South America

Well, you should check out this ecology for the Slys-ayer, found in our races of New Earth deck. Cap wrote the ecology, and I think it is a great creature. Heres the link:

http://www.untoldthegame.com/splintered-serenity/ecology/slys-ayr

I also wrote up an idea for a creature that could be found in S.A., called the Apoc Super Python. The link to the thread is:

http://www.untoldthegame.com/forum/apoc-super-python

That might help with your idea of South America!

Those both fit in very well and I think the environment that I painted suits their needs just fine.

Right, I just remembered another suggestion the hatted one had. He introduced the idea that a fragment of Ai got permanently lodged into the forest, integrating with it. You could enter this area and suddenly it wants to kill you, or you could be wandering around and thanks to the unpredictable nature of Ai, you could be walking in a straight line and circles at the same time, or you could even just have it as a L'na settlement on Apoc-Earth. Whatever floats the boat.

I'm really trying to run with the ideas I can get with those raised landmass trees. You could have mountain-high structures of just trees on trees on trees effectively forming cave networks towards the bottom and optimal construction sites around the middle.

South America is teeming with jungle growth, wildlife (both pre and post-event), and of course, Balbrigan's brigade.

Since most of the high-bred bases have been long-since abandoned or overgrown, South America was for a long time home to only the natural wildlife, some post-event creatures, and wild churl tribes. That is until Balbrigan's Brigade set up shop. Now South America is home to vagrants, killers, murderers, thieves, pirates, outcasts and the like. Why? Because they were invited.

Balbrigan's Brigade is a lawless group that abides by only two rules, "Don't kill an officer of Balbrigan" and "Don't steal from Balbrigan." The second one being much harder to work with as anyone and anything under the brigade's "protection" is claimed as Balbrigan's property. Everyone, from the most ruthless cutthroat to the most innocent refugee can be found in the brigade. However, by far, the most common job to be found in the brigade is easily pirate.

While smuggling, killers-for-hire, and other dastardly deeds all bring the brigade wealth, the goods of outsiders are their primary staple, as supplied through piracy. Many convoys and cargo ships have met their end at the hands of the brigade, often with the words "You've got something I want."

The brigade is, of course, led by Eddie "Big Bones" Balbrigan. The only thing more common in South America than foliage are legends about this man. Some say he stands 100 feet tall and uses trees for toothpicks, while others say he's silent as the wind and will carry you away if you speak bad about him. In truth, "Big Bones" Balbrigan was a churl rescued by NAU troopers. As he grew, so did his reckless ways as well as his temper. After one particularly harsh dispute that left two men critically injured and one dead, he was exiled from the base and left to forage on his own. With his upbringing, no churl tribe would accept him and no NAU base, hearing of his last home, would allow him through the front door.

As time went, Balbrigan made his way to South America where other like-minded individuals formed a coalition, resorting to piracy to acquire the materials needed for setting up a home. Further down the line, that home became Balbrigan's Castle, the most heavily-fortified base on Earth. A veritable citadel that has been carefully constructed over many years to be as impregnable as possible and as such is said to hold the majority of the brigade's spoils. Eddie's trusted friends are now his officers and help enforce his policies on those he protects. Of course, only "Big Bones" Balbrigan and his officers are permitted inside Balbrigan's Castle.

All-in-all though, the brigade isn't a bad place to be. Outcasts and renegades can make a new home here, and certainly there are more than one thief and pirate that consider themselves 'noble' providing their loot for the common good and the downtrodden. On the flip-side, the brigade is the only place where a person can get just about anything, though you'll probably be paying a much steeper price than they did to get it.

While most factions and groups are pretty clearly defined, the brigade is designed to be shades of grey across the board. Unlike factions which are good, bad, or merely dealing with a dilemma, the brigade is designed to suit the needs of whatever you need on an individual level. This includes Balbrigan himself. It should be pointed out that the notorious 'leader' of the brigade is indeed violent and short-tempered, but he's not a "bad guy". Just violent and short-tempered. He opens his home to everyone, gives them protection regardless of who they are and their background, and the law "do not steal from Balbrigan" is indeed the thing that keeps everyone safe. The bad guys respect him for claiming the weak as his property while never daring to do anything to them, and the weak are free to live out their lives in relative safety.

Another role this fulfills is that it gives your "bad guy" players a home, which you won't likely find outright in any other faction. If your players want to pillage and burn, they'll fit in nicely here. Likewise, if they want to be saints, they could work here too, as missionaries of sorts among other things. And, as the brigade is spread through out South America, there are literally an endless amount of things to do.

The point of the brigade is potential. Good potential, bad potential, it doesn't matter. Illegal goods or hard-won prizes. The brigade's job is to supply anything.

These are some very, very, very cool ideas and they work very, very well with what we have planned for South America. ;)

I had a moment in class where I wrote up something similar, but instead of Balbrigan it was some name starting with the letter 'A'. For the life of me I couldn't remember what it was, so when I got home I just rewrote it as Balbriggan. To be equally honest, I think I got what I wanted to get across a lot better this second attempt than the first, which, fortunately, didn't take for some reason.