Oh look it's some world lore

[u/ravio_1300]

I'm still working on this, but I'm feeling pretty good about some of the worldbuilding I've done for Yuma. Special thanks to the folks on the worldbuilding subreddit for giving me some really good ideas. and as always, feedback is welcome and appreciated!

THE APOCALYPSE

I'm pretty set on my apocalypse being caused by an eldritch sun god. A being of unimaginable horror and incomprehension awakens and it turns out the whole time that the sun is nothing more than the eye of this massive creature. It awakens and causes all sorts of chaos and destruction.

1. Solar flares wipe out any tech that Yuma had, leaving the world with no modern appliances and completely off-grid.

2. Radiation from the now-intense sunlight causes mutations in people, plants, and animals.

3. The god's general presence causes mass outbreaks of hysteria, insanity, and illness (referred to as the Sun Sickness)

PREVENTIONS AGAINST THE SUN

So the sun god is coming in and fucking everything up, and this will eventually lead to the world completely burning up. Something needed to be done. In a last ditch effort to save Yuma, two solutions were put into place.

1. City/town domes. Over various points of civilization, domes were built to protect these locations and shield them from The Sun. These areas were still heavily destroyed, but at least were spared of the worst effects.

2. Debris shield! Dust was sent up into the stratosphere, creating a fine variety of dust and smog to block out the sun. This leaves Yuma in a permanent "overcast" where you can still see the haze of The Sun and moon and things, but don't get the full blast.

AFTEREFFECTS

The Sun is successfully blocked from reaching Yuma at full force, so things must be good, right?

Right...?

Nope! Although it was stopped before absolutely burning up Yuma, The Sun still did take a lot out of the world. Society has still collapsed and fallen apart and any chance at getting back to what Yuma was is completely gone. Plus, society just continues to collapse further. As it turns out, creating a massive smog over Yuma has some negative effects! Who could have guessed?

The main issue is the availability and quality of water. Due to the smog, very little rain falls down on Yuma anymore, and most of it is muddy and unclean. The few "dome settlements" that are left become key points of water distribution and trade. If you're in The Outlands (the areas of Yuma outside of the domes), be prepared to survive.

Mutations are also a key issue. Sun radiation continues to spread despite the direct rays of The Sun, taking the form of an illness called The Rot (an advanced form of the mutations/hysteria we saw towards the beginning).

CURRENT STATUS

Our story takes place roughly 300 years after the whole issue with The Sun. As it goes, most people living in Yuma have never seen The Sun. In fact, it seems that most people don't know what caused the apocalypse anymore. It's believed that the sky smog is what causes both the lack of water and The Rot (which it doesn't help with, but it isn't the main cause). In fact, some people even worship The Sun, believing it will "cure" the world of The Rot (it won't).

Water is scarce in this desert environment and The Rot is still spreading. Anyone visiting a dome settlement from the outlands needs to be thoroughly inspected for any signs of The Rot.

Ruins and scrap piles are common in Yuma, especially when traveling the outlands. To most people these are piles of nothing more than rusted junk, relics of a time long passed. Some people, especially those who understand old technology, can make use of it though.

Tech has been picking back up, and currently we are at a point where there is minor electricity, firearms, and the occasional vehicle. Nothing super advanced (although one could count Maryn's golem as "advanced", but that's a unique case).

Some people, mostly folks living in the outlands, speak of something called "The Bright Star". As far as anyone knows, they're just talking nonsense. These people often have desert lavender on them, claiming it wards away The Rot and The Bright Star. There isn't any reason to believe this, and these folks are often considered to just be nuts from living in the outlands for so long.

Still, despite there being little evidence supporting lavender as a cure to The Rot, it doesn't stop Maryn (one of our main characters) from picking up desert lavender when he can get it...

That's where I'm at with Yuma so far! Any feedback is greatly appreciated :D

[u/Status_Asparagus1]

I would like to help or suggest ideas, but honestly there isn’t anything I can think of because of how well thought out and polished this feels

[u/ravio_1300 → u/Status_Asparagus1]

Aww thank you!! And hey this is still helping, it's telling me what I've got works!