by Terry Brooks
Despite their incredibly fragile and short-lived nature, they are among the few Faerie creatures to survive the unbalancing of magic by the demons. Tatterdemalions usually serve as messengers for the Word, able to travel anywhere in the world on the back of the wind.
Demons cannot hide from a tatterdemalion, who can sense demon-stink, or demon presence, as well as recognize those the demon has touched or claimed. While this is an invaluable ability, it also makes tatterdemalions prime targets for demons. This, combined with their very short life spans and extreme vulnerability, leaves them in a constant state of fear. Yet most are amazingly courageous, often giving their all-too-brief lives to protect others.
Following in her grandmother’s footsteps, Nest used her gift to assist the local sylvan in caring for the old-growth forest, one of the last ancient places of magic in the land of America. She was also a gifted athlete, an Olympic champion runner in middle-distance events, setting records that stood for many years. It is not known whether her great talent was simply a natural gift or whether it was related to her inborn magic.
Her greatest accomplishment, however, was in unlocking the secret of the gypsy morph, the being that was the key to salvation for both human and Elven Races. The gypsy morph became her unborn child in its final transformation. She gave birth to the boy it became, creating a legacy of human, demon, and wild magic never previously known to exist.
Even years after her death, Nest’s magic continued to protect those she loved. The bones of her left hand became the magic talisman that guided and protected her son in his new incarnation as Hawk.
Unfortunately, people like Nest and her family, who understood the importance of the precarious balance of the world, were too few and the demons in the world too many. Global warming and pollution caused by human carelessness began to change the planet. Animosities among races, religions, and political bodies grew into bitter hatred and finally into open conflict. Eventually, as the world grew more and more hostile, order began to break down and the countries of the world turned against one another in the greatest holocaust since the demons of the Forbidding ran free. Nuclear weapons, biological weapons, poison gas, and all manner of explosives devastated entire continents. Governments failed; famine and disease spread. Technologies of all kinds became useless with the loss of power grids and communications arrays. Satellite systems broke down as the complexes designed to monitor them were destroyed, and the world slid into barbarism and chaos. Eventually the balance tipped in favor of the Void, leaving most of humanity struggling to stay alive as demons led once-men in a bloody rampage across the planet.
The Fall of the
Old World
Though I was the last of my people, I was made strong by the fire that tested me, and I was given purpose. —O’olish Amaneh
n the aftermath of the Great Wars, governments collapsed. People either banded together in enclaves or broke into subsistence colonies, militia groups, and tribes of nomadic stragglers. Most of the survivors within the cities gathered in walled compounds, usually inside sports arenas. Left with no official government, each compound developed its own internal rule of law.
The largest, best-fortified of these included the Chicago compound, the Seattle Safeco compound, the many compounds of Los Angeles, and the Tacoma compound. Each had its own military and raised its own food in the open areas. All looked with suspicion on anyone or anything from the outside.
Freaks and Mutants
There was good reason for their fear, as the radiation and ecological disasters that had devastated the world did not always kill those who were exposed. Instead of dying, many people simply changed, becoming something different from what they had been. The compound dwellers called these beings Freaks, lumping everyone who appeared different Ander one damning label. They were also known as Lizards, Croaks, Spiders, and Moles. Once human, they had become the monsters of the time.
The Croaks were the most dangerous. They were zombie-like remnants of human beings who had ingested too much of the poisons and chemicals used in the terrorist attacks and reprisals that followed. Racked by the change in their bodies and shut out of the compounds, the Croaks roamed the streets and waited to die. Unfortunately, they usually didn’t. Their pain and near insanity, coupled with their mutations, made them dangerous. The toxins that changed them also meant that even their smallest bite or scratch was poisonous. Of all the so-called Freaks, only Croaks were predatory enough to hunt others while they slept. The mutation damaged their throats, leaving them with deep guttural voices. They were slow and not particularly smart, but enormously strong.
The Moles and Spiders were so named because they tended to live deep underground. The Moles, who lived far below the surface, suffered massive changes in bone structure that left them small, squat, and heavy. The Spiders had gone to ground when the bombs fell, surviving by burrowing. They lived on earth, air, and water that should have killed them, but instead caused mutations that left them small and quick, with bulbous bodies and long limbs. Most suffered mental decay as well, losing the capacity for highly complex thought or expression. They became primitive in nature. The Spiders usually lived in otherwise abandoned buildings, preferring basements or underground tunnels with a dozen entrances and exits. They were able to climb easily, moving smoothly over even rough terrain.
Hawk, leader of the Ghosts.
Street Kids
The devastation of the world led inevitably to orphans who had no adult to speak for them. Since most compounds would not take orphans, these children usually banded together in tribes for survival. It was not unusual for a city to host five to ten different tribes of feral children in its streets, usually surviving off whatever they could scavenge from abandoned warehouses.
One of the most famous tribes was that of the Ghosts, a group of ten children who made their home in underground Seattle. Their motto: “We haunt the ruins of the world our parents destroyed.” Their leader, Hawk, was the mortal form of the legendary gypsy morph, though he did not realize this for many years. Unlike many tribal groups, the Ghosts were more than just a tribe. They prided themselves on being a family. The mother figure, Owl, was a cripple bound to a wheelchair. Yet the Ghosts accepted her and valued her when no others would.
The other members of the Ghosts were Fixit, Panther, Bear, Candle, River, Chalk, Sparrow, and Squirrel.
Feeders
Unseen by most except for a flicker in the corner of an eye, feeders are the Void’s creation, an enigmatic part of the equation that defines the balance in all things. Feeders are not animal, mineral, or vegetable, but all of them. Neither alive nor dead, they literally feed on people. No one is exempt, no one spared. When madness prevails over reason, when what is darkest and most terrible surfaces, feeders are there. Seen as dark, shadowy shapes by those few who can see them at all, they come out of the shadows to feed on human emotions. The madness of anger, fear, and hate will draw them to feed. Killing is the most powerful form of madness, and provides their best food source. Feeders are only interested in the living, though the passing from life into death offers them the most exquisite and rare banquet of human emotions. They increase and decrease in number and grow stronger or weaker depending on the emotions and behaviors around them. When they feed, they tend to drive their victims to madness. The ancient writers who spoke of the Furies may have been among the few who could see feeders.
Knights of the Word all gain the ability to see feeders when they are given their staff. Those born to the magic, too, usually find feeders visible. Most others cannot see them until the final moments of a particularly bad death.
Once the changes began, they were ostracized by everyone, so most banded together in tiny tribal splinter groups. Shy and reclusive, some lived in communities away from other habitation. Since they lacked the teeth and claws of the more dangerous mutants as well as the mental dexterity to use sophisticated weapons, they defended themselves with more archaic implements such as clubs and staffs.
L
izards got their name from the scaly covering that eventually replaced their human skin. The mutation also blunted or erased their human features while giving them increased strength and size. Most Lizards lived out in the open, often hunting in groups. They became very strong and dangerous, though, unlike Croaks, they were not known for being arbitrarily aggressive.
The Once-Men
Demons used the collapse of civilization with its resulting chaos to establish a solid hold on the world. Led by Findo Gask, they began the systematic extermination of the remnants of humanity. But they needed an army to do it. Before the Great Wars, demons were only able to recruit others to their cause in relatively small numbers; most humans were still resistant to their lies. But the devastation of the world made their job much easier. With resources dwindling, the strong began attacking the weak. Many living outside the compounds believed that those inside were inherently inferior. Demons found rich ground for recruitment among desperate people who wanted to believe that the strong had a right to destroy the weak. Those willing to give up anything to be among the strong were easily corrupted by demon lies. The demon-led armies of these corrupted people, who were once human, began to swell.
The Lightning S-150 Armored Assault Vehicle
The Lightning S-150 AV was designed and constructed during the military buildup preceding the fall of the North American governments. Designed to be completely self-contained, the Lightning provided protection and defense for a crew of one to four people. Michael Poole, leader of one of the most infamous freeman militias, modified the Lightning S-150 to turn it into a formidable support vehicle used during his assaults on slave camps.
The modified Lightning featured state-of-the-art lightweight construction with reinforced composite armor plating that could resist armor-piercing rounds. Front and side windows were composed of bulletproof, heat-resistant, high-temper glass. Large tubeless solid tires set onto a high chassis gave the vehicle superior ground clearance and maneuverability, enabling it to negotiate even difficult terrain.
Designed to hold a maximum of four people, the rear seat doubled as a sleeping area with food storage and preparation compartments set off to the rear. A complete water collection, storage, and purification system—one of the later modifications—provided self-contained survival for its crew for up to one month, though lack of rainfall in later years made this system almost obsolete.
Boasting a top speed of sixty kilometers per hour, the high-efficiency Mercedes engine and standard-transmission power train combined speed with power. Modified to run completely on solar power, the original version of the Lightning was a hybrid, designed to run on a combined variety of fuels. The climate changes that occurred in that last century, with reduced rainfall and cloud cover, made solar the best choice, with almost unlimited sunlight available most of the year.
Defensive systems included a state-of-the-art code-keyed security lock to prevent unauthorized entrance and an electromagnetic grid defense shield. Weapons systems were also equipped with individual security lockouts so that access to the operations console did not ensure access to weaponry. Perimeter alarm sensors effective for up to fifty yards protected the vehicle from stealthy intruders.
The Lightning also carried an impressive arsenal of offensive weaponry. Long-barreled cannons armed with flechette rounds lay recessed within the wide fender housings and could be elevated into firing position in seconds. Four external dart missile launchers could lock on and destroy mobile targets while two cannons fired high-impact BRom charges capable of punching through concrete. Spools of torch wire packed in airtight compartments could be released and unraveled for a precise air-activated, high-intensity burn that could cut through steel and high-grade alloys.
A roof rack provided additional storage and cargo capacity, though, since the rack was a late modification, anything on it was outside the armored protection of the vehicle.
The once-men came from angry, violent people, those most easily swayed into believing the lies. They came from the remnants of broken armies and scattered law enforcement bodies, from failed militias and paramilitary organizations, from a culture of weapons and battle, and from a mind-set of hate and suspicion. But the result was the same for all: Once they embraced the demon propaganda, they quickly succumbed to madness.
Old World Weapons
While most technologies failed or fell into disuse early in the collapse of civilization, weapons technologies of all kinds remained in high demand. Where once only sportsmen, hobbyists, and collectors owned weapons, the breakdown of order made personal weaponry a necessity for survival. These included all manner of projectile weapons as well as more archaic but equally deadly hand- to hand weapons.
Firearms remained the most popular form of protection, though the older jacketed lead or steel bullets fell out of favor as flechette rounds replaced them. Flechettes were razor-edged darts made of steel or other high-grade alloys, usually equipped with fins for stability in flight. Lighter than bullets, they produced less recoil with greater muzzle velocity and, even at smaller calibers, could pierce most of the lightweight Kevlar body armor then used to deflect bullets. Larger flechettes, such as the Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot round used in 120mm anti-tank guns, were even capable of penetrating reinforced armor and were often more effective than a high-explosive round.
Flechettes could be fired individually, as in the anti-tank round, or packed in mass charges, much like an Old World shotgun cartridge filled with needles. The preferred mass-packed charge was much less accurate, especially at long range, than an Old World rifle or even a single flechette, but the dispersal pattern from massed charges usually created a much larger kill zone at close range. This increased zone gave some flechette weapons, such as the Tyson 33, the capability of neutralizing multiple targets with a single shot. It also required little or no marksmanship skills to operate effectively.
Handheld firearms designed to fire flechette charges became the predominant weapon for urban combat. The most powerful of these was the Tyson 33. Capable of firing several rounds in sequence from an eight-round magazine, it fired a .33-caliber multi-flechette round with enough force to tear a hole through a foot-thick stone wall. The round was filled with multiple razor-edged carbon steel flechettes and, when fired, had a three-meter dispersal pattern capable of taking out several targets simultaneously. This weapon, 990 millimeters in length, had a single thick black alloy-metal barrel and a shoulder stock; it was usually equipped with a leather-wrapped pistol grip.
The Ronin, a smaller, more easily handled flechette, lacked the brute force of the Tyson. It had a lower muzzle velocity and slightly smaller cartridges, but its ten-round magazine and faster rate of fire made it effective in a firefight. The most effective single-shot flechette was the .60-caliber, nicknamed the scattershot. Though it was capable of firing only a single round at a time, that one densely packed razor-edged flechette round could cut a swath up to seven meters wide.
Perhaps the most flexible of the high-powered handheld firearms was the Parkhan Spray. A fully automatic machine gun, capable of firing flechettes, incendiaries, balls, or armor-piercing rounds, the Spray had a firing rate of up to 550 rounds per minute. It was gas-operated, and ammunition could be belt-fed or fed from a magazine.
There were also several handgun versions of the flechette manufactured for personal protection. They varied from the very small precision shot-stealth pistol, with only a single flechette in each round, to the .45-caliber semi-automatic firing massed flechettes at a muzzle velocity of 252 meters per second. Each was easily hidden but wickedly deadly at close range.
But the most stealthy of the personal defense weapons were those using poison. Among these, the most easily concealed was the viper-prick, a poison-packed dart filled with deadly toxins; it came in a protective package that could be easily hidden until needed. Death was not always immediate, but it was certain. For those who did not want to get that close to their target, stinger dart guns provided a particular
ly deadly alternative. Packed with a virulent neurotoxin, the darts fired from stingers had an effective range of up to ten meters, but most victims were dead long before they could cover that much ground.
A less lethal close-contact weapon was the prod. Particularly popular for crowd control, the prod was a solar-charged electrical staff that could shock even a Lizard unconscious with a touch. Consisting of a 1.5-meter metal bar with electrical contacts at one end and an insulated handle and trigger mechanism at the other, the prod could be set for variable levels of intensity and duration, giving the user the choice of stunning or killing the target. Effective until the charge depleted, the prod could be fired in several short bursts, or the trigger could be locked down for a sustained release. A sustained release at full power was usually lethal, especially if the point of contact was in a vulnerable area. Since it had few moving parts and needed only a few hours’ exposure to the sun to recharge, the prod was an invaluable weapon at a time when resources were limited but danger commonplace. A projectile version of the prod, a stun gun, provided lower power but similar protection, and could be fired from a distance of up to fifteen feet. The stun gun’s electrodes were connected to the control trigger by wires, requiring both shooter and target to remain connected. For distance without wires, the charged weapon of choice was the less common arrow stunner. Arrow stunners carried a self-contained charge that dissipated into the target on contact.
Of course many low-tech weapons were just as deadly as firearms, poisons, or electrical prods, and most were easier to acquire. Knives such as the classic K-Bar or bowie were essential survival tools.
Some low-tech weapons, like the adzl and the shuriken, were effective only in the hands of a skilled fighter. The adzl was a staff with barbed tips at both ends and a cord-wound grip at the center. It could be thrown like a javelin, wielded like a staff, or used as a stabbing weapon like a pike. Adzls were rare and usually found only among Elves or tribal cultures from remote locations.
