Dread Treasures
Fort Mac thrives at the intersection of
resourcefulness and exploitation. The crystal trees, once mere botanical
oddities, are now coveted for their arcane properties and energetic potential.
This creates a vibrant marketplace where traders, scavengers, and wizards
mingle, offering a wide range of items from dazzling crystals to bizarre
contraptions crafted from salvaged technology. The community is rife with
festivals celebrating both the harvest and the mysterious properties of the
Dread Tar Oozes, blending tradition with an unsettling undercurrent of anxiety.
The Slick (Former Clearwater River Area)
Once a flowing artery of the north, the
river that once carried trade and life has become a tar-slicked trench dividing
Fort Mac from the Dig proper. Its surface glistens deceptively solid, masking
sinkholes that swallow the unwary without a trace. Salvagers risk the crossing
in hopes of unearthing pre-collapse structures buried beneath the ooze —
fragments of technology and history locked away in black sludge. Yet the Slick
is more than physical danger; at night, shimmering oil-ghosts drift along its
banks, spectral figures that whisper warnings, bargains, or threats to those
who dare approach.
Plot Hook: A
local scavenger has vanished after claiming to find an intact bunker beneath
the Slick. His last message spoke of “something watching him from below.”
The Convergence
Fort Mac is one of the great Crossroads of
the North. The Athabasca and its
tributaries still converge here, but their courses have been diverted, dammed,
or partially contained to prevent collapse into the pit. Massive levees and
weirs are designed to keep the waterways from being swallowed by the
Dig. To preserve shipping, new canals
or dredged channels were created. These “engineered rivers” became part of the
lore: you can still barge goods, but every trip risks eddies of slick or
unstable banks. Locals often compare the
Dig to a festering wound in the land, with the rivers as the veins that both
feed and bleed it. This imagery makes it clear why Fort Mac is “the heart of
the north.”
Gameplay / Adventure Hooks
- The Dam Breaks: A containment wall
collapses and a tributary floods into the Dig. Adventurers must stop an
ooze tide before it surges downstream.
- River Smugglers: PCs escort a barge
of contraband Slick past both river pirates and lurking oozes.
- The Dry Season: A magical drought
lowers the rivers, cutting Fort Mac off from trade. Suddenly, overland
convoys are the only lifeline, and raiders thrive.
- The Bargeman’s Curse: An old ferryman hires the PCs to find his lost crew — last seen drifting into a side channel that doesn’t appear on any maps.
Notable Locations
Birchwood Trails
A network of scenic nature trails winding
through lush, wooded areas, Birchwood Trails is ideal for exploration and
encounters with local wildlife. Its serenity can quickly turn into peril, as
adventurers might face natural challenges or hidden dangers lurking in the
shadows of the trees.
Plot Hook:
As adventurers traverse the trails, they stumble upon a hidden camp of outlaws
using the forest as a cover for their illicit dealings. The adventurers must
decide whether to confront the outlaws directly, devise a clever plan to report
them, or enlist the help of wildlife on the trail to secure the area.
The Crystal Grove
A mystical area where the crystal trees
flourish, each blooming with iridescent colors that pulse with energy. Traders
and mages gather here for seasonal festivals where they celebrate the harvest
and their interaction with the oozes. The Grove is adorned with makeshift
stalls and illuminated by magical lights.
Plot Hook:
Rumors circulate about a legendary crystal referred to as the Heart of
Luminara, said to grant immense power to its bearer. As the locals gear up for
the upcoming Harvest Festival, adventurers are tasked with locating the Heart
before it falls into the hands of a criminal syndicate eager to exploit its
powers, threatening the entire balance of Fort Mac’s economy.
Downtown Fort McMurray
The vibrant hub of social interaction,
Downtown Fort McMurray is characterized by a mix of modern architecture and
smaller, local shops that reflect the town’s unique character. Here, community
events unfold, and residents seek respite from the harsh realities of the
surrounding wasteland, making it a key location for adventurers to gather
information and form alliances.
Plot Hook:
During a town fair intended to strengthen community ties, a mysterious figure
appears, stirring up unrest among the factions present. Adventurers must
uncover the figure’s motives and prevent an escalating conflict that threatens
to divide the community.
The Empress
Once the proud movie theatre of Fort
McMurray, the Empress has survived fire, flood, and collapse to become one of
the city’s most eccentric strongholds. Now run by Minotaur clans who found the
building’s labyrinthine hallways and projection rooms to be “sacred ground,”
the theatre is both fortress and festival hall. The lobby is lined with
battered posters of long-forgotten blockbusters, reinterpreted as sagas of
Minotaur ancestry, while the concession stands dish out oozewort popcorn and
bootleg hooch. The Minotaurs treat screenings as both ritual and revelry,
projecting salvaged reels or live bard-metal performances onto the massive
screen for rowdy audiences of workers, wranglers, and wanderers. Rumor has it
the old storage vaults beneath the theatre still house untouched film reels —
or stranger artifacts that whisper to the Minotaurs in their dreams.
Plot Hook: During a packed festival screening, the Minotaurs proudly unveil a newly unearthed film reel, claiming it to be a lost classic. But as the projector whirs to life, the images on the screen twist into something alive — summoning whispers, lights, and creatures that shouldn’t exist outside the film. The adventurers must either shut down the cursed reel or risk the Empress becoming a doorway to something far worse than bad cinema.
Heritage Park
Serving as a tribute to Fort McMurray's
rich cultural and historical heritage, Heritage Park is filled with artifacts,
exhibitions, and events that reflect the town's past. This site holds valuable
information about the old world, making it an important place for character
backstory development and exploration.
Plot Hook:
While exploring Heritage Park, ancient relics mysteriously activate, sparking
visions of a forgotten past or hidden knowledge. The adventurers must engage
with the park’s enigmatic curator, gather clues, and solve puzzles to unlock
the secrets of the relics—revealing connections to the current conflicts in
Fort Mac.
MacDonald Island Park
A bustling recreational area featuring
indoor and outdoor activities, MacDonald Island Park is a community gathering
place where residents participate in sports, cultural events, and festivals.
The park serves as a focal point for social interaction and provides a
picturesque setting for adventures.
Plot Hook:
During a celebrated community festival, a rare artifact from the park’s history
goes missing, leading to tensions among the different factions. The adventurers
must work together with local residents to locate the missing artifact before
it fuels further discord and shifts power dynamics within the community.
Mayor’s Office
The hub of Fort Mac’s administration,
heavily fortified and cluttered with maps and plans symbolizing the town’s
ongoing struggle for stability in the post-apocalyptic landscape. The mayor is
a charismatic figure attempting to unite the conflicting interests of the
community amid rising tensions.
Plot Hook: A
series of sabotage incidents have left Fort Mac on edge. The mayor seeks help
to identify the perpetrator behind the unrest, believing that a shadowy
organization is stirring conflict to seize control of the town and its
resources. The adventurers must navigate a tangled web of deception, rival
interests, and dangerous allies as they uncover the truth.
The Oil District
Once a center of energy extraction, this
industrial zone is now a crumbling maze of rusted machinery and dilapidated
structures. It's here that the oozes roam freely, often leading to both
lucrative and dangerous encounters—professionals known as “wranglers” brave the
district daily, trying to harness this strange new resource.
Plot Hook: A
rogue ooze has begun to disrupt operations in the Oil District, leading to
widespread panic and chaos. An influential oil baron hires the adventurers to
either capture or eliminate the ooze. However, as they delve deeper into the
ooze's strange behavior, they uncover a secret: it has developed abilities that
affect the very machinery extracting the town's most vital resource.
Oil Sands Operations.
The lifeblood of Fort Mac’s economy, the
oil sands operations are expansive sites filled with heavy machinery, towering
rigs, and processing plants. The sprawling facilities are both a testament to
human ingenuity and a landscape fraught with danger, drawing adventurers
seeking opportunities to explore, salvage, or sabotage.
Plot Hook: A
renowned scientist goes missing while investigating a significant anomaly in
the oil sands, sparking rumors of a hidden discovery beneath the surface. The
adventurers must navigate the dangerous operations to find the scientist and
uncover the truth behind the anomaly that could either be a groundbreaking find
or a catastrophic disaster.
The Rust Harbor
Once the Fort McMurray Heritage Shipyard,
this riverside hub was where rail met river and barges fed the north. In the
Hodgepocalypse, it has become The Rust Harbor — a half-flooded graveyard
of dredges, busted tugs, and derelict railcars fused into a ramshackle
waterfront bazaar. Traders patch up barges with crystal tree resin, blacksmiths
reforge ooze-tainted steel, and Slick barrels are rolled straight from convoy
to keel under armed guard. The air stinks of iron, tar, and desperation, and at
night, bioluminescent stains ripple in the waters where containment has failed.
Despite the dangers, the Rust Harbor is Fort Mac’s beating artery — the only
way bulk goods flow in and out of the Dig.
Plot Hook: When a barge bound for Ed-Town vanishes just beyond the harbor, the crew must decide whether to hunt river pirates or confront something darker dragging vessels beneath the black water. A desperate guild offers rich pay for anyone bold enough to keep the Rust Harbor’s lifeline open.
The Skysprawl
Once Fort McMurray International Airport,
the Skysprawl is now a fractured expanse of cracked runways, rust-streaked
hangars, and a half-collapsed terminal that serves as both marketplace and
fortress. Airships stitched from scavenged rigs, jury-rigged bush planes, and
tethered balloons dot the horizon. At the same time, smugglers and wranglers
barter for landing rights under the shadow of Baron militias. Ooze seeps up
through the tarmac in slick patches, forcing constant reroutes and risky
improvisations. Locals call it both a gateway and a graveyard—where fortunes
can take flight or vanish in the tar below.
Plot Hook: A
battered cargo dirigible staggers into the Skysprawl and crash-lands on the
ruined tarmac, its crew missing and its hold sealed shut. Rumors spread that it
carried contraband too valuable to ignore—drawing in smugglers, Barons’
militias, and the adventurers themselves, who must uncover whether the cargo is
treasure, a weapon, or something alive that should never have flown.
Wranglers' Tavern
A rough-and-tumble establishment catering
to those who dare to face the dangers posed by the oozes. The atmosphere is
thick with exhilaration and tales of wild adventures. Wranglers, traders, and
adventurers gather here to share their stories over strong brew and dubious
dealings.
Plot Hook:
Tensions rise when a prized ooze goes missing—the tavern owner claims a rival
group stole it. The adventurers are enlisted to track down the missing ooze and
uncover a larger conspiracy involving the manipulation of the oozes for illegal
oil trade. Their investigation could either restore order or plunge Fort Mac
into chaos.
Camp Life in the Dig
"Work hard, breathe shallow, die
quick — unless you get lucky."
— Common wrangler toast
The camps of the Dig are equal parts
frontier town, refinery, and battlefield. Roughneck wranglers treat oozes like
livestock, driving them into corrals with flame-jets, plasma lassos, and
bone-steel poles in a daily gamble of survival. Around these corrals cluster
ramshackle shacks and processing rigs, where the creatures are bled for
volatile fuel amid choking smoke that reeks of burning plastic and tires. Life
here is hard and short, but for many it’s the only way to make a living from
the Dig’s toxic bounty.
Daily Routine
Life
in the Dig follows a rhythm as unforgiving as the land itself. Dawn begins with
plastic-smelling fog rolling through the camps, clinging to lungs and machines
alike. Workers rise to the sound of clanging valves and hissing pressure lines,
checking siphon rigs, patching corral walls, and stringing red plastic tape
barriers around hot work zones. Tool-box talks are brief but vital — reminders
of safety, schedules, and who’s on watch when the ooze gets restless. By
mid-morning, the wrangling runs begin. Crews mount battlebuses or ride with
packrats, armed with siphon hoses, bone poles, and flame-lances, pushing deep
into the Dig to drive herds of tar oozes back toward containment. Roping an
ooze is part suicide mission, part performance — a dance of fire and grit in a
pit that wants you dead.
Afternoons bring the refining fires, when
the camp stinks of melted plastic and scorched gasoline. Oozes are bled into
crude pipelines that stretch toward Ed-Town, their volatile fluids cooked in
jury-rigged vats. Black smoke rises in pillars above every camp, a grim beacon
that something is still alive down here. Nights are the most dangerous: the
Steep whispers rise with the darkness, and guards double their posts with
lanterns and alarms. In winter, the rhythm shifts to take advantage of the Ooze
Freeze — when tar creatures harden in the cold, wranglers corral and bleed them
while they’re sluggish. But frozen oozes sometimes crack open, birthing
strange, shuddering spawn that make the night more dangerous still. For those
who live in the Dig, survival depends on ritual, routine, and the constant
hope that today’s work won’t end in fire, collapse, or whispers from the pit.
The People
Wranglers –
Equal parts cowboy, miner, and daredevil. They carry flame-lances like lariats
and wear patchwork masks strung with charms.
Camp Cooks –
Keep bellies full with fried Spam, powdered potatoes, and mutant meat. Everyone
knows a good cook is more valuable than an extra guard.
Fixers –
Jury-riggers and engineers who keep pumps, filters, and siphons running. Their
word is law, since a broken rig means dead wranglers.
Smokers –
Nickname for camp medics, because they carry lungs full of fumes from working
without filters too long.
Slang & Sayings
“Filter-burner”: A greenhorn who wastes respirator filters by breathing too deep.
“Riding the Slick”: Hauling ooze barrels in a convoy; also slang for a fool’s errand.
“Scoopy’s Shadow”: A phrase meaning you’re tempting fate, used when someone pushes
their luck near the pit.
“Smell of Home”: The reek of melted plastic. Spoken ironically.
Rituals & Beliefs
The Mask-Tap
– Before each shift, wranglers knock their respirator three times for luck.
Forgetting is considered a death sentence.
Offering the First Barrel – Some camps pour the first refined Slick onto the ground,
believing it keeps the oozes docile.
Songs of the Pit – Roughneck ballads, half cowboy, half dirge. Popular themes:
firestorms, lost friends, and the smell that never leaves your clothes.
Ol’ Scoopy Legends – Some say the AI excavator is more than a
The Dig’s Economy: Offerings to the Machine
The Dig is no longer just a scar in the
land. It is a machine — a god of steel and hunger. Wranglers whisper prayers to
it when they descend into the pit, for every barrel bled and every bone pulled
is another tithe to keep the camps alive. Its economy is ritual as much as
trade, a cycle of offerings and sacrifices that bleed into the wider world.
Local Layer: What the Dig Produces & Consumes
Exports (the Offerings)
Bitumen Bone
– Fossilized remains of ooze-consumed beasts, dense and blackened with faint
magical charge. Raw material for necrotech, charms, and weapons.
Ooze Fuel (“Slick”) – The lifeblood of Dig Valley. Distilled tar ooze secretions burn
hotter than gasoline and can power vehicles, generators, and even arcane
engines. Dangerous to transport — barrels sometimes crawl on their own.
Plastic Resin Bricks – Hardened ooze byproducts resembling waxy plastics, used for cheap
construction, waterproofing, jury-rigged armor, or dirty-burning forges.
Toxic Flora Harvests – Flame willow resin, plastic bloom spores, ooze-fungus. Prized by
alchemists and Faustian Mechanics, but handling them without protection is
suicidal.
Imports (the Tithes)
Breathable Air – Filters burn out fast, so enchanted charms and salvaged masks
fetch obscene prices.
Food & Water – The Dig cannot feed itself. Caravans and barges bring grain and
meat (mostly from Kalyna Country) and trade it for Slick.
Medicine –
Burns, lung rot, and parasite fevers demand a constant flow of herbs, drugs,
and clerical healing.
Weapons & Tools – Flamethrowers, siphon rigs, containment gear. Usually scavenged
military surplus, jury-rigged mining tools, or arcane equivalents from
Ed-Town’s Faustian Mechanics.
Regional Layer: The Northern Square
If the Dig is the altar, the Northern
Square is its congregation — four hubs that define the flow of Slick across the
north.
Fort Mac (The Barrel Crown): Hub of Slick refining and ooze wrangling. The Barons dominate
southbound routes to Ed-Town and broker northern trade.
Uranium City (The Radiant Veins): A cursed mine-city run by Nucleomancers, exporting radioactive
relics, crystals, and dangerous tech in exchange for Slick.
Edmonton / Ed-Town (The Southern
Throne): The great festival city of Strathcan and
its many suburbs. Vampire bankers, Castledowns warlords, and Greasehold
franchises all depend on Slick.
Fort Chipewyan (The River Gate): A reborn river town and crossroads of the Athabasca and Mackenzie.
Barges, caravans, and Buccaneers all converge here.
Together, these four form the Northern
Square — a circuit of trade, politics, and conflict that pumps Slick into
the greater Mackenzie system.
Continental Layer: The Mackenzie Spine
Beyond the Northern Square lies the
Spine — the great artery of northern trade. The Mackenzie River links cursed
cities, haunted ruins, and distant outposts, all kept alive by Slick.
Cameron Falls Haven: A modest but vital rest-stop with hot springs and neutral ground
for truce-bound diplomacy.
Delta City (The Delta Crown): Thriving city-state at the river’s mouth, fueled by repurposed oil
refineries and bio-fuel.
Fort Providence (The Crossing): Southern gate of the Mackenzie system.
Fort Simpson (Sanctuary Point): Refugee bastion at the Liard–Mackenzie confluence, neutral and
fortified.
Great Bear Lake (Crystal Shores): Bio-fuel crystals fished from the waters. A rare neutral ground for
diplomacy.
Hay River (Merchant’s Respite): Black-market capital thriving on contraband and pilots.
Hive Cradle (Wood Buffalo Ruins): Void Covenant breeding ground. Whoever controls it chokes or frees
the Spine’s flow.
Inuvik (Gateway of the North): Fortified northern hub, part trade station, part research post,
launching point for Arctic expeditions.
Rankin Inlet (Geothermal Forge): Industrial hub powered by geothermal veins, feeding trade with the
east.
Yellowknife (City of Echoes): Haunted resistance stronghold in detoxed mine caverns, strange
echoes weaponized against the Covenant.
Trade Routes (the Veins)
Airship Drops:
Rare, elite buyers. Mercenary skyships
lower nets to pluck fuel directly from refineries — often fending off leaping
oozes
Athabasca River Barge-Lines:
Flat-bottom boats haul Slick downstream in
exchange for food. Faster than roads but plagued by ooze-spawn and drowned
husks.
Highway 63:
Lifeline of the valley. Convoys of trucks,
ooze tankers, and scavenger wagons face ambushes, landslides, and rogue herds.
Trade Partners
The Arsenault Angel Company
The people of this land pay well and the
Angels are worth every penny. They often send some of their people to the
Dig, usually because something got out of control and needs a discrete touch.
Boreal Buccaneers
For the people of the Dig, the Boreal
Buccaneers are both a curse and a lifeline. Wranglers curse their raids when
Slick convoys vanish into the night and camps wake to smoldering ruins. Yet
just as often, the Buccaneers swagger into the pit with barrels of food,
medicine, and stolen luxuries to barter — at prices only desperation can
justify. They buy ooze byproducts in bulk, hauling them south and east along
their pirate routes, and in turn sell weapons, filters, and forbidden tech that
no one else dares move. Camps along Highway 63 call them parasites; refinery
bosses call them indispensable middlemen, but everyone knows the Dig wouldn’t
flow nearly as much fuel without the Buccaneers greasing its veins, whether by
trade or by theft.
Capital Parkland
The festival city Ed Town and its many
suburbs prize Slick for their machines, offering enchanted goods, fine steel,
and rare luxuries in return. Greasehold Chains Franchise-feudal lords deal in
cheap calories (meat paste, fried breads, cola) and act as middlemen, flipping Dig Slick to Ed-Town or further abroad.
The Dam Good Trading Co
The DGTC has carved out a steady niche in
the north, treating the Slick economy as both opportunity and proving ground.
Unlike the Barons of Fort Mac or the vampire financiers of Ed-Town, the
Beaverfolk traders frame their presence in terms of stewardship and mutual
gain—though their prices still bite. They maintain fortified lodges and
forts along key waterways and portages, using the Athabasca and Mackenzie
corridors as their lifelines.
Kalyna
Country
Grain and livestock in exchange for Slick.
Their psychic crystal forests also feed an exchange of unstable alchemical
reagents, as well as the Mackenzie Trade Web.
Plot Hooks
General
- Ooze Round-Up – A camp hires the
PCs to help corral a rogue colony of tar oozes. The herd is more
intelligent than expected—and whispering with the Steep’s voice.
- The Burning Lake – Gregoire Lake
has caught fire, and something massive stirs beneath its boiling waters.
- Ol’ Scoopy’s Descent – The AI
digger still operates deep in the pit. A group of prospectors claims to
guard a vault of untouched pre-Fall technology.
- The Plastic Plague – Spores from
plastic blooms are infecting workers, twisting them into living mannequins
of melted flesh.
- Steep Awakening – The Steep is
trying to push beyond the Dig, using ooze-ridden beasts as carriers.
Stopping it may require descending into the heart of Millennium Mine.
Camp Hooks
- The Wrangler’s Funeral – A camp’s
favorite wrangler died “riding the Slick.” The PCs are invited to the
wake, only for the corpse to start whispering with the Steep’s voice.
- Mask Shortage – A filter shipment
never arrived. The camp asks the PCs to run a trade deal before everyone
suffocates.
- Scoopy’s Call – Workers swear they
hear their names called from deep in the pit. The PCs are hired to check
if Ol’ Scoopy has awoken… or if it’s the Steep.
Trade Hooks
- The Crawler Convoy – A Slick
caravan has gone missing along Highway 63. Did raiders hit it, or did the
barrels themselves revolt?
- Blood for Fuel – A Beaumont vampire
embassy offers a high price for steady Slick shipments. The camp needs PCs
to guarantee safe delivery… but rival buyers might not allow it.
- The River Runs Black – Barges bound
for Kalyna Country are disappearing on the Athabasca. Rumors whisper of a
new Steep hive beneath the waterline.
- Smuggler’s Gambit – The Arsenault Angel Company wants rare ooze strains transported out of the Dig. The job is lucrative, but the cargo hungers.
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