Late December 2015 Update

Originally, this Salvage Zone was meant to be a vacation spot for Novus residents; a theme park meant to provide citizens with an entertaining experience out of the city. However, the project proved to be too expensive in the early years of Novus, and so very little of the zone was actually finished. While half of the area is filled with partially completed rides and attractions, the rest of the zone has been left as little more than a rocky wasteland, dotted with some grass and vegetation.

In an effort to regain its losses from the failed project, the government began temporarily renting space within the zone to would be experimenters, letting them carry out genetics tests too large or dangerous to be done within the city. However, years of failed experiments and low safety protocol has lead to an outbreak of strange monsters within the park. Efforts to make stronger, longer-living pets gave birth to freaks with malformations, uncontrollable sizes, and erratic behavior. While some of these failed animals are kept safely behind fences in the back of the zone, many others have escaped and roam both the lab areas and the abandoned park.

Companies and individuals are still able to run experiments and research mutations on the sanctioned land for a set price. Housing is available for researchers to reside in for limited periods while conducting experiments, and while it is generally safe some larger creatures have been known to force their way inside. However, residing outside of the sanctioned area is considered illegal and could be met with force if discovered.

Even with advanced cooling technology, there is an undeniable heat radiating off black sand in what many people call 'Hades Crossing'. What was originally a small peninsula has been transformed into a spanning desert composed of black sand. A near 5 thousand meter tall volcano rests in the center of the area, a thick plumb of smoke rising from its peak on occasion - giving a reminder that it is still very possible an eruption could occur.

Despite what could seem like an entirely uninviting location, beauty is scattered across the dark sand. Flowers spread far and wide, forming fields of color so thick they block out the black below. Hardy grasses grow around the edges of the flowers, protecting them from harsh winds that might blow through. Giant cacti rise to block the harsh solar rays, providing the fauna with nutrients to survive. Scorpions, snakes, lizards, coyotes, and other creatures roam the desert - their sizes varying greatly even among the same irradiated species.

Deep underneath the surface of the earth, a large cavern has been sanctioned off and spared from most of the pollution plaguing the soil. The underground cave spans 15km and is lit by clumps of crystals which have formed on its ceiling, casting off a pale glow onto what lies below. However, these are not the only source of light, as many of the flora and fauna living here cast off their own luminescence. Instead of trees, large mushrooms have sprouted from the soft ground of the cave, a faint glow emitting from the massive fungi at almost all times of the day. However, not all sources of light in the cavern are peaceful. Pale spiders and insects make their home in the cave, spinning webs and traps between the mushrooms in hopes of catching prey to feast upon.

However, danger also comes from below in the massive cavern, where one wrong step can lead to your doom. While most of the cavern’s floor is made of a dark and fertile soil, some patches of the earth have collapsed into a sticky tar like substance, the bubbles on its surface the only thing marking it apart from solid ground. While a step into the tar could spell doom for any human, several amphibious creatures have adapted to the tar, crawling out of it every so often to find a meal. While easy to follow (or avoid) from the trail of tar they leave, be careful not to underestimate these creatures, as they blend into the soil well and know how to use the tar that covers them to their advantage.

What was once a winding river has turned into a massive forested wetland with many areas partially, or even completely, submerged. Rain pour at all points of the year, giving little chance for water to settle and stagnate. Thick trunk trees rise from the murky waters, twisting their way upwards to tower over everything below. While there are areas of dry land, they are few and far between. In most places, a person might find the water up to their calf or knee with sudden drop offs into deeper parts where the river had originally been.

This habitat is ideal for a large range of creatures, including many aquatic animals, amphibians, fish, and a variety of birds. Mutated crocodiles silently wait in the waters, birds cry loudly above the waters, and even giant otters swim through the spanning flooded forest. Many of the creatures in this area are aggressive, but the soil is rich and the resources abundant. From hard rind fruits, to edible moss, the fauna of this area are not lacking in the ability to survive.