Yucca Religious Temple
Northwest of Vegas City, inside a giant mountain, thousands of tons of stored radioactive material serve as both the foundation and the object of worship for one of the most literal interpretations of the Darwinist faith in the wasteland. The Yucca Religious Temple is home to entire mutated families, nearly all Retrogrades, who live beneath the mountain surrounded by the icons of their belief. Entry is lethal to anyone not adapted to extreme radiation. The faithful consider this a feature, not a flaw.
The temple sits between Vegas City and nearly every settlement to the west and north, making it a key religious stronghold along western travel routes. Its strategic value was tested roughly ten years ago when the Bone Collectors, emboldened by the Final Knights' slaughter of priests in Vegas City, attempted a second mass execution at Yucca. A squad of Bone Collectors arrived with roughly thirty armored Diesel Jock rides to siege the temple. A single Retrograde guard met them at the gate, smiled, and turned a massive hand-cranked wheel to open the temple's internal vents. He invited them inside. Every Bone Collector who entered, save for one Retrograde among them, grew violently ill and died an agonizing death before limping back to Vegasia. The temple priests claimed the Diesel Jock vehicles as trophies and parked them outside the entrance as a warning.
The vehicles are still there. The message is clear: this mountain is holy ground, and holy ground does not need walls or soldiers to defend itself. The radiation does that work. The faithful simply live inside their god and let visitors decide for themselves whether they belong.
The temple sits between Vegas City and nearly every settlement to the west and north, making it a key religious stronghold along western travel routes. Its strategic value was tested roughly ten years ago when the Bone Collectors, emboldened by the Final Knights' slaughter of priests in Vegas City, attempted a second mass execution at Yucca. A squad of Bone Collectors arrived with roughly thirty armored Diesel Jock rides to siege the temple. A single Retrograde guard met them at the gate, smiled, and turned a massive hand-cranked wheel to open the temple's internal vents. He invited them inside. Every Bone Collector who entered, save for one Retrograde among them, grew violently ill and died an agonizing death before limping back to Vegasia. The temple priests claimed the Diesel Jock vehicles as trophies and parked them outside the entrance as a warning.
The vehicles are still there. The message is clear: this mountain is holy ground, and holy ground does not need walls or soldiers to defend itself. The radiation does that work. The faithful simply live inside their god and let visitors decide for themselves whether they belong.
Purpose / Function
The Yucca Religious Temple serves as a place of worship for one of the most literal interpretations of the Darwinist faith. Entire mutated families, nearly all Retrogrades, live beneath the mountain surrounded by thousands of tons of stored radioactive material that constitutes both the foundation and the object of their belief. The temple's strategic position between Vegas City and western settlements makes it a key religious stronghold along western travel routes.
Design
Built inside a giant mountain northwest of Vegas City. The pre-Fall facility stored thousands of tons of radioactive material, and the mountain itself provides the structural shell. Internal vents can be opened via a massive hand-cranked wheel to release lethal radiation as a defensive measure. The Diesel Jock vehicles from the failed Bone Collector siege are parked outside the entrance as trophies.
Hazards & Traps
Entry is lethal to anyone not adapted to extreme radiation. The faithful consider this a feature. The temple's internal vents can be opened to flood approaching areas with lethal radiation, as demonstrated when the Bone Collectors attempted a siege roughly ten years ago. Every Bone Collector who entered, save for one Retrograde among them, grew violently ill and died an agonizing death. The vehicles of the slain remain parked outside the entrance as a warning.
History
The temple was established by Retrograde families who claimed the pre-Fall radioactive storage facility within the mountain as holy ground. Roughly ten years ago, the Bone Collectors, emboldened by the Final Knights' slaughter of priests in Vegas City, attempted a mass execution at Yucca. A squad arrived with roughly thirty armored Diesel Jock rides. A single Retrograde guard met them at the gate, smiled, and turned the wheel to open the internal vents. The invitation inside was accepted and fatal. The temple priests claimed the vehicles as trophies. The message has not required repeating.
Darwinist temple inside a radioactive mountain, defended by the lethality of its own faith
