Soot Vienna

Vienna, the capital of the Victarian Empire, is divided into two parts: Neo Vienna—the city of the Emperor, stilted above the clouds of nuclear soot and smog, and Soot Vienna—the city of farmers, merchants, and other tradesmen.

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While the rich live in luxury above, beyond the devastating consequences of the apocalyptic Last War, the people of the soot (or “soot slickers”, colloquially) must strive to survive in the ravaged hellscape below. In exchange for the imperial tax on goods and sales, the neo city is charged with providing protection for the citizens of Soot Vienna. However, while Victaria’s soldiers generally keep the most deadly mutants, such as scratis, from infiltrating the walls, they do little to guard the soot slickers from gangs and lesser monsters that rove the streets by day, and rule by night. Gangs too, extract money and supplies for “protection”, and when soot slickers find themselves unable to pay either the mob or the Empire, the punishment is either death or an indebtedness that pushes them further into desperation and decay.

Nevertheless, the people of Soot Vienna are proud survivors who have developed a culture all their own. From the bustling main market at the heart of the city to local watering holes like Crazy Jake’s, there is no shortage of color or life in this dusty, dystopian metropolis.