To: Tamarien/Goldsmash
Subject: The World of ZQ, Player's Guide
By P. Potter/Flattop
The Planet:
The size of ZQ would be approximately the size of Neptune , with major continents, and minor continents and a multitude of islands. As there is a great amount of land mass there are still many large (think approx 1,000 square acres ) protected areas of untracked forests and mountain areas as well as oceans, deserts and undeveloped savannas. Weather is very double -moon like, with the added variations that a faint shadow of another near planet is always in the sky. Seasons are depending on were you are located on the planet in relation to the equator. The double moons give the tides a magnitude of familiar trouble.
Pre-plague Human Development:
For simplicity the non-EQ race will be referred to as human. Technology level began as approximately the same as current Earth levels. Nine years into The Plague has set the world back to the Steam and Plow Age. There are no "major" metropolises such as New York City or even LA. City populations are at approximately 500,000 at most with the majority of towns in the 50,000 to 100,000 population level and numerous towns of less than 50,000 population.
Production tended to be mono-product or closely related products from town to town. For example town 1 would specialize in children's shoes, town 2 would be arms and ammo, town 3 would be autos, town 4 would be heavy work clothing or coats and town 5 would be food products. Smaller towns would be production of raw materials such as a crops, Forrest or mining. Large towns would be production and assembly work. Cities would be production of more complicated products such as computers and other tech as well as seats of government. In regard to the frequency of each type of town, for example, you would see more farming towns than clothing towns and more clothing towns than arm/ammo towns.
Human Groups: Are based on location and occupation. City. Town. Etc. . . The Hill folk being the only humans to have shunned the techno-age and lived with their own Legends and culture. More like sophisticated Hillbillies than Amish or Quaker's they too have lived isolated and self contained for thousands of years and little is known about them besides they live peacefully with all other cultures on the World and keep to themselves.
Bond Wolves: Many have chosen to stay with their elf friends or packs. Those without home or bond - travel and migrate. So this world has some elf-blooded wolves out there roaming the forests. Our camp has two hunting Packs of wolves.
Elf Races:
The races of Elves have existed on ZQ for a significant period of time. Due to the size of ZQ and the great amount of underdeveloped and unexplored areas the elves have been limited, too no, personal interaction with the humans. Any trade was done by a shapechanger in Human form so the elves are equal but unknown in physical appearance by the humans. Thus no legends or worship - just a coexistence in a different form. In fact so large is the world of ZQ that there has been limited contact between elf and troll before the plague - therefore minimal to no conflict. They came together in peace and have shared this new World agreeably.
The Plague:
The exact cause cause of the plague is still not known. What is known is that almost all of the human population has been infected resulting in the atypical zombie on the endless quest for food; You, the uninfected. As far as the elves are concerned there has only been one issue of concern besides survival; the disappearance of the magic-users. Shortly after the start of the Plague some magic-using elves started leaving the elf communities and base camps. If a witness was asked they would say it appeared that their fellow elves where listening to a inner voice and paid no attention to their tribe members pleases or questions, and just vanished into the wilderness. The best of trackers were unable to follow these elves when their trail would eventually disappear. The remaining non-magic using elves found themselves unable to contact these former members by sending; and when they tried would become sick or queasy with attempted contact. Evidence of Magic use has been seen and noted all over the Planet, some in such grotesque forms that tribemates will not speak of it but All small Magics seem unaffected by this mystery. Sending, bonding, and floating seem to still be around and seen in the last few years.
Trolls:
Meanwhile there appears to have been no effect to the trolls, go figure. In fact they appear to be thriving in this new world. They can often be seen in large scavenging parties, dissembling entire metal buildings and taking the material back to their caves. A herd of zombies can quickly be reduced to piles of feted pulp by a pack of prepared trolls. There is an added ferociousness to the trolls attacks on zombies: Among the elves it is termed "green meat", for it seems that a zombie will stop eating a human or elf or animal when it gets cold or the meal has turned into a zombie itself - But once you have seen a whole field of just troll Bones , gnawed and picked clean - you never forget it. The trolls do not talk of it, or speculate . The trolls are so hardy that they can not be affected and any infection they get from a bite or scratch seems to be treatable by their own herbs and potions. They seem to be the most hearty of creatures in any Universe. [and maybe the most tasty on Nation ]
What is now happening:
The world has changed and as hard as it is to believe the humans are now more of a problem than before. Instead of a curious few Live and curious explorers now and then over the centuries - the zombies come in herds, seaming to smell the living. Many elves lost their holts, loved ones and lives in those first few years of moving herds.
Gone are the days of light and airy clothing. Now all areas of flesh must be covered when outside of base camp. Many have taken to wearing plates of light metal to protect critical areas or making coverings out of what ever is handy. While the bow and sword are still the preferred method many have taken to carrying small human built arms. While the animal world seems not to be affected by the plague they hide more and are harder to find due to the herds of hunting zombies.
The Way has changed to a different form of survival, new alliances have been made and we are working together to stay safe. We are trying to Map the planet and see where our folk could be or where they could have gone to ground or something. Only two years into the mapping, since survival came first, now one goal is to find out just how much of our world has been affected, infected or may be salvageable.
And to survive and all costs. JSS! {just survive somehow}
. .
Author
Topic: ZQ Nation (Read 9514 times)