The Community of Far-Go background ---------------------------------- Far-Go has been a self-supportive agricultural commu- nity 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, 60% Humanoids, 15% Mutant Animals) 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 in Far-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 nve 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 isArx 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 The Unist 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 Anyone who is under the age of sixteen and has not completed the Rite of Adulthood is considered a child Children have no rights in the village and must obey adults. At the age of 10 each child is given a necklace to wear, signifying the years of childhood. A PSH child receives a purple necklace while a Humanoid child is given a blue necklaces. During the Rite of Adulthood, the child removes the necklace to designate the passage from childhood to adulthood. Although inter-marriages are not forbidden by law, most Pure Strain Humans and Humanoids marry their own kind. Occasionally inter-marriages do occur and over the years, the original PSH population percentage has dropped from 40% to its present 25%. The village keeps mostly to itself, but occasionally strangers do pass by. Sometimes, individuals from the towns of Fax or Kin stop in to trade goods with the village merchants, and this is considered a grand event. All purchases are done by bartering goods and/or services for other goods and/or services. All the working residents of Far-Go contribute a percentage of what they grow or make to a community holding overseen by the Religious Ones. Anyone experiencing need in Far-Go can go to one of the priests and obtain food or other necessities. This system is based on the teachings of Arx. The famous quote found in The Unist - "From each according to his abilities to each according to his needs" is the wellspring of the community holding. Areas of interest around the Far-Go Community ---------------------------------------------- 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 general1y 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 ShiVen 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 theyear, 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 aggresive 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, a special 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.