LOUISIANA
Louisiana is still a land ravaged by the war. A relatively small population lives mostly from subsistence farming and hunting in the interior and by fishing along the coast. A few small industries exist only for the local markets, and then only make a bare handful of products. Local governments vary widely, but none are more than regional. Most communities govern and police themselves, and the immediate trade routes in and out. Out in the hinterlands, it is traveler beware. Many local rulers have had to use overly forceful means to maintain authority over the years, a sign of the times to be sure. The overall level seems to be around the early 1800s, with no electricity or sophisticated weaponry. Parts of southern Louisiana are now occupied by the Jamaicans. The presence of an outside force in the Jamaicans promised to guaranteed a small flow of goods and foodstuffs.

1) NUCLEAR TARGETS

New Orleans, SS-19
Baton Rouge, SS-18M1b
Shreveport, SS-N-17
Louisiana Army Ammunition Depot, Doyline, SS-N-17

Discretionary nuclear targets:
Barksdale AFB, SS-N-8
Fort Polk, SS-N-17

2) MORROW PROJECT ASSETS

Sea Base Alpha 2: Located on Avery Island.
MARS Team LA-M-12: Bolthole located in West Feliciana Parrish, on the east bank of the Mississippi River, northeast of Morganza. Boat-based and tasked with recon on the river after wake-up. 13 members and two boats.
Recon Team RL-13: Bolthole located near Jackson, Louisiana. An Airmobile Rapid Response Team with 10 members, one fusion-powered CH-47C, one Commando Scout w/20mm, one Hummer, and one turreted V-600. There is also one PT boat and one riverine patrol boat, both fusion-powered, and two fusion-powered semi tractors with box trailers. Includes Support and Logistics Team SRL-01 with 8 support members and two security personnel who will stay behind. Bolthole will serve as a permanent base for operations once opened.
Science Team S-35: Bolthole located somewhere in Louisiana. Woke up two generations ago, moved to Texas, and did the best they could before dying off.

3) THE JAMAICANS

The large island of survived the war by the skin of its teeth. Hit by two tactical nuclear weapons and washed with fallout from across the Gulf, about half of Jamaica's population eventually died. The tourists fled and left the natives to handle rebuilding on their own. It took nearly 100 years for Jamaica to crawl back up to where they could begin to look across the sea. Cuba was colonized first, the backwards fishermen of that ravaged island gladly accepting help from Jamaica.

To America: They had been hearing rumors from a group of sailors shipwrecked on Cuba that America had recovered nicely. They also knew of the Project (how?), and were under the assumption that it had already succeeded in rebuilding the nation. Therefore they organized an expedition loaded down with many diplomatic treaties and gifts. These same sailors had told them that Louisiana was the new capitol of USA. The Jamaicans were sadly disappointed when they arrived there. After dropping off an outpost in the Florida Keys (see that state), they settled in Iberia, near the new mouth of the Mississippi River. Some recon trips to Baton Rouge and New Orleans confirmed that there was nothing close to an organized government in the southern half of the state. They were told of a ultra-conservative religious movement in the northern third of the state, but have not ventured up there to contact them yet. Some scanty rumors of the 1st Cavalry and Frozen Chosen filtered in from traders, offering more clues to the state of the country. They have recently sent an expedition to Fort Polk recently, hoping that some semblance of the US military might have survived there. No luck.

What to do?: With all this disappointment, there is much grumbling and dissention in the ranks; they were not expecting a swampy wasteland of Cajuns and mutant gators afterall. The current debate is whether or not to colonize. Several of the expedition's more aggressive diplomats are all for it, but the military leaders are more cautious, understanding the risks. They will probably pull out next summer and either go back to Cuba or try somewhere else along the coast. If there is to be a major colonizing effort, it will come later, not sooner.

4) THE NEW CHURCH OF CHRIST

In the northern third of the state there is a pocket of civilization held together by a strict and overbearing religious hierarchy. The New Church is the remnants of the old Catholic Church, which used to hold incredible power in Louisiana before the war. While now confined mostly to the Tensas Basin and the Ouachita River valley, the Church has managed to hold together the surviving population long enough for standards of living to rise and populations to increase. The Church is run by a governing body of bishops and administrators, which issues edits and proclamations on a regular basis.

Relations with neighbors: The Church is on cordial relations with the Frozen Chosen to the north in Arkansas, mainly due to shared religious values. They have trade agreements with many of the traders on the Mississippi River, including the KFS. The Jamaicans have yet to make official contact with the Church, but both sides are aware of the other. The Church is a bit worried about these newcomers.

Tithes: As has been the case for two millennia, the Church gets its money from tithes. In these times, most of these tithes are levied against landowners and merchants, and are required regardless of bad crops or hard times. This has caused no end to grumbling and strife amongst the growing merchant class, who feel that the Church is fleecing them. Several opposing factions have developed over the years, taking sides in this contentious issue.

The "Poormen of God": These mostly poor tenant farmers and harvesters are opposed to the current tithe system as the final cost always ends up filtering down to them. When tithes are hard to make, the landowners often take the property and wealthy of their tenants and workers to pay the Church. So far the Thumpers are unorganized, which is good because a general uprising of the lower classes would certainly destroy the fabric of society here.

The "Thumpers": So named from the old term "Bible Thumpers", these religious people, mostly those associated with the Church in some way, stand behind the tithe system. They believe that supporting the Church financially is biblical and to reduce the tithe at any time for any reason is tantamount to rejecting God.

Playing both sides: The Church leadership has never been willing to totally come down on one side of the issue or the other. They are equal parts afraid of a rebellion in the workers and loosing the support of the wealthy landowners and merchants. This lack of firm policy has not gone unnoticed. The current Cardinal of the Church is leaning more towards the "Thumpers", and might just make that Church policy soon. Who can guess what social upheaval this might cause.

5) NORTHERN LOUISIANA, THE "LOUISIANA PARRISH"

This area is a mix of large farms and scattered settlements, all residing in the Louisiana Parrish of the Church. To be fair, this is the only Parrish in the Church, though they have big plans for the future. The economy is feudal, with most of the wealth held by a small percentage of the population. In all, perhaps 25,000 people live in the Parrish, which stretches west to the Red River, east to the Mississippi River, north to roughly the old Arkansas border, and south into the fetid swamps along the upper bayous.

Monroe: The largest town in the Parrish, home to some 5,000 people of all economic classes. Monroe is also the seat of Church power and where the Cardinal and his council resides.

Cardinal Joshua: The current Cardinal of Louisiana Parrish, in office for the last 36 years, he might be the closest thing to a Pope in America today. He is a tall man with dark black hair despite his 60 years, known for long and vigorous horse rides to visit villages and churches in the Parrish. These visits are often unannounced and swift. While privately supporting the tithe system, he is aware that the "huddled masses" are ripe for rebellion. He has his staff of experts looking into ways to "reinterpret" the bible to ease some of the pressure.

Winnsboro: A regional center for the Church and the second largest town in the Parrish. Winnsboro is a growing farming and trade town of nearly 2,800 people.

Bishop Mark: The current bishop in Winnsboro, only in office for the last six months. Mark has not yet gained the full trust and support of the powerful merchants in the Winnsboro area, and with his staunch support of the tithe, he might not ever.

Obie Jackson and Douglas Johnstone: Two of the largest landowners in the Tensas Basin and well-known supporters of reducing the tithe requirement, having spoken out frequently of the need for a change in the Church policy. They might be the two best candidates to lead an uprising against Church rule if it comes to that.

The ruins of Shreveport: This large city was blasted out of existence during the war. 90% of the inhabitants were killed and most every building in the city was vaporized or burnt thoroughly by the firestorms. Today, the hulking ruins of Shreveport are home to some 100 salvagers, most in the far southern outskirts. A small Biker gang is based out of the nearby suburb of Keithville and are the main threat to the continued survival of the community. The Bikers are well-armed with some rifles and their bikes are in good shape for their age. This area is outside of the influence of the Church, though the occasional missionary can be found.

6) CENTRAL LOUISIANA

This area is mostly devoid of settlements of any size. The rivers banks often hide small villages, but they are more of the single extended family variety. Many of them are members of the "White Alligator Cult", an ancient voodoo cult brought into New Orleans in the last decade by refugees from Alabama. The Church sends missionaries into this area every now and then, but quite a few never return.

The ruins of Alexandria: Just a set of crumbling ruins today, which for the most part is uninhabited. It has been picked clean by scavengers, but the occasional valuable item can be found.

England Air Force Base: Abandoned soon after the war, this airbase was taken over by refugees after a few years. Now home to 200 assorted farmers and hunters, many of whom live in the once-modern barracks which formerly housed the pilots and flight crews. Rubble from destroyed buildings has been piled up over the years to make a fortified wall around the control tower building, which is used as a grain silo and citadel.

Fort Polk Military Reservation: Nuked during the war, this sprawling Army base was abandoned by the remaining military staff within a few years. It pretty much has sat empty until recently, when an expedition of Jamaican troops from Morgan City came to visit. They were hoping that Fort Polk was still an active military base, they were sadly mistaken. There was some talk of trying to reoccupy the post, but its relative isolation, lack of infrastructure and the four glowing nuclear craters nixed that idea. The rumored massive underground facilities for storage of military and other supplies beneath this fort have never been located and it is apparent that the Jamaicans have no idea that they even might exist. After some poking around looking for surface artifacts, the Jamaicans are preparing to head north to Monroe to meet with the Church leaders there.

7) SOUTHERN LOUISIANA

Much of the southern third of the state has regressed into a backwater of isolated swamp communities with amazing fauna and flora. Mutant gators and huge eye-pecking cranes are common sights, as are mosquitoes and black flies of monstrous sizes. The Jamaicans have recently come to the area, though not to conqueror.

The River: Following the nuclear war, the ORFCS (Old River Flood Control System), the complex system of levees, dams and controlled flood plains that kept the Mississippi River contained in its channel, broke down. Over the generations, the river slowly changed course, so much so that its mouth is now at Morgan City. The former mouth in the Louisiana Delta is now just a vast and constantly shifting marshy mud-plain of abandoned towns and swarming mosquitoes. Radiation has made the sawgrass and cattails grow at accelerated rates over the last 150 years and in some areas the boglands have swelled so much as to dry up much of the standing water. In a few more generations there might not be any open water for miles in some places. As the river has dried up, the cities that depended on it, such as Baton Rouge and New Orleans, were slowly abandoned by their few remaining citizens.

The ruins of Baton Rouge: Hit by a biowar strike during the war, the state capital of Baton Rouge was further hit hard by natural epidemics and the changing river bed, and is now largely depopulated. This is a great place to catch some nasty disease.

The ruins of New Orleans: Blasted by a nuclear strike, New Orleans died a flaming death. As the Mississippi River slowly changed its course, any chance that this city might be able to recover was lost. The Gulf of Mexico has slowly moved in to fill the empty river bed, causing widespread flooding and destruction. Most of the city was built on mud flats and landfills, and these have been eaten away, taking whole city blocks with them into the muddy water. With all this fetid water came disease and pestilence, even small pox, further depopulating the region. Today there are less than 100, maybe just a few dozen, people still left in the half-sunken city.

Iberia: Formerly New Iberia, a major (for the times) port and trading center on the west bank of the new, much wider mouth of the Mississippi River. It is also home of the main Jamaican landing force. There are some 350 Jamaicans here, living both in the town and aboard their ships. The local populace is flocking here to trade and take advantage of these sailors with money. They also pay the townspeople to work the docks, helping out with the ships and the camp that has been set up north of town to house the Jamaican ambassadors. The expedition is currently searching for the crew of a lost ship, though hope is growing dim. The SOS they received has led them to believe that the ship has sunk. In fact, it has washed up ashore in Texas.

Scott's Island: As the river flooded over the plain, a few of the higher (for the area) spots have remained above water. Formerly small hills and rises, these have now become islands in the mouth of the river, slowly being eroded away by the flow of water. One of the largest is known to the locals as "Scott's Island", a ten-acre piece of hilly land formerly east of Franklin. Its three dozen residents are poor, but accustomed to surviving on their own. Traders from Iberia occasionally make the journey over here, as the islanders are known for producing beautiful crushed shell pottery. Government, such as it is, consists of a council of five men chosen by the residents. Amongst the residents is also a man named Winslow Montgomery, a missionary from the Church at Monroe. This slight, 23-year old man traveled down the Mississippi River last spring looking for a place to preach and teach. Landing on Scott's Island, he decided to set up shop here. However, as the months have gone on, he has lost his will to preach and has instead taken up with a young local girl and spends most of his free time fishing and diving. He has a lot of knowledge about the Church and would be helpful to anyone curious about areas upriver.

Lafayette: This city, once a large caravan trading stop at the end of a route into East Texas, is currently under the thumb of a yellow fever epidemic. Sanitation is the main problem here, with disease killing dozens a week and all the out-of-state traders fleeing. The dead have included three Jamaican soldiers from a recon mission, and the city has been declared off-limits by the Expedition Command at Iberia.

Black Hawk: This Mississippi River town between Baton Rouge and Natchez is home to a group of pirates living in the remnants of a small marina. This far upriver, the river still follows its pre-war course, though it does flood heavily at times. The pirates have been plundering villages along the waterway for some time, even striking barge traffic in the Louisiana Parrish in daring night-time raids. They have three large powered boats, running on alcohol fuel, and have shown over thirty well-armed individuals. There are questions, however, about where the pirates are getting their seemingly ample ammunition supply.

Port Sulphur: Just west of New Orleans, in the dried up former river delta, is an old petroleum plant near the swamped town of Port Sulphur. Sitting on a small hill, the plant has mostly stayed out of the rising waters. While the installation has been hammered by the weather and the grounds are a haphazard mess, there does look to be some reasonable chances for reopening it as the pumps themselves are intact.

"Site-F": There is a Snake-eater underground base named "Site-F" located north of Lake Charles, tasked to watch Project assets in East Texas and to assist recover efforts at Fort Polk. Unfortunately, the base was undergoing a major overhaul when the war happened and was not occupied. There are no weapons or vehicles here, but the fusion power plant is still salvageable. Being up in the foothills, it has not been flooded out and is still accessible.

8) CALCUTTA

"Calcutta", is a bastardization of "Calcasieu Lake", which over the last 150 years has opened up to become a wide, though shallow harbor. The town of Calcutta is a relatively new construction, first started fifty years ago as a collection of fishing huts near the old Cameron County line along State Highway 27. It stayed just a small fishing village on the new coast of Louisiana for almost 40 years. Nine years ago the town was taken over by a group of Gulf pirates and turned into a safe haven and storage area for goods that could not be sold immediately. Since then the town has steadily grown, because of the constant flow of goods and pirates with too much free time. Today it is a bustling commerce haven of legal (and illegal goods) and trades with many of the towns and petty kingdoms along the Gulf coast, Texas, and Mexico. It has also become a haven for outlaws, pirates, raiders and other scum. Just about anything you can imagine will be and is sold here. An old saying in Calcutta is "If you can't find it here, it ain't been stolen yet".

The population is around 1,800 permanent residents and 2,000-2,500 transients. Education levels are pitifully low, there are no public schools or libraries to speak of and only about 15% of the population can read and write. The language is a blend of American and Spanish, anyone speaking both will have no problem, but people who only speak one will struggle a bit. Though most anyone is welcome if they have money, the Republic of Texas is not liked at all and any Republican soldiers or merchants are likely to get an unfriendly welcome. Anyone from the Brotherhood in southern Texas is also not welcome, and will be refused port mainly because one of the ruling five was once a slave in Brownsville.

Calcutta doesn't really have a technology level, since most of the products are stolen. The construction of ships and buildings is on par with the late 16th century. The leaders would like to expand the port facilities to allow more ships to dock, and also extend their trade contacts further inland to more buyers. No major changes are planned or will be planned until the money stops rolling in or slows down. The only relations Calcutta has with any other local Gulf kingdoms or towns is in trade, and they are always on the lookout for a new market for their goods and new towns to plunder.

Calcutta is controlled by what's left of the original pirate crew who seized the town nine years ago. Currently there are only five left, but they are very wealthy and either control or make a profit from all the legal and illegal businesses in town. The five rulers of Calcutta are Captain Roger Young, Andrew Rothe, Jolly Roger, Nathan Cooper, and John Bessemer. Each of the five receive a cut of all the money made from these businesses and each also has a small pirate fleet of several fast ships which brings in a private profit for each. The rulers have no secret agendas, as it is well known their only agenda is to make money and make themselves as rich as possible at any cost. The only public works projects are ones that are absolutely necessary, such as town defenses, roads (for the transportation of loot and slaves to warehouses), and the upkeep of the docks. They do, however, invest money in any project that is likely to make money, such as bars, hotels, shops, etc. Support for the rulers of the city falls into three categories--the ones who make money tend to like them, those who don't make money usually don't, and people who don't care because they're just here for a good time.

The town's defenses consist of 200 mercenaries in ad-hoc body armor and armed with an assortment of weapons (they also serve as the police). A large building near the docks houses the police, all their equipment, and also serves as a prison. Not that the police take many prisoners, as they usually break up fist fights with deadly force. The town also has four large black powder cannons overlooking the ocean in case of pirate attacks or a seaborne assault. It is also likely that pirates and raiders and other inhabitants of the town will come to its defense in case of attack. Each of the five rulers also has his own private body guards which are mostly mercenaries. They mostly use body armor and hand-held weapons, but have access to some more-advanced types of equipment.

For travelers, Calcutta has several boarding houses with cheap no-frills accommodations and minimal security. There are also several hotels with a range of quality and security, the most notorious is the Hurricane Hotel, a run down three-story building that charges by the hour, and anything goes short of all-out war. There are literally dozens of bars, ranging from the posh and expensive to the downright dangerous. The names usually have something to do with the ocean or pirates, but a lot don't even have names. There are also probably 10-20 whorehouses and again most don't have names because nobody cares what the name is but about what goes on inside. They can usually be spotted by the red lamp hanging outside the establishment and the half-naked women on the balconies. The Salty Dog (the ship the pirates used when capturing the city) is now sitting in the main square and is the only monument in the town.

There are three roads leading out of town for a few miles, but are not kept up very well. One road leads west towards Texas, one goes north towards Lake Charles, and the other east towards Iberia. Smuggling things into town is unnecessary. Visitors can bring anything into town (with the possible exception of a thermonuclear device) by paying an entrance fee.

Outside the town is a run-down slum full of poor people, unable to pay the fee to enter the town. If you think life was cheap inside the town it's even cheaper in the slums. The buildings are made out of anything they can get their hands on and fires frequently burn the slums to the ground. Beyond the slums there is the occasional farm, or fishing village, but mostly alligator infested swamps and bayous.

No churches have been set up in Calcutta but occasionally traveling priests do their work in the slums. The Reverend Johnson is the most visible, and he usually stands outside the gates and protests the evil going on in the town. He also helps the poor in the slums by providing medical help and hope. He isn't well liked by the people in the town and occasionally has to dodge a stray bullet or two.

People who have contributed to this entry:
John Raner
Kirk Smith
Don Harden
Kurt Feltenberger
Karl Zohler