Fallout: Florida , The Sunshine State's Post-Apocalyptic Wastes Options

[RaderOfTheLostArk]

Well, I never thought I'd be posting in this particular subforum before now. But with all these ideas bouncing in my head of what post-Great War Florida would look like in the Fallout universe, I have taken to jotting them down and (hopefully) making a cohesive guide to it. I don't really write fiction, so I don't think I'll be writing actual stories like you all do, but I suppose we'll see. For the time being, it's really going to be a guide of sorts, somewhat like a wiki or what textbooks would say.

This will obviously attempt to adhere to Fallout canon as much as possible. I chose Florida as the setting not only because it is my home state (though that is definitely the biggest reason) but because, from what I can tell, so little about the Southeastern United States is talked about in Fallout lore, giving me a lot more room to operate in. And, of course, it's the state I know best and would love to see the most as a setting for a Fallout game.

So here's the plan for all this:
[*] I'm going to break up each section of the guide into its own post to separate it sufficiently. This one will be the introduction to the setting.
[*] I may include some incomplete information on here for several reasons. For one, it'll be an easy repository to refer to just in case the Word doc I am using has something go screwy or that my computer messes up or whatever. Two, it can be a little taste of what's to come. Three, I just want to get down as much content as comes to me.
[*] The tentative list of sections to have here include, but are not limited to (and not necessarily in this order):

[*] General overview of the setting and how I am breaking up the parts of Florida
[*] The Bestiary
[*] The Timeline
[*] The Factions
[*] Profiles of each of the regions I am making

Some of the stuff you see will definitely be subject to change if needed to make it cohesive. I'll try to document what I change to make it clear.

And most of all, I hope you all like it and I'd like to hear whatever feedback you have. Presenting and communicating information is one of the things I enjoy most, although I'm more used to doing so for real-life content (particularly political science).

First section of the guide coming up!

The Setting - Basic Overview

While not experiencing the same level of nuclear barrage as places such as Southern California, New York, and D.C., Florida was plunged into nuclear fire just like virtually everywhere else in the world. This was especially true of the Tampa Bay Area, Orlando and its surrounding areas, and South Florida, centers of great economic and political importance in Pre-War America. Being the 3rd-most populous state in the country, the Great War extinguished far more lives than average here and left plenty more to pick up the pieces in the post-apocalyptic, anarchic wastes. The exceptional biological, geographical, and human diversity of Florida led to a far more varied impact on the former Sunshine State when the bombs fell.

Nevertheless, many settlements started to crop up in the decades just after the Great War, even in those once-densely populated cities and metropolitan areas. In time, former towns and cities were beginning to be resurrected and reclaiming their old names, and brand-new ones started to form. But post-War Florida--and the rest of what used to be the country's Gulf Commonwealth, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi--was still highly fractured. In the 22nd century, the first of many ambitious attempts was made to reunite this once-thriving landscape. While extraordinarily difficult at first, a string of successes in reunification gave birth to the Gulf Coast Union, a nation similar in concept to the future New California Republic (NCR). The so-called Great Reunification--a somewhat hyperbolic title, at least currently--started extending through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and even some of southwestern Georgia, though it has yet to reclaim the whole of any of these former states.

The process is far from completed, however, and many other factions both big and small struggle with the Gulf Coast Union for dominance in the former Southeastern United States. Many of the conflicts take place in what used to be the Sunshine State. The Gulf Coast Union was successful in claiming virtually all of Northern Florida and has made inroads into the Central Florida wastes. Major and minor powers violently feuding with each other and with the Gulf Coast Union have made the GCU's grip on these lands somewhat tenuous, preventing any attempts at expanding into South Florida.

As of this guide, it is currently the year 2130, over a half-century since the world was irrevocably changed. To most easily understand the lands that were once called Florida, it is best to divide the area into ten distinct regions--even if the divisions are a bit crude, arbitrary, or too convenient. Each have their own set of conflicts being waged, major and minor players vying for power, and civilizations trying to carve out a life in these harsh wastes. Welcome to the Sunshine State's post-apocalyptic wastes.

The Ten Regions and Their Counties

County Map
Here's how some coasts in Florida got their nicknames, though not all are explicitly mentioned here

Though these broken-up zones are somewhat crude and arbitrary, it'll be easiest to understand post-apocalyptic Florida this way. However, major conflicts in one region can definitely spill over into another.

1) Panhandle (13): Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, Bay, Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf, Liberty, Franklin, Gadsden
2) Big Bend (8): Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Lafayette, Dixie, Levy
3) North Central Florida (8): Hamilton, Suwannee, Columbia, Baker, Union, Bradford, Alachua, Gilchrist
4) The First Coast (6): Nassau, Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler
5) The Space and Treasure Coasts (7): Volusia, Seminole, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Okeechobee
6) Central Florida (8): Marion, Sumter, Lake, Orange, Polk, Osceola, Hardee, Highlands
7) The Tampa Bay Area (6): Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee
8) The Gold Coast (3): Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade
9) Southwest Florida (7.5): Sarasota, De Soto, Charlotte, Glades, Lee, Hendry, Collier, Monroe (mainland only)
10) The Keys (0.5): Monroe (Keys only)


Just a quick side-note: The Panhandle West/East dichotomy is one I totally made up for my own purposes. They are, as far as I know, not referred to as such in real life. It is just the Panhandle, and the real-world Panhandle doesn't necessarily include all of the counties in Big Bend.

This post has been edited by RaderOfTheLostArk: Jun 9 2020, 01:30 AM

[Renee]

Please continue this.

[RaderOfTheLostArk]

Please continue this.

I'm glad that you are still invested in this. I hadn't really had the time to write more, but I just returned to doing some tonight. Perhaps I should give it a bit more time before posting, but I feel fairly confident that it is satisfactory. Plans for this chapter and the rest of Part 2 have still been stewing in my head for quite a while.

So, without further ado, we begin Chapter 16.

*************************

Chapter 16: Out With the New (Tally), In With the Old (Tally)

Chapter 16.1

The morning sun was considerate enough to not beat down the land with searing heat. There was a light breeze in the air. In Pre-War Florida, this was about the time of year where there could start being legitimately cool, even cold, days. Apparently, even the Post-War weather, irrevocably altered by the bombs, could be at a reasonable temperature at times. Whatever was in store today, at least Mariah and Valentina would not have to worry about passing out.

The two women stepped into the GCU station and found that Langston was already there with Waller and Callahan, despite originally being scheduled to come in the afternoon. As if he could read their minds, Langston answered their questions before they could even ask them. “Change in plans, you two,” he said in a gravelly voice typical of ghouls. “The Sergeant and I decided that it was best to just proceed with our plans as soon as possible.”

“And what exactly are those plans?” Mariah asked. She did not expect that a course of action would already be mapped out.

“Langston says there is an old, isolated facility that he used to escape Old Tally,” Waller replied. “Based on what he has told us and some of the documents he was be able to smuggle out, there is a giant network of tunnels that the Old Guard had constructed beneath the city and the surrounding lands before the War. How they managed that is beyond me, but that is what we are dealing with.”

“A considerable number of sinkholes cropped up in this region of the wastes,” Langston added. “The bombs that dropped in this area hit with such significant force that they were forced open. Sinkholes posed a serious problem even across Pre-War Florida and the bombs exacerbated the issue. Some survivors believe that the U.S. government itself may have bombed the state capital when it was clear that China and every other nuclear power were unleashing their atomic arsenal.”

“Oh my God,” Valentina said, horrified. “Why would the U.S. do that to their own people?”

“You must remember, Val, that these two governments loathed each other with every fiber of their being.” Langston said, shaking his head. “Hatred can drive human beings to commit the most heinous atrocities, even to those who are supposed to be fellow citizens. The most hateful people can massacre each other simply out of spite. If it were not for China, Florida and D.C. would potentially have been the most bitter rivalry in the world. Hence, the Old Guard and Enclave still continue this bloody feud over a half-century later.”

“But if the Enclave was the federal government, why do they care so much about Florida?” Mariah asked. “I would think they have interests throughout what used to be the United States, right? Why here? Is it really all about spite and old grudges?”

“I highly doubt it,” Langston said. “These are two groups that hold grudges better than almost anyone else, but the Enclave would not send some of their forces down here if there were not more to the story. They do not possess that many resources. I have enough insight about them to know they are going to be aware of some of the technology that was in Florida and actively looking for it. Florida was a hotbed of scientific discovery and advancement from medicine to astronomy to biology and so on. It is the proverbial killing of two birds with one stone—they can claim potent Pre-War tech while simultaneously thwarting those who are currently their most bitter enemies. That is more than enough incentive for the Enclave to get involved here.”

“You think they know about Vault 100?”

“I am positive they have some information on it. Vault-Tec was in bed with the federal government, though do not assume that meant they were completely opposed to working with the state government. Vault-Tec was too important economically and politically for D.C. to punish them for working with Florida to some extent. So, the Old Guard will have some level of awareness about it, too.”

“Then why has neither of them already found the Vault?” Valentina asked. “And why do they not know more about Old Tally now?”

“The all-encompassing destruction of the Great War,” Langston sighed, as if vividly remembering the hours when the bombs dropped. “Countless people died, including many of those who would have close knowledge about the Vaults. Many of the databases of the world were lost or destroyed, so any that have survived have to be recovered. That includes data on the Vaults. And many decades have passed, which inevitably leads to a loss of records because they were not maintained.”

Sergeant Waller had been audibly tapping his foot, waiting for their conversation to finish. He finally interrupted, speaking with more than a hint of annoyance. Perhaps there was still a bit of seething from last night’s encounter with Captain Gibson. “Okay, folks, let’s save the chit-chat for the trip. Time is of the essence here. Langston is going to bring us to this facility we talked about earlier and we need to get moving as soon as possible. He says that there is more critical data there that he could not bring back or does not know about.”

“Ah, yes, of course.” Langston replied. “Indeed, we must commence the journey. I could only carry so much, and I did not have any more holotapes or room in my folders to take some of the data with me. Some of the facility’s data I do not even know about. It could potentially enlighten us more about Ezra’s goals. Perhaps it could tell us more about what the Old Guard and Enclave are looking for as well. There are many secrets buried beneath the landscape. Some of them living.”

“Huh?” Mariah said with a puzzled look. “Living? Like what?”

“I . . . I do not know.” It was the first time that the group had seen Langston seem dumbfounded. “There were beasts that I have never encountered previously. I may have been Old Guard at one point, but I was not privy to all their experiments and projects. They are not your average monstrosity that you have confronted in these wastes. I had no chance against them and was fortunate to escape with my life. Be prepared for what is to come.”

“That is why we are taking an entire squad with us,” Sergeant Waller said. “About 25 people. We don’t know what else we will meet face-to-face with on the way there. But we’re by no means taking a whole army with us. Commander Callahan, you hold down the fort in this city until we return.”

“Yes, sir.” Callahan said, saluting. “Good luck, people. Stay safe.” He then left the room.

“Worse than Radfrogs, Radtoads, and Sirens?” Mariah quipped dismissively, though beneath her confidence there was a bit of trepidation at the unknown. “I have seen some pretty nasty wildlife already.” Valentina looked at her quizzically, then shook her head. Mariah looked back at her. “What?”

“I don’t know if you are just psyching yourself up, Mariah, but you’re reverting back to your not-taking-danger-seriously self. That has already gotten you into trouble many times.” Valentina replied. “And did you forget that dreadnaught we saw at Tyndall? Chief White-Feather had to kill it with a Fat Man, for goodness’ sake!” Mariah felt a bit embarrassed. She knew that Valentina was right about the attitude.

Waller was unamused by Mariah’s bravado. “You have not seen anything yet if that is all you can refer to. I don’t know what awaits us in this facility, but there are plenty more horrors than you have seen in these wastes. And if these really aren’t anything like what is on the surface, like Langston says, then we are in for a wild ride. Time to round up the troops and be on our way. The facility is somewhat close to Old Tally where you can see the old city, but they should not be able to spot us. Now, enough talk. Grab some Stimpaks and ammo. We can discuss more of the plan on the way.”