The Solar Sprawl

Role in New Vance City

The Solar Sprawl is the territory held by the Solar Guardians. It sits in the ruined suburbs around New Vance City, where buildings are low and the sky is open. The Guardians chose this area because sunlight is reliable and rooftops are easy to reach.

Today, the Sprawl is where most stable power in the city comes from. Solar panels cover roofs, empty parking lots, and cleared blocks. Power stations are built into old substations reinforced with concrete and steel. Armed patrols move between these sites on set routes. The Guardians believe control keeps people alive, and the Sprawl is their proof.

Much of New Vance depends on this power. Hospitals, pumps, radios, and some defenses run on electricity from the Sprawl. The Citadel Council needs this supply but does not control the land. The Hydro Hegemony fears it because power weakens their grip on water. Raiders and Gear Rats target panels and batteries whenever they can.

To outsiders, the Sprawl feels unforgiving. People who follow Guardian rules get light, water, food, and shelter. People who refuse are pushed out or killed. Some call the Guardians a cult. Others say they are the only group still planning for tomorrow.

Land and Defenses

The Sprawl spreads across broken streets and sun-bleached buildings. Most homes are gutted down to frames and walls. Rooftops hold rows of panels set at fixed angles. Parking lots hold ground-mounted arrays surrounded by cleared dirt. Damaging a panel is treated as an attack on everyone.

Old substations are turned into power centers and forts. Batteries and converters sit behind thick walls. Fences, shields, and firing towers surround them. When alarms sound, Guardians lock these places down first. If they fall, the Sprawl goes dark.

Roads are tightly controlled. Some streets are sealed for Guardian use only. Others connect housing, farms, and work sites. Battery depots sit at key crossings. Residents turn in empty cells and receive charged ones based on their allowance. Power and data lines run overhead between stations.

Heat controls daily life. Heavy work happens during cooler hours. During peak sun, most people stay indoors or work under shade. At night, lights stay on but dim. Nothing is wasted.

Outer defenses tie into the city’s perimeter walls. Trenches, barricades, and quick-deploy roadblocks can seal areas in minutes. In some zones, mirrored rigs and focused energy weapons stand ready.

Leadership and Daily Life

Life in the Sprawl is strict and predictable. The Solar Guardians act as both soldiers and rulers. Captain Anya Brights leads them. She was an engineer during the early blackouts and helped build the first working grids. She believes order saves lives.

Under her, officers manage patrols, repairs, supplies, and housing. Everyone has a job.

People in the Sprawl fall into three groups. Guardians are full members who fight and patrol in powered armor. Auxiliaries are trained workers and part-time fighters who maintain systems and defend when needed. Civilians are families and laborers who accepted Guardian rule for protection.

Every person lives under a power limit. Each household or unit is given a fixed amount of energy. Lights, cooling, devices, and water use all count. Medical gear and defenses are allowed but still tracked. If you use too much, you lose privileges or get assigned extra labor. Stealing power leads to arrest. Sabotage leads to exile or execution.

Days follow a set routine. Mornings start with power checks. Teams are assigned to repair, cleaning, patrol, training, farming, or hauling. Civilians work in kitchens, farms, clinics, and workshops. Curfew and status reports end each night.

In return, people get safety. Water is filtered. Food comes from stacked farms and vats. Homes are reinforced. Clinics stay powered. Many who fled raiders or plague zones accept the loss of freedom without complaint.

Beliefs and Control

The Guardians believe uncontrolled energy helped destroy the old world. Their answer is total control. Sunlight is treated as something that must be protected and earned. Captain Brights teaches that power belongs only to those who work for it.

Status comes from effort and obedience. Those who follow rules get better housing, more energy, and safer jobs. Those who waste power or disobey lose standing. Small violations bring warnings or extra labor. Major crimes bring exile into the wastes or death by focused heat.

Ritual exists but stays practical. Guardians salute the sun at shift changes. They swear oaths before large repairs or raids. They mark armor and tools with sun symbols. Power stations are sometimes called shrines. Outsiders mock this. Guardians call it discipline.

Public dissent is rare. Some officers worry that strict rules excuse cruelty. Others believe the Sprawl should share more power with the city. These debates stay behind closed doors. Orders are never questioned in the field.

Conflict With Other Factions

Raiders and Gear Rats try to steal panels, batteries, and fuel. Guardians respond with fast attacks aimed at supply sites and leaders. They do not hold ground outside the Sprawl.

The Hydro Hegemony fights new power lines that threaten water control. The Citadel Council pressures the Guardians to send more electricity inward. Both depend on the Sprawl and resent it.

Relations With the City

Power lines from the Sprawl feed the Citadel, Waterworks, perimeter defenses, and a few stable neighborhoods. If power is cut, hospitals fail and walls weaken. If power expands, control shifts.

People outside see the Sprawl in different ways. Some want in and are willing to live under limits. Others fear being judged and cut off. Stories of exile and public executions spread quickly.

Other factions act on self-interest. The Shadow Syndicate steals gear and trades stolen energy credits. The Perimeter Watch relies on Guardian support during large attacks but distrusts their independence. Silent Walkers sometimes test the bright fields with shambler pushes.

The Solar Sprawl In Simple Terms

The Solar Sprawl keeps the lights on in New Vance City.
It offers safety, food, and power.
It demands obedience, labor, and loyalty.

The Guardians believe every clean panel, tracked battery, and repelled raid buys the city one more day of survival.