Approved The World Outside

Title: The World Outside

In my character's backstory, she has supposedly spent around a decade and a half-ish to trek on foot from Brazil to New York in the United States. Is there anything you can tell me about locations along this trail? Older information perhaps for the more southern areas, with information becoming more recent the farther north she gets. I have made up a couple of stories of caravans she's traveled with or organizations she's crossed paths with along the way, but I'd prefer to base as much backstory as I can on what's already in-place so I don't come up with anything too outlandish or counter to the lore.

As an example, my character had, shall we say, negative interactions around what was once the Mexico/US border. Those who once called themselves Border Patrol have not become any kinder as civilization began to decay, and eventually took control of the land as a sort of pseudo-militaristic army-state.

I've also implied that over time the infected tend to congregate in large hordes, and that these hordes are often on the move. Most people would tend to keep a distance from such hordes, so my character finds them to be a useful means of traveling whilst avoiding raiders and scavengers and such. So long as you don't let the horde notice you, the nearer you are to the infected the further you are from harm.

I couldn't find much information on the Red Eyes, I think perhaps because this is a continuation of a previous lore and perhaps some of the initial info was lost? Or maybe I'm just blind. Whatever you could send me on the infected or the world in general would be great, though.

We do not have a lot written up for regions as they go fo further out from Rochester/Kentucky. If you want to improvise anything; you totally can! What I can tell you is that a lot of the United States is ... well, dead, a few factions are forming here-and-there but are quickly being snuffed out with wars and other conflicts. In some states, closer to Kentucky, most of the land has been completely enveloped in the very same green smog you encountered in Vermont. Each area has different monsters, names, and mythologies surrounding their origins. A lot of this can be left up to you to decide! Whatever you want to do, we can absolutely work with you on. New York is by far one of the most active hotbeds of activity Kaari has come across, though.

I also sent you information on Oculurubrus as of a few days ago, but for the sake of having it on record and easily accessible to you. I will post information regarding the disease here:

Oculorubrus (Red Eye)
Oculorubrus or Red Eye as named by Dr. Stephen Grey is a type of infectious disease caused by airborne exposure. As of today, over ninety-nine percent of the human race has contracted Oculorubrus in a dormant stage. Upon the immune system weakening (from a severe blood infection, or etc) the disease will enter its active stage and first start by assaulting the infectees pulmonary systems, leading to symptoms similar to that of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, eventually leading to the notable “Red Eyes” that infectees are known to have from a permeant subconjunctival hemorrhage. Approximately two hours after the initial reactivation of Oculorubrus, the disease will enter its end-stage by assaulting the brain, leading to memory loss, increased aggression, and eventual death by cardiac arrest. Reanimation for the disease has varied from person to person, often taking anywhere from five to fifteen minutes.

In addition, however, you have practically nailed the behaviors of the Red Eyes down. Most of them move in large migrations--mixed with sprinters, shamblers, and various other slight mutations. They've been spotted ranging between; 150~ to 6000~ in terms of numbers and are often dealt with by leading them off to isolated locations. Not many factions in the world possess the weaponry and skill to handle them in combat, but some larger ones comparatively to The Coalition often attack them head-on.

Kaari would have also heard of rare events, wherein horde migrations are irritated and exacerbated by a mysterious fog similar in nature to the one encountered in Vermont. It causes Red Eyes to go ... animalistic, and actively hunt out humans and non-infectees for consumption. This has mostly been spoken of and seen isolated in regions closer to the border of Mexico. Most are convinced it has supernatural origins--but said origins diversify as you head further and further away: some are convinced it is the world attempting to "pay humanity back" for all of its actions, while others are convinced it's wholly biblical. Go nuts with your own explanations.

Little PS: Kaari has also heard rumors that large build-ups and exposure to either variant of the smog can have ... adverse side-effects on human life. Some ranging from infection and death to others suggesting that the skin will quite literally begin to melt. Who knows, maybe it's chemical warfare! Guess all you want IC.