The Wasteland

**The Wasteland** (previously recognized as **The World**) is the name used commonly to refer to the remains of the Earth following the total nuclear war of 1993. Devoid of most of it's natural resources since the apocalypse, clean water and efficient supplies of food are sparse in the wild. From the sprawling deserts that were once interstate highways and the twisted remains of old-world cities, there is rarely any salvation found in the wasteland, especially with the roaming bandit tribes and predatory mutants on the prowl.

## Nuclear Devastation

*Main article: The Nuclear War*

Following the launching and subsequent detonation of the world's nuclear weapons, most of the world's major city centers were leveled in the initial blasts. World capitals from New York City to Moscow were obliterated almost instantly, with only their foundations to even show they had ever existed. Shortly after the first explosions, those that survived the bombings were subjected to a wave of incredible heat that literally melted people's skin and blinded countless others. The increase in the world's air temperature began to rapidly melt polar icecaps and dry up bodies of water.

Along with the heat wave came the radioactive particles, which were carried far across the world by the nuclear winds. These particles found their way into almost any place that wasn't sheltered, causing aggressive cell mutations in all life. These mutations caused tumors in most creatures, resulting in quick and painful deaths. However, others that survived their mutations experienced very unfortunate side-affects. Eye witnesses report seeing still-living humans melted into the sidewalk, and others witnessing birds rapidly 'reforming' into fleshy abominations. To this day, experts are unsure of the cause of these dramatic mutations, though countless new species were formed from them.

Earthquakes ravaged areas near the edges of tectonic plates and electromagnetic pulses permanently damaged the wiring of most electronic devices, causing despair for even those who weren't nearby the nuclear blasts. Soot was thrown into the stratosphere as a result of the explosions, blocking out the sun in most places for nearly two decades, in a time known as the Nuclear Winter. During this time, the global temperature dropped substantially, killing any flora that had survived the previous blasts, and freezing any remaining bodies of water for several years. Only those who managed to hide in fallout shelters survived, and by this point, most of these shelters had been unoccupied for several years, or even decades.

### Reemergence of Humanity to the World

Following the nuclear holocaust and the nuclear winter that followed it, the radioactive particles had slowly begun to reach measurements low enough to sustain life, and the world started to rise to a less lethal temperature. Humans started to emerge from their shelters, most still rightfully wary of radiation but eager to explore from almost twenty years of isolation. The new world, known now as The Wasteland, was very hostile, and it only those with the survival skills and will to survive lasted. This included both the level-headed adventurers, the jaded survivors, and those who've lost their minds to the wasteland. Nearly all of those who've lived in the wasteland have been affected by the radiation. Those who've stayed cautious have only suffered minor effects; commonly anemia and minor bodily mutations. Unfortunately, many more have suffered severe mutations, such as the growing of extra limbs, incapacitating deformities, and even many aggressive mental disorders like psychosis and schizophrenia (collectively known as Wasteland Madness).

Many factions have formed since humanity's emergence, all with the general mission of surviving in the wasteland.

## Geography

The wasteland varies widely in it's geographical contents, from vast dry deserts to gray ash-filled forests. Ultimately, a near-global constant for the wasteland is it's lack of clean water, as well as the weathered ruins of past society littered across the land.

There are many different continents and regions within the wasteland. Links regarding the general areas of the Wasteland are listed below.

* Continents of the Wasteland
* Regions of the Wasteland