"We seek refuge in the knowing that Acolyte Inc. will be no more. That they Are no more. Our flesh is molded and shaped by those experiments. A mark that will fuel our hatred for centuries."
The Withered are the monsters of the New World, monsters not beasts. The Withered are often accumulated of those that were significantly experimented on by Acolyte Inc. which has resulted to physical and mental scars and modifications which will never be able to be reversed. The Withered are often referred to as zombies or 'Stalkers of the Night' as that is quite often when they do their raiding, having the ability to blend in with the park around them during the night. If you meet one of the Withered, the best advice would be to run. As fast and as indirect as humanly possible.
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The Withered are ruled with an iron fist by Daedalus Mortel, one of the more experimented victims of Acolyte Inc. Daedalus does not tolerate disrespect and he certainly doesn't like it when people disobey his orders, even if people are killed due to a bad move on his part. The Withered, those that are high enough to have an open opinion, often worship or admire Daedalus for his values and immoral attitude towards others. He does not view death and murder as something bad, he sees it as an opportunity. Some would say that he has 'magic' in reality, he has been experimented on to the point where he has control over the biological make-up of micro-biological specimens such as fungi and viruses. Daedalus is wary of the other gangs and sees them as things to be conquered rather than groups of people, he sees their decision to disobey his rule as a challenge to his authority. Paranoid and wary, Daedalus is on the verge of causing Tidal World to fall into a state of chaos and bloodshed. But he loves the thrill of the game.
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The Withered have gotten their name from the rumors that they are all so far beyond the repair of humanity that they have withered into a state of madness and chaos. No one knows what the Withered HQ looks like, if you are not part of their gang and they don't take outsiders very often. In reality, they have taken control of the furthest place from the main gate of Acolyte Inc. The Canyon of Dreams as it was known in the Old World, it is now known as the Canyon of Dread as many who enter do not return. The Withered have set up long bridges from side to side of the canyon, above the flowing rapids below. Their houses and buildings sit on the sides of the canyon cliffs and are often built out of the fallen trees that populate the canyons cliffs. Once going further enough in, past the waterfall, there is a large motel that was abandoned in early development due to seismic activity in the area, this is what serves as Daedalus' and his deputies living area. Built into the side of the surrounding mountains, it's relatively well-kept except for the smashed windows and numerous bloodstains from tortured bodies.
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A clear sign that the Withered are present or are nearby is the large cloud of fog that seems to follow them everywhere. This fog surrounds their canyon and no one seems to know why it follows them. But those caught in the fog have seen creatures that not even Acolyte could create. Daedalus takes advantage of this fog to install fear into his subjects. Sometimes, when the weather is really bad, the fog can become acidic in nature and begin to strip away the flesh of those caught in it: including Daedalus. This fog is what is most well-known about the Withered, it's large and flows like a river over the amusement park. Installing fear and terror into the hearts of those that dare to wander into it. At the start, before the gangs had truly secured their positions in the world, people often dared each other to walk into the fog and come back. Except, they never came back whole. Sometimes they were mentally scarred. Sometimes they were physically injured. Other times, just their heads remained.
The Withered have an alliance with the Lanterns, they have a trade agreement with them. In exchange for loot and chemicals, the Lanterns give back oil to run the generators. It also provides a good opportunity to plant spies among the Lanterns ranks. The thing though that the Lanterns are incredibly dangerous to Daedalus due to his fragility towards chemicals.
The Withered are currently planning on destroyed the Chambered, they understand that they were once experimented on but isolation is not the way to go about it. They don't want their territory or their people, they want the resources and to destroy the gang all together. The Withered are trying to get the Lanterns on their side but they do not agree on the idea. The Chambered, having been experimented on mainly with metallic elements, are equally as strong as the Withered and Daedalus realises the danger of attacking them.
The Withered despise the AD, they are a higher priority than the Chambered, they want to destroy the AD at any chance that they have but due to the vault being a rather hard place to get into they are still waiting for their chance. The Withered often pair their scouts up with the Lanterns in order to keep an eye on the vault door, as soon as that door opens up. The AD will be eliminated. Purged. The Withered cannot understand how the AD try and worship them like some sort of god, Acolyte Inc. in the Withered's opinion was an abomination, a devil.
The Withered and the Wilderness are currently allied as well due to the fact that they both raid constantly and they love to kill those that oppose them. The Wilderness being the true beasts of Tidal World, they are often seen pairing with the Withered on raiding adventures against the Chambered. The Wilderness will always try and spark some sort of conflict with at least one of the other raider gangs.
