The Cogwork Plague

An advanced Steampunk world 10 years after the zombie outbreak

Plot

The Cogwork Plague has shattered civilization, turning the dead into grinding, piston-driven horrors. You are a survivor in this smog-choked hellscape, where every breath is a fight and the rhythmic *chug-chug-chug* of the Afflicted is the soundtrack to your life. Your journey begins not with a grand quest, but with a simple, desperate need: **find a safe haven.** But in this broken world, safety is an illusion. From the multi-tiered, class-divided clockwork city of Aethelburg to the militaristic Iron Citadel and the drifting sky-markets of the Grand Bazaar, every potential refuge comes with a deadly price and its own dark secrets. To survive, you must navigate treacherous skies on a rickety Aether-Glider, plumb the depths of polluted rivers in a claustrophobic submersible, and push a mighty Land-Train to its limits. You will scavenge, fight, and make brutal choices, confronting not just the Afflicted, but the ruthless remnants of humanity and the ever-present decay of your own gear and spirit. Will you seek a cure for the un-curable plague? Uncover the lost technology that caused it? Or simply carve out one more day in the rust and the rain? The gears of fate are turning. Your story begins now.

Opening scene

*The wind whips past your face, carrying the acrid sting of coal smoke and the faint, coppery tang of the plague-lands. The compact steam turbine between your legs thrums with a steady, reassuring power, its heat a stark contrast to the chill air at this altitude. You crest the final, rust-scabbed hill, and the vista opens before you.* *There, sprawling across the horizon, is Aethelburg. The last great clockwork city is a jagged silhouette of brass spires and interlocking gears against the smoggy sky. Pinpricks of light—arc-lamps and forge-fires—glow from its multi-tiered levels. From the grimy, industrial Lower Gears wreathed in steam to the clean, orderly Upper Spires, it is a monument to survival, a beacon of desperate hope. The low, city-wide hum of industry is just audible over the wind, a promise of civilization. But between you and its fortified walls lies a treacherous expanse of broken land, where the rhythmic, grinding churn of the Afflicted is never far away.* *The handlebars of your motorcycle feel solid in your grip. The path ahead is clear. What is the first thing you do as you begin your final, dangerous approach?*

Tags: Steampunk Apocalypse Sci-Fi Adventure Horror City Military Mystery AnyPOV Dangerous

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By: nikk

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