Skatown
Skatown is the only real settlement in Skatchen Land, a small farming community where houses line a narrow main street connected to the larger Diesel Jock roadway. Culture revolves around two things: grain and madness. The grain grows in abundance across the surrounding plains. The madness arrives each autumn when Thrill Kill outbreaks sweep through the population, turning neighbors into raiders and testing the town's commitment to its own people.
The Family Council governs Skatown with a structure built on Nuclear Family faith. Father holds ultimate authority alongside Mother, with the Coach training the Moon Guard militia and elected Children serving in advisory roles. Father Nicholas Riley currently leads the council, determining Thrill Kill season preparations while Mother oversees construction and grain storage. The council rules for life unless infection forces retirement, and rumors persist that rivals have deliberately infected council leaders to force succession.
What sets Skatown apart from every other settlement in the wastes is its refusal to kill the infected. Nuclear Family beliefs forbid it. Thrill Kill victims are called "the Mad" rather than raiders, and during active season the Doctors capture and contain them in the Home of the Mad using sedation, restraint, or force. The Mad never fully recover their intelligence or personality. They develop their own sign language incomprehensible to uninfected townspeople. New Thrill Kills from outside the town appear each year, swelling the population of the confined. Some townspeople threaten violence against the growing Mad population, but the Family Council maintains its protection.
South Bridge extends to the south along the river, contributing dried fish in exchange for grain. Widow's Park waits further south. The Traveler's Waystation serves as the main trade venue when Diesel Jock caravans pass through during spring and summer. A small school teaches reading and agricultural knowledge to the next generation, preparing them for a life of planting, harvesting, and surviving what the harvest brings with it.
The Family Council governs Skatown with a structure built on Nuclear Family faith. Father holds ultimate authority alongside Mother, with the Coach training the Moon Guard militia and elected Children serving in advisory roles. Father Nicholas Riley currently leads the council, determining Thrill Kill season preparations while Mother oversees construction and grain storage. The council rules for life unless infection forces retirement, and rumors persist that rivals have deliberately infected council leaders to force succession.
What sets Skatown apart from every other settlement in the wastes is its refusal to kill the infected. Nuclear Family beliefs forbid it. Thrill Kill victims are called "the Mad" rather than raiders, and during active season the Doctors capture and contain them in the Home of the Mad using sedation, restraint, or force. The Mad never fully recover their intelligence or personality. They develop their own sign language incomprehensible to uninfected townspeople. New Thrill Kills from outside the town appear each year, swelling the population of the confined. Some townspeople threaten violence against the growing Mad population, but the Family Council maintains its protection.
South Bridge extends to the south along the river, contributing dried fish in exchange for grain. Widow's Park waits further south. The Traveler's Waystation serves as the main trade venue when Diesel Jock caravans pass through during spring and summer. A small school teaches reading and agricultural knowledge to the next generation, preparing them for a life of planting, harvesting, and surviving what the harvest brings with it.
History
Skatown developed as a grain farming community in Skatchen Land, growing along the Diesel Jock roadway that connected it to outside trade. The Nuclear Family faith established deep roots in the settlement, shaping its governance into the Family Council structure of Father, Mother, Coach, and elected Children. The town's defining characteristic emerged with the annual Thrill Kill outbreaks: rather than kill the infected as most settlements do, Skatown chose to confine them in the Home of the Mad, a decision rooted in Nuclear Family beliefs that has defined the town's identity ever since. The Mad population grows each year, and the tension between mercy and survival grows with it.
Geography
Skatown sits within Skatchen Land, its houses laid out along a narrow street connected to the larger Diesel Jock roadway. South Bridge extends to the south along the river, and Widow's Park lies further south beyond it. The Traveler's Waystation occupies a position along the main road. Moon Lake lies south of the settlement. The surrounding plains provide abundant grain farming land, though the town's compact layout reflects its small population.
