Megaplex Frontier

The Megaplex was once an industrial complex of the old Empire. Mostly comprised of fully automated machines and drones, a massive portion of the Empire's raw materials were mined and processed in this region. On Ascension Day, the machines and few living Neo-Dragoons that oversaw this complex were scorched, blasted and buried by the shockwave that traveled around the world. Unfortunately, none of the Neo-Dragoons had the kind of power that could protect anything larger than perhaps a building or two, and in the millenium since, attempts to restore the Megaplex were abandoned. Now, these ruins are routinely explored by veteran Salvagers and greenhorn adventurers alike, all hoping to reclaim the technological and magical wonders entombed beneath the metallic carcass of the Megaplex.

Geography

The Megaplex Frontier is comprised of arid and desolate desert, rocky plateaus, and scrubby savannas. The badlands stretch in an arc, sweeping from the west, into the south, and towards the east of the continent in a vast swath that is the result of the Ascension that occurred far to the north. The Megaplex Ruins rise out of the sand and earth at severe angles all along the badlands, leaning away from The Crater of Ascension. The primary settlement of this region is Outpost Brenner.

Fauna & Flora

The badlands are dangerous and unforgiving, and only the toughest creatures can survive this climate. Their ecosystem is comprised of the usual types of creatures that normally inhabit such regions, and have a number of unique flora and fauna besides. The following are only a few of the notable creatures that the region is known for: Desert wolves: These canines closely resemble their more common forest variants, although they have adapted to surviving the badlands by developing much greater cunning and savagery than their cousins. These wolves move intelligently by using the underground networks of caves and interconnected ruins to avoid the heat and sand of the world above. At dusk and throughout the night, they hunt in small packs, and know to bring their kills to their dens underground in order to share with the rest of the pack. Often, these wolves can prove so intelligent, that it is said these wolves can even understand mortal language without training! Outpost Brenner became known as "the Bulwark of Wolves" because, according to legend, a great many of these wolves came to the aid of Captain Brenner and his team as they held to the next dawn against the Corrupt Incursion. It is unclear if such a claim is true, but what is clear is that the people of the Outpost have a great respect for these creatures. Killing wolves in self-defense may be necessary, but hunting them for reasons other than survival is considered really bad luck. The Badlands Undead: The dead of ages past walk again, and in the Badlands, these cursed marauders adopt the forms of amalgamate animals found in the region. Giant scorpions crossed with desert wolves named "skitterdogs" are the most numerous, and are active at all hours. Usually, Undead only appear during the night, but these seem to be able hijack living animals and use them as shields against the sun's cleansing light. Occasionally, the Undead appear in their typical "ghoul" forms (emaciated humanoids made of black, oily ichor), but always with skitterdogs clumped nearby. The Badlands Corrupt: While the Undead are typically the more numerous monstrous dangers, the Corruption in this region has infected nearly every type of natural creature. Corrupt animals, people and even terrain have swelled in number as the badlands claims lives through normal means. The Corrupt are painfully twisted nightmares of natural things, and often covered in a blood red chitin that seems to affect bodies as though it were a type of cancer. The most terrible fact in the badlands is that they outnumber the Undead! Corrupt creatures retain the abilities they had in life, and in the case of Corrupt people, are often even stronger for it! The husks of fallen Salvagers, Knights and adventurers often congregate into orderly ranks of their kind, and form a unit called a "Corrupt Incursion". They fight with reckless abandon, and make full use of the tactics, spells and equipment they possessed while still living! The Corrupt are difficult to defeat, and only those trained in certain arts, like the Knight Orders, can put them down for good. So long as a Corruption Core for that Incursion is not destroyed, the Corrupt will only return again to plague the land another night. Desert Elementals: A relatively recent addition to the ecosystem are sand elementals. They typically manifest as small dust devils (tiny whirlwinds of sand, rock and tumbleweeds), and are attracted to the crystal geodes that form near the ancient ruins in the badlands. Recently, they have started to combine and form larger whirlwinds, which causes larger and more frequent storms of both the sand and lightning variety, much to the detriment of those living in and around the Outpost. Fire and mud elementals have also been reported to have manifested deeper inside the ruins, further adding to the dangers of exploration. Some Tower Mages have theorized that a geode of great size or quality must have been unearthed, although neither the Salvage Union nor independent explorers have claimed such a find. Rumors of this theoretical treasure trove have naturally spread into the Queendom, and so, the cycle of death and Corrupt Incursions continues to grow...

Badlands Raiders

Given that the Queendom holds the majority of power in the region, one might think that attempting to defy The Queen is an act of madness in such a perilous region. This assumption is correct, but raiders usually are never the type to care for sanity. Raider tribes are everywhere the Queendom's law cannot firmly grasp the local population, and are often comprised of outlaws and criminals. Sometimes, less unsavory types find themselves among their number, but raiders typically make a name for themselves aggressors against the Queendom and its allies. Those without the stomach for theft, murder and exploitation of the weak generally find themselves to be targets of their depredations in short order. They are considered to be even more dangerous than the Corrupt, and often are a good source of the creatures, they are crafty and skilled at evading the Queendom's finest, using the punishing terrain to their advantage as they wage a war of attrition against the Outpost. Their guerrilla tactics sometimes mimic the orderly teamwork of Knights, the flexible swiftness of Salvagers, and the tactical positioning of Tower Mages. Some raiders might have even once called themselves comrades of the Outpost or the Queendom, but if so, they no longer care for such bonds. General Forscythe of the Blood Legion: The Knight Order of the Blood Legion was once an extremist group that betrayed The Queen by attempting a coup d'etat during one of her Reposes, and were summarily executed by the rudely awoken and enraged Neo-Dragoon goddess. It was assumed that they were all eliminated, but General Forscythe was one of the few Knights that showed far more reason than his compatriots, and had pulled his followers away from the main force before The Queen's abrupt awakening. Disgraced and branded a heretic, he now ekes out a living in the badlands. Despite his reasonable nature, the old general seems unable to exert much control over the bloodthirsty tribes, and can do little to assuage their malcontent agendas. Attempts to seek asylum have been met with staunch refusals, and demands for his capture so that he may face The Queen's justice have made him a target for constant hunts from mercenaries around the world. The General, for his part, simply wants to escape the life of hardship he and his family have found themselves in. The Queendom's laws would not allow his family to live without reprisal, which is why Forscythe fights bitterly to claim his own freedom, instead of turning himself in.

Natural Resources

The primary resources found here are the ruins and the geodes that dot the landscape. The fallen Empire of old can still be seen, as superstructures jut out from the sand and rocks in severe angles, breaking the horizon line into jagged shapes leaning away from the Crater of Ascension in a general westward direction. There are also more mundane resources, especially ore, that are being harvested from this dangerous region, but they are outshined by the large production of refined metals, restored machinery, energy crystals, and minted currency shards that the Queendom and the world at large have come to rely on. Megaplex Ruins: The Megaplex was once an industrial complex of the old Empire. Mostly comprised of fully automated machines and drones, a massive portion of the Empire's raw materials were mined and processed in this region. On Ascension Day, the machines and few living Neo-Dragoons that oversaw this complex were scorched, blasted and buried by the shockwave that traveled around the world. Unfortunately, none of the Neo-Dragoons had the kind of power that could protect anything larger than perhaps a building or two, and in the millenium since, attempts to restore the Megaplex were abandoned. Now, these ruins are routinely explored by veteran Salvagers and greenhorn adventurers alike, all hoping to reclaim the technological and magical wonders entombed beneath the metallic carcass of the Megaplex.

Alternative Name(s)

The Badlands, Megaplex

Type

Badlands

Included Locations