| Belfield | |
| |
| General Information | |
| Status: | Active |
| Location Information | |
| Location: | North Dakota |
| Societal Information | |
| Population: | 700 |
| Factions: | Plains Militia, American Northern Army |
Belfield is a town in North Dakota that plays host to the Plains Militia and the American Northern Army. It serves as a caravan waypoint and relies on that for most of its income. Belfield is also known for its stringent rules and harsh punishments.
History[]
Belfield was around pre-War but barely registered on the Census with its perpetually low population. The only notable pre-War part of Belfield is the Trappers Inn, which later served as the headquarters of the Plains Militia.
When the Great War came in 2077, much of the Belfield's residents simply armed themselves and tried to "wait out the apocalypse". This worked fine for a while, with the town continously be inhabited until 2090. It was that year that there was a bad harvest and an even more terrible winter. Most of the town mysteriously disappeared that winter, with the only survivors from those days being the ghouls who ran the Trappers Inn. The ghouls, a couple named Ida and Geoffrey, remain tight lipped about the affair and avoid talking about it.
For many years, Ida and Geoffrey were the town's only inhabitants, still operating Trappers Inn through all the years. People only began returning to Belfield in 2130, when caravans became more common in the area. The town's first mayor, Hal "the Belly" Burton, was democratically elected in 2141.
By 2150, the town's population had grown to over one hundred, and Belfield had become a bustling trade hub. This was what attracted the first raiders to Belfield in 2172. The townspeople managed to repel the raiders after an hour long siege of the town.
The townspeople hoped this would be the last time this would happen. That was only the beginning. In the late 2100s, raider attacks on Belfield and its caravans only increased.
The situation reached boiling point around 2200, when caravans started to avoid Belfield altogether to avoid the raiders that plagued the nearby lands. In response to this, the Plains Militia was formed, a fighting force strong enough to take on the raider hordes head on.
The Plains Militia succeeded at first and caravan traffic went up. However, the raiders soon wised up and defeated the Plains Militia at the Battle of Fryburg in 2203, crippling the group.
Fearing the worst, many Belfield townspeople prepared to leave town before raider retribution came. When the raiders did attack Belfield on June 4, 2203, a hero emerged to save the town: Chris Richardson a former militiaman turned wanderer. Richardson assisted the remaining Plains Militia in the defense of Trappers Inn and was offered the leadership of the Plains Milita (and de facto control of the town). Richardson accepted and became their general.
The townspeople of Belfield idolized Richardson and were more than willing to let him use Trappers Inn as his headquarters, with the ghoul couple remaining there to assist him. As Richardson trained his Militia in combat and used them against raiders, he also assisted in rebuilding the town and restored the town's electricity in 2209. Richardson also helped draft several "town ordinances" on morality, outlawing chem use, prostitution, and alchohol.
By 2225, Belfield had become the epicentre of the Plains Milita and had shared in their success, at one point attracted more trade than Tall Town. However, this era of prosperity would come to a close when the Great Raider Wars began in 2238. The Plains Militia went on the defensive and began to wear down as more raiders emerged to fight. The town became more xenophobic and isolated as raiders closed off trade routes. After a skirmish with raiders right outside Belfield in 2247, General Richardson decided to step down and another General was appointed, Patricia Barns.
Barns' appointment did little to stop the flow of raider attacks and the Great Raider Wars continued. When envoys from Tall Town came in 2250, the Plains Militia and Belfield townspeople were haggard from years of warfare and just wanted peace. So when the New-Merican Society offered to combine their forces to create a new, bigger army to bring peace to the newly minted Badlands Territory, the people of Belfield and old Chris Richardson jumped at the opportunity, ignoring their leader's apprehension. The American Northern Army was created in Belfield between the New-Merican Society and the Plains Militia and fought for them until the Great Raider Wars ended in 2254.
Upon the Great Raider Wars' conclusion, Belfield prospered, even as the Plains Militia declined in relevance and power. Many influential people in town, including the mayor in 2257, joined the New-Merican Society in opposition of "crazy zombie Barns" reactionary politics. By 2260, they had triumphed, and Belfield effectively became a satellite of Tall Town. Morals began to relax as New-Merican "Free Speech" laws were introduced.
After the brief period of tensions between the ANA and Custer's American Army in the late 2250s and early 2260s, Belfield was at peace again. At this time, many of the "Free Speech" laws passed in the 2260s were rolled back at the behest of New-Merican Society and by 2280, Belfield was back to its old self, judging morality and all.
When the Generals' War was declared in 2280, Belfield was used as a staging ground before marching off to the Borderlands. The Plains Militia marched off to war as well, only leaving a skeleton force behind in Belfield. Since the beginning of the war, Belfield has benefitted from being in the path of the flow of resources to the frontlines to the south. However, the people of Belfield are acutely aware that they are first on Custer's hit list if his forces break through. Their faith in the Plains Militia and the ANA in general keeps them optimistic.
Layout[]
The town of Belfield is spread out, consisting mostly of low houses and a few barns and farmhouses farther out. The only notable pre-War structure left is the the Trappers Inn, which now serves as the Plains Militia's headquarters.
Economy[]
Belfield's economy heavily depends on caravans and servicing them, to an almost unhealthy degree. They do dabble in substinence farming though.
Government[]
The government of Belfield is democratically elected and consists of the mayor and his cabinet. The Plains Militia serves as the enforcers of the law alongside the town sheriff.
The current mayor of Belfield, Dolores Bellweather, is a member of the New-Merican Society but has taken careful measures to avoid instituting all "Free Speech" laws to keep her popularity up.
Culture[]
Belfield's culture is one of enforced morality and quiet oppression. Chris Richardson's Catholic inspired laws are, for the most part, still in place and have endured in the hearts and minds of the townspeople.
The people of Belfield are often seen as uptight or "squares" by outsiders and other people under the protection of the American Northern Army. This popular image is resented by many in town, but they have done little to change it.
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