Chapter One: Visit Scenic Lake Manitou
History
This Deadworld is designed to be set in an Upper-Midwest USA
state after the zombies have risen and consumed most of the locals. The Cast
Members are likely normal people who have escaped the town in which they lived
and are now living out of a lodge in the local state park. They are led by the
woman who managed the state park’s lodge before the rise of the zombies. She
assigns duties as needed, oversees supply management, and does her best to keep
everyone alive.
Six months ago, the dead rose and began eating the living.
People who were bit, but not killed by the zombies were contagious. Some left
the area and went home, where they spread the love to those communities. As the
situation grew more dire, military and law enforcement units gathered and
eventually went rogue, while citizens either banded together or went full-on
everyone-for-themselves.
At the local level, the governor activated the National
Guard, who had an armory near the town of Lake Manitou. They assembled and were
preparing to travel to the state capital when they received a command to stand
down. Nearly an hour later, an Air Force wing consisting of a B1-Lancer, two
AC-130 gunships, and two F-16 escorts destroyed the capital.
The commanders within the Lake Manitou National Guard unit
tried to maintain command and control of their units. However, more than half of
the soldiers deserted to return to their families within days of the airstrike.
Those who remained eventually teamed up with surviving local law enforcement
officers (of all departments), the mayor, and city council in an effort to protect
the area.
Major Amy Abrahms of the National Guard, Mayor Stacey
Sherman, and State Police Lieutenant Denise Dysktra established the National
Guard Armory as their command center. The location has become a pop-up city.
Not only are these three groups active, there is also a tent city of civilians
and a large marketplace.
In an effort to keep out as many zombies as possible, the de-facto
government has installed fencing along the edge of the tent city. It isn’t
perfect and there are ways through the fence line if one knows where to look. A
combined force of law enforcement and National Guard soldiers patrol the fence
line, dispatching zombies and repairing any damage they find.
Other Locales
In addition to the community surrounding the National Guard
Armory, there are camps of civilians, LEOs, and AWOL military personal strewn
throughout the county. Some people are surviving on their own without outside
assistance, but not very many. There is constant strife among the communities.
“The Parlor” is an area unofficially considered neutral
ground for non-government types. The big attraction is the bar with its various
stills and barrels of the good stuff available for purchase, but you can also
find bullets, weapons, food, drugs, or sex work. Many of the camps who do not
get along meet here for accords.
The Pleasant Place Trailer Park was a vice den before the
fall of man. Now that the zombies are large and in charge, it’s only become
more entrenched in criminal behavior. The hardest drugs and cheapest
prostitutes can be found here.
The old Jenkin’s family farm has existed for as long as
anyone can remember. Today, the farm is more of a commune run by several
families, including the Jenkins. They still produce food and are willing to
trade it for supplies they need. They aim to trade fair with everyone, but
anyone who crosses them will not be treated so well on their next visit.
Sunset Falls State Prison is ten miles south of Manitou. It
is run by former inmates and the worst of the former prison guards. More
details on the prison can be found in One of the Living.
Lake Manitou State Park is to the north of town. The
community is a blend of those with survival training and those without. The
only built-in residents that came with the park are a few employees. Everyone
else is from outside the park. This is the default starting point for Return
to Lake Manitou.
Lake Manitou State Park
Lake Manitou State Park is located 4 miles north of the town
of Manitou. The park is bound by the lake on the west side, highway on the east
side, Manitou Creek to the north, and farms to the south. The state park covers
nearly 4,100 acres with less than one-quarter of that developed. The rest is
forest. The terrain is hilly with the lowest elevation near the lake and the
highest in the southeast where the lodge resides.
The park offered activities such as swimming, canoe and bike
rental, day camps for children and at-risk teens, and winter activities such as
snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. There is a boat launch near the beach to
accommodate water vessels under thirty feet.
The Lake Manitou State Park Lodge has 120 guest rooms, a
banquet hall capable of serving up to 140 people, and an outdoor seating area
for 80. The guest room portion of the building is four stories tall. The
kitchen is under the banquet hall. The park’s combined administration office
and nature conservatory building is nearby, as is the motor pool garage
containing one pick-up truck, one wheelchair accessible van, and four ATV/quad
bikes. At the moment, all six vehicles are full of fuel.
Park Personalities
There are approximately fifty people living in the Lodge.
There is enough room on site that people who do not get along, can keep their
distance.
Linda Gehrig was the lodge manager. She is a fit
woman in her fifties. She is a divorce’ whose children are grown with families
of their own. Linda lived on property before the rise of the zombies. In the
prior world, Linda was a charming person who appeared to love everyone and
always had a kind word. Today, she can still do that, but usually saves it for
children. To everyone else, she is very business-like. She sees it at her duty
to keep everyone who resides at the lodge alive.
Jeannie Dover was a short order cook at a diner
before the fall of man. She is currently the “chef” at the lodge. Jeannie, Tre
Smith, and Angela Montaine are the regulars of the kitchen crew.
Dishes duty floats among the other residents of the lodge – everyone gets their
turn. Jeannie’s team does their best, but it seems like more and more their job
is to safeguard the clean water and dry food against thieves. They are
constantly running out of something and substituting whatever is on hand.
Dana Sterling was a police officer when it meant
something. Law enforcement lost its appeal when zombies became the primary
source of crime. She moved her family to the lodge sooner than most of the other
people who came to live there. Linda asked her to take on the job of security
chief and Dana agreed, noticing no one else at the time had experience. Dana
keeps a close eye on those residents who own firearms.
Tony Flowers and their family were camping onsite
when the world went sideways. Instead of trying to return to their home in
Minneapolis, they decided to stay in the park and make a go of it. After
meeting Tony and learning they were a mechanic by trade, Dana invited them to
come stay in the Lodge. Tony’s children are outspoken, but polite. They tend to
be the first to volunteer for chores, but dislike babysitting the younger
children of the community. Tony’s spouse is not adjusting well to the new world
and spends most of their time in their Lodge guest room.
Sarah Barclay has zero skills for survival. A retired
bank teller, she has the ability to sit in place for hours on end. She has
taken it upon herself to listen to both a law enforcement radio and an amateur
band radio most days. She often plays solitaire or knits while doing so. The
Lodge has solar power it routes to the radio and the two freezers in the
kitchen. When residents of the lodge leave to go to the National Guard Armory
or the Parlor, she sends them with a radio to stay in contact with the lodge.
Park Resident
Supporting Cast / Adversary
Attributes: STR 2, DEX 2, CON
3, INT 3, PER 2, WIL 2, LPS 36, EPS 26, SPD 10, ESS 14
Qualities and Drawbacks: Hard
to Kill 2, Honorable 1, Recurring Nightmares -1, Resistance (Fatigue) 2, Resistance
(Poison) 1
Skills: Brawl 1, Bureaucracy 2,
Climbing 2, Craft (Seamstress) 2, Craft (Woodworker) 2, Dodge 2, Drive 1, Engineering
(Civil) 2, First Aid 2, Guns (Rifle) 1, Hand
Weapons (Choice) 1, Notice 2, Sciences (Biology) 2, Stealth 2, Survival (Forest)
3, Traps 2, Unconventional Medicine (Herbal) 1
Gear: ATV, backpack, gallon
of water, large baggie of trail food, lawn mower blade with a duct tape wrapped
handle (D6 x 2 piercing), park map with animal traps marked, radio, rifle (D4 x
4 piercing) or shotgun (D6 x 5 piercing)
Art Direction: someone who
looks completely out of place that has had to adjust to survive; maybe they
have on what were nice clothes and now the clothing and person are covered in
dirt and cuts, they’re holding a makeshift weapon that is a lawn mower blade
with duct tape wrapped around one end for a handle
Sunset Falls Copyright Eden Studios and used without express permission
Copyright 2023 Derek Stoelting
