Server Lore
Ten years after the Resistance, aided by former Interdimensional Administrator Brian Green, directed large successful offensive operation in City 17 and City 8, which rendered the Combine in these regions powerless, the victorious human militants established several outposts in the Outlands. These outposts have remained safe havens for their inhabitants for many years and the majority of the population began to forget the horrors that the Combine inflicted upon them in the past. But now the Combine are returning with an improved weapons arsenal and a large amount of troops willing to die for the glory of the Universal Union.
Despite the fact that there has been a dramatically increased military presence in Resistance controlled regions, the Combine have yet to make a significant advancement into their territory. Instead, scanners can be seen roaming the outlands, watching the movements made by the resistance forces while a small amount of elite Overwatch teams oversee the construction of small, yet expansive Combine structures in the outlands. Nobody can say for certain what the purpose of these structures are, but some are more important than others.
You, regardless of your position, are located in the outlands of City 17, approximately 76 miles south from the old city. Although life in the forest may not be as abusive as Combine cities, life is not easy. The Lambda Resistance still controls the largest military and political force in this zone, however, several other factions have been established - not all of them friendly. The Legion is a merciless faction which doesn't hesitate to kill or enslave those that get in their way while the Lambda Resistance is an open faction, welcoming almost anyone that wishes to join their ranks. Each faction has a good and bad side, but they all have an undeniable lust for power.
As the various factions in these barren wastelands fight over power and territory, you must choose which side you will support. Are you going to traverse the outlands alone or with a team? Are you going to help those that are struggling or shoot them and take their loot? The choices, and the consequences, are yours.
In response to all of this infighting and because several highly trained combine assassins were deployed to kill him, Brian Green has gone into hiding to protect both himself and his few remaining friends. His name, along with the names of others that aided him, are occasionally whispered inside of the Resistance camps. The Combine, now ran by a new, enigmatic, presumably human representative, have become more open to communication with the resistance forces. There have also been rumors that the Combine are planning something big and it is only a matter of time before the stability in the rebel regions comes to an end.
Nomad, a key figure in the resistance, along with various other members of the resistance, are striving for peace between the two factions. However, with both factions seemingly intent on waging a bloody war with each other, peace may not be an option.
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After intense fighting, the Resistance eventually collapsed. As the combine pushed them out of the area, forcing them to evacuate to far away lands, they abandoned their valuable Xen crystal, which was being modified by Ji'Garumm, a powerful Vortigaunt, who was unfortunately captured by the Combine. To the dismay of the Resistance, the Combine from the other surviving cities banded together to re-open the portal to the Combine home world with the use of this crystal and combine technology, allowing the Combine to reconstruct City Eight and City Seventeen in a matter of days. As punishment for the Resistance's actions, Combine Supreme Command ordered the execution of all captured Resistance soldiers and a colossal attack on all Resistance outposts across the world. These attacks were eventually successful, and almost any organised resistance was crushed. The Combine were back - Stronger than ever.
Once the portal closed, only human forces remained behind to enforce the new rules imposed by their enigmatic overlords. Brian Green was again placed in charge of the Combine cities, as he played a monumental role in their return to power. The Resistance later found out that it was the Combines plan all along to allow the destruction of City Eight and Seventeen, as it allowed them to remove all useless and failing personnel within their failing cities. Brian Green remained in City 24 for awhile, the most successful combine city to date, but later moved back to City Eight, where he plans to bring the city to its full potential. However, behind the growing economy, extensive prosperity and decent living standards, the civilians are still forced to endure the tyranny of his dictatorship. Loyalists are heavily rewarded for their service, while surviving Rebels are brutally punished.
In this city, it is believed that the only way forward is loyalty to the Combine cause, as even the most committed former rebels lose hope after their crushing betrayal and defeat in the old outposts. Whether or not you will conform to Combine standards in hope of a better future, or put your life on the line for the hope of freedom for others, is entirely up to you.
