The Appaloosa Expanse
The Appaloosa Expanse runs at a massive diagonal along a vast mountain range, stretching from the Delphian Wastes in the east to Smith's Land in the west. Dense dark forests cover the slopes. Trails are winding and treacherous; a local guide is not optional but essential. The region divides roughly into Kaintuck in the south and west and Pennsyltucky in the north and east, and residents of each will make absolutely certain you know which side they call home.
No centralized government holds the Expanse. The mountains and the stubbornness of the people have prevented any single power from claiming it all. The Ironworks controls Three Rivers at the eastern edge but has pushed no further. Bowled Green operates as a Diesel Jock theocracy to the south. The Delphian Wastes exist in perpetual multi-faction warfare. Between these contested points, hundreds of small towns and thousands of singular farmsteads dot the range, most run by families who have occupied the same land since before the Fall. Children learn the terrain from their forebears: which trees to build with, which to burn, where game runs, and how to read weather and danger from the shape of the ridgeline.
The people are gritty, strong-willed, and tightlipped. They judge others almost entirely on work ethic. Silence is wisdom here, not ignorance. Loyalty runs deep once earned, but earning it requires demonstrating that you can get things done rather than talk about getting things done. Retrogrades and Mericans make up the majority of the population; the Retrogrades are believed to descend from pre-Fall inhabitants who refused to leave when the world ended and were tainted by radiation for their stubbornness. Among the dangers that stalk the trails are the Pine Folk, cannibal clans preying on travelers; the Haints, ghost-costumed bandits exploiting local superstition; and the simple reality that a broken leg in the high mountains is as lethal as any raider.
No centralized government holds the Expanse. The mountains and the stubbornness of the people have prevented any single power from claiming it all. The Ironworks controls Three Rivers at the eastern edge but has pushed no further. Bowled Green operates as a Diesel Jock theocracy to the south. The Delphian Wastes exist in perpetual multi-faction warfare. Between these contested points, hundreds of small towns and thousands of singular farmsteads dot the range, most run by families who have occupied the same land since before the Fall. Children learn the terrain from their forebears: which trees to build with, which to burn, where game runs, and how to read weather and danger from the shape of the ridgeline.
The people are gritty, strong-willed, and tightlipped. They judge others almost entirely on work ethic. Silence is wisdom here, not ignorance. Loyalty runs deep once earned, but earning it requires demonstrating that you can get things done rather than talk about getting things done. Retrogrades and Mericans make up the majority of the population; the Retrogrades are believed to descend from pre-Fall inhabitants who refused to leave when the world ended and were tainted by radiation for their stubbornness. Among the dangers that stalk the trails are the Pine Folk, cannibal clans preying on travelers; the Haints, ghost-costumed bandits exploiting local superstition; and the simple reality that a broken leg in the high mountains is as lethal as any raider.
Geography
The Appaloosa Expanse runs at a massive diagonal along a vast mountain range, stretching from the Delphian Wastes in the east to Smith's Land in the west. The region divides roughly into Kaintuck in the south and west and Pennsyltucky in the north and east, and the distinction matters to everyone who lives there. Dense dark forests cover the slopes. Trails are winding and treacherous; a local guide is essential for anyone who does not want to die on a ridge they cannot name. Creeks, valleys, and bends wind through the mountains, creating terrain that has resisted centralized control since before the Fall. Hundreds of small towns and thousands of singular farmsteads and cabins dot the range, most occupied for generations by families who learned the land from their forebears: which trees to build with, which to burn, where game runs, and how to read weather and danger from the shape of the ridgeline. The mountains themselves may be the reason the Ironworks never pushed past Three Rivers; the terrain and the stubbornness of its inhabitants present obstacles that industrial ambition alone cannot overcome.
Vast mountain range of fiercely independent towns, dark forests, and impassable trails
