The world will overwhelm and consume us just as we have consumed it.
In the year 3003 the area in and surrounding Cape Town remains somewhat inhabitable, unlike the rest of the world, which lies barren as a consequence of a global collapse brought about by climate change.
However, a mysterious crater lies in the center of Table Bay, a scar laid out upon the Earth's crust. Strange, discoloured and glowing, a poisonous gas emits from the water. A sign for any and all but those who’ve made the utmost preparations to steer clear.
The last remnants of humanity have turned to religion or myth to explain the existence of the crater; while some say it is a god come to punish us, others speak of a large and powerful sea monster who dwells within. Despite what they say elite private militaries can often be seen to accompany groups of scientists on expeditions into the center of the crater, in an effort to procure the ingredients to a cure for a newly discovered disease which stands to be the last domino to fall for humanity's extinction.
Cape Town, Table Bay. 3003. The Crater.
In truth, known only by the elite, the remains of what was meant to be an autonomous space station lies there in the center of the crater. One that was meant to regulate and repair the atmosphere to eradicate the effects our lifestyles had on the environment.
In a catastrophic twist of events a miss-calculation brought the entire thing crashing down to the Earth, instantly eradicating large swathes of the population, and changing the climate in ways that made it impossible for the majority to survive without major adaptation.
The elite use this knowledge for their own gain, they can create equipment to study the emerging environment and collect precious resources, one such resource being a cure to a deadly disease running rampant among the dwindling human species.
An airborne parasite (Dorsum thanatos) infects the the human population. It grows in the spine, deteriorating its vessels.
The Symptoms
Month 1: extremities of the body grow darker and veins turn a purple colour.
Month 2: lumps grow on the back around the spinal cord, deforming the spine.
Month 3: body looses function.
Month 4: lungs collapse.
The Vaccine
The vaccine must be taken once every year. If symptoms appear, the vaccine can prevent further development of the parasite if taken within the first 6 weeks.
Cape Town, Atlantis. 3003. The Dunes.
The rich live comfortably within walled off, high-tech pockets of civilization. On the payroll of wealthy corporations, elite scientists search the wilderness equipped with robotic exoskeletons capable of resisting radiation. In their labs they recreate long forgotten foods and delicacies, and bring extinct animals back to life as distractions from the outside world.
The poor are left to scavenge the toxic wastelands for whatever materials and resources they can find. Makeshift weapons and armour are made from rusty scrap metal to protect from the horrors of the wastes. Entire settlements and homes are built around decaying ruins, offering up little to no protection from the rapidly changing environment.
Cape Town, Stellenbosch. 3003. Fairyland.
Whilst the area surrounding the crater remains just stable enough for familiar ecologies to survive and adapt, radiation leaks to the north-east from Koeberg. Dangerous new species have begun to venture out from the fallout zone and reports of carnivorous plants spread amongst those who frequent the area. Of those brave enough to enter there are only few who return.
Cape Town, Stellenbosch. 3003. Curio City.
Alone in this future world there is zero chance of survival. Whether or not you count yourself amongst those who live comfortable lives employed by the corporations, or those who live outside the walls at the mercy of the hostile environments, everyone has a vital part to play to keep humanity alive. While some outside the walls resort to murder and theft to survive there are others who have become farmers, tinkers and merchants.
Pushed to their limits by a harsh and brutal lifestyle, a handful of lost souls become part of a fanatical cult, obsessed with the idea of a water bound god which they believe lives within the crater of table bay.
