A large, well maintained,
intact tin clad building. Clean unbroken
glass windows. Functioning plumbing.
Clean water. A safe barrier behind which a large community shelters.
Functioning pre-End machines.
These miracles are gathered into one place at Avoss. Travelers cannot believe the fortune of the
place and well understand the care its residents take to preserve their safety.
Many hope to stay.
The main
structure of Avoss is a large shed. This
is the home of the Forgery and they guard its secrets fiercely. It was occupied generations ago and has been
maintained well by following the guides recorded carefully by those who knew
how before the End. Along with the
people of the Forgery it houses fantastic machines from the pre-End times. A generator and many tools. Most important of all. DECKARD.
A gathered Company of The Network has set their fires and tents near a bright
green wagon where they arrange themselves according to their management
status. Guides, scouts and messengers,
the Company has come to an arrangement with Avoss but such people rarely stay
in one place long. Many come and go
regularly on their sojourns across the wilds.
A wide cave entrance gives way to a gently sloping tunnel that leads eventually to a reinforced stone bunker. This is where the Tankers reside. There they work and rest. The Bunker houses a food and water decontamination unit and has a bore connected to an artesian basin which serves as a reliable source of water. A part of the bunker is given over to work and another to rest and study. The Tankers vary in their knowledge, skills and professions but are united by the core idea of using restored knowledge to bring about another Golden Age.
Surrounding the settlement a line of poles topped by some kind of strange device. This is the Fence. In places it is reinforced by a physical barrier as well but the Fence itself is the key protective barrier. Some sort of acoustic deterrent it makes passing near to the poles very uncomfortable. It can be so painful as to incapacitate those seeking to cross, particularly if moving very quickly. It is not entirely protective, being unable to stop non-living objects makes it possible to fire bullets across the barrier but it provides more protection than most settlements and is one of the reasons Avoss is successful. Maintaining the Fence is one of the most important tasks of the Forgery, and they are often seeking materials for this purpose. The devices that provide the protection are complex, and difficult to maintain across the years. The limits on the size of the Fence make the community a crowded place, particularly if visitors of immigrants arrive. Most do their best to live easily with each other but conflict arises from time to time. The history of Avoss has a number of major fractures within the community. It is relatively rare for such to come to blows however as repeated violence is one of the most certain sins that will result in banishment. Into the wild.