Former Senator Ethan Herod
Ethan Herod does not look like a man who shaped the wasteland's economy and led its most ambitious underground city. He looks tired. Brown hair going gray at the temples, dark circles etched beneath his eyes, an unassuming face that reads more as harried undead professor than retired statesman. A Full Dead Gorger who sprang into the world with no memories of a living existence, Herod built everything he knows from curiosity and excavation rather than inheritance.
At his peak, Herod held titles that carried weight across the Merican wasteland: Senator, Leader of Dominus Columbia, Founder of the Trade Union. He established the Trade Union as a service network of caravan drivers and bankers, grew it into the Council of Senators governing trade across settlements, and oversaw Dominus Columbia during the era when the buried ring city was a reclusive economic powerhouse rivaling the collective strength of Old York, the Iron Works, and the Ayesea. He was also the scholar who descended into the Vault of the Pre-Fall Burden, studied its thirty-three volumes of pre-fall scientific records, and authored "Considerations and Summaries," an accessible, casually toned journal that distilled roughly thirty thousand pages of documentation into introductory statements for future visitors. The work described Operation Rock Salt, the engineered program of population reduction that created the Infection, the origin of the Strains, and ultimately the Mortis Amaranthine itself.
The dream ended with the Iron Works war. Settlements turned from the Trade Union. Herod and the Union gave up on the vision of connecting communities through roads and shared commerce. After the collapse of his hopes for the institution he had built, Herod turned inward. The knowledge remained, but the ambition to use it for large-scale change did not survive the disappointment.
Now others come to him. Herod practices Procedural Necrology as a Graverobber, specializing in medical and memory-related procedures. His particular work is guiding visitors into the Mortis Amaranthine itself, showing them what life was like before the Fall or what it could be again if anyone cared enough to build toward it. He does not recruit. He does not organize. He opens a door into the fungal network and lets people see for themselves.
At his peak, Herod held titles that carried weight across the Merican wasteland: Senator, Leader of Dominus Columbia, Founder of the Trade Union. He established the Trade Union as a service network of caravan drivers and bankers, grew it into the Council of Senators governing trade across settlements, and oversaw Dominus Columbia during the era when the buried ring city was a reclusive economic powerhouse rivaling the collective strength of Old York, the Iron Works, and the Ayesea. He was also the scholar who descended into the Vault of the Pre-Fall Burden, studied its thirty-three volumes of pre-fall scientific records, and authored "Considerations and Summaries," an accessible, casually toned journal that distilled roughly thirty thousand pages of documentation into introductory statements for future visitors. The work described Operation Rock Salt, the engineered program of population reduction that created the Infection, the origin of the Strains, and ultimately the Mortis Amaranthine itself.
The dream ended with the Iron Works war. Settlements turned from the Trade Union. Herod and the Union gave up on the vision of connecting communities through roads and shared commerce. After the collapse of his hopes for the institution he had built, Herod turned inward. The knowledge remained, but the ambition to use it for large-scale change did not survive the disappointment.
Now others come to him. Herod practices Procedural Necrology as a Graverobber, specializing in medical and memory-related procedures. His particular work is guiding visitors into the Mortis Amaranthine itself, showing them what life was like before the Fall or what it could be again if anyone cared enough to build toward it. He does not recruit. He does not organize. He opens a door into the fungal network and lets people see for themselves.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Herod grew up in DeeCee territory, though "grew up" is a generous term for a Full Dead. He sprang fully formed into the world, assembled from the Mortis Amaranthine with no prior memories. What he had instead was curiosity, and it proved insatiable. He plumbed the depths of old cities, descending into ruins most people had the sense to avoid, discovering artifacts and truths that were perhaps best left forgotten. Through these explorations he pieced together fractured memories from the Mortis and combined them with physical evidence, learning hard truths about humanity and the apocalypse.
That knowledge fueled the founding of the Trade Union. Herod built it from a service network of caravan drivers and bankers into a cross-wasteland institution governed through the Council of Senators. He served as Leader of Dominus Columbia during the era when the buried city projected economic influence across the Merican wasteland. In the Vault of the Pre-Fall Burden, deep within the Athenium Mortis Amaranthine, he studied the thirty-three volumes of pre-fall scientific research and authored "Considerations and Summaries." The journal opened with characteristic irreverence: "I was going to entitle this collection 'Unfortunate Truths' but after some consideration, I'm not sure understanding is that unfortunate." He noted that people had killed themselves in the Vault after learning too much, and that the Three Sisters kept whiskey and gin stocked for visitors who could not take much more. His summary described Operation Rock Salt: the engineered program of manufactured disease, addictive drugs, food supply destruction, and an adaptive fungus that bound to dimethyltryptamine in living hosts, creating the Infection, the Strains, and the Mortis Amaranthine.
The Iron Works war ended the dream. Settlements turned from the Trade Union. Herod and the Union gave up. The knowledge he had gathered did not vanish, but the will to apply it through institutions did.
After the collapse, Herod became a Graverobber. He practices Procedural Necrology, specializing in medical and memory-related work. His particular practice is taking visitors into the Mortis Amaranthine, guiding them through the fungal network to show them visions of pre-fall life or possible futures. He does not lead anymore. He opens doors for people willing to walk through them.
That knowledge fueled the founding of the Trade Union. Herod built it from a service network of caravan drivers and bankers into a cross-wasteland institution governed through the Council of Senators. He served as Leader of Dominus Columbia during the era when the buried city projected economic influence across the Merican wasteland. In the Vault of the Pre-Fall Burden, deep within the Athenium Mortis Amaranthine, he studied the thirty-three volumes of pre-fall scientific research and authored "Considerations and Summaries." The journal opened with characteristic irreverence: "I was going to entitle this collection 'Unfortunate Truths' but after some consideration, I'm not sure understanding is that unfortunate." He noted that people had killed themselves in the Vault after learning too much, and that the Three Sisters kept whiskey and gin stocked for visitors who could not take much more. His summary described Operation Rock Salt: the engineered program of manufactured disease, addictive drugs, food supply destruction, and an adaptive fungus that bound to dimethyltryptamine in living hosts, creating the Infection, the Strains, and the Mortis Amaranthine.
The Iron Works war ended the dream. Settlements turned from the Trade Union. Herod and the Union gave up. The knowledge he had gathered did not vanish, but the will to apply it through institutions did.
After the collapse, Herod became a Graverobber. He practices Procedural Necrology, specializing in medical and memory-related work. His particular practice is taking visitors into the Mortis Amaranthine, guiding them through the fungal network to show them visions of pre-fall life or possible futures. He does not lead anymore. He opens doors for people willing to walk through them.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Herod turned inward after the collapse of his hopes for the Trade Union and the failure of his vision for connecting settlements through shared commerce. The ambition to reshape the wasteland through institutions did not survive the disappointment. Now he works on a smaller, more personal scale: guiding visitors into the Mortis Amaranthine to show them what life was like before the Fall, or what it could be again. The knowledge he accumulated across decades of exploration and study still exists, and he shares it one visitor at a time rather than through the systems he once built and watched fail.
Founder of the Trade Union, former leader of Dominus Columbia
Former Title
Senator, Leader of Dominus Columbia
Current Role
Graverobber
Notable Work
Author of "Considerations and Summaries"
Current Location
Children
Gender
Male
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Founded Settlements
