Ironholm

Government: Council of Representatives elected by each community and sent to Ironholm, with a "Supreme Executive" which serves 8 year terms.

Legal Code: mirrors old US city codes.

Climate: sub-tropical mountains.

Population: 250,000

Economics: A mix of internal agrarianism with a heavy emphasis on machine-works.

Agriculture: Croft farming and small scale herding of sheep and goats.

Trade: Isolationist. Trade is minimal in terms of goods, and mostly conducted through Gateway. Services are far more regular, hiring out scavenging crews or the mechanically inclined to other settlements.

Religion: A mixed bag of everything. Some form of Order of the Redeemer dominates with the exception of the flavors sponsored by Jackson being frowned upon.

Standard of Living:

• Rural: Below Continental norms. The poor are very poor.

• Urban: Below continental norms, isolationism hurts.

Gender Equity: A mixed bag.

Armed Forces: "Everyone fights. No one quits."

Dominant Magical Tradition: Nature and elemental based Arcana.

History:

Ironholm was founded by a groups who lived in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and Arkansas. The capitol, Springfield was re-founded by a group who survived the fall by hiding in the ‘Fantastic Caverns’ just north of the ruins of Old Springfield. Old springfield is notable for its water filed crater and exotic creatures. Springfield is now to the north – west of the old ruins; dominated by a large fortress which guards the entrance to the vast underground cavern network. 

The nation can mostly be described as mountain villages focused on agriculture, herding and mining with some fortified towns sprinkled here and there. The noteable feature of these walled fortress towns is each one has an underground escape complex and shelter, filled with stored food and some sort of water source. The net result is most towns are also centers for mining, resulting in the ‘dwarf’ nickname.  Ozarkians are also generally ‘hardier’ and more stout with ruddy complexions (probably because of all of the beer, which like most modern places, is safer than the water).  This has given rise to the ‘dwarf’ insult used by most of their neighbors, a nickname and insult they generally embrace coupled with a punch to the jaw.

The ‘Supreme Executive’ of Springfield is elected in a region wide ‘moot’ that happens every 8 years.

Part of the reason for the Ozarkian clannishness is that their mountain home is simply not safe for wandering around. It is also the home of wild and exotic critters the likes of which are not seen elsewhere. The other reason is most of Ironholm’s neighbors have tried to invade the region at one point or another to no success.

Communities of note: Springfield, Jefferson-on-the-Missouri, Rolla, Farmington, Bull Shoals, Eureka Springs,  Neosho and Ozark.

"If the racist bastards are gonna call us 'Dwarves' because we resemble a bunch of Tolkien rejects then we may as well live up to the label and give the bastards hell when they try to clean out the 'abominable mutie aggregation'. The Iron Mountain is Ours. Stay the fuck out unless you'd like to meet our engines of steel."