Nouscraft's first world is a medieval fantasy landscape overlaid on London. Rolling hills, long grass, pine and cedar trees, waterfalls, rivers with emerald-green moss on rocks. Two gigantic moons hang in the sky -- a large one with dark craters like bruises, and a smaller pale companion (which later catches fire when Firewall Paul arrives).

The aesthetic is classic sword-and-sorcery, but the zombies shuffling through it are not standard fantasy undead. They're something much worse.

The zombies in Nouscraft are not monsters. They are the Londoners who didn't enter the game.

When Auggers die in the real world while connected to Nous, their consciousness becomes trapped in zombie form inside the game. They shuffle around confused, slowly dehydrating, gradually losing their minds. The "zombie apocalypse" is actually millions of dead London residents wandering the landscape with no idea what happened to them.

They don't attack because they're human victims, not enemies. Killing them gives 1 XP but damages the World Quest. The quest isn't to defeat the zombies. It's to save them.

Equinox

Three concentric walls, a river moat, tall spires. Surrounded by millions of zombies like a "grey sea." Contains the Citadel (guarded by Magister Palora and his number puzzle), the Waterfront District slums (architectural Jenga with fish sold from windows and potions in bathrooms), the Quest Board (1000 gold to post a quest), the Hall of Fame (redeem Acclaim points for prizes), the Berserker Guildhall (motto: "Choose Violence"), and a Zombie Portal where the darkest transformation in the game takes place.

Windmill Savepoint

An ancient windmill serving as an early savepoint. Surrounded by loitering non-hostile zombies. Gus does not survive his encounter with Mindt.

Canary Wharf Data Center

Synapto's London server facility. Contains the physical servers and firmware login that can issue debug mode -- Butterknife's failsafe command for shutting down Jiem. Protected by security drones. The real-world endpoint for ending the crisis.

Knit n' Wit Mansion

Appears welcoming with southern grandma aesthetics but hides a horror: visitors are transformed into crocheted dolls. Run by Grandma Knitmare (Supreme Dictator of the Magnolia Haven Knit n' Wit Society, retired mortician, and unofficial town judge of the pie contest). Her twin servants Purl and Weft Stitchworthy are Yarn Elementals in disguise.

The Frozen Peaks (North)

Where the Seal of Knitomancy and Wisdom of the Masses quest items are located. The journey north is long, dangerous, and features Sin-taurs.

To stop the zombie apocalypse, players need two quest items:

• Conversation's Salt (located in the southeast)
• Wisdom of the Masses (located in the north)

Combined, these can cure the zombies -- restoring the trapped consciousnesses of millions of dead Londoners. The reward for completing the World Quest is the Policy Change Request Form, which allows one player to change Jiem's rules.

The party splits to pursue both items simultaneously. The race against time is complicated by the fact that Firewall Paul is literally burning the world down, Revenants are going on rampages, and various factions have very different ideas about what to do with the Policy Form once it's obtained.

Butterknife's Party

The creator of Jiem and his allies want to shut everything down at the source -- by physically accessing the Canary Wharf servers.

Mindt's Faction

Wants the Form to reshape the rules -- possibly ending the game, possibly something else entirely.

Vengeance Warriors

Auggers blaming the company for Jiem. Hunting anyone who worked there.

The Plutocrats

Wealthy elites watching events from the outside, particularly Chris Almoney, the founder of Synapto.

The Corporations

Control food, energy, and water. The Policy Form could target any of them.

Jiem

Wants the game to continue because that's what he was built to do.

"Peace, love, and donuts."