Incense-Drunk Cleveland – Google Docs
Incense-Drunk Cleveland
City: Cleveland, Ohio
Population: 80,000/420,000
Controls: Parts of Lake Erie and northern Ohio
Government: Despotism
Problem: Hostile Cities (most of the rest of Ohio)
Heroic Opportunity: Mercenary Work
City Aspect: Militaristic and Religious
Columbus collapsed early: a combination of bad luck and one of the earliest outbreaks of multiple Serpent-tainted monsters doomed the state capital. It was only by rather heroic effort that Ohio governor Frank Lausche was able to escape the city as it fell. The governor ended up at Cleveland more or less by accident, and after a number of fairly horrible events.
The harrowing nature of the escape did something to Governor Lausche. He is now almost the epitome of a good man turned cold and hard. Lausche’s rule over Cleveland is not arbitrary, but it is definitely heavy-handed. In 1946 he declared himself rightful governor ‘for the duration of the emergency,’ and promptly locked up (and eventually exiled) anyone who disputed his claim. That this also ended any chance of the other Mayoralties in Ohio recognizing his claim concerned Lausche not a little; he had already begun his long term plan of acquiring an army that would allow him to conquer the ‘rebellious’ parts of the state.
These days, Cleveland hires (and hires out) a lot of mercenaries, both on land and water. While Cleveland’s navy is fairly well-respected as honorable pirate hunters, the mercenary encampments outside Cleveland’s newly erected walls are infamous for being exceptional hives of scum and villainy. While in the field, Cleveland’s forces are no worse than anyone else’s; when in barracks, they are almost unmanageable. The prudent stay far away.
Cleveland is also arguably the center of the Roman Catholic Church in the Poisoned Lands; Bishop Edward Hoban is, as far as he knows, the only Catholic bishop within 500 miles who has retained anything like an independent status. At that, Governor Lausche puts some pressure on Bishop Hoban to elevate himself further, in the absence of a Pope in Rome. Hoban has so far resisted (he recognizes the elevation of Pius XIII, although he has had no contact with Lisbon), but otherwise supports the governor’s plans for expansion. There are a lot of souls to save — and a lot of Serpent Cultists and Klansmen to fight. Keeping that from getting out of hand is the bishop’s chief worry; he has any number of clergy who are ready to call a new Crusade against Serpent Cultists and Klansmen, and there are days when Bishop Hoban can see their point.