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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 small peninsula on the east coast of the United States, between the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay.

 

Origin

 

Pre-War

     Most of the peninsula was split between Maryland and Delaware, with the southern end (including Cape Charles) being a portion of the state of Virginia. Dover, Delaware (pop. 23,512) and Salisbury, Maryland (pop. 16,429) were the largest cities; the entire peninsula was home to 510,000 persons.

     Technically, the region was an island -- the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal divided it from the mainland.

 

Post-War

     On November 18, 1989 there were three nuclear detonations on the peninsula:  one at the city of Dover, and two at Dover AFB 5 kilometers away. All three were 600 kiloton warheads from the same missile; one of them was a surface burst on the air force base runway, the other two were air bursts.

     Everyone in Dover was dead within a day of the attack. Electric power and most other utilities ceased at the same time.

     Relatively few refugees made it over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal onto the peninsula. Within a few days after the Atomic War, heavy fallout began to settle on the peninsula, some of it from as far away as Nebraska. In addition, the destroyed reactors along the Eastern Seaboard continued to produce contamination for decades.

 

     While farming continued, radiation sickness, diseases, starvation, and raiding from the mainland reduced the population continuously for thirty years after the Atomic War. At the lowest level, around 2020, only a bit more than 2,000 persons lived on the peninsula; at about this time the last cattle, chickens and swine perished.

     Major hurricanes in 2003 and 2007 destroyed many remaining structures; dozens of other category 5 hurricanes since those two have made traces of Ancient civilization harder to find. Sea level rises of 7 meters have threatened much of the peninsula (for example, Dover was only 9 meters above sea level at the time of the Atomic War). Nothing in the entire peninsula was more than 30 meters above sea level before the war, and much of the central peninsula was only 17 meters above the sea; by the mid-22nd Century, those figures stand at 23 meters and 10 meters.

     Both the ruins of Dover and Salisbury are a few concrete pillars sticking up from marshes.

 

What Outsiders Know

     The tribals of the Federal Zone have contact with these people; and the Empire of the East knows about them, and raids them regularly. They're considered unsophisticated and secretive.

 

The Reality

 

     An isolated population, the Delmarvans are building up resistance to the Empire of the East.

 

Population

     There are about 16,000 persons on the peninsula, of which 49% are male. The oldest person in 2141 was age 77.

 

population by age
age	number	male	female
under 5	2,850	1,570	1,280
5 - 9	2,300	1,250	1,050
10 - 14	1,830	1,010	820
15 - 19	1,720	920	800
20 - 59	6,800	2,950	3,850
60 +	490	200	90

 

Territory and Locations

 

purple tone represents radioactive contamination;

the blue line shows maximum penetration of storm surges in the 22nd Century

 

     The entire peninsula has a land area of about 8,000 square kilometers (instead of 14,000 before the Atomic War); it's only about 50 kilometers wide at the most.

     There are no towns or cities -- the tribes move their camps every year or so. Long before European settlers arrived, most of the peninsula was covered in pine forests; these were cleared for farming before the Atomic War, but have returned since the war.

     A JEEP bunker (J16 on the map) was buried near Staytonville just before the Atomic War.

 

Organization

 

Government, National and Local

      There is no government above the tribal level; however, the various families and clans will send representatives to a council for important decisions (such as reactions to invasions).

      Tribal and village government is arrived at by consensus.

 

Justice, Social Control, Punishment

     Exile is the most severe punishment for a member of the Delmarvan tribes. The mothers of a community decide on cases of violations of social order (the word "crime" is not used); if there isn't a consensus among the mothers, the eldest mother who isn't the parent of the accused makes the decision. Fines or restitution are the usual punishment.

     Violations can include sins, which might not involve any malicious intent by the judged person.

 

Political Factions, Dissent

     Each clan feels superior to other clans; each family is loyal to its members.

 

Famous/Infamous Persons

 

     ...

 

Relationships with Other Groups

     They fear and distrust the Empire of the East. The tribal groups on the western side of the Chesapeake are seen as foolish, but not wicked.

     Traders, usually from the Carolinas, Princeton, or East Broad Top, can be respected or despised, based on how well they understand Delmarvan ways. Since most traders are men, they're viewed as not having great wisdom.

 

Culture

 

Ethnic Groups, Immigration and Emigration

 

     Before the Atomic War, 82% of the population of the peninsula were described as "white/caucasian", with only Dover and Salisbury having significant amounts of ethnic diversity. Unlike many areas of the former United States, the Delmarvans are primarily descended from survivors living in the area at the time of the Atomic War.

     The only "emigration" happens when the Empire of the East captures locals and takes them to Philadelphia.

 

Social Divisions and Castes

     Married women with children are the most powerful group among the Delmarvans.

     There are a couple of dozen family names found among the Delmarvans, and three clans. Each family belongs to at least one clan, a few belong to two clans, and one (the Smith family) belongs to all three clans.

 

Religion, Beliefs and Superstition

     Their religion is dualistic, with God in Heaven (along with Mary the Mother of God, and their son Jesus Christ) and the Devil in Hell, with his un-named wife. The Devil makes pollution and radiation.

     A lot of folk lore, medicine, sayings, etc. relate to the four elements (earth, air, fire and water). Fire is very important and dangerous; no fire may ever be extinguished with water.

     Part of a folk tale:

 

         "Once upon a time, Americans tried to defy and ignore God in Heaven. Pollution and nuclear were everywhere, men walked on the Moon and flew about in Heaven. Mary Mother of God was ignored, and she told God to punish the wicked people. Thus the Devil in Hell was unleashed and the Atomic War smote left and right, leaving fire everywhere."

 

Morality and Values

     Blah blah ...

 

Progress and Failure

     Blah blah ...

     A truly wicked person is believed to be worshipping the Devil; it's unclear if this ever actually happens.

 

Family, Age, Sexuality and Gender

     Clan and family membership is matrilineal -- a person's last name is that of their mother.

     At about age 16, children are initiated into adulthood in a mid-summer festival.

     Perceptive visitors will notice that the number of adult males is quite a bit lower than it should be; the reason for this isn't known to outsiders.

 

Education and Language

     The tribes speak Road Talk (English) with a Southern accent. There is no formal education, and literacy is nearly zero.

 

The highest EDU is 6, but the skill Own Language is based on INTx5.

 

Environment and Agriculture

     The amount of radioactive contamination is higher than it would be in the 20th Century, but by the mid-22nd Century radiation is not a major health hazard on the peninsula.

 

some of the forest

 

     Shrubs and loblolly pine are the most common large plants; forests have returned to cover the center of the peninsula, which is more suited to farming than the sandy barrens of southern New Jersey.

      Broad salt marshes line the coasts.

     The larger mammals include wild dogs and cats, white-tail deer, gray and red foxes, raccoons, muskrats, and rabbits. The wild ponies on some of the islands were hunted to extinction long ago.

     Farming mostly provides beans, corn, squash and tomatoes. Goats are the most common domesticated farm animal. Hunting, fishing (but only "free swimming" fish), and gathering wild plants (mostly berries and herbs) are important parts of the Delmarvan food supply.

     Weather in the summer is hot and humid, with frequent thunderstorms; winter snows are light and sporadic, rarely remaining long on the ground. Hurricane season (June through October) will usually have at least one major storm hit the Delmarva coast from the Atlantic Ocean. Storm surges of up to 8 meters have taken place since the Atomic War; if this coincides with a high tide (up to 1 meter), waves can wash across land 9 meters above the current sea level.

 

Food

     The Delmarvans do not eat any sort of bottom-feeding water creature -- no oysters, crabs, or flatfish, for example. Only "free swimming" fish are eaten.

     Cornbread, soups and stews are staples.

 

Art and Entertainment, Music, Literature, Recreation

     Musical instruments include water-filled drums (also used for long-distance communication), and flutes (played almost only by men).

 

Fashion and Appearance

     Goat hair is woven into fabric; goatskin and buckskin are also used for clothing, along with wool cloth obtained from traders (this originates in Princeton or East Broad Top). Beads made from Ancient glass and plastic are used for decoration.

     Men wear breechcloths and leggings; women wear poncho-like dresses. In the summer, men don't wear shirts and children are often naked. Moccasins are the usual footwear.

 

Urban and Rural Areas, Architecture

     There are no permanent structures used by the Delmarvans, except for a few small shrines. They are semi-nomadic, re-establishing their camps every year (or sooner, if the Empire of the East is raiding).

      Camps are built of loosely-assembled lumber or pole frames, covered with fabric and skins -- they somewhat resemble Mohawk longhouses (with lots of reinforcing poles on the inside). Each "house" is for a mother, her husband, elderly relatives and un-married children; some large houses are for more than one mother (but that's considered "not as good"). Small, simple gardens are established around each camp.

 

Equipment and Resources

 

Economy

     This area is rated as Poor, Non-Agricultural, Non-Industrial. The GNP is only $22,000; the entire economy is conducted on a barter basis. Some tribes may have collected coins to use in trade with outsiders -- but across the entire peninsula this totals only about $7,000, of which only $1,400 is silver coins, and $360 is gold coins (probably 18 Krugerrands or Maple Leafs). The rest are corroded old pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters, plus some casino chips and other coin-like items.

 

Science, Medicine and Technology

     The Technology Level is G -- circa 1000 AD in Europe.

 

Weapons and Military Equipment

     Knives, short bows, some crossbows, throwing spears, and clubs are the main weapons. The tribes very much prefer ranged combat.

 

Communications

     Messengers and drums are the only methods of long-range communication. Note that the inhabitants are illiterate.

 

Vehicles

     Before the Atomic War two rail lines ran north-south through the peninsula, both owned and operated by Conrail.

     By the mid-22nd Century there are no land vehicles in use, not even horses.

 

Aircraft

     None.

 

Watercraft

     Some simple canoes and rafts are used by fishermen, but rarely for transportation.