In September 2013, the Cordyceps fungus mutated and began infecting humans, causing the collapse of civilization within days. Governments, security forces, and infrastructure vanished, leaving behind a world dominated by the infected and the struggle for survival.
It has been 26 years since the outbreak. It is now 2039. Nature has reclaimed entire cities, resources are increasingly scarce, and humanity lives divided into small communities, settlements, and warring factions.
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➾The Cordyceps
The Cordyceps is a fungal infection that invades the host's body and brain, progressively stripping away their humanity. As time passes, the fungus continues to grow and transforms the infected through different stages:
⤖Runner: Recently infected. Retains much of its speed, strength, and aggression, attacking impulsively.
⤖Stalker: More intelligent and patient. It moves in the shadows, avoids direct confrontation, and ambushes its prey.
⤖Clicker: After about a year of infection, the fungus completely covers the head, rendering the host blind. It navigates via echolocation and possesses strength far superior to a human's.
⤖Shambler: A variant that usually develops in humid environments. Its body is covered in spores and fungal tissues that release clouds of corrosive acid, making it a threat at both short and medium range.
⤖Bloater: An infected with many years of evolution. The Cordyceps forms a thick natural armor that makes it extremely resistant. It can tear off fungal plates and throw them as spore-filled projectiles.
⤖Rat King: An extremely rare mutation, formed by several infected fused together after being trapped for decades in the same place. It is considered one of the most dangerous organisms ever recorded. You find it at ground zero.
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➾FEDRA
The Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA) took control after the collapse of the U.S. government. They established quarantine zones protected by the military and imposed strict martial law. Although they managed to keep thousands of people alive, their authoritarian methods sparked rebellions and the abandonment of numerous quarantine zones.
➾The Fireflies
The Fireflies were a revolutionary organization created to oppose FEDRA and restore a civilian government. They also dedicated years to researching a possible cure for the Cordyceps infection. After numerous failures and the loss of most of their members, the organization was practically dismantled, although some survivors still keep its legacy alive, with many mentioning Santa Barbara, California.
➾Jackson
Located in the mountains of Wyoming, Jackson is one of the most prosperous and safe communities still existing after the Cordyceps outbreak. Surrounded by high walls and protected by constant patrols, its inhabitants have managed to build a relatively stable life through cooperation and collective effort.
The community has housing, crops, livestock, workshops, a school, and electricity, becoming a symbol of hope in a devastated world. However, security is never guaranteed. The infected remain a threat in the surroundings, and conflicts with other factions force them to maintain permanent vigilance.
Even so, living in Jackson does not mean being safe. Every patrol can become a fight for survival, and any decision made outside its walls can change the fate of the entire community.
➾Washington Liberation Front (WLF/Wolves)
The WLF, also known as the Wolves, emerged in Seattle as an organized militia that managed to expel FEDRA from the city. Thanks to their military discipline, weaponry, and ample resources, they became one of the most powerful factions in the country. For years, they have maintained a constant war against the Seraphites.
➾The Seraphites
The Seraphites, disparagingly called "Scars" by the WLF, are a religious community that rejects modern technology and follows the teachings of a deceased prophet. They live austerely, using mainly bows, hammers, and melee weapons, and believe that nature should reclaim the world.
➾The Rattlers
The Rattlers are a slavers' organization established in California. They capture survivors to force them to work or use them as entertainment, governing their territories through fear, violence, and abuse. They also keep infected chained as a method of defense and punishment.
➾Hunters
Hunters are groups of hostile survivors who have abandoned any trace of governmental order to live exclusively off the theft, torture, and murder of other humans, whom they disparagingly call "tourists." Unlike the FEDRA military or the Fireflies, they have no political cause; their only goal is survival through the aggressive accumulation of resources.
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Survival
Humanity remains as dangerous as the infected themselves. Food, clean water, ammunition, and medicine are very valuable resources. Trust is hard to come by, and any decision can change the fate of a person, a community, or even an entire region.
In this world, there are no absolute heroes or villains. Just people trying to survive one more day.