Colonies

Colonies are independent settlements built from the bones of the Old World — structures of retrofitted shipping containers, adobe, and corrugated steel, held together with scavenged solar panels and wire. Perimeter walls are topped with razor wire. Vapor-Trap towers line the edges, pulling moisture from the parched air into sealed cisterns.

Each colony is self-governed. Populations range from small outposts of a few hundred to trade hubs of several thousand. Some are communal, sharing resources as a matter of survival. Others operate more like Old World towns — individual ownership, commerce, and the politics that come with both.

Defense is handled by citizen militias, scavenged weapons, and, for the wealthier colonies, hired mercenaries. No Sanctum will come to help. Everyone here knows that.

Life is dictated by the environment. In the hot zones, the day splits into two working periods — dawn and dusk — with a mandatory shutdown during the midday heat. In the colder northern colonies, everything revolves around staying warm.

The Colonies are breeding grounds for dissent. Most people are too busy surviving to organize, but pockets of resistance are growing — sharing weapons, intelligence, and resources across colony lines. Not enough to fight the Sanctum. Enough to keep each other alive.

"They call us 'The Unrefined.' We call ourselves 'The Survivors.' We endure what they hide from." — Colony Elder