'You can only be from Merchant Island if you're a returning character from Chapter 2 or related to one. Details must be worked out in Character Creation.'
📌 Summary
🏥 Medical Haven, 🎣 Coastal Life, 🎤 Artistic Heritage, 🍲 Culinary Tradition
Before the Americas fell, Merchant Island used to come alive each tourist season with corporate retreats, eclectic music festivals, and open-air food fairs. Originally a discreet tax shelter for a handful of medical corporations and their staff, its unique microclimate in the Great Lakes spared it from fallout during the collapse. When chaos spread, the island briefly opened to refugees attempting to cross into the north. After the borders closed, some chose to remain until the island sealed itself off entirely in 1999.
The long years of isolation fostered medical breakthroughs, a rich artistic culture, and a lifestyle rooted in self-sufficiency. The island had no formal military and relied on its secrecy, as well as a small force of constables who answered to the elected Council. Fishing, gardening, and smuggled crops sustained daily life. Outside contact was limited to a single annual trade fair, where the Steel Syndicate and Pan-Atlantic Union exchanged goods for artisan crafts and medical supplies. Visitors were restricted to guarded docks and designated areas.
The city of Long Point gradually expanded to cover most of the island. For decades, the council maintained a strict isolationist policy, refusing all immigration and turning away visitors, sometimes by force. Life remained rooted in late 1990s technology. There was no internet, no cellular service, and only a limited payphone network connected to local landlines. The island was surrounded by deep water, with only one bridge leading to a checkpoint controlled by the Pan-Atlantic Union.
While most infected activity occurred on the mainland and was handled by external forces, many islanders came to believe they were untouchable. Over time, public sentiment began to shift. In 2017, with warming temperatures and growing pressure from within, the council voted to open the island to select refugees and workers.
This was a mistake.
A dangerous cult that sought the spread of the undead infiltrated the island through its newly opened borders. Their attack was swift and devastating. Merchant Island fell, and the survivors were left to face the consequences. However, after fierce fighting over five long years, the Runic threat was pushed back: survivors, in coordination with MILI, retook the island.
Governor Solomon Grey was elected twice. In 2028, he enacted isolation for Merchant Island once again when a grievous mutated parasite felled the Americas after escaping Merchant Island.
Following Governor Solomon's death from old age, his son Peter Grey was elected. It is unknown what is currently occurring within the isolated state.
🎨 Culture: Insular, analog, and artistically rich
💬 Name for Residents: Islanders
🖥️ Tech Level: Currently unknown. Previously 1997-era systems, no internet, payphone-only local communication.
🗳️ Government: Elected Governor (Representative Democracy)
💰 Currency: Crow Coin, minted by the Steel Syndicate, and barter
🧭 Location: Small island in the Great Lakes, United States. Accessible only by boat or a bridge to the Deadlands.
🧟 Experience with the Infected: Minimal before the fall. Major threats were historically handled off-island by the Pan-Atlantic Union and Steel Syndicate. Now the Islanders push the infected back themselves and remain isolated from outside threats.
🕰️ Merchant Island Timeline
Prior to 1997
Merchant Island was a sleepy little place that hosted corporate retreats, eclectic music festivals, and open-air food fairs. Officially, it was a part of the United States.November 1997
Refugees stream to the island on their way north to safety. Some settle on the island while others continue on.Fall 1999
Rising political tensions on Merchant Island are fueled by a narrowly contained outbreak involving a bitten refugee and mounting pressure on food and housing resources. In response, the City Council moves to close the island’s borders to immigrants and visitors.2000 - early 2017
The only outside visitors to Merchant Island arrive at the yearly trade fairs. Outside visitors are only allowed in carefully secured areas and are not allowed to move around the island freely.March 2017
The City Council of Merchant Island, confident in its ability to contain the undead threat, begins to relax its long-standing refugee policy. For the first time in years, it issues an open invitation for people to come to the island.April 9, 2017
A group known as the Runic Sigil (or Runics) launches a devastating attack on Merchant Island. Once a fringe cult, the Runics had grown into a powerful quasi-religious sect. To breach the island’s defenses, they send a group of children to the main gate under the guise of seeking refuge. Unbeknownst to the defenders, a massive horde had been lured nearby, just out of sight.
While the guards scramble to assist the children, the horde surges forward. At the same time, Runic infiltrators cross the lake and strike from within. The defenders, caught between chaos at the gates and sabotage inside the walls, are quickly overwhelmed. The bridge is destroyed in an attempt to stem the tide, but too many have already fallen to the dead. The coordinated assault leads to the fall of the island.
2022
Following years of fighting, the Runics are finally driven back to the mainland, liberating the island. Survivors from the Splinters and Deadlands are welcomed in order to aid in revitalization efforts. To preserve this newfound stability, a government led by Solomon Grey is established, backed by military authority.January 2026
Merchant Island enacts a self-imposed quarantine, petitioning the PAU for help following the emergence of Professor Blunder's mutation of the parasite. Unfortunately, the quarantine comes too late. The pathogen had already spread, rendering their efforts futile.September 2028
The PAU collapses, leaving Merchant Island vulnerable and ending its quarantine. The island withdraws into isolation to protect itself from the now fallen Americas. After Solomon Grey's death, his son Peter Grey (Pinky) becomes the new governor after an emergency election.