Ecology

Three centuries after "The Fall" devastated the Earth, the Upper Midwest—now fractured into baronies and wildlands—is a land scarred but stubbornly alive. Initially plunged into prolonged darkness and a mass extinction event, the region has undergone a painful ecological rebirth.

Climate Stabilization
By the 2200s, the chaotic weather patterns caused by "The Fall" had gradually stabilized. Summers are short and hot, winters long and erratic, and violent storms still mark seasonal transitions.
Dust storm lifting dust, sand, and mutagenic material into the air.	A dust storm lifted dust, sand, and mutagenic material into the air, and giant grasshoppers fled from the storm.	A dust storm covers the horizon.
Giant thunderstorms roar across the open landscape.	Giant thunderstorms with lightning strikes happening every few seconds as the storm moves across the open landscape.	Thunder snowstorms occur in mid-May with regularity.

 

Mutated Biomes
New hyper-adaptive invertebrates, amphibians, and plants have overrun forests and riverbanks. Gigantic fungal blooms, bio-luminescent weeds, and predatory insects mark the untamed zones between settlements.

 

Contaminated Zones
The “Burned Hollows” are avoided even by mutants and scavengers and are often believed to be cursed or haunted. They are known to be infested with mutated beasts.

 

Resource Fragmentation: Clean water, fertile soil, and untainted metals are precious. Aquifers like those near Clearwater or river-fed zones like Riverbend are strategic goldmines.