Bastion Omega
General
Bastion Omega is a militaristic settlement at the southwestern end of the Morpheum, centered around the intersection of the old 678 and 675. The 675 trail cuts across the Morpheum and over the east and west ridges out into the rest of the Shadow-Over Valley. Bastion Omega controls these egress points and sorties patrols to monitor Otshee Manitou movements and provide containment.
The settlement consists of several hundred people, with almost half of them being members of the Valley Guard. The remainder are various support personnel keeping the Guardsmen fed, clothed and equipped. There are no true "residents" in Bastion Omega. No one lives there by choice. It is purely a duty station, staffed by volunteers from all over the Valley in a seasonal recruitment drive known as "the Tithe." Soldiers from the Bastions will travel to various settlements all across the region and ask for volunteers. These people will then travel back to the Bastions in a "pilgrimage" that may last up to a month. Once they arrive, they are run through training, and asked to serve for two years, after which they are free to leave. Many who follow the pilgrimage back to the Bastions never leave, though. Many die while fighting the Otshee Manitou, and others cannot bear the thought of stepping off the line to leave their new friends without back-up.
Pilgrims sent to Bastion Omega are drawn from the southern and eastern regions of the Shadow-Over Valley.