Wasteland

**The Wasteland** is an alternate dimension running parallel to the known universe, known to be a place where people can be sent milliseconds before death, sometimes healed of all wounds if mortally wounded and dying slowly. In extremely rare circumstances, if someone can be healed before their body is taken to the Wasteland, but they've already begun dying, they could end up copied: one copy sent to the Wasteland, the other remaining behind.

Although EXTREMELY RARE, events have transpired to where links between the known universe and the Wasteland have been opened. Said openings are left open until any being not sent by the usual anomalies (as in, those that would have been killed should they have not been sent to the Wasteland) either leaves the Wasteland or are killed within the Wasteland.

It is known that should someone die in the Wasteland, their soul goes wherever their soul would have gone should they have died normally. Anyone who escapes the Wasteland will end up being sent back if they would have been killed in the known universe.

## Physical Characteristics

### Layout

The Wasteland consists of a flat surface, running infinite across the 'bottom' of the dimension.

Above this surface if one were to enter 'space', one would find planets floating above the world. A star sits above the surface, but an anomaly causes the star to grow dark within a timeframe similar to Earth's night and day cycle.

### Surface

The surface of the Wasteland's bottom surface consists of multiple haphazardly-placed biomes, from deserts covered in ruins from various eras (the most common biome), to forests, to frozen tundras, and so on and so forth.

The previously-mentioned ruins, as stated, come from various eras: from the stone age, to the iron age, to the Renaissance Age, to the Industrial Age, to the Information Age, and even far into the future from there. These ruins typically hold technological wonders, and one can sometimes find a piece of command and control technology still intact. Recovering these artifacts and bringing them to full operational status, and using them to conquer swaths of land is how individuals like Koprulu Krieg managed to gain power over portions of the Wasteland.

### Atmosphere

The atmosphere of the bottom surface of the Wasteland is equivalent to Earth norms:

* Nitrogen (78.084%)
* Oxygen (20.946%)
* Argon (.9340%)
* Carbon Dioxide (.04%)
* Neon (.001818%)
* Hellium (.000524%)
* Methane (.000179%)

The various planets of the Wasteland Dimension possess various different atmospheres.

## Abnormal Anomalies

There are various anomalies that affect ALL life sent to the Wasteland, regardless of HOW it was send (or entered of its own accord). It is noted that these anomalies' effects ARE retained if inhabitants leave the Wasteland and re-enter the known universe. Most of these anomalies are noted as being beneficial, making people who are affected by them able to learn faster and live longer.

### The Ramsay Effect

The Ramsay Effect is the name applied to an anomaly that is applied to all life that enters the Wasteland Dimension, making them, through unknown, supposedly supernatural, means capable of breathing air with the same composition of the Wasteland's Surface, which is the same as Earth's Atmosphere.

The Ramsay Effect was named for William Ramsay, the man responsible for the discovery of the Noble Gasses, and the composition Earth's Atmosphere.

### The Turritopsis Effect

The Turritopsis Effect is an anomaly where all who enter the Wasteland Dimension are turned biologically immortal, their cells regenerating from cellular degradation faster than they can degrade. This also gives all who enter the Wasteland a minor healing factor. If the person died of old age, or was exceptionally old when they died, their body is rejuvenated to how it looked and functioned when they were in the prime of their life. This would explain why some inhabitants act like old people, yet look young.

The Turritopsis Effect is named for a genus of Jellyfish noted for possessing biological immortality, including *Turritopsis dohrnii*, also known as the 'Immortal Jellyfish'.

### The Sullivan Effect

The Sullivan Effect refers to an anomaly in the Wasteland that causes all who enter it to gain an increased ability to learn. Those that have returned from the Wasteland have been noted to be able to learn languages in weeks, which would normally require months, if not years, to learn.

The Sullivan Effect is named for Anne Sullivan, the teacher responsible for teaching the future author, activist, and lecturer Helen Keller, in spite of Helen's blindness and deafness.

### The Quartermaster Effect

The Quartermaster Effect is an anomaly from the Wasteland that causes whoever enters it to possess copies of the most powerful equipment they've ever possessed. This includes equipment they've only possessed for a short period of time.

The Quartermaster Effect is probably one of the few anomalies in the Wasteland that is not named for someone or something connected to the anomaly's effect.

## Known Inhabitants of the Wasteland

* Warlord Koprulu Krieg of the Girene Empire
* Battlefield Commander Mireille Forshaw of the Avalonean Remnant
* Emperor Arcturus Mengsk of the Khonem Confederacy
* Highlord Ma'lash of the Khonem Confederacy
* Cerebrate Daggoth of the Khonem Confederacy