Lay of the Land

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The general geography of the United States of America has altered radically since the nuclear holocaust of Jan 1st, 2001. The war changed not only the landscape, but the weather as well.

The sheer amount of nuclear weapons used in the exchange caused entire mountain ranges to fall, whole sections of the west coast to disappear into the Pacific ocean, huge tracts of fertile land to become deserts.  Not a single part of the globe was untouched.  But that was only the beginning. 

The world was covered by a nuclear winter that lasted almost thirty years. This wiped out the majority of the survivors, locking parts of Canada and the north into permanent winter.  But nature always finds a way and life did return.  Mutated life, normal and bioengineered life, created in hidden laboratories under the the umbrella of the Totality concept.

For the first forty or fifty years after the war, the weather was unpredictable and deadly.  Snowstorms could rage in the middle of summer and violent wind and lightning storms could hit in the deepest of winter.  Huge literal 'herds' of tornados ripped across what was known as 'tornado alley', adding to the devastation.  Acid rains washed over the southern and eastern states, fueled by the chemicals released into the atmosphere from the industrial areas nestled in those states.

But as the decades wore on, the weather eventually died down and finally became somewhat normal in the late twenty second century.  There are still powerful storms that rage across the plains and coastal areas, sandstorms in Nevada and parts of Texas and Colorado.  Even on the east coast and around the swamps of the southern states there is the occasional acid rain storm but not to the extent of the storms that ripped the land apart in the years following the Skydark.

With nuclear explosions came fallout and 'hot zones' where Radiation would kill in only a matter of minutes.  Many cities were hit by neutron weapons that did little damage to the buildings themselves but saturated the surrounding lands with deadly radiation, in which nothing could survive. Thankfully the radiation from these weapons had a very short half life and the areas became habitable once again, around one hundred years after the war.  

But many major cities are still enveloped by radiation, making prolonged exposure hazardous, even deadly. And some targets will be uninhabitable for many centuries to come. Radiation induced cancer is still one of the most common causes of Death in the Outlands, next to the violence that is still so prevalent.

Along with the radiation there are other hazards that the outlanders have to contend with.  Huge areas around industrial ruins are deadly poisonous due to the chemicals that have seeped into the ground and water table from decaying storage facilities. Only those protected against the chemicals can venture into these hellzones for long.  Rumors of many hideously mutated life forms surround these hellzones and keep the unprepared curious from entering. 

The most radical changes took place on the West coast. Russian 'Earth Shaker' bombs seeded along the fault lines in the Pacific ocean, as well as launched and detonated along the San Andreas fault caused literal hundreds of miles of coastline to disappear beneath the roiling waves.  For almost one hundred years this stretch of land was so hostile to life, only the most mutated or hardy could survive. But over the years the radiation died down and the islands that were created stabilized enough for people to begin to repopulate. 

A large portion of the Western states around Nevada and Eastern California have had the desert encroach even further, spreading to cover much more land that it had before the holocaust.  Even deep in the winter the weather is exceptionally hot and life is treacherous, at best. Many legends abound in these deserts.  Area 51 or Dreamland, a lost Egyptian city, hideous mutants that strike from beneath the sand itself. Small outposts of life can be found scattered in the deserts, eking out a living by mining and hunting.

Most notably the baronies of Snakefishville, and Cobaltville have re-opened a number of mines in these states and use outlander labor forces to mine minerals to be used in the villes, or to be traded to the outlying villes. More mining is done in Kentucky and Georgia but to a lesser extent. These mines are controlled by Palladiumville and Beausoleville.  The trader consortiums are used heavily by the villes (see below for more data)

The upper mid west is still fairly good land for farming.  There are groups of farms and communal ranches that are controlled either directly or indirectly by the Barons, mainly the baronies of Snakefishville, Ragnarville, and Cobaltville. Due to the weather, the growing season has been reduced but enough food is still produced to serve the needs of the Barons. Many smaller villes and outlander communities also thrive in these areas.

For years after the war, portions of the great lakes were still under ice but as the nuclear winter abated, the waters unfroze and spread out over their banks, covering portions of the states surrounding. It took almost one hundred years for the water to receed.  After two hundred years the lakes are almost identical to what they had been before the holocaust, but areas surrounding them have been forever altered. 

The East coast was hit the hardest during the war, with Major cities such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and many others receiving numerous strikes.  The radiation is still quite prevalent in these areas and the sprawling ruins home to many of the remaining mutants and genetically engineered creatures like Stickies and Swampies.  But the potential for hidden caches of goods and Predark material makes these ruins prime targets for the trader consortiums that are starting to make their way across the States once again, trading to the Baronies as well as the Outlander villes.  

The upper parts of the states are scarcely populated by outlander villes, but the further south one travels, more villes appear..  The people make their living off fishing and some agriculture, as well as scouring the extensive ruins for goods that can be traded to the Baronies or the trader consortiums. 

Texas and the surrounding states are well populated, as the encroaching deserts haven't taken away too much of the land that can be used for ranching and farming.  Several  oil refineries that are controlled by Samarimville have re-opened and produce limited amounts of fuel for trade as well as for the Baron's personal use.  Some outlander villes make use of the coastal waters to fish and farm.

Areas around Louisiana, Tennessee and so forth are relatively wild areas.  They fall under the jurisdiction of Samarimville. The swamps are still sparsely populated and generally are left alone by the Baronies. Here the outlander villes live side by side with the Mutant Swampies, and an uneasy peace reigns between both groups. Outsiders are viewed with suspicion and more often than not, outright hostility. Little trade takes place in these swamps.

Life in the Outlands is harsh, and there are tales of entire outlander settlements disappearing off the face of the earth, no trace of the inhabitants ever found. Most of the settlements are in danger from the small roving bands of raiders and bandit kings, as well as the occasional attack from the genetically engineered races that survived the purging of nearly a century before. Many of the people living in these settlements envy the people who live in the Barony villes themselves, because they never go without food or shelter.

People who live outside the villes are known as Outlanders, outsiders. To be an outlander is to be a non person, totally expendable. For three generations, the people inside and many outside of the surrounding villes in the outlands have been taught to co-operate with the barons. A belief has been bred into the survivors of the holocaust that when the megacull occurred, it was rightly so because of humanity's sins against one another and the earth. These teachings by the baronies state that humanity will have to suffer an on-going punishment before a new age of peace and prosperity can be brought about.

The people are taught to tolerate, even encourage hardship to pay for their sins. Humanity ruined the world, thus the punishment. These doctrines are little more than extortion. Believe and live, or question and die.

Because of this, most of the people in the outlands, and in the villes are spiritually broken, destined to be slaves for their entire lives...

But a growing number of outlying settlements are starting to realize that they are in some ways better off than those trapped inside the villes, as they have true freedom, despite the dangers that lurk in the outlands and wastelands of the country.

Some of the largest groups of people who consider themselves better off than the ville dwellers are the Amerinds. Many of the native peoples who survived the holocaust saw the Skydark as proper judgment against the whites. After the nuclear winter ended, many of these groups moved back into their ancestral lands and reclaimed their birthrights. They have since guarded their lands from incursion, most often employing out and out brutal tactics, killing any who would encroach on their land. But some groups are more tolerant than others, so it is not common, but not unheard of to see whites, blacks and even the occasional Asian to be found with a tribe.

Before the nukecaust, America was a melting pot of many cultures. Entire neighborhoods in many large cities catered to a specific ethnic group. When the war ripped across the country, survivors of these ethnic groups tried to band together. Sometimes there were entire villes that were of one ethnic background but people being what they are, many of these groups waged open warfare against one another. Entire villes were wiped out due to this.

Many of the ethnic groups disbanded and were absorbed into other communities. Of these groups a great deal of them found themselves in the villes, those who met the genetic requirements. But still, even two centuries after the megacull, there are isolated communities. In the extreme northwest part of the states there are entire villes made up of Chinese and Japanese (as well as down the coastline into the western isles.) Further to the south, around Florida, Louisiana, Texas and so forth, the population tends to be of Latino descent.

On the East coast there are a number of Italian, Black and European communities. Further to the south, around Florida, Louisiana, Texas and so forth, the population tends to be Spanish or Mexican. 

Around Louisiana there are is still a sizable Creole population, where French is still the language of choice. English is still the main language used in the Outlands, but all manner of ethnic languages can be found, such as French in Louisiana, and in Canada, particularly around the once province of Quebec. On the West coast, Mandarin and Cantonese is prevalent, with many speaking Japanese and other Pacific rim dialects.

The average lifespan of people outside the villes is still only around 35-40 years. Violence and disease are the most common killers. Infant mortality rates are also exceptionally high. Many diseases released by the holocaust still have a toehold in the country. Some being able to lay dormant for decades, waiting for human hosts to come by, spreading the contagion once again. There are even rumors of some contagions being specifically bred in ville laboratories as a means to control outlander population.

Ruins are even more deadly if biological weapons had been used. The virus'sor contagions have mutated and have gotten into the food chain, not harming the plants or animals, but proving deadly to humans. That is why there are some ruins scattered across the Outlands that not even the Trader consortiums or ville salvage crews will enter, due to the danger of contamination.

People inside the villes lead longer, healthier lives, the average lifespan being around fifty to sixty five. They have access to trained physicians and predark medical supplies, and if a citizen contracts a disease or injury, if they have proven to be a valuable resource, they will actually receive treatment.

People in the Tartarus pits however, are not so lucky. Life spans there are the same as in the outlands, if not shorter due to the strict population limit of one thousand. Typically the old and infirm or the very young are targets of the Magistrate sweeps, executed to keep the population levels in check.

Those in the pits can bribe the magistrates into allowing them into the villes to seek medical treatment, but this is rare as they typically wouldn't have the funds necessary to both bribe the magistrates and the doctors themselves.

There are a few benefits to ville life.