Oraulan East Condemned Zone

Bordering Port Oraulan's eastern wall is the Oraulan East Condemned Zone, a Condemned Zone region considered to be outside the jurisdiction of the Federation of Stellar Systems.

The area is comprised of a mix of wetlands, swamps and marshes engulfing urban ruins, some of which are partially flooded. With no emergency services available, travelers must contend with bandits, Rampants, hostile wildlife and hazardous terrain. It is not a place to be traveled lightly.

When exploring the region for extended periods of time, it is recommended to take extreme precaution. Perhaps the single most common advice is to stay out of the water and to never drink from it without a filtration system. Not only has it been contaminated by urban debris and pollution, making their home within it are giant leeches, flesh eating bacteria and other parasites.

Points of interest

Lycanton

Main article: Lycanton

Three miles from the border wall is the town of Lycanton, home to a werewolf community wary of outsiders. However, they do allow drifters to pass through and trade goods.

Rubble Fields

The Rubble Fields make up of various piles of rubble and debris from dilapidated buildings. It is incredibly difficult terrain to traverse, and it is next to impossible to do so by vehicle. Most of it was formed from debris that fell from the Star Lift during its destruction.

Grime Resevoir

The Grime Resevoir is a former water resevoir that became too polluted to be used for drinking water. The air here is described as particularly thick, foul and stagnant. Naturally, the water itself is unsafe to drink or swim in. Despite these conditions, a population of Ferogators have made their home here having developed a resistance to the various parasites in the water. They have dark grey scales to blend into their environment. Those traveling in this area are either recommended to bring a cat or a hybrid with them to ward off the ferogators as for some reason, ferogators are afraid of felines.

Hope

Main article: Hope

The town of Hope was originally founded in the 1960s AB as an effort to recolonize the Condemned Zone. It was once a thriving settlement prior to the Virtual Wars, but since became abandoned after the wars tore through the area. The area has a high concentration of Rampant activity, particularly Revenants. It is also the original home of Angela Harrison.

Abandoned Amusement Park

An amusement park with a history going back one hundred years. It is a more recent addition to the Condemned Zone as it was part of an area destroyed by during the Virtual Wars. Despite this, a surprising amount of it is still intact. The park features a ferris wheel, several roller coasters and a circus tent.

Despite its appearance, the park is still active. In hidden areas is an underground virtual reality circus run by the notorious serial killer Franzo the Clown.

Oraulan Glades National Park Remains

What was originally a forested nature trail has become a dark forest filled with dead trees. Much of the area here succumbed to the fires of the Virtual Wars leaving behind scorched, ashen terrain. While much of the original wildlife died out or fled, new ecosystems moved in. Murders of crows sometimes hang around the area, watching over passerbyers.

Deep in these woods is the Crone's Hut, a house where an old woman lives as a hermit. Having powers of technokinesis, she is believed to have been a disgraced monk from Midori Monastery. The old crone is often the subject of bedtime stories used to scare children into not talking to strangers.

Refinery Ruins

The ruins of an ancient Valerian refinery. It contains an entrance to the Geothermal Engine, linked to by a series of cisterns and sewer tunnels. Before the Virtual Wars, it used to be a curated historical site and a museum. Children from the town of Hope were often taken on field trips to the area for a chance to look at Valerian ruins in person.

Inactive Goliath

An inactive Goliath robot stands partially sunken into the swamps. It is a leftover from the Virtual Wars after the Insurgency attempted a siege on Oraulan's walls. Despite not having moved in over a decade, its silhouette sticks out as a visible landmark in the Condemned Zone. A series of proximity mines are located nearby, deterring would-be scavengers.

Old Oraulan Canal

Like a great canyon is a canal large enough to fit oceanliners. However, this canal has since dried up after debris from a collapsed building blocked its main water source. Part of the canal is considered a border for the rogue state of Taranis. As such, armed guards and automated drones can often be found patrolling the area.

Cistern Town

A shanty town home to refugees that escaped from Taranis as well as the harsh conditions of the Condemned Zone. As its name suggests, it's an underground town situated within an old cistern. A mysterious vigilante known as the White Angel visits regularly to provide food and supplies.

Taranis

Main article: Taranis

A rogue state ruled by Phyliss Taranis. It is a narco government that deals in the trade of cybernephrine. They primarily operate through the Cult of Kronos who abducts virtual life forms to harvest cybernephrine from.