Setting:CATastrophe/Settlements

This page is a unofficial list of information on various settlements within the CATastrophe setting. If you have your own settlement designed, feel free to add it to the listing, and if you have A LOT of info on a settlement, then you might consider making it a separate page.

High Tech Settlements

High tech settlements will have a tech level above that of modern day (IRL) technology. High tech settlements might be few and far in between in your setting, or they might be more commonplace depending on the choices your DM makes. Keep in mind that shiny hunters are not very useful in a high technology settlement, though; whatever the hunters might have, the settlement probably has in spades unless they are lucky as hell.

Akadmee

created by multiple anonymous

Akadmee is one of the highest tech settlements in all of the Endless Blue. It is almost legendary to many, and it is known for having access to many Earless technologies. Akadmee is a Earless university that is run by an AI that was discovered. Unlike many AI, this one allowed its discoverers to explore, and after overcoming the language barriers, it began to teach them. These explorers found hoards of shinies and even more in the way of education, and most of them stayed on to form the first generation of Akadmee Fakultee. Akadmee grew over time, with students coming from far and wide to learn about Earless tech and writing. The AI has the final say on the running of Akadmee, but Kemomimi Fakultee run much of the day to day management of the settlement/

Vanguard Home

created by That Darn Catfolk Pilot

Founded by shipwrecked Akadmee students who were on a field trip, they discovered a massive artificial island complex designed by an earless archetect for unknown reasons. "Located at 34° 43′ 36″ N, 139° 23′ 45″ E and using a geothermal reactor for power as the artificial island floats some 800m above a volcanic island that was converted for the project by the Earless." The artificial island itself is anchored by multiple, hexagonal pillars coated with a unknown, shiny material that never seems to chip. The island itself is made up of hexagonal plates 1 kilometer in width, linked together by said pillars with a mass transit network integrated into the design.

The city has a it's own recycling and 3d printing facilities, and can produce anything if the Kemo has the raw materials for it. Unfortunately the computer for the 3D printer is missing a lot of clothing information, only able to make clothing seen in the 1940's around the world. That and the musically inclined Akadmee survivors picked up a "Swing" style of music they perform at their parties.

There are multiple large hydroponic farms that feed the community, large docks, and for the Akadmee survivors at the time, it felt like home. Enough to not want to leave. Other shipwrecked travelers joined the population here, as well as adventurous souls looking to find a new place to start. Vanguard Home corresponds to Mount Mihara near Tokyo.

The R.I.G.

created by anonymous

The R.I.G. ( or The Rusty Iron Gizmo) is an old abandoned oil rig about 10 acres in size and several stories tall (the tallest point being the drill tower which also doubles as a watch tower and prime sunbathing area). The R.I.G. is divided into three sections, The Oil rig, the Moho power-station/mine, and the Living area/Dock. The Living area functions both as the RIGs Loading area where ships can dock to load/unload cargo and living area for its inhabitants. The living area features a small hydroponics bay where all sorts of fruits and vegetables can be grown as well as some quite spacious living quarters and recreation rooms. The Loading area Features a crane to help load and unload cargo to and from the loading bay. The loading bay also doubles as a maintenance bay where various repairs can be made to both ships and to the machinery on the R.I.G. The Moho section provides power to the RIG and harvests minerals from the moho layer of the earths crust. It is also contains fabricators which can extract the mined minerals and create all sorts of useful items from building material to computers (provided it has the blueprints for the item of course). The Oil rig is a oil drill and refinery that extracts oil from underneath the ocean floor and refines it on the RIG. The refined oil can be used to power backup generators should the Moho power-station fail, be used in the fabricators for the creation of plastics, or used in the engines gas powered machines.

The RIG is entirely self sufficient and mostly automated, able to fabricate anything it may need from spare parts to food. Located in a remote and mysterious part of the ocean known as The Deepwater (present day Mariana Trench). The R.I.G. is mostly unknown except for a select few who've accidentally stumbled upon it. It is helped maintained by small spider like maintenance robots that traverse the RIG making necessary repairs(or help in creating new sections of the RIG if given orders to do so). Currently used as a base by the Dread Pirate Roberta and the Teknomancer.

Pero Pero

created by anonymous

Pero-Pero has always been one of the major settlements along the trade routes, accessible from Waterbus Stop 10, home of the famous BoS Burgers. A canine founded town, its population remains heavily canine to this day. Because of this, it is more organized and machinated than most settlements. Which isn't to say its a drab military compound, only that waking up before noon isn't seen as strange and your solar panels are more likely to be functioning. In fact, the origins of the phrase “This place has gone to the dogs” being used to describe a heavily organized or scheduled village has its origins in the settlement of Pero-Pero. Of course, their affinity for tech means that Pero-Pero parties as hard as they work. Their laser-light electro-fests are legendary. Furthermore, the people of Pero-Pero are rather affectionate, even by canine standards. A customary greeting in Pero-Pero is a hug and kiss on each cheek.

Diver's Bay

created by anonymous

Diver's Bay has no known creation date and no codified history. The mobile settlement is made up of roughly 100-200 ships and floating buildings and one enormous hodgepodge of steel, glass and plastic that started life as six oil rigs welded together. This structure serves as a combination power plant, water purification plant, dock (dry, and wet), bazaar and center of government. (Or what passes for one in Diver's Bay anyway.) The Settlement is run by 3 families (1 nekomimi, one inumimi, and one usagimimi) with 3 clans that specialize in dealing with technology, business, and combat concerns. Diver's Bay wanders the world, never staying in one place for long. They search for new diving spots, making the City Hub larger and larger as time goes by. Occasionally ships, sometimes in large groups or small ones will break off and wander away. (either to found a new town or to seek their fortune) but they're usually replaced rather quickly by adventurers who are searching for that next big score.

Forlorn Peak

created by anonymous

A big rusty tower (think the Empire State Building) in the middle of the ocean; this location is hard to miss, especially with the giant discoslug on top that serves as a lighthouse. It was initially constructed on top of an existing building by earless survivalists who started expanding the tower after the water started to rise. By the end of the construction, everything had already started to rust, but Kemomimis invested the place, hoping to find loot and various technologies. And as it happened, they found plenty, so much they decided to stay.

Notable for having REALLY suspicious inhabitants that are known to fire on sight at boats around the Peak because "Gitdamn strangers here to steal mah shinies!". Thus, all trade is made by airship making the run between various islands and the tower. While the tower is rusty, that doesn't mean it's low-tech, as evidenced by the high-caliber coastal cannons they use to "pacify the invaders" and the luxurious (but still rusty) hydroponics center. The population of the tower is fairly low for the size of the tower resulting in a lot of empty rooms. This is due to their policy of "scaring the pirates away with a howitzer" that somehow includes anyone unlucky enough to be in range of the cannons...

Among the population is Django the Discoslug, that serves as the lighthouse (both for warning potentially intruding boats and signalling the fleet of airship); but also Old Crow the zeppelin captain (that is actually more known for his pitch-black zeppelin the Zephyr that for any driving prowess), Grandma Boom-Boom the coastal gunner and Lil' Evans the Mayor (son of Big Evans the Mayor).

Of note is also the legendary "Annual One-Week Monster Party" that takes place at the lighthouse. Pretty much the only time of the year where strangers are invited, this party is not only an excuse to drink/dance one's problems away but also an opportunity for the inhabitants to pilfer the pockets of the drunks and kick them out of the tower before they get sober. Still, it remains popular if only because the booze is pretty cheap, and Django makes for a nice disco ball.

Medium Tech Settlements

Medium tech settlements are generally hovering around modern day levels of technology. There might be some low-tech workarounds to various things, because there is no way to do something the way people do today; it's also possible that Kemomimi might have some singular instances of high tech being rediscovered and recycled -- such as a medium-tech settlement that gets its electricity from a portable, trash-fed fusion reactor (which, of course, they don't know is powerful enough to supply the needs of an entire city the size of metropolitan Los Angeles).

Banana Town

created by nsara

The Bananatown Map (WIP)

Banana Town is a medium sized settlement in a tropical region of the Endless Blue. It is comprised of a decently large island, upon which is a large Banana plantation owned by the Swishtail Foxes. Around the island are various ships of different sizes, including a cruise ship run aground, where many Kemomi live inside of the refurbished rooms, and a large freefloating Cargo Ship, upon which is the settlement's marketplace, and seat of government. Various groups in power in Banana Town are the Swishtail Foxes, the Shinies Market Guild and Lucky Rex, the owner of the Dicer's Ship Casino.

Banana Town's trade is primarily in bananas and banana based products, including glue, beer, banana chips, and other things. The island has a flyship(blimp) tower as well, which connects to several nearby settlements when the weather is stable. Other goods commonly traded include shinies, rice, a grey market trade in catnip, and the ever present fish trade.

Points of interest include the Boardswalk, which is lit up with colorful christmas lights strung up on poles overhead at night, the Dicer's Ship Casino, which is done up in the style of an old time western saloon (the look based off of movies), and the Boatland, a large artificial harbor made up of the waters between the Cruz Ship, the Market Ship and the Sunken Ship. Banana Town may not be the largest of settlements, but its agricultural base makes it a well established one.

Cat Nip Commons

created by anonymous

A collection of lone sea stacks in the middle of the tropics. It being sea stacks makes it a natural fortress, easily defended should the need ever arise. A mid-tech settlement, most of it is carved along the sides of the stacks the stacks being connected by rope bridges and cable boats. upper decks of the stacks have docks for blimps and other airships one might bring and lower docks for sea fairing vessels.

Mostly the tops are used for growing the cash crop that gives the settlement its title, most being exported to other nearby settlements for food and other goods. Because of the nature of its crop, its markets tend to be more shady in nature as well as those in it. It tends to be a natural stopping point for traders and wanderers.

Driftwood

created by That Damn Catfolk Pilot

A collection of busted up cargo ships, anchored to a small atoll, this retched place is a pirate's and smuggler's paradise. The crime lords of Driftwood enforce the law and vice on their island, and those that break their rules find themselves cast adrift on a life raft in the nearby current, to where no one knows.

The three crime families than handle everything from smuggling to drug couriers to more carnal desires.

The Pirates have an uneasy relationship with the crimelords, although the crimelords are careful not to anger the pirates making port in Driftwood. both factions know that Vanguard Home has their defense force monitoring things, as at least one crime family specializing in catnip smuggling and several pirates are wanted by VH law enforcement, and there are rewards. For a settlement build by criminals, Driftwood is fairly comfortable, some would say decadent. Those that ply their trade looking for more illicit goods or who are outlaws to begin with call this place home.

Sierra Arky Pelligoe

created by Maestro

A chain of islands located between 35º and 40º north latitude, and 120º to 122º west longitude. Some of the islands are merely small mounds or spires of rock and sand, barely rising above water level at high tide. Residents on these smallest islands have houses built on stilts around these high points -- they know where the islands come closest to the water's surface without actually breaching it, and the stilts usually are metal poles driven deep into the rock just underwater. Each of these smaller settlements may have anything from eight to two dozen Kemomimi living there; it is rare for them to possess any electrical equipment that is not powered by human energy, so to speak -- pedaling a bicycle chassis hooked up to a battery in order to recharge it, for example.

The larger islands are rather steep and mountainous, featuring some trees not to be found anywhere else in the Endless Blue. There are not many wide-open places where large settlements of Kemomimi can gather, and as a result the entire chain of islands houses less than four thousand full-time citizens. The largest group, however, have settled in the largest island available, a tall and massive crag of rock called Witnie Island; a community of three hundred Kemomimi dwells either on the peaks of the island or in a system of tunnels driven through the rock below. (Rumor has it that the tunnels took 110 years to carve.) Racks of salvaged solar panels hang on the cliffs, facing in the direction of the prevailing sunlight (southward); a small forest of rudimentary, homemade wind turbines provides supplementary power.

There is one ruined house on the east end of the island, at its highest peak, that is hundreds of years old -- the first settlers found it already standing when they arrived. Smithson House, as it is called, was carefully renovated (it was in need of a new roof, among other things), and is now the house of Arky Pelligoe's governor.

Starfall Archipelago

created by anonymous

An archipelago with a very large volcanic central island, around which are a ruined earless city, a large lake in the flooded volcano cone, and many smaller Kemomimi settlements.

Nomad Isles

created by anonymous

The Nomad Isles Map (WIP)

The Nomad Isles are a set of two islands connected by a vast bridge, forming a Medium Tech settlement. Their location in the Endless Blue is not far from Akadmee, so their harbor gets plenty of trade and visitors from the legendary settlement.

The northern island holds a large suburban town with plenty of shops, a school and several tower blocks and condominiums, beaches and a famous beach-side walk full of hotels and restaurants. The southern, larger island is much more rural, covered mostly by forest and holding a small farming village within a valley and a smaller suburban town near the bridge that connects the two islands.

The Paddlefish Brewery

created by anonymous

The Paddlefish Brewery are the proud makers the most popular catnip-brew in a 100 mile radius. Their unusual business model is based around trading their re-purposed vending machines for earless tech that is working and in good condition. The company then refills the vending machines for an entire year for free, and gives the option to continue these refills (for more earless tech, of course). Despite this strange way of doing business, it has made Paddlefish extremely wealthy. They have grown from a one-room operation to a thriving community.

The brewery itself is more of a large town filled with stilt-houses, constructed on top of a shallow reef. The streets are navigated with small canoes, and the reef is teeming with fishes. The families that work here are passionate about the art of making (and drinking) booze. The adults spend their days perfecting and distributing their prized beverages.

The Steampipes

created by That Darn Catfolk Pilot

No one knows how this island's inhabitants get their power, only that it comes from a massive building at the center with many large steam-pipes that protrude from it, that the residents have used to convert that steam into electrical power. Life is generally one of splitting time between interests or minding the many steam-powered factories. Fashion has taken a rugged mindset here, going with leather, rubber, and denim with many rivets and fasteners. Goggles are a huge fashion statement as well at The Steam Pipes.

US ABE

created by Neonthefox12

The US ABE (Often called just ABE) is a peculiarity among the settlements of the Endless Blue. Built out of still floating earless ship, ABE is a settlement of military isolation. Originally, ABE was a raiding hulk that floated uncontrollable on the sea. The enslaved inhabitants soon started a uprising, and pushed the pirates off of the hulk. Free from their masters, the inhabitants started to scour the ship for supplies. What they found shocked them. It turned out that most of the hulk was locked up, and that the pirates never made any attempt to explore the ship. As it turned out, the ship was in a way a time capsule of Earless technology. Weapons, tools, electronics, everything to get the ship back into operation. Within a generation, the once floating hulk had been refitted into a mighty vessel with an equally mighty crew. Recent additions to this floating home include a farm on the top deck, wind and solar energy collectors, and even a small workshop to manufacture weapons, electronics, and tools in small numbers. However, despite all these advancements, US ABE is considered a Mid Tech settlement for two main reason. Their Isolationist mindset, and their militarist view on things. The settlement refuses to trade with anyone except for a few individuals they trust. They avoid making any lasting alliances with outsiders. Finally, their language is a different dialect of Earless. That being said, ABE still has some exports. Those being mercenaries, and quality weaponry. Mercenaries from ABE are known for their combat ability, and their high cost. As for the weapons, only a few outside merchants can trade with ABE. The weapons are expensive, but often worth the cost.

Low Tech Settlements (coconutpunk)

Low tech settlements are operating at third world levels of tech or worse. Some outlying settlements might have even gone feral, resorting to animalistic tendencies, and uncivilized behaviour. These settlements might make an interesting location for a session to take place in. The players might liberate the people from a cruel leader, adopt a NPC or PC from such a settlement, or possibly disturb the balance of the place and steal all their valuables for themselves.

Silver Mountain

created by anonymous

Ostensibly this island doesn't appear to have much going for it aside from its great jungle of fruit bearing trees and preponderance of edible plant and animal species. The island itself is a perfect circle six miles in diameter. The locals live in clearings in the forest and in small settlements on the coast. Over all they're friendly if somewhat primitive and tend towards being large and strong. However the island itself is dominated by an enormous silver pyramid that lays in the center of the landmass, a great twelve story mass of impermeable metal. However one if properly manipulates the strange glimmering runes that appear when the approach the circles that lie on its north, south, west, and east faces they can gain access to the inner workings of a great arcology that extends downwards for miles. Silver Mountain is in fact the remnants of a great tiered city, now mostly covered in water. Its ancient maintenance systems keep it mostly dry but some floors are flooded and as a whole it is largely inhabited by great numbers of kleptomanders who suck down whatever energy they can find and attack the many harmless and confused clankers who wander the submerged complex desperately trying to perform their preprogrammed routines. A great place to salvage, but one that is hard to enter and usually avoided by the locals.

Shipwreck Cove

If there was a luminous center to Kemonomimi civilization, this is the point furthest from. A ever growing field of shipwrecks and other navigational hazards that have formed a floating artificial reef of sorts, just sitting in a doldrums in the ocean. Salvagers love to swing by this floating junkpile to see if they can't snag an Earless cruise ship or just a "new" fishing boat or spare parts. But on this island lies a small settlement, where the survivors of various shipwrecks have made a home for themselves. One so comfortable they refuse to leave.

Making their living scavenging, making piles of shinies for trade with visiting salvagers, and generally making do at the calmest place on the sea. Sunny every day, no real critters to bother you, but life is one of squeaking by with enough to where you can relax with a drink other than desalinated water from a kit-bashed solar still.

Sharkfin Isle

created by nsara

Sharkfin Isle is a small rocky volcanic island with the volcano jutting up high and slumped on one side like a shark's fin. The island's volcano is very active, and many people avoid it, but there is a small village of almost feral dog kemomi who have made it their home for several generations. The rich volcanic soil allows for farming, and there seems to be a variety of things growing on the island, but most shiny hunters and explorers avoid the island, because its inhabitants, though eschewing ALL earless technology, are quite aggressive, especially to those using any earless goods.

There are rumors that the Salt Tooth Dog tribe that lives on the island makes live sacrifices of unlucky visitors who show off their earless tech, and it is known that the Salt Tooth Dogs worship the volcano, and say that their mighty god cast the earless from the world for their masheens and the teknologee they made. There are also rumors that the shinies that the tribe takes off of these unlucky visitors are hoarded somewhere on the island.

Whalefall

created by anonymous

A massive community several miles long, built on the bones of the largest sea monster ever discovered. The colossal bones have cave-like little dwellings carved into them; there are enormous numbers of them, and since there is never a shortage they are freely occupied by anyone who needs to use them. This leviathan was was defeated by Max the Great, who promptly set about having the world's largest barbeque to celebrate. During this party, countless Kemomimi came from near and far, and helped carve makeshift shelters and roads into the creature's bones. As time passed, this tangle of bone walkways turned into a genuine settlement. There are very few permanent residents -- almost everyone here uses it as a launch point for their monster hunts. The location is conveniently located near an island and a deep-sea trench, both of which make for excellent hunting spots. Whalefall attracts a wide and eclectic assortment of adventurers.

Background: Max The Great

Widely considered the greatest monster hunter to have ever lived, it's grown hard over the years to separate the truth of Max's life from the legends that have built up. What is known is that Max was the captain of the Crimson Fatalis, a light caravel that specialized in monster hunting. Max and his crew were known for a string of daring wins against powerful monsters, culminating in the founding of Whalefall. There is some confusion about Max's gender. Many assume that it was a male, but some people insist that the adventurer's full name was Maxine. Either way, Max The Great and his/her crew were last seen many years ago when they left to sail across "The Doldrums", a mysterious unexplored area of sea where there is no wind and no currents. Rumor says that Max and his crew are still exploring The Doldrums, fighting even larger and more fearsome beasts.

Advice for Settlement Creators

When designing a settlement, we think it is generally best to start with some minimal statistics to build from. It is not necessary to fit your description to any specific system (CATastrophe is being adapted to three different systems, at last count), but there are certain items of useful information that could or should be worked into your description.

• Place name
• Population of settlement, approximate if necessary; rough estimate of size (i.e. living space)
• Tech level -- what do they have access to?
• Trade: what do the residents generally do to make a living? (scavenging/farming/repairs/etc.)

It may also be helpful to come up with a history for your settlement; fleshing out a backstory may actually give some useful clues as to what the place is "currently" like.