# Zombie Apoc-Fur-Lypse. The Setting: Ratherbigshire, UK Author: comidacomida Tags: No-Yiff Welcome to Ratherbigshire, UK Population: ....dropping. Overview Ratherbigshire is located in the East Midlands of England.  It's county town, Ratherbig, is situated on the remnants what was once the Avalon River.  The river, which once provided ample trade opportunities and plentiful water, ceased to exist due to irrigation practices and water rights revisions after World War I.  The cleared land has since been very useful in expanding Ratherbigshire into the bustling metropolitan area it is today. Before the 'event', Ratherbig had a city population of over 300,000, with a total of nearly a million people within Ratherbigshire.  While the city is approximately 20 minutes off the M1 motorway, it does have a fair number of larger A roads including single and double digit roads, along with numerous B roads.  The Centerland Prime Line railway also has a hub station within Ratherbigshire, not far from the county town. Topography While Ratherbigshire once had the Avalon River running through its land, that river has long since been diverted for different use.  There are several sections of the county that still have man-made canals which criss-cross the landscape like crevases.  The landscape otherwise is softly rolling with no large mountains and no deep dales. Ratherbig City is more heavily treed than many other English cities and several county parks find favor in tourists by showing off this trait.  Despite its even terrain, Ratherbigshire is relatively high above sea-level, leading to snow being more common than in the lower elevations.   Climate Although Ratherbigshire can have the same extreme shifts in weather as most other parts of England, the majority of the time the city enjoys a temperate-to-cool atmosphere.  Ratherbigshire usually doesn't rise above 30 degrees (85F) in the summer months, and it usually remains above -5 degrees (23F) in the winter.  Percipitation is a way of life in Ratherbigshire, whether it be rain in the spring and summer, or snow in the late fall through eary spring.  Fog is also a common weather condition, and most vehicles in the area have fog lights standard issue. Languages Being a region of highly diverse backgrounds, there is a wide scope of languages spoken in Ratherbigshire.  English is the most common language, though there are over 70 different languages/dialects spoken within Ratherbig and includes others such as French, Urdu, Arabic, Polish, German, and Gujarati.  While the language barrier may occasionally cause tension between diversified elements of the city, most consider it daily life.   Culture Due to the melting pot of different cultures within Ratherbigshire, a large number of cross-cultural events have come into being.  Many culture-specific celebrations have also become more mainstream.  A week long Diwali celebration is held in the city, and the lunar new year festival is likewise celebrated.  The city also has more mainstream events such as a short film festival for international film makers, and a 3 day long comedy festival held during the summer that is open to comedians from throughout the UK-- and occasionally one or two from the United States. Restauraunts also tend to be highly influenced by culture.  While fish and chip storefronts, pubs, and occasional delis are still popular, kebab stores and gyros have grown in abundance within the last 10 or 15 years.  Indian food is also quite popular, and 'burger joints' have also grown in fame.  American style pizza and fried chicken 'fast food'locations are also increasing their presence in the ever-growing British eat-out market.   Tourism Ratherbigshire is a city with much history, and there are numerous tourist hotspots for anyone interested in the past.  Roman occupation in the BC era left landmark roads, walls, and architecture that appeals to historians and sight-seers both.  Jeweler's Wall was built by the Romans and even though medieval farmers removed large sections of it for plot boundary stones, the majority of the structure is still in place.  The Gravellhall Grange is an older building from the Anglo-Saxon (5th century) age. Another location of interest include Knightfield, a large open stretch of land where a yearly medieval faire is held, attracting interested revelers from all around England and points abroad.  The City Centre is also a place many tourists tend to go due to the excellent shopping opportunities, and to visit Ratherbigshire Stadium for city sporting events. Finally, many of the older houses of worship tend to be tourist spots themselves.  The Ratherbig Cathedral is the oldest structure downtown.  Directly across the street from it is the Ratherbigshire Hospital, a 30 story medical building that doubles as a hospital and administrative centre for city healthcare.  The combination of old and new is one thing many tourists find charming and attractive about the city... not to mention the Oakfield Castle about ten minutes north of Ratherbig the castle is one of the biggest tourist spots in the county.   Shopping Ratherbigshire has ranked within the top 20 large cities in England's retail shopping league for the last several years.  Although there are numerous stores and shopping locations throuhgout the city, there are two main shopping centres in Ratherbig: "Lowbridge Ratherbig" and "The Ratherbig Center".  Both locations have parking for more than 1000 cars with busses going to and from, and multi-levels of shopping convenience.  While both are approximately the same size, "Lowbridge Ratherbig" recieves a larger amount of foot traffic as it appeals to the general public and the stores within match the price range for most of Ratherbigshire's population.  It has a dozen restauraunts, almost two hundred stores, and a cinema.  "The Ratherbig Center" also does brisk business, but its shops are aimed for the higher income earning families; it has become a matter of status to say that you shop at "The Centre".  The city's annual Diwali celebration also happens to be held in the spare parking section for "The Ratherbig Center", providing it a revenue boost during the fall.   Religion Historically, Ratherbigshire has been predominantly Christian.  Other significant religions within Ratherbig include Hindism, Judism, and Islam.  There is a Hare Krishna temple in the south-end.  Many of the oldest buildings still standing in Ratherbigshire are religous sites from the medieval (and pre-medieval) era; from that time period, the city has a cathedral and a monastary, all still in active use today. Since a radification of the British census in the early 2000s, a Jedi temple has opened in the northern portion of Ratherbig, but it has yet to attract more than cursory glances and a few eclectic followers.  Other than the difficulty of being taken seriously, the 'Ratherbig Jedi Order' has the most trouble from its schism within-- one portion of the congregation believes in following the Orthodox Jedi Way (OJW), while another faction refers to itself as the Force Reformist League (FRL).  Due to recent zombie-issues, this problem will either sort itself out (everyone will die), or it will have to be addressed later.   Sports Ratherbigshire is as active as any other large British city with numerous sports programs available for kids, teens, and adults.  Favored sports include Rugby, Cricket, Football (again, that's 'soccer' to those of us from the USA), and, most recently, motorcycling.  Other sports, including horse racing, bicycling, and swimming also have a place within the city, though they are not as highly organized as the main sporting events.  Ratherbigshire stadium hosts both Rugby and Football events, though it causes no end of headache to the groundskeepers who are constantly required to replace turf after particularly heated rugby matches.  So far, no alternative has been found. Transportation Ratherbig City has the usual transportation services for most larger cities including roadways that feature a highly advanced mass transit bus system.  The rail system is featured quite extensively, allowing commuters to travel north and south along the main line for hundreds of miles.  Newer additions to trains also allow for shorter commutes throughout the Ratherbigshire area.  The combined transit system also allowes train travelers to purchase a ticket that will allow them to make full use of the busses at their end location.   Although it is several km from any major motorways, Rathebigshire does have several A roads pass through it and numerous B roads spider-webbing their way throuhgout. These roads make travel easy enough but, the further you go from Ratherbig City, the more likely you are to encounter single carriage roadways-- a very unqiue experience for anyone not familiar with British roadways. Other than these thin roads leading into the countryside, A roads and the train are the only real way out of Ratherbigshire. Ratherbigshire has an airport, but it is not what would be considered a high-traffic commercial airport.  Used mainly by low cost carriers and charter companies, the Ratherbig Airport is about a 45 or 50 minute drive from Ratherbig City.  While most of the shuttles to and from Ratherbig go to main national hubs like Manchester and Heathrow, there are occasional international flights to Frankfurt in Germany, and Air France has a single gate for trips to Paris.   Military Presence Although not a military town per se, Ratherbigshire has a minor military presence due to a field office for Project Argus.  As part of a counter-terrorism initiative across the UK, Project Argus focuses on preventing, handling, and recovering from a terrorist attack.  While most civilians are aware that the field office works in an advisory capacity, there are rumors that it may also house several squads of elite counter-terrorist units.  There are further rumors that high level military grade equipment up to and including tanks may also be located within the compound's fenced campus.  These rumors are heavily denied.   Education Ratherbig is home to two universities, the Ratherbig University, which attained its Royal Charter in the early 1920s, and Scottsfield University, which opened in the early 1960s as Ratherbig Polytechnic, but it earned university status in the late 1980s.  Despite two universities, the standard for education in Ratherbigshire unfortunately remains relatively low.  Due to budget cuts and restricted funding, most primary and secondary education remains woefully inadequate and graduation rates are depressed Thanks to the numerous manufacturing jobs within the economy of Ratherbigshire unemployment is not as bad as it could be, but the city council is still working to remedy what is considered a great inadequacy of the education system with the construction of the Churchill Academy, a secondary education school which will be projected to draw interested students from outside as well as inside Ratherbig.  Funding, however, is still contested. Crime & Law Enforcement Like many large cities in the UK, Ratherbigshire has its share of crime.  Differing forms of larceny contribute to the largest percentage of crime being property-based.  Assault, brawling, and other violent crimes are present in smaller quantities, and riots are commonplace after particuarly touchy football matches (soccer, to those in the USA).  Recent financial troubles in the UK have restricted the police force within Ratherbigshire, and it has been relying more and more on Community Support Officers (CSO)s, a move that has resulted in a lot of criticism by concerned residents as a cheap and ineffective alternative.   There are two police forces in Ratherbigshire:  City of Ratherbig Police, and the Metropolitan Police Service.  The former handles all policing within the city itself, while the latter represents the police force for the outlaying the rest of Ratherbigshire including outlaying villages and townships.  As with most police forces within the UK, firearms are not as widely spread as with their counterparts in the United States.  A field office for Project Argus does keep a supply of sub-military grade small arms including rifles and SMGs, along with the Fire Arms units of the local forces but these are not common issue for patrol officers in either police force. Demographics The most recent survey done of Ratherbigshire was don in early 2009, the population is not assumed to have changed dramatically.  While it is a melting pot of cultures, many of them are sectionalized, not only by race, but also by ethnicity.  The majority of races are standard furs.  A few mythological furs can be found along with several pockets of humans.  Bigotry and racism are usually not tolerated in most civil gatherings, but there are areas where hate crimes are not unknown.  This has gotten worse in recent years since terrorism has been pushed into the forefront of the global agenda. Standard Fur:            63.2% Standard Scale:        22.5% Standard Feather:      4.9% Human:                        4.8% Mythological Fur:         1.5% Mixed Race:                 2.6% Other:                            0.5%   Current estimates, were any available, divide current resident status among four groups based on their condition. Living:                      0.4% Un-Living:              81.1% Dead:                     10.2% Unaccounted For:  8.3% Starting Areas Both of the groups that will be fighting for their lives within Ratherbigshire will begin in one of the following locations.  The locations, and the groups who will begin there, are as follows: Group 4 (Hospital Group) begins near city center close to the Ratherbigshire Hospital. Group 5 (South-End Group) begins on the south side of town by the shops.   The setting for the SF stories of the Zombie Apoc-Fur-Lypse. Behold: Ratherbigshire, UK If you intend to submit a character for the story, make sure you do! Character submission closes April 3rd! What is this for? Go to: [http://sofurry.com/page/131743](http://sofurry.com/page/131743) to find out! Source: https://sofurry.com/view/135325