A Dark Dystopia
FREE TO USE (TAKE/ALTER/AND USE AS NEEDED.)
Thumbnails are used in this thread (This can slow down your phone.) To see a larger image click the thumbnail.
Welcome to my world thread for A Dark Dystopia. The purpose of this thread is to act as a quick reference guide for information that might become complicated or difficult to remember as the story grows. If you see something in this thread that you want to use, please feel free to do so. You are welcome to use the world, change it, alter it or take the characters you see represented in it. This is an open thread for anyone to take from freely.
I do ask that you please not post on this thread unless you are actively taking part in the story presented.
Thank you everyone and enjoy the complexities of my world.
The following information is fictional, Names, Characters, Places, and incidents are either products of my imagination or have fictitiously been presented and should not and do not represent the real world. If something in these descriptions violates the policies of the forum, feel free to remove it immediately or contact me and I will do so myself.
Topics in this world thread can be disturbing and uncomfortable to read about. They do not reflect my views or the views of the co-author. This is an amoral, bloody, exploitative, manipulative, and self-destructive world. It tells a story about a world that has failed and now devours itself because of its monstrous and disturbing behaviors. In short, DO NOT CONTACT ME BECAUSE YOU DISAGREE WITH VIEWPOINTS EXPRESSED IN THIS FICTIONAL WORLD! This is not real, and the consequences of living in this world are reflected in its current state.
FREE TO USE (TAKE/ALTER/AND USE AS NEEDED.)
Thumbnails are used in this thread (This can slow down your phone.) To see a larger image click the thumbnail.
Welcome to my world thread for A Dark Dystopia. The purpose of this thread is to act as a quick reference guide for information that might become complicated or difficult to remember as the story grows. If you see something in this thread that you want to use, please feel free to do so. You are welcome to use the world, change it, alter it or take the characters you see represented in it. This is an open thread for anyone to take from freely.
I do ask that you please not post on this thread unless you are actively taking part in the story presented.
Thank you everyone and enjoy the complexities of my world.
The following information is fictional, Names, Characters, Places, and incidents are either products of my imagination or have fictitiously been presented and should not and do not represent the real world. If something in these descriptions violates the policies of the forum, feel free to remove it immediately or contact me and I will do so myself.
Topics in this world thread can be disturbing and uncomfortable to read about. They do not reflect my views or the views of the co-author. This is an amoral, bloody, exploitative, manipulative, and self-destructive world. It tells a story about a world that has failed and now devours itself because of its monstrous and disturbing behaviors. In short, DO NOT CONTACT ME BECAUSE YOU DISAGREE WITH VIEWPOINTS EXPRESSED IN THIS FICTIONAL WORLD! This is not real, and the consequences of living in this world are reflected in its current state.
THE WORLD
This world's defining divergence from our own starts at the great war. Prior to this, the year was 2022 and everything proceeded as we know it today. The current year in which this story takes place is 2174 a little more than 150 years after our current date. The world has become a harsh and unforgiving place. Humanity has survived but just barely and struggled to do so. Above ground, small bands have fought over crumbling remains of once-great cities while freaks have prowled the lands looking for any victims they might come across. Some fight to stop the world from rebuilding while others struggle to re-populate it.
The real world and this one shared a common timeline until 2022, However, a year later that commonality would stop as the Great War started. The economic collapse of entire nations and even The European Commonwealth fell one after another. Once the Great War was finished what was left started another war only lightly referred to as the Resource Wars. These smaller wars devastated what was left of an already dying population.
The global and economical collapse of civilization made it impossible to fully ascertain the full extent of the damage brought on by the nuclear wars. There were some unavoidable changes that took place. The atmosphere was damaged, how and why is not clear. There are many theories but as time passed it became an accepted aspect of this new life. With the lack of a sun, which lasted for several years often referred to as the time of darkness and the radiation and other chemicals that had polluted the world, oceans and most sea life perished or were forever altered. What water did survive was undrinkable. While some creatures and men mutated this was more common in the early days and less common in the current era.
THE GREAT WAR!
This war was the beginning of the end of the world as we know it. A global thermonuclear war caused entire nations to vanish overnight. Most if not all participating nations that took place in it died or were completely wiped out. Billions of casualties happened because of the nuclear holocaust that took place, combined with open exposure to radiation and chemical warfare the collapse of social and government structures was inevitable.
With growing tensions in North Korea and the serious lack of resources, the people prepared to rise up. In a last-ditch effort to save their country and position, the government launched weapons of mass destruction at South Korea. Allies and members of the United Nations took notice. This threat could not go unanswered and resulted in an immediate response from the UN and allied countries. Realizing the devastating results of the strike, North Korea in desperation launched nuclear weapons across the world most of which were aimed at the United States. This prompted China and Russia to respond in kind to the open declaration of war. Within the next few day's WWIII had started or as most call it The Great War.
As nation after nation fell, the bastions of this war remained China, Russia, Most of the UK, and America. These powerhouses immediately fought, forcing open conflict between the two allies that lasted for the next two years. During this time open invasions of sovereign lands took place. For the first time in its, history America was openly invaded by foot, recalling the majority of its troops to defend itself. In a spearhead attack, The UK fell to the combined strength of China and Russia while America attempted to strengthen its borders and prevent further invasions.
THE AFTERMATH
The results of the nuclear war were devastating to the world. Combined with biological and chemical weapons the world saw widespread diseases that had never before been heard of. These spread like wildfire across the lands. The most significant changes were to the atmosphere which caused massive climate shifts and darkness to blanket 90% of the earth for years. Extensive desertification took place as most plant life could not survive the combination of weapons and the loss of the sun. Once fertile and lush lands dried up and became vast wastelands. Waters became poisonous to drink, and rain was dangerous. Bringing chemicals back down to the earth as it fell.
New plant life came to be common as a result of the changing ecosystem. This plant life better suited to the harsh conditions was dangerous and highly poisonous. People had to find other ways to survive because crops simply did not survive and could not grow in these conditions leading to a massive food shortage that resulted in millions starving to death.
Most people could not work, if a building stood those needed to run it were either too weak or underskilled and unaware of how to run it. So, attempting to manufacture foods while effective in some areas mostly failed. Animals were also affected by this and those who were not mutated or dead were forced to take evolutionary changes that made them prehistoric in behavior. Feeding and entering areas they would have never gone to before. Humans what few were left were the main source of food for many of these creatures and this proved to be a demanding thing to overcome as weapons were in short supply.
The impact on humanity and most of the civilization were extremely severe. During the war EMPs or Electromagnetic pulses were constantly used which disabled most communications and other electronic equipment. Combined with the lack of food, shelter, and mobilized police or military personnel to keep people in check, they rebelled. Those who were not victims of the attack or suffering from sickness were hopeless and felt they had nothing to lose. In America, the government had hoarded a great amount of food to keep the leaders fed and in charge. They lacked the military power to repress the people from storming their shelters, however. Within years chaos reigned, those who lived outside major cities were able to avoid much of the fallout of this world but even they were affected by the Long Night or The Great War.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Post-War technology still exists but is extremely rare and wildly unknown to most people. This story takes place a little more than 150 years after the great war, and much of what we take for granted now is lost to this world. Power, filtering water, guns, food preservation, and more. While technology and science are still around it simply is not common. A good example is a typical television. While some people may understand what it is from stories, most would not. Some groups would know how to use it for scraps while others would see it as a relic and a waste of space and effort.
Schools were a thing of the past. Most people teach by passing down their knowledge from one generation to the next and this shows in the flaws of that knowledge. For example, if someone misunderstood how a mathematical equation worked, that lack of understanding was passed down to the next generation and degraded from there.
Reading and math, in general, can be done but is not common on higher levels. There are no schools so any knowledge on reading needed to be passed down or self-taught. While this would be possible it certainly was not the priority of people attempting to survive and thus was mostly lost to time.
FACTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS
Five styles of groups have become common. They are not by any means the only positions available in this world but reflect how most people view them. There is nothing that restricts a person's personality, skills, or appearance in these descriptions they are simply classifications often used to describe a type of person.
Scavengers
These are people who are trying to make a living by picking over the bones of the fallen world. They tend to be nomadic in nature and avoid interactions with others whenever possible. They can be very suspicious of strangers and often feel or treat everyone as if they are a predator. They can typically be the target of attention because they have made a living out of finding things that most people would not have. They are very aware of this fact and thus their suspicious nature.
Settlers
In any fallen world there are going to be people who stand up and attempt to remake it. These people are often referred to as Settlers and are actively attempting to rebuild and form functional societies. They often have more practical skills such as re-using resources effectively or farming and growing foods. Settlers forming communities from small ones to large ones can be difficult to deal with if someone is not familiar with that style of civilization. Their rules are often unfair and extremely strict, which they enforce with deadly consequences. Settlers unprepared for the harsh reality of the world at large quickly fall victim to other groups. Because of this societies like Settlers are rare unless they are extremely well fortified and protected.
Predators
These are people who make their living on preying off others. Slavers, raiders, and more fall into this category. Most are skilled in combat in some manner or another and have a low moral compass on what is and is not acceptable behavior. These people can be extremely dangerous in larger groups, but alone a Predator is just as dangerous when caught off guard. Predators often look to dominate weaker people and ironically often create their own rules of conduct in which they believe a function civilization can be formed. Those who do not comply are often destroyed by larger groups.
Seekers
An odd name for a group, because it often conflicts with what they are. A Seeker is someone with some post-war knowledge, and more specifically someone with the skills needed to move from one area to the next safely while building and establishing tools that others would not know how to use. For example, a doctor would be considered a seeker even though they are unlikely to move from one area to the next. Another example of a seeker is a bounty hunter or someone who might go in search of a lost child or person. Seekers can be rare and varied in their knowledge and behavior, but they typically stand out because of their specific skill set or abilities.
Freaks
Perhaps the greatest threat to any group a freak is unfortunately quite common. They defy logical sense in most situations. These cannibalistic humans are completely wild and enraged to a point that they will attack anyone or anything to satiate their hunger. Many consider them devolved to an animalistic state, some running on all fours while others running upright. They can use weapons, but this would be exceedingly rare. Freaks are barely considered human and often are killed on sight or openly avoided. In larger groups, these people can destroy an entire settlement before moving on and leaving everything of use behind. There truly is no logic to their behavior or rage. They are typically stronger and faster than a normal person and do have some kind of functional social system though no one can figure out what it is. It is extremely rare and mostly unheard of that one of these people would speak, while not impossible it is widely believed they have either lost this ability or do not know-how.
SLAVERY
It is very important that it is clearly understood this is not a fetish and should not be treated like one. While erotic slaves might exist, they are hugely different from what a fetish slave would be considered. This is degrading and horrific slavery, and is without governance to monitor and or control it.
Slavery is quite common; it was present in the post-war world and it is extremely prevalent in this one. No one is immune to the dangers of slavery. Hundreds die all the time from starvation, beatings, and worse. Each slaver is different, but common events include gladiator fights, builders and cleaners, pack mules, and worse. Because of slavery being prevalent and widespread it is also mostly accepted. While some people may not like it, most accept it as a simple fact of life. Seeing someone walk through a city with another person on a chain behind them would not be a shocking or even uncommon thing to witness. Seeing a slave beaten to death is another common action that might take place in the streets. If anyone did interfere, they either risk becoming a slave themselves or interfere in business that was not their own which is just as dangerous.
What a person chooses to do or not do with their slave is seldomly governed by others. They are sold by slavers, and escapes are common. Entering into a settlement and seeing a slave trader on the side of the road would not be an uncommon sight to behold.
WEAPONS
Weapons have devolved to a mostly pre-modern era. Gun powder for example is not something easily found and produced but even then, creating a bullet is almost unheard of. Guns while they might exist would be extremely rare and easily over one hundred years old. Axes, Swords, Knives, Daggers, Spears, and more are far more common. Bows are another weapon. An easier reference is to think of medieval-style weapons. Manufacturing these while not uncommon is not easy. Blacksmiths and other such vendors do exist but as there is a constant threat to settlements establishing a well-built trade is difficult. So other tools are also common, clubs, rocks, slings, and so on.
MEDICINE
Post-apocalyptic medicine does exist but is rare like most things. Some basic knowledge is expected especially with groups that are familiar with traveling in the world. But full-on hospitals would be unheard of. Technology is just not there or nearly that advanced. Even if they could understand the medical books, supplies would quickly run out.
Sickness, plagues, infections, and so on are all possibly deadly. However, the human body has adapted to this world. It is heartier than a modern-day person would be. A broken bone today would be painful and need to be treated, a broken bone in this world would be tied down and while it might hurt it would be unlikely to disable or even debilitate the person depending on the bone broken. The same is true with common colds and infections. The human body is extremely resistant to the environment and this harsh world has required it to remain so.
TRADE & COMMERCE
Most people will trade in this world, there is no universal trading credit. If a settlement attempted to establish one, it would likely be rejected by outsiders. Trade is heavily based on the needs of another but there are some things that always hold value.
Most post-war items that still function would be worth quite a bit.
Clean and useable paper, pens, pencils, or anything of this nature would be valued.
Food/Water, would be highly sought after and always worth a fair amount.
For example, if someone wanted to buy a night in a room, with something to eat and drink and another person wanted the same thing trade would begin. If one person offered rotted 150-year-old blankets, books, and other common items like this, while the other person offered a lighter that still worked, the lighter would win every time. So, it really does just depend on what the person needs and what is being offered and there are no common grounds for a trade.
COMMON BELIEFS AND RUMORS
The Sky
Currently, the sky is filled with a thick heavy cloud that is red in color during the day and pure black during the night. Pure rays of sunlight are almost unheard of. Looking up at the stars, another thing lost to the post-war era.
It is unknown what caused the sky to change as it has. Some Seekers believe that an experimental weapon was used during The Great War and burned the sky. Others believe that the world always looked like this. Some even believe that their religious figure made it that way. One thing is certain, however, most renewable energies stopped functioning. Solar panels could not charge. Some seekers have been able to provide diverse types of current using older methods, but the newer behavior of energy is lost.
Mutants
Mutants were more common in the early days; they are less common now. They still exist and most believe that they are a punishment from their religious figures, or that they are freaks. Disfigured people can be caused for any number of reasons which include continuous drinking and eating tainted food and water. Unlike popular science fiction being a mutant does not make an individual strong, large, or green. Typically, mutants have some deformity that makes them weak and ill-suited for the world at large. Deformities can happen but that is not a mutant, mutants are an individual that has been irreparably damaged and mutated to their very core.
More can and will be added as the story unfolds. If there is anything missing that I have not immediately covered please feel free to contact me in a PM and let me know so I can include it. Until then the topic will only grow as the story does.
