Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/The Embry Archipelago after the War

A Smothering Wasteland
The Embry archipelagos, once a thriving nation of islands, is now the face of an alien world. Where once stood great monuments and mighty palaces, now lie glowing fields of green crystals, slowly growing as they feed on the Earth for nourishment. The charred earth is covered with a layer of ash, remains of what was once a thriving civilization. The sky is a dark gray churning mass, blocking out every last ray of sunshine, blanketing the world below in darkness. Scattered everywhere are little black lumps, the last remains of its former inhabitants. In the distance, a mushroom cloud slowly rises as winds whip up sandstorms, which last for days on end. The air alone is lethal to anyone who breathes it, and the black rain simply adds to their torture as their skin is burnt away.

Welcome to Embry wasteland, the Last Hell on Earth.

Mutually Assured Destruction
Many have speculated that Capitalism and Communism are opposing ends of the spectrum, that neither can live while the other survives. The most extreme of such speculations is the theory of Mutually Assured Destruction, where both will completely annihilate each other in the quest for victory. The War for the Archipelagos was startling proof that M.A.D. is a real possibility. Both fought to the point where the Voshkod brought in nuclear armaments. In five months, The islands population was reduced from (insert population) to (to population), her cities were razed to the ground, her skies darkened from ash. For the few who survived, many wished that they were dead.

Yet amidst all the death and destruction, there was hope. With the Union and Commonwealth all but completely destroyed, reduced to remnants that abandoned their allegiance and now clinging to survival, with only one survivor. Led by a mysterious person known only as the general, the Minuteman, often considered a joke during the war, rose from the ashes and provided the last few survivors with food, shelter and, most importantly, hope. As the last survivors were picked up, the Minuteman set its eyes on a new goal; rebuild their islands and bring revenge for those whom have fallen.

After the War, there was almost nothing left. With what remaining vehicles and weapons they have being damaged beyond repair. Massing a military of any scale would be a near impossible feat, and yet the Minuteman did it. With only a fraction of archipelagos once enormous population, thanks to the creation of the vaults, massive bunkers built by the Minuteman to protect its population from the event of a superweapon strike. Thanks to these vaults nearly half their population survived, and pledge themselves to the Minuteman in gratitude. Next came the problem of fuel; with little to no gasoline to speak of, powering war machines was a near impossibility, yet somehow, some way, the Minuteman were able to revive, and even improved, the remaining war machines with a highly unstable fuel source; uranium itself. With a renewed vengeance, the survivors seeks to punish those who have brought disaster down on their home.

The other great aim of the Minuteman Survivors was to repair and heal their home. Using untold amounts of research protected by the vaults, the Survivors seek these “research” vaults in the hope to find a solution to remove the radiation and even rebuilt their broken land.

Last Sanctuaries in Hell
Despite the nuclear fire that burnt the archipelagos there are those who managed to escaped, or at least survive, the bombardment, becoming sanctuaries where survivors would brave the Waste to reach. There are many but these are the most prominent.

The Castle
Perhaps the least effected island from the nuclear rain, due to the nuke targeting it missing by large margin, The Castle is both the headquarters of the Minuteman and the safest, thriving, settlement in the Waste.

Hell Made Manifest
Of course some islands got the worst of it. Often becoming so irradiated that no sane men would venture, though the treasure they (seemingly) hold often bring in adventures who brace these ruins. And more often most don’t come back.