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Since the end of World War III, humans have adapted to life with limited resources and reverted back to a lifestyle reminiscent of 18th century colonial times. Rebuilding past technological advances proved to be impossible given all the destruction that has plagued the Earth. Humans could only salvage what little that survived, including the few plant and animal species necessary to their own survival.

For the first few decades after the War, Earth was polluted by radioactivity and the environment was barely inhabitable. But gradually the pollution dissipated and living creatures adapted to their new environment. Certain regions were less affected than others, so fauna and flora flourished in these areas. The weather also settled back to temperate conditions, no longer harsh and suffocating. One such area was the southwestern coast of the North American continent.

Settling into this region, humans rebuilt a semblance of their past civilization and prospered in the favorable conditions. But a century after WWIII, the true ramifications of the war revealed that humans were no longer at the top of the food chain - 30-feet long centipedes had grown into the top predators of their new world. Nevertheless, the humans discovered the existence of evolved wolves, and together the two species were able to stay above the invading centipedes. So the year of the first partnership between human and wolf became known as the beginning of the Era of the Wolves - Aera Lupus (AL 0).

As a species, humans haven't changed or evolved since the end of World War III. However, the radioactive pollution had nearly rendered the remaining human population sterile. The ability to reproduce drastically decreased, where women who could give birth at all were considered a miracle. The highest record of births by a single woman has been four children, but even two is considered highly improbable. Medical advances have also been completely lost, and only natural herbs and homemade remedies can be used with the surviving resources. But most bacterium and viruses have been wiped out or evolved since the end of the War due to the decrease in their host number, so only a few diseases are still seen in humans, such as the common cold, or newly evolved diseases such as the one caused by the poison of the Centipedes. Nevertheless, a human's life span has been drastically reduced, on average 50-70 years.

Given the low rate of reproduction and shorter life expectancy, residents of The City are encouraged to marry young in hopes of reproducing. Monogamy is still the common practice in this society, but single individuals are not criticized for having numerous short relationships. However, Wolfriders are not as encouraged to start families since a pregnancy would hinder the Wolfrider's ability to ride. But marriage within Wolfriders (to another Wolfrider or a common resident in the Fort) is not forbidden, and a good number of Wolfriders have children. For children born to two Wolfriders, they are often raised by a relative or sometimes a hired caretaker.

A less dire effect of the radioactive exposure is mutations in human genetic codes that have given rise to a wider range of hair and eye colors. Orignal shades such as yellow, brown and black hair are still the most common, but white, bluish and greenish tones are not an uncommon sight. Eye colors are far more widespread, with purple and red occurring as commonly as blue and green. But skin tone has not changed much if at all, though the environment favors individuals with more medium-shaded tones. Although as a result, different ethnicities no longer exist since everyone has been integrated into a single culture - the separation of races has faded into history.

As a civilization, humans have fallen back to a less technologically advanced age of cultivating crop and raising livestock. Primitive irrigation and plumbing techniques haven't been forgotten, and simple tools still exist. Most noteworthy is the availability of gunpowder, which proved to be a necessary weapon in fighting against the centipedes. But past advancements such as electricity and gas-powered machines cannot be resurrected given the remaining resources. So Wolfriders have adapted to rely on their wolves and their own skills of physical combat. Canons are equipped in The City and in all the Forts, but only as a last resort defense.

Cotton is one of the main sources for weaving clothes, though leather can still be found with the small herds of wild bison brought in by wolves in the surrounding region. Common and military alike dress in cotton, and leather is reserved for use by the Wolfriders to use as riding gear and harnesses. The most common crops grown for consumption are wheat, corn, rye, oats and barley to name a few, as well as durable fruits and vegetables, and hay for livestock. Domesticated animals raised for consumption are usually cattle, pigs, chicken and even sheep, but companion animals such as dogs, cats and horses are also common.

Normal US coins are used as the main form of currency, which includes only the following types of coins: penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half-dollar, and dollar. Paper money is not durable and most have been destroyed by the war or natural elements; paper money is not worth anything except maybe to an antique collector. But since coins are the only currency, one cent is the equivalent of one dollar from pre-WWIII, so any civilian could survive on 20-50 cents a week (wolfriders receive 200 cents a month for salary). However, most City residents that produce materials trade their goods rather than use currency, but the value of the goods is still determined by how much they would cost in coins.

Each resident of the City and Forts alike receive the same rations for food once a week, distributed by the Council - all the food rations come from the farmers/ranchers who send a portion of their crop/livestock to the Council as tax. In return for the rations, everyone in the City must contribute a small percentage of their profits and/or goods to the Council as tax; a good portion of these money profits and goods are then given to the Forts as payment for the wolfriders' services. Any extra goods a resident produces (from groceries to clothes) is bought/sold on individual basis; they can be traded for other goods of equal value or sold using the currency.

(BLUEPRINT)
Along the perimeter of the Valley and located on the highest hilltops are Forts, designed specifically for allowing quick movement of Wolfriders out into the surrounding area to intercept incoming centipedes. The Forts are not as fortified as The City, but were still built with 14-meter high and over 1-meter thick walls. The Fort comes with two watchtowers that face outward, and each tower is equipped with a large bell which is rung when centipedes are sighted by the Sentinels on duty. The bell can be heard throughout the fort and even inward a good distance to any City residents working in the fields. The towers and walls of the Forts also hold canons, but these are only used as a last result should any centipedes break through the Wolfriders' defense.

The main purpose of the Forts is a residence for the Wolfriders and their wolves, and the husbands/wives of any Wolfrider. But some non-military residents also live in the Fort as regular workers, such as cooks or doctors. These common residents live in the Hall, which is the largest building in the Fort - the upper level consists of studio rooms that house the common residents. Most of them work as cooks or servants on the ground floor, which consists of a large dining room and several lounge rooms for Wolfriders. But some of the residents are also employed as Sentinels to work the watchtowers or as Runners to send messages to The City, and a few have even been hired by Wolfrider couples as child Caretakers. There are also the doctors and nurses who work in a separate building next to the Hall, which is the infirmary. To one corner of the Fort is a large fenced pasture including an indoor barn for a small herd of horses used by messengers - horses raised in the Forts are comfortable enough not to be fearful of wolves, but are still a little suspicious. Despite the risk of living along the perimeter of the Valley, the common residents are treated well and like the Wolfriders, they also receive rations of supplies from The City on a weekly basis.

At least half of the Fort's interior is dedicated to individual housing units called Barracks for the Wolfriders. Each Barrack is a studio that consists of a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen area, as well as a separate room known as the Den for their wolves. There are two doors to the Den, the smaller for the human to enter from within his living area and the larger an exit outside for the wolf. All Dens are large enough to comfortably house two full-grown wolves since mated pairs often like to stay together, although many wolves like to sleep outside during the summer. But some apartments are slightly larger with a bigger bedroom area and even an extra little room, which is used for Wolfrider couples who have a child together - the extra room is for the child's caretaker. However, Wolfrider couples with children are rare, so these family apartments are limited.

There are two Beta Barracks that are similar to family units but with a fourth room which acts as an office for the Sergeants. All issues between Wolfriders are taken to the Sergeants, who then report to the Lieutenant. The Alpha Barrack is special in that the Captain and Lieutenant reside in adjoining units. The Alpha Barrack is two levels, where the middle of the ground floor is a single large Den suited to fit the Alpha pair, while to either side of the Den are the offices for the Captain and Lieutenant. The offices are only used for meetings between the top four Wolfrider ranks, although the Lieutenant might occasionally call in Wolfriders for whatever reason. The second level is separated as two living areas for the two officers, each with a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.

A large part of the Fort is an open area used as a training field, either for tactical exercises or whatever else is needed by the Wolfriders. The Captain often calls his riders to practice there, though usually in small groups. For full Patrol exercises, they usually use the fields within the valley and sometimes venture outside into the forests for more real-life simulations. But during downtimes, this area is also a nice place for wolves to romp and play with one another, or for Wolfriders to enjoy fun outdoor games. Otherwise, the wolves simply like to lounge around the grassy fields in the valley and the Wolfriders like to hang out in the Hall.

Currently, there are only two Forts: New Eve|Link| and White Shadow|Link|.