Glow Wastes
By day, the Glow Wastes look like empty desert. By night, the ground itself glows in effervescent greens, revealing the chemical sickness buried deep since before the Fall. Wise travelers wait until dusk to see which ground glows before choosing their path. The foolish walk in daylight and discover the radiation only when their skin begins to burn.
The Glow Wastes are irradiated zones within Deserter where buried nuclear and chemical contamination has transformed the terrain into something between desert and toxic swamp. Mutated plants with thorns like teeth grow alongside vines that reach with arm-like tendrils. Acidic gas vents from the earth during daylight hours. The fauna has adapted in terrible ways: Shadow Yotes with elongated limbs built for pursuit, two-headed Glow Vipers lurking among the glowing dunes, and eagles the size of caravans with dangerously curved talons circle overhead.
Toowilluh sits at the center, the most dangerous irradiated zone in Deserter, where ancient military ruins crawl with glowing undead that camouflage against the equally glowing ground. The Silo, a crater-pocked zone of suspected unexploded nuclear weapons, draws treasure hunters who rarely return. Hell's Edge, a trading post on the Glow Wastes' border populated almost entirely by Remnants and Retrogrades, serves as the last outpost of relative safety.
Despite the lethal conditions, the Glow Wastes are the most direct route to civilized areas of Deserter, making them a dangerous but necessary crossing for many caravans. Darwinists travel here specifically to collect radiation for transport south to Ruin, where they believe it will spark the next stage of human evolution.
The Glow Wastes are irradiated zones within Deserter where buried nuclear and chemical contamination has transformed the terrain into something between desert and toxic swamp. Mutated plants with thorns like teeth grow alongside vines that reach with arm-like tendrils. Acidic gas vents from the earth during daylight hours. The fauna has adapted in terrible ways: Shadow Yotes with elongated limbs built for pursuit, two-headed Glow Vipers lurking among the glowing dunes, and eagles the size of caravans with dangerously curved talons circle overhead.
Toowilluh sits at the center, the most dangerous irradiated zone in Deserter, where ancient military ruins crawl with glowing undead that camouflage against the equally glowing ground. The Silo, a crater-pocked zone of suspected unexploded nuclear weapons, draws treasure hunters who rarely return. Hell's Edge, a trading post on the Glow Wastes' border populated almost entirely by Remnants and Retrogrades, serves as the last outpost of relative safety.
Despite the lethal conditions, the Glow Wastes are the most direct route to civilized areas of Deserter, making them a dangerous but necessary crossing for many caravans. Darwinists travel here specifically to collect radiation for transport south to Ruin, where they believe it will spark the next stage of human evolution.
Geography
The Glow Wastes are irradiated zones within Deserter where buried pre-Fall nuclear and chemical contamination causes the ground to glow effervescent green after sunset. Some areas resemble swamp rather than desert due to chemical seepage, though the moisture is far from water. Sub-regions include Toowilluh, the most dangerous irradiated zone filled with ancient missiles and glowing undead; the Silo, a crater-pocked zone of suspected unexploded nuclear weapons; and Hell's Edge, a trading post on the Glow Wastes' border populated almost entirely by Remnants and Retrogrades. The terrain supports hideously mutated fauna including Shadow Yotes, Glow Vipers, and caravan-sized eagles. The Glow Wastes represent the most direct route to civilized areas of Deserter, making the crossing dangerous but often necessary.
