Keystone Wastes - Part 1 - Overview

The Keystone Wastes is a region that once stood as the heart of a thriving nation, a central keystone connecting the east and west. Now, in the aftermath of the Hodgepocalypse, it is a shattered landscape where remnants of the old world lie buried beneath ice, snow, and ruin. From the perilous tundras of Frostbite Flats in the north to the haunted remnants of civilization in the Red River Ruins to the south, the Keystone Wastes are a land of stark contrasts and endless danger. This is a place where history, myth, and the relentless cold have woven together to create a frontier of both opportunity and peril, where only the strong, the cunning, or the lucky survive.

History of the Keystone Wastes

The Rise of the Central Province: Once known as Manitoba, this land was a keystone in the heart of a thriving nation. The province played a crucial role in the expansion and development of the country, acting as a bridge between the eastern and western territories. It was a land rich in resources, with its vast prairies, dense forests, and abundant lakes supporting a growing population. The people of Manitoba, known for their resilience and hospitality, cultivated a prosperous society, with Winnipeg as a cultural and economic hub.

Technological and Economic Boom: As time progressed, Manitoba became increasingly influential. Its cities grew, and technological advancements brought unprecedented wealth and development. The province's central location made it a vital transportation and communication hub, earning it the nickname "Keystone Province." The infrastructure expanded, and Manitoba's natural resources, particularly in agriculture and energy, fueled its economy.

Tensions and Turmoil: However, this period of growth was not without its challenges. Political and social tensions began to surface, particularly between the burgeoning urban centers and the rural communities that felt left behind. Environmental concerns also grew as the land was pushed to its limits, with deforestation, pollution, and over-extraction of resources leading to visible scars on the landscape. The indigenous peoples of the region, whose histories and cultures were deeply intertwined with the land, resisted the encroachment and exploitation of their ancestral territories.

The Hodgepocalypse: A cataclysmic event—referred to only as the Hodgepocalypse—brought the flourishing civilization of Manitoba to a sudden and violent end. The details of this apocalyptic disaster are shrouded in mystery, but its effects were immediate and devastating. The once-fertile lands were transformed into a barren, frozen wasteland. The great cities fell into ruin, and much of the population was wiped out or mutated by the strange energies unleashed during the Hodgepocalypse. Those who survived faced a world where the rules of nature had been rewritten, and the land itself seemed to rebel against its former inhabitants.

Aftermath and Survival: In the wake of the Hodgepocalypse, Manitoba was rechristened the Keystone Wastes—a fitting name for a land that had become a shadow of its former self. The survivors, scattered across the frozen tundras and crumbling ruins, struggled to adapt to the new realities of their world. Small communities formed around the few remaining sources of warmth and sustenance, often centered on ancient technologies or mystical anomalies. In the northern tundra, the region now known as

The New Frontier: The Keystone Wastes has become a land of stark contrasts, where survival is a daily struggle and opportunities for power and wealth are scarce but fiercely contested. Ancient ruins, mysterious relics, and strange new creatures populate the landscape, offering both danger and potential for those that are brave enough to seek them out. The remnants of the old world—now twisted by the cataclysm—serve as both a reminder of what was lost and a resource for those who can harness their power. The Keystone Wastes is a world where history, myth, and survival intertwine, creating a harsh but fascinating setting for those who dare to explore its frozen depths.

Regional Breakdown

Borealis Reachlands

Once the lands beside what was known as the Hudson bay was merely tundra, the megaproject has turned the edgelands to be fertile soil that makes it almost Mediterranean in nature.  Population in the Keystones waste is dominated by Churchill, renamed as Ursineholt: the mecca of the Little Bears.

Frostbite Flats

Once a rugged, rocky landscape dotted with boreal forests, the region is now an icy wasteland, plagued by relentless, bone-chilling winds that sweep across the barren terrain. The land is scarred by deep fissures and frozen craters, remnants of cataclysmic events that reshaped the earth. Glaciers have crept southward, encasing the ruins of old mining towns and ancient geological formations in thick layers of ice. Despite its inhospitable nature, Frostbite Flats is not devoid of life; strange, hardy creatures have adapted to the extreme cold, and hidden beneath the ice, secrets of the pre-apocalyptic world lie frozen, waiting to be uncovered by the brave or foolish. The psychic crystal forests of the north add an eerie glow to the landscape, further heightening the sense of isolation and danger that defines Frostbite Flats.

Red River Ruins

The Hodgepocalypse and the Red River’s infamous floods has changed the landscape, creating swamps or inland seas where strange creatures thrive, and where ancient, drowned towns hold forgotten secrets. This is a place for opportunities to profit from the past, water and monsters permitting.

Shattered Basin

This is a fractured, perilous region in the Keystone Wastes, where the once-fertile Manitoban Lowlands have been torn apart by the Hodgepocalypse. The land is now a chaotic mix of flooded plains, deep chasms, and toxic marshes, shrouded in thick, glowing fog. Mutated flora and fauna thrive in this hostile environment, and the remnants of pre-apocalyptic towns and infrastructure are haunted by eerie echoes of the past. Psychic and supernatural phenomena are common, creating a sense of unease and danger that permeates the landscape, making the Shattered Basin a treacherous and mysterious area in the post-apocalyptic world.  This is the land of Narcisse City, the metropolitan center of the garter folk.

Turtlelands

In the southwestern Keystone Wastes is a rugged, fractured expanse reshaped by the Hodgepocalypse. Dominated by the now-giant Turtle Mountain, the area is a chaotic landscape of jagged rock formations, deep ravines, and unstable ridges. Once-verdant forests have been reduced to twisted groves and frostbitten scrubland, with the flora exhibiting strange mutations. Harsh, unpredictable weather and frequent tremors characterize the region, while old mining operations and ancient ruins offer both danger and opportunity. The Turtlelands, with its natural defenses and hidden caverns, has become a refuge for survivors and scavengers seeking shelter in this harsh, post-apocalyptic environment.  This is also Tommy the Turtle’s domain.

Locations of Note

Bloodstone Falls

A site of dark power in the Hodgepocalypse, where the once-beautiful bloodstone rock has mutated into a malevolent, pulsating material that feeds on the life force of those who approach. The falls now cascade with crimson waters, shrouded in a mist that seeps into the mind, while the surrounding area teems with twisted, aggressive creatures. Adventurers are drawn to the falls by rumors of a legendary artifact—a blade forged from the corrupted Bloodstone, offering immense power at a terrible cost. However, the falls are heavily guarded by both the hostile environment and the vengeful spirits of those who perished seeking the stone's dark power, making it a perilous destination for any who dare to venture there.

Cement Cemetery - Forgotten Monoliths:

In the Hodgepocalypse, these mysterious spires are remnants of an ancient civilization, and are conduits of arcane energy, the remnants of a forgotten religion, or the last standing structures of a lost city, now surrounded by myth and legend.  They glow with cyan energy and amongst other things, act as a sort of guidepost, breaking the darkness.

Flin Flon

Flin Flon is historically a mining town known for its rich deposits of copper and zinc. In your world, Flin Flon could be a crucial resource hub, possibly the last bastion of pre-apocalypse technology or a heavily fortified city-state built into the mine tunnels. The mines could also be rumored to house ancient, forgotten machines or even a slumbering entity awakened by the apocalypse.  Professor Josiah Flintabbaty Flonatin has taken over this town.  Rumors about his background is that he is an imposter, teleported from the past, or even a fictional character brought to life.  Feylin have flocked to the town to find out why and to cosplay the great treasure hunter.

Gimli

Viking Legacy: Gimli and New Iceland be home to a hardy group of survivors who trace their lineage back to the Vikings. They have retained or rediscovered some ancient Norse traditions, using them to survive in the harsh post-apocalyptic environment. Their longboats could now sail the inland seas, and they might be feared or respected raiders and traders.  This is protected by a giant Fiberglass Golem that’s a giant Viking Statue.

Glass Bottle Houses of Treherne:

This glass house was a combination house, bathroom, church and wishing well and overall salvation for survivors, with the glass bottle construction providing some protection against the elements and hostile creatures. The houses glow with an eerie light at night, powered by some unknown energy source.

Happy Rock - Gladstone

This ancient statue now surveys an abandon village and Is a fiberglass golem that takes requests to intervene in local activity.  It is hard to say what will motivate it to action as it has been both hero and villain in it’s actions.

The Kettlestones Collective

Slowly moving and communicating through deep vibrations and subtle shifts, these ancient stones possess a mysterious, collective consciousness. Revered and feared by the locals, the Kettlestones are seen as guardians of the land, capable of triggering seismic events or summoning elemental forces if disturbed. Their purpose is unknown, tied to the region's ancient geology and the cataclysmic forces of the Hodgepocalypse. Explorers seek their secrets, but the Collective remains enigmatic and impenetrable.

Little Limestone Lake 

This sentient sentient, shape-shifting body of water with mysterious properties. The color changes could be linked to the emotions or intentions of the lake itself, and those who drink from it gain strange powers or suffer bizarre mutations.  It is patrolled by mutants in the area that claim it as their holy sight.

Prairie Dog Central Railway

The Prairie Dog Central Railway is a ghost train, eternally running its route through the wastelands, possibly carrying the spirits of the dead or those who failed to escape the apocalypse. Boarding the train might be a dangerous or necessary journey for those seeking to traverse the region. This also can be used for transdimensional travel, but it has its risks.

Silo City

The former town of Branson, once a thriving agricultural hub, is now an eerie, self-sustaining machine city where automated systems continue to cultivate, harvest, and process grain long after human oversight has vanished. The relentless, unyielding machinery that drives the town creates a stark contrast against the desolate surroundings, and the town's automation has become both a blessing and a curse. While the automated processes ensure a steady food supply, the town is also fraught with dangers—malfunctioning machines, rogue AI, and grain silos that have been repurposed by scavengers and raiders for their own ends.  Despite it’s dangers, it is one of the main reasons that the farmers from across the Keystones Wastes are able to have a livelihood.  The Cybercult claim it as one of their own, but the rogue AI does not appreciate these advances.

Tommy the Turtle

Tommy the Turtle, the massive fiberglass golem of Boissevain, has become a towering symbol of peace and unity in the Keystone Wastes. Created in the pre-Hodgepocalypse era as a cheerful roadside attraction, Tommy was transformed by the cataclysm into a sentient, protective figure. Standing as a guardian of the Turtlelands, Tommy insists on peace within his domain, using his immense strength and durable form to enforce this decree. He acts as a rallying point for those seeking refuge from the chaos, offering sanctuary to all who respect his commitment to maintaining harmony. However, those who disrupt the fragile peace or bring violence to the Turtlelands quickly find themselves on the receiving end of Tommy’s formidable power. His presence has made Boissevain a haven in the tumultuous world of the Hodgepocalypse, a place where the promise of "peace in our time" is more than just an ideal—it's a living, vigilant force.

The World's Largest Curling Stone

Once a quirky roadside attraction in the heart of Keystone Wastes, has become a powerful symbol and a mysterious artifact in the Hodgepocalypse. Towering over the desolate landscape, the enormous stone is no longer just a monument to a beloved Canadian sport—it now hums with an eerie, otherworldly energy. The locals tell tales of how the stone absorbs the harsh winters and psychic energies of the surrounding Crystal Forests, growing colder and more potent with each passing year.

The World's Largest Mosquito

Once a playful landmark, has transformed into a nightmarish hive in the Hodgepocalypse. Now fused with the surrounding environment, the statue hosts swarms of mutant mosquitoes, far larger and more aggressive than their predecessors, with venomous bites that can transmit both physical and psychic afflictions. The area around the statue is feared as a no-go zone, shrouded in legends of a malevolent force that controls the swarms, making it a dark and dangerous symbol of the twisted landscape of the Keystone Wastes.

 

In the Aftermath of the Necromantic Wars.

Wendigo the Wild, the ruthless undead Fallen Lord from what was once Thunder Bay, casts a chilling shadow over the Keystone Wastes. His aggressive campaigns during the Necromantic Wars devastated the region, turning much of northern Manitoba into a twisted battleground. His influence lingers in the form of roving undead legions, cursed landscapes, and pockets of desolation. Despite his defeat and hibernation, Wendigo's forces still patrol the borders, and his raids frequently spill into the Keystone Wastes, particularly in the northern regions like Frostbite Flats. Survivors are haunted by tales of his ravenous hunger for souls, and the ongoing threat of necromantic incursions keeps the people of the Keystone Wastes in a constant state of vigilance. This looming presence creates an uneasy tension, as adventurers must often deal with the remnants of his undead armies and the scars of war—while rumors of a secret alliance or uprising against Wendigo circulate in the shadows, presenting opportunities for bold heroes.

Fort Ironwood (Thunder Bay, Ontario)

• Status: Once a thriving industrial center of the Dam Good Trading Company, Fort Ironwood has since fallen under the control of the Corpseman, a faction of relentless, tireless automatons and necromantically enhanced workers who harvest the remna nts of civilization for their own purposes.
• Current Focus: No longer a safe place for trade, Fort Ironwood is now an industrial powerhouse run by undead engineers. It is best avoided by most traders, though some daring scavengers still risk venturing there in search of the advanced machinery and weaponry rumored to lie within the factory districts.

#drevrpg #hodgepocalypse #dungeonsanddragons #dnd5e #apocalypse #Canada #Manitoba #PostApocalypticFantasy #RedRiverRuins