On the surface, Ember Falls is the last bastions of rustic normalcy. Its residents—many of whom are Mythic Survivors of the old world—live as farmers and craftsmen, hiding their true nature behind a veil of rural simplicity. But in recent cycles, a shadow has fallen over the valley that no hearth-fire can warm.
Whispers of the D.A.R.C. (Department of Anomalous Research and Containment) have turned the town's peace into paranoia. This shadow-faction operates under a mandate of "securing the future," but their methods are far more sinister. They specialize in the secretive abduction of mythic beings, dragging them from their stone cottages into black-site facilities for "analysis."
The rumor mill in the local tavern speaks of a terrifying truth: the mindless Zombies seen wandering the outskirts of the territory are not natural undead. They are the broken remains of those captured Survivors—mythic spirits whose essence was drained, experimented upon, and discarded. When a D.A.R.C. experiment goes awry, the hollowed-out husk is released back into the world as a ravenous threat.
In Ember Falls, every missing neighbor is a cause for mourning, and every shambling figure in the woods is a reminder of what the Department is capable of. The town is no longer just a home; it is a hideout.