The Fallen Continent: South Dakota
With the final state of the Badlands, we begin our return to the civilized world.
Population: 130,000
Largest City: Vermillion
Home of the Badlands, and Rushmore's ageless shrine,
Black Hills and prairies, farmland and sunshine.
Introduction
South Dakota fares better than its northern neighbor, but not by much. Like many high plains states, its large number of nuclear missile silos made it a prime target for nuclear attack, and large bands of fallout irradiate much of the state. Also like North Dakota, its very sparse population meant that most South Dakotans lived in only a handful of cities, which were annihilated within a day of warfare. Still, there is some semblance of government authority here which North Dakota cannot boast of.
State of South Dakota
Capital: Winner
Classification: State Legacy (State emergency government)
Allegiance: United States of America (Dodge City)
Unlike some state governments of dubious credibility, the State of South Dakota has real ties to the pre-war state government. It was established by the Commissioner of School and Public Lands—the highest-ranking surviving member of the antebellum government—who declared himself Acting Governor and attempted to bring the National Guard under his control. The rift between state forces began here, as the National Guard disputed the legitimacy of his governorship and disagreed with his plan going forward into the Nuclear Winter.
The Acting Governor’s plan could generously be described as “triage” and more accurately as complete abandonment of its duties. He and most remaining state officials fled to Winner, leaving the rest of the state to its fate. A small handful of National Guardsmen joined them, but the vast majority of the Guard refused to follow them and attempted to govern the entire East River region on their own. The Winner government spent the Starving Time in complete isolation. They admitted only a very small handful of refugees with useful skills and fed only themselves, their dependents, and the local inhabitants of Winner and the surrounding towns.
When Winner’s small population finally reaped a measly harvest after the end of the nuclear winter, the government finally ended its isolation and expanded its outlook to the rest of the state. They have not been fondly received by other South Dakotans, who despise the Winner government for abandoning them. Their attempts to peacefully reintegrate the legitimist Brule County ended in open conflict and the brazen annexation of Chamberlain by the Winner government. Only the Confederation of the Seven Council Fires recognizes them, mainly because Winner isn’t in a position to actually tell them what to do.
Desperate to rebuild their reputation, the Winner government has joined the United States of America in Dodge City as one its five non-contiguous state governments. In order to appease the federal government and gain congressional voting rights for its one congressional representative, it holds elections for statewide offices, but not its legislature. These elections are only pro forma and are decided by an extremely small electorate. South Dakota’s main relevance to the USA-DC is its border with the Heartland Social Republic, presenting another avenue of attack to one of their greatest rivals.
Confederation of the Seven Council Fires
Capital: Eagle Butte
Classification: Native American Faction (Tribal confederation)
Allegiance: State of South Dakota, United States of America (Dodge City)
Perhaps the most powerful faction in the state is the Confederation of the Seven Council Fires, an alliance of six different Sioux Indian tribes. Containing over one third of South Dakota’s population (and some of North Dakota’s), the Confederation is the strongest American Indian faction after the UIN. Their official capital is in Eagle Butte where the council of tribal governments meets, but the individual tribes tend to handle most issues on their own and cooperate on an ad hoc basis.
Despite their strong presence, they do not focus on expansion and instead prefer to tend to their own lands. They are opposed to the Provisional All-American Government and other militaristic factions, and recognize both the Winner state government and the federal government in Dodge City. Despite this recognition, the Confederation governs itself and Winner does not attempt to exercise much authority over them.
Hot Springs Safe Zone
Capital: Hot Springs
Classification: Legitimist warlord (Militaristic warlord state)
The Hot Springs Safe Zone is a legitimist warlord state at the very edge of the badlands. Originally Fall River County, it was overthrown by a retired soldier who had previously fought in the US intervention in Libya. He filled the town of Hot Springs with refugees from the destroyed Rapid City, recruiting them into his army and conquering the surrounding countryside.
The Safe Zone has long been hostile to Winner and Dodge City; now it is nearly surrounded by DC-aligned foes, probing for a weakness they can exploit to terminate the warlord statelet. Hot Springs is trying to build a united front of Badlands warlords that can stand up to them, having reached out to the Americans of Mount Rushmore and the Scourge of the Badlands for aid.
The Americans
Capital: Custer
Classification: Religious Faction (Cult)
The Americans are a mysterious cult living in the Black Hills around Mount Rushmore. Their civic nationalist devotion has evolved into a level of truly religious reverence for America’s national symbols and founding fathers.
The Scourge of the Badlands
Capital: Spearfish
Classification: Warlord (Preeminent Badlands warlord)
The Scourge of the Badlands is preparing their army for an attack on the Promethean Energy town of Gilette, Wyoming. Should they succeed, they may be able to sweep across the southern Badlands and give the Dodge City-aligned factions a run for their money. Whether or not their plans will come to fruition remains to be seen.
Pale Horsemen
Capital: Buffalo
Classification: Warlord (Nomadic Badlands warlord)
The Pale Horsemen (they’re actually a motorcycle gang with no horses) just rode into the town of Buffalo, killing the warlord (a self-proclaimed Sheriff) who previously ruled the town. They’re thinking of campaigning in the northern Confederation territory, where there surely must be a lot of untapped loot, but some of the grunts argue that it’s a better idea not to poke the Siouxan bear.
Drummond Family
Capital: Bison
Classification: Warlord (Criminal family)
The Drummond Family is a patriarchal clan that rules the town of Bison. They have around forty fighters to enforce their rule and launch the occasional raid outside of town. Most of those fighters are members of the Drummond extended family or are family friends.
Battle Axes
Capital: Hawes
Classification: Warlord (Nomadic Badlands warlord)
Every once in a while, some raider band gets the same idea, and it never works. They look at a map of the state, or at least get a feel for the area, and notice that empty corridor separating the northern and southern Sioux tribes. They think: “I could sit at the crossroads of Hayes and raid all the passing Indian traffic!” They go into the town, take it over, and then get kicked out by the Sioux within a month or two. The Battle Axes are the fifth gang to put this plan to the test. Unlike their predecessors, this band of neo-pagan warriors hearkening back to the distant days of the Bronze Age just might be strong enough to make it last.
West River Rifle Club
Capital: Kennebec
Classification: Right-wing Ideological Faction (Libertarian militia regime)
The West River Rifle Club was originally a social club and libertarian militia that was put on the map by Winner’s isolationism. When it became clear that the Winner government did not plan on helping anyone outside of Tripp and Gregory Counties, they took matters into their own hands. They dislike both Winner and the Seven Council Fires, but are well-disposed to the Battle Axes who have recently moved into Hawes.
Kingdom of God (Church of the Archangel Michael)
Capital: Gettysburg
Classification: Religious Faction (Messianic cult)
The Kingdom of God (Church of the Archangel Michael) is another theocratic faction, with an odd origin story. Their ruler, Michael Davies, was “discovered” as a young child by a travelling mystic, who was convinced that Davies was the human incarnation of the Archangel Michael by reading his “fascinating, otherworldly aura.” He adopted the boy and raised him up to fulfill his supposed destiny of preparing the way for the return of Jesus Christ. Davies wandered the wasteland, preaching and gathering a small flock of followers.
When he and his then-peaceful band encountered the warlord Bartholomew Cliff, who was himself a mystic, he challenged him to a sort of spiritual face-off: a trial by ordeal. Michael allegedly walked barefoot across a bed of burning coals for ten paces and was unharmed, while Cliff was badly burned after three paces and died of his injuries. Cliff’s followers fell at Michael’s feet and joined his host.
Since that encounter, Michael travelled the wasteland not only as a preacher, but as a conqueror. His army is far stronger than their presence on the map implies, with a wider vague sphere of influence in the center of South Dakota. For now, Michael is biding his time in Gettysburg; he plans on striking the 196th Infantry Regiment when the time is right. If he can gain a foothold in the more populous east, then maybe he really can build up a kingdom of his own from there.
Walworth County
Capital: Selby
Classification: Legitimist Warlord (Rogue localist regime)
Walworth County, whose local government included a handful of survivalists among its ranks, was already pre-disposed towards localism. When the state government retreated towards Winner and gave no heed to the northern counties, Walworth unhesitatingly broke off and fully embraced isolationist militia rule. Unlike neighboring Campbell County, they did not join the Emergency Association of North Dakota Counties. As the Association is entering its death throes, Walworth only feels vindicated in their isolationism. Their unwillingness to cooperate with other factions, however, may just leave them helpless to Derringer’s Almighty Army.
Emergency Association of North Dakota Counties
Capital: Linton, North Dakota
Classification: Local Government (County alliance)
Though the Emergency Association of North Dakota Counties has “North Dakota” written in the name, its jurisdiction extends south into South Dakota. This is because, weak and fragile as they are, even they offered more support and protection for Campbell County during the Starving Time than the Winner government was willing to provide. What seemed like a necessary arrangement, however has now become more of a burden for the hungry, isolated inhabitants of former Campbell County, which risks conquest by the oncoming Almighty Army.
Almighty Army
Capital: Ashley, North Dakota
Classification: Warlord (Preeminent Badlands warlord)
The town of Eureka forms the southern flank of the Almighty Army, which is preparing the finishing blow against the ailing EANDC. It also has its eye set on Walworth County and the Public Enemy Number One gang. In between all these factions across the wider South Dakota wasteland still remain a handful of tiny, underpopulated hamlets of dozens or a hundred or so at most, who still live independent of any central authority. Should the Almighty Army conquer their immediate neighbors, they hope to extend their control over these surrounding free towns.
Public Enemy Number One
Capital: Ipswich
Classification: Warlord (Raider gang)
Public Enemy Number One has no connection to the prewar California prison gang, other than that its founder thought the name sounded threatening. Many of PENO’s members are lowlifes and rejects who couldn’t cut it in the National Guard or the Almighty Army. Still, they cause some trouble by making and selling drugs throughout the region (mostly marijuana). Sometimes they even sally out of their home base in Ipswich for a raid, if they’re feeling brave enough.
196th Infantry Regiment
Capital: Aberdeen
Classification: Military Faction (Military administration)
The 196th Infantry Regiment is one of the four National Guard regimes of South Dakota, dating back to the original National Guard’s failed attempt to control the entire East River region in the absence of state government. Throughout the Starving Time, the Guard’s area of control gradually receded into three spheres of influence centered around Aberdeen, Watertown, and Vermillion, respectively.
The South Dakota National Guard did not survive the Starving Time as one intact formation, but its respective zones of influence survived. The 196th is the primary remnant of the fractured military government. They refused to follow the State Commissioner of School and Public Lands to isolated Winner, hoping that federal authorities in St. Cloud, Minnesota would provide them with sufficient aid to maintain control over the entire East River region and feed most, if not all, of its people. While St. Cloud remained one of the strongest centers of governmental authority and eventually hosted its own national government, events transpired differently than the South Dakota Guard hoped.
St. Cloud itself became withdrawn and isolationist during the Starving Time and was fraught with mutiny and unrest of its own. Federal promises of aid never materialized, leaving East River out to dry. Not long after the Minnesota Highway Patrol’s “Cold Summer Mutiny,” the South Dakota National Guard was plagued with mutiny of its own. The largest remaining formation, the 196th Regiment, retained control of Aberdeen and some surrounding towns to the south.
Aberdeen is the most militaristic of the SDNG holdouts, characterized by its stubborn refusal to work with any civilian authorities, even in symbolic ways. In spite of their disdain for civilian government, they also refuse to acknowledge the militaristic PAAG out of an unsettled grudge against Minnesota. Though hard–pressed, they are at least not as desperate as the North Dakota National Guard.
New Dakota
Capital: Huron
Classification: Legitimist Warlord (Civilian dictatorship)
Glenn Voight and his “Dogs of War” gang were once the terror of the East River. He was the main warlord to capitalize off of the National Guard’s collapse during the Starving Time and carved out a small empire for himself in central South Dakota. After he died of radiation poisoning (he spent a lot of time playing cat and mouse with the military by hiding out in NEZs), the regime fell apart; most of its remnants were swept up by the military, and the rest dissolved into the wider central South Dakota anarchy.
By the time one of his lieutenants betrayed and backstabbed his way to the top and put an end to the infighting, the gang’s influence had shrunken only to a small perimeter around Huron. Voight’s successor took the legitimist route and christened his fiefdom New Dakota. Huron has come to a silent understanding with the National Guard remnants, who look the other way as long as the raids don’t come in their direction.
White Army Outcasts
Capital: Mitchel
Classification: Military Faction (Military warlord)
The White Army Outcasts are a roving band of disgraced National Guardsmen who deserted from the “White Army,” the armed forces of the Provisional All-American Government (so named for their opposition to the American Socialist Federative Republic in Wisconsin). Even compared to other renegade National Guard units, they are brutal and destructive. They have settled in the sparse and open region centered around Davison County. Mitchel is now their home for the foreseeable future, having killed some of the survivalist militiamen who previously ruled the town and adopted others into the fold.
The Outcasts have a brash, gruff sense of camaraderie thanks to their shared predicament and bonds of service, though it’s hard to look past their merciless demeanor which borders on sadism. They’re ranked among the most warlike and fanatic US military regimes, alongside the Knights Templar in Montana, the Death’s Head company and the National Democratic Organization in Alabama, and the F.A.L.A.N.X. in upstate New York.
Tri-County Recovery Zone
Capital: Vermillion
Classification: Military Faction (Reformist military government)
The Tri-County Recovery Zone is the third out of South Dakota’s four military factions, and one of the two that split off from the emergency government in Aberdeen. The Guard in Vermillion, which included survivors of the 114th Fighter Wing, maintained its grip over the three counties of Clay, Yankton, and Bon Homme along the Missouri River. Their regime is unique among the South Dakota National Guard due to their increased civilian input. All three counties elect members of a civilian advisory board that suggests policy to the Recovery Zone authorities. The military government reserves the right to decline the board’s proposals for any reason, but maintains an unofficial precedent of following their advice.
The Recovery Zone is the least outright hostile to the Winner state government, but still denies their legitimacy. They instead cooperate closely with the Heartland Social Republic in neighboring Nebraska; they don’t explicitly recognize the HSR as a sovereign nation, but they do acknowledge them as a legitimate regional entity within the United States and have a consulate in Nebraska City. The TCRZ also is on good terms with the Yankton Sioux Tribe in nearby Charles Mix County, one of the constituent tribes of the Confederation of the Seven Council Fires. The Yankton Sioux often mediate disputes between Vermillion and Winner, and most diplomacy between the two parties is facilitated by them.
South Dakota Co-Operative Counties
Capital: Brookings
Classification: Local Government (County alliance)
Allegiance: Provisional All-American Government
Local civilian governments seldom survive in any recognizable form in hard–scrabble states like South Dakota, but the South Dakota Co-Operative Counties were fortunate. This counties’ association was blessed with competent leadership and a loyal, unambitious militia that remained faithfully obedient to the Co-Operative. The Co-Operative filled in where the National Guard couldn’t during the Starving Time and successfully avoided direct incorporation into any military regime.
The SDCOC is the only South Dakota faction that never broke with St. Cloud. Already closely involved with Minnesotan affairs, they recognized Hunding’s United States government from its inception and followed General Carlton’s lead after his coup. Though they now belong to the militaristic Provisional All-American Government, they retain their civilian, democratic form of leadership. St. Cloud doesn’t object—they don’t much care what goes on in the Dakotas, as long as they provide their tithe in men and foodstuffs for the war against the communists.
South Dakota Military District
Capital: Watertown
Classification: Military faction (Emergency military government)
Allegiance: Provisional All-American Government
The South Dakota Military District represents the final faction of South Dakota National Guard holdouts. When the shockwaves sent by the Mankato Mutiny in Minnesota reached South Dakota, the 235th Military Police Company was the first to voice their displeasure with the 196th Regiment’s leadership. After splitting off and forming their own faction, the Military Police maintained a sphere of influence around Watertown by themselves for some years.
After General Carlton deposed President Hunding in St. Cloud and established the Provisional All-American Government, the 235th declared their support and joined forces with the Minnesota military government. They were subsequently reorganized into the SDMD and given jurisdiction over the northeast corner of the state. Unlike the TCRZ, the SDMD does not have any form of civilian representation at the factional level, but the military government does cooperate with local authorities on an ad hoc basis.
Right now, the district is in a state of neglect and disrepair, as St. Cloud cannot spare any men or resources to defend their massive western frontier. Rather, there is a constant flux of troops out of the state to the increasingly-unstable front line in the east. The military forces left in South Dakota are desperately trying to buy back the loyalty of the other local military factions, but neither Lisbon, nor Aberdeen, nor Vermillion (and certainly not Mitchel) are currently interested in a united front. No matter who wins the Red-White War, however, the power that will rule soon both Minnesota and Wisconsin will return to the Dakotas to settle the score.
Index
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I love the Americans. I'm fascinated by what rituals they get up to around Mt. Rushmore.
Fascinating and insightful, but Mitchell is spelled with two Ls.
Hell yeah, go Battle Axes