Contamination - Threats

[Crooked Thoughts]

"No miracles. No mercy. No redemption. No Heaven. No Hell. No higher power. Just life. Just... us."

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CONTENTSLINKS

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1. The Wasteland
2. Radiation
3. Feral Ghouls
4. Zombies
5. Raiders

1. RP Tab
2. OOC
3. Armory
4. Threats

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Contamination: Threats

This thread is for the roleplay, Contamination. The thread displays the information about dangerous environmental factors and hostile foes our characters will encounter. If you have any question, PM them to me or post them in the OOC. But DO NOT post anything here, this thread is for information purposes only.

[Crooked Thoughts]

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THE WASTELAND

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The year is 2015 and the world has been destroyed by a large scale nuclear exchange, involving many of the world's super powers. Humanity has fled underground, most of them to subway systems. Humanity is close to extinction, with threats from the outside, and within. Stations have become the norm for settlements thus becoming a city in itself, with it's own government. Alliances have been formed, wars have been waged. Below is a complete list of every station, tunnel, and surface outpost in the Metro Series.

As gale force winds sweep across the world, they carry enormous amounts of dust into the upper atmosphere and prevent sunlight from reaching the earth's surface. In direct result of this, temperatures have plummeted, blanketing the world in snow and freezing temperatures. Communications are disrupted by gamma radiation, making all radio, cable, and satellite contact impossible. Not only that, but the deadly radiation have changed fauna into dangerous mutants.

Population
The largest known settlements is in New York City Metro System, with an estimated 40,000 people. On average, other subway systems or similar shelters house a population of several thousand, with smaller havens housing tens or maybe hundreds.

Health and Medical Care
Due to high danger and constant lack of medical supplies and doctors, medical care is strictly related to each settlements prosperity. Although most of the bigger settlements to maintain basic needs: arranging small field hospitals and marking out places to leave corpses. While, the smaller settlements have little to no medical care established. But there are some still functional hospitals that are well equipped with properly taught medical crew. These are usually under heavy guard by surviving military personnel.

In today's society, any sickness is treated like an epidemic. When an pestilence breaks out at any settlement, the place is sealed for further notice. When there is no cure found, the settlements inhabitants are annihilated while their bodies with all belongings are burned down with Flamethrowers.

Food, Drink
The most common food that is eaten by most is rats and moss. More luxurious are mushrooms and pork, while the rarest are vegetables like potatoes or tomatoes. Larger settlements have been are in the process of growing food in hydroponic greenhouses. Any types of diet supplements, such as vitamins, are highly desired.

The most common drink is filtrated, boiled water, however many citizens enjoy other drinks. Home-made beer and Shroom Vodka are mostly obtained in canteens, bars and restaurants. The rarest and most expensive drinks are the ones recovered from the surface by scavengers (one notable example being whiskey).

Political System
In this unforgiving world, the large settlements have become independent states, forming confederations and alliances, even fighting wars, and trading, among other things.

Economics
With money becoming difficult to locate and maintain it lost all purpose. A barter system is commonly used in all settlements, with merchants and local rule determining worth of items. Trade between settlements is common, the most popular of goods being food, including the aforementioned mushrooms, and pigs.

[Crooked Thoughts]

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RADIATION

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Radiation is the chief delayed effect of a nuclear explosion. It has long lifetimes (half-lives ranging from days to millennia). Some call it the Phantom Death, 'cause that's what it is. You can't see it, you can't hear it, you can't even smell it. It basically builds up in your system. You never feel it until it's too late. The primary source of these products is the debris left from fission reactions. A potentially significant secondary source is neutron capture by non-radioactive isotopes both within the bomb and in the outside environment.

Measurement

A rad is a unit of measurement used to measure the level of radiation in an area. A single rad is equal to 0.01 Joules per kilogram (1 rad means 0.01 Joules of radiation was absorbed by 1 kilogram of matter), meaning radiation absorbed dose. In order to measure this accurately and constantly, Geiger Counters are used. Geiger counters make a familiar ticking sound when radiation is detected by it. The more radiation there is the faster and louder the ticking becomes. Useful for walking in areas with high amounts of radiation, and swimming and/or wading in irradiated waters, which can both be lethal or hazardous to health. The Geiger counter has a limited amount of charges, which are depleted as it is turned on and off.

Radiation Poisoning

Eating and drinking most food items or entering an irradiated zone can cause your character to gain rads. Limited exposure, when sparse or at different time intervals will have no effect on health. Constantly, however, is a different story. Being in an irradiated zone places a timer on your character's life, one that can last for an estimated maximum of 20 minutes swimming in lowly irritated water to just a few seconds inside of the equivalent to a toxic dump zone. In those situations, your character will experience six stages of sickness: 1) Becoming very nauseous; 2) Becoming slightly fatigued; 3) Vomiting non-stop; 4) Hair begins to fall out; 5) Skin begins to fall off; 6) Intense agony. After that, immediate treatment must be administered or the victim risks death and/or becoming ghoulified. Radiation can be resisted by wearing certain types of apparel, such as hazmat suits. A dose of the chem ingeniously named, Rad Away also grants radiation resistance. Rad Away is an intravenous chemical solution that bonds with radiation particles and passes them through your system. It takes time to work, and is also a potent diuretic. It has several adverse effects, most notably headaches, stomach pains, and hair loss.

Mutation

The various types of mutant creatures that inhabit the wastelands were mostly caused by radiation. Mutations in these creatures may have been caused by exposure to radiation from atomic bomb explosions themselves. Because ionizing radiation (the main type of radiation from an atomic explosion) consists of very energetic photons, it is capable of detaching electrons from molecules and atoms. This makes ionizing radiation extremely dangerous for living organisms because they can alter the creature's DNA, causing mutations i.e. tissues and organs do not grow normally. It is more likely their mutations were caused by the radioactive particles released by these explosions however. Radioactive isotopes in the environment (i.e. fallout) can cause mutations if they are taken into an organism's body. For example, if a mammal ingested Ca-45, an unstable isotope of calcium, the body would regard it as normal calcium and deposit it in the creature's bones. Its accumulation there often leads to bone cancer.

[Crooked Thoughts]

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FERAL GHOULS

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Ghouls or necrotic post-humans are decrepit, rotting, zombie-like mutants. They are victims of heavy radiation poisoning which results in their skin decaying and, paradoxically, greatly extends their individual lifetime. Those closest to the blast zones are still so radioactive that they continue to glow. These Glowing Ones, as they are called, have had some of their intellect burned away, but not all and have been seen commanding other ghouls.

Exposure to radiation for an extended period of time sometimes causes humans with an unknown genetic characteristic to transform into ghouls. Exposure to radiation typically results in sickness followed by death for the average human being; however, the genetic x-factor that will lead to mutation into a ghoul upon exposure, instead of the typical deadly outcome, remains unknown.

Although lacking strength due to decayed tissue, ghouls have heightened senses making them more perceptive. All ghouls live considerably longer than normal humans, though they are sterile. The reason for this longevity has to do with differences on the cellular level, and the ability of ghoul DNA to regenerate at a rate unmatched by normal human nucleic acids. Occasionally, in a ghoul, additional genetic material is added as a result of the mutation. The unnaturally long lifespan of a ghoul is also due to a mutation within the autonomic nervous system of certain individuals following exposure to specific combinations of ionizing radiation with wavelengths below ten picometers. Radiation that has such a short wavelength, less than ten picometers, is known as gamma radiation and is normally lethal to healthy humans in even moderate doses. The mutation in response to gamma radiation that produces ghouls disrupts the normal process of decay in the neurotransmitters along the spinal cord. Specifically, the neurotransmitters affected in a ghoul's mutation are those responsible for cardiac and respiratory function in a healthy human being. These transmitters are continually regenerated at a greatly accelerated rate after the mutation sets in, carrying sufficient oxygen to sustain the life of the subject while being insufficient to retain dermal elasticity and avoid the resulting necrosis (much like the disease leprosy), the result of which is the decaying, corpse-like appearance of post-mutation humans

In physical appearance, a ghoul's flesh is constantly rotting off, appearing very raw and discolored from necrosis. Lips and eyelids are sometimes absent, and noses are in almost every case completely rotted off. Feral ghouls are typically heavily emaciated and hunched over (possibly due to malnutrition and lack of sunlight).

Ghouls do not speak, though they do scream and howl before attacking. Ghouls also seem to not require sleep, though if contained in an area with no activity, they will enter a dormant, inactive state. They seemingly exist only to lurk through the waste forever seeking prey. They shamble like classic undead creatures. Despite this, they are in fact quite agile when necessary, often lunging and dashing with surprising speed. Quite often they will appear from the shadows to strike or pursue prey relentlessly throughout the region, stopping only once their victim(s) is dead or when they are dead themselves. Ghouls are difficult to kill in groups, and anyone who has survived an encounter with them suggests simply avoiding their attention. All ghouls are hostile to humans.

[Crooked Thoughts]

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ZOMBIES

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Zombie is the generic term used to classify humans who practice cannibalism. Although these humans are not undead animated corpses, wastelanders still use this pop culture reference when speaking of cannibals since they desire the same meal.

Cannibalism is considered a crime against nature in most civilized wasteland societies. Cannibals are ostracized and often beaten by other members of society. Although, cannibalism alone (when not also combined with murder) is not considered a sufficient crime to warrant execution/extermination. Some cannibals claim that they are a species or mutation, like ghouls or mutants; they are born with an innate craving for human flesh, as well as the ability to consume it without ill effects (like debilitating shakes and/or uncontrollable bursts of laughter, which can eventually lead to death).

Cannibals often form groups in order to obtain mutual social acceptance while engaging in this taboo activity. Some, are descendents from a long line of individuals who have practiced the killing and consumption of fellow humans. Other groups, consist of individuals who have banded together after being shunned or exiled from their home communities for their practice of cannibalism.

Normal wastelanders may unwittingly engage in cannibalism, as some vendors sell human flesh under the guise of regular meat, either because they are practicing cannibals themselves, or because they can obtain human flesh cheaply and engage in unethical business practices by selling it as food. Certain groups of hunters, hunt wastelanders for their meat, and then sell it to unsuspecting travelers.

[Crooked Thoughts]

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RAIDERS

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Raiders take whatever they want, whenever they want, and their favorite pastimes are torture and murder. Numerous raider groups dot the wasteland. Most are no more than a handful of people scraping out a living by preying on anything weaker than them. They have no driving purpose or goal, other than to live to see tomorrow and raise as much hell as possible today.

Raiders dwell in packs of anarchic hunters, grifters, and psychotics to wait for an opportunity to steal, kidnap, or kill. These loosely-knit gangs revel in chaos and anarchy. Raiders are mostly hostile, lawless, drug-addled ruffians who roam the wastes. They are commonly encountered in smaller groups and are armed with a fairly wide range of weaponry. They can occasionally be found hunting with guard dogs as well. All raiders wear makeshift armor and have dirty skin. Some groups have no leader and operate chaotically, while bend to the command of a central authority.

Raiders have no alliances with other factions and will attack everyone but other raiders or slavers. They are quite cruel, as places they inhabit are usually filled with the mutilated bodies of other raiders and wastelanders, implying that they torture captured enemies and occasionally their own.

There are three well known bands of raiders: The Hatchet Men are an army of scarred and tattooed reprobates, scraping out a living by preying on anything weaker than them. The (slightly) more organized Rad Child Gang consist of a slightly more skilled collection of ne’er-do-wells, dug in close to major roads to rob and plunder travellers and caravans. Further north, are two much more pitiful gangs, who have lost their brethren (both in violence, or by recruitment) to the Violent Ones; the stinking greaser gang, the Tunnel Snakes who terrorize the sewers, and the Misfits, who fight intermittent skirmishes with East Coast residents. The other major raider group is: the the drug-making and slave trafficking Violent Ones.