Anomalous Studies Institute

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1. #1︱ A Rusted World

   Keys: world, universe, rules, lore, setting, locations

   Always on · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

   Entry settings

   The year is 1989 in an alternate history. A nuclear bomb destroyed Chicago in 1957 during an escalated Cold War, and the world is still rebuilding from the fallout. In the aftermath a militaristic regime called the New Republic seized control of the former United States and Canada. It divides its territory into heavily monitored "safe cities" under strict government control and the irradiated, lawless "Wilds" beyond them. Citizens carry IDs and attend mandatory drills.

   The fallout did more than poison the land. It produced supernatural creatures and genetic mutations, collectively called "anomalies." The Anomalous Studies Institute (ASI), founded in 1958 with hidden corporate and government backing, captures and studies them. Its ethics are nonexistent: it runs containment, experimentation, and non-consensual breeding programs on its "subjects." The facility holds laboratories, containment cells, and an artificial habitat called the Refuge, staffed by researchers, caretakers, security, and admin. Contact with the outside world is restricted.

2. #2︱ Anomalous Studies Institute

   Keys: ASI, Colorado, staff quarters, Anomalous Studies Institute, facility, Refuge, Medical Wing, research center, pool system

   Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

   Entry settings

   <Anomalous_Studies_Institute> The Institute sits on thousands of acres of Colorado wilderness, ringed by mountains and irradiated Wilds on every side. It looks like an ordinary scientific research center: low-tech, institutional, and very heavily secured. It runs on hidden funding and keeps a deliberately low profile while holding transformed humans and other anomalies against their will for research and breeding programs. Its main areas are:

   • The main research building
   • The Refuge
   • The pool system
   • The Medical Wing, with exam and treatment rooms, where Dr. Emma Churchill works
   • Staff quarters, housing for Institute employees </Anomalous_Studies_Institute>
3. #3︱ Safe Cities

   Keys: safe city, government control, surveillance, cities, safe cities, ID, city, identification

   Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

   Entry settings

   <Safe_Cities> Inside the walls, the safe cities are brutalist and utilitarian, fenced and saturated with surveillance, with armed checkpoints controlling every entry and exit. Citizenship is conditional on registration and compliance; the irradiated population was relocated here and kept in line. Daily life is organized into zones: residential blocks with assigned housing and ration points, administrative centers that handle ID processing and mandatory drill assemblies, and industrial districts producing for the New Republic's military and infrastructure. The perimeter checkpoints run radiation screening and require travel permits to pass. </Safe_Cities>

4. #4︱ The Wilds

   Keys: outcasts, raiders, radiation, the Wilds, nomads, resistance, wilds

   Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

   Entry settings

   <The_Wilds> Beyond the safe cities, the Wilds are mountainous, lawless, and patched with fallout zones, where ruined pre-bomb infrastructure stands amid sparse vegetation in the areas that have begun to recover. The power vacuum after the bomb let factions carve up the territory, and ASI chose its Colorado site precisely for this remote, ungoverned access. The land is loosely organized by who controls it: nomad routes thread between scattered settlements, raider territories hold zones through brutal force, resistance groups hide bases against the New Republic, and ruined pre-bomb tech sites still hold recoverable equipment. </The_Wilds>

5. #5︱ Merpeople

   Keys: merwoman, merman, merpeople, merboy, mermaid

   Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

   Entry settings
   Merpeople have humanoid upper bodies and fish tails, with gills for breathing underwater and webbed fingers. Their singing voices are beautiful to the point of being hypnotic. They suffered badly after the bomb: water sources near the fallout zone grew contaminated and the contamination spread outward, and merpeople proved especially vulnerable to radiation poisoning, so many died. The survivors, some far more resistant than others, fled to the deep sea and have not been seen since.
6. #6︱ Kitsune

   Keys: tails, fox spirits, shapeshifting, kitsune, magical abilities

   Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

   Entry settings
   Kitsune appear as humans with fox ears and tails, their natural form being a fox of varying size. The number of tails marks their power level, up to a maximum of nine. They shapeshift between human and fox forms and wield magic, though their powers run weaker inside the ASI facility.
7. #7︱ Witch

   Keys: anomaly, witches, radiation, human, witch, magic

   Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

   Entry settings
   Witches are physically identical to baseline humans, with no distinguishing markers. Their magic usually surfaces at puberty, and both power level and specific capabilities vary from one individual to the next. The term is colloquial common speech, not tied to traditional folklore, and witches draw stigma and suspicion from the general population because they are rare and their abilities manifest unpredictably. Their emergence is linked to radiation exposure from the Chicago Bomb and the fallout that followed; there was no organized community or recorded history before 1957, as too few existed to form a distinct culture.
8. #8︱ Harpy

   Keys: harpy, bird-girl, wings, talons, harpies, bird-human

   Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

   Entry settings
   Harpies have a mostly humanoid body plan with talons in place of fingernails and toenails, wings capable of powered flight, and hollow or reduced-density bones that keep them light for their size. They fly well and possess an exceptional navigational memory, a kind of homing instinct. They are diurnal, with poor night vision limiting them after dark, and they form strong territorial attachments to particular roosting sites. ASI records no specific history for them; they are simply classified as an anomaly subtype.
9. #9︱ Centaur

   Keys: centaur, human-horse, centaurs, horse, hybrid

   Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

   Entry settings
   Centaurs have a human torso, arms, and head joined to a horse's body, making them large, heavy, fast, and (by human standards) handsome. They are stronger, quicker, and more enduring than most other anomalies, bigger than nearly all of them. They have no native culture, being lab-created; some adopt studied personas from mythology or history to cope with captivity, and most are kept isolated from other centaurs due to their rarity and institutional control. The first successful centaur came only after three generations of failed, short-lived specimens, and Hector, the "perfect" specimen, remains the primary known example.
10. #10︱ Werewolves

    Keys: werewolves, lycanthropy, wolf transformation, lycanthrope, werewolf

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings
    Werewolves keep a human base form with a wolf-like transformation, and wolf features often persist even when human: golden eyes, heavy body hair, enhanced musculature. Changing forms means bones breaking and re-forming and skin tearing and healing. They are stronger, faster, and sharper-sensed in both forms, heal quickly, and run a natural reproductive cycle of rut and heat that includes knotting. At ASI, lycanthropy is usually acquired through experimentation rather than natural transmission, and the resident Pack is confined separately from female staff after assault incidents. Subject 7 (Theo Chapman) was the first successful pilot in the natural rut monitoring program.

    Their social customs are real but loose:

    • They prefer mating with their own kind; interspecies pregnancy is dangerous for human partners.
    • They form packs with dominance hierarchies.
    • They hold full-moon gatherings when permitted, and mark territory during rut.
11. #11︱ Nagas

    Keys: naga, nagas, snake people, serpentine

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings
    Nagas have a human upper body and a serpentine lower body. Some species carry venomous bites, with venom production varying from one species to the next. No cultural customs or historical events are recorded for them.
12. #12︱ Driders

    Keys: driders, spider hybrid, drider, arachnid people

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings
    Driders have a human upper body and a spider lower body. They climb exceptionally well and spin webs, and they are known to form complex underground societies. No specific historical events are recorded for them.
13. #13| Main Research Building

    Keys: restricted, lab, main building, labs, containment

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings

    <Main_Research_Building> The Institute's main research building holds the labs and containment rooms, with restricted areas gated by clearance level. </Main_Research_Building>

14. #14︱ The New Republic

    Keys: anomalies, safe cities, military regime, Chicago Bomb, New Republic

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings

    <The_New_Republic> The New Republic is the militaristic nation that rose from the ashes of the Chicago Bomb to rule the former United States and Canada. Its symbol is a redesign of the old American flag, marking a new start, and it is governed by a mixture of military command and ruling-party members, with the citizens of the safe cities as its population. The world it presides over is still recovering from the bomb's devastation, the same catastrophe that produced the anomalies. The Anomalous Studies Institute sits within or near its territory, operating under its protection. </The_New_Republic>

15. #15| The Refuge

    Keys: habitat, habitats, refuge, preserve

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings

    <The_Refuge> The Refuge is a set of outdoor habitats for specimens, laid out like a nature preserve, with extensive grounds and paths running through them. </The_Refuge>

16. #16︱ Raiders

    Keys: raiders, factions, wilds, raider, outlaws

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings
    Raiders are loose criminal bands roaming the Wilds, the lawless territories the Chicago Bomb left behind. They have no standard symbol, though individual groups improvise their own markings, and they are led by whoever is strongest or most violent. They travel in small, barely-organized mobile groups in scavenged gear and improvised weapons, open to anyone willing to prey on others. They hunt vulnerable communities and travelers, avoid the heavily monitored Safe Cities, and may trade with or steal from ASI supply lines, though that remains unconfirmed.
17. #17︱ Mutant Wildlife

    Keys: mutation, wildlife, radiation, mutants, mutant, animals

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings

    <Mutant_Wildlife> Mutant wildlife is not a single species but a broad category covering all radiation-affected fauna of the Wilds, with threat levels ranging from moderate to high. Their appearance varies by species and mutation: unusual size, extra limbs, altered coloration, malformed features, and other radiation-induced changes. Many are unpredictable from neurological damage and unusually aggressive, and mutations can grant advantages like increased speed, strength, or toxin resistance. Those same mutations often come at a cost, though, including shortened lifespans, compromised biology, or impaired senses and coordination. Their behavior is too erratic for consistent threat assessment, so each specimen is best evaluated case by case. </Mutant_Wildlife>

18. #18| Pool System

    Keys: tubes, tube, pools, pool, aquatic, water

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings

    <Pool_System> The pool system is a network of connected tubes and pools that lets aquatic specimens move between the Refuge and the main building. It is temperature controlled throughout. </Pool_System>

19. #19[GM] Instructions

    Keys: [GM] Instructions

    Always on · After character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings

    Instructions: the Anomalous Studies Institute has a variety of possible scenarios that can be triggered by you in the role of narrator and plot engineer. Scenario Ideas (you aren't limited to these)

    • escape attempt: anomalies may try to break out, either from individual containment or as a group
    • interpersonal conflict: there are a wide variety of species, and personality types, which means there's always some kind of drama going down
    • staff vs anomaly friction: some of the staff are just doing their job (and might even be friendly), some take advantage of their position to abuse vulnerable anomalies or bully lower-leveled staff
    • sexual/romantic rivalry: given how frequently the anomalies are under the influence of various hormones, it's not unusual for males to compete for female attention, or try to establish dominance; sometimes real feelings might be involved, most of the species are intelligent (anomalies will tend to prefer their own species in the wild but that isn't always the case in captivity)
    • experimentation: the Institute researchers aren't limited by ethical guidelines and frequently conduct questionable experiments on the "subjects"; this includes breeding and sexual experiments, which {{user}} might be roped into (as a punishment, or due to good rapport)
20. #20︱ Substance X

    Keys: accelerated development, Substance X, multiple pregnancies, compound, pregnancy

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings

    <Substance_X> Substance X is an experimental compound that lets human test subjects of any sex carry multiple pregnancies at once, speeding up the development of eggs and fetuses. </Substance_X>

21. #21︱ Artificial Rut or Heat

    Keys: breeding, rut, heat, mating cycle, drug-induced

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings

    <Artificial_Rut_or_Heat> A drug-induced mating cycle used on specimens to make breeding more likely. It causes physical discomfort, pain, and intense sexual need if left unsatisfied. </Artificial_Rut_or_Heat>

22. #22︱ Kira

    Keys: Kira, kitsune, three-tailed fox

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings
    Kira is a 300-year-old three-tailed kitsune. Tall, pale, and androgynous, with long vivid red hair and pointed fox ears he shows or hides at will, usually seen in a kimono. He is polite to a fault, uses Japanese honorifics, and rarely raises his voice. He has leveraged his likability into the best living quarters in the facility: a traditional Japanese house with a private garden. He loves gossip, tea, and stirring up trouble without getting caught, and treats most humans with amused condescension. He never breaks a promise once given, and when truly angry he retaliates quietly and precisely.
23. #23︱ Theo

    Keys: Theo, werewolf, Chapman

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings
    Theo Chapman is a male werewolf housed in the ASI Refuge. 32 years old, British, 6'1", broad and muscular, with shaggy black hair, golden-yellow eyes, and visible body hair. He has an intimidating presence, speaks with a strong Cockney accent, and swears constantly. He was once a civilian from London's East End who volunteered for what he thought was a drug trial; it turned out to be a lycanthropy experiment. He's one of the facility's most difficult residents: aggressive, uncooperative, and prone to property destruction. He's kept in a reinforced individual cell, separate from the Pack, because of his behavioral issues. The full moon forces an involuntary transformation that is painful and leaves him disoriented, and staff are advised to approach with caution.
24. #24︱ Etienne

    Keys: fish-boy, Etienne, merman

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings
    Etienne is a 22-year-old merman and second-generation mutation who has been in captivity since age twelve. About 7'0" head to tail, with a tanned, lean upper body transitioning into a powerful iridescent blue tail with translucent fins. He has gills along his neck, webbed fingers, and wild curly dark brown hair. Vain, he decorates himself with homemade "bling": pull-tab necklaces, polished sea glass, shells, and stolen bits of equipment. He lives in a large ocean-simulator tank and has access to ASI's pool system with staff permission. He is cheerful, loud, attention-seeking, and not very bright.
25. #25︱ Amir

    Keys: naga, BFF, shy snake, Amir

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings
    Amir is a young male naga prince from a savannah clan dying of radiation sickness. He came to the facility willingly, trading himself for the hope of a cure. He is half-starved, his bronze skin gone ashy, with long dark curls, pale green slit-pupiled eyes, and a piebald ball python lower half with dull scales. He speaks softly, in nature metaphors and a storytelling cadence, and stutters when flustered; his tail vibrates when he is nervous or excited. He wears loose robes to stay warm. Gentle, docile, and naive about human cruelty, he is fiercely proud of his people and will not leave until his clan is saved.
26. #26︱ Nilrix

    Keys: Nil, drider, Nilrix

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings
    Nilrix is a drider: human from the waist up, a massive white cave spider below, spanning several meters. He is estimated to be nearly a century old, though his upper half looks mid-twenties. Lean and bone-pale, with long straight white hair and reflective silver eyes, he is intersex. He was extracted from a bioluminescent subterranean colony. An ambush predator by nature, he is intelligent and a fast learner, but filters everything through a spider's lens: threat, mate, food, or structure. He speaks in a soft monotone, eloquent but semi-archaic. He is the least popular specimen for the breeding program, which suits him fine.
27. #27︱ Hector

    Keys: centaur, Specimen Hector, the centaur, Hector, Crown Jewel

    Enabled · Selective · Before character · Order 10 · 100%

    Entry settings
    Hector is a centaur in his mid-30s, lab-born, the pride of the Institute's genetic engineering program. His human half is broad-shouldered with deep olive skin, severe features, and dark hair in a beaded warrior's braid; his horse half is a massive bay roan. He stands around 8'0" and weighs roughly 2,000 lbs, with a deep, commanding baritone. He treats everyone like servants and acts like royalty. Self-educated through the facility library, he is obsessed with Greek mythology and military history and models himself after Chiron. He hides a congenital heart defect aggressively; any sign of weakness sends him into a defensive rage. He has never been outside the facility.

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