DELAWARE

Severely damaged by nuclear strikes, fallout and rampaging refugees, Delaware has yet to recover. Perhaps 80% of the northern half of the state is still uninhabited and the land is very dangerous to cross. There are a few settlements in the southern half of Delaware, fishing the Atlantic and living the best they can.

1) NUCLEAR TARGETS

Dover, SS-18M2
Wilmington, SS-18M2

Discretionary nuclear target:
Dover AFB, SS-N-8

2) MORROW PROJECT ASSETS

Unknown...

3) COASTAL LOWLANDS

The seacoast of Delaware is creeping slowly inland. Flooding and intensified summer storms in the Atlantic have caused the shore of Delaware Bay to recede by as much as three miles in some places, and often more in areas of pre-war swampland. Almost all of the shoreline islands have been washed away, with only a few lonely sandbars remaining of the biggest islands.

4) NORTHERN DELAWARE

The war was unkind to northern Delaware, and nearly everything north of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal was rubbled or burned flat. The former state capital of Dover was hit by eleven nuclear warheads and almost completely wiped off the planet, leaving only eroded water-filled craters and slag heaps. The area north of roughly the east-west Highway 12, encompassing all the major cities of the state, is still mostly barren. Massive amounts of residual radiation have made most of it unlivable, and the few brave (or dumb) travelers keep to routes along the shifting coastline. With such levels of radiation, mutated animals (including a surprisingly high number of Blue Undead) are often encountered, fueling local mythology about the area.

5) SOUTHERN DELAWARE

In the southern part of the state, where the land still remains tillable and the rains keep the creeks and rivers flowing, there remains a steady population. In the first decade following the war, a local strongman set up shop in a mansion, declaring it to be his "castle". As more areas coalesced into small feudal-style communities, leaders often looked to have their own castles to match those of rival barons. Most of them were simply large domestic estates, but several were massive historic landmarks and public works projects. This fueled a building and improving boom that often sapped the economic strength of a community to the point where rebellion and invasion collapsed it. Over the last 150 years, most of these structures (and the surrounding communities) have changed hands several times. Trade is conducted sporadically with the small Maryland enclaves, chiefly Salisbury, and down the coast to the Virginia fishing communities.

Currently, there exists four large "castles" and a dozen or so much smaller keeps. Populations are relatively small, but steady, and life has settled down into very much a medieval type of existence, with tilled farms surrounding the castles, which are used as emergency refuges as well as centers of commerce and government. The prewar structures have all been extensively fortified and often walled, and visitors from before the war would be hard pressed to recognize the buildings.

The four main castles are:

1) "Fort Cannon": Located on the grounds of the old L. Cannon Museum near Milton. By far the largest fortified community in the state, with some 275 full-time residents and a healthy population of seasonal agriculture workers. With its proximity to the waters of the Delaware Bay, Fort Cannon is noted for funding a large fishing fleet.
2) "Rosstown": Located on the extensive grounds of the Governor Ross Mansion near Seaford. Perhaps the most unstable of the four, with a particularly autocratic leader currently making life difficult for the 180 or so citizens. Rosstown will surely be the next castle to see rebellion if conditions do not improve.
3) "Castle Parsons": Located in the historic Parsons Home Mansion near Milford. Population varies with the seasons, but during harvest times there are often upwards of 150 people here.
4) "Castle Ebbers": Located in the former mansion of a CEO in the southern suburbs of Georgetown. The smallest of the four, with a population of around 80 people. They are cautiously friendly with anyone who isn't obviously hostile, and will trade with outsiders.

Smaller communities, usually less than 40 strong, are scattered about the region, mostly along trade routes between the larger communities.

Mystery: It is rumored in the area that there is a hidden cave entrance somewhere on the east coast of Delaware Bay. A water-filled passage winds for a few miles inland until reaching a "secret city". It is also rumored that a few fishermen from the Fort Cannon community know of its location.

People who have contributed to this entry:
John Raner