New Madison Coalition

The New Madison Coalition is a collection of townships, city-states, and post-war settlements that have banded together with common cause. Unlike others of its kind, the NMC is a bridge between Old World values and New World ruggedness. The Coalition is led by an Elective Council, which is democratically chosen by elected representatives who sit on the Madison Senate. The Coalition makes no distinction towards those who rule, only that those who do end up in positions of power provide merit that benefits the Coalition as a whole. In that sense it could be considered an Elective Meritocracy.

Despite the attempt at something new the NMC often falls prey to the same faults that many other governments do. Corruption, greed, and self-serving politicians sometimes cripple the Coalition's ability to act. This was proven to be true when the Coalition attempted to draft a central military in an attempt to retake Old Madison city.

2077-2100
The first 30 years after the bombs fell were relatively uneventful. Raider bands and desperate people flocked to the burnt out husks of the once great cities. They fought over dwindling resources and living space. Many did so because they had no other choice as the Wisconsin mountains proved to be incredibly difficult to navigate after the war. For decades people slaughtered one another until eventually, order rose to the top.

2100-2165
Madison, Wisconsin was the capital of the once rural state. Before the Great War it was a marvelous city - a mixture of the heavy urbanized cities of Chicago and the sparse rural farmland it ruled over. It was in the ashes of this city rose the Madison Watch Marshals. These marshals were mercenaries-turned-policemen who patrolled the city and its surrounding wastes, eliminating any ne'er-do-wells who happened across them. This harsh frontier justice was effective in driving raider bands away from the "civilized folk". In 2142 peace had finally come after over a century of blood.

In 2154 an attempt at self government was made, emulating the Old World governments of 150 years past. A Congress was formed, a House of Representatives, and a Senate to bind it all together. They named the city "Madison Central" and set to work rebuilding the city.

2166-2200
Progress in rebuilding was steadily moving along. Scavenging guilds formed, organized labor became common place, soon the city would have a new economy rivaling that of anything known in a hundred years. However this was not to last - a large band of raiders from the frozen wastelands up north descended downward into Wisconsin. Calling themselves the "Red Sons", they sacked and pillaged the area around Madison Central. The government became gridlocked with noone being able to agree upon how to handle the situation. In March of 2183 they attacked Madison Central, routing the Madison Watch Marshals after only an hour of fighting. The city was captured and the capitol building was burnt to the ground. A city scarred by nuclear devastation once again underwent annihilation almost a full century after.

By July 2183 the residents of Madison Central were either captured & enslaved, dead, or dying. Many wandered out into the wasteland and were never heard from again. Those few Watch Marshals who survived did so by turning into those they fought against. Still, some clung to hope after all they had endured. They traveled east towards the Wisconsin river deep in the mountains. There they found a clearing and rebuilt their once great city.

2200-2235
Over the next 40 years this "New Madison" grew into a veritable metropolis. Some from the old city found their way back and resettled. Others from mountain tribes made contact and sought protection under the reorganized Marshals.Hundreds of people called New Madison their home - then thousands. Before long there was too many people and not enough livable space.

2236-2288
By 2244 New Madison had reorganized itself into an Elective Meritocracy. New Madison Council, it was called, lead the nation. This council was chosen by the Madison Senate, which are elected representatives from various townships, settlements, companies, and just about anyone else who commands enough influence to sit in on the Senatorial hearings.

The Council had pushed forth a plan to solve the overpopulation crisis. They sponsored the "New Horizons" event which saw the rapid territorial expansion of the city. New settlements, towns, villages, and Pre-War cities were founded, inhabited, and (re)built. By 2265 more than a dozen settlements had been built, supplemented by refugees and wastelanders wanting a better life. By 2276 the towns convened in New Madison to form the New Madison Coalition, with each major settlement having a say in how the entire territory was run.

In 2278 the Marshals used their voice in the Senate to push the Council towards a reconquering of Old Madison city. The Marshals spent the next several years campaigning for an expansion of the military. Soon the New Madison Militia was formed. However those that ended up signing up tended to be vagrants, poor, homeless, or other societal undesirables. Coupled with the lack of funding from various power groups of the Coalition led to a poorly organized, underfed, ill equipped fighting force.

In 2281 the Militia moved on the Old Capital. When they arrived they had found the city to be a toxic wasteland overrun with degenerate tribals. These tribals, who came to be known as "Madmen", were psychotic barely sentient humans who favored skinning people alive and eating what was left. They often wore grain sacks on their head tied around the neck and communicated through a series of primitive grunts. They favored bladed weapons such as machetes, knifes, spears, etc.

By mid 2281 the invasion was in full swing. The blatant disregard the Madmen had for their own lives, coupled with exaggerated use of chems meant that every engagement had militiamen dying. Soon what little economic suppor the Militia had dried up as popular sentiment waned. By the end of 2281 the Militia had pulled out of Old Madison and regrouped at Middleton. There they erected Middleton Fort out of an old abandoned warehouse and dug in. Occasionally they launch raids into the city but the Militia has since becoming a laughing stock. Financial support dropped to an all-time low by 2283, and the garrison there had become a skeleton crew of no more than a dozen men at any time.

The New Madison Militia was largely seen as a failed venture in a centralized military. Many power groups within the Coalition maintained their own private armies of mercenaries, thugs, and other hired guns. These groups each used their own guns to advance their own individual self interest. Old Madison fell largely by the wayside in the grand scheme, and was considered to be a stunning defeat for what little central government there was. By 2285 the Council decided to simply ignore the city and moved on, leaving the militia's deaths in vain.

By 2288 the Coalition had independently spread across 7,200 square miles of territory. Dozens of settlements lay under its domain and the Senate had grown to 30 individuals, while the Council sat at nine members. Each interest within the Coalition expanded its borders independently from one another. Back in 2267 a group of Lutheran doctors and physicians founded the settlement of Portage, calling themselves the New Horizon Movement. They roamed the Coalition's borders (and oftentimes ventured beyond) healing and treating the wounded. Their usefulness became apparent during the failed invasion of Old Madison, where New Horizon doctors spent day-and-night tending to the wounded. Without them many more would have died. The New Horizon Movement would go on to found several chapels, churches, and other institutions all across the Coalition. These centers would serve as free medical clinics for all who were in need. In times of famine or need, they would serve as distribution centers to aid the local poor or homeless. By 2281 they had acquired three seats on the Senate, and six years later they had put someone on the Senate. The New Horizon Movement had become a permanent fixture of the Coalition.

The Flag
Taking after the original Pre-War American flag, the Coalition flag maintains the red, white, & blue of the Old World. In palce of stars however are five 12 pointed geometric flowers. Each flower represents a territory within the Coalition, and each point represents the maximum number of settlements allowed in a territory before a new one must be made.