MAP
GENERAL
This city was once giant, self-sufficient, and the center of everything in the kingdom. Now? You only stand in a fraction of it—due to the raging dust storms—and all that remains here is what little's been left behind by the cataclysm's destruction a hundred years ago.
Terrain: The ground is coated in an ashen dust. The way it lays might remind you of packing snow: as you walk, it won't blow around, but a deliberate kick here, or a gust of wind there, and the dust flies around a bit. Patches of grass, and even small flowers, can be seen sticking out from the dust. If you brush the dust away, you'll find fertile soil.
Ruins: Scattered along the roads are ruins of buildings. At one time they were built with various colored square-shaped stones. But now, you'll never find a single building that's fully in tact. You might find one with a whole wall. Or one with all of its walls in half. Or one that just the outline of what might have once been in a Roxaboxen-like fashion. And so forth, things like that.
Day/Night: You can't see the sun at all in the bright, blue sky. No, no, it's not hiding:
it's just not there at all. To add to the confusion:
there's no natural, subtle shift from day -> night. One second it's bright out—the next, it's nighttime, like a sudden transformation. Daytime last for 12 hours, and nighttime lasts for 12 hours. And nighttime? Is freakin' dark. You need your lamp when it shifts to nighttime for sure. Furthermore, there are no stars out—the night sky is as blank as it is during the day.
Roads: They're wide enough to fit two standard vehicles side-by-side, and constructed from various tones of weathered, square stones. The road's stones strongly resemble the ones that the fallen buildings were constructed from. There are no lights along the roads.
Outskirts: Surrounding this part of the town is an ongoing dust storm. So, waltzing into it? A bad idea. Despite the obvious inability to see what's ahead, and the inevitable struggle to breathe that
almost suffocates you, you won't make it very far—in the end, you could find yourself lightheaded and faint. When you've awoken, you'll find yourself somehow dumped back where it's safe.
Air: The quality here isn't the best. Breathing isn't difficult, but you can't help but notice how much thicker the air seems here. Wearing a cloth over your mouth/nose would probably help a little bit, but you can get by without. If you have allergies, they won't be set off unless someone actually kicks up the dust... but that'd make anyone sneeze or cough, really.
Climate: It's a pinch colder than room temperature, as though someone forgot to turn the heater on. There are occasionally strong gusts of wind that send dust flying about.
Anomalies: There are a couple things to watch out for while you're here, caused by the effects of the labyrinths down below. Thankfully, it's nothing life-threatening...?
• Mirages: In the corner of your eye you might catch sight of something familiar to you. A vision of something heartwarming, like family or friends? A vision from your deepest fears, such as your enemy or the dead? It could even be the illusion of another explorer, trying to usher you in for help or advice. Or a giant pile of money and beer. The possibilities are endless, and sometimes other people will see the same mirage as you. But, go towards this illusion, and while you might get some brief interaction (or whatever else would entail,) in the very end it'll glitch and fall apart into dust.
• Whirlwinds: Whether it's windy or not, you might be suddenly sucked up by a tiny tornado and spit out somewhere else. Sometimes you see them—other times, you don't. It's pretty damn inconvenient. After being spit out, you'll wind up dizzy, and fall to a place that you'd least expect. There's a small chance you won't even remember what you were doing before...
AREAS OF INTEREST
Base Camp
What it says on the tin: a clearing set-up for the explorers to stay at for the time being.
• Tents are set-up along the edge; the middle area is just empty space.
• Everyone has a tent that looks like
this. However, if you know your character is likely to be sharing their tent with someone(s), feel free to just roll with them doing so instead of having extra tents.
• Each tent includes a hurricane lamp (that never needs filled) and a sleeping bag. If you're sharing a tent, there's likely to be enough sleeping bags for everyone. There's also enough room off to the side in the tent to set your stuff up, such as belongings, rations, etc. The front
does zip up, allowing for any much needed privacy.
• There's no lighting in this area. Not a big deal during the day, but at night... that might pose a problem.
• If you're unlucky, your tent might occasionally... roll away. You'll have to periodically check to make sure that it's still attached firmly to the ground from time to time.
Scout HQ
The Scouts took over the ruins of the giant archives building and converted it into their local headquarters. There's no roof; only the front wall of the building's first story stands, and the front door is just a doorway. Every other wall is halved or missing.
• Tents (for the Scouts) are set up within the Roxaboxen-like frame. In every corner are tables holding mysterious devices, and makeshift bookshelves holding binders. Someone always seems to be tinkering with said devices, or reading something, and they'll never let you get TOO close to these goods.
• One of the tents is a bit larger and has a flag at the tip-top—this is where the
Scout Leader stays. Inside her tent is a desk, chair, and bookshelf. It'd look like a decent office if it weren't for her sleeping bag off to the side. She seems busy, but she's usually available! If you wanted, you could use her to get in contact with
The Queen.
Junk Hill
A mountain of junk. It's like someone took the smaller things that were left behind a hundred years ago and put it all into a giant, towering pile.
• You can find almost
ANYTHING here, whether you're looking for it or not. The vast majority of this junk is non-perishable (though the unlucky ones could certainly come across a banana peel or empty cup of ramen.)
• Most of what you'll find is in bad shape, rusted, or needs fixed. Not to say you can't be lucky! It's just very hit or miss.
•
You can find technology. A busted cellphone? A radio that needs a new antenna, a typewriter with some buttons missing, tangled headphones, a dead
laptop of all damn things?! Surely they'll be useful someday, and surely someone will be able to fix what's broken.
• The only thing your character won't find is magical things. Things that summon fire, things that change your height, a lamp that grants wishes... things of that nature. You know. Magic doodads. Not gonna see them in this junk pile.
• Needs ideas for the random stuff your character can find? Try
this or
that randomizer! Or just pull stuff off the top of your head.
• It's possible to cause an avalanche! Moreso for chaotic comedy reasons than Actual Murder reasons. So, don't get trapped under a bunch of random crap, okay? At least the pile seems to clean/reset itself by the next day, so any avalanche you caused will be taken care of by the next morning.
Temple Ruins
Also known as "The Ruined Temple," this is the only building that seems to be standing... It has doors, a damaged roof, busted windows, and worn walls.
• It consists of one room that looks like a church. There are many stone benches, in various states of array, set up in rows. In the center aisle is a long, holey rug leading towards a pulpit in the back of the room.
• Behind the pulpit is a large boulder. It's been shaped, with intriguing edges and engravings, implying that it was placed there with a purpose.
• Inside are unlit candles, set atop pedestals and mounted to the walls. The day is bright enough for you to get by without lighting them, but if you intend to stay here around nightfall, you better have a match.
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