California
Overview
Calfornia; The Spanish who found it thought it was an island of dreams. For generations, it has been the dream of riches. From farmers who saw its broad, fertile valleys to the miners who saw its ore-laced streams and mountains, to the movie and technology moguls who crafted dreams from celluloid and silicon.
History however, shows it to be more of a nightmare.
Founded on gold rush fever, built with blood and developed on technological mastery, she was finally finally brought low by complacency and over confidence. California is a land that has Chaos running in its blood. It's native population was all but eradicated in the Spanish push to missionize the Natives, and finally reduced to scattered, disorgnized bands in the Gold Rush of 1849, the result of laws that allowed the taking of Natives as slave labor.
The wake of the NAN wars saw California as a member-state of the United Canadian and American States, receiving the vast majority of Anglo refugees from the Ute Nation, Pueblo Corporate Council and Salish Shide Council. Even with VITAS and the horrors of the Awakening, California's population and resources were equal to any nation around it.
Once a part of the most powerful nation on earth, the United Canadian and American States, California threatened to go its own way if its demands were not met. The President assisted them in their desires, removing California from the union by act of constitutionally questionable executive orders.
On July 4th, 2036, The day the last UCAS soldier boarded his transports for Seattle or Saint Louis, the newly minted California Free State was invaded twice. To the south, Aztlan invaded San Diego under the pretext of defending their Hispanic brethren. In short order, the entire city was property of Aztechnology. The California Guard, a small force of what had been the California National Guard, under equipped, under trained and poorly led, tried to mobilize to repel them.
Hours later, to the north, as the Cal Guard still tried to find their guns and was rushing south to face Azltan, the elven nation of Tir Tairngire invaded the whole of Northern California, pushing as far down as Redding. Some murmur that there is a secret military alliance between Aztlan and Tir Tairngire. It that is true though they also say that by stopping at San Diego and suing for peace that Aztlan left the Tir to face the brunt of the Californian counter attack.
Faced with assaults on both sides, the governor appealed to the CAS and the UCAS, begging for re-admittance and assistance. When they did not respond quickly enough, the Governor tried to shame the two American powers by calling upon the Japanese Empire to assist. That, as history would show, was like inviting the wolf to guard the flock.
The Japanese landed in record time, flying a division of Imperial Marines directly in to San Francisco in a matter of hours. Much faster than the CAS or UCAS envisioned. The Japanese however, simply became the third occupier of note when they assumed direct control of the San Francisco peninsula as a possession of Japan. The following military-assisted purge of the local Mafia firmly (The Worczek Family) installed the Yakuza as dominant Californian cartel. San Francisco belonged to the Japanese. Taken in the south, taken in the west and taken in the north, California held firm in the center. Guerrilla war forced the Tir back significantly, but much of the Northern California Cascades remained a war zone for 20 years.
I know, you're thinking right now, that California still has Los Angeles! Trid Stars! Fast cars! High Society! Not quite.
Despite the influx of wealthy San Diegan Anglo's to Los Angeles, the city continued to be plagued by high crime, race riots and the same self-centered California attitude that lead to the California Free State as opposed to the State of California. El Infernio, as the sprawl of Los Angeles was known, gave rise to a decker gang that managed to wipe out the 2046 gubernatorial election results. Vowing to get things done, the state government sent in the troops. That turned in to a massive, massive cock-up.
History repeated itself when rather than fix the problem with the anthill they kicked over, Sacramento simply kicked Los Angeles out of California, declaring Los Angeles a free-city and not their problem. In the space of 10 years, California lost it's three most populous and wealthy cities and a vast swath of its resources and watershed. But it still had the agri-corps who called it home, giving it stability and power. Things were bad, but stable.
But if there is one thing California has never enjoyed for long, it was stability. Something in the soul of California requires chaos, either in culture, government or in geology. Sometimes, it's nice enough to package all three together.
In 2063, the Ring of Fire woke and tore the Japanese Empire apart. The new Emperor called all the Marines home to help rebuild. Colonel Kenji Saito, rather than obey, staged a corp-backed Coup de etat against the General in charge of the Japanese Garrison of San Francisco. Over the next few days more troops arrived from other Japanese holdings who were similarly refusing the call. With nearly five full strength divisions, 'General' Saito rolled out and captured nearly half of California completely flat footed.
The only major points of resistance came from the California Rangers, a conglomeration of the Department of Transportation and the Highway Patrol, and the few Cal-Guard units in the way. Most units however, were out of place, down near San Diego or up on the Tir Border. The Rangers, never a front line combat group, but instead a rigger-focused highway law enforcement unit, took horrendous losses but became heroes.
In the same moment, the chaos of the earthquakes of '63, the Pueblo Corporate Council annexed most of Southern California, from the Colorado to the Pacific. Its troops rolled quickly and quietly across the desert, taking Los Angeles and everything in between, much to the annoyance of Aztlan, the Ute Nation and not to mention, California. But, again, California was in no condition to do anything about it.
California Free State is a global hot spot, a state in chaos at the moment. It has no less than four active combat fronts of varying intensities. These four separate battles have fractured the state, leaving the central government almost powerless to act as regional administrators and warlords vie for power and try to hold on what they have left. California is on the verge of being what was once called a Failed State. The implications of this possibility are extremely frightening to the UCAS and other regional powers.
The California Free State
California Free State |
|
Population |
12,137,000 |
SINless Population (est.) |
32% |
Per Capita Income |
23,000 =Y= |
Below Poverty Level |
27% |
Megacorporate Affiliation |
48% |
Education: |
|
|
Less than 12 years |
34% |
|
GED |
39% |
|
4 year degree |
23% |
|
Masters or higher |
4% |
Major Language |
English (85%) |
Currency |
CFCS Dollar (10/1) |
Capital |
Chico/Oroville |
Leader |
Custos
Jace Gill |
|
|
California Dream'n - Social Concepts
The Sacramento Valley and Shasta Cascades (Northern California)
The Northern Crescent, a mountainous region of California which borders Tir Tairngire and is home to the world's largest redwood old growth forest has long been a target of the Tir elves. Much of this land was captured in the 2036 war, but guerrilla activity has kept the Tir from holding it safely. The disputed territory is a constant see-saw battle of California Irregulars and Tir Paladins. The border is still porous and fluid, with lines changing from week to week. In 2057, the Tir mounted an attack on the Shasta Dam, the mouth of the largest reservoir and hydroelectric generation station in Northern California. If you drink fresh water and read by an electric light, you probably have Shasta to thank for it.
Control of the Dam would irrevocably change the balance of power. When the Great Dragon Hestaby single-handedly pushed the Tir invasion force back, there was jubilation from California. Finally someone was on their side. The great dragon took Mount Shasta as her lair, claiming all land within forty miles of the peak and the Dam as her protectorate. Water has flowed freely since then, allowing the California Agri-business to continue.
Many were worried that when Hestaby joined the Tir Council of Princes in early 2062, that their protector had switched sides. Despite this concern, no Elven task force has rolled in to her lands or beyond, nor does there seem to be any threat of it. For the time being, the Elves seem content to sit in their trees and eat flowers.
The major problems facing Northern California are more complex than an invasion. You can shoot invaders. But what do you do with more than six million displaced people? The refugees from the NAN states were never very welcome by the insular Californians. This first generation of refugees formed the Gyspy Caravans that roamed the states highways, picking fruit and doing odd jobs (and odder crime) in the Gypsy method. The second wave of refugees came with the Tir invasion, crowding in to Redding an Chico. Though small, this wave was still noticeable, filling the cities to capacity and creating a drain on state welfare systems.
The final blow, was the mass evacuation of Sacramento and the Central Valley that happened in the wake of Saito's invasion. It took three days of fighting for Saito to take Sac-town, and in that time, most of the Government and much of the citizenry was able to relocate to the north. Not that the north wanted them overly much. Refugee camps were thrown up on unused farm land, in town squares, in shopping malls across Northern California. The expectation was that the Cal-Guard would regroup then attack the Japanese. That Hestaby would rouse and attack the Japanese. That someone, anyone would put things back to right.
But no one did. The Cal-Guard, a ragtag reservist force, was never in any shape to effectively defend its own territory much less attack a technologically superior foe. Lacking any air force of note, with no tanks and with few enough modern weapons systems, the Cal-Guard dug in with what they had when the Japanese stopped their advance. In the coming weeks and months, the charity of California turned to resentment. No longer are the refugees looked on with pity and compassion, but instead now they are seen as dead weight who need to go. Where they go, no one is sure, but no one wants them in their backyard.
Militarily, the northern crescent is the greatest concentration of California Guard units, most of which even listen to Governor Gill. The Cal-Guard understands that so long as they can maintain a cohesive command, they can make northward expansion too costly for the Japanese to bear. Troubling however, is the recent defection of the 91st Fairfield Mechanized Infantry. This unit fought bravely with the Rangers during the initial Japanese invasion, but recently drove back to Sacramento and were given new uniforms.
Japanese Uniforms.
Government
The Government of California exists mostly in exile, driven from its seat at Sacramento by Kenji Saito's troops. Operating out of Chico/Oroville, the government is a miniature version of the United States government, with a bicameral legislative branch, a supreme court heading the Judicial branch and a Governor heading up the Executive Branch. The Supreme Court issues its rulings from Redding, ensconced in the top floors of the Florshine Hotel, sponsored by AgriCom, a California food-stuffs concern. The court maintains that it is showing its independence and unbiased position by not sitting with the rest of the government in the less comfortable Chico-Oroville sprawl.
The Government has a problem though. As an elected body, it has to get re-elected. Only a few of the constituencies of the State Assembly or state Senate have been able to reelect their representatives, leading to a growing distance between the California that is, and the California that was. Many of the displaced representatives now speak more openly about a formal surrender to the Japanese, who clearly control the state. Governor Gill says that reconciliation or surrender is off the table, but recently State Senator June Blume of the wealthy Marin County was intercepted coming back from a secret meeting in San Fracisco. She was arrested on charges of treason, but the charges were quickly dropped when several powerful politicians spoke on her behalf.
However, with the introduction of nerve gas VX into the air system of the Bears Lair, Governor Theodore Gill and his staff were killed in a single blow. An amendment to the state constitution gave power to the head of the military "for the duration of the emergency" in the event of the governor's death. WIth the two most senior military officers not responding, that honor fell to the governor's son, General Jace Gill, who was sworn in as Custos of the California Free State.
Governor Theodore "Teddy" Gill Jr. (Deceased)
Aged only forty five and holding the post of Governor, many may assumed that Teddy Gill had made it. The truth was not so simple. The truth was that he desperately did not want the job. The problem was as commander of the California Rangers who held back the Japanese for as long as they did, he developed a reputation as a can-do man who you can trust. Despite the fact that he was the first 'popularly' elected governor in several decades in a state long dominated by corporate picks, Governor Gill had very little real power. The military was either barely cohesive and unable to follow orders or run by men who think General Saito may be on to something with seizing power.
Governor Gill was one step from a complete dissolution of government in the Cal-Free, and he knew it. Even worse, he knew that Kenji Saito knew it. Governor Gill understood that it may be General Saito's plan to not fight the remaining Cal Free Forces, instead, letting them wither away while Saito's forces grow fat. The governor sought allies who could assist him in making his military leaders heed his call, who could put the Japanese back on the defensive and who could get weapons past the Tir, Ute and Japanese Blockades.
Teddy's father was a famous guerrilla fighter in the Eureka front against the Tir, while his grandfather perished during the NAN wars somewhere in Nevada. The Rangers he has lead for the last ten years followed his orders without question. The Gill name is respected in the military and it bought Teddy some breathing room, but he needed to secure any loyalty.
Governor Gill ruled from the Bears Lair, a NAN-War Era bunker atop South Butte, strategically located in a warren of tunnels underneath the solid rock jut of granite that dominates its area of the Central Valley. The legislature has tried to move Governor Gill from the location, citing its proximity to the front lines. Governor Gill refused those requests, and there was no legal method of forcing him out.He was still there, in his command bunker, when everyone inside was killed by VX neurotoxin.
Custos Jace Gill
|
General Jace Gill,
Cal-Free Special Operations |
|
A special forces commander with the Cal-Guard, General Jace Gill has a lot of pull, known as a man of action and daring. His father, Governor Teddy Gill, was a military man, and so were his father and grandfather and great-grandfather. If anyone expected the youngest scion of the Gill family to coast on reputation, the man exceeded those expectation. He's beloved by his men and well respected by the Cal-Guard in general. Some said that if there was ever going to be a military coup, Jace would be the man to lead it. Promoted to General for his handling of the Bakersfield situation, Jace worked quickly to consolidate his power. He's a man who's good at that: during the siege of Bakersfield, he deftly assumed authority over the fractious units of the CalFree military, brought in the Rangers, worked out a deal with the Desert Rats, and sent careful calls for help to the shadows.
Most recently, with the death of his father, the Governor, General Gill has been sworn in as Custos, making him the head of the free state's executive branch for the duration of the crisis. Since that crisis is likely to be viewed as the Japanese occupation, smart money is on Gill holding power for a long while. Known for his willingness to take calculated gambles and his ardent belief in the cause of free California, many are also predicting a rapid change from the old governor's cautious, conservative political games to an attempt to take the war to the Japanese.
The California Rangers
The Rangers are the primary law enforcement body of Free-Cal and tend to be the agency with the most respect from the people. For more information on this combination of CALtrans (Department of Transportation) and the Highway Patrol, please see California Rangers
The California Guard
California has never had the time or money to arrange for a standing military. Instead, they have relied on the California Guard, which is a direct decedent of the California National Guard, the US Army Reserve. California never saw a good reason to break what wasn't broken. Even if it was broken and they just didn't realize it. The main difference between the standing US Army and the State Guard (Militia units) was that the US Army made every effort to break down regional and local differences and identities in its units. The Seventh Armored Cavalry wasn't 'from Oakland'. It was from all across the US and as such, for example, losing Oakland in a war would not overly damage the units morale (more than losing a major city might demoralize anyone). This makes units more resiliant in wartime and makes them harder to subvert.
California has never changed the local nature of the reservist system, even when using them as full time troops. As a result, its units are location-bound, unwilling to commit to battles or risk injury for battles that don't affect their particular patch of land. While outright refusal of orders is rare, most units will find a way to avoid or limit unwanted duty. Local leaders rise up and the Guard tends to be more loyal to those local leaders than to Sacramento. The Northern California Units tend to rally on Redding, the Southern California Units on Bakersfield, the Seirra detachments on Truckee and what remains of the Coastal Forces are focused on Eureka, and no one wants to risk for another region.
Compound this with the Central region's units homes now being under Japanese rule and the Japanese offering generous pay and bonuses to any California Units who will defect with gear… and you have the makings for a full collapse of the California Guard. When the Central Government can't hold its own military in line, regionalism will fracture the state worse than the invasions.
The Cal Guard maintains several regional headquarters. These are Redding, Eureka, Bakersfield, Barstow and Chico/Oroville.
The Cascade Vistas
One of the largest militia's operating in the northern California area, the Vista's have a massive hate-on for the Tir Elves. They are virulently anti Elven and have a knack for causing bloodshed. They are one of the few militias that welcomes a return to open war, and actively seek to provoke the Tir. They are not on Hestaby's Friends List. They are however, well funded and supplied.
The San Joaquin Valley and the Desert (Southern California)
Capitol Sacramento (Bakersfield)
Leader: General Jace Gill
Centered in the formerly agricultural center of the Southern Central Valley, Bakersfield is a bad place to be. As the far end of the valley, it is the least desirable agricultural land. It has been productive based on extensive irrigation. Irrigation is no longer possible. Between a long term drought thats struck the southern valley, the Japanese cutting off the aqueducts that used to flow from the north and the Ute/Pueblo attacking Californian attempts to divert water from the Colorado River, right now, nothing is growing in So-Cal. The one resource southern California does have, is oil. The Bakersfield oil fields are the most productive in North America and they feed revenue into Cal-Free, though Minton generously skims off the top. If Bakersfield were to fall, and the oil to be captured… Cal Free might collapse from budgetary concerns more than anything else.
Colonel Michael Minton of the Cal Guard held things together, barely, by turning his light infantry in to a mobile raiding force. Using pickup trucks, motorcycles and light strike vehicles, Minton had been raiding the central valley as far north as Fresno, hitting farm steads and warehouses of those who are claimed to be collaborating with the Japanese. The problem was that the people Minton hits are not silent about it and many of them are upstanding families of California who just happened to be on the wrong side of the line. Couple this with brutal attacks that involve burning houses to the ground and leaving anyone who lives there with more holes in their flesh than when they started.
It was problem for Governor Gill, seen potentially as the nail in California's coffin. However, Minton was assassinated in April 2072. Jace Gill took over operational command of the Cal Guard in the area during the Battle of Delano and subsequent Battle of Bakersfield.
Water Shortage and Desertification
The most precious resource in the southern valley is fresh water. In the grips of a drought and with its aqueducts from the north shut off, there's no water to be had for irrigation. Farms lie fallow and are in the grips of a dust bowl, their topsoil blowing off. The desert is encroaching over the Tahachapi Pass at a rapid clip, with Bakersfield right in the path.
Depopulation
With the water shortage and the increasingly erratic 'leadership' of Colonel Minton, the population of the South Valley is migrating, seeking better pastures. Some have gone to Los Angeles, some have gone north. The result is small islands of population, usually around springs or other commodities that can be traded for water. The Gypsies travel the roads, operating as an economic lifeline to these communities, even if they drive a devils bargain.
The Apache
The continuing economic devastation in the Ute Nation has forced many of its young men and women to desperate measures to support themselves. One of the plagues of the southwest is the presence of Ute Go-gangs that roam the desert in marauding bands, descending on the small towns like locusts. Those who resist are shot, killed, drug behind vehicles or worse. It should be noted these are not usually actually Apache tribesmen, but rather, the name used by the locals to describe them.
The Desert Rats
In 2036, the UCAS pulled out of California, doing everything but burning down their bases. Not everyone in the UCAS military agreed however, and a battalion of Marines remained. These men, and men who would come to join them, became called the Desert Rats due to their somewhat rag tag nature and their desert environment. They answer to no one, claiming to represent United States interests, not the UCAS or the Cal Free. The Desert Rats holed up at the China Lake Proving Ground and 29 Palms Marine Corps base. Since there was no direct threat from them, no one tried to dislodge them. Ares purchased the legal rights to the China Lake Proving Ground and moved in, existing in an uneasy truce with the Minute Men.
In 2063, the Pueblo invasion of Los Angeles removed from Ares the direct possibility of an Aztlan invasion, and so they kicked the Desert Rats out of China Lake. Now invested at 29 Palms, just south of Barstow, the Desert Rats are taking stock of things. Many look at the rag tag shape of their vehicles, at the threadbare nature of their uniforms and their allegiance to a country that does not want them and scoff. Minton and his boys in Barstow don't scoff.
Word is the Pueblo have quietly turned a blind eye to the activities of the Desert Rats due to the fact that the raids from Minton have dwindled to almost nothing since the Desert Rats took residence at the military base on the border of the Cal Free and the Pueblo. As of now, the Desert Rats actively patrol the areas south of Interstate 15, down to the Pueblo Border and out to the Colorado River, though patrols to the furthest east get more irregular.
The Desert Rats are notable for being one of the only groups in California that regularly uses air cover for their operations. The aircraft may be antiquated and under armed, but they are still in the hands of capable pilots. The Desert Rats and California Rangers enjoy close relations, though the removal of the Desert Rats from China Lake has had its ramifications.
The Mojave Lives
Some say the Mojave is alive. A living, breathing place where Mana collects at the bottom of Death Valley like a puddle after the rain A massive power site, the entire Mohave desert pulses with magic. Spirit Magic. But not the sort that's accessible to metahuman mages or shamans. It's much harder to summon spirits in the greater Mojave than elsewhere.
- Greater Mojave Desert
-
- Power site of 3 in the whole desert.
- Aspected against human magic and Conjuring.
- Power site can range from 3-5 depending on location and mood of the desert.
- Death Valley
- Persistent Rating 5 Power site at bottom of Ubehebe Crater
- Joshua Tree
- Background count of 2-3, depending on mood.
- Aspected against human magic and Conjuring.
- Spirits summoned will be more hostile, surly and independent than elsewhere.
- Spirits can manifest of their own accord in Joshua Tree, without a summoner.
The Mojave Awakens
In Early 2072, following a fall and winter of increased dust storms and natural phenomena that drove many of the humans out of the Mojave basin, the runner known as 'Frost' showed up in Barstow California and made an offer. The Mojave river would flow clear and clean year round, if Barstow would take refugees from the Mojave and act as an embassy for them. Barstow accepted.
Places in the Mojave
ZZYZX
This research outpost on the very edge of the old Mojave preserve is near the headwaters of the resurgent Mojave river. Run by Cal Polytechnical, it has been problem plagued for years, until a recent changing of its personnel. Hermetics were removed, and shamans replaced them. Very quickly, incidents dropped off.
The Japanese Protectorate Of California
Japanese Protectorate Of California |
|
Population |
18,137,000 |
SINless Population (est.) |
42% |
Per Capita Income |
31,000 =Y= |
Below Poverty Level |
45% |
Megacorporate Affiliation |
58% |
Education: |
|
|
Less than 12 years |
47% |
|
GED |
22% |
|
4 year degree |
23% |
|
Masters or higher |
8% |
Major Language |
English (85%) |
Currency |
Nuyen |
Capital |
San Francisco |
Leader |
Protector-General
Kenji Saito |
|
|
Formed in the wake of the eruption of the Ring of Fire, founded on betrayal and forged in conquest and hardened in hate.
Geography
Silicon Valley
Ares held computer stronghold. The entire south bay is more or less a protectorate of Ares macrotechnologies,
Orktown
Orktown is a Prison. A very very large prison. Home to some 600,000 poverty stricken people, of which nearly half or more are metahuman(Mostly orks), Orktown is a study in ghettos. Walled off by the Japanese after they found it took difficult to police and control, Orktown slowly starves. Silicon valley funnels them food and money, but it's not going to be a long term solution.
Sacramento
The former capitol of California, it's no longer the ghost-town it once was. A thriving city of 4 million people, agri-bussiness has picked back up, as well as industry and finance as oil money from the Bakersfield oil fields pours into the city.
San Francisco
Orderly city of composure and dignity.
Halferville
Run by the 'Sachverstaendigenrat', a board of 7 dwarves, 1 human and 1 ork, this northern California bastion of education and industrial power sits in the Diablo Valley, just outside of San Francisco. Oil refineries and heavy industries predominate, with Seader Krupp and Novatech investing heavily in this area.
Government
Technically, it's a dictatorship. But unofficially, the Japanese Protectorate of California is more of a corporate board, with Kenji Saito as its chairman. On the advisory council sit a member of each contributing Japanese Corporation, The six Colonels of the Imperial Marines, one 'adviser' to Kenji Saito and Kenji Saito himself.
All decrees are officially issued by Saito, but he rarely goes against the council of his advisers.
The Imperial Marines
Fanatically loyal, well funded, better equipped. And they hate Metahumans. These are the hardest core motherfuckers in North America right now. The six front line divisions are deployed around the Protectorate as garrison troops. With a selection of armored vehicles, combat helicopters and transports, it is a highly mobile force capable of redeploying rapidly.
The JPC Marines are also repressively brutal, with little regard for the local population. The Protector-General is trying very hard to get the Home Guard to full strength to allow him to remove the Marines from garrison duty.
The 6th Marine is known as 'the flesh eating mask', and it's Colonel is always Mumei. Mumei wears a mask, and the mask symbolizes the authority of the unit. It is rumored there have been several Mumei since the invasion of California. The current Mumei has been Mumei for at least 3 years.
Second in command of the 3rd: Major Ken Abe - From Oita Prefecture, Japan. Traditional Samuri, serves Fujiwara loyaly. 45 years old, came to California as a 20 year old LT JG.
Unit |
Name |
CO |
Home Base |
1st Marine |
Saito-jo |
Gn. K. Saito |
San
Francisco |
2nd Marine |
— |
— |
Sacramento |
3rd Marine |
The Akuma |
Cnl. T. Fujiwara |
Fresno |
4th Marine |
— |
— |
Modesto |
5th Marine |
The Jikiniki |
Cnl. Shiawase |
Napa
Valley |
6th Marine |
Nikuzukenomen |
Cnl. 'Mumei' |
Special
Operations |
|
|
The Internment Division
One special division exists outside the normal chain of command, that being Noboru Tanaka's Internment division. The ID consists of the bulk of the guards and personnel who guard the metahuman prisoners. Drawn from the Marines and from other sources, the Internment Division is feared. They operate as a secret police in the JPC and have full authority to arrest anyone, anywhere, for anything.
Those arrested are seldom ever released, save from the mortal coil. The internment division runs many camps, more than can be described reliably, but there are six major camps. The main camp is Camp Yomi, where Colonel Tanaka maintains his headquarters. The camps have a current population of between 200,000 and 400,000, with up to 25,000 out on work-loan to the Japanacorps at any given time. (Accurate as of april 72)
- Camp Yomi Internment Facility (Monterey/Costal Range)
- Berryessa Island Internment Facility (Napa Valley)
- Corcoran Internment Facility (Fresno-area)
- Treasure Island Processing Center (Bay Area)
- Bethel Island Internment Facility (Bay Area/Delta)
- Calaveras Interment Facility (South of Sacremento)
The Home Guard
The Home Guard are the first home-grown Californian units to stand up (become functional and loyal) since the Japanese took control of the majority of the state. They are comprised of Anglo/native Japanese soldiers who are loyal to Saito. Right now, only a few units are online, but more are in training and being stood up as rapidly as possible, freeing up the front line Marines for renewed combat. Assisting in this is the increasing instance of partial or whole units of the California Guard defecting back to their home territories.
The Corporate Backing
One thing to say for the Protectorate, is it is -very- well funded. The three Japanese mega's, Shiawase, Renraku and Mitsuhama all contribute generously to the Protectorate, as it is chiefly their holdings that the Protectorate protects. Using the Protectorate as a shield, the three Mega's have set about raping California and swallowing the agribusiness. Much of the food grown here is shipped back to the home islands for a generous profit, while the chaos and security allows them to engage in research and development entirely unchecked by governmental restriction.
Shiawase provides intelligence data, rather than much direct funding. They are trying to keep their hands clean.
In addition to the Megas, several Japanese AA corps contribute, such as Universal Omnitech and others.
Corporate Blowback
Novatech and Ares have, rather uncharacteristically, been working almost together as they supply Cal Free's various groups with weapons, funding and gear. Orktown and Silicon Valley receive the lions share of the funding, but the Minute Men, The Rangers and other state-wide organizations also get support. The Agri-corps (Mostly A-level) of the north valley have formed together in to a coalition to support the Cal-Free Government and defend the Shasta and Oroville Dams.
Other Information
Corporations in California
- Renraku, Mitsuhama and Shiawase: These companies outright own California. Heavily invested, they simply cannot withdraw without suffering amazing amounts of fiscal losses. Many of the projects located in the Philippines, Indochina and Korea were relocated here after the fall of the Empire, and much of Japans food flows from California. There is just no withdrawing for these companies. You can't shake a stick in imperial territory without hitting something these companies have put their logo on. They've stolen quite a bit, paid under market rates for others, and just lied about the rest.
- Ares: In early in the 2050s, in response to the Japanacorps seizure of San Francisco, Ares began to solidify Silicon Valley. From Palo Alto down to the outskirts of Morgan Hill, Ares has fortified its holdings in this digital wonderland. A vast majority of its research and development for Matrix technologies as well as military electronics are headquartered here. As a result, Ares dumps a ridiculous amount of money into this area, and has garrisoned it with an amazing amount of its corporate security forces. Other locations of note would be China Lake, where they host the California Rangers and Redding, Where they have built a new aerospace research complex.
- Novatech: Novatech has very little presence in Califorina, focusing its west coast divisions in Los Angeles and Seattle. They have a new division opening in Los Angeles and are rumored to be heavily involved in Las Vegas.
- Cross Applied Technologies: CATCO has very little presence in Califorina, focusing its west coast divisions in Los Angeles and Seattle. That said, it does control the emergency response contracts for Redding, Sacramento, Bakersfield and Halferville.
- Yamatetsu: Never a company with a very large base of operations in California, both due to its Japanese origin and it's pro-metahuman stances, it does enjoy a large presence in Los Angeles and in Halferville. It's a primary supporter of Halfervill, and thus, Orktown, funneling money and weapons to them as they can. Overall, Yamatetsu has very few direct investments in California. They are however, building a new facility in Barstow, at the behest of Buttercup, one of it's primary shareholders… and a free spirit.
- Seader Krupp: This heavy industry company has a good presence in California. They are specifically in finance and petrochemicals, owning the refineries in Halferville that keep California provided with fuel and chemicals. Additionally, they have major concerns in Los Angeles media and reclamation.
- Wuxing: Wuxing controls the Port of Los Angeles rebuilding project, as well as competes with Saeder Krupp for reclaimation contracts. Due to their hostility to the Japanese though, Wuxing is mostly frozen out of the Imperial holdings.
- Aztechnology: Technically, it's illegal for this company to operate in California. HOwever, through Pyramid Holdings, a shell company, they are a major player in the agricultural sector. They are also known to be supporting various insurgency groups, though there does not seem to be a great deal of strategy to their funding, often seeming to fund both sides of a conflict.
Go west young man - The Gypsies
The Gypsy bands of California are formed not of actual Romani, but from mobile bands of people who were displaced by the various invasions of California, or going as far back as the NAN uprising. The older bands hail from Nevadans, Utahans and Oregonians who were driven out by the Indians. Very few places in California could be called Sanctuary for the Gypsies, but among them are Hestaby's domain at Mount Shasta and the another is 29 Palms Marine Base, where the Minute Men have taken refuge after being driven out of China lake.
The Gypsies are a hotbed of resistance for the Japanese, running an underground railroad that assists those fleeing as much as possible.
Don't much care for your kind around here - Endemic Racism
Lets just be very very clear. California is a racist state.
It's not quite as bad as the Japanese, in terms of how it treats metahumans. It doesn't deport them to a camp or try and kill them, but they are second class citizens by a large measure. If you are an Indian, the camp may in fact be a viable option. There's a lot of hate in this state, infecting people who have a history of getting their asses kicked. California's population is a mixture of people forced out of the western US, out of the Sacramento Valley, out of San Francisco's Bay Area and out of San Diego. It's populated by Montana'n Survivalists, New Mexican Border Militia members and every stripe of bigot in between. It's the last, best hope for a 'human' nation.
With their backs to a wall, a wall that seems to keep moving backward behind them, they lash out at anything that isn't them. And them is defined as white middle class humans. People who own land or hold skilled jobs. The poor, the metahuman (Specifically orks and trolls, as Dwarves tend to be skilled or at least wealthy), the Japanese, the Elf and the Amer-Ind tend to be lynched. Lynch mobs are not uncommon in California. Let no one make the mistake of thinking that the poor behooved Californians are 'the good guys'.
There's just bad guys and worse guys.
If you're poor, you don't matter - Voter Suffrage
California is an interesting state. Due to a constitutional amendment back in the 40s, unless you can prove both a SIN and a middle class income (Usually proved with a house deed or other major asset) then you can't vote.
You read that right. The poor have zero political power in California. They hold no political sway beyond the power of the riot. It's one of the reasons that Decker gang trashed the 46 Election results. It wasn't like they had a say in it.
Hesteby's Domain
The Great Dragon Hesteby claimed Mount Shasta and all lands within fourty miles of its peak, and the Shasta Dam. This puts most of Northern California's Watershed in the control of Hestaby. When the Dragon joined the Tir Council of Princes, there was an immediate shift in perception of the great dragon and a concern for the Dam, but it has not materialized.
Important Events
2072
Welcome to California. Now go home.
Once 'The Golden State', now California is more aptly called 'The State of Confusion'.
Flooded by refugees from the western United States after the Treaty of Denver, the character of the nation was forever changed. Hate seethed in its blood now. Hate for the Indian, for the metahuman, for the new way of the world. Magic is not a beloved force here, and if you don't have a SIN and a verified middle class income, you don't get to vote and you don't matter. This is an autocracy. The poor are just parasites. Let no one tell you The California Free State is some kind of heroic man-against-the-awakening story.
From her inception as a sovereign nation in 2034, she has been invaded by no less than 4 different nations and chunks claimed by a half dozen corps, powerful groups and dragons. The Tir, Aztlan, The Empire of Japan and the Pueblo Corporate Council all have pieces of California, while Ares, Hestaby, militia groups and agricorps have more of this nation than the people do. She is a state as fractured as her bedrock. And yet she endures.
In 2061, the ring of fire erupted. Los Angeles slid into the sea, while the parts of it not now underwater were aflame and tumbled down when the San Andreas fault lit up. Long a free city with a lacking central authority, building codes had been ignored and emergency preparation failed to be prepared. The city fell into chaos, looting and there was simply nothing to be done to rebuild on it's own. As Aztlan mobilized from San Diego to claim the city, a coalition of the AA media corps still in Los Angeles approached The Pueblo Corporate Council and begged their intercession. Hungry for a port and eager to deny Aztlan further territory, the PCC rolled across the Mojave with a speed that surprised everyone.
Meanwhile, in Japan, the nation was in flames and ruins. The Imperial family was dead, the Emperor with it. The Emperor passed to a 9 year old boy. Initially backed by the Corporations, he took on a god-like significance in the nation, a symbol of rebirth. He also survived 4 assassination attempts in the first year. These attempts came after he ordered the entirety of the Japanese Imperial Marines to return home from the conquered territories. Australia, Singapore, the Philippines, Korea, San Francisco. Hawaii.
Only the troops in San Francisco didn't listen. Instead, Colonel Kenji Saito killed the garrison commander and with the help of the Japanese corporations fearful of losing their holdings in California, invaded the central valley. It was only two days of fighting, with the California Guard caught entirely unprepared as they rendered diaster aid. The capitol fell quickly, forcing the state to relocate to Redding. The Central Valley and the Delta were now firmly in the grasp of the Japanese.
To the south, Bakersfield held under the command of Colonel Michael Minton, while in the north, Governor Theodore Gill held things together. The Japanese had extended as far as they could, and the California Free State was determined to negotiate a peace so they could stabilize themselves. But once things stabilized, people feared more for what they had left, than desired what they had lost. California never went on the offensive, fearing the might and power of the five divisions of Imperial Troops. This of course, gave the Imperial Troops time to raise additional forces from their captured territory, ensuring the status quo.
This status quo would remain for 10 years. Until 2072.
Politically, California was strangling, and GOLDRUSH!, a small terrorist organization was all to aware of the lack of action int he part of the Cal-Free Government. In early 2072 they launched a highly successful attack on the Monticello Dam complex outside of Winters, in the occupied territories. Utilizing a stolen aircraft, GOLDRUSH! destroyed the dam, wiped out the town of Winters and heavily damaged the city of Davis, in addition to destroying hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland.
Concurrent with this, Cal-Guard units in the north were able to score the first military victories against the Japanese as they rolled south from Redding, taking back Willows and Williams, as well as lifting the siege of Clearlake. Additionally, the southern California forces of Vandenberg's Captain Mary McDonnel were able to push back an assault on Atescadero with mercenary assistance. The State of California seemed primed for a military push that might shift the balance of power.
But Colonel Michael Minton, commander of the southern forces centered on Bakersfield, he was killed in a GOLDRUSH! roadside ambush, for collaborating with the Japanese. While it may have been good politics and kept his command intact, it was eventually a noose that got him killed when it came out publicly. His death set off a power struggle in the south, between McDonnel in Santa Barbara, Sarah Raynor, head of the Rangers in China Lake and whoever comes out on top in Bakersfield's snarled succession firefight.
Compounding the issues in the southern Cal-Free, the influx of refugees streaming into Barstow, the sudden spike in crime and the logistical challenges they pose. Biker gangs and vice-peddlers are flooding the area, hucksters and shysters, as well as magical groups looking to cash in. Spirits walk the streets more openly, and mages report an entire area of the world that is actively hostile to them and their ways. Hermetics are especially loathed, while some shamans seem to be doing alright.
If there is a 'leader' of the Mojave, it seems to be a man simply called 'the desert'. The recluse has only been speaking through intermediaries such as 'Frost' in Barstow or 'The Fox' in Las Vegas. So far, no one has seen fit to challenge the rise of Mojave, perhaps fearful of the power of the awakened desert.
Monticello Dam
Monticello Dam stood at the mouth of Lake Berryessa, holding back some 1.6 million hectacres of water. GoldRush!, a terrorist organization of California Loyalists, destroyed it. The massive release of water destroyed the city of Winters and severely damaged the city of Davis. The confusion allowed the Cal Guard to reclaim some territory from the Japanese, but the cost was 100,000 lives and trillions in infrastructure damage.
Minton's death
Colonel Minton, found to be collaborating with the Japanese, was executed by GOLDRUSH!, setting off a power struggle in Southern California. This power struggle resulted in the damaging of the California Guard to the point that the Japanese launched an attack on Bakersfield.
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