Far-Go has been a self-supportive agricultural community
for just over a century and a quarter. According to
the village's history, the original thousand or so settlers
travelled north upon The Great Oad past areas of great
devastation where they encountered many horrible
creatures. The journey finally ended just north of the
Meeting Place, where the land was fertile and unscarred
by the weapons of the Ancients. In memory of their long
and dangerous trek, the settlers decided to name their
new home Far-Go.
Presently, the nearly 1200 residents (25% Pure Strain
Humans, 75% Humanoids) live in simple wooden houses
and farm the surrounding land as best they can. All the
inhabitants of Far-Go live within 4 or 5 kilometers of the
small "town center, "where a number of businesses and
the community's temple of worship are located. The
village of Far-Go is made up of four basic population
groups: 1) the Farmers, 2) the Merchants, 3} the
Watchers, and 4) The Religious Ones.
1) The Farmers make up most of the Far-Go community.
There are over 800 Humanoids and 200 Pure Strain
Humans farming plots of land around the village center.
Farming is a difficult life that requires both knowledge
and hard work. Except for occasional trips to the village
to buy supplies and attend religious services, farm
families rarely leave their land.
2} The Merchants run an assortment of shops in the
village center and live next to their places of business.
There is a high percentage of Pure Strain Humans
owning businesses in the village. Merchants and their
families number about 125 of the total 1200 living inFar-Go. There are 80 PSH's and 45 Humanoids making a
living as merchants. While the Far-Go villagers are
always preferred customers, the merchants will almost
always serve outsiders.
3) The village security force, known as Watchers, patrol
the farm lands and the village for any unwelcome
intruders. The 15 member security force is made up of 5
Pure Strain Humans and 10 Humanoids. The Watchers
and their families number 50 and live within the village
itself. Any member of the Far-Go community may try to
become a part of the village security personnel, although
characters with great physical strength have the best
chance of successfully making the security force. Only
occasionally are the Watchers required to deal harshly
with intruders.
4) The Religious Ones only number 10 presently but the
religious order may have up to 12 members. The order
consists of a high priest, 1-4 priests, 1-5 initiates (future
priests), an elder, and an acolyte (future elder). Only a
Pure Strain Human may become a priest or high priest
and only a Humanoid can become the elder. The high
priest and the elder are originators of all religious
doctrine and they are seen by all Far-Go residents as
men and women of great and mysterious powers. The
Humanoid elder is held in high esteem by everyone, but
is officially powerless in religious matters. The flowing
purple robes distinguish the priests from the rest of the
villagers as does the blue robe worn by the elder. The
title held by the high priest is Arx and the current high
priest of Far-Go is Arx Skystone. Any PSH can become a
priest, but it takes many years of study and severe testing
before a priest can become an initiate. The Religious
Ones are the only possessors of books collected from the
Ancient ones. They are also the only copiers of written
text, updating the village's religious book TheUnist
written by Arx himself. Religion in Far-Go plays an
important part in the daily lives of the people binding the
community together in harmony.
Locations:
Fax is smaller than Far-Go, consisting of 900 or so
Humanoids. Almost all the inhabitants of Fax are farmers.
Very few people from Far-Go ever visit Fax because the
farmers are very suspicious of strangers and usually
treat outsiders very coldly.
Kin is a small trading community. There are roughly 500
Humanoids, mutants, and Pure Strain Humans making a
living in this river village. A few farmers live outside the
village and provide most of the food for all of Kin. The
residents of Far-Go remain cautious of Kin because of
the secretiveness displayed by the village. There have
always been rumors that strange and violent
underground organizations originate in Kin, but this has
never been proven.
The River of Blood runs southward about 5 kilometers
to the east of Far-Go. It is a swiftly-moving river, varying
in width from 20 to 30 meters, with an average depth of
1 5 meters. Legend has it that the river was the scene of
great death and destruction during the wars of the
Ancients. It has also been said the river's waters ran red
from all the blood that spilled into it. The river is generally
feared by most of Far-Go because of the weird creatures
rumored to be living in and around it.
The Forest of the Ancient Ones is a forest that has
supposedly remained untouched by the radiation from
the Ancients during the Shadow Years. All trees, plants,
and creatures living within the boundary of the forest are
said to be totally unmutated. No one from Far-Go has
ever entered the Forest of the Ancient Ones and most
believe that mutated creatures cannot go into there
without dying.
The Marshes are a stinking, insect-infested, swampy
nightmare that most inhabitants of Far-Go tend to avoid.
Occasionally, some hardy farmers will brave the
quagmires to obtain its rich fertilizer. A few have
returned empty-handed only to tell of the ghastly horrors
that chased them away. Any that travel towards The
Marshes use The 10 because it is the "safest" path to
follow. The quiet ShiYen river borders The Marshes on
the east.
The Dark Woods and The Dread Forest are very dense
and tangled forests that are inhabitated by monstrous
creatures and great mutated plants. At various times of
the year, herds of unusual animals can be seen migrating
from the Dark Woods to the Dread Forest and vice versa.
The entire extent of these two forests is unknown to the
people of Far-Go.
The Forest of Knowledge is the site of the ritual for the
Rite of Adulthood. Winding southward, The Great Oad
runs almost through the center of the forest, and is used
for travel by many creatures. There are relatively few
dangers encountered in this forest because of the
scarcity of aggressive animals living there and because
the density of trees is minimal. Children are told very
little about the Forest except that it is a very sacred place
to the village of Far-Go.
The Great Oad, The 10, and The 94 are old high-speed
roadways once used by the Ancients. At present, the
broken-up roads still provide a means of easier travelling
across the rough lands. These roads are believed to be
places of great power by the inhabitants of Far-Go. This
is especially true of The Great Oad which brought the
original settlers to this land. All three roads intersect
south of Far-Go at what is called The Meeting Place, aspecial location for those who participate in the Rite of
Adulthood. The 10 and the 94 are in poor condition, but
The Great Oad is in relatively good shape.
