Fort Evansville [The Day After Ragnarok.]

Fort Evansville

[The Day After Ragnarok]

City: Evansville, Indiana

Population: 25,000/150,000

Controls: Vanderburgh County and portions of the Ohio river

Government: Despotism

Problem: Serpent Cult

Heroic Opportunity: Mercenary Work

City Aspect:  Militaristic.  

Unlike most people using the title in the Poisoned Lands, General Clayton Abernathy is an actual general officer in the US Army, and he swiftly got the critical military facilities at Evansville under guard when the Serpentfall hit.  Martial law for the immediate area soon followed. Three years later, Abernathy in firm control of a reasonably large section of the Indiana southwestern border.

General Abernathy would absolutely reject the title of ‘King,’ but the truth is that he rules as one (although admittedly Abernathy is popular).  The entire Mayorality is run as if it was an oversized Army base, with every able-bodied adult trained and armed as well as Evansville can manage. The General’s ongoing conceit (or delusion) that the USA is still a going concern east of the Mississippi is mostly not addressed openly, as he and his somewhat colorful immediate subordinates are otherwise highly competent at keeping Evansville alive, unconquered, and in decent enough shape. 

Evanville’s river and air fleet don’t hurt there, either.  The Mayorality produced mass amounts of bullets, Landing Ship-Tanks, and P-47 Thunderbolts during the war; enough of that equipment remained to keep peace along the Ohio, which in turn made it easier to trade, which is making Evansville wealthy, and that is attracting the attention of all sorts of bandit gangs, would-be hordes, and at least one Serpent Cult operating out of Millville, Kentucky.  That last group (called the Commanders of the Coral Snakes) is currently finding itself being forced from its existing base of operations by the strangeness in Transylvania, and covets Evansville’s resources.  

Accordingly, the Commanders keep recruiting new cannon fodder in order to infiltrate or conquer the place.  They keep failing; but unfortunately Serpent Cults are good at recruiting the gullible, so the Commanders never run out of new schemes to try. Which is good, if you’re the ethical sort of mercenary; Evansville pays well, on time, and is remarkably tolerant about variations of uniform and gear, for an American military base.  Just as long as you’re enthusiastic about doing the job; and vocal about it, too. And if you’re always ready to take the right lessons from an operation.