Rock Island River-Keep – Google Docs
Rock Island River-Keep
City: Rock Island, Illinois
Population: 12,000/100,000
Controls: Rock Island County, Rock Island
Government: Strongman
Problem: Serpent Cult
Heroic Opportunity: Trade Goods
City Aspect: Militaristic.
Prior to the Serpentfall, the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois made significant amounts of ordinance, howitzers, and small arms. When news of the collapse hit, base commander Colonel Carl Waldmann immediately ordered the island itself sealed off. As chaos reigned up and down the Mississippi, the arsenal was hastily, then thoroughly fortified. Three years later, the entire island is a formidable nut to crack.
Today, the city of Rock Island and its environs is still ruled by Military Governor Waldmann, who appointed himself to the job with the enthusiastic agreement of the local population. The RIA is now under the supervision of Weaponmaster Bill Baumbeck; he doesn’t have the resources to keep the factories operating at full capacity, or even full-time capacity, of course. If those raw materials were available, Illinois would probably be back in the United States by now. But Baumbeck has enough to keep the river howitzers and machine gun emplacements operational, which will do for now.
Gov. Waldmann is not very much of a despot; he thinks primarily in terms of defense, still thinks of himself and his troops as being part of the United States Army, and would gladly join up with Chicago if only he thought that Mayor Daley had any intention of rejoining the USA. He has thus avoided a policy of expansion and does not interfere much with the locals. This allows for a decent amount of trade, which has allowed Rock Island to relatively prosper.
Unfortunately, this forbearance also encouraged the rise of a local Serpent Cult. The cultists are dedicated to trying to start a war between Rock Island and Davenport, Iowa, as the first step in creating an empire to dominate the Mississippi. To do this, the cult currently sends monsters into Davenport, in such a way as to bring suspicion on Governor Waldmann. It’s a convoluted plan, but Serpent Cult plans often are.