Steinbach isn't like most realms. Directly in the center of it lies Fran's mansion, and it's massive enough to be considered its own province. It's approximately twice the size of a high god's temple, and its architecture is Gothic. Surrounding the mansion is the Forest of Dread. It's two miles long at its thinnest, and four miles at the longest, and completely surrounds the mansion. All sorts of escaped experiments live here, along with a variety of wild beasts. North of the forest is the city of Franken, the architecture reminiscent of modern Japan. South-east of the forest is a ruined city, the true history of which is lost to all but the most wizened of scholars. South-east of the forest is a mountain range, the tallest of which is viewable from almost any location in the realm.

Fran's people are sepperated into three groups. The first group, the Cotrucii (The plural of Cotrucis), are basically people that were heavily modified/saved/reconstructed/whatever by Fran. They are loyal to her to a degree, and are extremely diverse. They make up about 4 to 5% of the total population. The second group, the Shellies, and normal humanoids, with the sole exception that they seem to be able to adapt to almost any sort of injury or modification that they receive, whether it be mundane, magical or divine in nature. They make up about 90% of the population. The final group, the Forsaken, are Cotrucii that have either view Fran as a twisted monster, gone insane due to the surgeries or otherwise turn away from her. They are a threat only to Fran and the Cutrucii in most cases, and they make up the last part of the population.

Fran appears in her mansion, a dazed and absent minded look on her face. "Well, what now?" She asks herself, looking around for anything interesting.

She'd awoken in her bedchambers. At her side, a long drought of some liquor or another. The room was very dark. There was a bookcase, there, too - and a workbench.

Fran walks over to the bookcase and skims through the titles, before leaving the room.

They were mostly medical journals and manuals, though there was a little fiction, and a few mystical books, such as Msonus's An Eye to the Heavens.

Outside the room was a wide, empty dining hall. The cutlery remained still.

"Well, that's an odd place for a dining room." Fran mutters to herself, walking down the room, grabbing a piece of cutlery in the process.

The knife is silver, sharp, and designed for cutting beef and similar meats.

Knife in hand, Fran heads towards the closest exit, intent on exploring more of the mansion.

The nearest exit lead to a supply chamber, filled with food and drink (amongst other things), and dust. It was relatively empty, though Fran knew that there was enough food there to last a family a year.

"Alright. Not the kind of exit I was looking for, but..." Fran mutters to herself, looking for yet another unexplored doorway to wander through.

The doorway leads to stairs; the stairs, to a common room.

There, Fran is met by another exit, leading to what appears to be a garden.

Fran heads up (or down) the stairs and into the common room. Taking a quick glance around for anything interesting, she then heads into the garden.

Within the garden is a strange creature, made of arms and hands - and, it appears, mouths.

"Hellllllooo, missstress," it crooned.

The garden was otherwise beautiful.

Fran smiles at the creature. "Hello." She says curtsying. "Has anything happened recently?"

"Misstress," said the thing made of things, "There has beeeeen nothinggg of note.. nothingg except the crusadddddes of the foooolish Vactrn, misstesss.."

"Well, if they're foolish, then we should go stop them." Fran says. "Do you know where they are?"

"Theyyy come from the ciiiiiityyyy, misss... with knivvvesss and flammessss they come..."

The thing made of things was scared of fire, Fran recalled.

"Well if they are in the city we should go there." Fran says, ignoring the fact that there were probably more of them then she should be dealing with. "Now... where's the closest exit to the city..." She mutters to herself, wracking her brain.