Setting

LOCATION

GEOGRAPHICAL SETTING
North America, renamed "New America" after the fallout

REGION
New York state, now called "The Cradle"

The Cradle is touted as humanity's last and only salvation in the world, but it could be nothing more than a propaganda campaign backed by the New World Order.

Very little of New America is habitable, with much of the West and South dubbed "no man's land" or "the wasteland." What was once a diverse landscape is now nothing more than a barren and hot desert. It is remote, vast, and sparsely populated: not ideal for long-term survival. The North, on the other hand, was plunged into an endless nuclear winter. Soot was injected into the stratosphere by widespread firestorms following the nuclear bombings, blocking out direct sunlight. The result is environmental devastation caused by unending below-freezing temperatures.

THE CRADLE'S CLIMATE

The Cradle's climate includes warm, humid summers and cold winters with significant lake-effect snowfall. The weather patterns haven't changed much, with the addition of dangerous (although uncommon) radiation storms.

Radiation storms are caused by residual radioactive material that was propelled into the upper atmosphere by the bombings. A green sky is a sign of an approaching radiation storm, and travelers should immediately seek shelter indoors if possible. Radiation storms produce black rain that inflicts radiation poisoning on those exposed.

NOTABLE TOWNS

TECHNOLOGY KEY

Low
Hardly any technology to speak of Medium
Primitive technology, basic at best High
Technology runs rampant (computers, etc); not advanced, but it works

Victorville
- Faction: New World Order
- Radiation Levels: Low; little to no protection is needed
- Tech: High

Victorville is a city that rose out of the ashes of crumbling buildings. The buildings themselves aren't very large, but are patched together from the resources available. The city isn't very beautiful, but it is deemed safe and practical. It boasts one confirmed underground laboratory and one working radio tower, relics of the Golden Age. While communications and advanced tech is possible (and expensive), the New World Order harbors limited, but safely guarded resources where the elite class can enjoy a better quality life.

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On the fringes of the city lies a guarded labor camp where the renegades and rebels of the New World Order are forced to toil in the quarry and mines for precious minerals. Be warned, Victorville is a heavily policed city, provided by the NWO. There are checkpoints on every road leading in, where visitors are searched. Weapons and contraband are prohibited.

Hells Point
- Faction: New World Order
- Radiation Levels: Low; little to no protection is needed.
- Tech: Medium-high

The New World Order seized this territory for their old production factories, many of which are defunct. It is here where people with Debt Bonds can work until their debt is paid in full. It is a miserable place to work; people are treated little more than slaves. Some work their whole lives so the next generation, if any, does not have to suffer from debt. Runaways are found and forced into labor camps.. or death.

Bilgewaters
- Faction: None
- Radiation Levels: Medium; some protection needed if in close proximity to the lake
- Tech: Low

Located next to Lake Erie, Bilgewaters is a fishing town. Problem is, there's something very wrong with the fish. And the water. And the people.

Ditchford
- Faction: Eye of Aureola
- Radiation Levels: High; hazmat suits and masks are needed
- Tech: Low

Ditchford is poverty central. But those suffering from radiation poisoning might call it home. Makeshift shacks stacked on top of each other provide homes for the irradiated. At least here, outsiders do not have to gaze upon their monstrosity unless they choose to. Ditchford is also the location of the church of the Eye of Aureola.

Cratertown
- Faction: None
- Radiation Levels: High; hazmat suits and masks are needed
- Tech: Low

Cratertown is an unfortunate spit of land covered in craters, thus its name. It is a junkyard and graveyard, where a hodgepodge of dead bodies and scrap might be tossed in. Violent, mutated creatures thrive here, feeding off the diseased dead. Some people might find a home here.

Paradise Falls
- Faction: None.
- Radiation Levels: Medium; some protection needed if near the waterfalls
- Tech: Medium

What used to be the idyllic Niagara Falls State Park is now known as "Paradise Falls." The three waterfalls each have a vertical drop of more than 150 feet and provide rare hydroelectric power for the nearby town. The surrounding woodlands is teeming with wildlife, some of which have been affected by the radiation in the water.

The Projects
- Faction: None
- Radiation Levels: Low
- Tech: Low

A small settlement in the mountains, largely untouched by radiation. Extreme poverty is commonplace here, and the ramshackle buildings are nothing to look at. Still, the locals are often friendly toward weary travelers.

The Pile
- Faction: The Block Cannibals
- Radiation Levels: Medium; some protection needed depending on your location within the Pile
- Tech: Medium-low

Current day New York City and the epicenter of the nuclear bombings during the Last World War. This once bustling city was reduced to rubble and renamed "The Pile." Some areas in the Pile still emit moderate levels of radiation, but it is generally safe to explore without a hazmat suit. The Pile is a lawless region with no government or law enforcement to speak of, and various drifters and factions occupy its streets. One should exercise caution while exploring this area.

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The Block
- Notable Stops: Cadaver (super high end supper club; "humanity is our key ingredient!"), "The Market" (black market meets farmers' market), Gideon Packing Plant (where the "processing" happens, one of those citywide landmarks that somehow survived the nuclear fallout)

What used to be the Meat Packing district in New York City, now heavily occupied by cannibals.

NOTABLE PLACES

Primordial Soup
- Radiation Levels: High

No one is sure if the lake existed before the crater, or the crater became a lake, but it is generally agreed upon that the research needed to find out isn’t worth the risk. A meltdown happened here, probably sparked by the bombs, and in a desperate attempt to reduce the damage they tried to cool the reactor by flooding the facility. It didn’t work. Now, a vast lake sits sick and bubbling near the shadow of a crumbled cooling tower. Generally the radiation is too high to admit scavengers or conventional *life*—but rumors persist of shambling unknown horrors that pull themselves from the muck and stalk into the wastes.

Appalachian Mountains
- Radiation Levels: Low

The Appalachian Mountains dominate the landscape in southeast Cradle. These heavily forested mountains provide an escape from most radiation, and the animals that live there are generally safe to hunt and consume. The entire Appalachian system is laced with an intricate network of springs, streams, waterfalls, and rivers. It is not uncommon to find small settlements throughout this area.