Humanity's Condition

Subject: Humanity's Condition Wed Oct 26, 2011 10:12 am

Basic Facts

The human population has been slashed from 7 billion to a little over a half billion worldwide, and it's falling daily. We are no longer at the top of the food chain.
There are no more governments and no banking system, and without a money-based economy humanity has returned to a barter system where goods and services are the only currency.
Humans and Demons are genetically incompatible, there are no Half-Hellspawn anywhere.
Hellgates only open above ground, which is why humanity went underground. The opening of Hellgates is utterly random. Neither humans nor demons have control of them. There have been times when a gate has opened and only couple of highly confused demons have wandered out. Regardless of this, all Hellgate openings are treated as emergencies of the highest order. One never knows when a demon lord may step out.
Despite the loss of many aspects of formal human civilisation, most laws and social mores are still upheld. Robbery, rape, murder, assault and unnatural acts with children and/ or animals are still prosecuted fully, usually by groups of angry people with very sharp objects if the town guards don't get to them first. The biggest change to human society is the lowering of the age of maturity worldwide to 16; the repeal of most child labour laws now allowing children as young as eight to work a maximum of 10 hours daily in physically demanding jobs. All legal restrictions against same-sex couples have been repealed... outside Carlisle, where homosexuality is outlawed on the grounds that the resulting couple does not produce children. the decimation of the Carsile has rendered the opposition useless though.
Transportation is difficult to come by; planes are gone, boats are extremely rare, so too are cars. Vehicles are owned and maintained by town officials, military, the Silver Order and used as emergency transport for injured people. There are no 'personal vehicles'. Only town officials and the Silver Order have complete freedom of movement between cities.
Traveling between shelters and above ground is incredibly dangerous, but scavengers do sometimes bring back treasures form the world before, which makes scavenging above ground highly lucrative. Things as important as still-functional generators are as good for moral as fruits.

By no means is this section complete, but these are some of the more important aspects of life. This list will be amended and updated as new discoveries are made by players.

Subject: Re: Humanity's Condition Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:02 pm

Life Underground

Human beings live in tenements, little better then military barracks. A home consists of rooms connected through shared facilities such as bathrooms and kitchens, and one main living space that is normally converted to another bedroom when refugees inevitably arrive. Humans live one room per family, NOT one person per room. Only Town Officials have less cramped facilities, living in the city churches/ cathedrals where demons cannot get to them.
All human-controlled spaces have nightly lockdowns from 11:00 pm to 06:00 am to prevent more demon-related causalities than Hellgates inevitably cause. Lockdowns consist of all humans staying in their homes or designated safe buildings that are locked from the outside, to protect the living. Trustworthy individuals are given an override key to break the tumblers and open locks from the inside.
Diseases that were vanquished in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries through vaccination, cleanliness, and higher standards of living are back with a vengeance. This includes: AIDS, Chlamydia, Chlorea, Chickenpox, Dysentery, Diphtheria, Gonorrhea, Genital Herpes, HIV, Hepatitis (A, B, C, and E), Measles, Mumps, Malaria, Meningitis, Tuberculous, Rubella, Scarlet Fever, Smallpox, Scurvy, Syphilis, Typhoid Fever, Typhus, Vitamin Deficiencies, Whooping Cough, Yellow Fever, and Severe Diarrhoea, even Influenza (Flu) and the Common Cold. Disease run rampant is killing mankind as viciously as the Hellspawn are.
Though the technological cure for disease is gone, diseases can be cured by the magic healers. But, the more severe the disease the more expensive the cure: a cold or the flu can be cured for a loaf of bread or a block of cheese, but more dangerous conditions carry a much higher cost.
Military personnel, construction and medical staff work 14 hour shifts 6 days a week, getting one full day off every 7 days barring a medical emergency, disaster, Hellspawn sighting, or Hellgate opening.

Subject: Re: Humanity's Condition Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:03 pm

Terminology and Slang

Demonic Insurrection - One of many terms for the first Hellgates opening.
Fieldling - Both a profession and insult to Carslie residents. Fieldings work the land as property of the state, they are criminals and people who have failed or refused to become proper parents.
Silvers - The Silver Order.
Raiders - Humans who live outsides of safe communities using Gate openings as opportunities to rob, rape, and pillage communities already ravaged by Demons.

Subject: Re: Humanity's Condition Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:04 pm

Technology

Electricity is 99% gone, it is mostly used in hospitals and for research or military purposes. Civilians use candles and oil lamps for illumination.
Because many Hellgate survivors have physical injuries, prosthesis technology moves along at a steady clip. Though the quality of the prosthesis depends on what the person can afford, bribe, make or steal for themselves. People in high demand (Silver Order, Town Officials, Military, Medical Staff) have priority for the best prosthesis human technology can provide.

Subject: Re: Humanity's Condition Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:04 pm

Religion

Since the beginning of the Demonic Insurrection on the material plane there have been cults dedicated to worshiping the Demon lords and lesser demons. There has also been a rise in hardline religious fervor in some parts of the human populace. Cultist for Heaven and Hell are equally distrusted as they are more concerned with the hereafter than here and now.
Marriage is still an important covenant in the world, but wedding rings, and large parties surrounding each step of the process --engagement parties, wedding showers, and reception-- are decadences of the past.