The Beach
The Beach sits on the southern end of Cheapskate Bay, a massive stretch of irradiated sand and water where the sunrises and sunsets burn in colors that would blind anyone who is not already adapted to the glow. For most Strains, the radiation alone is a death sentence. For Retrogrades, it is the welcome mat. This is one of the only places in the wasteland where a Retrograde can walk outside without a mask, eat at restaurants that cater to irradiated palates, and exist without the sidelong looks and muttered slurs that follow them everywhere else. The Beach is not just a settlement; it is a statement of pride.
The Barracks anchors the northern end, a five-story stone fortress with lead-lined steel gates and an armory stacked floor to ceiling with guns, explosives, and bladed weapons. It serves as both the Beach Cops' headquarters and the town's evacuation point when things go sideways. The Cops themselves spend most of their days fighting the giant irradiated sea monsters that crawl out of the bay with distressing regularity, and they do it with a surfer's grin and the kind of enthusiasm most people reserve for holidays. Sheriff Grunt Motley runs the operation with the casual authority of a man who got the job as a joke and kept it because no one laughed. At the opposite end of town, Guster's Dive enforces a strict "No Masks Allowed" policy and serves drinks with names like "The Kiloton" and "Fat Boy" that would kill a non-Retrograde on contact.
The Center for the Study of Mutated Marine Life operates as both research facility and public aquarium, cataloging over two hundred new species of irradiated sea creature and developing practical applications from the research, including a vaccine for giant jellyfish poison. The Healthy Arms Hotel offers lead-lined rooms for the rare non-Retrograde visitor brave enough to make the trip. A yearly festival draws Retrogrades from across the wasteland for mask exhibitions, Darwinist fireworks displays, and celebrations of a culture most of the world treats as a disease. The Beach's ports function as a secondary trade route for Old Dominion, accessible only to Retrograde crews willing to navigate a coastline patrolled by things with too many teeth and not enough fear of boats.
The Barracks anchors the northern end, a five-story stone fortress with lead-lined steel gates and an armory stacked floor to ceiling with guns, explosives, and bladed weapons. It serves as both the Beach Cops' headquarters and the town's evacuation point when things go sideways. The Cops themselves spend most of their days fighting the giant irradiated sea monsters that crawl out of the bay with distressing regularity, and they do it with a surfer's grin and the kind of enthusiasm most people reserve for holidays. Sheriff Grunt Motley runs the operation with the casual authority of a man who got the job as a joke and kept it because no one laughed. At the opposite end of town, Guster's Dive enforces a strict "No Masks Allowed" policy and serves drinks with names like "The Kiloton" and "Fat Boy" that would kill a non-Retrograde on contact.
The Center for the Study of Mutated Marine Life operates as both research facility and public aquarium, cataloging over two hundred new species of irradiated sea creature and developing practical applications from the research, including a vaccine for giant jellyfish poison. The Healthy Arms Hotel offers lead-lined rooms for the rare non-Retrograde visitor brave enough to make the trip. A yearly festival draws Retrogrades from across the wasteland for mask exhibitions, Darwinist fireworks displays, and celebrations of a culture most of the world treats as a disease. The Beach's ports function as a secondary trade route for Old Dominion, accessible only to Retrograde crews willing to navigate a coastline patrolled by things with too many teeth and not enough fear of boats.
Demographics
The Beach is primarily a Retrograde settlement, one of the only places in the wasteland where Retrogrades can live unmasked and without facing the bigotry common elsewhere. Non-Retrograde visitors are accommodated at the Healthy Arms Hotel, a five-floor, 150-room establishment with lead-lined walls. The hotel staff consists primarily of non-Retrograde Strains who cannot survive the outside radiation and are given a full floor of staff quarters. Retrograde farmers from Old Dominion make yearly vacations to the Beach, and a yearly festival draws Retrogrades from across the wasteland for mask exhibitions, Darwinist fireworks, and pride celebrations. The CSMML research facility attracts Darwinist scientists, while the Beach Cops provide a military population focused on fighting the giant sea monsters that crawl from the bay.
Government
The Beach Cops police the settlement from the Barracks, a five-story stone fortress on the northern end. Sheriff Grunt Motley runs the operation with casual authority, having originally received the position as a joke and retained it because no one laughed. The Cops spend the majority of their days fighting the irradiated sea monsters that crawl out of Cheapskate Bay with distressing regularity, treating law enforcement as a secondary duty. Their laid-back attitude generally resolves the few civil disputes that arise. No formal government structure beyond the Beach Cops is described; the settlement appears to run on Retrograde solidarity and the shared understanding that the real enemy comes from the water, not from each other.
Defences
The Barracks anchors the defense: a massive five-story stone fortress with lead-lined steel gates, an armory stacked floor to ceiling with guns, explosives, and bladed weapons, and stockpiled food and water for siege conditions. It serves as the town's evacuation point in case of major attack. The Beach Cops rarely fill a quarter of the bunks; most of their work is maintaining the building and fighting sea monsters. The radiation itself functions as the settlement's most effective defense: any non-Retrograde attacking force would suffer lethal exposure before reaching the town. The giant sea monsters patrolling the coastline deter naval approach, requiring only the best-armored and well-crewed ships to navigate safely. The lethal environment is both the Beach's greatest vulnerability and its most potent fortification.
Industry & Trade
The Beach's ports serve as a secondary trade route for Old Dominion, accessible only to Retrograde crews willing to navigate a coastline patrolled by giant sea creatures. Reduced docking costs due to the environmental danger make trade more profitable for those who can survive the approach. Only Retrograde farmers from Old Dominion can make deals at the Beach, giving them an economic advantage over non-Retrograde competitors. Tourism drives additional revenue: the spectacular irradiated sunrises and sunsets draw visitors willing to pay for balcony views at the Healthy Arms Hotel. The CSMML operates as both a research facility cataloging over two hundred new species and a public aquarium with practical applications including a vaccine for giant jellyfish poison. The yearly Retrograde festival generates seasonal commerce through mask exhibitions, specialty drinks, and cultural celebrations.
History
The Beach established itself on the irradiated southern shore of Cheapskate Bay, a location that other Strains could not tolerate but that provided Retrogrades with a rare opportunity: a place to build without competition. The Barracks, a pre-Fall stone fortress, survived the radiation that killed everything around it and became the settlement's anchor. The Beach Cops organized around the practical necessity of fighting the sea monsters that the irradiated waters produced. Doctor Stench founded the CSMML to study and catalog the mutated marine life, turning a survival challenge into a scientific enterprise. The Healthy Arms Hotel was built to accommodate the non-Retrograde traders whose business the settlement needed but whose biology the environment would kill. Over time, the Beach became more than a port; it became a cultural destination where Retrograde pride found its fullest expression.
Irradiated paradise. Retrograde pride. Sea monsters daily.
