the long night

Every year, the Long Night brings the San Saba to a quiet halt.  The cold weather and the deep shadows cloak the region in an inky gloom during the deepest part of winter, a remnant of the radioactive blast used to level old Bravo so many years ago.  As the shadows lengthen and twist through the trees, the mournful wail of the undead seems closer than ever.  The candlelight glow of shrines and memorials dot the landscape of every town nearby as the Long Night draws to a close, but the threats remain.

Each year, the skies around the San Saba grow darker earlier than normal and things start to stir in the night. Where as the influence of terrible undead terrors like the Archons, the Nightmares, and Longwalkers are long gone, there are still mysteries that go bump in the night. Previous stories of these creatures are a thing of the past, but as the shadows lengthen, one can’t help but wonder…

Nominally, the effects of the Long Night are a side effect of the bomb that was used to level old Bravo back at the end of the 2.0 edition. During the Hiway War, the final battle was decided by literally nuking our hometown and killing every living (and unliving) thing for a huge area. The blasted ozone layer over the area tends to increase the ambient radiation in the area during this time of year, which leads to increased cloud cover, harsh weather, gloomy and dim conditions even during the day, and prime conditions for the noctural predators of the wasteland to thrive. Night falls earlier as the Equinox wanes, and the weather and wasteland grows even more hostile to life.

Every survivor in the area hunkers down for the dour cold of January, barricading doors against the churning masses of undead and terrible critters that hunt the darkness. Undead grow restless in the gloom, and the more predatory dead like Hunters and Gore Hounds roam further than ever. Critters react strangely to the increased radiation, mutating and changing for a new year, like shifting into a new skin or a fresh change of clothes. Raiders grow more desperate, breaking down doors in the wee hours of the morning hunting for dwindling fresh meat, much to the consternation of those survivors huddled inside. The winter is a time where survival is not just a memory, but a mandate.

Ghost stories and frightful tales take center stage during the Long Night, as the huddled masses share legends and memories of times long before. From terrible faced things many hands taller than any survivor, to glowing apparitions in the forest on moonlit nights, the imaginations of survivors run wild during this time. No one is truly sure exactly what stirs during the darkest hours of the Long Night, but there is something out there. Strange footprints, sounds, and evidence of things moving about in the woods around Bravado are not just figments of an overactive imagination. There are terrible threats that hunt the night and any sane survivor takes shelter from the creeping darkness.

Daylight is spent on anxious and focused survival, gathering food and herbs to eat, refilling water stores with mostly rad-free water, and spending the few hours left repairing and maintaining the protections for the upcoming night. Families spend time repairing armor, barricades, and gear from the threats the night before, and try their best to prepare for what is coming. There’s precious little time for true community in the cold winter nights, so the focus instead turns inwards — to those closest and most cherished. When survival is even more desperate, you hold close that which matters most.

Many strains have traditions of candlelight memorials, remembrances, or simply celebrations to remember those that have been lost. Some share simple meals, pray for the salvation of the next dawn, or share thanks for what remains. The gloomy conditions bring a somber, but hopeful tone for the upcoming year, as the few weeks of darkness will eventually give way to a return to the searing sun of the San Saba soon enough. As the Long Night comes to end, thoughts of seeing friends once more and gathering in town becomes a welcome respite.

How did you survive the Long Night? Where there any strange happenings that you recall from the darkest hours of the year? What preparations did you take? What traditions did you share with your loved ones, or what have your mourned during the Long Night? Share with us your stories and we hope to see you at our next event!