Savage Fallout - East Coast: South - South Ruins and Daltonville

South Ruins -

The area of the South Ruins is generally thought of as the remnants of Marietta, but it refers to most anything within a 20 mile perimeter of HOTlanta. After Atlanta was wiped out, the populace surrounding the I-285 perimeter fled, leaving many homes and businesses to slowly wither away. Some stayed and either died of radiation poisoning or mutated into ghouls, who had a much simpler time of living near so much radiation. But, over the years, the tempatation of so much unclaimed valuables and free living space overcame many peoples' fear of the radiation's presence. Out of those who stayed and found "safe zones" grew raider gangs. Using the irradiated regions as cover, they struck out against the surrounding settlements, gaining what they could through fear and thievery. The most stubborn of the residents outside city walls fought back, though few of these survived. One of the most notable, George Creesie, a farmer with a small brahmin herd to the south of the ruins, boasts to have killed "a hun'erd 'er more of them yella-bellies... they ain't nothin' more'un bullies and ain't no bully gonna run me off'n my land." Sadly, George's kind is few and far between. For the most part, the raider gangs thrive in the unforgiving Ruins and no effort to rid the land of them has yet to be successful. All told, the estimates for the population of the Ruins goes from a few as 10,000 to as many as 30,000.
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Daltonville -

The "sister" city to Stockyard, Daltonville was once known as Dalton. During the war, the city's population exploded with those left homeless or afraid to live out on their own. The surrounding farms were left empty and nearby Chatsworth and Cleveland were abandoned once the fallout from Nashville and Chattanooga swept south and east. Those who felt unsafe or disagreed with the Stockyard policies moved northward and many settled in the more liberal Dalton, renamed Daltonville in the late 2090's. Over the years, Daltonville has grown to a steady populace of around 5,000 (though travelers and trade caravans can swell that number to near 5,500 or beyond), the boundaries clearly marked by a mish-mash wall of concrete and steel.
For the most part, Daltonville enjoys a unique position among the surviving cities of the East Coast. The remains of Nashville and Chattanooga leave a large gap between stops for caravans and travelers heading out east or towards the southwest. Daltonville fills this gap by offering a multitude of hostels and food establishments to all who agree to follow the rules of the town while within city limits. A prosperous town, Daltonville is ruled by a town council of 5 elected individuals from the population. Each council member represents a different aspect of the populace: the Farmer's Band rep, Carlo Prester; Glayds DuBourg of the Trade Guild; the Brahmin Herders Association member, Frederic Butscher; the Internal Business representative, Yuonne McGrann; and the Militia Elder (a ghoul... a rarity), Odear. The council meets weekly to discuss the current events and requests made by their respective constituents.
Daltonville's militia/police force numbers around 350 well-trained men and women... 200 internal patrol, 100 "wall guards," and 50 outer lands "marshals." The militia is led by Captain Abraham Logan Smith (named for an ancestor), a tough, no-nonsense veteran of the militia. The internal patrol acts as a police force, keeping the peace and making sure the city remains safe within. The wall guards hold posts on the walls and gates, checking visitors in and out and generally keeping watch day and night on the immediate surrounding land. These assignments generally rotate out every 3 months, giving a welcome rest from the hopeful hum-drum existence. The best of the militia are sent into the outlying land as marshals. It's the marshals' job to keep the peace in the farms to the east, watch over the brahmin herds to the west and stay any raider gangs from getting too close to the "protected lands." It's a tough, unforgiving, sometimes near impossible job... but the marshals somehow manage to do it and do it well.
The city's hospital is fairly well-stocked and maintained. It has a full-time doctor, Hunter "Bulldog" Mugg, 15 full-time nurses and 10 part-time nurses. Due to the internal patrol's presence, the hospital rarely sees injury cases... mostly just sickness and malnutrition.
But, as with all large cities, Daltonville has it's share of headaches. The most notable is the self-proclaimed "crime king," Kurtis Silveri. Silveri has read one too many old books on the old mafiosi and sees himself as the next great don. To this end, he has a network of 200-300 underlings and business owners loyal to him. He has his hands in most anything illegal in Daltonville, including extortion, murder, smuggling and worse. Captain Smith has been working for years to bring him down, but invariably, needed evidence "disappears" or witnesses "leave town." But, Smith's resolve has only been strengthened by his setbacks. It's just a matter of time before Silveri missteps and Smith will be there to take him down.
Another problem is a local raider gang, called the Falcons, who have been making bolder attempts on the outlying farms and brahmin herders. The gang has so far been mostly held in check by the marshals, but their numbers are few against a remarkably determined enemy.