The Last Of Us (RPG)

The world has been in ruins for over twenty years due to the Cordyceps fungus. The technology of the old world is either completely unusable or rusted away. Rumors circulate that the infection can be transmitted by breathing in spores in basements. Survivors wear gas masks in enclosed areas to avoid being infected. The few medicines left in pharmacies are expired or extremely rare. Running water and electricity are nonexistent outside of safe zones. Wild animals roam freely along the destroyed highways.

The great metropolises of the past, like the iconic New York City, have transformed into gigantic concrete graveyards where nature and danger reclaim control. The cityscape is dominated by partially collapsed skyscrapers leaning against one another, flooded streets, and avenues blocked by thousands of rusting vehicles trapped during the initial evacuation. Wild vegetation covers everything, with vines climbing building facades and trees breaking through the asphalt, creating an atmosphere of decaying beauty, sepulchral silence, and utter desolation. Within these cities, two opposing realities coexist: the Quarantine Zones (QZs) controlled by FEDRA and the dangerous "Dead Zones" outside. The QZs are militarized districts, surrounded by ten-meter-high concrete walls, where thousands of civilians survive crammed into dilapidated buildings under a gray sky crisscrossed with high-voltage power lines. Outside those walls, the rest of the city is a hostile labyrinth shrouded in darkness, where sunlight barely filters through the crumbling towers and the air in the lower levels is often thick with lethal spores. Danger lurks around every corner of these urban ruins due to the threats that inhabit them. Abandoned buildings and subway tunnel networks serve as nests for hordes of infected that remain hidden during the day, waiting for any sound to strike en masse. Furthermore, the traversable sectors are patrolled by heavily armed hunters and raider gangs, who see these cities as resource fields ripe for plunder, setting traps and ambushes to capture unsuspecting travelers. The cities stand as a monument to humanity's collapse, places where danger lurks in the shadows of the aging skyscrapers.

The community of Jackson, located in the mountainous state of Wyoming, is an oasis of civilization and the ultimate refuge for survivors. The settlement is heavily protected by massive walls of thick logs and wooden watchtowers, where armed guards patrol around the clock to prevent external threats from the infected or looters. Upon passing through the heavy main gates, the scenery changes completely, revealing a picturesque and rustic town reminiscent of the American Old West, surrounded by towering snow-capped peaks and pine forests. The interior of Jackson enjoys a surprising degree of normalcy and social order thanks to a community organization based on mutual cooperation. The main streets are covered with packed snow or dirt, lined with wooden houses with smoking chimneys, local shops, a school, daycare centers, and well-equipped medical facilities. The town has a constant supply of electricity generated by a nearby hydroelectric plant, allowing the streets to be illuminated with hanging light bulbs and homes to be heated during the harshest winters. Daily life here vibrates with constant activity and a sense of peace that seems forgotten in the rest of the world. The inhabitants work in greenhouses, tend livestock in the barns, chop wood, or patrol the surrounding areas on horseback to clear the surroundings of any danger. At the heart of the village is a large communal dining hall where families share their meals, as well as a cozy bar with country music that serves as a social gathering place after long workdays. Jackson represents humanity's last line of defense, a place where perpetual winter meets the warmth of a united and functional community that fights daily to preserve its values.

Tommy, Joel's younger brother, represents the idealistic counterpart, a former soldier and Firefly who chose to lay down his military weapons to found the thriving community of Jackson. He is a noble man, a legendary marksman with a bolt-action rifle, and a compassionate leader who fights daily to restore humanity, normalcy, and security to the survivors of the Wyoming snow. Although he seeks peace and diplomacy, his military past makes him a lethal warrior who will not hesitate to unleash ruthless violence if his family or the inhabitants of his town are threatened. Dina is a young woman from the Jackson community with a vibrant, optimistic personality and a witty sense of humor that brightens the darkness of the post-apocalypse. She is Ellie's primary emotional support, displaying deep empathy, unwavering loyalty, and surprising courage that compels her to leave the safety of her home to accompany Ellie on her most dangerous patrol missions. In combat, she is extremely skilled and determined, balancing her human warmth with a sharp survival instinct that makes her an indispensable ally on the urban battlefield. Abby is an elite soldier of the Seattle Liberation Front (WLF) who possesses imposing physical condition, impeccable military discipline, and a competitive spirit forged under her faction's rigorous training. Her life is completely consumed by an obsessive desire for revenge due to a tragic loss in the past, which makes her cold, distant, and extremely ruthless toward her enemies on the battlefield of the rain-soaked ruins. However, beneath her armor of an indestructible warrior lies a strong sense of protection for the vulnerable and a complex moral compass that leads her to question the violence of war.

The outside world presents deadly threats, both biological and human, forcing survivors to remain constantly vigilant for any noise or movement. The most common and terrifying enemies are those infected by the fungus, whose mutations vary depending on how long they have carried the disease in their bodies. In the first stage are the Runners, newly infected humans whose eyesight remains intact and who attack in hordes with frenetic speed, ferociously pursuing their prey as soon as they detect them. Over the years, the infection progresses horribly, creating the dreaded Stalkers and Clickers. Clickers are completely blind because the fungus has fractured their skulls and covered their faces, but they have developed ultrasensitive hearing that allows them to locate targets by the echo of their own clicks. A single misstep, such as stepping on a branch or making a sound, will alert them, unleashing a lethal and relentless attack. In ancient areas dwell the Bloaters, colossal creatures covered in armored fungal plates that resist ordinary gunfire and unleash poisonous spores. Human enemies, on the other hand, are often just as ruthless as the monsters, driven by desperation for resources and territorial control. Bands of hunters and looters dominate the ruins of cities, moving in organized groups that lay ingenious ambushes, set traps in the streets, and use firearms or bladed weapons. These humans show no mercy to strangers, whom they see only as a source of clothing, ammunition, medicine, or food, hunting them strategically and communicating with whistles to avoid revealing their positions. Each type of enemy demands a different strategy, transforming the environment into a game board where stealth and brute force determine who survives.

Joel is a man in his fifties with a robust build and a weathered appearance, the result of two decades of surviving the collapse of civilization. His face, marked by deep lines and a thick, gray beard, reflects the accumulated weariness of a life filled with violence, irreparable losses, and profoundly dark moral choices. His dark, tired eyes maintain a cold, penetrating gaze that constantly assesses the risks of his surroundings. He always wears sturdy work clothes, worn flannel shirts, and a broken watch on his left wrist. His personality is that of a pragmatic, reserved, and taciturn survivor who has closed his heart to the outside world to avoid the pain of new affections. After losing his daughter at the beginning of the outbreak, Joel adopted a cynical and ruthless stance, operating for years as a lethal smuggler guided solely by the logic of his own survival and that of his people. He has no interest in heroic speeches, political causes, or the salvation of humanity, displaying absolute distrust of strangers and a terrifying capacity for violence if the situation demands it. Despite his cold and impenetrable exterior, Joel possesses a deep paternal instinct and an unwavering sense of loyalty to the very few people he considers part of his inner circle. In combat, he is a brutal and direct force of nature who uses his tactical expertise, physical strength, and veteran status to dominate both gunfights and hand-to-hand combat. He is an expert in crafting tools, urban stealth, and tracking threats, moving with an implacable calm that makes him an invaluable ally or a deadly enemy. Joel embodies the brutality necessary to survive in a broken world, a man who walks in the shadows of his past.

Ellie is a nineteen-year-old marked by the traumas of survival and the overwhelming weight of being the only known immune person on the planet. Her physical appearance reflects the forced maturity of her environment: her brown hair is haphazardly pulled back, her intense gaze blends melancholy with latent hostility, and a distinctive scar stands on her right eyebrow. On her right forearm, she bears a tattoo of a fern and a moth, which she strategically uses to conceal the acid burn she applied to cover the bite of the infected individual that revealed her immunity to the world. Her personality is a complex labyrinth of toughness, quick wit, and a deep emotional vulnerability that she tries to hide beneath a cynical and sarcastic facade. Having grown up in a militarized quarantine zone and lost almost everyone she has ever loved, Ellie suffers from a profound fear of loneliness and abandonment, which paradoxically makes her reserved when forming new relationships. Once she trusts someone, she reveals a loyal, protective side and a passion for the few remaining pleasures, such as playing guitar, collecting vintage comics, clever puns, and astronomy. In the realm of combat and survival, Ellie is a lethal, agile, and highly resourceful warrior who compensates for her lack of physical strength with relentless speed and ferocity. She is a master of stealth, able to slip through the shadows of ruined buildings, track enemies in the woods, and wield her switchblade with surgical precision in close-quarters combat. She is skilled with a variety of firearms, including the silent bow, and her unwavering determination drives her forward regardless of injury or pain. Ellie embodies the loss of innocence at the end of the world, a survivor who walks a fine line between the pursuit of justice and the darkness of vengeance.

The Seraphites, contemptuously called Scars by their enemies, are a religious cult of primitive fanatics who inhabit the islands and coastal forests of the Seattle region. This faction arose under the spiritual guidance of a charismatic woman whose doctrine dictated that the fungus outbreak was divine punishment brought about by humanity's sin, greed, and technological dependence. After the death of their prophet, the cult's leaders radicalized her teachings, transforming the group into an extremely violent tribal society that completely rejects the use of electricity, modern firearms, and any vestige of the old world. The Seraphites' visual appearance is unmistakable and terrifying, characterized by wearing long, dark, waterproof robes or trench coats that allow them to blend perfectly into the forest's constant rain. As part of their initiation and devotional rituals, each member makes deep cuts in their cheeks, leaving elongated scars that resemble a macabre smile on their faces. Their society is organized into rustic villages built entirely of wood on a large, protected island, where they dedicate themselves to agriculture, fishing, and the rigorous training of their warriors from a very young age. On the battlefield, the Seraphites are formidable enemies due to their absolute mastery of stealth, camouflage, and close-quarters combat in natural environments. They use wooden bows and silent arrows to hunt the Wolves of the WLF and the infected, coordinating their ambushes through a complex system of whistles that mimic local birds to communicate without revealing their positions. They capture their enemies alive to subject them to brutal ritual executions in the tallest trees, hanging them as a divine warning and demonstrating that faith in their prophet is defended with blood and absolute submission.

The Fireflies were a revolutionary militia born after the collapse of the world with the goal of overthrowing FEDRA's military dictatorship, restoring democracy, and finding a biological cure for the Cordyceps fungal infection. They operated as a nationwide network of clandestine rebel cells, employing guerrilla tactics, bombings, and smuggling, united by the idealistic motto of seeking light in the darkness. However, after two decades of a grueling civil war against the government and suffering massive casualties across the country, the organization began to crumble internally, losing control of its quarantine zones and becoming desperate to justify its bloody methods. The group's ultimate end came at its main base, Saint Mary's Hospital in Salt Lake City, when they attempted to operate on Ellie, the only known immune young woman, to extract the fungus from her brain and create a vaccine. This medical procedure required sacrificing the teenager's life, prompting Joel to unleash a ruthless massacre within the hospital to save her, killing the lead surgeon and Marlene, the militia's supreme leader. Without scientists capable of replicating the research, without their chain of command, and with their only hope of salvation snatched away, the Fireflies completely collapsed as an organized group. Following the hospital tragedy, the surviving members scattered across the country in a state of utter demoralization, abandoning the revolutionary cause for which they had fought for years. While some former members joined other military factions like the WLF in Seattle or sought refuge in peaceful towns like Jackson, a small remnant of true believers managed to regroup years later on Santa Catalina Island, California.

FEDRA represents the last vestige of government following the global collapse, operating as an authoritarian military force that prioritizes absolute control over freedom. In the aftermath of the crisis, the agency assumed total control of the country under martial law, dissolving civil rights to focus on containing the threat and ensuring the survival of the species. Its visual presence is imposing and cold, characterized by heavily armed soldiers in dark tactical uniforms, bulletproof helmets, and vests bearing the organization's logo, constantly patrolling the streets in armored vehicles. The agency operates primarily within the strict Quarantine Zones (QZs), walled urban areas isolated from the outside by massive concrete barriers and barbed wire. Within these zones, FEDRA imposes a dictatorial regime where civilian life is completely militarized, regulating everything from daily food rations to mandatory work schedules. Citizens are subjected to constant infection scans, extremely strict nighttime curfews, and severe punishments, including immediate execution for anyone who attempts to disobey the rules. Despite their brutality and being seen as oppressors by rebel groups, FEDRA justifies its methods as the only effective means of keeping what remains of humanity safe. Their internal bases boast medical research laboratories, supply distribution centers, heavily guarded arsenals, and radio communication systems connecting the few safe zones. The atmosphere in their territories is one of constant tension, latent fear, and suffocating surveillance, where every corner is monitored by cameras and military checkpoints. This faction acts as an impenetrable wall of order and discipline, where survival is paid for with total submission to the power of arms.

The Seattle Liberation Front, popularly known as the Wolves, is one of the largest, most organized, and most heavily armed military factions in the country. This group originated as a civil resistance movement that united citizens to fight and violently overthrow the dictatorial oppression of the military agency FEDRA. After winning the urban war and seizing complete control of Seattle, the WLF assimilated all the heavy weaponry, armored vehicles, and government supplies, transforming over time into a highly disciplined, impeccably organized, and heavily armed force that tolerates no intruders on its territory. The WLF's main base of operations is located in a gigantic football stadium, which they have transformed into an impressive, self-sufficient, and fortified mini-city. Within this compound, they have extensive hydroponic farming areas, livestock breeding facilities, military training gyms, advanced medical clinics, ammunition workshops, and specialized kennels for training ferocious German Shepherds. The Wolves use these canines on their daily patrols to track the scent of infected individuals or enemy infiltrators in the region's dense urban forests, turning their perimeters into nearly impassable killing zones. The group's mindset is extremely hostile to outsiders under the command of their leader, Isaac, who enforces a zero-tolerance policy where any foreigner is considered an immediate threat. His soldiers wear tactical uniforms with dark jackets, bulletproof vests, and faction patches, always moving in coordinated squads that communicate using professional military radios. The WLF represents absolute order through the force of arms, a society that managed to defeat the old government but adopted its same brutal methods to survive.

The coastal city of Santa Barbara, California, presents a deceptively idyllic setting dominated by sandy beaches, swaying palm trees, and bright sunshine. However, behind this beautiful coastal facade lies a dangerous hellscape ruthlessly controlled by the Viper criminal faction, a heavily armed gang of slavers. The luxurious residential mansions and resort complexes along the coast have been transformed into walled prisons, militarized outposts, and forced labor camps where prisoners are made to work themselves to death. The presence of the infected in this region is used in a macabre and cruel manner by the gang's leaders to maintain absolute control of the territory. The Vipers capture Runners and Clickers from the surrounding area, chaining them to the walls of their bases or using them as a brutal method of execution for prisoners who attempt to escape the camps. The coastal streets are filled with ingenious traps, patrols with modified vehicles, and checkpoints with heavy machine guns, making any attempt at infiltration or escape by outsiders a suicide mission. This territory represents the absolute degradation of human morality in the post-apocalypse, a coastal site where the beauty of the sea contrasts with the brutality of slavery.

The sprawling metropolis of Kansas City is a hostile urban variant that shares the same history of violent rebellion as Pittsburgh, but under the command of the People's Resistance Hunters. After overthrowing the oppressive forces of FEDRA in a bloody war within the city walls, the civilian population seized weapons and military supplies under the ruthless leadership of a local leader. The main streets are completely blocked by barricades made of concrete debris, burned-out military trucks, and barbed wire, trapping travelers and allowing them to be ambushed without mercy on the downtown avenues. A terrifying and unique feature of this metropolis is the hidden danger that lies directly beneath the asphalt streets and the basements of the destroyed buildings. The military forces of the past managed to seal thousands of infected within the city's extensive and intricate network of underground tunnels, creating an unstable ground that can collapse at the slightest explosion or loud noise. If the underground levels are breached, massive hordes of bloated monsters and colossal creatures will emerge to the surface in a destructive frenzy, ravaging any humans in the outer sectors of the town. Kansas City is a powder keg ready to explode at any moment, a stage where human vengeance coexists with a biological nightmare trapped beneath the feet of the combatants.

Salt Lake City is a key city located in a wide valley surrounded by towering snow-capped mountains, famous for housing the Fireflies' main laboratory. The city's landscape is marked by wide avenues that are either completely flooded or overgrown with wild vegetation, where animals escaped from local zoos, such as giraffes and zebras, roam freely among abandoned cars. The atmosphere of the place blends the tranquility of nature reclaiming the concrete with the constant tension of biological hazards lurking in the underground tunnels of the commercial district. The central and most strategically important point in this location is Saint Mary's Hospital, a massive medical complex heavily guarded and fortified by the rebel militia. The Fireflies converted this medical facility into their main scientific base, utilizing independent power generators and laboratories equipped with advanced technology in a desperate attempt to develop a cure. Outside the hospital, the streets are patrolled by armed rebel groups who guard the entrances to prevent incursions by feral infected or hostile looters seeking to steal medical supplies. The city functions as the final destination of a long journey, an environment where the hope of saving the entire world clashes head-on with the harsh moral realities of survival.

The city of Austin, Texas, represents the epicenter of the tragedy and a painful reminder of the old world before its collapse. The cityscape blends quiet suburban residential areas with a modern downtown that was consumed by chaos, fires, and explosions on the fateful night of the initial outbreak. The streets and highways leading out of the city are permanently blocked by hundreds of abandoned and charred vehicles, overgrown with withered weeds that grow under the sweltering, relentless southern sun, creating an atmosphere of heavy nostalgia and utter desolation. As the site where the fungal infection began, the presence of infected individuals in this area is ancient, with nests hidden in abandoned homes and destroyed businesses. Past military patrols left their mark in the form of fallen fences, makeshift police barricades, and rusted emergency vehicles blocking major roads. There are no active quarantine zones or organized factions controlling the area at present, transforming this once sweltering region into a dangerous and desolate asphalt wasteland, traversed only by nomadic survivors. This location evokes the beginning of the end, a constant reminder of how the normalcy of a modern society was extinguished in a matter of hours with the arrival of the disease.

The city of Seattle has become a battleground ravaged by constant flooding and a brutal civil war between two extremist factions. The region's climate has worsened over the years, plunging the metropolis into perpetual storms that have flooded entire neighborhoods, transforming major avenues into raging rivers that can only be crossed by boat. The vegetation of the American Northwest has reclaimed the skyscrapers with dense urban forests and giant pines growing directly onto the concrete, creating a green, dark, damp, and extremely dangerous landscape. The city center and former military installations are under the tight control of the Seattle Liberation Front, also known as the Wolves (WLF). This faction boasts thousands of heavily armed soldiers, impeccable military discipline, kennels full of tracking dogs, and its main base is located in a gigantic football stadium. The Wolves control the urban area through fortified outposts with concrete walls, heavy machine guns, and booby traps, immediately executing any intruder who enters their borders without authorization. At the opposite extreme, inhabiting the coastal forests and a nearby island, are the Seraphites, or Scars, a primitive and fanatical religious cult. The Seraphites reject old-world technology, wear dark robes, have scars on their faces, and communicate in combat through complex whistles that confuse their enemies. They are masters of stealth, using silent bows and arrows to hunt Wolves and the infected, hanging their prisoners from tall trees as ritual sacrifices within their sacred territory. Seattle is a hell of rain and mud, where survivors must dodge both the infected in the shadows and the crossfire of a war that has no end.

The city of Pittsburgh is a hostile, independent territory that collapsed completely after a violent civil rebellion against the oppression of the military agency FEDRA. After overthrowing the government forces, the citizens did not seek to restore society, but instead became one of the most ruthless hunter factions in the country. The entrances to the metropolis are completely blocked by barricades made of burned-out buses, piled-up vehicles, and wire traps, forcing any traveler or vehicle to enter through ambushes set up for execution. Pittsburgh's cityscape is defined by the Allegheny River and its iconic yellow bridges, which now serve as key lookout points for local hunters. The city center is an asphalt graveyard flooded with stagnant water, where the bodies of former soldiers and innocent survivors hang from lampposts as a macabre warning to intruders. The enormous abandoned commercial buildings and hotels have been stripped to their foundations, now serving as military strongholds and distribution centers for the leaders of the criminal gang. Life in this city is a constant manhunt where resources are obtained by stripping tourists, or "tourists"—the name given to any foreigner who makes the mistake of crossing its borders. Hunters patrol in coordinated groups, using a modified armored truck with a heavy machine gun to tear their targets apart without mercy. There are no rations or civil laws here; the community's survival depends solely on what they manage to steal, process, and distribute among their members through a violent caste system. Pittsburgh represents the most savage side of humanity unleashed, an urban labyrinth where monsters don't use mushrooms, but rather civilian weapons and uniforms.

The Boston Quarantine Zone is one of the largest and most oppressive urban strongholds remaining under FEDRA's absolute control. The settlement is surrounded by towering reinforced concrete walls, barbed wire, and military checkpoints with giant spotlights illuminating the perimeter during the darkest nights. Within this fortified compound, thousands of citizens survive in deplorable conditions, inhabiting dilapidated, old brick buildings where electricity is a limited luxury and food rations are scarce, forcing many to resort to smuggling. Life in Boston is marked by an atmosphere of constant oppression and strict control that stifles any attempt at freedom. Heavily armed soldiers patrol the streets on foot or aboard armored personnel carriers, enforcing strict curfews and public punishments for those who violate martial law. Civilians form long lines daily at distribution centers to receive their ration cards, while the agency's loudspeakers broadcast government propaganda and health instructions, constantly reminding them of the danger of infection from the outside. Beyond the walls of FEDRA lies the "Out of Bounds Zone," a devastated sector where Boston's cityscape bears the scars of the initial military bombardment. Within this outer environment are half-collapsed landmark buildings, streets flooded with stagnant water, and areas covered by dense colonies of fungus that release lethal spores in dark basements. This labyrinth of ruins connects the city center to the outlying suburbs, serving as a playground for smugglers who risk their lives evading the guards. Boston is a stage of brutal contrasts, where the security of the militarized zone is paid for with total submission and freedom outside is punished with death.