I-Die-Low
People settled for I-Die-Low, and the name says it all. The region sits between the Overgrowth and the open wastes, a harsh borderland where settlers accepted the constant threat of annihilation in exchange for fertile soil and scavenging opportunities. Every community here knows that a single bad sandstorm could erase their settlement entirely. Maybe that fragility is part of the allure: a quick death rather than a lingering one.
The terrain divides into distinct zones, each with its own character and its own ways to kill. The Rim stretches along the Overgrowth border, a long strip of farms where Nuclear Family followers work tightly-knit family units and the richest soil in the region feeds crops that blend with leafy green trees and grass. The Noisy Jungle crowds behind the farmlands, a dense forest screaming with predatory birds, forest cats, wolves, and phosphorescent fungi harvested as hallucinogens. The Pit beyond is a blasted desert where sandstorms of radioactive particles strip flesh from bone, and only experienced Diesel Jock Pit Guides can navigate its ruins. The Valley of Monsters houses a half-wild Remnant society living in crude cliff-side houses connected by bridges, raiding passing caravans and forcing Remnant captives to join or die.
Aberdeen's Oasis is the only real town in I-Die-Low proper: a couple hundred people living in sand-blasted scrap buildings on the edge of the Pit, serving as a hub for traders, salvage parties, mercenaries, and thieves. The Steelheads run their racket from the Oasis, and fraudulent Pit Guides lead caravans to their deaths for the salvage. Rich soil on one edge, flesh-stripping sandstorms on the other, and a population that determined this was good enough.
The terrain divides into distinct zones, each with its own character and its own ways to kill. The Rim stretches along the Overgrowth border, a long strip of farms where Nuclear Family followers work tightly-knit family units and the richest soil in the region feeds crops that blend with leafy green trees and grass. The Noisy Jungle crowds behind the farmlands, a dense forest screaming with predatory birds, forest cats, wolves, and phosphorescent fungi harvested as hallucinogens. The Pit beyond is a blasted desert where sandstorms of radioactive particles strip flesh from bone, and only experienced Diesel Jock Pit Guides can navigate its ruins. The Valley of Monsters houses a half-wild Remnant society living in crude cliff-side houses connected by bridges, raiding passing caravans and forcing Remnant captives to join or die.
Aberdeen's Oasis is the only real town in I-Die-Low proper: a couple hundred people living in sand-blasted scrap buildings on the edge of the Pit, serving as a hub for traders, salvage parties, mercenaries, and thieves. The Steelheads run their racket from the Oasis, and fraudulent Pit Guides lead caravans to their deaths for the salvage. Rich soil on one edge, flesh-stripping sandstorms on the other, and a population that determined this was good enough.
Geography
I-Die-Low divides into distinct zones. The Rim along the Overgrowth border holds the richest soil in the region, a long strip of Nuclear Family farms stretched across green terrain. Behind it, the Noisy Jungle is a dense forest crowded with predatory birds, insects, deer, forest cats, and wolves, named for the constant screeching in the canopy. The Pit beyond is a blasted desert where sandstorms of radioactive particles can strip flesh from bone, containing ruins from before the Fall navigable only by experienced Diesel Jock Pit Guides. The Valley of Monsters holds a half-wild Remnant society in crude cliff-side houses connected by bridges. Aberdeen's Oasis, the only real town, sits on the Pit's edge: a couple hundred people in sand-blasted scrap buildings serving as a trade hub.
