"My country tis of thee, Lost land in anarchy, Of thee I weep.
Land where our fathers died, Land of our fallen pride. From every sea side, Oh save us please."
IC
No one really knows how it all started, but humanity finally destroyed itself. Every day new tales of horror and war while every night people prayed to see the daylight once more. The endless cycles of war, destruction, poverty had finally took its toil on people around the work as they protested and revolted against their governments. Soon, there was no nations left standing, nothing that what could have been called a proper nation anyways. Europe was reduced to fractured kingdoms, Russia had been lost to the snow, Africa was scared by a myriad of warlords while various dynasties and leaders rose in China all claiming to be the true inheritors of the land.
As for America, the once great nation had closed its doors for the first time in over 200 years. But like all other great nations, she too fell. The collapse sparked hundreds of new entities, fighting for power in the new vacuum left by the fallen government. No more was there a union of states and people, the American dream had died with its 47th and last president and with it left a wasteland.
However, man is not alone on this world anymore. With the infinite number of WMDs that had been dropped, the world has changed. New monsters called Grimm now roam the landscape, hellbent on exacting vengeance upon mankind for its greatest sin against nature. But then there are those changed by the mutations, those who exhibit inhuman or superhuman traits from everyone else. Known by many different names, polite and derogatory, the umbrella term for them is Evols. However, these Evols are almost universally looked at with horror or distain as they can turn into suddenly feral beasts or look too different for most to feel comfortable around them; some of the more superstitious folk say that they are the root of all evil and must be purged to reform America.
Now 50 years after the world ended and America collapsed, factions from coast to coast look into the sky and set out on the journey to claim their destiny, to reunited a shattered union.
OOC
Welcome to Shattered Union, an NRP set in a post apocalyptic America where the idea of government barely exists on what we'd call a state level today. The world has gone through a massively destructive war in an attempt to seemingly drive humanity to extinction; nukes, biochemicals, fire, everything man has created up to this point was used. America, like so many other former nations, had isolated itself and is now fractured, splintered and unrecognizable. Warlords, monarchs, presidents, and chiefs now rule from east to west, creating new factions, nations and tribes in their own image and interpretations of America.
One major point I would like to make is that this will most likely be a rather dark NRP; there are no demons but no one is a saint. Everyone in the wasteland follows some perverted, bastardized version of American ideals, some more zealously than others. Remember, there is no light which casts no shadow. However, that does not mean there cannot be lighthearted nations or events, you can have post apoc cowboys or revolutionary-era militaries but just keep them somewhat serious. The best way to describe this would be like Madoka Magika; looks harmless but can get dark real quick.
(An explanation by co-GM [@Dihn AaronMk] until something more official looking it put up)
When approaching post-apoc tech I'd say look at it from a survivalist standpoint. All the modern industry and infrastructure is dead or broken. Society is broken apart so there's no idle hands and minds to put heavily towards things like building tanks (The game Banished is honestly something to consider when thinking of these ratios). So what's left to use or be made by this post-apocalypse societies is whatever can be built by hand or in the garage.
Old school manufacturies without mechanical assistance or heavy assistance like that of the heavy period of the late Industrial Revolution is basically gone. Maybe someone could build water-wheels to grind their corn better or to link up some parts to put together a sheet of cloth. But all the major materials or the manpower to throw together something more modern is gone.
I really don't have a personal guidebook to it all but simply knowing the technology you're looking at and asking not, "Do I want this?" but, "Can this be built?"
A lot of technology can be more fragile than you might think and a lack of standard parts production might kill a lot of things or make them more complicated than its worth.
Really, the most simple description would be a "wood and iron" mindset where "wood and iron" represents anything before the advent of what we'd consider modern technology. And then throw onto that an idea of "duct tape philosophy" where some modern things could or actually can be held together with scrap. It of course takes knowing what it is that's the center of the piece of technology or even what the base is.
Like I can imagine a 1991 Nissad Hardbody D20 persisting stubbornly past a nuclear apocalypse. But there may not be a lot of these on the road and no modern company will ever permit this thing to exist. But anything post '97 Dodge Ram may not make it. And Jeeps with their maintenance records will probably run out of parts and get left by the wayside.
Oil fields and refineries have been largely destroyed as they were considered major targets. Fuel and oil is very uncommon, most of it having to be done by hand or inefficient methods before being refined by equally ineffective methods leading to poorer quality gas. To fuel a large motor fleet of military tanks and jeeps cannot be maintained for long distances.
Yeti
Great beasts that occupy the high and cold mountains of both the Rockys and the Appalachians though more common in the former. Its suspected that they are some hyper mutated bear despite other mutated bears not sharing too many traits with a Yeti. Living exclusively in cold climates, its natural ability of retain heat also means it is weak to flame-based weaponry which is cited as the best way of killing such a beast. However, while Yetis are extremely territorial, they do not venture out into the wastes.
Primals
Thought to be mutated apes and monkeys, Primals are an umbrella term for primates who have mutated and taken residence in the concrete jungles of old cities. Larger Primals are called Primal Magnus while the smaller ones are Primal Minus. Highly adept at vertical combat, extreme caution is advised against them as packs of Primals can easily pick apart units with Minuses doing hit-and-run styled attacks and the Magnuses fighting in an all out ferocious brawl.
Chupacabra
Chupacabras look much like humans whose backs and limbs have been bent so they run on all fours, except their skin is gray and covered in thick chitin that can deflect bullets. They thankfully do not grow very large, perhaps stunted by the heavy chitin that sprouts from their bodies, and are comparable in size to wolves. They can use their hands to pick things up, but they only grab such things as clubs and metal pipes for use in clubbing other life to death. The most dangerous things about them, though, are their human-like cunning and the large insectoid horns jutting from their skulls.
Perhaps Chupacabras were once human, but these monsters don't think like people do anymore. Whatever brought life to these depraved human-rhinoceros beetle hybrids has made them utterly mad. They are cannibals that seem to prefer to eat humans and large mammals. They typically creep after their prey in silence, set up ambushes, and then charge at them before they can react. They have also been known to dig tunnels somehow and can be found throughout the deserts of the western United States.
Thunderbirds
These massive birds of the northern United States are most likely some form of mutated eagle. While not inherently aggressive towards humans, these creatures are both very territorial and more than eager to devour an unsuspecting rancher's cattle. They are dangerous not just for their size (accounts suggest they could have a wingspan of up to 20 feet), but because freakish events seem to happen near them. More than one story talks of how a man about to shoot down a Thunderbird found himself struck by lightning, or how a hunter about to finish one off with a knife was electrocuted to death as soon as the blade touched the beast. Needless to say, Thunderbirds are best dealt with from a very, very long distance.
Ironfurs
Mutated bears of the old world, now only twenty times tougher. While their fur color may be close to what they used to be, their hides are now much harder and durable, giving them the name of Ironfurs. Some have even used them to make crude armors. Most effective way to kill them is to some how immobilize them and then get close range shots.
A mysterious figure with an even more engimatic backgroud. Nobody quite knows who he is nor how he's managed to amass such a large army of followers. He claims that none of the current nations and factions are the rightful heirs to the old nation and as thus cause many nations some form of trouble in one way or another. Many factions, people and nations have attempted to hunt him down but all have come out empty handed or dead. Some say the reason he's so elusive and near other wordly is how many Evols are in his party.
Clad in a tattered American flag and preaching the "truth" of the America, he's said to appear wherever he feels that he is needed most to restore the nation.
Inspirations from: Fallout, 40k, Mad Max, 1984, The Purge, Bloodborne, Valkyria Tales, X-Men, Vic2, EU4, Wolfenstien, etc.
RULES
Standard Guild rules
Keep arguing, bitching and dramatics to PM lest you want me to shove my fist into your ass
Special point about politics; try to keep irl politics out of this. With a setting like this, its going to get messy if people start yelling about politics
My word as GM is law, my decisions are final and rules may change without prior warning.. This also extends to the poor sods people I choose as co-GMs
Be balanced and creative! Seriously this is one of my pet peeves when someone half asses an NS and makes an OP faction or gives me carbon copied bland
Shit's going to be grimdark but it has limits. Yes there are going to be things considered somewhat taboo but make sure you keep a lid on it before it gets to out of control. I don't mind violence or cursing but if your faction has some more... discriminatory traits, DO NOT over do it. It will get messy for all people involved. (If you somehow get something sexual going guild rules force me to say keep it to PMs. Damn >_>)
There is no "true victory". Even if you conquer everyone else, you will fall to the same trap that the original US government did, you need external allies to help you and reform the US and its states. Remember, united we stand divided we fall. (tl;dr this will be more story-based and you cannot win by yourself).
Even if IC posts slow down, at least stick around in the OOC. I don't really mind if it gets off topic either.
Writing level will be at about high casual aka advanced but even if you have a single paragraph post, that's still good as long as its good.
Please use tinypic to post claims and maps, my computer disagrees with imgur and some other sites :\
Have fun! No, seriously do have fun. Why else do you RP if you don't have fun with it? :3
NATION SHEET
(Fill this out at your own leisure or as you need it. Just remember to fill something out in the NS if you're going to mention it IC like going on the warpath but lacking any military info on the NS. Also please put your NS app into the OOC, the Chars tab is for the approved ones.)
Name: Self explanatory Flag: Ditto Nation Type: What are you? Kingdom, republic, tribe, etc. Claims: Where do you inhabit? Map down below to mark Terrain: What is the climate of the place you now live in. With all the WMDs that were chucked around, its possible that the climate can be thrown off, but don't just turn Texas into a winter wonderland.
Government Type: How is your nation run? Capital: What's the name of your capital city and where is it? Head of State: Who leads your nation? What party do they hail from and what's their ideology and personality? Other Important People: Religious leaders, famous generals, well known figures Population: How many people do you have? Remember to keep this balanced Attitude Towards Evols: Self explanatory. Keep in mind that other nations will be less likely to be friendly if you have too much of a friendly attitude and that most citizens will not favorable view them either.
Economic System: How is the economy run? Resources: What kinds of stuff does your nation produce? Currency: What do you use to barter with or do you just plain barter? Technology: How advanced/industrialized are you. Again, keep it balanced.
Official Religion: Do you use an old world religion (ie Mormonism, Baptism, Catholicism... Scientology...) or do you follow some new gods and cults? Religious Information: Describe your new religion or how you've changed the old ones if at all.
History: How did your nation start? Keep it simple so I'd say 3 paragraphs at max more or less. I don't care if you make it longer than that but I might just start skipping over bits and pieces Culture: Some notable cultural traits of your people.
Military Numbers: How big is your army? Remember, keep it proportional and balanced Military Units: What kind of units serve in your military? I personally have more of a focus on this than numbers.
CLAIMS MAP
(If anyone can produce a better version of a map like this, I would be thankful) (Do try to stay on the continental USA)
Here's a map with the territory I wanted to claim marked.
I'm going to disappear to do some research so I can write up a proper federation of Indian nations. Y'know, with peoples of different backgrounds and beliefs being forced to work together and not being happy about it.
Nicknames: The Palmetto Republic, The Iodine Nation
Motto: Dum Spiro Spero,"While I breathe, I hope."
Flag:
Nation Type: Republic
Claims:
Terrain: South Carolina is a diverse land that features swamps and marshes and estuaries near the coast, a flat midlands section made of sandy soil, and a rugged piedmont upstate area that slowly becomes more mountainous as you travel north. There are a dozen natural and man-made lakes across the land, as well as a large network of rivers that flow north to south towards the sea. South Carolina is bordered by the former states of Georgia in the west and North Carolina to the north and east.
Government Type: South Carolina is a Republic where the people vote for their local congressman that represents them in the House, the nation's sole legislative body. The House has roughly eighty members and a speaker and congressional leadership from the two main parties, the conservative and liberal parties. The president is a member of the House elected by that body for a two-year term. The constitution states that the president cannot serve more than two consecutive terms.
Head of State: President Joshua Campbell (C - Edgefield) currently at the end of his first term and preparing to run for reelection.
Other Important People:
Figures of note:
Mark Rogers - Sheriff of York County and resident of Rock Hill, a small town on the North Carolina border.
Brig. General Matthew Thurmond - Chief of Staff for the South Carolina Defense Force.
Representative Alfred F. Johnston - Leader of the conservative faction of the House.
Sam Calhoun - SLED Agent operating in Rock Hill.
William "Billy" Brown - Owner and operator of The Slab House, a bar and trading outpost in Calhoun Falls, a small community that is the last stop before Georgia.
Dr. Nimrata "Nini" Ansari - An Indian-American born and raised in Charleston. She is the team leader of the Filament Project, an engineering project to restart the three large hydroelectric dams (Hartwell, Russell, Thurmond) that the US Army Corps of Engineers built along the Savannah River.
Lt. Commander Jerry Hunley - Commanding officer of the SCN Palmetto Rose, a patrol ship that protects the SC coast and merchant ships from pirates, raiders and threats.
Population: 1.2 Million
Attitude Towards Evols: We're agin' it.
Economic System: Capitalism, free trade
Resources: It's agricultural resources are tobacco, poultry, cattle, dairy products, soybeans, hay, rice, and hogs. The states lone industrial output is textile goods.
Currency: Sand Dollar
Technology: The country is mostly agricultural, but industry and technology is slowly coming back. The push to restart the hydroelectric dams will provide the state with the energy it needs to grow.
Official Religion: No official religion, though the majority of the country are Christian with a small minority of Muslim, Jewish, and Hindu followers.
History:
A mostly rural state even in the early 21st century, the majority of South Carolina was untouched by nuclear war. The biggest target, the Savanah River Site, was hit by WMDs and wiped out. As the federal government collapsed, the state government took control and moved away from the fallout of the SRS towards the lower state, working out of the original state capital of Charleston. It was from there that the Republic of South Carolina was formed.
While the lower state and midlands stayed together, the upstate formed its own Coalition of Ten, made up of the ten counties from the Upstate. The Coalition survived for ten years independent. The main sticking point between the two factions in South Carolina was the subject of the three hydroelectric dams on the Savannah River. The Coalition laid claim on them, but only the Republic had the resources to repair them and get them working again. After years of negotiation, the Coalition was annexed by the Republic and united the former state.
Today, the Republic maintains stability while it continues to bring sustainable power to its state. The debate in government at the time is the annexations of the territory of Northeast Georgia, a territory plagued with bandits and anarchy. All the while, the military and intelligence establishment watch North Carolina and anticipate their next move.
Culture: There is a bit of a cultural divide between lower state and upper state. The low country has more power, wealth, and influence throughout the Republic as the coastline allows the low country merchants the chance to monopolize trade routes. The people in the upper state are poorer, farmers, and a bit more country.
Military Numbers: The SCDF has roughly 10,000 active duty members posted at hotspots around the country, and there are roughly another forty thousand militia troops that can be called to active duty if need be.
Military Units:
While the small army and navy are based on the pre-apocalypse American military, the militias spring from the tradition of the citizen-soldier/mountain-man that fought in SC, and harassed the British army during the Revolutionary war. They are an informal group that will call when served and have sworn allegiance to their homeland and not any particular figure or politician.
Related to the military is SLED, the nation's intelligence service. SLED as formerly the state of South Carolina's state police investigation service before it morphed into the agency that investigates and prevents all manner of threats both foreign and domestic.
Finally got my own NS up shamefru dispray on having the GM's be up third @_@. I'd also like to ask people to go and see if I had fucked up somewhere and basically look it over, as unorthodox as it may sound for a GM to ask of that; for balancing purposes funnily enough
Terrain: What is the climate of the place you now live in. With all the WMDs that were chucked around, its possible that the climate can be thrown off, but don't just turn Texas into a winter wonderland.
Might need to fix that. Say a bit about the climate of Sylvania. Haven't gotten a chance to get a real look as I'm writing my own thing.
Neo-Confederate States of America Remnants of the Old Confederacy Deo vindice "Under God, our Vindicator"
Nation Type Confederate Republic Claims Terrain Northern Georgia is an irritated area, as Atlanta being a target for multiple WMDs. The closer you get the old world capital, the more radiation there is. The Confederacy put a travel warning, due to the radiation and infestations of beasts that roam the area of Atlanta. The rest of Georgia remains somewhat untouched. The summers got a few degrees hotter and the winters several degrees colder. During the summer, there are chances of acid rain that comes down from Florida. The complete opposite can occur, such as droughts. During winter, the occurrence of the blizzards are too common, sometimes prolonging winter into the summer days. There are several rivers that run out of Georgia and thirteen barrier islands. It has mountainous regions as well. Florida remains significantly untouched compared to Georgia. It retained it's tropical savanna climate. It's rainy season consists of acid rains and horrific thunder storms. Hurricanes are common as well.
Government Type Non-partisan Republic Capital Tallahassee, Florida Head of State President Andrew Griffith Other Important People Gaspard Darche, Vice President and President of the Senate Luther Knox, Speaker of the House Lyod Cadwell, Florida Confederate State District Judge Ike Adkins, Georgia Confederate State District Judge Delmont Huckleberry, Ambassador Harley Crawford, General-in-Chief Elrod Soyer, Lieutenant General
Population 2.4 million, slave population not included 1.2 million slave population Attitude Towards Evols Evols are what African Americans were back then to the old-world Confederacy. They are strongly hated. Due to the capabilities and rarity of Evols, they are highly sought after for the slave trade. Economic System Laissez-faire Resources Neo-Confederates boast about their production of cotton, tobacco, textiles and limestone. They also use/trade slaves. Currency Confederate Dollar, Slaves Technology The use of wagons, horses/mules are still in use. Slave labor is prominent due to the lack of technological equipment. The lack of industry doesn't help the advancement. Although, rail roads are still in use, mainly using coal or other sorts of fuel. Official Religion Dixie Christianity Religious Information Neo-Confederates believe that they are pious people believing in the monotheistic belief of a God. Many of the famous figures from the words of the Bible have been changed to those who were from the old Confederacy, such as Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Braxton Bragg. It is basically the same as Christianity.
History After the fall of WMDs and the fall of Democracy, old ideologies started sprouting up, such as the Neo-Confederacy, believing they can rebuild the once proud nation of United States, but this time in the framework it should have been constructed on. This ideology came from a man called "Lee". He was based in Florida and tried to rally support for his ideology. Many Southerns took to it, allowing him to gather manpower quickly.
The March on Tallahassee took place after the Neo-Confederate was the strongest faction in Florida. It took over the Kingdom of Miami, ruled by King Franc. After the Confederacy took over Tallahassee, the rest of Florida was theirs, as it was loosely controlled by previous owners. Upon using old ideologies, the faction latered declared themselves to be the Neo-Confederate of America, using a blend of the Confederate and Florida flags as their own.
"Lee" was the first president, but died before the annexation of Georgia. The newly elected president, Andrew Griffith followed in the forefather's footsteps, continuing the annexation. Georgia was compromised of several mountainous tribes, which took a few years to completely annex. These tribes banded together to find their singular opponent. Yet, the Neo-Confederacy was more advanced and organized, allowing them to eradicate the Georgian residents. Settlers shortly moved out of Florida and into Georgia to establish colonies. A railroad system was inputted, called the Lee Rail Road, after the first president.
Now, the Neo-Confedarcy has high hopes in rebuilding it's centuries old former glory. It also has several slave uprises in the habitable regions of Northern Georgia, greatly affecting it's agricultural production.
Culture Florida tends to be more civilized than Georgia, due to the fact that Georgia is the outskirts of the Neo-Confederacy territory. Georgia is predominately made up of "hillbillys" and farmers. Those in Florida are plantation/slave owners or government/military officials.
Military Numbers: 47,000 Active-duty 23,000 Reserved 10,000 Slaves
Military Units In the dawn of the Neo-Confederacy, it's armies were made of volunteers that came from their farms to take up arms against the Kingdom of Miami. These volunteers had a choice at the end of the war, either go back to their homes and farm or stay on to build a true military. "Lee" managed to coax many farmers into staying, with promises of land in the north. After several years, "Lee" managed to fashion a military similar to that of the Old Confederate.
During the Annexation of Georgia, The new President, Andrew Griffith, tricked slaves to fight for their freedom, using them mainly as a front-line. Allowing them to be wiped out so that his professional armies can seek out the Georgian tribes. This practice is still in use today
@Trigani Looks good, can I ask what is the slave population though? Evols don't have enough numbers to rival the slave population of the actual CSA.
I didn't mean they were the primary slave race, I should have worded that differently. I just used it to describe the negativity towards Evols. But! The slave population would probably be million-half?
I didn't mean they were the primary slave race, I should have worded that differently. I just used it to describe the negativity towards Evols. But! The slave population would probably be million-half?
Alrighty I guess. Just be careful with your writing and you're all set ^^
Yeah, I'm not happy about this flag of mine at all. I tried to incorporate a few actual flag elements from the Navajo, Topi, and Zuni without, y'know, making a version of them that gets the wrong message across.
I was tempted to put in a rainbow instead of coloring in the central circle, but it looked even weirder to me.
Anyway, here's my submission. Let me know what needs changing. I left the "Other important characters" section for future editing.
Name: The League of First Peoples
Flag:
Nation Type: Socialist Confederation
Claims:
Terrain: The deserts and vast prairies of the League territories are pockmarked with radioactive craters and separated from each other by mountains and cliffs. Former cities and metropolises have been reduced to rubble. A great deal of the land is now infertile, unable to sustain plant or animal life, and and has been termed "The Badlands." The arable land that remains is barely sufficient for the purposes of sustenance farming, though the hills and mountains have become home to resilient, prolific and edible (if slightly mutated) breeds of mountain goats.
The exception to this grim picture is the Grand Canyon. Somehow, the Grand Canyon has expanded and now houses a long, verdant valley that grows along the Colorado River, making it the Nile of the Southwest U.S.A. Though the land is rocky and makes for poor farming, certain areas of the canyon are forested and filled with game, and others still make for good pasture.
Government Type: The League of First Peoples is an alliance of four nations: The Navajo Nation, the Utah Republic, the United Pueblos, and the Hopi Nation. There is a central government, and there is a treaty which forces all member states to enact certain policies, but by and large each of the nations is autonomous.
The League's central government is akin to a mish-mash of the former U.S. government and the organization of the United Nations. There are three branches: the Security Council (executive), the Assembly (legislative), and the Supreme Court (judicial). They serve very similar functions to those of the U.S. The head of the central government is called the Secretary General, and he is elected from a group of candidates from each of the member nations. Each nation within the League is considered independent and is free to withdraw their membership if they so choose; however, doing so also means relinquishing the benefits provided member states.
Certain institutions are controlled by the central government. Namely, while each of the four nations has their own military force, the Central government also musters its own and the Secretary General has supreme command of all five forces in times of armed conflict. Likewise, while each nation determines for itself what to goods to produce, all produced goods are divided up amongst the four nations to feed, clothe, and otherwise sustain the citizens of the League of First Peoples.
Capital: Canyon City is located in the eponymous Grand Canyon. It is far longer than it is wide, stretching along part of the Canyon. Every bit of available space is used: besides the makeshift homes built along the bottom of the canyon, buildings have been carved into the canyon's walls like the Ancient Pueblos might have done. There are emergency shafts and elevators from the pre-Collapse era that lead on up to the upper half of the city - a useful defensive position in case of emergencies.
Head of State: Secretary General Bill Bigishie (affectionately called "Big Bill") is from the Navajo Nation and a firm believer in Theodore Roosevelt's "Big Stick" style of diplomacy. He is an idealist, but he's no fool; he knows very well how dangerous the shattered U.S. is and has compared it to the Sengoku and the Dark Ages of Europe. Still, he strives to maintain peace in the region as long as he can, and is not averse to the prospect of diplomatically inducting neighbors into the League. Thus far, that seems unlikely to happen.
Bill has helped keep rebellious tendencies at a minimum by arranging for non-violent demonstrations of the standing military's capabilities. He knows well that subversive elements remain, but he'd rather they bide their time rather than act in the present. He hopes these elements will slowly disperse once the League is stable.
Other Important People: (To Be Determined)
Population: 3 million
Attitude Towards Evols: Evols are a matter of hot debate in the four nations of the League, both in the courts of the nations individually and in the Supreme Court. Some people think they ought to be treated as, well, people; others think they need to be exiled. The Assembly has yet to take an official stance, so the four nations each make their own decisions on the matter. Some vigilante justice has been meted out against Evols. The Secretary General would like to put a stop to that.
Economic System: There is no currency in the League of First Peoples. All essential goods (food, water, medicine) are distributed by the central government to the four nations, and from the four nations to the citizenry. Major industries are government owned; ranching, agriculture, arms manufacturing, and others all supply the government so it may work toward the public good directly. However, this does not stop people from making their own goods in private and trading them with others. It does mean that the barter system has replaced currency and that the acquisition of foodstuffs, lumber, metals, and other such things are considered public enterprises.
All the land is government-owned as well. The farms, pastures, and hunting grounds are thus worked by the citizenry and then provided to the population at large for free. The ruins of destroyed cities are similarly owned by the government at least in name; scavenging expeditions are sent out to recover useful materials and bring them back to the populated areas, and those resources are then supposed to be used for the benefit of the people. Some scavengers, however, prefer to go looting without informing others they have done so, keeping whatever they find for themselves. Thus, while scavenged goods are publicly owned in theory, it has been difficult for the government to enforce that rule.
Resources: Agriculture and ranching are the primary industries in the League. Mining is also conducted, but the ores produced are of little use to the League; there aren't many sites left in the ravaged southwest that can turn ore into usable steel, and trade isn't exactly easy to conduct in the post-apocalyptic age. There are still some operational gas and oil production facilities as well, a valuable resource in this era. A small amount of timber is collected, but the present policy is to let the forest growing in the Grand Canyon continue to grow.
Currency: Barter, but essentials are provided to the citizenry for free as fairly as possible.
Technology: Bits and pieces of the electrical grid remain, and there is a small but steady stream of gasoline and oil available. However, because much of the southwest was so devastated in the war, new towns and cities have had to be built, and there's not enough power to supply everyone with utilities. Thus, while foodstuffs and ores are collected on a mass scale by whole communities, most everything else is produced in a cottage industry.
Official Religion: Free religion is the name of the game.
Religious Information: Both Christian beliefs and the traditional practices of the Pueblos and Navajo are common. Some people are believers in all of the above.
History: When the nukes fell and the U.S. collapsed, the reservations in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah were relatively untouched. The already semi-autonomous indigenous nations managed to mobilize themselves quickly enough to secure a defensive perimeter and carve out a spot for themselves. The Navajo, the Hopi, and the various tribes that made up the United Pueblos were all initially at odds, but after a series of raids from outside factions crippled each of them, they decided to work together. A few years later, the League of First Peoples was officially signed into being.
The birth of this confederation of states had a rocky start, but soon refugees from the more devastated parts of the four states were coming to them for help. These refugees were let in, and so were the refugees after that, and soon the three nations of the League had a sizable enough population. They were able to focus on infrastructure and build more permanent settlements.
When the Republic of Utah found itself attacked on all sides by raiders and worse, it turned to its neighbors for help. And help they did, and when all was said and done they offered Utah a place in their League and permanent protection. Utah accepted, and since then the League of First Peoples has been a small but noteworthy power in the region.
Culture: The League has a diverse collection of cultures. There is no majority racial group in the four nations, but caucasians and Latinos outnumber the racially indigenous population. However, the cultures of the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Nation, and the many tribes that make up the United Pueblos are actually dominant in their respective nations, and people have actively taken steps to become full members of the tribes (which is a requirement to vote).
The three original member nations - the Navajo, Hopi, and United Pueblos - all allow refugees from outside the League to join them and eventually become members of their nations, as if they themselves were Navajo, Hopi, or Pueblo. The most recent addition to the League, the Utah Republic, is actually the former Utah state government that sought membership in the League for defensive purposes. It also welcomes refugees. This open-armed policy has become a badge of pride for the League's citizens, reinforcing altruistic and community-oriented behavior while also fostering a self-righteous, holier-than-thou attitude toward other nations not in the League.
This is not to say that there is harmony and that everyone is content with the current government; far from it. Many citizens and public officials would prefer to have a more "American" style of government and disdain the cultural shifts that have taken place. They are very vocal about their desire for change, and a few have tried to seize control of the government from the tribal leaders (and been summarily dealt with). For now, however, they are a minority. The majority of people are content with the current state of affairs and are slowly incorporating indigenous customs into their own culture. This relative contentment, however, is not guaranteed to last, and it will take some time before the First Peoples are truly stable.
The new towns that have sprung up in the League's territory look much as you'd expect of a Post Apocolyptic town: like large junkyards that happen to be populated. The old cities that remain are shadows of their former selves.
Canyon City is much more vibrant and unique. Houses have been carved into the canyon walls, and large communal housing is common. Thanks to this, the buildings have a much cleaner look (though not quite so clean on the ground level) and are really quite solid.
Like this, but made partly from modern materials with that rugged "Post Apocolyptia" aesthetic.
A great many people are beginning to live in communes called kivas, though the transition to this style of housing is still underway. Some kivas may only be home to a few families while others comfortably house twenty families or more. These communes often develop their own rules and regulations generally intended to make sure all members contribute to the group. Of the four nations, the Republic of Utah has been the least keen on adopting kivas and provide only nominal support for their construction. Its citizenry have begun to establish their own, however, but call them communes or communities rather than kivas.
Military Numbers: 30,000 professionals 50,000 militia
Military Units: While the League has some problems actually organizing its army (thanks to essentially having five armies from four separate nations), it does have some very unique advantages. For one, it has an actual steady resource of oil and gas. Secondly, its terrain is perfect for a defensive war of attrition. Thirdly, while there aren't many military weapons available, there are some civilian vehicles still around in varying states of disrepair.
The League has arranged the Confederate Guard accordingly. The Security Council directly commands a vehicular unit called they've dubbed the League Cavalry. This cavalry unit consists of civilian vehicles that have been repaired, armored up and converted into actual combat vehicles: pick-up trucks with machine guns mounted on the bed, vans turned into sloppy APCs, and jeeps with blades sticking out of the wheels are just a few examples of the "Frankentanks" that have been produced. Each of these vehicles is different from the next, and their drivers outfit them however they feel works best. They're also decorated however the driver wishes, much like how fighter pilots of yore would paint their planes.
The rest of the Guard is organized more like the former U.S. Army infantry. Squad and platoon based combat is the norm and is what they train for; defensive combat and ambushes in the hills, desert and mountains are their specialties. They aren't as well equipped as other nations' troops, but they're very dangerous when fighting in Canyon City or in the wilderness. They have excellent scouts and sharpshooters in their ranks, but they don't have much in the way of heavy weapons like RPGs or machine guns.
The militia are less well equipped and typically carry hunting rifles, pistols or melee weapons. Bows and arrows aren't unheard of, either; the art of archery is still alive in the Four Nations. Still, the militia can't stand up to a large professional army and mostly exist as supplementary forces to the Confederate Guard and as an emergency defense.
@Shorticus Very well written NS. I'm impressed. Getting a very dwarven vibe from it all, definitely unique.
My only concern is the population to food production ratio. I assume that most people have their own little garden and that foodstuffs is rationed to some degree?
@Shorticus Very well written NS. I'm impressed. Getting a very dwarven vibe from it all, definitely unique.
My only concern is the population to food production ratio. I assume that most people have their own little garden and that foodstuffs is rationed to some degree?
Concerning food: yeah, there's definitely rationing, and there's definitely a little bit of a food problem. Nobody eats REALLY WELL, but people eat and survive. It's a problem they'll have to tackle.
As noted, there are some big farms and ranches and hunting grounds, all government owned. The idea is that people from the community actually join in and help get the food, and then they also have their own little private gardens and the like.
The dwarven feel is basically just me trying to show off how cool the Pueblo architecture is, especially that of the Ancient Pueblos. (If anyone tells you they're called the Anasazi, don't listen. That actually means "ancient enemy" or something like that.)
EDIT: Oh - am I free to post my NS in the character section? I can add a note under Resources about food being a little tight.
EDIT 2: I also wouldn't be averse to reducing the population number (and subsequently the military number). Any preference on this?
