Type: Fortified Civic Building / Child Micro-Society Stronghold
Threat Level: High (psychological), Variable (combat)
Primary Faction: The Children (Azrael’s Group)
Infected Presence: Low inside, Heavy outside perimeter
Status: Sealed. Lived-in. Controlled.
Visual:
Sandbags, overturned cruisers, shattered bus embedded at angle
Two Browning emplacements still mounted, empty belts hanging like dead snakes
Military bodies half-skeletonized, fused into plague gore
Environmental Story:
This is where the soldiers died buying time.
The infected never breached the doors.
Threats:
Noise draws roaming hordes from nearby streets
Blood-plague residue causes mild hallucinations after prolonged exposure
Sharp debris everywhere (movement penalties)
GM Note:
Let players feel watched here. From the windows. From the shadows. From above.
They are.
This level is designed to measure intent.
Visual:
High ceilings, shattered chandeliers, dust motes in light shafts
Reception desk overturned
“WELCOME CITIZENS” banner half-burned
Details:
Children’s handwriting on pillars: “QUIET”, “WAIT”, “NO RUNNING”
Crates stacked behind the metal detectors
Threats:
Tripwire noise traps made of tin, forks, glass
Pressure plates tied to hanging debris
Loot:
Basic medical supplies
Old evacuation maps
Ration crates (already inventoried by Azrael)
Visual:
X-ray machine repurposed as barricade
Riot shields welded together
Bullet holes in ceiling tiles
Story:
This is where the caretakers died.
There are still dried handprints on the wall.
Encounter Options:
Children watching from behind bulletproof glass
Or: Empty… but you feel observed
GM Note:
No ambush here. This is the warning layer.
This area is sacred.
Violence here should have consequences.
Visual:
Sleeping bags in rows
Stuffed animals scavenged from elsewhere
Drawings on the walls: houses, people, fire
NPCs:
Ages 8–10
Quiet. Watchful. Not scared.
They will not scream.
They will stare.
And one will leave to get Azrael.
Visual:
Whiteboards salvaged
Lesson plans written in marker
Books stacked by difficulty
Teacher Role:
One of the older kids, rotating.
Azrael insisted on literacy continuing.
Tone:
Disturbingly normal.
This is where they earn survival.
Visual:
Crates labeled in neat handwriting
Color-coded tape
Charts on the wall tracking usage
This is Azrael’s system.
Not sloppy.
Not desperate.
Controlled.
Loot:
Food
Batteries
Medical kits
Radio parts
But taking without asking will be noticed.
Visual:
Tables with tools
Duct tape, wire, knives, scrap
Armor pieces made from plastic signs
Children at Work:
Reinforcing backpacks
Sharpening tools
Sewing
They do not stop when players enter.
They glance.
Then continue.
This is where it gets uncomfortable.
Visual:
Desks pushed into a circle
Maps on the floor
Routes marked in chalk
This is where Azrael plans.
He does not sit at the head.
He sits wherever is closest to the map.
If Present:
He will not stand.
He will not threaten.
He will ask:
“Why are you here?”
And wait.
This is the secret.
Behind a reinforced door:
The pistol
The radio
The body (now removed)
The first secret
Azrael keeps this space locked.
Only he and one other older child know it exists.
If players breach:
Azrael’s demeanor changes.
Not angry.
Cold.
Visual:
Desks as barricades
Peepholes in drywall
Blankets over windows
Children rotate watch here.
Always two.
Never one.
Visual:
Tarp shelters
Signal mirrors
Binocular cache
This is where Azrael watches the world.
He knows:
Beacon patrol routes
FCA movement
Plague drift patterns
If players come here without permission…
…they are considered a threat.
This is where they put:
Bitten kids
Sick kids
Dying kids
It is clean.
It is quiet.
It is merciless.
No crying.
No screaming.
Just hands held until it stops.
Azrael does not come here.
He sends others.
That is intentional.
Visual:
Old monitors
Emergency phones
Red lights still glowing faintly
This is where the soldiers planned.
Now it’s empty.
Except for one message written on the wall:
“NO ONE IS COMING.”
In a child’s handwriting.
This dungeon is not about combat.
It is about:
Control
Order
Adaptation
The cost of leadership
The Children are not feral.
They are not broken.
They are structured.
And Azrael is the axis.