Newton Background

The Cataclysm

In 2017, things were bad and getting worse quickly. Important things were scarce and there were way too many people on the planet for everyone to get what they needed. Arguments turned into conflict, conflict turned into war.

On the morning of November 21st, 2017, the nukes started flying. No one is sure who fired the first one, but in the end everyone who had them had used them. By lunchtime, the destruction was sufficient that what bits of national governments that still remained came to the realization that there was no point in continuing the nuclear exchange. Even still, the results weren’t as bad as they could have been. The entire world wasn't reduced to a wasteland, but big cities were gone, billions were dead, and the survivors were faced with a new world that required drastic adaptation. The next few years were a struggle for survival in a power vacuum. Over time, the remaining small cities became city-states, their spheres of influence were defined, a new generation grew up never having known the world before, and human civilization continued.

A Brief History of Newton

In 2024, somewhere in the Mountain States of what was once the United States, three city-states were arranged in a triangle: Cody, Laurel and Greer. Rail lines ran between the cities, and the center of this triangle held a pass through the mountains, which was a favorite place for bandit raids. Trading was difficult. A young man by the name of William Newton led a party out of Greer that drove out the bandits and established a permanent fort and outpost at the interchange, named Newton. He went on to be a fair and beloved administrator of the settlement and the patriarch of a large family.

The year is now 2073, Newton's resident population has just reached 1000, with more arriving every week, and William Newton is on his deathbed. His will calls for his holdings to be divided amongst his children and family, with his eldest son, Jeffery Newton, taking over the administration of Newton. Newton continues to exist just outside the influence of the three city-states, and remains an important center of trade and commerce. As Newton grows, so does the impetus for change. What is in Newton's future?

Economy and Commerce

Since there is no nation, there is no national currency. The US Dollar became worthless after the cataclysm. Most city-states mint their own currencies, but they are not widespread in use outside the cities themselves. Most small trade is done through barter, though currencies are often used to measure relative worth.

Many of the smaller villages and towns produce most of their own basic needs, in addition to goods for trade to towns, villages, and above all city-states. There are some places that are focused enough on something that they trade with other towns for their needs.

Newton traded for most of what it needed in its early years, but in the past two decades there have been enough farmers and ranchers that it no longer needs to trade for food.

Newton's economy is still focused around its role as a waypoint and trading post. In exchange for keeping the pass open the city administration collects a toll from all passing railway traffic. Escort companies operate out of Newton, offering caravans protection from bandits. There are a number of warehouses in Newton, and convoys leave every day to bring goods to surrounding villages. Many auctions are held in Newton daily.

Newton has become much more important to many nearby small towns and villages than the distant city-state they belong to. Many look to Newton for trade, to hire protection, and for aid in emergencies.

Government of Newton

Newton's governmental existence has been in question since it was founded. William Newton's party originated from Greer, but the town of Newton is closer to Cody and Laurel.

Newton is important to all three cities. All of them would be interested in taking control of it, but none of them have been willing to risk the resources involved in seizing and holding it, nor the inevitable reprisal by the other two cities. For now, Newton exists independently.

Overall, Newton is run by the Newton Administration, originally founded in its days as a fort. It consists of one Administrator advised by a council of the six largest landowners. The Administration creates laws, settles disputes, and ultimately commands both the police force and the militia. The Administrator has been William Newton since Newton was founded. He has named his eldest son, Jeffery Newton, as his replacement.

Newton's permanent police force is currently limited to a single Sheriff, but the Sheriff has the power to deputize others as needed.

Newton's militia similarly only has a single commander full-time. The militia is a volunteer force.

Religion

Religions are much more fractured than they were before the cataclysm. Few religions have a particularly strong central branch, and practice of any given religion tends to change from town to town, or even from individual to individual.

Apocalypse cults have grown out of every major religion. Many of them seclude themselves from the rest of the world to some degree. While a minority and on the decline in the decades since the cataclysm, these cults have been passed down to new generations, and some still adhere closely to them.

A form of multi-theistic mysticism called Edenism was arose in the years following the cataclysm. Its major belief is that rather than an apocalypse, the cataclysm was a gift to give humankind a second chance at an idyllic life close to God. Its adherents focus on performing acts in life to make the world a more perfect place, believing that once the world has attained a sufficient level of perfection, God and humankind will forever live together on Earth. The exact nature of these acts and the definition of “a more perfect place” can vary considerably from adherent to adherent. Also varying is the degree of devotion—some who believe in Edenism are devoted solely to it, but most practice it as an extension of another religion. William Newton is a Protestant and an Edenist, and his works in life were inspired by his devotion to Edenism.

Technology

There isn't much technology that was lost after the cataclysm, but there is a lot of technology that isn't produced any more or is produced in much smaller amounts. Overall, the advance of science and technology has ground almost to a halt. There have been nearly no new innovations or discoveries since the Cataclysm.

Electricity has not gone away, but most small towns like Newton don't run it to all households, and villages may not have it at all. Newton's power comes from a nearby dam. Power is available around Fort Newton, but outside of the town center few homesteads use it.

Computers and the internet still exist, but computers are produced in very small quantities, are extremely expensive, and there have been almost no advances in computer technology since the cataclysm. A mid-sized business might have one, if it were extremely important.

Most people only interact with computers to send messages. Every town with more than three horses has a station with a computer and an internet hookup that acts as a modern version of telegraph services, and also rents time on the computer.

Similarly, weapons are not made on a large scale any more. Many weapons from before the cataclysm still exist and are used for hunting and defense. Outside of the cities, it's typical for every household to own at least one firearm.

Transportation

Oil is rare. A small amount is still refined, but few people make use of it. Some cities still use it to power vehicles that are either extremely important or for emergencies. Horses, mules and oxen are once again the backbone of transportation.

The railways are still used, but very rarely for powered vehicles. Most roads are in a state of serious disrepair, but the railways have endured thanks to carts and wagons designed to be pulled by horses or oxen along the rails. Almost all goods and passengers coming from or going to the larger cities go by rails. Further from the cities, some roads are still maintained.

The Three City-States

Greer

Greer sits on the other side of the mountain pass from Cody and Laurel. It’s the most wealthy of the three cities, and also the furthest from Newton. Its area of influence includes a great number of mining operations, and so it has a steady stream of goods that are in demand.

Greer’s government is largely run by the mining concerns. Though not particularly representative, they are highly efficient and for the most part look after Greer’s citizens. Newton’s government was highly influenced by Greer’s.

Greer has the most to gain out of the three cities by taking Newton for itself, but it’s so remote that the cost to do so has so far been prohibitive.

Cody

Cody is the youngest of the three city-states, at least in its current form. It was founded twenty years ago when expansionist pressure from Laurel led several smaller unions of towns to band together under a common government around the city of Cody. Cody is effectively a small republic, with the previously existing unions retaining a degree of autonomy. Cody is a representative democracy, and in its twenty years of existence it has quickly become the most bureaucratic of the three city-states.

Cody doesn’t have much incentive to capture Newton, as it has favorable trade relations with other neighboring city-states. However, it is slightly closer to Newton than Laurel, and has better means of transit, so Cody would be in the best position to do so if it changed its mind.

Laurel

Laurel is the best-preserved of the three cities, and its area of influence as a city-state is the largest of the three. After the cataclysm, it was able to establish self-sufficiency faster than most other cities. This was largely because it was the birthplace of Edenism, which Laurel’s citizens banded together under. Though not officially a theocracy, the government of Laurel has always been controlled by Edenists. Laurel has seen steady expansion in its years of existence, and has sometimes been the source of the most contention between city-states. Though not particularly militant, Laurel has been the most active in trying to expand its borders.

Laurel doesn’t have much special interest in Newton, but it would be an valuable thing to seize in their continuing expansion.