📰 Map, Faction Info, and Timeline

The information here, and particularly the timeline, are not required knowledge to make a character, but you will need to at least have an idea of where your character is from.

Your character can be from a named settlement on the map, a settlement you made up (there are many more that are not listed on the map for the sake of brevity), or have lived independently this whole time (though it's still good to know what region they were in while doing so, as they may have encountered other people in that area). The lore of all of these locations is intentionally kept vague so you can incorporate it into your backstory however you like, whether you choose to pull from established lore or make up your own.

Your character can have been from the region of a bandit group, but not part of the actual bandit group themselves (to avoid gaining an advantage if that bandit group ever attacks down the line).

Quick-jump links:

➡️ Knox Timeline ➡️ US Timeline

🏙️ The Factions

• 🐮 The Central Coalition - Formed from the three major trading hubs of Crossroads, Old Springfield, and Madison, it's the most powerful entity in the United States after the collapse. A trading pact, it has its own currency that dominates the United States and has enjoyed stable growth and economic stability shared across all its member cities. They offer a taxi service of sorts, allowing people to climb aboard a trading caravan to move from town to town.

• 🕵️ The State Of Providence - Formed from a doomsday cult before the apocalypse, it would seize massive chunks of it at the onset of the apocalypse, eventually settling down and becoming governed. A theocratic democracy with a president and an unelected cult leader who are supposed to share power. This state is heavily divided due to a growing crisis at home, forcing it onto an expansionist footing.

These two states now find themselves at war over territory, trade routes and dominance over the interior of the former United States.

⛰️ Further Out:

• 🐶 The Free States of Dogtown -An area rife with fighting and thievery, it’s under constant pressure from Deadzones and nearby bandit groups. People stemming from this land tend to be those more willing to take on ‘dirtier’ work in the wasteland. From a smash and grab on old abandoned Government facilities, to bounty hunting. If it weren’t for this area's willingness to trade with the Coalition, they would be yet another group of marauders.

• 🐓 Tres Gallos República - The Three Roosters Republic, claiming a large majority of Mexico and has crept into California, Arizona and Texas. They’re fairly self-sufficient and are one of the Coalition’s largest allies. Trade is frequent and is the least restricted by Deadzones.

• 🦅 The Federal Remnants - Standing firm in their final bastion of Boston are the Federal Remnants. Members of the Government are using this area to send orders to Quarantine Zones still remaining and listening, whilst fighting against the Bandits from the North, the Infected from the South, and the Cultists to the West.

• 🍄 The Fungal Followers - The so-called Cultists of the West, claiming the majority of Ohio. They worship all things fungal, seeing it as an antithesis of the floral threat. While they have bizarre views, they do tend to be friendly enough to outsiders.

• 🐊 The Florida Communities - A strange and bizarre land, where tales of crazed alligator-riding individuals stem from. Mostly cut off from the States, most people who hear of this area hear of a resilient people fighting back against their northern threats with all sorts of kit-bashed weaponry.

💀 Known Bandit Threats:

Your character can have been from the region of a bandit group, but not part of the actual bandit group themselves (to avoid gaining an advantage if that bandit group ever attacks down the line). It's possible they had interactions with the bandit group in their past, but just don't expect them to remember you.

• 🐗 The Mississippi Marauders - This group is a thorn in the Coalition and Florida’s side. Frequently attacking trading caravans and smaller traveling parties.

• 🌼 The Green Hands - A crazed group that adores their new floral overlords. They appear to prepare land for the growth of infected, and have been heard purposefully leading them from place to place.

• 💧 The Drowned - Stemming from Salt Lake City, this group is constantly at war with Dogtown. Wanting to baptise the violent people with the purity of their lakes - but, in their eyes, everyone is a threat, and must all be cleansed.

• ❄️ The Northern Wastes - Not a unified bandit group, but a known area of intense violence. During the early years of the apocalypse, people moved up north to enter the colder climates, where the infected seemingly slowed. The mass surge of refugees led to a major drought of fresh food, which caused people to move to thievery, and even cannibalism to survive. It’s unwise to go to this land.

📆 The Timeline

We have two timelines here: The more general timeline, and the Knox-specific timeline.

Knox-Specific Timeline

• Summer of 1998 - Daisies began appearing everywhere, covering fields and areas not commonly known to grow them. People are confused, but - it’s not quite a problem yet.
• Spring of 1999 - Near these areas of huge daisy growth, people mysteriously began getting sick. Turning insanely aggressive against everything else nearby. They mainly bite at people, as they seemingly reverted to a more feral-like state of mind. It happened so fast, and so quickly, it was difficult to contain - impossible, even.
• Summer of 1999 - The illness grew rampant, intense, and countries soon suffered as even the corpses stood back up, now sprouting little daisies and other flowers from injuries they sustained in life. Those bitten by them turned, and countries struggled to contain it. This period of time is called ‘The Collapse’, as places began to crumble under the weight of the attacks. Quarantine Zones are helmed by the Centres for Disease Control (The CDC) and the United States Department of Agriculture (The USDA). They sprout in most major cities of the United States.
• Winter of 1999 - People notice the infected grow sluggish in the Winter, and begin planning to move to colder climates.
• Spring of 2000 - People flock to Canada as the US begins to heat up. Certain Quarantine Zones grow tense, as there seems to be no end in sight, and water and power grids come to a halt. This period of time is called ‘The Blackout.’ The Government are slowing down on giving out orders, and entire areas of the Country become so densely packed with infected, they’re deemed suicidal to enter. These are called Deadzones.
• 2001 - The Central Coalition grows as it trades to various QZs down in Texas, Mexico, and Kentucky. They begin expanding as more settlements begin popping up throughout the wasteland.
• 2002 - The State of Providence emerges. Their ideology and future seem uncertain at this point. The Green Hands pop up near the Coalition’s borders.
• 2004 - Providence grows, claiming more land as it pushes back Deadzones.
• 2005 - The Coalition faces a bandit threat to the south, causing them to focus on the need for communication.
• 2006 - The Central Coalition makes an effort to repair radio towers and begin broadcasting on open frequencies, acting as a news channel of sorts. They are growing to become one of the most powerful new nations, and adopt Knox County in its entirety into their group, but stay out of the area for the most part due to a lack of potential trade. QZs remain under government rule in Knox.
• 2007 - Deadzones across the country begin to rapidly expand, and the cause is still unknown. Settlements face a crisis as their borders are swallowed up by infected areas. The Coalition forms a defence group, a sort of unit of ‘elite’ soldiers to be called in when the goings get tough. Providence takes a hit as its borders are threatened by infected growth. The Deadzones eventually stop expanding as Winter sets in.
• 2008 - Providence eyes up Knox as a potential area for growth, after recovering from the Deadzone expansion the year prior. They attempt to dig into the Coalition’s borders, and fighting ensues. During the chaos, a Deadzone manages to carve its way south, reaching the fighting.
• 2009 - Present - The Central Coalition and Providence continue to fight over territory, as Knox is threatened by the war, and the closing in infected Deadzone.

US General Timeline

• Summer of 1998 - Daisies began appearing everywhere, covering fields and areas not commonly known to grow them. People are confused, but - it’s not quite a problem yet.
• Spring of 1999 - Near these areas of huge daisy growth, people mysteriously began getting sick. Turning insanely aggressive against everything else nearby. They mainly bite at people, as they seemingly reverted to a more feral-like state of mind. It happened so fast, and so quickly, it was difficult to contain - impossible, even.
• Summer of 1999 - The illness grew rampant, intense, and countries soon suffered as even the corpses stood back up, now sprouting little daisies and other flowers from injuries they sustained in life. Those bitten by them turned, and countries struggled to contain it. This period of time is called ‘The Collapse’, as places began to crumble under the weight of the attacks.
• Winter of 1999 - People notice the infected grow sluggish in the Winter, and begin planning to move to colder climates.
• Spring of 2000 - People flock to Canada as the US begins to heat up. Certain Quarantine Zones grow tense, as there seems to be no end in sight, and water and power grids come to a halt. This period of time is called ‘The Blackout.’ The Government are slowing down on giving out orders, and entire areas of the Country become so densely packed with infected, they’re deemed suicidal to enter. These are called Deadzones.
• Summer of 2000 - The Idaho and Miami Quarantine Zones experience rioting and eventual takeovers. The Miami QZ becomes known as New Miami and begins fighting back against the approaching Deadzones. Idaho’s QZ becomes Dogtown and is surrounded by infected.
• Autumn of 2000 - Canada had so many new settlers that fighting broke out between survivors as they fought over food and resources. Three towns begin forming in Central America and they band together for trade; forming the Central Coalition. New Miami pushes back the Deadzone, and now claims the majority of Florida as a state. Dogtown grows as they fight back Deadzones.
• 2001 - The Central Coalition grows as it trades to various QZs down in Texas, Mexico, and Kentucky. As their borders grow, they become known as a large trading faction, skirting around Deadzones and any bandit threats.
• 2002 - The State of Providence emerges. Their ideology and future seem uncertain at this point. Canada has taken a turn for the worse, and wild animals are hunted relentlessly in preparation for the winter. With a lack of fresh food, and the lack of farmers - people tend to stick to themselves, and either die alone, or become bandits together, robbing others who have more then them. Down below, all of Canada is now known as the ‘Northern Wastes’.
• 2003 - The Government gets pushed back to Boston due to the infected, and survivors who were angry with them for not doing more. Bandit groups form in the United States. Salt-Lake survivors become a group of wild animals who believe the only purification is by water, and call themselves the Drowned. They are at constant war with Dogtown. The Green Hands - a group which seems to nurture the infected, attempts to expand near the Coalition’s borders.
• 2004 - Ohio residents begin worshipping mushrooms. It’s still unclear why. They are known as the Fungal Followers. Mexico becomes a unified front, known as the Tres Gallos República. Residents of LA rename their city to ‘Angels’ as they join the group. They are friendly with the Coalition and are one of their biggest trading partners. Providence grows, claiming more land as it pushes back Deadzones. Certain ‘gaps’ are carved through other Deadzones, acting as maintained trade routes. Where areas are cleared, the borders of these zones spread in other directions. It doesn’t seem possible to completely annihilate one.
• 2005 - The Mississippi Marauders formed between Florida and the Central Coalition, halting trades between the two. They attack any trading caravans, as well as easy-to-rob survivors. This event causes the Coalition to consider country-wide communication.
• 2006 - The Central Coalition makes an effort to repair radio towers and begin broadcasting on open frequencies, acting as a news channel of sorts. They are growing to become one of the most powerful new nations, and adopt Knox County in its entirety into their group, but they stay out of the area for the most part due to a lack of potential trade. QZs remain under government rule in Knox.
• 2007 - Deadzones across the country begin to rapidly expand, and the cause is still unknown. Settlements face a crisis as their borders are swallowed up by infected areas, and relations grow rocky as areas like Dogtown become completely cut off. The Coalition forms a defence group, a sort of unit of ‘elite’ soldiers to be called in when the goings get tough. Providence is threatened as its borders are squeezed in by surrounding Deadzones. The Deadzones eventually stop expanding as Winter sets in.
• 2008 - Providence eyes up Knox as a potential area for growth, after recovering from the Deadzone expansion the year prior. They attempt to dig into the Coalition’s borders, and fighting ensues. During the chaos, a Deadzone manages to carve it’s way south, reaching the fighting.
• 2009 - Present - The Central Coalition and Providence are fighting. The Government remains quiet, outside of giving orders to the remaining QZs. Florida is as weird as ever. Dogtown remains a rough area to live in. The Ohio residents are worshipping mushrooms. Tres Gallos República fortify themselves from the deadzones above and below them, as it appears like a new growth spurt is about to hit.