Post by PEARL on Nov 17, 2013 9:03:40 GMT
"Strength in numbers, Survival of the fittest."
Hunters
After the fall of the government, some people of The United States rebelled against martial law. Some of the remaining survivors of the city formed groups known as Hunters.
Hunters refer to people outside of their group as 'tourist'. The Hunters have with them a large arsenal of weaponry including military equipment. Some of them have also resorted to cannibalism as a result of lack of food. They will usually kill people without hesitation, either for food or for supplies. Hunters make a sport out of hunting other humans and will sometimes pursue their prey over a matter of days. Some also take the pleasure of torturing their prey before killing them. They also take pride in killing infected, usually placing bounties and bets for a certain number of kills. There are many groups of hunters scattered across the states, all with their own individual leaders and rules.
Survivors
Survivors are those who are usually unaffiliated with any major group that don't resort to hunting other humans for supplies. They can be found in small individual groups to large communities. Families with children are common within these groups. They can be located anywhere from the cities being controlled by the military to outlying communities in the rural areas of the country. Survivors however can still be just as unpredictable as any infected.
The main group of survivors in the story are those who has taken refuge at the hydroelectric powerplant in Wyoming.
The Fireflies
The Fireflies are an anti-government militia group featured in The Last of Us. They are fighting a losing war against the military whom they view as tyrants. The Fireflies are one of the few organized groups still searching for a vaccine for the cordyceps infection. Marlene is the leader of the Fireflies and the one who hires Joel and Tess to deliver Ellie to their research facility so that they can be able to create a vaccine for the infection. They are spread throughout the country but their main base is still currently unknown.
The Fireflies were founded sometime after the cordyceps outbreak in response to the US military's martial law placed on the quarantine zones. The group called for the return to all branches of government to end military rule and support from the public increased when soldiers executed six Firefly members. The Fireflies were successful in overthrowing several quarantine zones such as the one in Pittsburgh, but did not have the desired results.
For many years the Fireflies searched in vain for a vaccine to counter the cordyceps infection. Morale within the organisation was falling as the military began hunting them down.
In 2033 in Boston, three weeks before the events of The Last of Us, the leader of the Fireflies named Marlene discovered that a 14 year old girl named Ellie was immune to the disease after being bitten by an Infected and did not succumb to the fungus, unlike her friend Riley.
In preparation of escorting the girl to their main lab at the University of Eastern Colorado, Marlene initially made a deal with a local smuggler named Robert to take Ellie to the rendezvous point at the Capitol Building outside the QZ. However, the military located one of the Fireflies' camps and Robert himself was killed by Joel and Tess. The pair agreed to take Ellie to the Capitol building but the Fireflies they were to meet there were all killed by the military. Unable to locate them, the Fireflies were forced to conclude that their last hope was gone. The remnants of the group from Boston retreated with Marlene to their main base relocated at St Mary's Hospital in Salt Lake City.
A year after tasking Joel with Ellie, a Firefly patrol found the pair in the tunnels of the city on the way to the hospital. Ellie, unconscious from almost drowning, was prepped for surgery, where the doctors told Marlene that they cannot extract her fungus-infected brain without killing her. Marlene reluctantly gave the go-ahead, but when Joel heard of the operation, he killed the guard Ethan and proceeded to the operating room, killing or avoiding the searching Fireflies. When Joel brought Ellie down to the parking garage, Marlene confronted him and attempted to convince Joel to leave Ellie, but Joel kills her to prevent the Fireflies from following them.
After the death of their leader and much of their remaining members in the city, what survivors were left band together in pursuit for 'The Cure'. They reformed their group under a new leader and hired ex-hunters and militia to join their cause. Steadily their numbers have been climbing and once again the fireflies continue to search for the strain that could potentially save humanity.
Military
The Military is the remnant of the United States Military that appear in The Last of Us. They remain at quarantine zones to ensure that all uninfected persons are under watch and to protect them from the plague outside. The military ensures that nobody leaves the zones to prevent further infection, if so they may use deadly force.
During the initial start of the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis plague, Martial law was commenced causing the military to set blockades on main highways to ensure the safety of any leaving civilians. It is likely that the United States Military, as well as the rest of the world's military forces, fell apart and scattered. The organized troops were deployed to massive quarantine zones. Later, the Air Force carpet bombed the surrounding area.
20 years later, in 2033, they currently hold quarantine zones in the remains of major cities. The military aims to contain all uninfected persons in these quarantine zones and makes sure no one leaves. There are regular checkpoints throughout these zones where the population is inspected for signs of the infection. If tested positive, the individual is immediately killed. They also have vehicle patrols that go outside the walls to search for anything worth taking.
20 years after the outbreak, soldiers wear gas masks at all times to protect against spores. While they still wear bulletproof vests and use 9mm pistols and assault rifles, they also wear riot helmets that cover their faces and protect them from Infected attacks. They also carry handheld scanners to test survivors for infection.
According to sources, the Military still mounts occasional patrols through the areas outside of the Quarantine Zones to search for anything useful. They still make use of Humvees, some mounting what appear to be .50 caliber machine guns, and what appear to be M35 trucks. It is unknown where they get fuel for these vehicles.
