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Origin Pre-War Post-War What Outsiders Know The Reality Population Territory and Locations Organization Government, National and Local Justice, Social Control, Punishment Political Factions, Dissent Famous/Infamous Persons Relationships with Other Groups Culture Ethnic Groups, Immigration and Emigration Social Divisions and Castes Religion, Beliefs and Superstition Morality and Values Progress and Failure Family, Age, Sexuality and Gender Education and Language Environment and Agriculture Food Art and Entertainment, Music, Literature, Recreation Fashion and Appearance Urban and Rural Areas, Architecture Equipment and Resources Economy Science, Medicine and Technology Weapons and Military Equipment Communications Vehicles Aircraft Watercraft

 

 

 

     A well-organized city-state, based around what used to be the California Institute for Men. In the mid-22nd Century, the city is known as the home of several mercenary units.

Origin

 

Pre-War

     In 1989 the city of Chino, California had a population of 40,000 persons; it was slowly changing from a dairy farming town, into a residential suburb.

     The largest employer in the city was the California Institute for Men, a prison at the southern end of the city.

     The prison, called "Chino Men's" by the locals, sat on a 1000 hectare block of arid farmland. Opened in 1941 to hold 3,160 inmates, by 1989 it held more than 8,000 prisoners, and was the largest minimum-security prison in the United States. There were about 1,200 guards and hundreds of other prison employees. 

     Farming programs surrounded the prison; unfortunately, various prison gangs (including the Black Guerilla Family, the Mexican Mafia, and the Aryan Brotherhood) were also present in the prison. Very little new purpose-built housing had ever been added --  various gymnasiums, day rooms, rec rooms, etc. had been converted to housing as the number of inmates increased. Many of the older dormitories were wooden-frame barracks-type buildings; most of the prisoners were not able to participate in the theoretical rehabilitation and training programs.

     November 18th, 1989 the weather was pleasant, with a high that day of 84° F; the day had seen strong winds before 2 p.m. from the northeast (from the San Bernardino mountains). The state had been experiencing a drought since 1987 -- the second-driest period in California history; San Bernardino county had not had any rain for at least a year by this date.

     The Atomic War resulted in two nearby nuclear detonations -- one at Ontario International Airport (100 kiloton surface burst), 11 kilometers to the northeast, and another at the steel plant at Rancho Cucamonga (100 kiloton air burst), 17 kilometers away.

     The mushroom clouds of more than a dozen other atomic strikes were visible in the Los Angeles metropolitan area from the prison.

 

Post-War

     No damage was done to the prison by the nuclear strikes; but the cities of Ontario and Chino had been badly damaged. Electrical power went out immediately, followed by water and other utility services. Almost no guards showed up for the morning shift, and most of the guards present left as soon as the sun came up. By mid-day, the entire staff had departed; clouds of smoke were visible to the north, east and west from raging fires. Fifteen thousand square kilometers of land south of Santa Barbara and the Mojave Desert and west of the Salton Sea, were destroyed in the fires lit by the nuclear blasts -- 60% of the land area.

     Many of the prisoners fled in the first days after the War; some returned as the dire situation in the surrounding cities became clear. No civil defense, Red Cross or other assistance ever appeared. The former prisoners got a couple of generators working, to pump well water for drinking and to operate a freezer; groups of prisoners raided the city for supplies, including fuel.

     Several feed stores, hardware stores, a National Guard armory, sporting goods stores, surplus stores, and dairy farms (of about 100 hectares each) plus the prison's own farm facilities were taken over.

 

Notably they raided the Federal Ordnance warehouse in South El Monte,

and brought back tens of thousands of rounds of surplus ammunition,

and many hundreds of weapons, mostly sort-of-crappy imports

or made from combinations of used parts on new receivers (Spanish and American): 

Moisin-Nagant rifles, SKS rifles, semi-auto AK-type rifles, C96 Mauser pistols, Tokarev pistols,

M1 Garand rifles, "tanker" Garand rifles, M14 rifles, M1903 Springfield rifles,

M1911A1 pistols (many with aluminum frames), and hundreds of M1 carbines.

 

The prison armory mostly had 12 gauge pump shotguns, .38 Special revolvers, and some Mini-14 rifles in 5.56mm.

 

     Protection from fallout was minimal -- drinking milk was unwise for many years.

     In the years following the War, Chino became the center of a salvage and raiding organization.

 

What Outsiders Know

     In southern California, the city is famous for providing well-trained, experienced mercenaries. A few traders operating in the American southwest know about Chino.

 

The Reality

     Less than two hundred men are members of the famed mercenary units -- their reputation, skill and equipment make them very effective against opponents around the LA Bay.

 

Population

     5,700 persons live within Chino territory. Males between 18 and 44 years total 1,140; 285 of them are between 18 years old and 24 years old. There are 1,300 children of both genders (up to age 15), and 800 persons aged 62 or more.

 

Territory and Locations

     Blah blah ...

 

Organization

 

Government, National and Local

     Blah blah ...

 

Justice, Social Control, Punishment

 

     The legal system is based on the pre-Atomic War structure of Mexican law. with however a more disputative, verbal-arguing-in-front-of-the-judge element.

 

Political Factions, Dissent

     Blah blah ...

 

Famous/Infamous Persons

 

     General Jorge Piedra -- military dictator

     Colonel Emilio Portocarro -- age 37, he leads the Chino's cavalry.

 

Relationships with Other Groups

     Relations with La Nueva República de México and with Amega S'hana are good, if for no other reason than a shared language. There is regular trade with Elsinore, but Chinoans think that the Elsinorans are spooky palurdos (rednecks).  

 

Culture

 

Ethnic Groups, Immigration and Emigration

 

     The Chinos are a mix of Los Angeles-area ethnic groups, but their culture is descended from 20th Century Mexican immigrants to the United States.

 

Social Divisions and Castes

     Land owners of "pure Mexican" background are the most-respected. Active members of the mercenary units have a lot of marriage and employment potential.

 

Religion, Beliefs and Superstition

     The main religion is Catholicism, but the Chinos have a healthy skepticism to various claims of authority by other nations.

 

Morality and Values

     Blah blah ...

 

Progress and Failure

     Blah blah ...

 

Family, Age, Sexuality and Gender

     Blah blah ...

 

Education and Language

 

     Education is free through grade school level; literacy is high. The usual language spoken is Español Mexicano.

 

Environment and Agriculture

     Two thousand hectares (20 square kilometers) of land around the former prison are irrigated, with orchards, fields and dairy farms quite well developed. The usual dairy animals are goats and sheep. About 2000 persons work and live on the agricultural land.

 

Food

     Blah blah ...

 

Art and Entertainment, Music, Literature, Recreation

     Blah blah ...

 

Fashion and Appearance

     Blah blah ...

 

Urban and Rural Areas, Architecture

     Post-War buildings that have survived are in the Post-Apocalyptic Mission style:  sturdy concrete or adobe buildings, with red tile roofs.

 

Equipment and Resources

 

Economy

     The mercenary bands, and some of the bigger farms, are cooperative groups. Members purchase a share upon entry, and earn more shares as time goes on. When they retire or die, their shares are bought up by the group.

     Chino doesn't make its own currency, instead using the basic "hard coin" of old currency and gold- or silver-based systems (especially the Nuevo Peso of the NRM). They don't accept paper money (which is usually from Southshore, around here).

     The nation is rated as Rich, Agricultural, Non-Industrial.

 

Science, Medicine and Technology

 

     Steam engines burning wood or agricultural waste are used to power water pumps and minor industrial machinery. Solar thermal power is also being employed. There is not much industrial production -- a few gunsmiths, a single cannon foundry and ammunition plant -- so most of their technical needs are met by imports.

     The area is Technology level E, which is equivalent to circa 1840 America.

 

Weapons and Military Equipment

     Breech-loading single-shot rifles, lever-action or bolt-action magazine rifles, and revolvers make up the basic infantry weapons. Light mortars and small muzzle-loading cannon are available; cavalry units carry swords and lever-action rifles, and sometimes lances.

     An armory holds thousands of firearms that are worn out, missing parts, missing magazines, or (most often) requiring ammunition of a caliber and propellant no longer available. The more oddball weapons get sold from time to time to Cartel traders; Chino would rather buy ammunition or parts than sell the guns.

     Longbows, crossbows, shortbows, spears and shortswords are trained with, but no "first class" unit will have those as their primary weapons.

 

Communications

     There are no telephones, telegraphs, radios, newspapers or other periodicals; printed books mostly are purchased from Tijuana.

 

Vehicles

     Horses, and horse-drawn vehicles, are the most advanced mode of transport.

 

Aircraft

     None.

 

Watercraft

     None.