I wish I weren’t in Dixie!
Industry, to no one's shock, took a massive hit after the nuclear war. Technology was pushed back hundreds of years. Only now in the 2490s is it recovering even a little thanks to the help of another industrial revolution. Of course not all is perfect, the second industrial era contains the first sins as the first. Poor working conditions, low pay, slums, etc. And plus the big bad of the south, Dixie’s land, the massive totalitarian slave state. Everyone is fighting to stop Dixie, even the typically neutral Floridians. Will the south finally be liberated or will everywhere from Florida to New England be crushed under Dixie’s heel?
Dixie’s Land
Dixie’s Land, or just Dixie for short, is a mysterious terrifying force that no one knows the inner workings of. It is supposedly run by a god-like immortal known only as "Dixie". Or at least that’s what the higher ups in Dixie would like you to believe, however many people outside of Dixie’s Land believe that a person called Dixie doesn’t exist and consider him a myth made up to keep the population in line. In the late 2300’s out of the deep south (the most reliable sources say somewhere in Alabama, but nobody knows for sure) came a new power dedicated to restoring the Antebellum south of the 1800’s. They brought back slavery, (though not based on race due to the low black population in the former USA) plantaions were opened and the cotton gin was reinvented. Dixie began repressing his citizens, slave or free, with an iron fist. No one had any freedom of thought or speech. Dixie appears to have taken George Orwell’s 1984 as an instruction manual rather than a warning. Quickly the massive Dixie hordes conquered all of the deep south. But now with them being at war with their much more industrially capable neighbors Dixie might have finally picked a fight it can’t win against the alliance of Maryland, Virginia and Carolina. Will Dixie’s Land conquer all or will their tyranny finally be defeated and their subjects liberated?
The United States of the Mississippi
The United States of the Mississippi is a crumbling empire. It was formed from a group of cities along the Mississippi River that started working together closely. Over time it formed into the most prosperous trading empire in this hemisphere. Based on a modified version of the USA’s constitution it was well known for its old world style democracy and freedoms. All was looking up for the USM. Then Dixie came. Rumors of a new power in the little organized, sparsely populated deep south region began circulating. Supposedly it was a highly militarized country taking over vast swaths of land very quickly. Most, including the USM government scoffed at this notion, but in secret the USM government was preparing for war should the rumors prove to be true. And the rumors were, but all the preparations the USM had made were not enough. The Dixie hordes overwhelmed the USM and sent the government fleeing north to Saint Louis, leaving New Orleans, the old capital, to fend for itself. The rump USM is preparing now, preparing to strike back at Dixie’s Land and regain the prosperity and prestige it once held. With the new industrial age trade on the Mississippi could be made incredibly profitable once again, that is, if the Mississippi reains united.
New Orleans
New Orleans inhabits an odd in between somewhere in the middle of anarchy and a military dictatorship. The only thing holding them together is their hatred of Dixie. The former capital of the USM is only barely holding out against Dixie, everyday they lie in wait hoping the USM armies will overwhelm Dixie and return home.
Maryland
Maryland is a powerhouse (I swear I’m not biased). With powerful industry and a large population they can punch far above their weight. Ever since the Maryland unification war in the 2260’s against Baltimore, Maryland has democratized and expanded. In the early 2300’s the Kingdom of Montgomery agreed to join Maryland if they retained autonomy, it remained this way until President Theodore II, the last fully monarchical president and a major reformer, made them a region of Maryland like any other. Over time it met several other countries, such as the Republic of Virginia, which grew out of the Kingdom of Richmond, and the Appalachian Confederacy. Currently Maryland is straining its resources to help Virginia and Carolina defeat Dixie. A few in Maryland see no point in aiding their allies if Dixie poses no direct threat to them, but the government keeps sending men and supplies to the front.
Delmarva
Delmarvans have a reputation for being stubborn. No fact reflects this better than their refusal to join Maryland. Maryland has offered to annex Delmarva several times, Delmarva has refused every time despite the major benefits this would bring to their economy, which is mostly fishing based (as well as a big tourism industry in their capital of Ocean City, which is a favorite vacation spot of the rich who can afford to travel.)
The Appalachian Confederacy
The Appalachian Confederacy is more an alliance than a country. It consists of several practically independent city states that work together closely. The only reason it is portrayed as one country in most maps is because it’s more convenient for the cartographers to do so. Appalachia is hostile towards Dixie, though they have never engaged in anything more than skirmishes with them. This is mostly because Dixie has left them alone because the mountainous region would be hard to conquer and secure.
Toledo Zone
Vaguely resembles a country. Only exists because Detroit and Ohio want nothing to do with it.
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh has always been a steel producing city. From before the bombs until now Pittsburgh has been an industrial city. But after the bombs it was never at its prewar level, Until recently. Due to the massive new industrial revolution Pittsburgh has greatly increased its steel output. They export it all over, everywhere from Toronto to New Orleans to Florida uses Pittsburgher steel. This makes Pittsburgh an incredibly wealthy country and one of the main beneficiaries of the industrial revolution. Of course this wealth and benefits are mostly reserved for the upper class and political elite of Pittsburgh. This makes the workers who toil in the factories angry. Recently tales of workers unions from the old days have been circulating amongst the workers. As the divide between the working man and the upper class gets bigger, class war gets closer to occuring. As for now, Pittsburgh's future remains uncertain.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia is not like Pittsburgh. It’s not an industrial power, it’s not rich, it doesn’t have a massive population. In every way Philadelphia is a "lesser" country to Pittsburgh, or at least that's how Pittsburghers see it. This leads to lots of resentment by Philadelphians towards Pittsburgh. Overall the city of brotherly love feels little love for it's Pennsylvanian brother.
New England
New Enlgand rules the waves. They have a large navy, and a massive fishing and trading economy. They even control New York City. New York was hit especially hard by the bombs, there was naught left but rubble. NYC and its immediate surroundings remained largely unpopulated for a long time afterwards. Until some New England sailors came and settled it. Today New York City is one of New England's biggest and most thriving cities, bringing immigrants from all over the Americas, and even some from as far away as Europe (which is going through its own problems, or so the immigrants would have you believe). Overall New England is doing well, and there definitely isn't an impending economic crisis on the horizon (very obvious foreshadowing).