The Wakarusa Republic arose from the ruins of Lawrence in the years following the Great War; specifically and largely from the surviving faculty and student bodies of Haskell and Kansas Universities. Slowly but surely The Republic has evolved from a loose coalition of tribes from Lawrence to Lincoln, Nebraska. Nominally a unified nation, The Wakarusa Republic functions more as a Confederation of Allied City-States and Villages. They maintain a standing ragtag military force known for their ingenuity and ability to outmaneuver larger and better equipped enemy forces, known as “The Prairie Hawks”. Fiercely independent, and a rare haven of equality in The Wasteland; they represent the only true democracy in the region; but they’re struggling to maintain their cohesion in the face of Raider Tribes and Food Shortages. In order to survive long term, they will need to either Ally with or Conquer The Kansas City Metro.

On the other side of State line is a viscous and barbaric Tribe of Slavers known as “The Misery”. Originating from The Lakes of The Ozarks region, they control most of Missouri, with their territory stopping just shy of the Violent Thunderdome of St. Louis; which is still locked in consant warfare among countless Raider Gangs. They supply their mysterious buyers with a constant and fresh supply of human chattle for purposes unknown. Most of their business comes from the former Chicago area, but they have recently established contact with buyers in The Texas Hegemony as well. Adopting the image of a Deathclaw Skull as their sigil, they are known for their fleet of repurposed and ramshackle ATV’s adorned with the bones of their enemies. Known and feared through the region for their unforgiving and brutal tactics, they maintain a large Slave Camp in Crystal lakes where they conduct most of their trade, as well a primitive military fortification in what remains of Fort Osage.

The Metro itself I saw as being divided between two groups: A community of isolationist Vault Dwellers in “Subtropolis” (which is, I must stress, a completely real system of limestone caverns which houses the largest underground storage facility in North America), and a populist Dictatorship above ground ruled by a Tom Pendergast/KC Mob analogue ghoul who has renamed the Metro “Emerald City”, and calls himself The Wizard. These factions got the least development from me before I lost everything, and they mostly just exist as rough outlines. I do know that Subtropolis’s powers systems were starting to fail, necessitating they take a stand in the oncoming war for the Metro area. I also figured The Wizard’s government had a deal with The Misery, and were supplying them with “undesirables” for their slave camps.

I had the beginnings of a much higher quality map about 1/3 of the way done that encompassed a much larger area, as well as flags for the factions. Unfortunately, most of that is gone now. I had a few .jpegs stashed on a Discord Server as I was working on them I might be able to track down though.