The Flash brought with it many hardships that permanently changed human life for the worse. Only man's constant drive to prevail saved it from being swallowed up by the nuclear fire that almost consumed him. Decades of adapting to the new lifestyles forced upon them caused people to slowly come to terms with the way things had become. But there was one thing introduced by the flash that man could never tolerate or permit the existence of: mutants.

From the first glimpses of green skin shrouded by flurries of ash, man had always been horrified by the existence of this new race. From that point on they were pleased to keep their interactions limited to brief exchanges that preferably left a couple of these mysterious ghoulish heathens dead. It was no surprise then that the advent of mutant civilization went unobserved by humans for many years. Under their noses a plethora of communities sprouted all across the wasteland. They ranged from simple farming villages to militaristic empires with ambitious goals. Few were brave enough to gain entrance to these settlements but those who did discovered vastly complex cultures built upon a history of constant strife. And though they mirrored humans' on the surface, deep inside could be found a people with their own unique customs. Up in the Northeast, Lake Erie comprises only some small examples of such hidden mutant societies yet it serves as a perfect example nonetheless. 

Blessed by nuclear fire, the first mutants of the Great Lakes were simple stragglers. Their origins were a mere burden and such knowledge was discarded not long after the first signs of nuclear ash had blanketed the landscape; bigger concerns were on their minds after this point. The decades that followed would best be described as a period of "unenlightenment". Very little was accomplished in the beginning of that era. Mutants dwelt only in the darkest corners of the region. Confused - frightened by the new world they had been cast into. What did emerge in these early days were impressions that serve as the foundation of mutant/human relations to this day. Ignorance dominated the minds of both races. When people went missing without explanation it was easier to blame it on the hideous savages hidden far across the tundra - knowledge of whom consisted entirely of rare hostile encounters - than to spend time and effort investigating the matter. Both sides made bogeymen of each other and propagated myths that solidified their contempt. These stories continued to fester and the hate they brewed would culminate in many future massacres.

The first major settlements (that avoided collapse within years) materialized in the early 22nd century. Things started in 2101 with the formation of Darkport. They built upon a humble cove in the Sunshine Islands with the idea of founding a fishing hamlet. Few could predict that these simple ambitions would give rise to one of the most powerful mutant factions to exist in Lake Erie. But this occurred much later.

Following Darkport came Highridge in 2104, whose first settlers sought shelter in an abandoned farmhouse. It wasn’t long before they were expanding the place to make it their own. Within a decade its citizens were using greenhouses to grow food for their own supply. As stock exceeded their needs they began to sell to nearby camps and settlements. A taste for merchantry was acquired. Highridge was soon pursuing other methods of making money, scamming starving mutants out of their goods and trading whatever was given to them in places where it was in demand. Once radstorms became infrequent the town was free to expand its farming efforts. By the time Darkport had risen to power Highridge had shaped itself into an economic powerhouse. The two made partners of each other, with Highridge buying goods taken from slain humans; some was kept for themselves, while others were resold at higher prices.

Silverlake’s mutants were a stranger bunch. Surrounded by less civilized tribes, they uplifted themselves after years of dwelling in the forest interior in 2117. From their very inception they garnered a reputation for generosity. They supported the downtrodden, giving whatever they could spare and often even more. It wasn’t long before their desires expanded and they migrated to the shore. There they witnessed the floating colonies of barges that drifted along Lake Erie. Impressed with their ingenuity, they became determined to make alliances with the humans. Unsurprisingly, the endeavor saw little success. Not to be deterred by the potshots and wounds inflicted in response to their friendly gestures, Silverlake did manage to accrue a couple humans - who had nowhere else to go - as citizens. What ended up fulfilling the town’s goals for unification was the symbolic birth of a mutant-human offspring. It was the first Lake Erie had heard of. Rumors spread of the child and of a port where humans and mutants co-existed. By 2140 Silverlake housed dozens of mutant and human families. It was a fully integrated society.

Lagging behind as an unlikely candidate was the unlikely camp known as Strale. No one’s certain when it first showed up, not even its former inhabitants. Its existence was first acknowledged in 2129. Strale’s mutants were particularly primitive, having never quite adapted past their initial post-flash ways. Existing in isolation deep within the forest, they were known to kill and feast upon fellow mutants on rare occasions. This method of satisfying hunger was obviously not viable; it was their other procedures for acquiring sustenance that propelled Strale into its heyday. Their members were recognized as excellent hunters and trappers. The fine pelts worn by most of them were best indicative of this. With this recognition came demand for their goods. Few had the bravery to attack these savages, so trade was seen as the better option. Strale saw the benefits of these trades and was slowly edified. However, they never fully abandoned their culture, retaining hints of a distinct religion and even language into the 2140’s.

Coalition attacks died down once they saw what had happened. With Darkport’s shadow no longer looming over them the settlements finally had breathing room to reflect on the future. In its wake the war left behind crippling effects. What most had to return to could hardly be called homes, having accumulated irreparable damage and severely low manpower. These refugees would need a new place to settle down in. Once again, Highridge rose to the responsibility. They accepted people from Strale and other allies who had supported the war left without anywhere to turn to. Sympathizers of Darkport managed to sneak in through the cracks. A diverse citizenry was amassed that overwhelmed Highridge’s leadership. Demands for change from the unsatisfied populace was enough to spook them into undergoing an overhaul. Restructuring was completed in a rush and in 2149 a new government formed out of Highridge. It now dons the name of Southpoint State. It is composed of three sects nicknamed the Hanseites, Warhawks, and Cherubites. Each harbor fringe beliefs and have seats on a town council. In recent years the Hanseites have received the most popularity by balancing themselves between practical ideals and the passions of mutants.

Southpoint continues to accept refugees into their fold. A recent example that put them to the test was the destruction of a community called Prim. The barges that stream across Lake Erie and beyond have mostly remained a foreign concept to mutants, who historically chose the interior of the islands for settlement. Prim was different. Once an unaffiliated faction of human merchants and slavers who chose mutants as their primary stock, Prim's original leaders proved overambitious. Once the mutant slaves began to outnumber their masters it wasn't long before conspiracy lead to rebellion which lead to a bloody slaughter of the barge's entire human population in 2155. The former slaves seized the reigns and began a short-lived attempt at normal lives of fishing and trading on the shore. Their neutrality failed to save them when the Coalition, seeing them as a potential adversary in the way of their goals, capsized their barge and slaughtered half of their population. Those who escaped mostly fled to Southpoint. Bitter debates were had among the sects on whether these mutants should be accepted. 

The Cherubites strongly opposed their induction over fears they may tip the balance they were enjoying against the Warhawks. Eventually they were inducted without anyone causing a scene. Southpoint State has done well to build upon the shattered pieces representing mutantkind’s past. From those first naive steps out into the unknown to the fall of Darkport, it is this peculiar people’s best chance for survival in Lake Erie. Perhaps even its last. Many challenges lie ahead. The three sects are impassionately divided on many issues concerning the region. The path ahead remains eerily uncertain. But like their human cousins mutants have always persisted on an instinctive will to survive. Whatever becomes of Southpoint, that shall never change.

The Marrow, comprised of mutant Pacific Union residents seeking refuge from the western lands, landed on the Sunrise Islands towards the tail-end of the Confederacy era. Upon entering the village and meeting its leaders, they revealed their purpose for coming: supposed cures and chemicals to cause a human to turn to a mutant, amidst other niche technologies. Behind closed doors, the Marrow shared their knowledge with the village's few chemists and doctors, teaching them how to produce compounds in secret. While surface tensions brewed and infighting raged, underground, those of the Marrow collaborated with the villagers to construct a laboratory.

The Marrow's arrival set off a chain reaction; unrest gripped the village, prompting former leaders to return in a bid for the compounds and one last shot at glory. However, their hopes were dashed as Camus, Ian, and Raul—all former village leaders—met their demise at the hands of one another.

In the midst of the disarray, Highridge's second, Nephi, selected one of their militia leaders as the village's future Brigadier. With a mysterious background, Eden Couturier emerged before the village's discontented masses one month after Camus's death. Appearing grim, mechanized, and deeply contemplative, his technological advancements, including drug injectors and prosthetics, made him an enigma to the villagers, further exacerbating their discontent. Yet, faced with their precarious circumstances, they reluctantly accepted his leadership.

Eden's arrival heralded radical changes in the village. Upon learning of the sects' existence, the new Brigadier ordered all sect-related items to be burned. Though initially met with resistance, with the Marrow's support, a gradual shift away from Southpoint's era of infighting began. The once revered sects began to lose their prestige as their representatives either succumbed to old age or met their end at the hands of the village.