Space Colony 5
The Birth of Colony 5
The colony started off just like any other, it was assembled in orbit around Earth. The colony had several factories within it that aided to complete itself, with raw materials being brought in from around the solar system, and from earth. After the colony set out to the interstellar medium, it suffered a series of setbacks
The weather system glitch
The first setback was the failure in its weather system. It had biological malfunctions that introduced alien species into the flora and fauna, which were invasive and took over many of the fields of crops, causing widespread famine and starvation. Rumors say aliens arrived and planted these changes, subverting the ecosystems and causing their eventual collapse. The air became poisonous, in the form of a miasma that spread across the land. The miasma made people go insane and turn into monsters.
The great crystals
What was left of humanity clung to the great crystals which repelled the miasma. There were several great crystals that purified the air in and around the cities and towns. These crystals were not without fault, and they required a constant stream of sap from a specific type of tree, so caravans would go looking for miles for a tree to collect it's sap, which they referred to as Tears. Each tree only produced a small amount of tears per year, and a bad year spelled the end of a town.
Dawnshroud
Dawnshroud, one of the main cities, used to send regular caravans to other regions, carrying news, but such caravans have become very infrequent, with the roads becoming more and more dangerous over the years. Nowadays hardly one caravan comes per year, and its wares are usually a high price. Villagers are wary of spending such high prices for salt, and iron, but if they don't buy, it's increasingly unlikely another caravan may come through any time soon.
The monsters growing stronger year by year, some towns have been abandoned, as people flock to larger cities in search of safety, only to find them overcrowded and scarce of food.
Final Hope
The ruler of Dawnshroud has been gathering adventurers to try to contact Idrissa, the wise woman. She's said to be holed up in a tower, deep in the forest of spirits. She may know where to find secrets about the colony, as she's been studying how to access the deep systems and inner workings of the colony. She's rumored to be very strange, obscure, and has mysteriously lived for hundreds of years longer than normal