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Introduction 4

Chapter 1: Flesh 6

6 Red Star12 Nation of Accensor16 Genjian20 Cult of the Fallow Hopes

Chapter 2: Blood 30

30 Critters of the Rust Empire

36 Undead Rusty Threats 40 Tools of the Trade45 Mortis Amaranthine:

The “Grave Mind”

Chapter 3: Bone 53

53 The Rust Coast 55 The Under Sea65 Bridgetown71 Lilac Empire77 Rusted Isles83 Pacific Providence 92 Burning City101 Slurry110 Oilberta110 Deadmonton

Dystopia Risingan Eschaton Media Production

Original ConceptMichael Pucci

Executive ProducerAshley Zdeb

WritersCatie GriffinIan PowellMichael Pucci

Additional MaterialsR.M. Sean Benjamin Jaffe

EditingCaptain Thomas ‘Wang-Lord’ Buchanan, M.D Megan... Jaffe

Design and LayoutJoshua Brain JaffeJames “Goblin” TimblinMichael Pucci

ArtistsS.C. ScolaRalph Attanasia Cryssy CheungRichard GoreZach HerschbergerJoshua Brain JaffeAnastasia MarstonAndrew ScottJaclyn WellnerMatthew Volk

Cover ArtistCryssy Cheung

Copyright 2015 Eschaton Media Productions

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, mechanical,

electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of Eschaton Media Productions

All illustrations and images are property of Eschaton Media Productions or used under the allowed rights of public domain.

Dystopia Rising is a registered trademark of Dystopia Rising LLC, and may not be used without written permission of Dystopia Rising LLC.

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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Hello there! Not from around here, eh? Can tell by the way you’re just wandering around. Well maybe I can help you out a bit. Give you a nice walk about. Maybe even tell you what to watch out for. No need to thank me. I’m just doing my part around here. Though I wouldn’t say “no” to a bit of that food you have there.

Where was I? Oh, yes. First of all, you should know how to act around the people here. You’re too abrasive with your weapons and all. No offense meant, of course! Thing is, you have to remember that being polite is important up here. We smile at each other like we’re friends and act nice. That’s just the way things are.

But don’t mistake that for being good. There’s a difference between being nice and being good. You’d better remember that if you’re going to survive.

This food is excellent, by the way. Got any more? I haven’t had a good meal in a few days. Thank you! That hits the spot.

Now while you’re travelling around here, you’d better keep an eye on the fight between the Mericans and the Reclaimers. They’re always at odds, you know—in every major city from Raincouver all the way to the Under-Sea. Wouldn’t want to be part of that, eh? It gets messy.

Speaking of, you’d better be careful of people like me. Oh, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not that sort—yet. You see, when my people ascend, they go through a change. And a few of my people have wound up fighting one another for dominance. I have my money on the Light of Hedon members, myself. But I’m biased. The result is that you got entire cities smashed to bits from the fights.

Anyway, thanks for the food. If you ever need something a bit more relaxing, let me know. I know a guy who has a whole bunch of product that he’s looking to shift. Mind, that’s not surprising. Everyone “knows a guy” around here. I blame it on the Diesel Jocks. They make trade that much easier with their rides. Want to meet when of them? Head to Slurry. That’s where they hold out for the winter.

Of course, there’s also the Saltwise. They have their ships and if you’re close to the coast, it’s a lot cheaper to deal with them. Honestly, trade is pretty big around here.

So where are you headed next? You can’t be planning on going to Oilberta. That’s a death wish. You have all of those Zed Heads around there—Full Dead, that is. Don’t tell them I said that, of course. They run things around here. Rumor is they control the majority of the trade routes.

Now that we have all that over with, take a look at this. Yes, it’s a gun. Yes, it’s pointed at your face. I’m sorry about this, but would you mind giving me all of your valuables?

What? I’m nice. Not good.

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“Funny thing about being a Red Star is that people think it’s just about the money. It’s not. It’s about community, and caring for each other, and that indeterminate bond that we all share with one another. I will admit that the idea of commerce and finances are one of the biggest sticking points between our cells and the outside world, but that is only because money matters so damned much to outsiders. Look, if I am gifted with the unique skills and the fortunate circumstances of great soil, and I am able to grow enough food for ten people, then there is no reason why one person should extort some sort of letter of trade out of other survivors. We’re survivors! Why should these little bits of notary mean anything? Look, sure, sometimes you are going to do a little bit more work than the brother or sister next to you, but you know that your brothers and sisters will have your back when push comes to shove. And if they don’t, and they don’t pull their own share? Then they have no part in the cell.

But Red Star were born to exist as a community and were designed to take care of one another, so more times than not, it’s the outsiders who want to be with us who screw things up. What you don’t understand is that when we speak of our family, our cell, our unit... we aren’t talking about other people. We are talking about an extension of our own being. We are talking about a limb, a brain, and a heart. We are together in all things and even death or the Grave Mind itself could not take that away from us. We are unified because we were born unified. However, we stay united because we choose to be.”

History

Red Star are a Strain of the new age that share a series of unique physical, social, and philosophical traits. While most outward observers would only see the Red Star for their

politics and their doctrine, the truth of the matter is that there is much more to the organic and genetic design of the Red Star. Red Star share a mindset almost akin to an insect colony. Red Star are a pragmatic people who care very deeply for their own Strain and are inherently

untrusting of outsiders. Predominantly organizing themselves into communities, cells, unions, or families, the Red Star at times bear strong similarities to hive-minded creatures. Well organized, efficient, strong, and intelligent, the Red Star communal mentality allows Red Star cloisters to grow and thrive in dangerous territories that would crush most other settlements.

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Over the generations since the fall, the Red Star continued to evolve and strengthen their chances of survival, much as most other Strains. As the Red Star evolved, they became a hearty Strain that had unity and a swarm-like mentality bred into them as part of their physical evolution.

Over the generations the Red Star have historically had numerous issues with faith-centered towns, greedy caravan drivers, as well as outsiders looking to join the commune for survival. As the Red Star cells turned away each and every threat to their culture and their people, they became more and more insular and mistrusting of outsiders.

Beyond the doctrine, the politics, and the economic viewpoints, there is a driving purpose behind the Red Star. Red Star, while completely capable of free thought and independent life, are innately connected via a limited sort of collective intelligence. This evolution causes Red Star to be more trusting of other Red Star, allows a deeper bond to be formed between long-term cell members, and provides the most amazing of feats: the fact that zombies that were once Red Star will not attack living Red Star.

EvolutionThe Red Star, as best

can be identified, evolved from a number of locations that focused on tight knit communities, such as in pre-fall artists’ enclaves, deep in the woods of environmentally minded communal living homes, and even from the remains of pre-fall military installations. These locations of community, order, and co-dependence were hotbeds of growth for the Red Star.

With these basic origin concepts it should be no surprise that both the Eastern and Western coastlines of the Merican continent are dotted with Red Star compounds. Occasional Red Star bunker communities can be found all along the outer regions surrounding most major cities, and from the Frozen North to the heaviest jungles of the Pridelands, the Red Star have taken hold.

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