Apocalypse Seattle - An Apocalypse World Campaign

No one know why it happened. Precisely WHAT happened is an equal mystery. The old people spoke of it, once. But, not any longer. The few that were around when the end came are either dead, mad, or silent on the issue. It was very long ago.   Some refer to it as "The Scream". A time when the world cried out, and everyone - and every THING went mad. Nature fought back, some say. The flora and fauna - the very Earth itself - screamed, Enough! And, everything ended.   Madness followed. The Scream penetrated the minds of men. Some descended into madness. Others cautiously peered into the psychic maelstrom that flashed into existence on that very same day. Most simply hid from the fracturing of the world they had known. Most died.   Yet, some survived. Not many, but enough. A civilization - of a sort - rose from the madness. Mankind thrived on order - it was their natural state of being. Yet, not everyone could agree on whose order, or what order should be imposed. In many parts of the world after The Scream, civilization was fractured. Small towns, villages, communes arose to fulfill the basic needs of the people. But, along with the need for order came the forces of chaos and disorder; those who had surrendered all hope. They were the ones who lived in between.   Outside the towns and villages were the in-between places. The parts of the world overtaken by the madness of the Earth itself. Places where the canopy of trees - the new forest - had consumed the world almost overnight in its attempt to obliterate the footprint of men. Few ventured through these in-between places for the maelstrom was too strong. Most men could find only madness out in the in-between. Soon, the fear of the madness became far more real than what the actual madness might have been. Few chose to travel the in-between. Perhaps it was the loneliness of the wild, the stark contrast between city and wilds, or the fear of what might be lurking beneath the canopy of green. Yet, something instilled trepidation within the hearts of men who traveled there. So, it was natural for survivors to remain where they were; to hole up and create a new life for themselves where they were. So it was in Seattle.   Most the city was dead. Yet, small semblances of civilization and order still survived within the expanse that was once the city of Seattle. The in-between encroached upon the city far more slowly than it overtook the wilds outside within the canopy of trees. There were many explanations for this, and no great consensus. Few truly cared so long as they survived and might continue to do so.   So it has been. For some three generations now. The very elderly were young when The Scream hit, and few of them speak of it today. The world changed, and they changed with it. Those that did not go mad, survived. Small holds cropped up within the former blocks of the once great city. Entrepreneurs, warlords, thieves, heroes, all manner of men struggle to survive within the confines of the city. To live one more day, to hold back the will of the in-between - of nature itself - is a victory for some. Others search beyond survival to seek some meaning beyond the far reaches of the city.   The answer is out there. It must be. Dare you seek it? Or, do you merely seek to survive one more day? the choice is yours.