Long before the Sprawl existed and before Venture City was the last remaining city, The Dumps served as a forgotten wasteland. Its mounds of trash now form a jagged skyline of wreckage and refuse. At night, certain areas come alive with an eerie aurora, shifting through colors from bloody red to sickly green, casting an unsettling glow over the landscape.
The Dumps are a testing ground for AEGIS Security, who regularly conduct weapon tests without warning. These tests often trigger uncontrolled fires that rage through the area, leaving the air thick with chemicals and ash. Those living near or within the Dumps tell stories of how the area shifts, feeding rumors that it might be some kind of living entity.
Corporations have long used the Dumps as a dumping ground—not only for waste, but also for their secrets. Toxic combinations of gases, liquids, and masses of refuse have created dangerous pools, some of which take on a life of their own. The area downwind of the Dumps is a deserted wasteland, poisoned by the toxic winds. The air here is difficult to breathe for long, and survival is a constant struggle.
Spotters living close to the Dumps watch the skies for Fliers, which regularly drop refuse from Venture City, and keep track of the areas where AEGIS Security conducts its tests. They sell maps of these locations to scavenger crews who risk the hazardous landscape for a chance to find valuable items. Though most crews respect first claim on a site, competition is fierce, and fights can break out over the best hauls.
The shifting mounds of garbage make the area disorienting and easy to get lost in. The people who live in or near the Dumps—whether in filtered homes or makeshift shelters—don’t live as long as those in the Sprawl or certainly in Venture City. Finding water free from heavy metals is nearly impossible. Still, it’s a place where Scavengers can find valuable goods to trade, as corporations’ waste sometimes contains useful items.
Despite the allure of potential treasures, the Dumps are toxic and inhospitable. Some areas are radioactive, while others still hold unexploded ordnance, making every step a dangerous gamble.