Georgia Game Setting

What’s happened so far.

Important goings on and plot things to know

2024 - April

Walking into the Exclusion Zone

40-Watt and friends got their minds together, readied their blades and bullets, and made the final trek towards the bunker that the Georgiabama Jones Collective determined would make a good base camp. Getting there was not so easy, and required the advancing group to split into three teams, led by Adam, Toby, and Crank. 

Team Crank dived into an old map room, guiding Team Toby forward along the path to avoid pitfalls and dangers as they cleared the path to the bunker. While this happened, Team Adam split off to sort out the generator situation, so that the bunker could actually be unlocked, as without power it would have been a very tough nut to crack. 

At the end of it all through some success bought by sweat and blood, the three teams met up again to face down the bunker itself. Darkened and full of vicious mutated plant life, it was not a simple situation. Eventually the last of the plants were cleared and the waves of undead ceased, allowing 40-Watt and friends to put together some much needed work stations so they could repair armor, research, and prepare supplies for the rest of the mission. This was just the beginning!

The Huntress and her End

The Huntress, also known as Tanya, has been a thorn in the side of 40-Watt and The Springs for far too long. She originally came from the City on the Hill, and hearing of the expedition, elected to ride on the coat-tails of 40-Watt's efforts to clear a path in order to exact her vengeance. 

She lurked at the edges, and even was so bold as to walk directly into town and chat with people, not revealing her identity as the Huntress and simply introducing herself as Tanya. The tension continued to grow. 

Ultimately, some brave sailors led by Toby chased her into the swamps near the former City on the Hill. There, they dispatched her and her crew. Her Last Walk was also taken down by members of 40-Watt, who can now rest assured that the Huntress’s reign of terror has come to an end. 

Sinking a Morgue is No Small Thing

One of the primary dangers of the venture into the Exclusion Zone was the fact that there was no established Morgue, so anyone who dies…well…couldn’t know where they would return from the Mortis. Which, in a heavily irradiated hellscape populated by undead and mutated critters is a very, very bad proposition. 

But never let the ingenuity of 40 Watt and its allies be called into question, though we could at times question the methods. A Benediction of the Wailing Abyss was performed, and a temporary door into the Mortis opened. This gave those who died a more central, if temporary location to return from death. This was very helpful, but also it highlighted why the rumors of people dying and losing multiple Infection persisted. When people exited this temporary morgue, they were followed by waves of the undead. 

As this was performed right next to the tavern, it did lead to undead appearing in the middle of town on more than a few occasions, which in turn led the tradition of “morgue sitting” to take on a slightly more militant edge. But better than appearing somewhere random away from all your friends and surrounded by undead!

Ultimately, a member of the local Sainthood assisted by members of his own tribe sacrificed one of his own infection to set up an Ornament of Sacrifice to keep the temporary morgue and the rest of the bunker safe from the waves of undead. 

Steps were taken to prepare and establish a Morgue proper, and a variety of expeditions were led which resulted in the recovery of piles of crystalline shards. Through perseverance and likely many cut fingertips, these shards were painstakingly put together into proper large psionic crystals. With these crystals in hand, 40-Watt was able to complete the actual sinking of the Morgue, guided by Annabelle Reach of the Ottomans Collective.

However…this massive psionic event did not go unnoticed. 

Outsiders Afoot

Outsiders are a threat that has persisted in the Wasteland for some time, first appearing in Georgiabama at Savage Anne. One of the trio that threatened Georgiabama lurked within the Exclusion Zone. Over the course of the venture there it made itself known. However, things came to a head when the Morgue was sunk. 

It appeared on the field with a swarm of strange figures alongside it, and chaos ensued. It was fighting in the field, and seemed to have a preternatural desire to strike at those that had been present at the destruction of other Outsiders. Screams of rage powered by chemical fire in veins of the fighters filled the night, as this was vicious and personal. Eventually and with much pain and sacrifice, it was drawn towards the bunker and into the trap laid for it by 40-Watt and its allies. 

But the trap was not easy to close. Fighting was desperate as the Outsiders was locked within the confines of the bunker, and then its strength inverted so that it could be struck down. Easily twenty members of the venture howled in triumph as they delivered a simultaneous killing blow upon it, and a moment later it bubbled away into nothing. 

Ponce’s Beat Box

Throughout the meet, the small box, known as Ponce’s Beat Box, resided in the bunker. It would play music intermittently, often when threats were presenting themselves to town. It was playing music as the Outsider attacked. 

The creature must have recognized it, or something, because it attacked it with a vicious relentless seeming-hatred. Given Saint Ponce’s contribution to killing the first Outsider in Georgiabama a year ago, the Outsider’s hatred may have been well-earned. It scattered the pieces and left it broken before continuing its assault. Later, members of town gathered up the pieces, patching them back together. It remained silent. Faith was channeled into it, and it remained silent. 

However it seems what was needed was time. After the meet in the late hours of the night, it began playing a soft tune once more. The Beat lives on. 

Critter’s Everywhere!

It should come as no surprise that a highly irradiated hell scape would also involve highly irradiated flora and fauna. You want massive plant monsters that seek the flesh of the living? We got it. How about abnormally large Radcoons who are prone to using their tiny hands to pick things up which include but are not are limited to; people, guns, bombs?

Oh is that not enough for you? How about a Mouldering Moose that stalked towards the bunker swarmed by undead like flies around a meal left in the sun, which knocked people aside like tin cans? Oh, oh you want more? There were also irradiated bears who had learned to mimic strain voices to lure them into traps, much like the Lost Boys do. 

So you know, the most horrifying zoo you ever did see!

Jones Runs and Old Memories

The Exclusion Zone, which was the “Crater on the Hill”, which was the City on the Hill. A lot of history in the stones and graves that the Zone has become. Over the course of the meet, this was made apparent in several ways. There was a Venture headed up the Georgiabama Jones Collective, involving bringing a Venture Binder into town and allowing members of town to make decisions on where to send Jones teams of the faction over the course of the meet. As they delved further and further into the Zone, new areas opened up, all with their various benefits and downsides. However, key discoveries were made which allowed in powerful defenses against the Outsider and the other threats facing the gathered strains. 

Furthermore, Adam of the Georgiabama Jones Collective took some of the former denizens of the City on the Hill to see if they could find out any additional information about what happened to their former homes and loved ones. Many found evidence of what they had lost, as many of their own family lines came from the City, before it became a Crater, and a grave. Unfortunately, the crater that was once The City on the Hill was heavily irradiated, and so the intrepid explorers had to retreat to a safer location. 

Grave Lights

Early Sunday morning, Cardinal West of Red Bird Rail came into the bunker with the concerning news that Daniel (not David) - who has recently taken on the mantle of Cardinal East - had been missing for 12 hours. Luckily, before Wattsons could spin up a search party, Cardinal not David stumbled into the Bunker, having been chased by Glow Boys and a Grave Light. Wattsons worked to keep Daniel away from the Grave Light, but unfortunately at least one touched the glowing orb and were sucked into the Gravemind. 

2024 - March

40-Watt Defeats The Burned

As the trade for March opened, The Springs saw MeMaw and Charity Maw return safely home.  They had been staying at a safe house while the Wyrm and The Burned tried to kidnap and terrorize them and their families. Once they had returned to The Springs, MeMaw noticed the pitter patter of the Shitten’s under her porch was gone, as the TV’s had graciously cared for them in her absence. Charity notified the TV’s on Memaw’s behalf that Memaw would come to The Springs depot on Saturday to collect them.

As the night moved on, The Wyrm came to the wasteland to punish 40-Watt for siding with The Springs and The Maws against The Burned. The Wyrm and The Burned kidnapped several members of 40 Watt from their beds and dragged them to the edge of The Wasteland. While a few people were allowed to walk freely among the Burned, a handful of Wattsons were brutally executed as other Wattsons looked on in horror. During the executions, some of the Wattsons attempted to bargain with and reason with the Wyrm to no avail. The Wattsons that had been walking freely among the Burned were allowed to live when the Wyrm and The Burned left.

On Saturday, some Wattsons led by one of the town council members were brought to an encampment nearby where some members of the Burned were staying. The Wattsons believed that these people were questioning whether they wished to be a part of the Burned, and so could potentially be saved. The Wattsons managed to convince these members of The Burned to leave the gang through deep conversation and  laying down their arms.

Shortly before midnight, Charity Maw came to town with information on the Wyrm and The Burned.  She had discovered where the Wyrm was camped nearby. However, she had also discovered that at least one person in 40-Watt had been acting as a spy, and so they had lost the element of surprise. Charity attempted to kill the spy, but was persuaded to show mercy. She warned the spy not to follow them to the battlefield. Unfortunately, the spy disregarded Charity’s warning, and was killed on the battlefield as a result. 40-Watt rose to the occasion and attacked the Wyrm and their guards, managing to kill the Wyrm and most of their lieutenants. Current information indicates that the Wyrm has retreated back to Resurgens, abandoning their plans to expand into The Springs.

Redrawing the Map of Georgiabama

During this trade meet, Wattsons did their best to resolve the many conflicts between various refugee and financial factions. Based on their research the prior months, Wattsons had determined seven locations that were viable for either salvaging or resettleling. Though it was tough, by the end of the trade they had established which old settlements could still be settled.

Going down the list of new Settlements we have (L1) and The Lodge that was assigned to CA510 and the group of refugees he was representing.  A group of Wattsons worked hard to get this place cleared out and ready for the refugees to move in.  At this point the name that has been given to this area is Evergreen. This is a great move as they all got to stick together as they wished.  Let us just hope the Huntress doesn’t try to show her face back here.

Next we find (L2, L4, L7) the minor settlements to the southern edge of the greater Georgiabama region.  These have been renamed respectfully in order: Mechanis, Gemstone, and Southern Riches. Mechanis and Gemstone were both given to the Southwesterns. Southern Riches was settled by an offshoot of the refugees that had been taken in by the North Stars.

Next are (L3, L6) which are just south of the Red Bird Rail Main Depot and an area that had been taken over by a swamp. During the course of the trade some of the Wattsons braved the dangers of the swamp to drain it and make it usable. Both these locations were given to Pyrometals due to their contract with RBR. These were named Voltway and Mangrove respectively.

A verbal agreement was struck to start work on a connecting line from the Oxline to the Redline to allow for easier transport between 40 Watt and Bravado. While the initial use of this new connection would be for the use of the resettlement of refugees, this could open new paths of trade. The connection between Red Bird Rail and the Oxline is an interesting choice, given the current political upheaval in Bravado. 

On Saturday evening Red Bird Rail confirmed that thanks to the effort put in by the Wattsons, that all refugees will be placed into permanent housing by the end of the month. If not for the tireless work of the Wattson’s and all they know this would not have been possible. Much gratitude is extended from all to 40 Watt. 

Wattsons led by 2 prominent Graverobbers helped retake a clinic set up by Dr. Mercy Amare for injured refugees to seek healthcare. They found the clinic to be in a state of disrepair and overrun by undead. Through their combined efforts only 5 of 20 refugees died due to their injuries. The other 15 of the 20 were able to be healed and rescued. The building was further repaired to be of full use once more.

Exclusive Tidings from the Exclusion Zone

Saturday midday The Georgiabama Jones Collective sent in two of their representatives to prepare the town for what they are asking Wattsons to do. Where The City on the Hill once stood is now an irradiated Exclusion Zone where the flora and fauna have both been severely mutated by the radiation. This is a chance for Wattsons to explore the unexplored and to brave the deadly dangers they face there.

So what is the Exclusion Zone you may ask?  It is a heavily irradiated and FUCKING DANGEROUS (according to the Georgiabama Jones Collective) area that was destroyed when the Outsider attacked and caused a degradation of the infectious material in the area. Interesting finds such as old relics and valuable scrap have been found in the Exclusion zone.  The area around the former City on the Hill location has become highly irradiated due to the war with 40-Watt years ago.This has affected the flora and fauna by causing extreme mutations.  Due to this ever evolving landscape, more research should be done.

Toby and Adam of the Georgiabama Jones Collective compiled a list of items that they recommend in the Exclusion Zone. Generic meals and brews, red mists, weapons with augments, armor, LIGHTS (the bunker doesn’t have lighting at the moment so night times will be dark), medical kits (candlepin would be preferred for it’s master tier ability that allows a quick heal for the cost of a simple hooch) and of course PLENTY of hooch. Even a small individual supply of these items will allow everyone a better chance at surviving.

They also warned that Wattons should prioritize proficient and master death brews.  Because there is no morgue currently in the Exclusion Zone, when you pass through The Gravemind there is no telling where you will pop out. In order to protect your friends in this vulnerable state, you must use a proficient or master death brew. Basic necrokinetics and basic death brews may work part of the time, but not consistently. On this same token, they recommended that people need to get their fractures fixed as soon as they can. 

Some further preparations that were recommended were to prepare for the intensely hostile environment, research and prepare to deal with a lot of Radiation Sickness and Radiation in general, to learn as much as possible and take notes on anything and everything in the Exclusion Zone, and to prepare to face the outsiders that remain.  

The Georgiabama Jones Collective asked for 40-Watt’s help to achieve the following objectives. First, establish a base camp. They have managed to secure transportation within walking distance to a bunker. Wattson’s will have to walk the last mile from the drop off point to the bunker. Once the bunker has been secured and established as habitable workstations can be set up, with the next task being to figure out the morgue situation. 

In the Exclusion Zone, due to what happened during the mass undead horde and Outsiders appearance at the former location of City on the Hill, the morgue was destroyed.  As such it is being asked of the Wattsons to figure out what it will take to sink a morgue as well as make an attempt to do so. Research and hard work will be what pays off here. Speak to your local graverobbers and graveattuned for ideas of what to do.

The next point of consideration is that at least one Outsider has been spotted. The Georgiabama Jones Collective does not have the resources to handle the Outsiders and the Wattson’s are the only group they know of locally to have dealt with an Outsider successfully. Some of the groups that have been working in the exclusion zone have seen the Outsider or had a close encounter with it so keep your wits about you out there.

Other things one might encounter while in the Exclusion Zone.  Weird critters.  Not just one or two but all over the place.  During this past trade some of the Wattsons had a run in with some of the critters called Radcoons. They are Raccoons that have been mutated by the radiation and have become strain sized. This exponential growth has also made them stronger and tougher. Their behavior also suggests that they are more prone to aggressiveness than their normal counterparts.  Anyone with some knowledge of radiation would probably suspect that if you tried to eat the meat off these things you would get some kind of radiation sickness, but who knows it is a new creature no one has eaten yet…

Also during the most recent trade some of the plants from the Exclusion Zone were encountered. These plants started life as Crimson Pitchers, a type of carnivorous plant found in  pine forests and swamps. These plants have become very large and have also been mutated by the radiation. They also have significantly less infection than one would expect a plant like this to have. This is the reason they are suspected to be mutating is to eat Strains to make up for the lack of infection.  

It seems that there are at least 2 kinds of these plants, one kind being stronger than the other.  The first kind being weaker and probing for good, fertile soil to allow for propagation. Then it becomes a second type that is stronger and feeds. It could be speculated there might be a third kind that is a flowering kind. This flowering one would be less mobile but more dangerous. So far the plants encountered have seemed to be very ravenous. It seems reasonable to suspect that the smaller ones drag strains to the bigger ones to allow for the plant to inject the strain and absorb the nutrients into their system.  As with everything else in the Exclusion Zone, the plant matter(produce/vegetables/herbs) that would come from this plant is highly radioactive.

Later in the trade meet, representatives from the Children Of Death led a gravemind procedure to investigate the instability causing the Grave Pits and Grave lights. The outcome of this procedure proved that the wounds in the Mortis Amaranthine at The Exclusion Zone and Savage Anne cannot be healed because of the continued presence of the Outsiders. In other words, for the Gravemind to begin repairing itself, both Outsiders must die.

Plant Monsters from the Exclusion Zone

Early in the trade some of the Wattsons made their way with Adam of the Georgiabama Jones collective out to an area near the water's edge and encountered some of the plant monsters described above.  These plants attacked the Wattsons and were dealt with in a timely manner and with little issue.  The information that was learned about them is above.  Those that went and dealt with the plant monsters made sure to inform the town of this new discovery.

Hunting the Huntress

Building on the glimpse that was garnered last trade, more proof was found that the Huntress herself is heading back to the City on the Hill with her few remaining followers. What they are planning on doing once they get there is anyone's guess, but evidence shows that she seems to be very feral at this time. 

While some of the Wattsons were dealing with the newly discovered plant monsters, others were having a fight of their own with some newly discovered creatures.  These creatures, as described above being man sized raccoons, were giving the Wattsons fighting them a hard fight.  Through determination the Wattsons won the fight, captured the Radcoons and helped deliver them to a group of purebloods.The Purebloods that accepted the Radcoons mentioned something along the lines of “Continuing on with the Huntresses work”.

Reaching Conclusions

On Saturday evening a few of the Wattson’s helped Dr. Anabelle Reach of The Georgiabama branch of the Ottoman’s Collective with an experimental procedure in the gravemind. During the procedure some of the Wattsons were able to recover some vital information about the Shards of the Academic located in the morgue in Junction.

First there have been identified three distinct shards of the Academic’s personality located: white, gray, and black.The three shards all seem to be an aspect of the Academic herself, but are not coherent personalities.

The white shard is the most helpful of the three.  It seems to run on positive feelings and is drawn to those who are not related to the Academic in life or death.  While this one seems helpful, it does seem to lack a unified string of memories from the life of the Academic.

The gray shard appears almost neutral to a point that it does not seem to have an emotional response or any feelings attached to the memories it retains. While it is mostly an observer, it has inherited the pursuit of knowledge that the Academic held. Though it may be seeking out to learn new things it mostly seems neither helpful nor unhelpful.

The final shard is the black one. At this point in time it is unknown the level of memory this shard has retained. It seems to be consumed by rage and a slew of other negative emotions, but rage being the dominant. It seems to be the most aware of the fact that is it a fractured personality and seeks to be whole again. This shard is also able to recognize anyone that was a part of the Academic’s death and seeks to harm them in any way it can while they are in the gravemind.  All this being said it isn’t an understatement to say this is the most volatile of the shards.

At this current time with the Academic’s personality splintered and embedded in the Gravemind it makes it difficult to keep the whole personality together without it splintering back into the shards. Doing Videbits(which require a month's notice) might yield some results but it may cause risk and danger to any involved.  While doing these vidibits one may be able to interact with a specific shard, but how to guarantee the personality shard is the one you wish to seek out and that they are willing and able to help with the research is a separate thing. 

Things that may be garnered from this is the fact that those involved with the death of the Academic are most likely to cause the antagonistic side to surface in a very quick manner. So it might be best for all to have those not involved take up the mantle of this task. Those that had little contact with her before her death or involved with her death have the highest likelihood of pulling forward the White or Gray shards while those involved in her life or death would most likely pull the Black shard forward.

One guess that some have is that with the shards being embedded in the Gravemind as they are while still being somehow separate from the Gravemind allows them an opportunity to help study the gravemind in ways that haven't been able to be done by strains, in theory of course.  With the Shards being separate from the Gravemind, running a Vidibit Mortis on the Academic is more challenging and has a greater risk overall. This is due to the personality being more whole and vibrant than it should be. However this means that these Shards retain information in a way that is atypical for an imprint. If the Shards make a deal or promise with someone they will have a full memory of that experience.

MeMaw and her Shittens

In MeMaw’s absence, The TV’s helpfully agreed to watch the shittens living under MeMaw’s porch. Shittens are notoriously difficult creatures to care for, and somehow managed to escape the TV’s gentle care the night before MeMaw was returning to collect them. The shittens settled in all over The Springs Depot, requiring many of the Wattsons to search for them. By midday Saturday, most shittens had been returned to the TV’s who returned them to MeMaw. However, MeMaw was moved by how attached the town had become to the shittens, and so she allowed them to be adopted out to various Watsons. Time will only tell if they behave and listen to their new owners or try to seek out the refuge of their old home under MeMaw’s porch.

2024 - February

Compass Rose Council Convenes

The Compass Rose Council convened with multiple Georgiabama factions and the leadership of 40-Watt in attendance to discuss contentious topics related to the ongoing refugee crisis, trade deals between factions and the ongoing recovery from the Raider War and the Undead Hurricane last year. In attendance were the majority of 40-Watt’s elected council; Cardinals North, West, and East from Red Bird Rail; Bowie from the SouthWesterns; Yogii Usteew from Pyrometals,  CA510 representing the refugees from Savage Anne; Petra Pyrite representing the refugees from smaller towns and villages in southern Georgiabama; Dennison T. McGillicuddy from PPP; and Robby Baysan with the Wattson Farming & Agriculture Collective. 

The Compass Rose Council was at many points heated, as accusations of cross-faction crime, broken contracts, and mistreatments of refugees flew. The 40-Watt Council acted as moderators among all of the factions, each of whom were fighting for their own interests. By the end of the meeting, the ultimate fate of the refugees remained up in the air, but significant progress was made nonetheless. 

Based on discussions that occurred between the factions, Red Bird Rail agreed to renew their contract with Pyrometals with the caveat that if Pyrometals was unable to make shipments on time that Red Bird Ril was free to buy from secondary sources. The other factions - including 40-Watt itself - do not have an exclusive contract with Pyrometals and are free to buy and sell from both Pyrometals and The SouthWesterns as they desire. 

PPP and Watson Farming & Ag confirmed that they are both willing and able to take on several hundred refugees apiece to staff their reclaimed farms. Petra Pyrite seemed most interested to work with these factions to place her people, though these two factions alone cannot place everyone in need. Petra Pyrite made it clear that the refugees she represents are most keen on finding new places to settle where they will be both financially and physically secure. Given that most of them are from settlements that have been entirely destroyed, their priorities make sense. 

CA510, on the other hand, indicated that the refugees he represents are keen to stay together to retain as much of Savage Anne’s culture as possible. In response, the 40-Watt Council offered to help CA510 and his people retrofit The Lodge as a new home. The Lodge has a long history. Originally, it served as a lair for The Huntress. After she was ousted by 40-Watt, the Lodge lay in disrepair for several years before being retrofitted as a defensible shelter for the people of The Springs during the Undead Hurricane. Though The Lodge is probably not big enough on its own to house all of the refugees CA510 represents, it’s possible that 40-Watt could use The Lodge and it’s grounds as a viable starting point to help build a new settlement. CA510 seemed open to this idea. 

There was a great degree of debate at the Compass Rose Council regarding whether or not Pyrometals and The SouthWesterns should be allowed to continue collecting salvaged materials from settlements destroyed in the Undead Hurricane. CA510 was strongly opposed to this practice on moral grounds, while Petra Pyrite seemed more neutral in the face of the increased demand for scrap across Georgiabama. The 40-Watt Council suggested that the SouthWesterns and Pyrometals could continue to salvage towns that were truly beyond repair, but needed to give refugees that had formerly lived their the opportunity to retrieve any personal goods. The 40-Watt Council also offered to help The SouthWesterns and Pyrometals set up mines to help bolster their ability to create scrap, which both factions seemed interested in. 

Cardinal North of Red Bird Rail indicated that 40-Watt and the refugees had the opportunity to set up newly rebuilt communities for success by ensuring that those communities were capable of being self-sustaining. 40-Watt seemed to agree with this assessment, but indicated that more information was needed before making any final decisions about what settlements should be set up where. It seems likely that these final decisions will be mapped out at the March trade meeting. 

Luckily, throughout the weekend Wattsons were seen helping refugees and factions survey settlements that had been impacted by the Undead Hurricane. Late on Saturday, it seemed that the surveys of these settlements bore some fruit, and will likely help in the effort to redraw the map of Georgiabama next month.

40-Watt at War 

Conflict between 40-Watt, The Burned, The Maws and The Lost Boys came to a head over the weekend. Early on Friday, rumors started to swirl that Charity Maw - MeMaw’s daughter and second-in-command to the Maw Family - was missing. Furthermore, before sunrise on Saturday morning, 40-Watt was confronted by the unfortunate news that The Wyrm had murdered one Bethany Maw in cold blood in front of her wife of only three weeks - Chrissy Maw. Unfortunately, Bethany Maw returned from the morgue for her final walk and was put down by Wattsons. Her body was returned to the Maw Family for last rites. Chrissy Maw told the Wattsons that The Wyrm had questioned her and her wife about The Lost Boys and their leaders - The Maw and Pan. However, when neither Chrissy nor Bethany were able to give The Wyrm the answers they desired, The Wyrm murdered Bethany as a warning. 

The news of Charity Maw’s disappearance was unfortunately confirmed early on Saturday, when one of her cousins found her Princess Swampster Truck abandoned in the Oaken Swamps. Several members of 40-Watt helped Charity’s cousin to track what appeared to be a group dragging Charity through the Swamps. At the end of the trail, the Wattsons discovered evidence of Charity being dragged into a second vehicle and found a jacket emblazoned with “The Burned” on the back. 

This evidence spread quickly through both The Springs Depot and The Springs proper, especially after 40-Watt apprised MeMaw of the situation. Unfortunately, no further developments were made until The Wyrm sent a letter to Memaw offering a deal - that The Wyrm would return Charity to MeMaw only if MeMaw would trade them The Maw. MeMaw maintained that she and her family had no connection to The Maw or to The Lost Boys, and that she was unable to comply with The Wyrm’s demands. She asked for 40-Watt’s help to rescue Charity. 

40-Watt agreed to help rescue Charity Maw and went to meet with The Burned. The Wattsons discovered a gruesome scene, wherein The Wyrm was torturing Charity Maw for information about The Maw and The Lost Boys by way of cutting off her fingers one digit at a time. A 40-Watt Council member who was formerly a member of The Burned confronted The Wyrm and claimed that he was in fact The Maw. Violence between 40-Watt and The Burned broke out almost immediately. Wattsons were able to successfully rescue Charity Maw. However, the Wyrm made a quiet escape, abandoning several members of The Burned to die on the field. 

As a result of these events, the 40-Watt Council agreed that The Burned had gone unchecked for too long, and officially made a declaration of war against the Resurgens gang. MeMaw and Charity Maw are in hiding for now, but plan to return to The Springs soon. MeMaw asked the new Director of Programming and the local TVs to look after the Shittens living under her porch while she was out of town. We wish them the best of luck, as MeMaw’s shittens are known to bite. 

Gravemind Instability Explained

Over the course of the weekend, multiple Graverobbers and members of 40-Watt worked together to conduct research into the Gravemind instability that has plagued the region since the Archon attacks last year. This instability has resulted in Grave Pits, Grave Orbs and what appear to be shadowy figures in the Gravemind itself. This research took the form of a Grave Dive using Proficient Necrokinetics and a Videbit Mortis procedure on The Academic. 

The initial Grave Dive revealed some extremely concerning information regarding the wounds to the Gravemind that the Archons caused at Savage Anne and Junction. This information includes the following: 

The Gravemind instability that has been plaguing all of Georgiabama is primarily due to holes in the Gravemind at Savage Anne & The Exclusion Zone. These holes are likely the result of the Archons destroying a massive amount of infection at both of these sites. 

• So much infection was destroyed at once that the Gravemind cannot fix it on its own - at least, not quickly. Usually, if infection is stolen or destroyed, the natural cycle of life and death will replace it. In usual circumstances, the Mortis Amaranthine would grow back much like the body would heal a wound. However, in this case this healing is very slow because the wounds are so large. 

• Left to its own devices, The Gravemind will probably take many decades - perhaps centuries - to heal the damage. Until it heals, the Gravemind instability will continue. 

• The only thing that is currently known that would heal this wound would be mass death at or near the site of the wound. Mass death would require at least hundreds of strains worth of infection loss - if not more. But such a sacrifice would necessitate infection loss - preventing that loss would make the sacrifice a moot point. 

• Fixing this issue would also require those addressing it to be physically near the site of the wounds - they can’t be fixed from afar.

• The entities that multiple people have encountered in The Gravemind before appear to not be directly related to these wounds in The Gravemind. Instead, they appear to be personality shards of someone. These shards are embedded into the Georgiabama Mortis Amaranthine at Junction. 

Later on Saturday evening, enterprising Wattsons returned to The Gravemind for the Videbit Mortis with The Academic. The Academic was formerly the leader of The Broken Bulbs - a group that included The Wyrm, The Huntress and The Apostate. The Academic historically had a contentious relationship with 40-Watt, but offered to help them defeat The Archon at Junction. She sacrificed six of her own infection to power the Grave Net procedure, which prevented those who died in the battle with The Archon from losing more than one infection during the duration of the procedure. After the procedure, members of Murder Inc worked together to permanently kill the Academic. This proved to strain the relationship between The Ottoman’s Collective and 40-Watt, as Dr. Ethan Samuels had just inducted The Academic into The Ottoman’s collective. Dr. Samuels demanded that The Academic’s body be returned to him after her Final Walk as a Widower, whereupon he was seen injecting a vial of glowing blue liquid into her corpse.

The Wattsons have long theorized that at least one of the shards in The Gravemind has been related to The Academic, as there have been reports of this shard targeting members of 40-Watt who were involved with The Academic’s demise. However, the Videbit on Saturday all but confirmed this theory. The Videbit appeared to be able to temporarily stitch together the fractured shards of The Academic’s personality into a whole, enabling the Wattsons to question her. She revealed that she knew going into the Grave Net procedure that 40-Watt was likely to betray her, and that a side effect of the Grave Net was that it would leave an imprint of her on the Mortis Amaranthine at Junction. 

Unfortunately, this imprint appears to be unstable and fractured. The Academic indicated that outside of the Videbit, her shards are incomplete versions of herself. Some of them may be perfectly benign and potentially even helpful. However, others may react poorly to Wattsons - especially those that she recognizes as having been involved in her death. The Academic appeared to indicate that if 40-Watt was willing to help her figure out a way to become “whole again” that she would be willing to leave them alone. How 40-Watt might be able to address the shards embedded at the Junction Gravemind is a mystery that remains to be solved. 

Luckily for 40-Watt, the relationship between 40-Watt and The Ottoman’s Collective has been mended significantly in the last several months thanks in large part to cooperation between the Wattsons and Dr. Anabelle Reach. Dr. Reach is the local representative for The Ottoman’s Collective in Georgiabama. They were seen on Saturday meeting with a local Graverobber and a member of the 40-Watt Council, presumably to discuss the Gravemind instability. Dr. Reach indicated that The Ottoman’s collective would be willing to continue to work with 40-Watt to uncover alternatives to mass murder for healing the wounds in The Gravemind. 

Finally, a local has discovered a new tool that will enable those with Master Necrokinetics to heal one fracture at a time rather than having to pull all or nothing. This discovery could not come at a better time, given that the Gravemind appears to be particularly fragile with no easy solution in sight for the foreseeable future. 

Saint Ponce’s Boombox Beats On

The Devil of Georgia made a surprise appearance late Friday evening carrying Saint Ponce’s boombox. Saint Ponce was once the host of W.Z.O.A and was a beloved leader for the KQC faith in Georgiabama. Saint Ponce gave his life to defeat the Archon that attacked Junction last year, literally allowing himself to be used to power the Holy Towers that prohibited the Archon from rifting away and made it vulnerable enough to kill. Prior to Ponce’s untimely demise, he quite literally emitted the beat of his faith wherever he went. Sadly, his boombox fell silent in his absence. 

The Devil of Georgiabama is another leader of the KQC faith in Georgiabama. The Devil brought the boombox back to 40-Watt in an effort to repower the holy relic. With the help of the Wattson’s, the Devil’s quest proved successful, and they were able to imbue Ponce’s boombox with The Beat once more. 

Attack of the Man-Eating Goats

Reports from early Saturday morning indicate that a camp of Burned members was brutally attacked and murdered. Survivors of this attack claimed that Man-eating goats that apparently appear to have an addiction to crystal candy and psionic crystals were to blame. While this story was difficult to believe, some Wattsons have corroborated that these hyper-aggressive goats were seen at The Springs Depot shortly after. No one is really sure what to make of this development. 

The Night Bumped Back

In the early hours of Sunday morning, one of the two remaining Archons in Georgiabama was seen at The Springs Depot. The Archon appeared to be directing several brutal and twisted creatures to attack the Wattsons at The Springs Depot. These creatures appeared to be combinations of Raiders and Undead stitched together in an unholy and frightening combination. 

The Archon had these creatures drag several Wattsons to it, where it proceeded to vivisect them while they were still alive. Two Wattsons bravely sacrificed themselves to this abyssal horror, which appeared briefly to work as it disappeared into the darkness. The Archon then reappeared in The Tavern at the Springs Depot briefly, terrorizing those inside before vanishing once more. 

Bananas Sweeter Without Candy

Members of the “Banana Cult” returned to town after having been sent to the Maws last month to deal with their Crystal Candy problem. These newly reformed Bananas indicated that while the Maws had cured them of their addiction to Crystal Candy, they were looking for a less addictive substance that could replace it. A local Artisanal Cuisiner helped them to craft a new substance that can help them (and others) to survive combat situations with more ease:

Also, apparently one of the Bananas impulsively married a relatively new member of 40-Watt. We wish the new couple joy in their matrimony. 

2024 - January

Red Bird Rail Closing Camps

Cardinal West of Red Bird Rail confirmed that Red Bird Rail is closing the refugee camps they have been supporting throughout Georgiabama in March. They have advised the refugees that they have until then to find permanent homes. While Red Bird Rail was instrumental in maintaining the safety of the refugees that fled the Undead Hurricane and the Archons that attacked last April, the faction has stated that they cannot continue to support this many people indefinitely. Additionally, the added financial strain and damage caused by the war with the Raider King has further stretched their finances. Red Bird Rail has confirmed that they must begin reinvesting in the railway infrastructure throughout the area in order to ensure that the trade and transportation routes between settlements remain open. 

Refugees are understandably worried about this news, and have been seeking out options for a permanent home. A group of refugees originally from Savage Anne led by an Iron named CA510 have sent a small group of scouts to survey the area and see if it can be saved. Rumors from The Georgiabama Jones Collective indicate that the area is likely uninhabitable, but the refugees could not be dissuaded from trying to resettle their home. 

Refugees from smaller settlements led by a Baywalker named Petra Pyrite are concerned about finding settlements with enough infrastructure left to repopulate. Petra showed up to The Springs depot to express their concerns to the 40-Watt council and has asked for help. It’s clear that no one is sure how many refugees exactly remain and how many abandoned settlements could be effectively reclaimed - more surveys and research is needed to understand the scale of the issue. 

Pan’s Lost Boys Burned

Peter Pan - a local Nemesis who led several attacks on The Burned during Fright Nights -  captured local 40-Watt Council member Baron. Pan questioned Baron to find out more about how The Burned are infiltrating 40-Watt through the 40-Watt Council, but was interrupted by a group of Wattsons new to The Springs Depot. Pan de-escalated the situation and released Baron when confronted by the group. 

Before disappearing into the night with his Lost Boys, Pan reminded the new Wattsons who rescued Baron about some of the Wyrm’s previous crimes. The Wyrm had previously worked with The Academic to destroy several nearby settlements so that they could gain resources and funnel the survivors of those settlements into The Academic's infection farms. Furthermore, The Wyrm is known to have been an associate of both The Huntress and The Apostate, who have a dark history with The Springs. Pan expressed that The Wyrm cannot be trusted and that they wanted the Burned out of their territory. 

Later, when The Wyrm came to The Spring Depot to meet with members of The Burned, The Head Electrician of 40-Watt gave The Wyrm information about how to determine who was a Lost Boy. The Wyrm was very polite within town, but once they entered the wasteland they went on a calculated rampage, reportedly killing 15 Lost Boys on Friday night. However, since these murders took place in The Wasteland, the Wyrm technically has not committed any crimes within 40-Watt’s purview.

Research revealed that the only way to remove the Lost Boy tattoo is to pass through the Gravemind in some way or to remove and regrow the limb. It is unlikely that passing through the Gravemind will work for Baywalkers, and removing and regrowing the limb may have unintended consequences for that strain. 

Competition Heating Up Between Pyrometals and the SouthWesterns

On Saturday, Bowie - the leader of the SouthWesterns - came into town to discuss trade with the 40-Watt Council. Bowie mentioned that while conflict has been heating up between them and some refugee factions, he has thus far asked his DJs not to escalate towards violence. Bowie has been clear about the fact that The Southwesterns are seeking a copacetic relationship between themselves, 40-Watt, and other local factions. They agreed to come to the table to hash out a trade deal with other factions. 

Similarly, Yogii - the Union leader for Pyrometals - came to 40-Watt to express his displeasure with the SouthWesterns and to reiterate that they have a long-standing contract for Scrap with Red Bird Rail and 40-Watt. Yogii’s issue does not seem to be that the Southwesterns are salvaging in destroyed settlements - as it appears that Pyrometals has begun doing this as well. Rather, the issue seems to be that the Southwesterns are competing with Pyrometals and may be impacting their own bottom line. 

However, it is worth noting that Wattsons worked productively with both groups throughout the weekend, managing to forestall an escalation of violence. There is a rumor that a shipment of Pyrometals scrap was stolen late Saturday, but the culprits are currently unknown. 

Wattson’s Farming & Agriculture and Triple P Reclaim Lost Farmland

New representatives from Wattson’s Farming & Agriculture and Triple P came into The Springs Depot on Saturday to meet with Wattsons. The representative from Wattson’s Farming and Agriculture is a Merican by the name of Robby Baysan. The representative from Triple P is a Pureblood by the name of Dennison T. McGillicuddy. It’s clear that both farming factions are working together well, likely because they have different specializations. 

Both groups worked with 40-Watt to clear some fields and prepare them for spring planting. They indicated that they are willing to take custom and bulk orders from Wattsons. Wattson’s Farming and Agriculture specializes in Common, Uncommon and Rare Herb, as well as non-strain specific meals and brews. Triple P on the other hand specializes in named herb and specialty meals and brews. 

Both factions indicated that they need to hire more people to keep up with demand. Wattsons Farming and Agriculture is looking for independent farmers who can effectively run their own farms as part of their collective, while Triple P is looking to hire employees for their owned and operated farms. Wattsons Farming and Agriculture offers fewer benefits but more freedom, while working for Triple P offers more long-term security. 

Huntress Hunted

An experimental procedure facilitated by Dr. Anabelle Reach revealed that The Huntress is still in the general area of The Oaken Swamps. Memories elicited from a raider brain indicated that she was killed by raiders sometime in the recent past. However, unfortunately there’s no reason to believe that she lost her last infection in the exchange. While the Huntress hasn’t been active in the immediate area of The Springs since 40-Watt defeated her several years ago, it is concerning that she’s still out there.  

Tales from Savage Anne and The Exclusion Zone

Adam Hawksborne of The Georgiabama Jones Collective confirmed that it will take at least two to three more months for the Jones to set up a base camp at The Exclusion Zone. The Georgiabama Jones Collective has reported that there’s been an emergence of rare scrap and pre-fall artifacts in the area of the Exclusion Zone, but that the area is extremely dangerous due to mutated hostile wildlife. The area may be very valuable for Jonesing and salvaging, but is likely not habitable for the long term. 

Adam hinted that The Georgiabama Jones Collective will likely ask for 40-Watt’s help setting up this basecamp camp once they’ve made it deep enough into the Exclusion Zone. He also shared that reports from Savage Anne indicate that it has been totally destroyed and isn’t even worth returning to for Jonesing. Bowie with the SouthWesterns had similar opinions. 

Grave Instability

Research from more experimental procedures confirmed that there are two large “holes” in the Gravemind in Georgiabama, accounting for the majority of the instability throughout the region.Those in the know have theorized that these holes are located where the Archons destroyed the morgues and a massive amount of infection at Savage Anne and the Exclusion Zone (formerly the Crater on the Hill). 

There are also rumors of three entities embedded in the Gravemind, which have been seen several times in post-death scenes and Gravemind procedures. At least one of these entities seems to be targeting those who had something to do with the death of The Academic last year. 

Two members of the 40-Watt council died to one of the Grave Pits, proving how dangerous the pits can be. Though the pit was closed through the use of Master Mental Endurance, it seemed that doing so may have caused harm to the Gravemind and could lead to future repercussions. A safer way to close the pits is through Necrokinetics, as discovered by Shiloh previously. 

2023 - November

Raider King Defeated!

40-Watt bravely defeated the Raider King and his army when the King attacked The Springs Depot. Furthermore, in an act of notable heroism, 40-Watt chose to pass up on reinforcements to send them on to help defend The Springs proper instead. This decision helped to ensure a minimal loss of life in The Springs, which does not have as robust of a defensive force as 40-Watt. The Springs remains grateful for 40-Watt’s assistance. Pro-40-Watt sentiment continues to grow in The Springs as 40-Watt continues to aid and defend the smaller settlement. 

In more positive news, reports from Red Bird Rail and Gold Line indicate that with the Raider King dead, the large encampments of raiders are breaking up into more normal-sized tribes. Signs indicate that while raiders will always be a threat in the wastes, without the Raider King to organize forces, the threat will return to a more normal level. Despite this, some are concerned that the raiders who created The Raider King and the Lieutenants in the first place may still pose a longer term concern.

Muscadine Mania

A new injectable was discovered nearby at Paradise Isles that proved invaluable during the Raider King’s attack. The injection - made primarily from a naturally-occurring type of grape - provides Strains with the ability to resist certain types of mental effects. Most especially, it helps to resist the urge to defend antagonists or worse - confuse friends for enemies. Given that there are now multiple threats becoming common to Georgiabama and Paradise Isles that have similar abilities, it's likely that Musca-wine will continue to be useful. 

40-Watt Elects New Head Electrician & Council

40-Watt expressed their political activism over the weekend, electing a new Head Electrician, a new Council, and (finally) passing a new set of laws. The New Head Electrician is Everett. Everett is joined by fellow council members Dreamer, Baron, Kalyka, and Riot. Everett also appointed Shiloh to a new position created to manage the Head Electrician’s meeting schedule and to keep an official record - the Council Secretary. 

In his last act as Head Electrician of 40-Watt, former Head Electrician Victer helped to pass the “40-Watt Freedoms.” These freedoms represent the first batch of official laws passed by 40-Watt and apply to (presumably) all of the towns that have accepted 40-Watt’s rule: 

A SouthWestern Outreach

An emissary from The Southwesterns - a group of DJ’s associated with The Aerodrome encampment - arrived at The Springs Depot Saturday evening to speak with the newly elected 40-Watt Council. The Southwesterns have recently come into conflict with several smaller groups of refugees that have been looking to resettle some of the areas that were previously abandoned during the Storm of Undead. The Southwesterns have been salvaging in the abandoned areas that the refugees are looking to resettle. Refugees feel that they have an innate right to these areas, whereas the Southwesterns are of the opinion that since the areas have been abandoned for months, they are first-come-first-serve. 

The 40-Watt council will meet with the leadership of the Southwesterns at the January meet in the Springs Depot at 12:00pm on Saturday to discuss the ongoing conflict between the Southwesterns and the refugees looking to resettle their homes. 

Stories from the Exclusion Zone 

Two Joneses of the Georgiabama Jones Collective came through The Springs Depot late on Saturday evening spreading stories of their time in The Exclusion Zone. The Exclusion Zone - formerly the Crater on the Hill, and before that The City on The Hill - has been an area of extended mystery. Based on what the Joneses - named Adam Hawksborne and Toby - were saying, the landscape of the area has been twisted in strange ways. Presumably, this is due in part to the effects that one of the Archons had when it destroyed the morgue and a vast amount of infection in the area. While this remains speculation, it would match with the type of destruction witnessed several months ago in Savage Anne. However, Adam and Toby mentioned a number of strange and deadly flora and fauna in the area, the likes of which have not been reported near what little remains of Savage Anne. 

Adam and Toby mentioned that the Georgiabama Jones Collective is still working to make it to the center of the Exclusion Zone. Given the extreme degree of danger associated with the endeavor, it may take several more months to reach the area that used to be inhabited. 40-Watt was able to buy a very odd crystal that originated in the Exclusion Zone from Adam, but the effects and utility of the object remain to be seen. 

Local TechnoSavant creates Quick-fix Tape

Local Technosavant Jed has contributed to 40-Watt once more through the creation of a new quick-fix for broken weapons, gizmos, vehicles and room augments. The new tape - Swamp Duct Tape - provides a way for even novice artisans to quickly fix items in the heat of battle. This new invention is likely to save not only time - but also lives - throughout Georgiabama. 

Grave Pits and solutions

Dr. Anabelle Reach of the Ottoman's Collective confirmed that the Gravemind throughout Georgiabama remains unstable. In addition to rumors of personality shards trapped within the Gravemind and glowing orbs that suck anyone who touches them directly into the Mortis Amaranthine, there have also been numerous reports of Grave Pits popping up throughout the area. The Grave Pits appear to be areas where the barrier to the Mortis Amaranthine has thinned. People unfortunate enough to begin bleeding out within the Grave Pits tend to immediately sink and lose an infection. Grave Pits also tend to spawn undead. 

Luckily, The Children of Death came to 40-Watt looking for help researching these Grave Pits. the Children of Death are seeking a safer way to close the Grave Pits to at least mitigate some of the danger they pose. The new Secretary of 40-Watt - Shiloh - worked with Reis of The Children of Death to conduct research on the matter. With the help of other members of 40-Watt, they were able to close the Grave Pit closest to The Springs Depot. While there's no guarantee that another Grave Pits won't open in the area, at least their research seems to be uncovering a way to consistently close the dangerous pits. 

Rumor has it that several members of 40-Watt joined the Children of Death. While the Children of Death have often been a misunderstood faction, on the whole they appear to be a research organization interested in understanding the ins-and-outs of the local Gravemind. 

2023 - October

Raider War Comes to The Springs

Increased attacks from bands of raiders have been spreading throughout Georgiabama, driven by a Raider known as the “Raider King” and his five lieutenants. 40-Watt was able to work with other factions in the area - including Red Bird Rail, Gold Line, and Fort B - to uncover more information about this growing threat. In particular, it appears that the Raider King and his lieutenants are the products of some form of mad science, as their bodies show evidence of surgical alteration and they appear to be derived from multiple different Raider lineages. Each of these raiders appears to be much stronger than average, and many of them seem to have the ability to temporarily control those unfortunate enough to be infected with Bad Brain. 

Evidence from a Videbit Mortis performed by 40-Watt showed that the Raider King is extremely dangerous and is likely organizing the raiders for a concerted attack. The procedure also gathered evidence that shows that the Raider King is likely controlling the raiders through violence and force of personality. If the Raider King is defeated, it is possible that the raiders’ organizational structure will disappear and that they will return to a more typical threat level. 

Unfortunately, it appears that the Raiders have developed a way to bring the Lieutenants - and likely the King - back from the dead so long as they can recover at least part of the body. This harrowing development was discovered when a Lieutenant that was killed on Friday evening returned to attack The Springs Depot on Saturday morning. Luckily, existing evidence indicated that if the majority of the body is burnt or otherwise destroyed that this resurrection process will not work. 

Raider Lieutenants Defeated?

Research gathered by Gold Line and Red Bird Rail indicate that each of the five Raider Lieutenants play a specific role in the Raider King’s army. Killing or demoralizing the lieutenants is likely to be 40-Watt’s top priority in order to undermine the Raider King’s power before he attacks. 

Two of the remaining Raider Lieutenant’s appeared to be a combination of Thrill Kill and  Marshland raiders. Originally, it was believed that these two lieutenants were a single entity because they are difficult to track and especially skilled in stealth. These lieutenants appear to work very closely together and are responsible for the Raider King’s spy network and information gathering. There have been reports that these lieutenants and the raiders they control are likely to kidnap Strains. These two lieutenants are still at large. 

Another living Raider Lieutenant is likely a combination of a Rust Raider and a Grave Head Raider. They are fairly easy to track, but are described as ‘extremely creepy’. This lieutenant is likely the one that developed the procedure to make the Raider King and the Lieutenants stronger than average, and appears to be in charge of medicine and scientific experimentation. This lieutenant is also known for kidnapping and experimenting on strains.  

One of the raider lieutenants was most likely some combination of a Thrill Kill and Warpath Raider. It seems like this lieutenant was mostly responsible for leading the most aggressive and feral of the raiders- the shock troops of the Raider King’s army. Luckily, 40-Watt was able to defeat this Lieutenant Saturday evening, hopefully significantly diminishing the most aggressive of the Raider King’s forces. Reports indicate that this Lieutenant’s body was burned which should keep them permanently deceased. 

Finally, the Raider Lieutenant who was a combination of a Rust Raider and a Warpath raider seemed to split their time in between being in the camp, leading raiding parties, and making deliveries of goods and rides to other camps. They were in charge of moving supplies and troops for the Raider King’s army. 40-Watt was able to take advantage of some last minute information to coordinate a surprise attack against this lieutenant when one of their Raider Rides broke down in transit. 40-Watt was able to kill this lieutenant and burn their body as well. 

Outsider Attack!

Doctor Anabelle Reach - the new local representative from the Ottoman’s Collective - made their first appearance at The Springs Depot this month. Dr. Reach came into town asking for assistance with a Videbit Mortis that she had been commissioned by W.Z.O.A. to perform to search for one of their Caspers that had gone missing in the last month. W.Z.O.A. was concerned that the Casper was missing or dead, and asked for assistance from Dr. Reach given that her research is focused on The Gravemind. However, Dr. Reach was unable to perform the procedure due to a number of ongoing time-sensitive experiments, and so subcontracted the effort out to Wattsons. 

The procedure took a dark turn as Wattsons discovered that the missing Casper had been abducted and vivisected by one of the remaining Outsiders. The purpose of this gruesome vivisection remains unclear. In an even more distressing turn of events, the effort to uncover the Casper’s memories in The Gravemind seemed to somehow pull the Outsider out of the memory and into the Mortis itself. When The Gravemind violently ejected the Wattsons, the Outsider followed them. The Outsider then attacked those in the area, managing to wound several Wattsons and kill three. 

While there is no indication that Dr. Reach had any idea that the Videbit would have this result, it nevertheless may benefit the Wattsons to work with The Ottoman’s Collective to continue to research how and why this unfortunate event occurred. At the very least, it is proof that while 40-Watt was able to kill one of the three Archons that threatened Georgiabama, the remaining two are still a significant threat and may reappear at any time. 

Gravemind Shards & Flesh Pits

Folks around The Springs and throughout Georgiabama continue to report odd phenomena related to The Gravemind. In particular, several strains who lost an infection or who entered the Gravemind through a procedure reported the feeling of being watched by some entity. Others encountered an ephemeral entity (or entities) that spoke to them directly. Little is known yet about what this entity (or entities) may be, but thus far they have not been actively hostile to those in the Gravemind. Those who are knowledgeable in the subject say that while the Gravemind isn’t actively wounded, there may still be something wrong with it. Those with necrokinetics described the feeling of a thorn growing into flesh or a wound healing over shrapnel to attempt to relay an idea of what may be wrong. 

Potentially relatedly, another Flesh Pit opened near The Springs Depot and spawned a horde of Gorehounds. These Flesh Pits continue to pose a dangerous threat to the community, as anyone who is in bleedout who gets dragged inside one will lose an infection and sink immediately. In good news, a group of strains with necrokinetic abilities were able to work together to close the Flesh Pit and prevent more undead from spawning. It remains to be seen whether this resolved the issue or was just a temporary solution to a more systematic problem.

Finally, a glowing orb was once again seen early Sunday morning. The orbs tend to attract people who are close to them. Those unlucky enough to touch the orbs find themselves ripped into the Gravemind. While they do not seem to lose infection through this experience, they do typically gain one or more fractures. No one is sure what is causing these orbs or if they are related to the other odd gravemind-related incidents. 

A Tale from Neverland

The Fright Nights holiday was celebrated throughout The Springs and The Springs Depot this year as groups of Trick-or-Treaters and their Chaperone was seen asking Wattsons for candy. Overall, the participants were fairly well-behaved, though there were some tense moments as Wattsons reacted poorly to the faceless Chaperone. Beetlejuice was also seen several times throughout the weekend, doing his duty as the Director of Programming. 

Separately, a group of Nemesis known as “The Lost Boys” and following an enigmatic figure calling himself “Peter Pan” targeted The Wyrm and The Burned. Peter Pan and The Lost Boys attacked the Burned several times over the course of the weekend, culminating in a surprise attack where they took The Wyrm’s hand and left them with a hook. While this attack was ongoing, a mysterious figure wearing an alligator skull and skin known as “The Maw” shared with Wattsons the Script of The Maw. Peter Pan returned and escorted The Maw “back to Neverland” shortly before The Wyrm turned up at The Springs Depot, demanding to know who was involved with the attacks against their person. As the real identities of Peter Pan, The Lost Boys, and The Maw were never revealed, the Wyrm may have a hard time figuring out who to target for retribution. However, given the Wyrm’s personality, it remains to be seen whether they will be patient enough to wait to find the right target to explode on. 

Conflict Over Semi-Abandoned Towns Brews

Refugees came to complain to the Wattsons at The Springs Depot over the weekend after discovering that a group of DJs from the Aerodrome - calling themselves the SouthWesterns - had apparently been ‘looting and pillaging’ the towns that the refugees had abandoned some months ago during the Undead Hurricane. While the refugees were upset that the SouthWesterns were taking salvage from the abandoned towns, the DJ clan pointed out that these towns have been abandoned for months and that the goods and salvage in them were going to waste. The refugees are looking to end their refugee status and resettle the area, but the DJ’s are of the opinion that after months of neglect, what goods remain are a matter of ‘finders, keepers’. Furthermore, the DJs are representatives of a large group of tribes that have thus far had only very limited contact with the rest of Georgiabama, but who could become trading partners if the relationship with 40-Watt isn’t soured. 

While the conflict has not escalated to violence yet, harsh words have been shared between the refugees, the SouthWesterns, and 40-Watt. As 40-Watt is a powerful influence in local politics, how they choose to handle this issue could very well make the difference between opening up trade or war with the Aerodrome. Complicating the issue is the upcoming 40-Watt Council elections, where power may change hands. 

2023 - August

Whispers of a Raider War 

Representatives of Red Bird Rail and Little Vegasia brought new concerning tidings to 40-Watt and The Springs. Little Vegasia continues to report increased activity from Raiders, while Red Bird Rail reported that several of their depots have been overtaken by organized parties of Raiders. The increased amount of raider attacks has led to an epidemic of Bad Brain among Wattsons and in other settlements. 

40-Watt managed to uncover a lost scouting report from Red Bird Rail, which uncovered the following information: 

Furthermore, Wattsons familiar with Raiders were able to observe odd behavior from the Raiders that attacked the Springs. Those with expertise in the matter provided the following opinions:

Finally, Wattsons were able to conduct their own Raider camp raid and uncovered a map that was apparently created by Raiders.

By reviewing this map, Wattsons were able to determine the following:

• There are five main camps of raiders in Georgiabama. 

• Four of the five camps appear to be the same size. One is slightly bigger. 

• The symbols next to each of the four smaller raider camps appear to indicate that these camps are specialized in some way, but it’s difficult to determine exactly how. 

• The fifth and largest raider camp appears to house someone very important to the raiders - a leader of some sort. 

• The arrows on the map appear to indicate raider troop movements. The smaller camps may be somewhat mobile. The larger camp is probably less so. 

• The Raiders are definitely aware of where the largest strain settlements in Georgiabama are, are aware of the Red Bird Rail lines and the most popular caravan routes. 

All of this information has led many to the conclusion that a Raider War is brewing for Georgiabama. With many settlements in a weakened state still on the heels of the Undead Hurricane and a large number of refugees still homeless or housed in temporary refugee camps, it remains to be seen how 40-Watt and the remainder of Georgiabama will handle this burgeoning threat. 

Split Responses to the Children of Father Night

Wattsons have thus far shown a split response to the Children of Father Night. Members of the heretical Seasons cult have been led astray by The Apostate, who has taken on the mantle of Father Night himself while interacting with the group. The Apostate is well-known for twisting faiths to fit his own insane ends, and has been known to interfere with The Sainthood of Ashes, the Telling Visionists, and The Darwins in addition to the Seasons. 

Some Wattsons have begun reaching out to members of The Children of Father Night in an attempt to ‘deprogram’ them and lead them back to a less violent form of their faith. Such efforts have worked in the past with others that The Apostate has corrupted - notably, Dr. Mercy Amare of the Sainthood of Ashes and several Darwins. These efforts have not gone unnoticed by the Children of Father Night, and many believe that they are making progress. However, rumor has it that other members of the 40-Watt community took direct, violent action against the same Children of Father Night that their comrades attempted to talk to peacefully. 

It remains to be seen what the effects of these two radically different approaches will be on the membership of The Children of Father Night. In any case, the group is certainly currently receiving mixed signals from 40-Watt. 

Gravemind Happenings 

The Georgiabama Gravemind has reportedly been experiencing a variety of concerning symptoms, the exact causes of which still remain unknown.

 Firstly, Wattsons reported seeing a strange glowing orb late at night. Touching the orb appears to suck the victim directly into the Gravemind without killing them - similarly to a Death Brew. Being around the orbs also appears to subject Strains to various anomalous effects - from gravemind whispers to psychic agony. 

Another strange environmental effect of the ongoing Gravemind fuckery is the appearance of what some are calling “sinking pits” and others are referring to as “flesh pits.” These zones appear to be areas where the Gravemind is attempting to feed on infection. They appear to attract undead, and those unlucky enough to begin bleeding out in these areas tend to die immediately. These sinking pits have been described thusly: 

Finally, Wattsons reported that a giant pit of fire appeared in the Springs Depot area recently. This fire pit appeared to be a disruption caused by The Gravemind rather than created by some physical cause. Undead began spawning from the area, and anyone unlucky enough to be caught in it’s borders suffered psionic damage. Those familiar with this disruption described it as follows: 

Luckily, Cardinal West happened to be in The Springs Depot when this Gravemind fire pit erupted, and was able to pass on some much-needed wisdom from Daniel Not David regarding how to resolve the issue (at least in the short term). 

Perhaps in lucky news for 40-Watt, a new representative from The Ottoman’s Collective has been assigned to the region. While this representative - reportedly named Dr. Annabelle Reach - was not able to make it to The Springs Depot in time for the trade meet, they sent ahead their secretary Reginald. Reginald informed 40-Watt that Dr. Reach has an interest in researching the recent instability in the Georgiabama Gravemind and is interested in working with 40-Watt to learn more. Reginald also provided a variety of gifts from Dr. Reach as a token of their goodwill towards the settlement. Perhaps this new resource can help 40-Watt to uncover the issues driving the newly unstable Gravemind and help to find a resolution. 

Rumor or Real?

Rumors abound during the last trade meet in The Springs depot, some of which could neither be confirmed nor denied. 

One particularly concerning rumor was that Graverobbers who previously followed The Academic have formed a cult attempting to resurrect her from her final demise. Anyone with a passing understanding of The Gravemind knows that such actions rarely work out and are likely to have severe unintended consequences. Luckily, as far as anyone knows this is just a rumor - no one has been able to uncover substantiated evidence of this activity. 

Another rumor that has turned out to be about half true concerns a Final Knight relic. The relic was reported to be a blade that when used would cause immense suffering. However, it appears that when the relic was recovered - though it is a very nice knife - it nevertheless does not appear to have the rumored effects. For all intents and purposes, it appears to just be a very finely crafted AAA blade. Nevertheless, as it has religious meaning for the Final Knights, surely they will keep it safe and use it for its intended purpose. Which in all fairness, is not actually particularly comforting. 

A Lesson from The Wyrm

The enigmatic Wyrm visited The Springs depot during the last trade meet. They were looking for members of their organization that have gone missing, but in doing so had the opportunity to chat with several Wattsons. In particular, the Wyrm seemed to take a special interest in Baron, with whom they have a significant amount of fraught history. That history may be less fraught than we thought, as the Wyrm taught Baron how to become an Incinerator and also invited him to join The Burned.

While in town, The Wyrm was also interviewed by Shiloh and declined outright to duel Private Daniel. While The Wyrm is known for their violence and flair, they’re not particularly well known for being brave, so perhaps declining the duel shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise.

There was also an interesting letter found concerning some of the Burne’s activities in town…

COKE Delivers New Discovery

COKE has come out with a new project zone to help Wattsons develop experimental prints, products and procedures. The COKE research zone offers researchers the following ability to delve into their projects: 

C.O.K.E Project: 

C.O.K.E has provided a framework on an interesting prospect. One or more people may spend time researching to make progress on the project. Each project will need a certain number of Research actions dedicated to it as indicated on the ZoM.

Mechanics

Chosen Skill - Any skill can be used to conduct Research (not just Education!) as long as it relates to the project

Active Roleplay - 20 Minutes of Active Roleplay conducting Research, any skill use interrupts this timer and it must be restarted. Cannot stack with other skill use. i.e. Cannot actively use Foraging while doing your Active Roleplay for Research (even if the research is based off your Foraging). 

Education Your level of education adds to your Max Research Actions. 

Basic is +1, Proficient is +2, Master is +3. You only claim the highest of these bonuses.

Lore If you have a Lore you feel is applicable to your Research, you get +1 Max Research Action. This is entirely up to you and does not require approval from staff. Be inventive, have fun with it, but find a story way to explain it!

Achievements If you have an Achievement you feel is applicable to your Research, you get +1 Max Research Action . This is entirely up to you and does not require approval from staff. Be inventive, have fun with it, but find a story way to explain it!

Mind Expenditure

Not spent until the Research timer is completed, important!

5 Mind Spent per Research Action.

A Maximum of 6 Research Actions are possible per 20 minutes of Role Play.

In addition to the COKE project, COKE helped to deliver two new local prints: the Freezer Augment and the Burst Grenade. These new local prints will be available in the town print book moving forward, and read as follows: 

2023 - June

Raiders Return!

For the first time since the Undead Hurricane, raiders were seen in and around the Springs. Reportedly, raiders have also been seen in northern Georgiabama. There were reports from Little Vegasia and other northern settlements of more concentrated raider attacks. These northern settlements had fared well during the Undead Hurricane and took in a large number of refugees. 

Red Bird Rail also reported that small bands of raiders have been seen scoping out trains and some of the smaller depots. However, none of their stations or trains have been attacked yet. While many are not pleased that raiders have returned, others  are taking this as a sign that things may be returning to some kind of ‘normal’ and that some of the danger of the undead storm and the Archons have passed.

A Zone Unlike Another

Preliminary reports from the Georgiabama Jones Society indicate that the area that was once The City on The Hill, and was then The Crater on the Hill, is now becoming something else entirely. 

The Georgiabama Jones Society reported the following: 

• Area is more heavily radioactive

• While the area around the City on the Hill was radioactive the area extending out several miles around has a much higher amount then before.

• Strange mutations have been seen

• Many critters have died or left the area. The ones that remain seem to be changing at a rapid pace.

• More undead then normal

• While the Outsiders were noted to consume infectious material the area around the crater is seeing an increased amount of undead activity.

• Strange things have been sighted in the environment.

• Strange growths on and in the terrain, more psionic crystal growths and jones artifacts have become more common in the area. More detailed information is hard to gather due to the increased danger.

• A contingent of Darwins that had sought out the irradiated area as a symbol of their faith perished horribly when the Archon struck. 

Andrew from the Jones Society stated that they don’t have any concrete information yet and that this area remains very difficult to access with any degree of safety. However, they are interested in learning more. The Georgiabama Jones Society is looking into how long it would take to establish dig sites in the area, but does not have enough info yet. 

Sinking Sands & an Unstable Gravemind

On Friday night, graverobbers conducting two Infectus Mortis procedures found that there is still something amiss with the Georgiabama gravemind. Graverobbers reported feeling that there was someone or something watching them as they performed the usually dangerous procedures. The person or entity watching the graverobbers neglected to reveal it-or-them-selves, so no one can yet be sure what this means for the normally-stable Georgiabama gravemind. 

Additionally, an area outside of town was discovered that is especially dangerous. It appears that anyone who hits bleedout inside the area would immediately sink into the Gravemind. This sinkhole effect appeared to be spontaneously created by the Georgiabama Gravemind and was not strain-created. Furthermore, undead appear to be aware of the effect and were trying to purposefully drag wounded people into the area. More research is required to uncover the exact causes of this sinking zone, whether or not we should expect more of them, and what - if anything - can be done about them. 

Food Shortages in Refugee Camps

A group of discontented refugees alerted 40-Watt to the fact that some refugee camps were turning away refugees due in part to their strain and in part because refugee camps are running low on food and supplies. Charity Maw - one of MeMaw’s many children - reported to the 40-Watt council that the Maws had no knowledge of this and strongly opposed this practice. Charity told the Wattsons that there was no consensus or organized efforts in the Springs to turn away refugees based on strain, but that the Maws believed that some individuals in the Springs who were formerly connected to the Sheriff's department were falling back into bad behavior. 

However, Charity Maw did admit that The Springs needs help to continue to feed all of the refugees, as the Oaken Swamp that The Springs resides in makes for relatively poor farmland. 40-Watt did provide food to the refugees, which was deeply appreciated. However, The Springs has asked 40-Watt to broker some kind of ongoing support deal with various financial factions to enable a more permanent solution. The Maws made it clear that while they are doing their best to farm, the Oaken Swaps cannot support this number of refugees indefinitely. 

40-Watt town council members suggested that The Maws work with other families in the Springs - even those associated with Law Enforcement - to ensure that all refugees are treated equally and with dignity from here on out. Though Charity Maw was not pleased that 40-Watt, “wants her to work with the cops,” she did admit that the plan had some merit, and promised to work with others to ensure that the refugee camps are running equitably moving forward. 

Finn Langolier also met with members of the 40-Watt town council to talk about the political future of The Springs and how The Springs can best participate in their new government. The 40-Watt town council reportedly offered to give The Springs a representative on the council. The Springs has yet to elect their new councilmember, but several people are considering running.

REd Bird Rail Rebuilds

Red Bird Rail is looking to rebuild and repair the damage after the storm. Because Wattsons were able to save the Depot in the undead storm, they have a base of operations to build from. Most of their trains and engines survived. 

Red Bird Rail is focusing on repairing stations in larger settlements first and are waiting to expand back into smaller settlements (that have mostly been abandoned) to conserve resources. They have not tried to go back to Savage Anna - as far as they know, it’s unlivable and has been entirely abandoned. 

DnD Date Time

Daniel Not David of Red Bird Rail’s date went off the rails, causing the poor sweet bean to get rather intoxicated. Two Wattsons were paid by an unknown benefactor to guard Daniel Not David’s ill-fated date. Though the Wattsons were not willing to divulge the identity of Daniel’s mysterious benefactor, they did give him dating advice and protected him from raiders. 

Daniel Not David decided not to let his heart-shaped cupcakes go to waste, and instead offered to share them with everyone in the tavern as a “friendship date”. Cardinal West happened to come by The Pond while Daniel was still on his friendship date, and accepted Daniel’s semi-intoxicated overtures of friendship. The Cardinal asked Daniel not David some pointed questions about his future with Red Bird Rail. Daniel’s priority appears to be remaining employed and doing fun experiments with minimal oversight. 

Games in Good Fun

Wattson’s Farming & Agriculture Collective beat out Triple P in this year’s Salty Saltwise games, granting them fishing rights to the local waterways. The annual tradition is a friendly competition between the two companies, allowing them a fair way to decide who gets commercial fishing rights and avoid negatively impacting the environment by overfishing. Over the past year Wattson’s Farming & Agriculture Collective has struggled somewhat, so this may be a much needed break to help put them on even ground once more with their mostly-friendly rival company.  

Emergence of the Dead Ringers

A new threat has crawled forth from the Georgiabama Gravemind, dubbed the Dead Ringers. It began with tragedy, as Petrol of Troop 421 made a final choice to sacrifice himself to prevent the dormant nuclear power generator beneath what used to be the Lodge from going critical and killing those who had sought shelter in that structure so recently. The ties between that very power system being a holdover from the power system that overloaded and made the City on the Hill a crater was not lost on the members of Troop. Petrol, a former member of the Dead Six who destroyed the City on the Hill, took on this final solemn duty. 

But the world, it would seem, is cruel. From his suffering, from the ties that bind all strains and the Red Star in particular…a new type of undead was spawned alongside Petrols’. Pulling on the connections strains have to each other, these Undead were able to force Strain to fight against Strain, and to defend the husk that used to be Petrol in his final bloody tasks before he was put down for good. 

No good deed goes unpunished, and the Mortis is not known for mercy. 

2023 - April

40-Watt Saves Georgiabama (with help)

Over the course of the weekend areas across Georgiabama came under attack by the massive horde of undead. Several minor settlements were destroyed, but the Wattsons were able to save many of the residents by choosing to forego providing them with supplies in favor of evacuation.

A Walking Tomb was spotted heading to the Waystation, and the Wattsons elected to send several squads to help defend it along with many supplies. Due to their support, The Waystation and the refugees it housed were saved. 

The main Red Bird Rail Depot was next on the chopping block.The Wattsons sent several squads to reinforce and defend the area. Red Bird Rail was able to hold out due to this support, though it was very close!

Late Saturday afternoon, the Wattsons realized that they did not have enough supplies and mission-capable squads to effectively support all of the endangered settlements and refugee camps. In desperation, members of the town council reached out to Gold Line to ask for help. Gold line responded that if the Wattsons provided them with several hundred cassettes and a significant amount of scrap, they would, “make it worth your while.” Running out of time and options, the Wattsons acquiesced to Gold Line’s deal, and for their part Gold Line came through. They provided the Wattsons with the resources needed to save the major settlements and refugees, ultimately providing resources worth several times the value that they requested in return. 

Ponce - Lives and Dies, His Way

Ponce was seen throughout the weekend helping to coordinate with the Wattsons and with Red Bird Rail to build the Holy Towers. The Holy Towers enabled the Wattsons to fight the Archon that targeted Junction by both attracting the Archon towards them, disabling its ability to rift away from attackers and by making it temporarily vulnerable to damage. Unfortunately, the power source for the Holy Towers was Ponce himself. 

Our favorite enigmatic Radio Host sacrificed himself to save Junction and the rest of Georgiabama. Those close to him reported that Ponce was aware of the probable personal cost required to make the Holy Towers work from early on in their conception, and yet personally continued to push the project forward. Those that remember the effort of joining the four disparate parts of his personality together in past years will find it no coincidence that there were four final Holy Towers, and one final central one. 

WZOA, our local KQC and the entirety of Georgiabama will never forget Ponce’s sacrifice. Ponce has made his final ascension - from Priest, to Saint, to King. 

His beat lives on within us all. 

Archons - Dead and Defeated (for now)

The Outsider that came to Junction arrived earlier than scouts had first reported. At first it seemed to be scouting the area before consuming the Ornaments of Sacrifice that was outside protecting the Red Bird Rail Mission Center from the undead. Upon realizing that the Ornament of Sacrifice could benefit the Archon, the Wattsons quickly disassembled the one that was in the tavern. 

When the Outsider entered the tavern, it began to attack but quickly followed the individual that fled the area. Soon, it came back into town and began harassing the Wattsons as they made final preparations for battle. Wattsons attempted to harm it by performing a benediction of Inversion, but unfortunately the Archon left the area before the ritual could be completed. Shortly thereafter, Ponce and the Academic came into town to start their respective parts to play. Ponce to power The Holy Towers, and the Academic to make good on her promise to act as the Overseer for the Grave Net procedure. 

As the Wattsons went to finish setting up the Holy Towers, the Archon followed them and began to attack them. The Wattsons managed to set up all four of the Holy Towers with Ponce while fighting on two fronts, one against the undead horde and the other against the Outsider. Finally, with the final tower finished the Wattsons were able to strike back. 

Each tower was activated and fell dark in turn until the final one was left. With a final push and as the fina central Prime Tower went dark, the Wattsons and travelers surrounded the Outsider and continued attacking it until it lay on the ground bleeding from many wounds. As one they delivered the final strike and the Outsider dissolved into a blue goo staining the field. 

Reports indicate that at the same time the Outsider attacking Junction was killed, the other two immediately rifted away. 

Ottoman's Intervenes

On Friday night, an emissary from The Ottomans Collective named Ethan Samuels arrived with other travelers coming to assist 40-Watt. Mr. Samuels ostensibly came to 40-Watt for three reasons - to collect or observe Ponce (whom he consistently referred to as ‘the entity known as Ponce), to gather research for Ottomans on the happenings of the Georgiabama area, and to recruit The Academic to the Ottomans collective. While Mr. Samuels may have failed in his first goal, he arguably succeeded in the latter two, as he was able to both collect various research notes and did in fact induct The Academic into the Ottomans Collective shortly before her demise. 

Though his motivations remained opaque, he was able to assist 40-Watt in defeating the Archon. At one point he drew the entire horde of undead to himself to give the Wattsons time to recuperate and focus on the Archon. Despite his help - or perhaps because of it - the Wattsons seem unsure of how to relate to Ethan Samuels and to the Ottoman’s Collective as a whole. 

The Academic’s Final Walk?

The Academic arrived in Junction shortly after the Archon in her usual style - by walking directly out of the Morgue, along with Ethan Samuels. Wattsons met The Academic and Mr. Samuels on the steps of the morgue, where they witnessed The Academic passing off her research notes to Mr. Samuels in exchange for some ABCs and becoming the newest inducted member of The Ottomans Collective. From there, Mr. Samuels joined the battle against The Archon and The Academic made good on her word to act as The Overseer for the Grave Net procedure, sacrificing 5 of her own infection just to begin the procedure. 

The Academic’s sacrifice may have helped to turn the tide in the battle against the Archon, as those performing the procedure witnessed many Wattsons become caught in the Grave Net over the course of the battle - some as many as three or four times. The Grave Net procedure allowed those participating in the battle with the Archon to die multiple times while only sustaining a maximum of one infection loss, effectively enabling them to fight to their fullest extent. 

When the battle was done, the Academic ended the procedure and was forcibly expelled from the Morgue along with the other participants. Upon expulsion, the Academic immediately began dying from multiple organ failure as her insides liquified from the strain of the procedure. Her end was hastened by a Wattson who was reportedly suffering from the effects of badbrain. Ethan Samuels witnessed this act of violence and immediately began inspecting her body to ascertain whether or not she had been murdered. Though he concluded that she would have died from the procedure anyway, he also remained near enough to the Morgue to witness several undisguised Wattsons who are also members of Murder Inc perform a Murder Dive at the site of her death. 

The Murder Dive was successful, and the members of Murder Inc were able to murder The Academic both in The Gravemind and immediately after the procedure, ensuring that she would be out of infection. And indeed, shortly afterwards The Academic - or at least her undead corpse - shuffled out of The Morgue along with a horde for her Final Walk. This undead version of her was accompanied by an incensed Ethan Samuels, who was reportedly quite perturbed that 40-Watt had murdered the newest member of The Ottomans collective immediately after she had made a great personal sacrifice to save them. 

Using an ability that allows him to walk among the undead undisturbed, Mr. Samuels helped the undead to attack 40-Watt for several minutes until he was convinced to remove himself from the battle. He negotiated with members of 40-Watt to allow them to put down The Academic’s corpse as long as they would bring him the shell of her former self afterwards. Upon 40-Watt delivering the body of the undead who used to be The Academic, Mr. Samuels took a syringe filled with glowing blue liquid from his pocket and proceeded to inject it into several places along the former-Academic’s spine. He then apparently used Widow’s Tea to make his escape, and The Academic’s corpse sank. 

The City (Crater) on The Hill Consumed And Grady Saved

While one Outsider came to Junction looking for Ponce and the Morgue, the other two went in different directions, with one going to The Crater on the Hill and the other heading to the Morgue at Grady. The Wattsons decided to send several squads to defend the Morgue at Grady, correctly ascertaining from the information available that they did not have the resources to defend all three locations. 

The squads defending Grady and Resurgens were able to hold the Outsider off at Grady long enough for Wattsons to defeat the other Outsider at Junction. At around 10:30 PM Saturday, reports indicate that The Outsider at Grady quickly rifted away and left the area. Effectively, by defeating and ultimately killing the Archon at Junction, the Wattsons were also able to save the city of Resurgens. 

Reports indicate that the third outsider traveled to the location of the City on The Hill that had become a radioactive wasteland after the war with 40 Watt. While it is unclear what has happened, initial reports are concerning.The few scouts that have gone into the area report that the landscape has become even more of a twisted wasteland. Normal critters have left the area or died, while the remaining critters appear to be mutating. No one is sure what the long term effects on this area will be. 

Refugee Crisis

As an effect of the archons' path of destruction, refugees have been flooding into areas that avoided annihilation. There was a notable amount of coordination, with a Refugee Releif Coordinator set up a station in the tavern throughout the meet, gathering up food and supplies to hand off to those fleeing from the devestation. 

It is no understatement that the actions of the Wattsons in helping here saved lives, and saved the future of Georgiabama.

2023 - March

The Three-Eyed Storm Approaches

With the help of Red Bird Rail and Gold Line, 40-Watt was able to discover the horrifying truth behind the approaching hurricane of undead. The horde - now the size and shape of a category 4 hurricane - is being formed by the Georgiabama Grave Mind in reaction to the presence of three entities. As the size of the horde has continued to grow, it is projected to be able to cover multiple settlements at once. It could easily hit The Springs, Junction and Resurgens at the same time. 

Scouts were able to determine that the storm grows progressively worse as you get closer to the “eyes” at the center. These creatures - if that’s what they can be called - each form an “eye” of the undead hurricane. Though they go by many names, they are most commonly known as Archons or Outsiders. The Georgiabama Grave Mind has formed the massive horde in response to their presence in a (potentially futile) effort to protect itself from them. The only good news to be had is that some reports show that as the three eyes get more distant from one another, the intensity of the storm begins to wane. Some reports seem to indicate that if we could find a way to destroy one of the entities at the center of an eye that the storm would dissipate - or at least significantly diminish in strength. 

Voreaphobia in The Springs Gravemind

One of the many fact-finding missions that took place over the last gather was facilitated by Daniel (Not David) of Red Bird Rail. The batty but well-intentioned Grave Head provided the bravest Grave Divers in 40-Watt with the ingredients required for an experimental Videbit Mortis using Psionic Crystals previously harvested from gorehounds that originated in Savage Anna. Using this experimental procedure, the Wattsons were able to recover memories from the Savage Anna morgue itself. 

What they found was shocking and horrifying. As Savage Anna was destroyed by the tidal wave of undead that engulfed it, the Savage Anna morgue itself - and with it the Grave Mind local to that area - was consumed by one of the Archons. It was - in a word - eaten. There is no telling what long term effects this may have on the area, or if it will ever be habitable again. 

The horrifying nature of these recovered memories shocked the Grave Mind in The Springs. As the Grave Mind is fundamentally a mass consciousness unable to differentiate between individuals and without the concept of time, the Grave Mind in The Springs reacted to the memory of being consumed as if it was currently being attacked. Essentially, The Springs Grave Mind had a panic attack and released a horde of undead. A brave Red Star sacrificed themselves to reset the Grave Mind and return it to its previous state. 

Walking Tombs

On Friday night the Wattsons worked with emissaries from Fort B to both rescue some stranded refugees and to recover a weapon required to defeat some of the truly horrifying undead being spawned by the Grave Mind. The weapon - called a “Hand Cannon” - is capable of dealing a great deal of damage to the undead, but does break after each use. Luckily, a local scientist was able to determine the source of the issue and figured out how to use a hammer and some percussive maintenance to complete field repairs without a workbench. 

Unfortunately, the Hand Cannon, dubbed “Pertina”, saw a lot of use throughout the weekend as 40-Watt faced a truly massive undead along with a horde of high-tier threats. This new type of undead - dubbed gruesomely as a “Walking Tomb” - appears to be an almost immune-like response by the Grave Mind against the Archons. Though the Wattsons were able to defeat one of these massive undead creatures on Saturday, both Fort B scouts and refugees from Savage Anna have reported signs of several others in the area. 

Fort B has suggested that Wattsons consider stocking up on more shells for the Hand Cannon, just in case. 

The Springs Prepares

The Springs spent much of the last gather desperately attempting to prepare for the onslaught of undead that is headed in our general direction. The once-isolationist settlement was forced to play host to a large contingent of refugees - some of whom were more wholesome than others. Many Springs residents were displeased by this state of affairs, and worried that they would run out of both food and shelter. 

The Maw family has been consistently welcoming to refugees, and has been working to feed and house as many as possible. With the help of shipments of hoes and bull shit from Father Farr, the Maw family was making do when it came to food but was falling behind in terms of shelter. That is, until some extremely generous Wattsons (An Everett and Lazerus) dropped off over 300 lbs of scrap material to the Maws to help build shelters in The Springs. With these materials, the Maws were able to build makeshift shelters for the refugees. The increase in housing helped to ease tensions between The Springs Residents and the refugee population significantly, causing less refugees to come to the depot for direct aid. 

Finally, on Saturday night, some folks from The Springs came to the conclusion that simply reinforcing their current settlement might not be enough to withstand the stormfront of undead. They asked the Wattsons for help clearing the path to what had previously been Folsom Prison (so named by the now deposed Mayor Sue), and before that The Lodge. While the structure has a dark and uncomfortable history for many in The Springs, it is nevertheless built to be a fortress. Perhaps through using it to protect lives, it can be redeemed. The Wattsons fought hard, and can rest knowing that they will have secured the safety for many who would have otherwise died in the days to come. 

Academic Deals

The Academic made good on her promise to attend a meeting with 40-Watt in The Springs on Saturday afternoon. She arrived without a weapon or an entourage - a brave move, considering her fractious relationship with the settlement. She also made good on her word to extend an olive branch through offering two prints that might help the Wattsons survive the upcoming apocalypse. 

The first print she offered is called The Ornament of Sacrifice, the details of which are as follows: 

DYSTOPIA RISING GEORGIA PLOT SPECIFIC BLUEPRINT
Ornament of Sacrifice

Print Expiration: 8/1/23
Skill Tree to Copy: Print Cannot be Copied

Item Type:Augment to Monolith of Horror.
Skill Tree to Craft: Proficient Medical, Lore: Aberants, Lore Infection/mortis Amaranthine
Expiration: 1 Hour. This may be extended by 1 hour by Spending 1 Resolve at the Ornament after it is attached. There is no limit to the amount of Resolve spent in this way. Resolve may be prepaid in this way to extend the Expiration. Once this Augment Expires it breaks the Monolith of Horror and it may not be Repaired.

Phys Rep Requirement: Spare Clothing of sacrificed individual(s) to add to Monolith of Horror, fake limbs if available. 

Basic: Ornament of Sacrifice  Mind: 0  Time: 10 Minutes
Resources: 2 psionic crystals, Require either 1 Infection from a character with Master Biogenetics willingly given, 1 infection from two characters with Proficient Biogenetics willingly given, OR 1 infection given from a character with Proficient Biogenetics AND Free Radical PFA willingly given. Infection lost this way can not be prevented by any means.

Character(s) that give infection are dissected by the character crafting and attaching the augment. Their  bodies are used to craft the augment while their ego sinks into the mortis where they will have a post death scene. 

Mechanics: When this augment is Crafted it is immediately attached to a Monolith of Horror.The Monolith of Horror may be moved to a different location without restriction. Once it is placed it May not Be moved again. 

All Mechanics of the Monolith of Horror are replaced with: Creates an Ongoing Psionic Effect within 50 feet that causes all undead to leave the area and may not re-enter it. All bleed out timers are stopped and prevent killing blows from being used. 

This is a Psionic Effect and may be resisted by Basic Mental Endurance. Once resisted does not need to be resisted again until the next 12s. 

The second print she offered is a procedure called The Grave Net, and provides a way to limit the number of Infection individuals can lose to The Gravemind, though it comes at a steep cost to the GraveRobber overseeing the procedure. 

Furthermore, the Academic offered the Wattsons a deal. If the Wattsons agree to attract the eye of the storm to Junction and do whatever is necessary to collapse it, she will be the overseer for the Grave Net procedure while the battle takes place and accept the loss of 6 Infection. The detail of that print are as follows:  

DYSTOPIA RISING GEORGIA PLOT SPECIFIC BLUEPRINT
Grave Net

Print Expiration: 8/1/23
NAME: Grave Net

Print Expiration: 8/1/23
Skill Tree to Copy: Print Cannot be Copied

Item Type: Procedure
Skill Tree to use: Master Necrokinetics, Master Medical, Lore Mortis Amaranthine.

Phys Rep Requirement: N/A

Cost to Perform: 5 Infection from Overseer, 15 Infectious Materials, 15 Psionic Crystals, 15 Ayahuasca

Mechanics:

This procedure provides a scene in a non-corporeal space in the Mortis Amaranthine with the user of the procedure as an Overseer. This procedure can Target up to 8 people and a minimum of 4. The nature and mechanics of these scenes will vary and have a High chance to be deadly. These scenes will cost multiple Resolve based on the scenario mechanics that are unknown to the participants. Players with 0 Resolve at the end of the scene lose 1 Infection. This counts as a Pallor Mortis Scene for the purpose of Equipment. When this procedure ends it will cause the overseer to Die and suffer an additional Infection loss that can not be prevented. 

At the start of the procedure all targets must spend 1 resolve to start the procedure. If a target has Master Faithful will they can spend 1 resolve instead of all Targets.

As long as this scene is running any LC that dies and would receive a post death scene may instead choose to enter this scene and flip a coin provided by the Overseer. 

If the result is tails they will lose an infection which cannot be prevented and immediately leave the scene with a new fracture at full body and mind. 

If a LC has already lost an infection while the scene was running and chooses to flip the coin again they will not lose an additional infection as a result of tails but will instead leave the scene immediately with a new fracture at full body and zero mind. On the Result of a Heads they will immediately leave the scene with a new fracture at full body and mind. An LC may gain a maximum of 3 Fractures due to this mechanic over the course of the procedure. 

She will require the help of at least four - but preferably eight - individuals to run the procedure. Additionally, she stipulated that once she began the procedure that she would not stop until someone let her know that the eye had been destroyed - which will require someone to die at the end of the battle, as there will not be a way to contact those involved in running the procedure otherwise once it has begun. The procedure itself is likely to be dangerous - though no more so than fighting an Archon and hordes of undead. 

The Academic has offered Wattsons a unique opportunity - the ability to fight (and die) ad nauseam during a pitched final battle while only losing a maximum of one infection. Though it is horrifying to consider that such a procedure might be necessary, given the likely intensity of the undead storm at its peak, 40-Watt may be lucky to have the option. 

Archon Targets

After the experimental Videbit Mortis was completed Saturday morning, more information about the Archons and their potential motivations began trickling into The Springs Depot by way of scouts from Red Bird Rail. Through putting together a series of puzzling reports, the Wattsons discovered that it seems that the Archons are attracted to sources of unusual energy. They were able to determine four potential targets that the Archons may be drawn towards:

1. The morgue at Grady in Resurgens

2. The morgue at Junction

3. The aberrant fallout at the remains of The City on the Hill

4. Ponce, head disc jockey of W.Z.O.A.

The morgues at Grady and at Junction are the two largest remaining sources of Infection in the Georgiabama area. It stands to reason that if one of the Archons ate the morgue at Savage Anna - which previously was in the top three - that they may next be drawn to these two morgues as well. If the Archons were able to consume both morgues, it’s possible that the entirety of Georgiabama would become uninhabitable. If either morgue was to be consumed, it would cause a degree of destruction and death at least equal to what occurred in Savage Anna. 

The City on the Hill was once a settlement of Pure Bloods who made the unfortunate decision to go to war against 40-Watt. Through a series of escalating conflicts, eventually the once-shining City on the Hill was reduced to an atomic ruin, still awash in Savannah’s glow. During the final stages of the war against the City, the “Dead Six '' as they are known, led a mission which caused an inversion at the Cities morgue, flooding the streets with undead. With no one left for proper maintenance, the nuclear energy keeping the city running spilled out and reduced the city to little more than a ruined crater.  It is this atomic energy that the researchers believe the Archons may be attracted towards. However, there’s no guess as to what may happen if we were to allow an Archon to consume this energy. 

Finally, some believe that the Archons may be attracted to Ponce himself. Ponce’s unique backstory and physiology makes him an oddity in the wastes. He is able to control radio waves through some kind of psionic power and has been known to turn them on and off at will. Previously, his ego had been nothing but radio waves after a particular extreme ascension, but Wattsons were able to give him a new body. He is certainly an enigma, and perhaps strange and powerful enough to attract the attention of an Archon all on his own. Obviously, the loyal fans of WZOA and the local KQCs would be absolutely distraught were Ponce to meet an untimely end.  

Ponce! To the Rescue?

Speaking of Ponce, our favorite radio/radio host pitched an interesting idea to the Wattson’s based on the understanding that he might be a target for the Archons. Ponce provided an experimental set up for a radio tower to see if it was possible to attract an Archon to a specific location on purpose. He was at least marginally successful - and certainly managed to attract the attention of a small horde of undead. He admitted that this technology required further research and refinement, but is hopeful that it is part of a solution that will enable 40-Watt to defeat at least one of the Archons and collapse the hurricane threatening all of Georgiabama. 

2023 - February

Savage Anna Destroyed!

Shocking news borne by refugees from Savage Anna rocked the wastes over the last gathering at Junction. Refugees of the once-thriving settlement began trickling into Junction Friday evening, telling a tale of terrible woe. Savage Anna has fallen - destroyed by what some have called “an ocean of undead”. Some witnesses reported that the horde that destroyed the city was as bad as the three-year horde or the Radicane that rocked Gatorland several years ago. Disturbingly, the lucky residents who managed to escape with their lives indicated that many friends, neighbors, and loved ones that fell to the horde did not return from the Gravemind as expected - not even as undead.

To find out if there was truth to these rumors, Red Bird Rail worked with some brave explorers from 40-Watt to send an expedition to Savage Anna. Instead of dispelling the outlandish reports, the Wattsons who traveled by rail and sail near the heart of the settlement uncovered that the scope of destruction was indeed vast. The Wattsons who managed to view Savage Anna returned the following reports: 

• The settlements around Savage Anna have been totally destroyed, as if by a massive storm. The only reference the witnesses had for the scale of destruction that they saw is a hurricane or a series of tornadoes. Buildings were torn apart. Detritus littered the ground. They didn’t see any living people at all - just undead on the shoreline. The Undead they did see appeared to be heading West.

• One group reported that as they got closer to the city, looking at the remnants of the city became progressively more uncomfortable. Plants growing on the remnants of fallen buildings began to grow brownish-red, then they started to look withered. Finally, they began looking less like plants and more like half-decayed entrails snaking in and out of the dirt. The remnants of buildings at first looked simply fallen-in and ruined, and then they looked overgrown. Through the decaying overgrowth, they saw rust stains that progressively began to look more and more as if the buildings themselves were bleeding. 

• The other group reported that as they got closer to the city, looking directly at it began to feel progressively more uncomfortable. They initially saw more of the same type of destruction that they saw on the city outskirts, but their anxiety grew more intense. They began to see flashes of something out of the corner of their eyes - but when they turned to look at it directly, it vanished in favor of the same ruined landscape. The images they saw out of the corner of their eyes became more and more distinct the closer they got further into the city. It looked like Savage Anna…but a different Savage Anna. A Savage Anna that isn’t overgrown with swampy plants and piers. A Savage Anna littered with the husks of larger buildings, smoking and glowing with the remnants of atomic fire. Whenever they tried to focus on these images, they vanished, and the Wattsons who witnessed them began to feel queasy. 

• The water the Wattsons sailed through - at first a greenish-blue - turned to a muddy brown. Then, the muddy brown shifted until it looked red and black. They were afraid to fall in. 

Wattsons with expertise in the following areas were also able to report more details related to the destruction of Savage Anna:

SAILING

At first glance, the damage looked almost as if it was caused by a massive storm, but they could tell that this pattern of destruction was not caused by a regular storm or a hurricane. There was not nearly enough water damage. In fact, the ground seemed relatively dry and the waterways were clear. Whatever caused this, it was not a typical storm. 

LORE: Nature, Animals OR Hunting

As they got closer to the center of Savage Anna, they noticed that the normal sights and sounds of animals began to dissipate. At first, that seemed fine but the closer in they got, the quieter and stiller it became. This made them feel deeply uncomfortable because they knew that a lack of animals in an area is indicative that something is deeply wrong. They thought that they might be headed towards an area that nothing can live in anymore. 

LORE: Raider

They noticed a distinct lack of raiders in the area. In fact, if they had to guess it looked like most of the raider tribes in the area packed up and moved out  weeks ago. The lack of any recent signs of raiders was very odd. 

LORE: Undead

All of the undead they saw appear to be acting particularly vicious and ravenous. There are far more undead in the area than they would typically expect, and some of them are acting in ways that seem odd. It’s as if they were even more rabid than usual. They could tell by looking at the pattern of the footprints on the ground that the horde that destroyed Savage Anna was truly absurdly large. The damage that was evidenced on the buildings and roads was at least partially from the onslaught of all the undead that moved through this area several days ago. The undead that they saw at the time of the exploration were just the remnants. 

LORE: Wasteland Science

The destruction did not appear to be caused by any kind of weapon. There was no distinct radius of damage (like you’d expect to see with explosions). There were also no signs of a biological weapon. The types of damage that they saw look like the effects of a terrible tornado or hurricane. They had never even heard of a weapon that could possibly cause something like this. 

LORE: Mortis

As they got closer in to the center of the city and observed the terrible effects that this “storm” had on the landscape, they were struck by the realization that this was not natural. There is something wrong with the infection in the physical elements of Savage Anna - including in the plants and buildings that became more and more twisted. They are concerned about whether or not this type of damage could spread outside of the now-ruined city. 

Some had hoped that the horde that destroyed Savage Anna would dissipate over time, but if anything recent reports have indicated that it may be growing larger. More information is needed to determine what is causing this massive horde to form and where is may be going next. 

The Springs Reacts

Multiple members of 40-Watt sent refugees looking for assistance to The Springs Depot to find rest and housing. In tandem, MeMaw visited Junction with one of her many family members to sell some goods and learn more about how 40-Watt intends to govern The Springs. Given the influx of refugees, MeMaw indicated that herself and her extended family would be willing to help. However, she did inform Father Farr that she would need an expedited shipment of hoes and bullshit in order to ramp up supply to meet the new demand. 

New information from Gold Line seems to indicate that not all members of The Springs are as willing to accept an influx of refugees as MeMaw’s clan. Bearing in mind that The Springs has a history of isolationism and is primarily settled by Quiet Folk, it is perhaps asking quite a lot of the settlement to accept a wave of new strangers that they must feed and house. So soon after the election, many are concerned that the addition of many new folk in The Springs will cause tension between the citizens of the settlement and their brand new government. 

Graver Concerns

Daniel Not David of Red Bird Rail was seen in Junction twice over the last gathering. Firstly, the batty but brilliant scientist got assistance from Wattsons to install a new grave siren in Junction based on the work he’d previously done in The Springs depot. This new siren will sound shortly before someone walks through the morgue doors - giving mourners time to prepare and warning the town that danger may be afoot. 

In installing the new siren, Daniel Not David and the Wattsons discovered that something was wrong with the local Gravemind. Daniel Not David described this as, “the Gravemind seems angry” and promised to do additional research to uncover the cause. To that end, he and other Wattsons gathered crystals from the brain matter of Gorehounds from Savage Anna. Daniel Not David has plans to treat these crystals in an experimental process so that they can be used in a modified Videbit Mortis next month. Daniel Not David has requested assistance from those with experience grave diving to complete his experiments as soon as the crystals have completed the curing process. 

Children of Father Night

Early Saturday morning, several Wattsons were brutally slaughtered by The Children of Father Night, led by someone going by the moniker of ‘Father Night’ himself. This heretical cult of Seasons worshipers has been plaguing the areas surrounding Junction and The Springs for some time, and is in large part responsible for the anti-Gorger sentiment once harbored by the law enforcement in The Springs. 

Rumor has it that some Wattsons spoke with the person calling themself ‘Father Night’ and even organized a meeting with the mysterious figure.

Meeting of the Minds

Multiple sources reported that members of the League of Broken Bulbs have reacted with concern and trepidation in response to the news about the destruction of Savage Anna. In particular, both Dr. Mercy Amare and a member of Gold Line provided 40-Watt with information that indicated that The Academic and the League had nothing to do with the destruction of Savage Anna, and were in fact quite concerned about what might have destroyed the settlement. There’s also some indications that the Wyrm and The Burned are desperately trying to acquire supplies in an attempt to simply survive whatever may be coming. If anything, their collective panic would seem to rather strongly demonstrate that the destruction was not of their making. 

To that end, The Academic extended an olive branch to 40-Watt by sending one of her GraveRobbers with a letter, which read as follows:

40-Watt Town Council & People of 40-Watt,

I am well aware that there are hard feelings between your settlement and my organization. My organization has attacked you, and you have attacked us. I am not going to try to sugarcoat the state of our relationship at this time. 

However, I am writing to you to ask for a meeting in a month due to the destruction of Savage Anna. 

I want to be clear - neither I nor anyone I am associated with had anything to do with the destruction of Savage Anna. I do not have the capacity to utterly destroy a settlement of that size. I do not know of anyone who is capable of that level of destruction. I do not know what caused the horde of undead, I do not know what is keeping that horde together, and I do not know exactly where it is headed next. 

I do know that the horde isn't dissipating. In fact, I think it is growing. I also think it is likely to continue heading West. That is, whatever came for Savage Anna is coming for us. 

I know you don't like me. I don't like you. But I think we all collectively like being alive. To make my intent entirely clear, I want to come together to discuss how we can set aside our mutual distaste in favor of surviving the absolute shit storm that is otherwise going to collectively fuck us. 

If you are willing to meet with me I promise I will make it worth your while. Please send your response back through my associate, and I will let you know in advance when and where I will meet with you. 

Regards, 

The Academic, on behalf of The League of Broken Bulbs

The 40-Watt town Council replied via note that they would be willing to meet. The meeting was requested for 2pm at the Springs during the Saturday of the next gathering, however the Academic will be arriving at 1 pm. She is a busy doctor, after all. It remains to be seen if 40-Watt will be able to work with their enemies to survive otherwise-assured destruction. 

Merciful News

Doctor Mercy Amare was seen in Junction several times over the weekend. Thanks to the intervention of some kind Wattsons, Dr. Amare has halted her efforts to Last Dance unwilling victims and has returned to less heretical means of Sainthood worship. She requested assistance in rescuing refugees from two of her clinics that had been overrun by undead. Furthermore, she sent the following letter to 40-Watt in the wee hours of Sunday morning:

Dear Kalyka, Lazarus, Everett, or Grimm or anyone else who happens to read this letter, 

I’m keeping my promise that I made to you last month and I’m reporting on what the Academic is doing. What the Academic is doing is freaking the fuck out about whatever it is that happened in Savage Anna. Seriously, she seems very scared. She came to my clinic to tell me that I needed to prepare to flee the Georgiabama area and take my research with me. 

I asked her if whatever happened in Savage Anna was one of her experiments that went wrong - like what happened at Grady a couple years ago - and she looked at me like I was crazy. I really don’t think that she did this. She seems to think that whatever did this is going to head this way eventually, and that we either need to prepare or prepare to get the hell out of dodge. 

I can’t abandon all my clinics, so I’m going to try to turn them into bunkers so that people can hide there. I’m also going to try to start stocking up on healing supplies and medicine. But I’m just one person and I don’t know if what I can do will be enough. Still, I’ve got to try. If you have the ability to start hunkering down, I would highly recommend that you start exercising it. 

Additionally 

• The Academic was doing experiments based on Biogenetics in a lab that was destroyed by Velcigeckos and Raiders.

• They had success in developing two augments to a Monolith of horror.

• One Augment Would enrage undead and cause anyone to die when they started to bleed out.

• The other would repulse any undead in the area and prevent people from dying in the area.

• Both require a Biogenetic Aberrant to be sacrificed on the Monolith.

• The Ornament of Aggression that enrages the undead needed an unwilling aberrant sacrifice.

• The Ornament of Sacrifice that repulses undead requires a Willing Aberrant Sacrifice.

• The blueprints were shipped out shortly before the Velciogeckos attacked.

• Not sure what caused the attack.

• They were developing ways to cause both Ornaments to last longer. Currently they are fragile and degrade quickly

• Another lab is developing a procedure that has to do with the Gravemind and Infection and they are close to success.

Sincerely, 

Dr. Mercy Amare

Bonnie’s Blush News

The Bonnie’s blush disease seems to be spreading in both The Springs and Junction. Even the new Head Electrician Victer Vinivici was impacted. The Head Electrician was seen acting delusional as a result of Bonnie's Blush. Luckily, through experimentation, a cure for the third stage of the illness was recovered and Victer is reportedly on the mend. 

Triple P Farms came to discuss the lack of Bonnie Settes in the area. The herb has been Overfarmed in all of Georgiabama, and it seems like the efforts of a coordinated group. As a result of the overfarming, the Bonnie Settes so critical to making the cure to Bonnie’s Blush are much more difficult to come by than usual.

Later, a salesman from the rover company Horizon Medical arrived with a number of Bonnie Settes. They were selling the much needed cure for nearly triple the market rate. Rumor has it they were mugged by a group of Wattsons and Gatorlanders, who finally found something to agree on. 

Murderous Inclings

A member of Red Bird Rails died after drinking some hooch in the Bleeding Bottle. Some have speculated that bad hooch found its way into the Bleeding Bottle’s supply lines. Others seem to doubt this explanation, but have not offered alternatives to date.  

Separately, rumors have spread that a Gravehead is coming to meet some members of 40 Watt after someone requested a meeting.

There has also been a report that the Wyrm and new members of the Burned were celebrating in the Bleeding Boittle. The service of The Bleeding Bottle was apparently outstanding. 

Farr Business 

The Burned attempted to set up an outpost nearby Junction trade depot to harass caravans in the area. Luckily, some intrepid Wattsons on Friday persuaded them that this would be a bad idea.

Ponce In Person!

Ponce showed up in person in Junction for the first time in several years on Friday evening, helping the Wattsons to defeat a horde of undead. The undead had been drawn to what appeared to be a person who had been somehow ritualistically sacrificed and affixed to a Monolith of Horror. This terrible contraption caused anyone who started to bleed out within 50 feet of it to immediately die, resulting in several casualties. 

Ponce’s local radio show on WZOA has long been a local favorite, especially since he ascended to his current form several years ago. However, the enigmatic figure and his ever present accompanying tunes are not often seen in person. 

2023 - January

Election Results: The Springs Joins 40-Watt!

The special election for the new governing party of The Springs has come to a close, and the results could not be more shocking. The citizens of The Springs made their voices heard and have chosen to join with 40-Watt. 40-Watt’s relationship with The Springs has been complicated at times, but throughout the last gathering the citizens of 40-Watt proved their commitment to democracy by relentlessly defending the citizens of The Springs freedom of choice. Perhaps it was this steadfast commitment to doing the right thing that swayed the vote in favor of joining 40-Watt. 

After hearing about some voter intimidation tactics going on in The Springs, 40-Watt set up mail-in voting at The Depot Post Office. These mail-in votes wound up being critical to the election, much to Ex-Mayor Sue’s chagrin. Furthermore, the 40-Watt folks helped to defend several members of The Springs from violence at the hands of a few disgruntled (and soon-to-be ex) deputies. The Sheriff's department in the Springs has since released a statement making it clear that they do not condone the actions of these individuals and will be doing a thorough review of their personnel moving forward. 

The vast majority of The Springs voted either for Finn Langolier or to join 40-Watt. Ex-Mayor Sue was soundly defeated. Citizens of The Springs were excited by these changes and hopeful that they will see an easing in the tension among their community members. Celebrations related to the election kicked off Saturday night, and unfortunately attracted the attention of a large horde of Deadmire, which luckily 40-Watt was able to defeat without casualties. 

Ultimately, it remains to be seen how this vote will change the political landscape of the Georgiabama area. Will the laws of The Springs change immediately? Will 40-Watt open up a new seat on their council for a member of The Springs? How will 40-Watt manage to govern an entirely new settlement? Only time holds the answers. 

Old Acquaintances, New Friends

After finding out concerning information regarding The League of Broken Bulbs (comprising of The Academic, The Wyrm, The Apostate, and The Huntress), the 40-Watt town council reached out to a number of factions in the Georgiabama area. This last gather, those olive branches began to bear fruit as representatives from the various factions met with 40-Watt to learn more about the threats they may be facing. The factions that sent representatives included Wattson’s Farming and Agriculture, Triple P, Red Bird Rail and Gold Line. 

Wattson’s Farming and Agriculture reiterated their ongoing support for 40-Watt, but admitted that they have had a rough season thus far as they lost the industrial fishing rights to the local waterways in a fair contest with Triple P and have had some issues keeping the Undead from trampling their fields. Triple P sought to assure 40-Watt that they have absolutely nothing to do with The League of Broken bulbs and seek to maintain a copacetic relationship with 40-Watt. They have offered to provide discount pricing for agricultural and culinary supplies if 40-Watt can buy in bulk and provide a list of needed goods. 

Red Bird Rail reiterated that they want to maintain their own positive relationship with 40-Watt and mentioned that they are looking to build a new rail line out to Savage Anne on the East Coast of Georgiabama. Gold Line was initially neutral towards 40-Watt, but is likely to become more willing allies after a member of the 40-Watt council paid them significantly to care. 

Mercy Me, Mercy MY

An utterly distraught Doctor Mercy Amare was seen drinking away her sorrows at The Pond on Saturday evening. Members of 40-Watt broke the unfortunate news to the kindly but misguided doctor that her ‘teacher’ was none other than The Apostate, and that he had been intentionally misleading her by twisting her faith. The Apostate had focused his sermons on the Sainthood tenant, "The Undead are a parody of Dynamic Life," to influence the doctor to perform the Salatio Mortis procedure on the unwilling and to target those she had known were on their last infection. When the error of her ways was made clear to her, she was understandably horrified.  Obviously, she did not take this well. 

In better news, Doctor Amare has committed to changing her ways and helping 40-Watt in whatever ways she can. She is, however, very interested in finding someone who can teach her to ‘vibe check,’ as she clearly cannot tell when someone is acting with malicious intent.

Academically Inclined

Several concerning reports regarding The Academic came to light over the weekend. Chiefly among them was the news that Mayor Sue planned to ship several of MeMaw’s family members to The Academic, likely to be used as test subjects in some of her experiments. There are rumors that The Academic is becoming very interested in Biogenetics, but the reasons behind her interest remain unknown thus far. 

Several members of 40-Watt were able to learn more about the backstory of the enigmatic figure through sheer luck and a half-botched Videbit Mortis. Originally intending to reach one of their departed friends, members of 40-Watt instead stumbled upon memories of The Academic trapped deep within The Gravemind. Through these memories, the 40-Watt folks were able to discover a tragic backstory consisting of a dearly-beloved sibling who died of an incurable illness, lab notes and diaries lost in a series of fires, shady investors who refused to help her achieve her (once noble) goals, and an ever-growing determination to Do Whatever It Takes. 

These memories are even more depressing in context - as The Academic is known to be a Semper Mort, it is highly unlikely that she remembers her own past at all. Furthermore, one of The Academic shards mentioned something peculiar - that we only age because we think we should. If this is the case, there is truly no telling how long she has been around or how deep her influence may go. 

The Wyrm’s Way or the Highway

Both the Wyrm and The Burned made an appearance over the weekend. A member of The Burned was seen cavorting about The Depot depositing a number of artificial psionically-active crystals. These crystals attracted a horde of undead that 40-Watt had to defend themselves against. Luckily, Red Bird Rail’s Daniel (Not David) was in the area and sensed the psionic disturbance. He was able to work with several other Necrokinetically gifted members of the town to purge the crystals of their resonance and stop the Undead from continuing to gather. Given that The Burned are not often known to deal in psionic crystals and Necrokinetics, it seems likely that this attack is further evidence of ties between The Wyrm and the Academic. 

The Wyrm made an appearance themselves on Saturday when they captured Scout Petrol of 40-Watt as the Scout was coming back from his shift on the wall. Luckily, a citizen of The Springs saw The Wyrm dragging the injured scout off towards the docks and was able to warn a group of 40-Watt folks. These concerned 40-Watt citizens were able to negotiate Petrol’s release through a tense standoff that resulted in a few mangled limbs but no loss of life.

Egging Her On

Following the Velocigeko attacks in November, members of 40-Watt were able to get their hands on several Velocigeko eggs. Velocigeko eggs are known to attract adult Velocigekos and the raiders that often breed them. The enterprising minds of 40-Watt used this property of the eggs to intentionally create a Velocigoko attractant. Then, they worked with their contacts to find the location of one of the Academic’s labs. They proceeded to egg her lab with the attractant, which is sure to cause her a great deal of trouble. How she will respond to this creative attack remains to be seen.

2022 - November

Political Happenings in The Springs

Throughout the meet, citizens of The Springs asked the Wattsons at The Springs Depot to explain to them what was occurring in their normally peaceful settlement. Wattsons showed evidence of The Academic, The Wyrm, The Apostate and Mayor Sue’s nefarious connections. Wattsons also taught the people of The Springs some true tunes of the Man In Black and showed them how he was “punk before punk was punk.” As a result, even those who were predisposed to dislike guns and drugs seemed to come around somewhat to the ideals of personal freedom over state control. 

On Saturday night, Wattsons attended the Harvest Mending dinner hosted by former-Mayor Finn and attended by MeMaw and Mayor Sue’s right hand aide. Wattsons used the Talking Stick to great effect, essentially convincing former-Mayor Finn that he needed to run for Mayor again in order to ensure the safety of The Springs. Furthermore, they offered to show Finn the evidence implicating the various bad actors as well as the current Mayor. Even Mayor Sue’s aide seemed shaken by the arguments 40-Watt presented, and agreed that an investigation was necessary to get to the bottom of it. He was seen returning to Mayor Sue’s home after the meeting. 

The Wyrm Strikes Back

As they threatened, The Wyrm sent four members of The Burned to take vengeance against 40-Watt for attacking several of their tradesmen in September. The Burned were able to wreak major havoc with a series of brutally efficient weapons, killing two Wattsons outright and injuring several more. It remains to be seen whether this escalation of violence against 40-Watt will continue.

A Wealth of New Knowledge

A particularly industrious Wattson created and shared the following web of connections based on the newly available information:
Wattsons were able to recover further evidence of The Academic, The Wyrm, The Apostate and Mayor Sue working against both 40-Watt and the Springs. Previously, 40-Watt recovered letters between The Academic and The Wyrm indicating that they had been scheming to gain influence through nefarious means in the areas around 40-Watt. This time, Wattsons discovered that The Academic has also been working with The Apostate to hook her claws into The Springs.

The Apostate - previously only a shadowy figure - was revealed to be the force behind several heretical groups in the area, including both the Darwins spreading rad-tainted food and the Children of Father Night. Additionally, letters revealed that The Apostate has corrupted both Dr. Mercy Amare and Mayor Sue. Dr. Amare appears unaware of The Apostate’s influence. Mayor Sue, on the other hand, has been seen meeting a shadowy figure associated with the Children of Father Night.
Dr. Amare shared with The Academic (as well as with several Wattsons) that she is growing ever closer to being able to tell how much Infection someone has remaining. This boost to her research was apparently made possible when several Wattsons donated their blood and information to the (apparently) kindly doctor. 

Velocigeko Attacks!

Wattsons discovered that increased raider and velocigeko activity in the area around The Springs was a result of The Burned stealing velocigeko eggs from a local raider camp. A letter Wattsons recovered revealed that The Wyrm ordered The Burned to steal the eggs, to lead the raiders to The Springs, and to leave The Springs and the Wattsons in The Depot to deal with the consequences.

Wattsons were able to defend themselves from velocigeko and raider attacks as well as recover some of the velocigeko eggs. Citizens of The Springs were able to defend themselves, but without guns the settlement was damaged severely. Several residents of The Springs died in the attacks, perhaps shifting the settlement’s outlook on guns significantly. 

While a few of the eggs were delivered to The Academic, Wattsons were able to recover several of them while stopping a member of the Burned from escaping. 

A Sickness (or Two) Going Around

People in and around The Springs have not been feeling their best lately. Between a new seasonal illness that’s been leaving folks feeling tired and the Rad-rot being spread by contaminated food, The Springs is looking a little under the weather. Luckily, a local Wattson Shepherd of the Land was able to cleanse a nearby foraging and farming area of irradiated rods and heal the damaged soil. The group of Darwins responsible for contaminating the area with radiation in the first place are still at large, and almost certainly connected to The Apostate’s twisted machinations. 

Additionally, several Wattsons worked together to uncover the cure to two stages of the Bonnie's Blush disease. Unfortunately, farming the necessary herb can be quite time-consuming as it appears to have been over-harvested in the areas around The Springs already.

A New Funeral Dirge 

2022 - September

tv killed (and not killed) by radio star

Mayor Sue of The Springs in the last several months has taken a more authoritarian stance inspired by an interpretation of his Kings. While most of The Springs seem to accept the new laws, discontent has been brewing.

 Wattsons found MeMaw wandering of the morgue after being assassinated. Upon learning that she only had one infection remaining, local Grave Robbers included her in the Infectus Mortis and she was able to regain an Infection.

A second assassination attempt on MeMaw went down the very next night but was unsuccessful. Wattsons learned from one of the would-be assassins that Mayor Sue of The Springs directed both assassination attempts. 

Gossip around town

MeMaw was able to purchase a large amount of herb and produce from Wattsons, alleviating fears of a food shortage. There had been supply chain issues due to delayed deliveries from  Wattson’s Farming and Agriculture. Prior to the Wattsons trading with her, MeMaw’s own supply chain had also dried up.

Farther Farr was seen taking a vacation in The Springs Trade Depot. The rumor is he has returned from his prolonged Vacation.

Darwin's came into town selling meals and brews. Some reported feeling ill after consuming them.

Mercy was able to set up her clinic in The Springs, and has been providing care to the area around The Springs.

Wattsons provided training, assistance in maintaining the Depot, and supplies to several residents of The Springs. 

Wattsons killed three of the Wyrm's people (the Burned) who came in to trade with them!

Not so silent children of father night

The Children of Father Night - a sub-sect of The Tribes of Seasons - have been hunting in the areas around The Springs, leaving trophies of their kills in the surrounding area. As a result, Deputies in The Springs have become suspicious of any Gorger lineages. On Friday night Children of Father Night came into town and killed several Wattsons. They were lead by the individual who bombed a Seasons gathering back in the spring of this year. Ever since this new leader has taken control they have continued their hunt far past when it would normally end, going against normally held tenant's of their faith, becoming heretical.
The power grid was sabotaged and Sirens began to blare! The sound attracted a horde of Deadmire to the area. The leader of the local Children of Father Night used the chaos to kill several Wattsons. Chaos reigned until The Wattsons were eventually able to repair the power grid, shut off the noise attracting the deadmire, and defeat the undead horde.

In her own writing

Finn Langolier was rescued along with another person from an experiment gone wrong in the morgue. Abnormalities in the morgue started after The Academic was seen exiting it and stopped after the Wattsons removed Finn. 

Wattsons were able to recover notes from the Academic detailing attacks and experiments conducted by themselves and the Wyrm on settlements that are around the Georgiabama area. It’s clear from these letters that while the Academic isn’t attacking 40-Watt directly, she and the Wyrm are intentionally undermining 40-Watt in surrounding settlements. These letters also included notes from The Academic and Dr. Mercy Amare referencing some shared research.

Political Happenings in The Springs

Throughout the meet, citizens of The Springs asked the Wattsons at The Springs Depot to explain to them what was occurring in their normally peaceful settlement. Wattsons showed evidence of The Academic, The Wyrm, The Apostate and Mayor Sue’s nefarious connections. Wattsons also taught the people of The Springs some true tunes of the Man In Black and showed them how he was “punk before punk was punk.” As a result, even those who were predisposed to dislike guns and drugs seemed to come around somewhat to the ideals of personal freedom over state control. 

On Saturday night, Wattsons attended the Harvest Mending dinner hosted by former-Mayor Finn and attended by MeMaw and Mayor Sue’s right hand aide. Wattsons used the Talking Stick to great effect, essentially convincing former-Mayor Finn that he needed to run for Mayor again in order to ensure the safety of The Springs. Furthermore, they offered to show Finn the evidence implicating the various bad actors as well as the current Mayor. Even Mayor Sue’s aide seemed shaken by the arguments 40-Watt presented, and agreed that an investigation was necessary to get to the bottom of it. He was seen returning to Mayor Sue’s home after the meeting. 

The Gorgers in attendance also argued passionately (but peacefully) against the existence of the list of Gorgers being created by the deputies of The Springs Police department. Mayor Sue’s aide agreed that the list was probably not the best knee-jerk reaction, and indicated that The Springs might move from a list of Gorgers and Seasons to simply taking a complete town census to keep track of who was regularly around town.