Most of the town of Mercy only knows what happened from what their parents or grandparents told them. Many of those stories came down to their personal experiences, more than a straightforward explanation of things that led to the destruction of the world. Most would know that at first, it was armed conflicts occurring all over the world, and countries that were not immune to such constant violence were torn to pieces by the strength and might of their enemies funded by different countries. While many of 'one' side would fund half of the wars, the 'other' side would fund the rest. No one could say who the countries on one side or another were, only that they used already war-prone countries as their testing grounds for war.
The result was killing hundreds of thousands of people in all those areas and slowly crept into the millions. Meanwhile, those that lived in first-world countries, had little consequence in these fabricated wars. People stood by, drinking their pink drinks, driving their Teslas, and watching celebrity trials on YouTube, sometimes they'd protest a war or battle when the social correctness of it seemed to be important. Nothing seemed to touch them. Until it did. It started with biological warfare in those war-torn countries, with both sides blaming each other, but the reality was that sort of weaponry didn't discriminate between sides. Once tested and released in those destroyed areas, the warfare was released elsewhere... everywhere. Those in the western hemisphere called it the Red Plague, mainly because the biological warfare against them caused hemorrhagic fevers, turning their skin a deep red before death. This infection wiped out a devastating amount of people with survival rates of 7% and an overwhelming fast infection rate, during the initial phase.
The number of lives lost from the first wave of warfare that was released by different agencies was unexpected. The initial releases were in countries with an already decimated population, the calculation of damage was completely off without a controlled test. Mass death across the globe caused a reactionary militarization on a knee-jerk level. With this sudden troop deployment, not only did many of the contained infections spread and mingle across the globe, the actions by a dying military trapped in a country not their own, were swift and deadly. Thermobaric bombs and other large yield explosives were used on any city or town standing with a surviving population of note, the destruction and atrocities of war left the world crumbling.
Somewhere in the midst of all this, humanity still was present. No nuclear weaponry was used as if all had hope that there would be a world left to survive in. Even if those in power tried to make it so only their world was the one left. Ultimately, the damage was done, and civilization had fallen. Slowly the viruses slowed or died out themselves as if even the few left in the world wasn't worth it anymore.
Those in the towers are children and grandchildren of some of the people that created or fought against the biological weaponry used. Virologists, researchers, scientists and medical specialists came from many places in the world to the United States, trying in vain to stop the threats their countries were going to unleash. They were unaware that the US was working on much of the same warfare and had been since 1943, even after the world ban on bioweapons in 1975... few stopped working on the technology, they just hid it better. Though, do not think biowarfare is a new thing, early man used poison-tipped arrows, Romans like to poison wells of their enemies, and the British gave Native Americans smallpox-infected blankets.
It was believed Japan, Russia and the United States were the most advanced in biological warfare, long after the ban on its research. The turn was with Genetic Editing in the late 1900s, though at first, it took years and billions of dollars to edit DNA, possible but failed often and the time and resources necessary too great. That would all change in 2009 with the discovery of CRISPR-Cas9. Following the path of natural DNA where bacteria infected with a virus can take small pieces of the virus's DNA and insert them within its DNA into CRISPR arrays that will always be able to remember that virus or ones like it. When the bacteria recognize that virus again, the bacteria produce RNA segments from the CRISPR arrays that attack the virus' DNA and uses the Cas9 enzyme to cut out that DNA it recognizes the virus is disabled and the bacteria are forever immune to that virus and ones close to it.
Scientists then could not only create bacteria to seek out specific DNA threads but replicate them and then reintroduce them to pull out the DNA sequence of the subject. Once that DNA thread is cut, then scientists manipulate the natural regrowing of DNA to add in the genetic codes they wish to introduce. This process with the introduction of Cas9 went from years and billions of dollars to days and less money than a serious gaming laptop. This technology was supposed to be used to create immunity to pandemics, but instead... in the hands of some men, created several pandemics that erased civilization as we know it.
The US had the highest number of smallpox viruses kept alive known in the world. It also had the highest cache of vaccinations at 15 million doses, though the strain they would genetically modify and send to their enemies mutated beyond their control. It was a fast-spreading, highly fatal (7% survival) disease that tore through several countries outside of the western hemisphere. No one can pinpoint that it was the United States that unleashed that one, but it was after a mutated strain of the Marburg virus was targeted in the United States and its neighbors and as the US had the smallpox virus at hand, assumptions can be made. In the US, the adapted Marburg virus, a close cousin of ebola, is naturally carried by a species of bats that carry it. Modified to change its transmittal to airborne, the virus pushed through the Western Hemisphere at an alarming and deadly rate. Coined as the Red Plague, the virus caused hemorrhagic fever, causing the body to turn deep red before the major organs are damaged and internal bleeding kills the host. The survival rate was close to 10% and no none treatment existed. A third virus that had never arrived on the shores of the United States was released in Asia, Australia and other points near the Pacific. This virus wasn't studied, though the effects were the same, quick spreading, highly fatal and quickly mutated to become a small threat to human life. Remember, most viruses do not want to eradicate all of their hosts, they quickly mutate to be less serious, therefore able to multiply and continue infecting their hosts that can survive and pass it on.
It is to note that many of those that first created the towers, were those that either worked on those genetic manipulations and were a part of the release of it or worked against them to try to stop the threat or the spread once it was released. Most would not admit to the former, though some knew who they were, it could not be ignored their contributions to the continuation of humankind were of more importance. Thus, the towers rose.
The mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside important things in order to accomplish the vital ones. -Brandon Sanderson
Presidio, Texas was a small town in southern Texas along the Mexican border which lies across the Rio Grande River. It is 250 miles southeast of El Paso, 240 miles southwest of Odessa and 145 miles northeast of Chihuahua City in Mexico. It is one of the ten towns named farthest away from any other significant population in the US. It was settled by ancient hunters and gatherers for its placement at the conflux of the Rio Grande and Rio Conchos, which allows a flood plain that is ideal for farming and agriculture, by the 12oo the local Native Americans had settled and lived in dwellings called pueblos by the Spaniards that came in 1535. From that point on, the settlement of the town continued with a mixture of Spaniards and the Jumano Nation inhabiting it until 1848 when white American settlers came to the town after the Mexican War and a large horse ranch was founded. The town would go through Comanche raids, visits from Pancho Villa, the appointment of a wealthy black American just after the Civil War to positions unheard of, detainment of Mexican refugees in the 1800s and population booms from amnesty programs to illegal Mexicans in the town in the late 1900s. Just before the wars broke out, Presidio's local economy was based on a large border patrol population, ranches and local retail. In 2010, the town of Presidio had the largest sodium-sulfur battery in the world built to provide power to the city if the power grid went down.
And... one day the power grid did go down. Presidio's placement far from any other town left them to be one of the earliest places that lost all power and support from help when the bombs started falling in the larger cities around Texas and Mexico. Its far proximity to many places left the town mostly untouched from battle, but the virus that swept through both the US and Mexico found its way to the town with little medical intervention. The town suffered great losses, as did most of the population of the world. The installation of the NAS battery did help the community for many years, while the battery was charged by solar power during the day, it allowed for electricity to be used in the evenings for the few remaining citizens in Presidio. This allowed those left to work on ways to improve life, clean water sources and irrigate their farmlands and rework plumbing to bring water to a pump station and other locations, while blocking off the plumbing to other locations. All manner of life in Presidio was alive in the evening when they could power the things that made their advances easier. They were able to repair buildings and machinery, make clothes quicker, process food, clean water and live a sustainable life in the small town.
By 2038 one of the earliest towers had been constructed outside of Marfa, Texas, though people in Presidio would not know this until 2041. Nothing was specifically known about why the towers were built, by the time they knew of their existence, they had already devolved into a power-hungry society those in Presidio avoided, until they felt the need to liberate those they could from the Towers. The few towns that existed like Presidio started to be known as 'Freelanders', as they lived a life free from the oppression of the Towers and free of the lawlessness of the Rogues and many freed those trapped in the lower levels of the Towers. While still plagued with violence, treachery, difficulties and struggles to survive, Freelanders were societies based on rediscovering a way of life in that people had a choice. In 2055 the battery in Presidio stopped storing the precious electricity the town depended greatly on. The solar panels were intact and there seemed to be no specific damage to the battery or housing, the lack of any sort of electrical engineers or higher-level electricians led to a lot of speculation and little understanding of how to 'turn it back on'. The town had to relearn many of its abilities without the use of electricity. And together, they did.
By 2055 the town was rarely called Presidio anymore, as change moved through the burgeoning society, so did the name. Mercy, is named after the mercy shown by those in the small town that liberated lower-level Tower dwellers more than any other known society. Not only did they free those trapped and offer a life of choice and hard-won survival, but they also helped them find other settlements to live in and helped others try to repopulate their societies. The Liberators in Mercy were from all walks of the town's citizens, infiltrating the towers at great risk to pull two or three people from the oppression at a time. Those people were taken to the Sheriff's office for an interview, then offered temporary lodging, food, water and clothing until a permanent place could be found for them, either in Mercy or on one of the trade runs to another settlement by the Scavengers. All those in Mercy must contribute to the town by way of labor or service and so the new arrivals were offered a time of adjustment to find what they wanted to do or learn to do, then offered permanent places to live and rations to spend as they wished on the basic necessities.
Rations became a low-level currency of sorts, easier to trade for small things or save for something of greater value. While most of the commerce of Mercy is reliant on the trade of goods and services, the rations made sense of a system to buy a meal, a drink at the saloon, a set of clothes, charcoal, wood, and even a night with a worker at the brothel. While ALL people are offered a set number of rations (that would fluctuate with the excess or decrease in water or food), businesses were able to offer bonus rations to their workers for certain jobs or their profits. Those profits in the form of rations could then be used for the raw goods necessary to offer a meal at the tavern or water at the bathhouse and even the soft blankets at the brothel. Larger commodities would require a trade of greater offers of service and goods, or trades of joint needs, for example, the Union needed copper and lead, the Miners have malachite and galena, and working together they both profited off the creation of copper and lead. Most of Mercy works on a barter system between the main groups that keep the town alive: Water Baron, Land Baron, Horse Baron, The Union, The Collective and the Copperheads (miners). While there are other extremely important businesses running in Mercy, those were the core industries that made life livable!
Life was not easy in Mercy. It was filled with hard work, consequences that were swift and harsh when laws were broken and times of starvation, sickness and worry that their society may not survive. They saw the rise and fall of other Freelander towns and in 2067 saw the takeover of the society of the Tower closest to them to one of the rogue groups that wandered the Deadscape using violence and theft as their means to survival. When the first wave of refugees came to the gates of Mercy, the story unfolded of the violent takeover of the tower. The first of those to travel to Mercy were workers, Mercy was well known by those that had dreams of one day being liberated, and those that escaped and survived flocked to Mercy. These people were taken in, and though some would move on to other towns, many stayed. After a short time, those that had lived in the upper tower, the skilled/trained people and those that ran divisions within the Tower, found their way to Mercy. Either unaware of its existence or location and the lack of many of their survival skills, they took longer to arrive. They were seen as the oppressors, even if not all of them knew what happened in the lower ranks of the Tower, they knew it was an imbalance that they benefited from. Some of those people were as trapped as anyone else there, though it was impossible to know who. These people were initially turned away.
Those in the Tower had not had to learn to survive without electricity, water, food, and shelter being provided. Some had never stepped foot outside of a Tower in their lifetime, and some had been abused or near murdered by the Rogues that came in, thus leaving some to die outside the gates of Mercy while they tried to come up with a plan. They were not aware a plan was being discussed in Mercy as well. One of the most successful liberators, Taalib, had contacts in the Tower, ranging from different levels, he explained the benefit of life with help from those people and the fact that not all of them were terrible, participated, or could even leave if they wanted to. With that assurance, those from the Tower's upper levels were allowed in under a watchful eye.
Human nature is a mystic duality, half animal, half angel; a worm, a God; and the contrast between the two natures is never so marked as in the gifted. -Lady Jane Wilde.
Knowledge is power in mankind, the beginnings of the wars were no different in that regard, and just as prevalent a quote, with great power comes great responsibility. These two adages were never seen so boldly as when the world started to crumble. The sort of minds that created the viruses and technology to destroy the world also had the capacity to cure the viruses and stop the destruction and at times it was the same mind that had a mind in both. World leaders entrusted these minds with each side of the duality of man, the want of destruction and the drive for rebirth. When the world fell and many of the military and leaders were gone, it was the minds of the inventors, creators, destructive and re-inventive that took their place at the top. Literally. It is said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Such is the story of the Towers.
Heads of major corporations or government agencies that had access to many of the top performing engineers, doctors, chemists, researchers, inventors, technical experts, tacticians, weapons builders, etc also had the access to the skilled labor that executed the ideas of those people. When the world of lawlessness and survival was starting, they were already contemplating not only how to survive, but thrive. It started as many things do, altruistic and with the best intention to save mankind. Towers were built or repurposed from other structures with the dwindling resources they were able to amass and protect, the lure of a new society brought manpower, and idealism drove the top minds to create amazing things to start this brave new world.
The Tower nearest Mercy was conceptualized before the first virus was released in North America by the mind of Southwestern Texas businessman Gavin Bose. Having first made a fortune in the tech world, Bose later forged a multi-market financial juggernaut named Nile, revolutionizing internet shopping, and later television entertainment. While he sank millions of dollars into a fledgling space program, Bose started his vision for the future of civic planning in the Towers, and while the media at the time lambasted his “Crackerjack” ideas, when the world teetered, then fell over the edge into collapse, the Towers seemed at the time, to be the ideal answer to the systematic failure of society. What started off as an idealistic answer to overpopulation, pollution and consumerism, was a self-contained living, farming, and working society in the vision of The Tower. Bose had nearly finished his crowning achievement built in the arid and unpopulated southwest of Texas, not far from the town of Marfa. With tweaking his vision would become reality in this post-apocalyptic world. A new society made for this new, crueler world and the installation of a form of Neo-feudalism that favored the already powerful, subjecting those who simply sought safety and security in the face of the horrors of a societal apocalypse into bonded servitude.
As months turned to years, a caste system of sorts formed in the towers, based solely on the usefulness one could prove to be towards Bose, his family and his inner elites. Skills possessed allowed one to be placed higher up the ladder, but movement along that ladder only ever went downward regardless of the skills one was in possession of. While the old social order, dead and rotting in the ruins of its now abandoned cities, went about the process of being quietly forgotten, inside the Towers, an older system of governance was being reborn. The unskilled labor lived at the bottom, they received the least amount and lowest quality food and water, clothing, and shelter. In the middle of the towers were great vertical greenhouses, power plants, warehouses, manufacturing and the nuts and bolts of the closed society Bose had made into a reality. Above the workers and the workspaces, lived the skilled laborers; the carpenters, electricians, mill-wrights, masons, iron workers, nurses, plumbers, welders, turbine techs, etc. that had access to better food, water, shelter and education. Nearer to the top were the professional workers and thinkers. These were the doctors, architects, engineers, developers, researchers, etc that often came up with the ideas to adapt new technology, as well as instruct the skilled labor to build it and how to make or find the parts to make it with. These people lived what would appear to live a privileged life with excesses unheard of levels below them. At the very top of the towers was Bose, his family and his inner circle. Bose was for a time, in all ways but name, a King in the Towers, and his decrees became law due to his being the force that had built the project in the first place, though he and his corporate underlings would not admit to it, they had reconstructed micro feudalism.
Many of those in the Tower's upper levels turned blind eyes to the treatment of those below them, conditioned to believe they could not survive out of the tall kingdom constructed by Bose. Even his family believed the propaganda that the world outside was full of treachery and ruin, little food and scarce water. Attempt to rise against Bose and his inner circle and you would be targeted as a threat to their society and removed. His own son was forced from the Tower when he confronted Bose on the conditions of those living in the lower levels of the towers, leaving his wife and children trapped by Bose as reminders to all that dared question his society.
In time stories of being liberated from the Towers started to circulate and rumors that while not easy, life outside the Towers was not so dire as described. It was still too great a gamble to risk your life and that of your family to find out if it was a dream or reality that there could be a life away from the Tower. And yet... workers disappeared from time to time, either escaping on their own or more likely being liberated by Freelanders and brought to towns, like Mercy. Freelanders were not seen ultimately as threats to the Bose, even with the few workers that seemed to disappear could be spun into a horror story and fuel the fear of what happened in the Deadscape. Bose did not consider the Freelanders could be proven to those inside the towers. Rogues were thought to be easy nightmare stories of warning to others and otherwise a few straggling groups that were on the fringes of even surviving. For the first time perhaps, Bose would find out how wrong he was.
In 2067, the Tower was attacked by such violence and force, that their military could not push them back. Unsuspecting and unaware of the gathering force to take them on, the weapons and great technology in the Towers were not in a position to be utilized. No matter the urging of many in the control of the weaponry and design, Bose truly believed they could not be attacked. The need for weapons and military was to one day attack other towers and societies. A corporate takeover in a completely new way. They never considered the threat from outside, only the belief they were the new superpowers of the world.
When the Rogues pushed in through the lower levels, workers would not fight them. There was little to fight for, survival was the only consideration and surrender would allow them to keep living. As the Rogues slipped farther up the towers, they met most of the same resistance, many only wanted to remain alive and given the opportunity to surrender and live or fight and die, they too surrendered. Though the weapon's makers gave a fight and through their efforts, many others were able to flee the towers as they gave the window of opportunity to get out with whatever they could carry. When the dust settled inside the towers, the Rogues were victorious and those remaining in the Towers were again trapped, though there were no more levels, you were a slave or you were a Rogue. Atrocities and violence had brought these people to victory and their way of life was what lorded those trapped in the Towers now.
The workers that fled the Tower, knew there was salvation out in the Deadscape and they made their way to the rumored location of Mercy. They were let inside the gates quickly and plans were made to find them a place in the town or send them to other towns needing more citizens. The others that escaped found themselves trying to survive in a world that was not kind to them, though not as horrifying as the picture painted by Bose. These upper tower elites and skilled minds, Bose's granddaughter included in those that escaped, were at the mercy of those they once stood over and soon most made their way to Mercy as well. A slight few had helped the liberators of Mercy and were met by them and brought to the town. The council of Mercy first turned them away, offering enough water and food to survive a short time on their own. Though through conversations and long negotiations, it was determined the wealth of knowledge and abilities they had were too great to turn down, even if many in the town would hate the new additions, they were offered safety and the bounty of Mercy in return for their knowledge and work to better the society.
Rogue is the blanket term for those that wander the Deadscape without clinging to a society of sorts. Many that wander do so because they haven't found where they fit in. Some live by their own rules, though bother few people and others enjoy a life of violence and chaos in a world without laws. For whatever reason a person decides to wander... many eventually stop being alone. There are other towns like Mercy, and they may find a place where they feel accepted or that they fit in. They may find a reason to settle down, maybe even a person is the reason. Then there are the ones that band together, those social outcasts that have a questionable moral compass or a 'me or you' survival attitude. Roaming around in a group of like-minded individuals is what the Freelanders are after all, though with different views on others and without the roaming.
The ranks of these groups grew over time. Survival in numbers proved that packs moving about the Deadscape made more sense than a lone marauder taking on anyone they may come in contact with. It's still fairly unknown how many towers were taken over, or if they were around the same time or the same core group of Rogues. Those in Mercy know the tower closest to them, about 60 miles away, was fully taken by the Rogues without a great deal of damage. Another town they do trade with also reported a tower near them had been attacked.
Rogues that come into Mercy may lie about their origins, even if they aren't a danger to others or have any ill will, it's just easier to blend in if you aren't what some consider an enemy. And there's the chance that you might be an enemy as well.
The mines in Mercy, located at the Northwest corner below the scrapyard, have been there since the early 1900s. Wildly popular in the early 20’s for the rich variety of ores found, the Fillmore mines— as they were originally termed, were only dug 20 feet below the surface. This shallow mine was not expanded until 1958 when layers were added using controlled blasts. The level of limestone in the area made digging near impossible with average tools until that time.
The mines host several ores, the most plentiful being Galena and Malachite. Malachite, the ore known for creating Copper, was mostly used up until the mine shut down in 1993. While Galena, the ore known for Lead, was typically used as a source of Silver more so than the dense Lead. The mine closed due to work conditions and low production value when compared to heavy machinery-driven mines. The entrance was sealed and was not reopened until 2055 when Mercy decided to rediscover the resources below their feet.
It is widely known in Mercy that the mines are one of the limited natural resources and are treated as such. Access to the mines if not open without being a part of the Mining Faction or having permission from Mining leads. It is a dangerous area and should not be wandered down into. A pulley elevator system is the only access in and out of the mines with cranks that require one person to turn, while another (or multiple) can ride down. Helmets must be worn in the mines at all times.
The Mines produce, on average 16lbs of Lead and 21lbs of Copper each week. The Mines have a smelting area, in which the Malachite and Galena are burned at high temperatures and combined with Charcoal to create Copper and Lead, respectively. Lead burning can be extremely hazardous, thus full gear and masks must be worn in the smelting area (unless you desire to die of Lead poisoning).
Galena – The Lead Ore
Malachite – The Copper Ore
There was a NaS battery installed in Presidio, Texas in 2010 which has been in operation since then. The battery charges during the daytime hours with solar energy and then the reaction between the molten sulfur and the molten sodium inside create renewable power for the town at night. The process requires the battery to run at temperatures over 300 c/570 f at all times in a special insulated thermal enclosure. The earlier NaS batteries found a lifespan of approximately 15 years, though as insulators were found that worked better and longer, many NaS batteries could last up to 40 years before the electrolytes form dendrites and kill the battery's ability to charge.
In 2022 a new electrolyte was discovered at the University of Houston that was in a solid state and able to withstand the high temperatures and years of use that the current one could not. The oxysulfide glass electrolyte proves to be low cost, easily made and has incredible mechanical stability and incredible chemical stability, which changed the world of batteries enormously. By 2025, this new electrolyte could sustain the operation of the battery for 100+ years and run at a much lower temperature, creating a safer environment. Due to Presidio's low population, distance from other populated areas and already built solar and power grid for their NaS battery, the University of Houston chose the town to receive the new battery technology.
The battery would still charge with the solar power throughout the day, then in the evening, switch to the battery's power until the next morning. The town of Presidio showed the new technology to be a success. It ran seamlessly as expected from 2025 - 2052 before the whirring sound from the top of 'Battery Hill' stopped without any indication of why giving 27 years of electricity to the town. Without solar or electrical engineers to call for help, the town has continued to maintain the battery and solar panels for the past 12 years, hoping that one day, they will know how to restore power.
((There is a reasonable explanation for the failure of the battery, it is not a permanent failure and can be restored through RP))
Mercy got its name from the help they have given others for decades. Not only growing their town but helping other Freelanders grow their own. This does not mean that all those within Mercy are happy about the influx of new citizens.
Workers from the Towers have been accepted into the town without any trouble in the past. However, never have there been this many new people in Mercy at once. Integrating two or three new people into the town was easier than the dozens that have arrived. Some may see this as more opportunity to show mercy, others may feel this is a great strain on resources.
Higher-level Tower people would not be viewed as favorably. For decades the people of Mercy have fought against the tyranny of the leadership of the Towers and many view all of the higher-level people as that. Higher-level Tower people would see life as very different than what they've been used to. They had electricity, running water, people to do their shopping, comfortable apartments and an abundance of food and luxury items. Some of these people have never seen outside of the towers, never seen plants, animals, variety of other people, this could be a jolting experience.
Most everyone distrusts Rogues, even ones that have never caused any trouble to anyone. There is no way to prove they haven't been violent and most have experienced violence from other Rogues. This distrust causes many coming into a new place to simply say they are from another Freelander town, though when another Rogue comes in that recognizes them, this could cause problems.
The life is harsh in Mercy and death is a part of life as much as living is. Death is handled with respect to the person that once was, the circle of life and to those left behind. The practice may seem cruel to some, even horrifying, though the end result pays respect to the dead and compassion to the living in many ways. The body is prepared with anointing of oils, last rites and prayers offered. Bowls of juniper are lined along the walls of Mercy by a healer and set ablaze to attract the vultures, which will flock quickly as the bone breakers begin to disassemble the body, leaving the pieces for the scavenger birds in raised troughs. The Copperheads are given this difficult task, their understanding of the dangers of the Deadscape equipping them better than others. Typically a vulture can pick a body clean of meat in 5 hours, though the bodies are left a full day outside in the elevated trough while their souls are literally raised to the sky. The next day, the femurs and skull are retrieved and adorned with a flower crown and placed underground in the catacombs in one of the mine rooms that had been picked clean of all ore. The bones are interred into a carved hole in the wall and a candle lit in memory. Loved ones are allowed to enter the mine with a Copperhead to pay their respects throughout the year when safe to do so. Once a year the citizens of Mercy celebrate the dead in a festival called the 'Turning of the Bones' where the skulls are removed from the catacombs, offered new flower crowns and danced with around a grand bonfire. This festival is usually around the spring solstice to welcome the end of winter, renew what was dead and lost and a time of memories and revelry. At the commencement of the ceremony, they are interred again, allowing their crowns to rot and renew the process of death and rebirth.
The Land Baron controls the farming and crops in most of Mercy. There is a small garden in the center of town that has mostly herbs and flowering shrubs for the beehives to produce honey, within reason most basic herbs would be found there. The farm's crops fluctuate through the year of what is available (either fresh or canned) and can change drastically during a good or poor harvest. Currently, the crop distribution is:
PLENTIFUL (Fresh, processed, dried or canned)
Cannabis (Marijuana and hemp)
Cotton
Corn
Grapes
Sorghum
Carrots
Onions
Green Onions
Potatoes
Greens
Kale
Spinach
Peas
Squash
Blackberry
Cucumber
Squash
Zucchini
Gourds
Melons
Apple
Fig
Lemon
Orange
MODERATE (Fresh, processed, dried or canned)
Wheat
Coca
Rhubarb
Lettuce (various)
Poppy
Chicory
Peach
Pear
Beets
Mushroom
Avocado
Cauliflower
Lime
Pumpkins
SHORT SUPPLY (Fresh, processed, dried or canned)
Sugarcane
Tomatoes
Strawberry
Blueberry
Asparagus
Mango
Persimmon
Olives
Broccoli
Cabbage
((If you are looking for something specific that is not native to the area, please send a story request to see if we can make it happen))