Called the Land of Errant Hopes, Flororenghashst is not a land for the timid wanderer, nor the inexperienced tourist. I don’t want to frighten you away from visiting this rich and savory land, full of wine-dark shadows and smokey forests. While it may be an acquired taste for some, the land of Flororenghashst is well worth experiencing.

All the same, I’ve been told Flororenghashst is like an exotic meal. If you don’t know how to hold the utensils or what sauces to dip different bites in, you won’t get the full experience. The people of Flororenghashst are a sturdy and humble sort, with a rich history centuries in the making. There is a deep reverence for history and the education of children in the country, and tourists are expected to show an interest in the history of any town they visit, restaurant they eat in, and even people they meet. It is not uncommon for a simple “hello, how are you” to turn into a long folk-tale about the surrounding region and how the building you stand in was built.

This story is fan-fiction made in the Grimdark Future universe, by One Page Rules.

They met on a small hill a full league from the city’s wall. The land was barren, with only a few dried husks of trees and sparse tufts of weed drifting in the wind. The lazy drone of alien insects filled the chill air, and the bright blue spot that was the planet’s sun beat down on Pwanji’s head.

She met with a monster. It was half-again as tall as her, covered head-to-toe in ancient metal armor. She recognized the design as one of the ancient battle-suits from when humanity first came to the Sirius sector, and it looked well used. That it still functioned at all was impressive, given its age, but she had no doubt that the Battle Brothers of the Founder knew how to maintain even the oldest equipment; given their lifespans, it was likely this was the Battle Brother’s original battle-suit.

“Hail,” she said as the giant walked closer. “I am Mother Pwanji Truevoice of Freecity Arpescious. Whom do I have the honor of meeting?”

This story is fan-fiction made in the Grimdark Future universe, by One Page Rules.

Heresy.

The being that would one day be known as Vradhez sat in its pod, slowly spinning in its personal eddy, separate from the overwhelming current of the Flow. Its caste was one of the few among the Living who had this ability, much less the permission. The Living had long ago realized that in spite of its incredible benefits, the Flow brought with it its own challenges and obstacles. The unity of the Living was powerful, but so too could it be limiting.

So a new caste had been created from countless strands of DNA and mitochondria collected from a thousand different species across the Living’s territory. In spite of their physical similarities to the Prime castes, they had more genetic material in common with the great minds, the caste devoted to the Living’s memory and logistical instincts. They were not only able to see the Flow, but to escape it; to not just analyze and assess, but to imagine and explore.

It was this ancient foresight that meant the Living could survive the great awakening, the sudden awareness of their entire race that they were not the only sentient species in the universe. But how could they have imagined otherwise? Of all the animals they had ever met, none of them were truly alive. How could they be?

Poshlin Parade is the large mountain range on the eastern edge of Eddling. Visible from across the country, Poshlin Parade extends from the Gorland Plains to the south, all the way to the Eddling border and Silver Lake to the north. The White Needle is its tallest peak, at 2,400m, and contains a total of 27 peaks higher than 1,000m. Reaching Poshlin Parade is as simple as catching a train or bus to either Loreidell or Grumwei, the two closest towns, and chartering a bus-service to one of the several base-camps from there.

Hiking the Poshlin Parade is best done with a guide. While the paths are generally safe, they are not easy to climb, and there are several places where passage becomes dangerous without suitable experience. Hiring a guide is simple enough, as there are multiple tour-groups and guide-services in both Loreidell and Grumwei for reasonable prices.

The southern edge of the Adamant Cliffs is accessible by Lopna-drawn cart, and a semi-regular taxi-service operates out of Loreidell. The northern edge will require hiking to reach, due to the narrow passes.

Nottish Ins is one of the largest principalities in Eddling, and the Rutile City is one of its largest urban centers. Most major train-, ship-, and airlines offer service to the Rutile City; check your company of choice for their schedules.

Travel within the Rutile City is made slightly more complex than usual due to the city’s different eras of construction; the central district is made of curving roads and angled corners, while the outer streets are placed on a more common urban grid. This makes travel in the outer districts predictable, while the inner-city is a bit more organic.

In the outer-city, trolleys and rolling-trams travel down every fourth street, and cost only a Qua-Tin to ride. Most of the trolleys serve one street only, while the outermost streets are served by “ring-trolleys,” or trams that travel a circular route around the city, rather than back and forth. These trolleys are labeled by letter instead of street-name; the A-Line, for example, instead of the Grimsby-Street-Line.

Hapsprat is on the eastern edge of Eddling, and is accessible by train and bus. Bus travel is best purchased from the neighboring city of New Ricland for only 3 scrip. This is the cheapest method of reaching Hapsprat, if time is not a concern; it can take anywhere from one to two hours to get from New Ricland to Hapsprat, considering traffic and weather conditions.

Train travel is the fastest, though service is unreliable; Hapsprat is small enough that trains only visit once or twice a day at most. It can also be expensive, depending on where you purchase your ticket from. All the same, travel from nearby Porriwat takes only 15 minutes.

Once you reach Hapsprat, the Museum of Eddling History is hard to miss. It is easily walkable from the train and bus stations, and there are plenty of local taxis that will drop you right at the muesum’s front door.

Eddling is a young land, full of hope and activity. While most regions have a history dating back centuries, Eddling as a country is — at time of writing — only two hundred years old. It is full of vibrant and energetic people, eager to enjoy this world for as long as they are in it.

This is not to say the region has no history, but it is here that Eddling suffers from the same colonialist issues that many other countries do: The history of the country of Eddling is not the same as the indigenous people’s history. Thankfully, the worst excesses of industrial colonialism have spared the region, and there is a strong indigenous influence on modern Eddling culture, but this does not wipe away the scars that still remain.

Access to the Yellow Bypass of Borrst is as simple as finding passage either to the edge of Roshkana or Eastworrik Province. Booking a ticket on a stout ship or train is simple enough, and there are even a few zepplien services that make regular stops at the edges of the Yellow Bypass.

Travelers should, however, make plans regarding which side of the Bypass they wish to frequent before travelling, as while traversing the Bypass is far from arduous, it is time-consuming.

Orrisen Park is situated in There-Upon the Bannen, a quiet region on the northern edge of Garm. Traveling to There-Upon the Bannen can be confusing for foreigners, as the region has a complex history that has not been standardized among other countries.

Centuries ago, what is now referred to as There-Upon the Bannen was three separate towns: Bannen, Malthen, and Esphea, each half a day’s ride from each other by horse. As each town grew bigger over the years, their borders began to blend. Without getting into the tumultuous history, there is still some significant dispute as to whether the three towns merged into a single city, retained their separate jurisdictions, or simply cross-pollinated so much that the political situation is immaterial.

Look at the published stats for any “moral choice” game, and you’ll see that most everyone picks the “good-guy” path, rather than villain. We don’t want to be cruel and evil people, we don’t want to cause pain or suffering, we want to be the hero.

So here’s my question: why would anyone want to be the bad-guy?

Because people do want to be the bad-guy. Look at all the people who play Warhammer 40k as chaos-marines, tyranids, orks, necrons, and dark eldar. Count all the people who love playing Evil RPG campaigns, or relish in being the anti-hero. Consider how many people reach for red lightsabers and stormtrooper outfits, or vampire capes, or purport to identify with the Joker.

I say purport, because no one really identifies with the Joker. I mean, if anyone was really given the opportunity to join an oppressive dictatorial regime predicated on the suppression of the poor and downtrodden, no one would actually join up, right?

Some would. Some already have.