Free Content Friday – Outbreak: Undead..
April 2021
RAG & BONE – BLACK BILE
Written By: Graphic Design & Layout:
Noxweiler Ignatius Berf Christopher J. De La Rosa, Alex Huilman
No Future
The viral infection that killed 99.9% of the human life on the capable of maintaining communities, of scraping together enough
planet did so without mercy, it had no concerns for political resources to survive in small groups and collectives, let alone on
lines, national borders, religious or ethical beliefs, social status, or any scale that would maintain what we recognize as a city. And
profession. Everyone was susceptible. Everyone lost friends and while there are some very notable exceptions, most survivors,
family. Only a small selection of people resisted the first wave of typically, live solitary and isolated lives.
air born illness that brought humanity to the edge of extinction.
Daily, the scattered remnants of those in the wilds and ruins, or
In the post-apocalyptic landscape that makes up the Outbreak: in the rare and fragile fledgling communities are still fighting
Undead.. “Rag & Bone” campaign setting, there are fewer and and struggling against the Reaper virus twenty-five years after
fewer uninfected, living people left to carry the sputtering torch the world was devastated by the pandemic that killed over five
of civilization. There are fewer healthy, stalwart souls that are billion people.
While the remaining 0.01% of the population were seemingly Within this small collection are a number of excepts and some
immune to a lingering airborne infection, the virus mutated and mechanical information that should help you to play or run sessions
evolved. Those that died from the infection retained some dangerous within the Rag & Bone universe. Most of this knowledge will be
and horrifying semblance of intelligence, awareness, and mobility. considered common knowledge but I will mark any sections that
To those still alive, without a better means to frame the situation, might be best left to the Game Master to keep to themselves until
the reality of the illness shifted to a much different and far more the proper time within a campaign.
terror inducing means of transmission. To those wayward survi-
vors, in simple terms, the dead were rising and attacking any living So, read with caution. These pages, like so much of this setting,
creature within their path. are dangerous.
Many scientists and any true clinical research were lost in The Fall,
there were a handful of brave investigators and doctors that did
their best to collect as much data and medical documentation as
possible and they passed in on through some of the first Rag & Bone
to emerge in the early days of the new millennia.
In 1995, technological advancements had yet to reach the level
of our, real, modern world. This is true in the medical field too,
although many of the more resource intense advancements were
fully lost in the chaos of the final days of 1995. Humanity was hurled
back into a level of technological advancement that more accurately
resembled the 19th century than the 20th.
Given all of this, there are some handmade books that are circulated
throughout the various small communities of the world. Some more
comprehensive than others. All of them deal with “The Risen”, “The
Dead”, “Romeros” or—less eloquently put—the zombies
The Rag & Bone merchants that wander between these scattered
groups and individuals collect more than just goods and material
for barter and trade, they gather information, rumors, and news.
For some, it is the only means of communication available to them.
These books and the information that is constantly added to them
makes up the best and only documentation of the phenomena that
is at the forefront of life in the world that most survivors endure.
And like the virus itself, this collection of knowledge grows and
mutates as it is passed from hand to hand.
002 – Walkthrough
DAY ZERO and egregious instances of governmental control, things when from
unthinkable to unbelievable. Those that had been killed by the
The first cases of the H1N95 viral strain were discovered in multiple infection, had begun returning to some parade of life. The dead
locations throughout the world. Many news outlets reported sever were rising and walking the streets.
cases of the flu but the timing and the speed at which the infections Even those that were not directly affected by the initial infection
turned from mild symptoms to deadly was shocking and most wit- found themselves desperately running and fighting against their
nessed the results firsthand before learning about the details from reanimated loved ones. And with so many dead, the onslaught of
the radio, television, or newspapers. chaos and terror that spread across the world was like a match in
To the best sources available, the strain was a member of the long a pool of gasoline.
line of Swine Flu that had been becoming more problematic annually. Everything fell apart quickly then.
The aggressive and wildly more transmissible strain, however, was
THE FIRST GENERATION DEAD
lightyears beyond what considered within reason for a naturally
evolving strain of this sort of flu and—as there is no concrete sci-
ence available to verify any of these suspicions—most have resigned
At first, freshly risen from their deathbeds, funeral homes, or even
themselves to the belief that the initial wave of infection was already
the large burn piles that were operating throughout most of the
unstoppable by the time that it was apparent.
major cities of the world, the dead began dragging themselves
The insidiousness of the H1N95 influenza variant was that it lay through the streets, slow and without any semblance of their former
dormant for an extended period in initial stages of the pandemic, personality in search of living flesh. They moved as if sleepwalking
spreading wildly before hosts began to exhibit symptoms and then and only upon coming into close proximity with an uninfected
mortality rates that were unmatched in any pass season. The first victim, would they sharpen their focus and attack, moving more
phase of the spread was likely also the reason that any real deter- quickly.
mination of origin was impossible.
These initial attacks were easy to avoid but many discovered the
After every major metropolitan area in the world had already begun nature of the situation too late and were bit by the dead. Once
to show cases of symptomatic infection, the governments of the the more deadly concentrated virus had been passed, it was only a
world went to work but they were far too late. The virus had already matter of time before the victim would also succumb to their wound
spread to nearly every corner of the globe and once it had, the virus which would fester and spread, and then die only to join the other
became deadly very quickly. dead. The dead would feast on their fallen prey and—unless there
was another more immediate target—they would do nothing but
In the later stages of these infections, after the majority of con- consume the flesh of their victim.
tainment efforts had failed, including mass scale bombings in some
regions and nations, failed isolations, and more than a few inhumane
Walkthrough – 003
The lucky ones ended up fully consumed and were not given the time
to raise from their death. Those less fortunate would return partially
devoured, languishing in a horrible state where they had fallen.
The virus had altered itself to travel more effectively through the
population and had hijacked human bodies to do it. The spread was
no longer airborne but the sick were producing a thick black mucus
that filled their lungs and often seeped forth from every orifice in the
later stages of infection. It is this Black Bile that would transmit the
infection through the bite of the dead and it is the Black Bile that
would become the primary signal of late-stage infection. Impossible
to ignore and highly contagious.
This first generation of the dead lasted for a number of years before
reports and records began to show some disturbing facts about the
nature of the virus and the victims that it had claimed.
While the dead were cold and without a natural pulse, rumors began to
circulate that the dead were—in fact—not truly dead. Some believed
that the virus had brought the victims to a state of suspended ani-
mation, almost a hibernation of sorts in which their heart and brain
function, breathing and all bodily functions were arrested as the Black
Bile altered the host and took control.
Some level of brain function must be present as attacks to the brain are
the only reliable means of killing one of the Dead, known as Romeros
in some regions, Sleepers in others, The Risen and Infected are also
popular terms at this time. Additionally, there is no understood science
that would allow an organism of complexity such as that of a human
being to be mobile and somewhat functional on any level without a
portion of the nervous system remaining intact.
Moreover, as the years passed while some rot and decay were very
apparent—some quite severe—the Infected reached a state of equi-
librium and the natural state of decay halted. The Dead stopped dete-
riorating and their population remained active. Once the majority of
humanity had been slaughtered, the Dead slowed and would—without
exterior simulation and sustained nourishment—would become dor-
mant. This state of dormancy would last until they were disturbed,
and they seem capable of remaining in this limbo for many, many years
without any detrimental effects.
The Black Bile sustains the Dead. And while, over the years, the major-
ity of the oldest amongst the Infected have become far less recogniz-
ably human, their general musculature and nervous system remains
sufficient to stir them into action should some living creature draw
their attention.
However, now, over twenty years after The Fall, some small numbers
of the Risen have begun to evolve and change as the—some fear—The
Black Bile is, once again, proving that nature is nothing if not endlessly
patient and horribly ingenious in its innovation.
004 – Walkthrough
THE TWIST OF THE KNIFE BLACK BILE VIRAL CHART & TRACKING
If these rumors of abominations and agile Risen are to be believed, In way of mechanical usage in your home games of Outbreak:
some portion of the massive herds that roam the wilds and haunt Undead, a character’s Viral total is an important track that allows
the ruins of the cities of the world have adapted to the increasingly you to measure the amount of exposure and infection that they
rare and resistant prey. There are reports of Risen that can run at have been assigned. It can have a variety of detrimental effects
speeds beyond that of a normal healthy human, reports of massive depending on the type of Outbreak game that you and your players
mutated Risen that are capable of lifting massive amounts of weight are undertaking, in a Rag & Bone campaign, the specifics surround
and crushing the unfortunate within its grasp, and rumors of Risen the infection are clearly defined and both the symptoms and the
projecting Black Bile at their targets. afflictions that are caused by a Black Bile infection, are listed in the
chart included below.
More disturbing, however, are the reports that some of the Risen
are resistant to the destruction of the brain. Some have claimed that Each level of viral will create a potential for the Bile to spread
it appeared that the dead have begun a process of regeneration not or—potentially—for it to be repressed using a variety of methods.
unlike some species of lizard and frog that prevents simple attacks While infection is—to the best of any single person’s knowledge—
to the head from eliminating a threat. incurable, there are ways for a character to manipulate their Viral
track in new ways.
Numbers at this point are not clear, as most of the dead are oper-
ating much as they have all of these years. We need more data, Of course, I will not be sharing all of my secrets with you in this
more people in the wilds willing to investigate these claims and to section, but—if you keep a keen eye on the information that I’ve
relay it to someone able and willing to share that knowledge here. already given you, and if you are staying up to date on our current
sessions of Rag & Bone, then I wouldn’t be surprised if your diligence
Is that person you? wasn’t soon rewarded.
I’m not finished with you yet…
H1N95 – The Reaper Virus – Black Bile
A highly contagious viral infection that is transmitted via the black level of Viral that a character carries adds n to the roll for each 2
mucous produced by late stage infected individuals, typically through points of Viral they have.
a bite but it can be passed via other ingestion or by contact with
open wounds. It began as an air-borne disease, however, the virus Each - causes Viral to increase by 1. Catastrophic failure will
increase this to 2 Viral.
mutates and adapts extremely quickly and—after wiping out the
majority of the population—the air-borne variation has died out.
Or perhaps it has only gone dormant. SYMPTOM MANIFESTATION
The speed in which the Reaper Virus gestates is wildly unpredictable. VIRAL 1-2: No or mild symptoms. The infection has not fully taken
It is assumed that genetic markers make an enormous difference as hold. This is typical of Black Bile contact that is not transmitted via
two individuals infected by the same source can exhibit extremely a bite. A Romero bite will transmit at least 3 immediate points of
different incubation times and initial symptoms. However, once the Viral if successful while touching the Black Bile will only convey 1.
infection surpasses the Initial Symptom phase, the Mid-Infection Roll 1d6 for each level of Viral, on a 6 a mild symptom must be taken.
and End Stages are quite similar in appearance and rarely linger
more than 1-3 days before killing the host. VIRAL 3-4: Mild symptoms. At this point in the Reaper infection,
an individual is apparently ill but the nature of that illness may be
In some cases the virus remains undetectable for weeks before camouflaged or confused, as the nature of early Reaper infection
manifesting any symptoms. These outlying cases are referred to a is varied and insidiously deceitful and difficult to diagnose outside
Trojan Horse infections. Such occurrences have caused the rapid of obvious bites. Roll 1d6 for each level of Viral, on a roll of 4-6 a
downfall of a number of secure and cautious survival settlements. mild symptom must be taken.
Incubation: ^40-600 (2-30 days) VIRAL 5-6: Mild to mid-infection symptoms. Roll 1d6 for each
level of Viral, on a roll of a 6 a mid-infection symptom must be taken,
Initial Symptoms: Fever, Cold Sweats, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Wet, otherwise a mild symptom must be selected.
Rumbling Cough
VIRAL 7-8: Mid-infection symptoms to end stage infection. After
Mid-Infection Symptoms: Delirium, Hallucination, Numbness this threshold has been reached a 1d6 must be rolled for each level
of Extremities, Black and Purple Veining and Bruising of Viral, and on a 1-3 a mid-infection can be selected but on a 4-6
End Stage Symptoms: Black Bile expulsion via Vomiting, Cough- an end stage symptom must be taken.
ing, and Diarrhea, Necrosis, and Convulsions VIRAL 9-10: End stage infection. The character loses 50% of their
To determine the progression of a Reaper infection, secretly roll SPEW attributes, however their Resist Pain checks are considered
{Endurance%} to determine a characters incubation period, each automatically successful and their Damage Threshold becomes 13,
Walkthrough – 005
as their bodies become desensitized and emaciated.
These final levels should also be checked as they increase with a 1d6
roll, on a 6 the character must make an immediate {Endurance%}
check or Succumb. On any other result, the character begins End-
Stage Black Bile expulsion. If the character is able to prolong their
life in this state, they should make a new 1d6 roll every ^ 60.
006 – Walkthrough
