[center][h1][color=0072bc][b]FALLOUT: AMERICA'S CRADLE[/b][/color][/h1]
[img]https://i.redd.it/zf1x87w6ch0d1.png[/img]
[hr][hr][h1][sup]WELCOME TO PHILLY[/sup][/h1][hr][hr][/center]

Based heavily on the map I made as a creative project a while ago that you can see above, I thought it might be fun to run something in. The premise is that there was this player character-tier legendary figure called the Governor-General who came so close to fully unifying Philadelphia with the New Continental Congress to the point there was public works and a professional army. However a sudden explosion that wiped out them and most of their government, combined with their successor horribly failing in leading a campaign against a raider army has lead to the once united city of brotherly love to fall into factionalism with deserters and desperate all over the place.

Two main power blocs have formed and have begun a struggle in an ideological civil war. The [b]Federalists[/b] who want to continue the policies of a strong central governance the Governor General enacted during their reign. And the [b]Yeomanists[/b] who favor the ideals of freedom and independence championed by the Governor General and want a looser confederation of independent settlements. Of course neither currently reside in the bombed out remains of City Hall and instead occupy the Philadelphia International Airport and the Camden Reclamation Zone respectively. While they fight, the shadow of a Super Mutant Horde once thought defeated by the hand of the Governor-General seeks to stamp out the cradle of liberty.

[hider=Expanded History and Details on Feds/Yeos]
[b]History[/b]
A hundred years after the old world burned in the Great War, the cradle of America stirred with the flame of a new nation. Although their origins is shrouded in mystery, the legendary masked Governor-General drove out the mutants and the raiders, uniting the shattered settlements in the City of Brotherly Love. From the ashes, the New Philadelphia Congress rose by the hand of the Governor-General, America born again with the promise of peace, prosperity, and the pursuit of happiness just over the horizon. A new republic with public works, a professional military, and colonial reclamation efforts to restore the birthplace of America was promised a bright future. 

But then one day, during a meeting of the Congress, an undetonated nuclear bomb mysteriously went off, vaporizing much of the new government and the Governor-General. However, always a figure of great ability and foresight, the Governor-General had selected a Deputy Governor as a precaution, Commander Benjamin Lincoln. He had been a staunch ally of the Governor since their early days and rallied the grieving nation to action to campaign against a raider alliance forming in the north, only to be decisively defeated by the Raider Boss George "Gory" Gulis. It is said Gulis dropped a building on half of the army Commander Lincoln took with him and drowned the other half by blowing the Tacomy-Palmyra Bridge, drowning thousands of professional Continental soldiers in the Delaware River.

With their senior leadership dead or gridlocked, factionalism took hold. Some declared independence, some turned on their oaths, and others allied themselves with either the Federalists, who wish to carry on the institutions of the Governor General with a strong central government, and the Yeomanists, who value the Governor General's belief in freedom and seek a flexible confederation of empowered settlements. The two sides are locked in a bitter civil war as deserters, raiders, and the desperate surround them. Yet both are blind to a rising force in the west, an old enemy of the Governor General who seeks to stamp out the candle of liberty as a final insult to their ancient foe.

[b]The Remnants[/b]
Federalists are proponents of a strong centralized authority like the one the Governor General cultivated during their reign. They say the wasteland is too dangerous to go alone and that only by banding together and presenting a strong united front can they hope to withstand and thrive in such a hostile new world. Their stronghold is in the Philadelphia International Airport and the All American Airlines terminal but still hold sway and territory in the city itself.

Yeomanists hold true to the ideals of individual liberty the Governor General espoused during their life time. They believe that the wasteland has already shaped individuals to be stronger than before, and that to have any strong central authority would just invite tyranny. Thus they ardently believe in a confederation of settlements and yeoman homesteads. They have set up a homebase in the Camden Reclamation Zone, the most successful of all the reclamation projects.
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[h2]Players Character[/h2]
PCs will be using SPECIAL stats but more as a rough outline of their character instead of using hard rolls for anything. They all have a reason for being in Philly and given both its former prosperity and current dire situation, it has attracted its fair share of wanderers. Just remember this is set 100 years after the bombs fell. I also hold to the philosophy that no one becomes an adventurer because they're comfortable with their current life; you need a good reason to abandon even the relative safety of four walls and a bed to go into the wasteland.

Below is some minor factions that might serve as inspiration for characters and further worldbuilding. Human and ghoul characters are fine. Robot and vault dweller characters will have a little bit of discussion on to what exactly they are. Synths will be restricted to Gen 2 synths as Gen 3 synths are a century away and require more discussion as to why they are here. Super mutants will require [i]heavy[/i] discussion on details.

[hider=Minor Factions]
[b]The Rail Clans[/b] - While not especially deep, hundreds of desperate civilians fled into the Philadelphia subway as the bombs dropped, desperate for a shred of safety. Their descendants form the modern Rail Clans, each based out of a singular station who often content with raiders and mutants lurking in their subterranean homes. Clad in heavy armor, most are uncomfortable in daylight but do not fear the dark below.

[b]The Constitutionalist Cult[/b] - Vault 74 was located under Independence Hall and had a single goal: to create the most patriotic, nationalistic populace who believe in America with every fiber of their being. In this, Vault-Tec was a little to successful as the nationalism of the vault dwellers turned into a religion which worshipped America and its Founders as divine beings. Having twisted every scrap of American myth, culture, and history they were given, they are now guardians of large parts of the city, including the ruined City Hall that both Federalist and Yeomanist forces desperate try to claim.

[b]The Huabu[/b] - Pre-war America was not kind to its Chinese and Chinese-American citizens and the Huabu remember it well. Thought to all be communist spies or agents, Chinatown was turned into an open air concertation camp with high walls meant to "protect" its inhabitants although it often just caged them in when the mobs came. They were not spared when the bombs dropped. It was only through a personal connection with the Governor General that the xenophobic Huabu leadership even agreed to join the NPC. Their status as perpetual outsiders in their own home however has made them a haven for all kinds of outcasts, chiefly ghouls who find common sympathy with the Huabu's own storied history.

[b]The Brawlerball Gangs[/b] - Fearsome, brutal warriors hailing from South Philly, they are known as much for their antagonizing savagery as their respectable grit. Often seen as barbarians by the rest of the Delavalley, their stadium strongholds are training grounds and arenas where all are welcomed to test their strength and join them in their animalistic worship of fanatical spirits and flying eagles. Despite often being labelled bandits, they're loyal mercenaries hired by other factions. While they may not have many friends, few doubt their strength as they are the type who will fist fight a super mutant with nothing but a football helmet and burning couch cushion.

[b]The Ivory League[/b] - Inhabiting the ruins of University City, the Ivory League traces its lineage to not only Vault 61 under the University of Pennsylvania, but the ancient, aristocratic Philadelphia Union League. They see themselves as a beacon of enlightenment and progress in dark times, dedicating themselves to the studies of the Degrees. Everything from medicine and agriculture, to engineering and war is taught in their halls. Although their elitism finds them few friends among the laymen, their research and development has been critical in the continued rebuilding, redevelopment, and reclamation of the Delavalley Wasteland.

[b]The Threemiler Atomites[/b] - Being the cultural cradle of America, China's nukes did not spare the City of Brotherly Love. Even by the time the Governor General rose to power, many areas were heavily irradiated beyond what any sane person would dare venture. However, the many undetonated nukes and rad-soaked craters brought pilgrims from a nearby Children of Atom citadel at Three Mile Island. Striking a deal, the Governor General allowed these pilgrims to settle in the most irradiated sites, setting up communities and rad-churches in the hopes of being able to exploit whatever land they were in, making use of otherwise dead space.

[b]The Deitsch Gebiet[/b] - When the Unity Crusade swept from the west, Amish refugees fled into the city to flee the oncoming horde of super mutants and raiders. It was the Governor General themselves who lead the newly formed Continental Army into battle against the Unity Crusade, crossing blades in a series of great battles never seen on the East Coast since the time of the Revolution. Despite their victory, hundreds of acres had been burned and pillage. By the decree of the Governor General, Amish refugees were given land in Fairmount Park to call their new home, the "Amish Grant". While most cling to their traditional, peaceful ways, a growing number of radicals lead by "The Batenburger" believe that only through blood can they find peace and with the civil war around them, they no longer see a difference between whose blood they must shed for it.

[b]The Germantown Quakers[/b] - Ever since William Penn, Philadelphia had a connection with the Society of Friends or the Quakers. Known for their pacifism and empathy, they took on a mission of charity after the bombs fell that became so well known that even some of the less bloodthirsty raider gangs voluntarily avoid their territory. They have become critical in the aftermath of the collapse of the Congress, taking on hundreds of refugees begging for food and shelter. Like their Amish cousins, they too are struggling with rectifying their pacifism with the more brutal world around them as both sides of the civil war "request" aid for their causes.
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[hider=Other Groups]
[b]The Devilmen Tribes[/b] - A catch all term for the strange, esoteric cults hailing from the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, worshipping the Jersey Devil as an emissary for otherworldly powers. Having taken part in Gory Gulis' coalition, some were gifted Petty Island as a reward, turning it into the Isle of the Devilmen.

[b]River Pirates[/b] - Flanked by the Delaware on one side and the Schuylkill on the other, Philadelphia's waterways were once safe under the reign of the Governor General. But with the collapse of central authority, raiders, pirates, and deserters take to the waters once more to the dismay of all sailors.

[b]Deserters [/b]- Once the pride of the New Philadelphia Congress, the Continental Army has since shattered following Commander Lincoln's crushing defeat at the Tacomy-Palmyra Bridge and the now infamous Fist of Gulis. With their best soldiers and officers dead, the power vacuum saw ambitious warlords and commanders take control of local garrisons for their own ends, refusing to accept orders from either the Federalists or the Yeomanists.

[b]The Brotherhood of Steel[/b] - They possess only a minor role in the geopolitics of Philadelphia, even before the collapse of the Congress. Their occupation of the Navy Yards was another deal signed between their Elders and the Governor General in exchange for aid against the Unity Crusade. Some speak of a their desire to create a warship equal to that of Big J, aka the Battleship New Jersey currently under Constitutionalist control, while others believe they are simply interested in the pre-war military tech at the naval yard.

[b]The Ghoul King of Kinoprus[/b] - The origins of the Ghoul King are just as mysterious as that of the Governor General's, however all agree that he is a mad, but not feral, ghoul who rules over Castle Kinoprus, the former King of Prussia Mall, in the north east. There he rules as a monarch over a host of his ghoul kindred in a great delusion of medieval royalty and nobility. Despite their seemingly shared delusion, his ghoul Necroknights are among the deadliest single fighters in the Delavalley Wasteland, riding atop petrified steeds at the head of feral ghoul swarms that obey their liege lords' every command. Common gossip said that the Ghoul King even desired to marry a Ghoul Royal to the Governor General to seal an alliance, but nothing ever came of it.

[b]Lockreeder Republic[/b] - Before the war, the Lockreed Aerospace Corporation had their headquarters in Morresville, playing a critical part in America's war effort. Such a legacy has not been forgotten by their descendants who have become famed weapon smiths who even created aerial gliders, rare flying machines in the post-war era. Access to their smiths and arsenals was why the security of I-95 was critical to the Congress to the point they let Constitutionalists set up their own forts along the highways to increase safety for caravans.

[b]The Unity Crusade[/b] - When the Master's army was defeated in the far west, his Super Mutants scattered far and wide. One contingent fled eastwards, gathering Super Mutants, tribal, raiders, and madmen willing to follow their leader, the Warlord Charon, in his quest to continue to Master's vile plans. Bought with promises of loot, conquest, or threats, his host descended upon Pennsylvania and the Delavalley Wasteland in the 2170's where they were met by the Governor General's Continental Army. Although beaten back and bloody, the NPC was never able to hunt all of his horde down, or find the Warlord himself. Now with the Congress dissolved and the city in chaos, his horde grows as he eyes his long desired prize with certainty in his supremacy.
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[h1]Expectations[/h1]
Be civil. The Federalists and Yeomanists are based on the irl Federalists and Anti-Federalists and while there is certain a political element baked into their feud, do not let it spill over. I will come out and say it that both sides have a viable end goal in this situation and both sides have a "fail state" should they take power but certain things happen.

This is aimed somewhere between casual and advanced. No post length requirement beyond no one liners and good grammar. You should be able to write about your characters internal thoughts and have the awareness of their position in the world. While I know there is a lot of information in the hiders (and more behind the scenes, trust me), I don't expect you to become a knowledgeable expert on everything. Still you should know stuff like "Who is the Governor General" and "Why are the two sides fighting".

It has been a while for me. (Hello if you are reading this, yes I am alive!) We're all here to have fun. I know a good amount of Fallout lore but there might be things I overlook or don't realize. Do not hold this against me, we're here to roleplay in this setting I cooked up and not argue over brahman lore. There will also certainly be things I am rusty at but its all a learning process. 

Characters shouldn't be Sole Survivor tier or similar. Companion-tier at best, the GG already took that role. You should be capable but not dominate in any field you are in.