up one of the largest Nuclear Family footholds in Deserter outside of the City
of Saints. They have set out to prove that it is through the family that one survives, and have
used their environment around them to their benefit. These aren’t the covered homes and white
picket fences that most people dream of when they talk about Mother and Father. This is the
territory of hardened souls who have learned that its survival in the harshest conditions that
the family draws strength upon.
Lead by the chiseled, striking figure of Father Joe, he and his neighborhood have taken
advantage of the surroundings in the same way the raider clans and natural predators have, using
the tall Spires as defense posts, the bases of which often serve as walls and foundations for
their meager, sparse homes.
Despite the dangerous location, Father Joe has led a prosperous community that has learned the
value of tightening its belt. Many who seek to join the Nuclear Family find themselves taking
the journey through Caravaner’s Dream, seeking the tall, nightmarish figures of stone that stand
like signals in the night for those who seek to bond through mutual survival.
Ruin of Man
Deep within the heart of the desert lies a secret, and one which many have tried to discover
for years: the history of humanity. Some believe that books, dusty tomes or old, broken
recordings have the root of humanity and how it became what it is. Some Darwinists believe
otherwise. They believe that deep within the desert is the root of all humankind, and it’s there
they began their dance with the Glow to become who and what they are.
Thus is has been called the Salvation of Man by some, but to most, it’s only Ruin.
Ruin is made up of several different manmade structures, older and more ancient than can be
understood. Cut deep into the orange and tan walls of the cliffs, these villages were mostly
empty until they were discovered by passing Darwinists. Given the age of the surroundings, they
believed that this place was the birth of man. That here, somewhere deep within the caverns and
cliffs, was the Glow that began them all.
And so many Darwinists have made Ruin their new home. While it was originally a site of
history-seeking and discovery, it has become more of a temple in the wake of being unable to
find any radiation within it. This hasn’t stopped Darwinists coming from far and wide to deliver
the glow to Ruin in the hopes that, between the sacred nature of the location and those within
it, that the next evolution of man will begin once again.
The Darwinists use this location as their own separate pilgrimage for those who wish to
take an intense study of the Glow, as bringing radiation into the City of Saints has become a
dangerous and often hostile endeavor because of scrutiny from the other religious sects there.
But as more radiation is brought there, and more of the faithful make Ruin their home for study,
it is becoming a whispered danger to most.
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The View
Progress has always been marked with death, suffering, and strife. Crush Valley constantly
threatens to fulfil its destiny and smother out the City of Saints. The winding, deceiving paths
through the Flats and the Green Desert are pockmarked with corpses and stories untold. It takes
a certain amount of cruelty to look at Progress and treat it lightly, like a mockery or a game.
The View does just that.
Cresting the high mountains above Crush Valley and the City of Saints, the View represents
several mountain villages that occupy the high peaks of the range. Safe from most natural
predators, be it raiders or the undead, those who call the View their home are detached from
hardship. Despite the frigid cold of the mountains, old money has let the citizens of the View
remain where they are in comfort. Pure Bloods and Vegasians, all old family names, simply
caravan in the goods and services that they might need up in the View. And there, from the
safety of thick wood lodges and warm homes, they look down upon those who toil at the precipice
of war; untouched and untouchable.
The View isn’t beyond stirring up its own trouble if things below get too quiet and cease
being entertaining. Suspiciously timed and unusual avalanches are not entirely uncommon in Crush
Valley, and the rumor mill openly states that the lords and ladies of the View are the culprits.
Despite that, or perhaps because of it, the City of Saints has never been able to stop the flow
of goods and services up to the View in order to try and make their vulnerable condition more
shared.
Residency in the View requires an extensive pedigree or heavy vouching from the internal
community there. The current governor, Phoenix Brighton, keeps a tight noose on who is allowed
in and even who is allowed out in order to maintain the perfect high class society up in the
cold peaks of the mountain tops.
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The Slums
Invariably, favor is not eternal and Phoenix Brighton is a notoriously fickle creature. Those
who don’t have the right reputation or fall out of grace with the View’s notorious governor
often end up in the Slums. Tucked up in one of the most remote peaks of the mountains, Phoenix
will often boast this as luxury accommodations for those with special privileges, but those who
have been living in the View long enough know better.
Far apart from the cabins, the ski post, and the constant supply of goods and services shipped
up from the south, the Slums is a network of natural caves deep within the side of the mountain.
Originally thought to be created by Lascarians, these wide caverns host ramshackle slum houses
that cling to the side of the cave walls in order to avoid flooding when the snow melts.
Unlike the View, the Slums aren’t able to afford private shipments for material goods.
Instead, they take anything that the View passes over, mostly hand-me-down goods and lesser
quality materials at an extremely exorbitant price. The governor of the View claims that
because of the Slums exclusive living quarters, items that are shipped up at a higher rate that
of course they should be able to afford. More often than not, no one can purchase even the most
meager goods that arrive.
While the Slums has no formal leadership, as they are still technically under loyalty to
Governor Brighton, a deep attachment to the Nuclear Family faith amongst the majority of the
community there has created a few local neighborhood leaders that have organized and created an
attempt at society amongst the bedlam. The current de facto leader is Adiron, the disgraced son
of Phoenix Brighton. If the rumormill has any substance to it, it’s suspected that the Adiron
has never forgiven his father for pushing him into the Slums, and he plans his inevitable rise
to power back into the View – even if it takes courting the monsters below in Crush Valley in
order to do it.
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Glow Wastes
There are parts of Deserter that have natural danger, and then there are ones that are man-
made and far more deadly. During the day, an unaware traveler might not realize what they’re
walking into until it’s already too late. It might seem eerily quiet, or that the animals and
plant life are just a little bit off.
The truth is that these are only a symptom of a disease that has long since manifested below
the earth. The Glow Wastes don’t expose their own danger until after the sun has fallen and the
ground itself begins to glow in effervescent greens, a chemical sickness that has long since
been buried deep since before the Fall.
While the wise travelers wait until dusk to see where they should and should not bring their
caravans, many have fallen as an unwitting prey to the Glow Wastes as crossing them is the most
direct path to get to the more civilized areas of Deserter. If they don’t succumb to sickness
and disease brought on by radiation, then they will often become prey to the hideously mutated
animal and plant life that exists in these regions.
Shadow Yotes, with long narrow limbs that make them chase down any prey, two headed Glow
Vipers that wait amongst the glowing dunes, or eagles the size of caravans ready to swipe away
pilgrims with an inaudible swoop of long, dangerously curved talons. These are the things that
await those who dare tread into the Glow Wastes. And at their centers are military ruins, still
ripe with old world treasures and horrors, crawling with the undead who have tried to take them
away from their crumbling corridors.
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Toowilluh
Sitting in the center of a large swath of Glow Wastes, Toowilluh is perhaps the most dangerous
and most mysterious of the radiation-infested regions of Deserter. Generations after the Fall,
much of Toowilluh remains unexplored and undiscovered. While it’s an ideal place for Darwinists
to travel in order to bring radiation further south to Ruin, the Glow here is so wild and free
that only the most experienced and prepared Darwinists can truly cross through its borders.
Beneath the ancient, rusting missiles still lodged in the earth, undead freely roam; their
glowing corpses only serve to camouflage them on the equally glowing shrub and dirt. These
present some of the biggest dangers to endeavoring Jones and faith-seeking Darwinists, not
because of their strength, but because of their sheer number. Toowilluh crawls with undead more
than any other region of Deserter, all those who lived there once before and never found rest,
and all those who followed them, seeking the secrets hidden within the Glow.
Even where the Glow is less dangerous, the chemicals and toxicity that seeps from the earth
makes passage nearly impossible in some areas. Mutated plants, with thorns like teeth and vines
like arms, crawl across the ground as acidic gas pours from the earth during the daylight hours.
Chemicals, long since dumped and forgotten across the sands and shrubs, buried beneath the
dirt, have radically changed the landscape and its safety. What once was desert now looks more
like swamp, but the moisture within it is far from water. Gases that escape into the air can
choke and burn a man’s throat and lungs in a matter of minutes, leaving them helpless to escape.
But within Toowilluh, there are still secrets. Secrets from the old world, ones long buried
and forgotten, preserved in the crumbling halls of the ancient military base just waiting to be
discovered. Despite its danger, the temptation has long since been a siren call for those who
are willing to so closely court death.
230
The Silo
Once upon a time, the Silo was not a Glow Waste. That much is known. It was once a desert,
more like the rolling planes of the Dunes in Canvas. Somewhere between the end of man and the
early generations of recovery, something happened. The records have been long since obliterated
over time, but there have been stories passed through Rover caravans and Darwin tales.
There was a second war, one that ended in a massive explosion that changed the face of the map
and created a second Glow Waste. These, unlike, Toowilluh, don’t occupy a flat stretch of land.
It’s pockmarked with craters and craggy surfaces that have made it impassable by caravan or
Diesel Jock ride alike.
It’s the rest of the rumors about The Silo are what have driven people to it. They aren’t
treasure hunters and they often even aren’t children of Darwin – they want to save the world
before it ends again. That somewhere, deep within the man-made canyons and dangerous cliffs
there are more bombs waiting to explode. Even worse, that there are those who are so fatalistic
and evil that they would deliberately try to set off the Silo and blow much of Deserter off the
map.
To that end, while the Silo itself is too dangerous for any one group to occupy between the
heavy radiation influence and the undead that crawl through the wreckage, several different
military groups have made waystations along its edges – some with good intent, some with ill.
Skirmishes have been persisting in this area for years since the Fall and continue to as
people answer the call to either protect and defender the Deserter they know, or wipe it off
the face of the map like burning away the pus and vile of an infected wound.
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Hell’s Edge
Those who were unfortunate enough to live close to the Glow Wastes have suffered for it. Even
villages and trade posts miles away have felt the effects of existing near what is essentially
a nuclear wasteland. Hell’s Edge, at its core, is an almost quaint trading post that acts as a
waystation for the many military groups that pass through on their way to Toowilluh or the Silo.
For many of them, it also acts as the example of why they do their work.
Hell’s Edge is an ugly town. Families who have settled here have birthed almost nothing but
Remnants from even the purest bloodlines. The only lucky ones, if you can even call them that,
are Retrogrades. But even the Retrogrades here suffer severe rot, their flesh often sloughing
from the bone the longer they live at Hell’s Edge.
Hell’s Edge is a sad town. There is no fun, no music, just existence. Those that were born
here often have no place else to go, too deformed to even attempt to integrate into the better
parts of society among Deserter. While many of them eventually become stock for Ethel’s Salt
Slaves at Rottie Lake, those that choose to stay have served as an example.
And that has also made Hell’s Edge a place of fear. For those few brave enough to leave Hell’s
Edge behind, they are hunted like dogs, like prey. They are all that’s wrong with the world.
They are the failings of mankind and the proof that what’s left should be wiped away before more
can happen. It’s blossomed an entire group of hunters and militia men who do nothing but kill
Remnants and Retrogrades on site, hoping to purge the history of the Glow and its effects from
the face of Deserter.
That makes Hell’s Edge the safest place for many of them. Feared, reviled, used as an example,
but within the city’s borders, still alive. The moment they step outside of them, that can no
longer be a guarantee.
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Groups of Influence in Deserter
Priests of Salt
The Priests of Salt are not necessarily a faith, but an idea that encompasses most faiths, if
not all. A Priest of Salt is at the pinnacle of their religious pursuits. They have seen the
heights of life, the edge of death, and come out on the other side knowing only their faith and
what’s contained within it.
While Priests of Salt can be of any faith, they have some traits that make them recognizable.
Their clothing is frequently salt-stained, leaving a white rim on their clothing where salt and
sweat has created strange, delicate but stiff patterns on their clothing. It’s not uncommon for
Priests of Salt to carry salt with them as well, harvested from the Great Lake as a sign of
their passage and success in the journey. More obviously, many of the Priests of Salt bear a
white mark of salt upon their forehead, more obviously marking them as the sect.
The personality and drive of a Priest of Salt is vastly dependent on their faith – a priest
of the Fallow Hopes might chase his psion prey with the most fervent dedication or a Priest of
Darwin will cherish and study the Glow with a dedication envious of any Curie. Ultimately, a
Priest of Salt is a person who believes so strongly in their faith that they have chased it to
the far reaches of it, and in doing so, have achieved a higher being.
That being said, there are many who falsely claim to have crossed the salted sands to the
Great Lake and wear the trappings of salt without truly understanding their meaning. It’s
rumored that for those who have actually made the crossing of the desert, they have begun to
share a piece of the Dead Tree as a true sign for those who have been able to survive the
journey, rather than rely on only the salt-stained clothes of yore.
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The Dust Ball
The Dust Ball is half party and half ritualized society. Crawling out into the deserts of the
Dunes once or twice a year, they turn the wasteland into an oil-splattered extravaganza that’s
as much a celebration of life in the lifeless as it is ingenuity. To that end, those who go to
the Dust Ball often return as changed humans and choose to integrate themselves into a society
of people who take the lifestyle and ethics of the Dust Ball year round.
Dusters, as they frequently call themselves, are often Hedons, or at least hedonistic in
personality. They believe very strongly in cherishing the joys in life, even if it means chasing
them out into the desert sands. They heavily support the idea of creation and the creative parts
of the mechanical mind. It’s not uncommon for a Duster to be an engineer, or even a tinker or
scientist, who creates his discovers for the joy and fun of doing them, not necessarily to
advance their craft.
Dusters believe that in chasing professional passions and the creation of things for joys
sake, that purposes often present themselves. New vehicles, gizmos, and strange desert-dry brews
that are invented at the Dust Ball just to keep the engines roaring and the party going end up
providing uses long after the party has been swept away by sandstorms.
The true followers of the Dust Ball have no distinguishing characteristics, but will often
carry a token of their desert endeavors on them: a sand-worn gear, an oil-slicked and dusty
hat, or a used piston aren’t uncommon trinkets. And always, when the Dust Ball calls, they will
follow.
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The Eddings
Cast into the shadows of The Slums, the Eddings has never forgotten. The first family to be
banned from the View and into the caverns of the high peaks, the Eddings were once a prominent
Pure Blood community, the leader of which was the right hand of Phoenix Brighton. While no one
has ever been able to confirm the fall from grace, the most agreed upon rumor mill suggests that
a Pure Blood tryst ended in a Remnant child, putting the entire family’s purity of bloodline
into question.
Despite being shunned, the Eddings have built a life of living in the dark. Taking the best
of what was handed to them, the city of the Slums was created by the hard work, ingenuity, and
money of the Eddings family. That’s not to say that they’ve made the Slums a pleasant place to
live, but the Eddings have held themselves as proof that it’s not bloodline that determines your
worth, but hard work that makes you a pauper or a king.
To that end, what began as a Pure Blood family has turned into a conglomerate of hard-working,
rough-edged individuals who aren’t afraid to bust heads or rocks to get whatever needs to happen
done. Those who are part of the Eddings family are recognized by the stark ‘E’ tattoo over a
mountaintop silhouette that most family members carry on their right shoulder.
But the Eddings have never forgotten how Brighton and the View cast them out. While the View
often funds Crush Valley and the gangs below to create convenient and entertaining pressure on
the City of Saints, the Eddings have their own resources that they’ve been quietly gathering to
destroy Brighton’s plans. Given the Slums position high above the View, there are whispers that
the Eddings are beginning to plant bombs in the vast network of tunnels with the intent to send
down an avalanche that will not only crush the View – but everything underneath it, including
Crush Valley.
The Endless Hunt

The desert had bred monsters in the wake of humanity’s fall. While man has adapted and
thrived, so have the creatures that have been left untouched in the heart of the scrubs and
desert wasteland. Monstrous birds, camouflaged predators, snakes with scales as hard as diamond
picks. These are the things that drive most travelers to avoid the wastelands of Deserter
entirely. But to those who chase the Endless Hunt, it’s what drives them. The potential, and
perhaps the promise, that the evolution of humanity is still stronger than that of the beasts
around them.
The Endless Hunt is a group of hunters, some more traditional, and others newly minted. They
might fight with shield and sword, with a gun, or with a bow and arrow – the prey has adapted and
so must they, choosing their method of combat carefully depending on what they are chasing down.
Those who chase the Endless Hunt have dedicated themselves to beating back the monsters that
the world has created. This is partially to take back the land that the predators have reclaimed
in the absence of civilization, but it also stands as a proof of worth. They might not speak of
it, but there are serious matters of pride when it comes to joining and participating in the
Endless Hunt.
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Though many die in purposing their hunts, their numbers seem to perpetually refill. For a son
to lose a mother or father to a Diamond Snake, that’s ample cause to pick up a knife and join
the Endless Hunt; a baby’s crib picked clean by a Snipefang calls a whole family forward with
guns in hand.
Formal induction into the Endless Hunt involves catching and then killing a prized and
dangerous prey within Deserter. From there, they mark the sigil of the Endless Hunt into a token
that they then keep on them, to show their worth and prove their mission to kill what must be
killed, before it kills them.
Salt Slaves
The price of beauty is high, but the reward is great. The beautiful are afforded luxuries. The
beautiful are given the best opportunity to succeed, able to charm with a smile and fuck their
way to success more than a knife or a gun will be able to. The world is filled with ugly, cruel
people and first appearances are more than important. They are power.
The Salt Slaves are part cult, part business, and make up the collection of those who are in
servitude to Ethel of Rottie Lake. Many of them have traded a few years, or often their entire
lives in servitude to Ethel for a chance at beauty. They are either forced to work at their
trade, or if they are without skills, they often work as traveling salesmen for Ethel across
the whole of Deserter.
They are often the ugliest

people who are seeking anything
and everything beautiful for
their Master. On top of selling
“samples” of her product, they
often seek trinkets of particular
beauty to bring back for Ethel’s
favor – or, at the lack of
trinkets, sometimes people.
Dragging back the beautiful

things, often by force if
necessary, they return back to
Rottie Lake and the chance of
becoming something more that many
of them have sworn their lives
away to achieve. While the Salt
Slaves have no discernable sigil
or feature, they often have severe
physical mutations or extreme
degrees of rot, often masked by
mud or stained with color to hide
imperfections.
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The Cleaning Men
When the world died, it left a
sickness behind. That sickness
still crawls across the earth,
spreading from person to person,
infectious and dangerous as the
nuclear bombs which once fell into
the sand. Like any disease, it must
be purged. It will inevitably be
purged at its source, but until
them, the only thing that can be
done is managing the symptoms.
The disease is radiation and the

symptoms have manifested themselves
as Remnants and Retrogrades. Though
the disease cannot yet be stemmed,
the symptoms can be managed.
Violently.
The Cleaning Men are a group of

mercenary fanatics who believe
that Remnants and Retrogrades
are the scum of the earth and in
order to further stem the tide
of the effects of radiation, the
overgrowth, and the Grave Mind,
they must be eliminated. Working
in consortium with the Green Skull
Militia who seek to set off the
bombs in the Silo and wipe Deserter
off the map, the Cleaning Men
have slowly sent groups all
across Deserter in order to pick off the two Strains, seeking to make them as extinct as
possible.
Their methods vary depending on the target and the area. While they aren’t against using
assassins for more prominent figureheads in societies, they are more often to act with brute
force and deadly precision. Fully believing in the power of bombs and military arms, they are
not afraid of setting off fires and bombs in trade posts and waystations that harbor Remnants
and Retrogrades.
To that end, it is often understood and easier to let the Cleaning Men simply have what they
want rather than let more suffer. With their long white dusters and modified grenade launchers,
when the Cleaning Men come calling to your town, it’s time to say goodbye to your broken and
rotting children. It’s better off for you and for them. The more you’re willing to let them go,
the more helpful you’re being in purging disease from the wasteland.
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The Seekers
If you’re a scrounger, you either get rich or die trying. If you’re a Seeker, the likelihood
of it being the latter is much, much higher. This elite league of archeologist’s are as skilled
as they are insane, and they’ve taken their treasure seeking to the ultimate edge by pushing
into the deepest, darkest and most dangerous areas that Deserter has to offer.
Since so much of Deserter is untouched, it offers the perfect area for scroungers to dig deep
into the earth and find all the secrets that mankind has forgotten. Perhaps unsurprisingly,
the ultimate prizes for Seekers often end up being hidden deep within the Glow Wastes that
occupy the more remote corners of Deserter. But like any good treasure hunter, this is not even
remotely discouraging to a brave Seeker.
A Seeker knows that there’s more than just wealth under there. There’s history. There are
secrets that could save mankind, or damn them. There’s a wealth of knowledge that has been left
undiscovered that could, and will, change the face of what mankind will be in the future. And
the only person who can find it is a true Seeker. They are often the only people who are able to
come crawling back out of places like Toowilluh and the Silo alive and in one piece, and though
they will often perish upon their return, they die in peace knowing that what they carry could
be the saving grace of the world.
Entrance into the Seekers is extremely limited and in very high demand. Only the most
experienced and weathered diggers will even be invited to take the test that could grant them
entrance into the Seekers. Often these tests involve delving deep into dangerous places of
Deserter and carrying back a piece of treasure that was previously unknown.
But once someone is accepted into the Seekers, they are geared and trained to go into all the
dark places of the world. To be a Seeker is to know that your last, dying breath will be doing
what you love, what your passion is, no matter how deadly the journey ended up being.
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The Green Skull Legion
If the Cleaning Men are out to smother the symptoms, the Green Skull Legion are here to kill
the disease. Representing one of the largest independent militias outside of the Brownings, the
Green Skull Legion is as fanatical, if not more so, than the Cleaning Men. Their headquarters
is on the far side of one of the largest ridges at the Silo, opposite of Hell’s Edge. From
there, they send frequent and well-prepared scouting endeavors deep into the Silo in order to
find nuclear bombs that have yet to be detonated.
This is, when they aren’t fighting against the opposing forces that seek to protect the region
from being blown apart. What started as an amicable difference in opinion over what to do with
the territory has turn into close to a full out war. Unfortunately, it’s because of that war
that neither the Green Skull Legion, nor its opposing group has been able to seek any real
answers inside the Silo.
The warfare skirmishes often break out as one group or the other seeks to delve deeper into
the craters of the Silo. While their numbers have shrunk often time, the Green Skull Legion has
both recruiting divisions and rearmament branches that delve into the wastes of Deserter to
bring in new bodies to resupply those that have died either in battle, or succumbed to radiation
poisoning.
Members of the Green Skull Legion are recognizable usually from their high-tech, military
grade armor and the green hand sigil that is usually on their chest or shoulder. It’s also not
uncommon for them to wear green skull face paint, particularly if they are of high rank. One
thing is for certain, however: no remnants or retrogrades are ever allowed within their ranks.
Applicants must prove, through medical and psychological testing, that they are not of the
Strains that are part of the disease they fight against.
239
The Savage
In the heart of the deserts and wilds, it takes more than an average person to survive.
Several communities have been born and died in Deserter, and in Canvas in particular. Entire
caravans have been lost to the sweeping dunes, the rocks and mountains, and thorny brush. But
those people were never truly lost, not the true survivors. They live on to be more than they
were, more than they are. One with the essence of nature, hanging on the precipice of losing
their humanity and becoming nothing more than animal.
They are the Savage. Those who were lost, and found themselves again. The Savage don’t
represent a fully organized group of individuals, but a sect of lost men and women who have
become so fully acclimated with nature in their need to survive that they have almost become a
part of it. The phrase has been coined for any time an individual like this has been encountered
by travelers in the course of their travels through Deserter.
Those who are now the Savage were often those who traveled through Deserter and were lost,
or represent attempts at new trade posts forming and failing. The one common theme they have
is the desperate need for survival that has driven them to do so by any means necessary to the
point of almost becoming sub-human. Those who have become Savage for long enough may not even
know how to speak or communicate, better understanding body language, the shifts in winds and
currents, or the environment around them.
Their detachment from humanity also makes them particularly dangerous, as passing travelers
can make for the best prey. Many of the Savage have extremely cannibalistic and brutal habits
in order to take advantage of the chance for survival when it arrives. Because of this, and
their hunting habits, the Savage often dress to blend better with their environment, or wear
trophies of their hunts on themselves or their bodies. On the rare occasion that a Savage is
returned to society, their rehabilitation is extremely slow, if it happens at all. Even the most
rehabilitated Savage tends to have cannibalistic and cruel tendencies.
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Well Known Folk of Deserter
Phoenix Brighton
If there is a name that should be reviled in
all of Deserter, it’s Phoenix Brighton. From
his haven high atop the outposts of the View,
Phoenix has been able to quietly pull the
strings of both the City of Saints below and the
Slums above him for years. A cunning capitalist
and strategy man, whenever someone is convinced
that Phoenix’s seat of power is merely a sham, a
surprise show of force – either through social
or financial means – usually puts them to sham.
His good looks have served him toward his

purpose. With a pedigree that’s the envy of
any lineage leaguer, Phoenix has a charming,
sharp smile with eyes as black as the night sky
that seem to soak up all the light around him.
Despite having his every need attended to, he has managed to maintain an impressive physique
that makes him look more like a burly mountain man than a Pure Blood who lounges on a bed of
trade notes.
But those with any sort of wisdom know not to test Brighton’s temper, lest the end of cast out
of the slums like the Eddings once were. To that end, whatever close friends and family that
Phoenix Brighton had before he forced the Eddings out are all gone now. He plays his cards close
to the chest.
Ethel Brodis
As severe as she is gorgeous, Ethel Brodis is the head bitch in charge of Rottie Lake and all
its surrounding territories. Boasting the area as an exclusive hospital resort and spa, Ethel
draws in the hideous, the malformed, those who have done nothing but been spurned their whole
lives because of their appearance. Most of them are Remnants and Retrogrades which she happily
takes advantage of.
But Ethel has her own dark history which she keeps as a closely guarded secret. The bastard
Remnant child of Phoenix Brighton and the Eddings, its rumored that beneath her pretty clothes,
blond hair and bright smile, there’s a monster – a Remnant child bent in reclaiming the history
and wealth that was taken away from her. No matter the truth of the history, she uses her beauty
and her cruelty in equal spades, ruling over her slaves and business partners with a grip
stronger than iron.
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Father Joe
A man who could have, should have
become a Savage, Father Joe takes
himself to be living proof of the true
meaning of survival: one best done with
faith, family, and will power. He has
built a reputation as a firm Father in
the wilds of the Spires and it’s through
his determination that the tiny trade
post has survived in one of the most
dangerous areas in Canvas.
He has built himself to be the image

of what a Father should be this far away
from true civilization: tall, weather-
beaten with a chiseled jawline and
enough scars to prove his worth, Father
Joe doesn’t take a lick of non-sense in
his effort to make sure his families,
and his ideals, stay alive. And the more
he is successful apart from the City of
Saints and the other faithful there, the
more those of the Nuclear Family begin
to believe there is a certain level of
weakness in the urban neighborhood that
can be countered with the hard work and
sweat of Fathers like Joe.
242
Grace
She goes by no other name. Her
task in life has been set before her
as the leader of the Cleaning Men:
the symptoms of the disease must be
purged. A stoic brunette Rover, she
joined the Cleaning Men after her
clan’s bloodline was thinned out
and then eliminated when all of the
children were Remnants. The last of
her bloodline, Grace has taken to make
certain her legacy lives on through
the lives, and deaths, of others.
Unlike those who she leads, Grace

has little military ability, but is
an incredibly adept and intelligent
doctor. Her background in abnormal
biology, mutations, and the origin
of the Strains has given her the
ability to discern a Remnant without
even giving them a full medical
examination.
Under her leadership, the Cleaning

Men have become an effective terror
in Deserter and the entire division
has used her long, dirty white
leather medical coat as their sign of
allegiance to her, and their cause.
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Overgrowth of The Undying - Dystopia Rising (11441882) PDF

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Overgrowth of The Undying - Dystopia Rising (11441882) PDF

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D ystopia Rising: Overgrowth of the Undying is a regional source book to be used

Leah Bender (Order #11441882)

Leah Bender (Order #11441882)

KEEP AT IT AND NEVER GIVE UP.

Welcome to the Overgrowth. Here be monsters.

However, we have no solid documentation

To modern history, the Rovers as

Around the Neck: Pertaining to family

White: Love or compassion

Single Cord: In regards to responsibilities or charges

Overhand Knot: Friend

Buried Footprints – A tradition among the more superstitious Rovers, it is a tradition to

Offering of Trinket or Fabrics – If a Rover wishes to mark someone as a friend, family

Kentuck’s Caravan Outﬁtters

Braun Heritage Family

Natural Ones have also undergone a

Culturally, individual Natural Ones

Natural Ones tend to have community markings

Natural Ones use their environment and

Natural Ones tend to have almost a morbid

Tenders of the Wilds

Because only Remnants understand that we all die alone.”

Discoloring or Minor Bioluminescent Traits – Discoloration of the flesh in either patches,

Progeria – An unfortunate mutation commonly found in Remnants, this condition causes an

Welcome to the Neighborhood

“This is why it is important as us, as a chosen family, to come together regularly. In a

Community – A Nuclear Family Community is a network of interconnected Neighborhoods. These

Community Watch – An organization of individuals that have been given a martial or

Love thy siblings, even when they snitch to Father.

When you make a mistake, admit it.

Always treat others with respect, the neighbors might be watching.

The Neilson Family

The Atomic Home

Children of the False

The Order of Seventh Born

The Family Eternal

Plant Name: Bloodbane Root

Terrain Commonly Found In: Dry plains and low

Physical Description: Produces a red sap that

Plant Name: Dancing Vines

Terrain Commonly Found In: Deep in the Overgrowth

Physical Description: Looking a bit like poison

Terrain Commonly Found In: Moist and warmer

Physical Description: Part fungus and part

Plant Name: Devil’s Flower

Terrain Commonly Found In: Dry plains and, oddly

Physical Description: In the spring, the purple

Plant Name: Fernmeat Fronds

Terrain Commonly Found In: Anywhere in the

Physical Description: Thick, heavy aloe-like

Terrain Commonly Found In: Near ponds,

Physical Description: Greater pitcher

Plant Name: Lasher Vines

Physical Description: Lasher vines grow

Plant Name: Needle Grass

Terrain Commonly Found In: Near swamps and

Physical Description: With a sharp tip and

Terrain Commonly Found In: Wide plains and

Physical Description: Sweet Grass is usually

Plant Name: Water Grass

Terrain Commonly Found In: Dry Grasslands and

Physical Description: Short, scrubby, spongy

Agility 2, Appearance 1, Brawn 2, Endurance 1, Knowledge 1, Luck 1, Wiles 3