Atomic America 2022 ( IC )

[Atomic America 2022]

Atomic America 2022

" A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. The only value in our two nations possessing nuclear weapons is to make sure they will never be used. " - Ronald Reagan

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OP: Atomic America 2022 CO-OP: n/a
Map of North America: Updated as of 10/14/2018
OOC: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=451485

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Welcome to America, April 1st, 2022

[UniversalCommons]

Golden Delicious Farms
A man in leg irons, oilskins, and a cheap wooden filter mask shuffled slowly scattering seed in front of him. The earth in front of him had been dug down to a foot in depth to remove the top layer of radiation. Mounds of earth could be seen in the back of electric wagons slowly moving away from the field.

Not far from him two men in broad brimmed leather hats and oilskin cloaks watched the men in the fields. One was holding a rifle in his hands. It was raining slightly. The other had a geiger counter.

The man with the rifle in his hand said, "Raider scum, I don't know why we let them live."

The second man pointed and said, "It was that or hang them. They at least have a choice. Plant and clean or die. I would not want to be them."

On the other side of the field, there was a mound of dead sunflowers, mustard plants, and mutant sucker grass. Men in leg irons were packing it into barrels with radiation markers on them. Not far from them another group of three men in leather hats with rifles was watching them.

The man with the rifle, "The cleansing at least appears to be going well. Another three or four years and we will have good land to put up a greenhouse or garden. We're luckier than most"

The man with the geiger counter, "You're right about that. Plenty of people would take our land from us. You up for an allotment yet."

The man with the rifle. "Another two years of service and I get another parcel from the council. The apple harvest from my parcel has been good. I'm going to get an electric tricycle with a storage box. I'll be able to bring hard cider to the trading post."

[The Hoosier Alliance]

New Indy, Indiana
Ryan Madison, King of Hoosier, sat at the end of the long oak table with his hands clasped. He stared straight ahead, lost in thought. On both sides of the table sat several of his generals and the majority of the Princes of Hoosier. Some of them were talking, arguing more like, but Ryan had tuned them out. Instead, he only thought about the last two months of his life. His father had died and Ryan took the throne. Ryan had married the woman to whom he had been betrothed to for nearly a decade, though he did not love her. In fact, he barely knew her. She was some daughter of a Michigan Prince. Her father ruled over the Princedom of Fort Grayling, the farthest north the Kingdom extended, and also considered the least loyal of the Princedoms. The Prince himself was considered loyal, but the people over which he ruled was a different story. So, Ryan was to marry her and help cement ties with the region.

Ryan's life over the past two months was one of routine. Terribly boring and seemingly pointless routine. After his coronation, which all of his sisters boycotted, Ryan was overwhelmed with meetings and gatherings. Princes and Dukes flooded the capital and arranged countless talks and parties, and his generals and advisers bombarded him with war councils, strategy sessions, and talks of trade and internal matters. When he had been the heir, his life was grand. Sure, he had to deal with the occasional meeting that was meant to help give him a feel for this sort of thing, but he was never the center of it all, the decision maker. His life had been filled with fun. Now, it was all talk and no alone time. God, if only his eldest sister was the one-

"My liege!"

Ryan was startled by the sudden shout and brought back to reality. He looked around and realized that everyone was looking at him. "My liege," one of his generals off to his right said once more, "Did you hear me?" Ryan was fairly certain this man's name was Deacon...Marshall? Funnily enough, Marshall was his Marshal, the highest ranking general at his disposal.

"Uh," Ryan began, "Please repeat that one more time, Deacon. I didn't catch that last bit." Deacon nodded, his eyebrow raised. "I was just saying sir," Deacon said, "That we need to discuss our foreign policy with Lincoln. I'm sure you know the situation with them." Ryan just stared for a moment, unsure of what to say. Deacon sighed, "You know, Your Highness. Their heretical beliefs and the seizure of one of our Duchies several years ago. The Duke in question still lives in exile right here in Indy."

Ryan waved his hand, "Yes, yes. Of course. I'm sorry. I'm just a little...tired, is all. Please, continue."

Deacon nodded and went on, "How should we approach them, my liege? Your grandfather, under whom the duchy was stolen, was rather aggressive, cutting off trade ties with them. What with being too busy in Michigan to deal with them, he could never bother with a war with Lincoln. Your father, of course, spent most of the treasury on roads and trying to get a rail system going. He never paid Lincoln much thought."

It was true, Ryan's father had sunk a large amount of money into infrastructure, with a rail line connecting New Indy with Gary and Chicago, but with no actual trains, just man powered "wagon trains", as they were mockingly referred to, due to the fact that they were no better than actual wagons, in speed or carrying capacity.

But," Deacon continued, "You are your own man, your own king. Shall we approach them? Offer to trade? Or...demand the Duchy back and threaten force of arms?" Deacon said the last bit with obvious disapproval. Ryan stroked his temples and leaned onto his elbows. "Send an ambassador. Offer their leadership to meet with us here, in New Indy. I...think that peaceful cooperation would be the best for all of us, not some grand war."

Deacon nodded, with a small smile on his lips. "Good thinking, my king. I must say, it is the best course of action at this moment. Unless you have anything else to say, my liege, this meeting is over." Ryan had nothing to say and waved them gone. Just after they left, Ryan folded his arms on the table and rested his head on them, letting out a sigh.


Gardens of the Royal Palace, New Indy, twenty minutes later
Ryan walked slowly through the garden just outside the Palace. On his left was the hedge wall of the small "maze" in the center of the garden. On his right was a long line of rose bushes, planted by his mother some years ago. About forty feet in front of him was a large fountain, decorated by statues of important Hoosier Popes, all forming a circle around a central statue of Jesus. They were on their knees, heads bowed, and hands held up towards Jesus as if asking humbly for his favor. The sky was a beautiful blue and bare of any clouds or birds. Ryan walked alone. Or at least, he thought he did.

"Greetings, my king!" came a shout from behind him. Ryan looked back and smiled immediately, recognizing the owner of the voice. "Beth!" he exclaimed, turning fully to meet her. His long time best friend walked towards him, arms outstretched for a hug. He returned her gesture and lingered on the embracement longer that he should have. "How are you? I haven't seen you since..." he started.

"The coronation!" She finished for him. "I know, it's been ages. Too long. I was thinking you were getting too high and mighty for a poor peasant girl like me." While her smile was large and hinted at sarcasm, her eyes showed that she may be a little more honest in her speech then one who knew her less might think. Ryan knew her too well, however, to not notice.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, genuinely, "I've just been so busy. This is the first time I've been able to escape to, well, anywhere by myself since I became king." She looked away for a moment before taking his hand and pulling him gently to the small stone bench just to their right. "Well, we have this moment, don't we? Why don't we savor it." She said.

They talked for a while, about the last two months, about the past, about the garden, and about his sisters. "So," she said, looking away again. Her eyes remained fixed on a rose she had just carefully plucked, "How is...your wife? Queen Rachel. Well, I hope." Ryan nodded, his smile dropping. "Yes...Rachel. She's okay. We haven't really talked that much, or seen much of each other." Beth nodded, then turned to look at him again. "Have you been enjoying her company thus far? Must be awkward, knowing someone for such a little amount of time and then being married."

Ryan nodded, "A little. But what can I do? I'm royalty. I'm bound by laws older than this city. Bound by the need of loyalty in the north. Bound by the duties I have to the Kingdom."

Beth sighed, "It's just that...I thought that...maybe..." Beth stopped talking for a moment before she took a deep breath and tried to go on. Before she could, however, she was interrupted.

"There you are!" someone shouted from the other end of the pathway. They both looked over Beth's shoulder to see Queen Rachel, wife to King Ryan, approaching. She wore a formal white gown and walked towards them with royal grace. "Ryan, dear, I've been looking all over for you." She took his hands and Ryan stood up. They kissed briefly and Rachel wrapped her left arm around his waist as Ryan snaked his right hand around hers. "Who is this? One of the gardeners? You know, sweetheart, you don't have to socialize with her kind." Rachel's face remained happy and perky, but her words and eyes spat venom.

"This is Beth, my love," Ryan said, "An old friend of mine." Rachel smiled even more and said, "Oh! My mistake. You wouldn't mind if I stole my husband, would you Beth? Oh, thank you! Would you follow me, my dear husband?" Rachel grabbed Ryan's hand and lead him away, barely giving him enough time for a hasty good-bye to a very disappointed Beth. Once they rounded the corner and were out of sight, Rachel said, "My dear, you know how jealous I get when you talk to other girls. Especially ones you run off to the gardens with."

Ryan shook his head, "No Rachel, I didn't "run off" with her. We just meet by chance. You have nothing to worry about" Rachel smiled, "Good! Now..." Rachel began to slowly lead him towards the exit of the garden, "How about you and I...head up to our room...and socialize?"

"Yes, dear. Of...course." With that, Ryan reluctantly followed her to their chambers.

[Xah]

Circle
Montana
Free People Territory of Native Blood
Late March to April, 2022

With the snows of winter finally clear from all the passes, and the new season beginning, the Truce was called over the Free People. Officially announced by the Herald's messengers, but widely expected around the spring equinox, it marked an end to inter-Tribal conflicts and gave all Tribes passage rights through the inner tribes to Circle, for the bi-annual gathering of the Tribal Leaders. For a period of four weeks, so long as the travelling party stuck to the rules and the marked roads, the tribes through whose lands they travelled were not to be harass them, and the marked roads must be direct and maintained. There were always minor violations, especially if the hostilities between parties was long-running or particularly acrimonious, but for the vast majority, the Truce represented a time to gather one's herds and flocks, do a count of who'd survived the winter, and wait for the leaders to return with news of the wider world, and what path the Free People would take for the coming year.

At the gathering itself, representation was always mixed; those tribes closer to Circle always brought more, but for the likes of the Lost Hunters or White Grin, they could not afford to take too many warriors from their borders, lest Outsiders take the opportunity to invade or raid their lands. No tribe brought more than two hundred; even Native Blood, within whose lands Circle sat, knew not to overwhelm the small town with their own during the Truce. This was a meeting of equals. Despite all the rivalry between the tribes, they all knew that a sense of community and cooperation was vital to their survival. The lessons from the past had been learnt. No more would petty arguments take precedent over survival. They didn't have to like each other, not in any sense, but there were too many forces in this world who would take what they had built if they saw their own as their enemy.

This spring, the group from the Western Guard numbered almost 120; the tribal leader, Jack Cedar, with his wife and his best warriors, along with his head smith, Dylan Bird and some of his apprentices. Dylan was here to meet with other smiths from other tribes, to share knowledge and information, and potentially trade. He'd brought some refined iron for that very purpose; the ethanol powered vehicle carrying it had struggled on the mountain roads to the west and held them all up, but they'd made good time since then. Aside from the iron, which would probably make its way into horseshoes and ammunition, Jack was hoping to get something worthwhile for the stash of canned goods some of his scouts had found in the far west; preferably some guns, and some propellant perhaps. They could make most ammunition easy enough, but without decent propellant they were limited to gunpowder or bows and crossbows; none of which were ideal for raiding. Rumour had it that Yellowstone had perfected a process for making decent propellant, either than or they'd stumbled across an old pre-war stash. Whatever it was, Western Guard needed some of it.

Circle was unrecognisable from its pre-war state; almost all the old buildings had been cannibalised and it had laid empty for far too long before the Free People claimed it, so the original roads were fragmented. Instead, it had a more transitory feel to it; at times like this, when the Truce was on, it doubled in size. Tents and caravans encircled the large pyramidal meeting house and the dozen or so permanent buildings left. The armoury, the refinery, the marketplace, and of course, the famous Old American bar; whilst the Tribal Leaders meeting was the official place were policy was hammered out, it was the Old American where most of the deals originated. It took a few days for them all to gather, but once every tribe was here, over a thousand Free People were in Circle, from all the nine tribes. A dozen or so wind turbines slowly rotated, providing the entire town with electricity

The Herald summoned the leaders to the meeting house on the morning of the first full day; quite a few harbouring hangovers from the previous night's celebrations. Jack Cedar made a point not to drink on the first night, instead observing his fellow leaders and getting a feel for who had had a good year, and who not so good. This time it was probably wise to watch the River Hunters and White Grin; the former as they clearly had important news that took all of their self-control not to divulge last night, and White Grin seemed flush with resources this year so were probably looking to trade.

A bell was rang signifying the start of the meeting; only tribe leaders, the Herald and some of the Herald's scribes were permitted within the room during the meeting. They call sat in a circle around a fire pit in the middle. Drinks were provided; a decent mix of caffeinated ones and fruit juices, with the notable exclusion of alcohol. Drink-fuelled meetings in the past had led to fights, not something anyone wanted to repeat.

"Welcome to you all," the Herald began. "It has been half a year since our last meeting and I have summoned you all here to plan the fate of the Free People, and to receive whatever news you all have to share." The words were virtually ritualistic, the same every year Jack had heard them. "We shall start with Native Blood, as our hosts deserve."

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The meeting was fairly eventful, as tribal meetings go. The most interesting part was the declaration of combat between the Crows and Golden Burst; apparently some members of the former had killed all the men of a family group of the latter and abducted their women. The perpetrators evidently thought the men they'd killed were not 'pure blood' enough and had 'rescued' their women to ensure more 'true' breeding. The Crows did not deny the incident, but the motives behind it; their evidence suggested that the women left voluntarily and the men were killed attempting to stop them. As with most events in the Free People, the truth was difficult to ascertain, and it was threatening to escalate between the two Tribes. The Golden Burst family had been well connected and their allies were pushing their leader for a retaliation attack. It was the Crows who'd instigated the declaration, in an attempt to clear their name. Ironic, as the Crows already had a reputation for ethnic superiority. This was the 'wrong' kind of ethnic cleansing though.

The White Grin had announced a good year for their sheep herds; both the wool harvest and the previous lambing season had been good, giving White Grin plenty to trade. Woollen clothing would be cheaper this year, a good thing given how cold the winters got for the Free People.

River Hunters had brought a request to the Herald; they wished to send a delegation to a nation in the East, the Republic of Lincoln. Scouts had returned describing a prosperous land, with much farming and industry. A delegation would have two aims - to assess the strength and attitude of this republic, and to determine if said republic had any plans to expand westwards. The Free People had long ago vowed to remain west of the Missouri, but raiding on the smaller settlements on the eastern side was a good outlet and could be quite lucrative. If a powerful and well defended nation was to spring up, then raids would either need to cease, or be better planned. The Herald agreed to the proposal and a hundred-strong delegation, made up of warriors from all nine tribes would be selected and sent out, along with some gifts; horses and cattle mainly. Stuff easily recovered, should the Republic of Lincoln prove ripe for the picking.

A scribe drafted a letter and it was sent off with a courier. A reply was expected within a week or so, the delegation would be given leave to remain in Circle until a reply was received and given travel rights through River Hunter territory afterwards.

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To the leaders and rulers of the Republic of Lincoln,

From the Herald of the Free People of the Nine Tribes,

Greetings.

A delegation from The Free People of the Plains shall be arriving in your lands in order to bring gifts and to discuss matters with your nation. As per the ancient laws of Guest Right, or the rights of Ambassadors, we seek assurances that they shall be allowed entry and leave to travel until our embassy in concluded.

A reply may be sent with the rider bearing this message.

[UniversalCommons]

Prisoner Barracks Golden Delicious Farms

It had been a long hard day. At least he was not on radioactive land tossing seeds anymore. John Strong had been planting bushes and trees to create a wind break and prevent poisoned soil from drifting onto the Apple Farm Land. He had been a small farmer once until a blight had destroyed his crop. He did not have enough to sell to make ends meet at the market stalls.

In desperation, he tried to steal apples from an orchard on Golden Delicious Farm. He had a sack of potatoes on him and a sack of apples on him when a guard dog caught his scent and the farmer and two of his hands caught up to him. There were three of them with shotguns and one of him. He was dragged before the judge. John Strong was sentenced to a years labor for the council to pay his debt.

John Strong stared at the bitter drink he was holding. Bits of seaweed, moss, and herbs floated at the top of the drink.

Another prisoner sitting next to him said, "Better drink that, it'll keep you alive. Wouldn't want to die before the apple men got yeh. That'll keep the hair on your head and your teeth in your mouth."

John Strong looked at the stranger, who smiled with several teeth missing. He said nothing and had a wooden spoonful of vegetable soup.

The man with the missing teeth smiled again and said, "Big strong fella like you would be be good to have around. You see those other two prisoners, they been watching you at night. Say you come with me. You'll be safer."

John Strong got up and moved away from the man with the missing teeth.

The man with the missing teeth said, "You'll be sorry, I can give you a future. You listen to me."

There was a corner of the room with a small library, mainly with political books and religious books. He had read a tiny bit of a Harmonite text, it had turned him cold with its preaching about healing the land, working hard, and claptrap of manifest destiny to spread the good word of peace and harmony to all peoples. Still, he went there to sit down.

There was a clanging of a large bell. Two men in leathers and hats with long heavy clubs walked around the cafeteria. They told people to stand in the center of the room. Several burly men in overalls came in the room. One of them said in a deep voice, "We are here to recruit some workers for the breakers. Breaking apart ruins we have found, or property claimed by the Council. It is hard, dangerous work. Those willing should come forward. You'll be moved to a new place, your sentence will be cut for good behavior."

John Strong looked around the room, Toothless was talking to the two men who were watching him at night. John Strong stood up, walked forward and nodded. "I want to sign up."

Golden Delicious Farms-- Leadership Council

Ben Hutton looked at a large map on the table. It was of the area surrounding Golden Apple Farms. It showed the remains of a raider encampment, Winchester which had been destroyed and was being dismantled in red. Also in red was an area of the map which had become unsafe. Packs of feral wolf dogs had successfully accosted and dragged away several travelers in the area. Several areas in green had been highlighted where new area had been cleared for farming. In yellow was the remains of a shopping center mall which was being taken apart. There were a few outlying farms in blue, independent farms which had not joined Green Acre Farms, but were trading partners.

Mayor Ben Hutton spoke, "Our town is accosted by raiders, but even more important, some of the small farms have failed around us, causing thievery, banditry, and increasing the raider presence around us. We need to help them without causing trouble. Our farming technology is better and can survive the weather and radiation than some of the outliers."

Hammond Lee, "We should buy up these farms before they cause trouble. Some are hard scrabble and have no future."

Mayor Ben Hutton, "Some won't part with their land. We have bought three farms for a promise to join Golden Apple Farms, but this is not enough. The men caught stealing have been assigned to work details, but this causes resentment among the outlying farmers. Men have to eat. One of the farms we caught stealing we had to take over because there was no one to tend the land. We caught another one harboring the Duttons, outlaws who had a blood feud with the Stalins and had killed several men, women, and children. The Duttons even shot one of the Stalins dogs. There is going to be a hanging on Thursday."

Betsy Wolf, "We have extra seed, we can offer it as a peace offering to some of the outlying farms. It can't hurt us. Plus, we can offer free training to the Hamms and the Hoggs who are doing well. Farmer Hamm has been a benefit to us. He even helped us find the remains of the old library. We may need some allies."

Hammond Lee, "What about the feral wolf-dog packs. They have accosted some travelers near here. If we don't take care of them now, their numbers will grow and we may even start losing some of our livestock. We don't want to have trouble like the three eyed foxes which keep stealing our chickens."

Betsy Wolf, "The three eyed foxes are a legend, no one can prove they exist. I was visiting the infirmary and we have a traveling tinkerer there who was wounded by one of the dogs. We must do something about the dogs."

Ben Hutton, "We have sent the scouts to deal with the feral dog packs."

Benjamin Bluejay-- Scouting for Feral Wolf-dog packs.

Benjamin Bluejay followed behind the dog handlers who were tracking the feral wolf-pack. They had passed by the remains of a trader who had managed to lock himself in his wagon after being attacked. The trader had bled to death.

He could see the large black dogs sniffing ahead of him. Benjamin had his long rifle out. Three other people were with him with their rifles out. They crossed a small stream in the woods heading towards the low hills. The bushes were becoming thicker.

Up ahead he could see a large pool of water. The dogs began barking. There was a large hill behind the pool of water. It was bare except for a tree at the top.

The scouts stopped. It would be dangerous to enter the thick undergrowth directly. There was spoor from the dog pack.

The lead dog handler called everyone together. They would go to the top of the hill where there was less growth and they could see what was happening more clearly.

The men and dogs circled around to the other side of the hill.

On the other side of the hill, they saw what looked like simple mining equipment. They moved cautiously forward. They could hear barking up ahead. Several dogs were barking at them. One of them came forward it had foam on the edge of its mouth and its eyes had a yellowish cast.

Benjamin raised his rifle and fired killing the dog. The other dogs surged forward in a pack. The scouts fired until their ammunition clips were empty. It was more than enough to finish off the animals. One of the scouts moved forward looking at the animals. He could see emaciation, yellowish eyes, and foam on some of the animals mouths. The animals were diseased. It was not normal for wild animals to attack people.

They kept their own dogs far from the dead animals.