Dear
Friends of Fallen Earth™,
Continuing
our series of newsletters detailing the factions of Fallen Earth from
the points of view of the different groups, here is the Grand Canyon
Province through the eyes of the Children of the Apocalypse, or as they
are more commonly known, the CHOTA.
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You
who are hearing this are new to the Children of the Apocalypse.
You may live in a town we have freed from the grip of the Old World,
and you hate us for doing so. You may be a willing recruit who has
come to our ranks because you know the Enforcers and the world they
seek to restore is corrupt. You may simply value destruction and
think the Children are destroyers. We are not mindless barbarians.
We are not hateful towards humanity. We do not destroy without cause.
We seek to liberate humanity from the shackles of the Old World-the
civilization before the Fall that almost led to the death of all
humanity.
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We do not seek to kill or destroy for the sake of destruction, but
to break the ties that bind mankind. The Children fight for a world
where everyone is equal and laws do not chain humanity, but instead
each person chooses to by their own free will. We fight to kill
those who would choke mankind with laws and take away the freedom
that is each person’s birthright. We fight to destroy the
tools of the Old World, such as machine minds and picture boxes
that separate us from ourselves. We fight to ensure our survival,
and if that survival must be paid for in blood, so be it. We may
use the tools of our enemies in these battles, but that is because
we must. Our new world will come to pass, even if we must use the
tools of the Old World to bring it about.
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If you live in a town we have freed and lived through the initial
cleansing, you are free to do as you wish as each man and woman
is their own person. We place no obligations or restrictions upon
you. Live free. We acknowledge no leaders or masters. Even the greatest
among us, the Warlord Redhand, has no power over us but that which
his words and actions earn him.
If you have come to us of your own choice, take up a weapon and
join our crusade. Our war leaders across the sector are taking the
fight to those who would make slaves of their brothers through words
and deeds, and these worms among men will be annihilated.
If you think we are merely rampaging madmen who destroy all we encounter,
know we have a greater plan and are fighting for your future. Oppose
us and be crushed under the free men and women who follow our cause.
Follow us and you will be warrior for a higher cause.
Not all of our number believes in or even understands our cause,
but not all are ready to. There are some among us who seek only
to kill, but they are tools for a greater end. We take in the hopeless,
the angry, and the lost. We give them an enemy and a weapon, giving
them cause to live, even if that cause is to kill. They will be
warriors in a greater battle. When the war is done and mankind is
freed, they will come to understand the time for war is over. On
that day we will all live together as equals in peace.
Now you know of us, but there are many others in this world that
you must know of as well.
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There are ideas of the Old World that are worth keeping: helping
your fellow man, protecting the world around you from the evils
of technology, and living in common with the rest of humanity. These
ideas are of the Vista. They are our allies, and, in some ways,
our brothers. We have known the Vista for many years for they existed
in the Old World, but did so apart from others and thus remained
untouched by their laws and corruption. Their beliefs are different
from ours, for they seek to keep the world pure of the machines
that corrupted it, while we seek to keep humanity free of the vile
society of the Old World. But our causes are related, our enemies
are allied, and thus we work together. They have food and the products
of the natural world in abundance, so we trade with them often.
Know that you can call on the Vista when you need a safe haven or
a meal. They do not field armies like we do, but their Rangers are
rarely seen by their prey before striking.
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We do have our disagreements though. The Vista build towns that
have rules and laws. But these laws were created democratically
by all of the Vista people, so we let this stand for now. Their
society is not one of oppression and limitations. But one day, this
structure will have to come down as well, lest it turn into something
much worse. Such is the way of things according to the histories
of the Old World, as societies that began with all people being
equal became all people being subservient to one.
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They would tell you they wish to bring about peace and harmony for
mankind, but they wish to Impose their own version of peace and
harmony. That harmony has no place for the loud. That peace has
no place for the undisciplined or the angry. They wish to create
a world without emotions, not a world for humans. They do not believe
in laws imposed by outside forces but instead laws the elders believes
you should. They are better than the Enforcers but not by much.
Every aspect of their lives is self-controlled and monitored, turning
them from living beings into living machines. They have no interest
in living, only thinking about living. While we must think to live,
we must not think instead of living.
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They
have great skills when it comes to healing the body, and their warriors
are highly trained often fighting without weapons. They have earned
our grudging respect even if they must be destroyed. Do not under
estimate their peaceful faces or empty hands. In combat, they
do not rage as we CHOTA, but calmly fight with inhuman speed. When
fighting the Lightbearers, respect their martial skills, but fear
their powers of the mind. While the CHOTA are strong in the powers
of Shiva, the abilities of the Lightbearers are a different type.
Stories tell that Lightbearers with such powers are the only true
Lightbearers, and all others are merely tools.
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Of
all the groups the Children have encountered, the Enforcers are
the greatest threat to the future survival of the human race. They
seek to shackle all of humanity with the laws of the Old World,
promising safety and security for obedience. Redhand once said that
one of the great revolutionaries of the Old World proclaimed “He
who trades liberty for security deserves neither,” and such
is true with Enforcers. They bring a false security to those who
accept their help. One does not find security by binding yourself,
but by letting everyone be free. The Enforcers do not see this,
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for laws are at the core of their world. Thus, they must be destroyed.
For our new world to come to pass, all remnants of the old must
be destroyed, and the Enforcers are the strongest of those things
that survived the cleansing destruction of Shiva. Of all the groups
we have encountered, the Enforcers must be eliminated. There can
be no peace with them. They were the ones who struck first against
the Children at the Battle of Five Points and who committed such
atrocities under Alec Masters. They have much to pay for.
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strengths of the Enforcers lie in their tactics and their technology.
They always have plans, charts, and maps detailing their next move,
all of which are backed up by guns and other devices from the Old
World. But they do not know much of the gifts of Shiva that empower
our warriors. While they are few, we are many. Without their technology,
the Enforcers are nothing, and each day our numbers grow. Eventually
we will wipe them out of existence, tear down their settlements,
destroy their machines, and kill all those they sought to protect
whose minds are too bowed by laws to live free. If we do not do
so, one day they will rebuild the Old World and the Fall will be
repeated. Only this time none will survive.
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While
they claim to be their own group, it is well known the Techs are
simply stooges of the Enforcers. They seek to rebuild the machines
of the Old World, while the Enforcers seek to rebuild the society
of the Old World. Both must be stopped, but we are more concerned
with the Enforcers since it is their oppressive laws that are more
a threat than the machines of the Techs. The Techs are weaklings
trying to make themselves strong by building things instead of embracing
Shiva. They hide in their settlements trying to recreate the terrors
of the Old World, and their mistakes punish us all. It is they who
tortured innocents and created monsters for Masters in the bowels
of Hoover Dam, and they must pay for their crimes. Only they are
cowards and will not face us. At least the Enforcers have the will
to fight.
While they can achieve some terrifying things, an axe never jams
and a club never runs out of power. You must be wary of what their
machines can do, even if those who operate the machines are not
weak. They also have knowledge of the gifts of Shiva, but they come
about them by dark experiments and the poisoning of innocents instead
of opening themselves to the power. They seek to control the mutations
that Shiva brings about, while instead they should learn to understand
them. Like the Enforcers, they feel an urge to control what is around
them and to understand everything, even that which cannot be understood.
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While
the Enforcers and the Techs hid in Hoover Dam at the beck and call
of Masters, the Travelers walked among the wastes. When all others
stayed where it was safe, the Travelers sought out danger. For when
a Traveler sees danger, he sees profit. And Travelers live for profit.
We have long had contact with the Travelers as some of their families
have been in the wastes longer |
than we have. Of the families that make up the Travelers, we are
not on good terms with all, but they know to respect us and trade
fairly. They bring us all manner of goods we cannot get elsewhere,
and take in exchange those things we have no use for. When the time
for revolt came, they brought us weapons and information about our
enemies, for many of our enemies are their enemies as well. They
have watchful eyes everywhere and can find most anything for the
right price. We have found them to be valuable allies and always
a source of good drinks. Their games and entertainments are enjoyed
in many CHOTA settlements.
While we trade often with the Travelers, they are not to be trusted.
The confederation of families that are the Travelers is loose and
their loyalty always has a price. The importance they place on profit
and money is something that the new world we create will be without.
Money is an evil of the Old World created to pit people against
each other. But for now, we need them, and they need us. They are
not a force to be trifled with. While they spend much of their time
trading, they are involved in many other activities of a more violent
nature. The CHOTA have contracted the Travelers on more than one
occasion to eliminate individuals we were not able to kill, and
the brutality of the Travelers against someone who has wronged them
is impressive.
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There
is more to learn, but it is for you to find. The Children of the
Apocalypse do not coddle the weak or stupid. Find your place among
us and help bring about a new world, or save us the trouble and
die quickly.
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