City of Farwell Overview

[damned_info]

Rebel Headquarters: See Section 4 for details.
Rebel Outposts: Predesignated locations where people can find basic first aid supplies, food rations, and guidance from whoever is manning it.


“Welcome to the Great City of Farwell: A Wonderful Place to Prosper.”

At least, that’s what the sign on the edge of the city limits says. Maybe there was some truth behind it at some point, but those days are long gone.

Upon first glance, it seems to be a city left for dead -- something that, perhaps, people in the outside word would rather not discuss at all, for a variety of reasons. Surrounded by nothing but rough, rocky terrain, however, it seems most of the outside has forgotten about it completely.

But for all of its rot and decay, Farwell holds a surprising community of strong-willed rebels who try to make the best out of a bad situation. Small guard posts are dotted along the outer wall, made up of small ladders and wooden platforms that have been attached to it. Most there will proudly talk about the invisible force field that shields the area like a protective bubble, which also keeps opposing forces from tracing their radio signals. As far as supplies go, benevolent sympathizers will sometimes drop by under the cover of charity groups giving aid to homeless squatters who have nowhere else to go.

It’s not perfect -- far from it, as one look around will tell anyone, but it has become a home of sorts.

The Newcomers:

Slowly but surely, though, people from Landel’s Institute have been stumbling their way here. Some may be under the mistaken impression that they’ve managed to flee their captivity, but most won’t find much of an escape. Monsters that are a lot like the ones from the Institute occasionally rear their ugly heads, and the way back to their own worlds does not lie here. Most rebels hiding here will be the first to tell anyone that.

However, it does provide a reprieve from Landel’s influence. Patients will discover they have far more freedom than the Institute allowed. Their days aren't structured by shifts, nor are they under the constant guard of the staff. Not only that, but a lack of mysterious nighttime blackouts means some of them will be able to watch their first sunrise in a long, long time.

This grants more opportunities to forage for items, look for clues regarding the Institute’s past, or get away from the horrors that try to keep them trapped for awhile. Chances to help rebel efforts are abundant, whether through carrying important things back to the patients still inside, helping guard the city perimeters, or whatever else an individual can come up with.

There are downsides to this arrangement, though. People here will generally have to fend for themselves when it comes to finding acceptable shelter. Not only that, but injuries will not heal at an accelerated rate like they do under Landel’s care. Those who are mortally wounded will likely have no choice but to return to their prison if they want to live to see another day. Food is not nearly so available, either. Supply stations that dot across the city do give rations to everyone who seeks them; however, those unfortunate enough to suffer through the military’s reign over the Institute will recognize the pink slop they serve. The portions are also smaller, and good luck with getting anyone to serve you outside of the set morning and evening times. Lastly, although the river system can help someone travel between districts, they will have to either walk or find a beat-up bicycle if they want to travel within the districts themselves.

Powers:

Many patients who leave the Institute’s direct influence will mysteriously find that most of their powers have been restored. Of course, they won’t be able to pierce through the barrier or lay waste to what’s left of the city, but it may come in handy if a stray monster tries to ambush them from the wreckage. (Note: We will likely need to deal with powers on a case-by-case basis.)

The Nine Sections:

As anyone hiding in Farwell can tell you, the city has always been divided into nine distinct Sections. Most people can draw a crude map for you so you at least know where you’re going -- but as far as the finer details go? You’re on your own. Be careful, though. Compared to the cramped hallways of the Institute, it’s a wide world out there.


1: Prison Camp & Administrative Buildings

To local citizens, the sparse landscape of what has been renamed Section 1 was publicly known for its livestock production. It boasted several long, mass-produced buildings that housed chickens by the hundreds, as well as pigs and cattle, within its simple wooden framing. The surrounding area was sectioned off into two security checkpoints surrounding the buildings and then bordering the territorial outlines of the property. Both came equipped with armed security and barbed wired fences to keep thieves out, or so they said.

Besides these rows of windowless shacks, several administrative buildings stood out in white relief. At the time, the buildings were immaculate. Most are only a few stories tall as there was plenty of room to build length-wise in the deserted area. A decade later, much of their white coating has begun to crack and fall off onto the barren, over-processed soil that made up the entirety of the area. Much of what comprised the inner buildings has been gutted by its newfound inhabitants. Chairs, desks, paper, and electronics have been scavenged for parts and energy resources for the more inhabited parts of Farwell. Most of these buildings hugged the southern bank of the river where it met with Sections 4 and 8.

Its actual purpose was a far cry from the public persona it tried to project. The coops and stables for the livestock were built for people, not animals (although they weren't treated much differently). Each long and narrow house was comprised of four sectioned rooms that only had one door each in or out. Anywhere between four and eight people were forced to live in the single room together for an indeterminable amount of time. Most of the room's space was taken up by several used mattresses or bedding for the prisoners to distribute accordingly. There was a bathroom, a tiny stove to heat up food, and nothing else. Those who starved or resisted the authorities found themselves dead and thrown into the large furnaces that were built in the basement of the largest administrative building. The ashes of those that did not survive infest the floor. Occasionally, some items, like a metal plate, jewelry, glasses, or fake teeth, are sifted from the ash. The latest inhabitants of the dilapidated Farwell do not venture into the building unless absolutely necessary, because they are rumored to be haunted by the vengeful ghosts of those who died. Some swear that the ashes of these tragic people creeps closer and closer with every visit, as if something seeks to cover the entire building with its essence.

By day these prisoners worked out in the sun doing tedious busy labor as an act to make the employers look more legitimate. At night, however, a selection of prisoners would be rounded up and marched to the administrative buildings to be sent underground through the subway system that fed straight to the Institute. Without light to draw attention to them and the remoteness of their location, no residents ever suspected that foul play was going on right in their hometown. Once they arrived at the Institute, the prisoners were unloaded and processed as patients of the institute.

2: Agriculture District

This was where real production and manufacturing took place within the city. When Farwell was still a new, growing community, agriculture had taken up most of what is now known as Section 1 as well, but after years of poor tending of the soil, it became rather lifeless and production moved away. Here, there are several farms dispersed evenly within the rich land. Much of the area was taken up by crops of corn, wheat, and other grains that were then processed in the plants bordering the river by Section 1, where these products could be easily transferred above the subway lines without interfering with residential streets.

Now, all that is left are wilted brown fields and rusted commercial-scale equipment. Most of the four-wheeled tractors have been taken or parts have been confiscated from them to create or repair other industrial or electronic devices. All of the grain silos have been secured by rebel outposts and rationed out to the community. There is little to be found and what is still left has been picked over for a reason. Most of the houses are dilapidated and look like they are about ready to fall.

The soil, however, is still rich and has not yet been tainted by the effects of Section 7. Efforts are being made to dig irrigation canals through parts of Section 2 in order to restart farming and production. The one impetus is the lack of seeds that can be found to revitalize some of Section 7.

3: Shopping & Entertainment District

One of the entertainment district's most noticeable features is a large amusement park that sprawls across the eastern part of the area. A large, red ferris wheel stands beside the river, and the empty streets contain a variety of rides and attractions that are rusted over, faded, or broken from lack of maintenance. A few blocks down is a decently-sized three-story mall that contains a more modern movie theater. Of course, most of the stores have been picked over by looters, but explorers might be interested in getting a closer look at this city's ghosts from more prosperous times. If they're lucky, they might even find something useful.

There is also a strip of abandoned casinos further to the west part of the district. Word has it a booze-hound rebel who calls himself Rockhand has set up a small hole in the wall in a hotel called The Diamond. Here, people can suck down some homemade moonshine, and, on a rare day, something a little nicer. It's mostly a hodgepodge of tacky furniture arranged in The Diamond's old, dirty lobby. During colder nights, someone tends a small fire for everyone to huddle around. Don't be put off if someone asks for a password, though. Some of the regulars just like to tease the newbies.

4: Downtown - (Rebel Headquarters)

While it's not uncommon for a city to have a dilapidated downtown area, the one in Farwell is very much a ghost of what it once was. During its prime, there were a variety of stores, including clothes and jewelry shops, a drugstore, as well as a grand movie theater and an ornate bank. Most of these places have been picked over by looters, but someone wandering in the area may find a useful item or two if they scavenge long enough. Many antique buildings line the street, but have sadly fallen into disrepair since their glory days. Some of the windows are boarded up, and a few areas are covered in vulgar graffiti.

There is, however, slightly more activity near the old Courthouse. While the sad outward state of the building doesn't show it, it actually serves as the Headquarters for local rebels. Mysterious newcomers are sometimes ushered here so they can learn what they must in order to stay alive in the city and possibly help their fellow patients back at the Institute. Radio broadcasts are also occasionally done from this location, and some of the best technicians have worked here in order to create potentially useful equipment for those trapped in Landel's clutches.

Someone had the bright idea to grant this area the codename "The Reckoning" in order to keep Headquarter's location a little less obvious.

5 and 6: Residential Districts

Both sections are residential areas and would have been better broken up horizontally rather than vertically. Those closest to Section 7 in both areas were the most decayed and highest in crime rates. A lot of the buildings were abandoned as Section 7 began to expand with factories that needed more territory to grow. This pushed out many families and brought in criminal activity, where criminals had better access to unsupervised housing and resources. These poor neighborhoods either consisted of poorly tended houses or giant cement complexes, aimed to hold hundreds of families in small, identical apartments.

The houses closer to downtown and the entertainment district are a different story. Residents paid top dollar to be to be so close to the young, trendy night life. Because of this demand, most of the property bordering Sections 3 and 4 were comprised of small but expensive apartments and penthouses.

Now, most of these lavish homes have been gutted from top to bottom for electronic resources and whatever books or paper could be confiscated and moved into the courthouse or surrounding buildings. Occasionally, though, someone will be lucky enough to come across a house that was unintentionally missed, and jewelry, electronic devices, books, or food can be found by a scavenger.

7: Hazard Zone

This was once Farwell's industrial zone, which was supposedly best known for producing different kinds of plastic and having the largest bottling facility in the region. What most residents didn't know, however, was that some of these buildings had been commandeered by the military for research. No one knows the full story -- just that, one day, there was a large explosion, and now that district is no longer safe to venture into. For that reason, it's been completely fenced off, and everyone knows not to go there. A few brave souls man the supply posts close to the city's outerwall, but no one actually travels straight through the area to get there. Instead, one supply post is located right along the river bank, and the other one is as close to the city's outerwall as possible. Most people who need to visit that side of Farwell follow the supply post's example and don't venture much further out than that.

Due to the hazardous conditions, this zone has largely been left undisturbed. Though many of the buildings have been worn down by the elements, it is possible to get some potentially useful supplies. However, anyone who goes inside for too long may become quite ill for several days afterward.

8: Subway entrance/station and Processing Facilities

Although military buildings that are mostly intact dot the Processing Facility district, few people squatting in the city seem to stay there for long. The eerie quiet hints at a darker past most would rather leave undisturbed. Abandoned medical facilities, communal shower buildings, and several barracks are arranged across the flat, empty terrain. The weds are overgrown, and many of the windows have been blown out by foul weather. Occasionally, someone might find faded signs that say things like, "KEEP OUT", and "TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT ON SIGHT". Judging by the skeletal remains of guard towers positioned along the district's borders, the people who ran this place weren't kidding around, either.

Some of the barracks contain marks from those who lived there before -- a couple of ragged children's toys, a misplaced article of clothing here and there, and mournful messages carved underneath some of the bunk beds.

The Subway Station, on the other hand, tells a story of its own. The angular building, though painted green, looks like it wasn't intended for military use. There are a few empty enclaves that may have originally been stores, but were cleared out for more practical purposes. A worn, deceptively cheerful greeting that says, "Welcome to Farwell!" hangs by one of the ticket gates. Perhaps it may have once been used for the enjoyment of civilians, but where did it take the Processing Facility's former inhabitants, and what was in store for them there? Only those who've traveled through the dark, damp subway tunnels truly know.

The underground line technically runs in two directions -- One leading to Section 1, and the other leading somewhere worse.

9: The Docks

This area used to be a small park with a memorial dedicated to a great town hero. A statue of a woman wielding an ax stands proudly in the center of the landmass, though the plaque bearing her name is nowhere to be found. During happier times, the dock was used to ferry families and couples across the peaceful twin rivers for a small fee. Nowadays, the rebels occupying the area utilize these boats as their primary method of transportation. They were once brightly colored, but now wear darker paint in order to draw less attention to themselves. To prevent potential abuse, each boat has someone who is trusted assigned to it, and they ferry others around the city. An eccentric man named Joe is their leader. Their service is usually free, but some metal scraps or even a cigarette are greatly appreciated.

NOTE: For information on submitting your own ideas of Locations and Rebel NPCs, please check the Farwell Location and NPC Submissions Post.

HOW POSTING WORKS

Posts in damned_city will be in prose, log-based format. Because of the scope and size of the area, moving posts will not be necessary. The act of going from one district to another can be largely handwaved if the player would like, but please try to be realistic in how much distance a character would be able to cover in a day, depending on their method of travel.

Players will use the following template when setting up their posts:

Subject Line: Day/Night #: Morning, Afternoon, Evening, Night, Dawn, etc., Farwell
Who: Characters involved. If it’s open for others to join in, please say so.
Where: Section #, Location
Summary: The gist of what the thread's going to be about.

This post will also serve as a general FAQ regarding Farwell. If you have any questions, please feel free to post them here, and a mod will get to you as soon as possible.